Plutarch

Plutarchs's (46-120 A.D.) epic chronicle of the lives of great Grecians and Romans....

Plutarch’s Lives remains one of the world’s most profoundly influential literary works. Written at the beginning of the second century, it forms a brilliant social history of the ancient world....

Pelopidas started out a hero to the people, being born under a noble family and making a name for himself as an athlete. But as Plutarch describes in Pelopidas’ chapter of Parallel Lives, there was a lot more to this man than could be seen....

The Life of Cimon is just one of many notable biographies in Plutarch’s informative Parallel Lives series. Cimon, an Athenian Statesman, was the son of the general who won Greece’s battle of Marathon. Cimon was crucial in the construction of the Athenian Maritime Empire....

Numa Pompilius was chosen by the senate to become Rome’s second king. Plutarch recounts the transition between Romulus’ mysterious death and the strategic emergence of Numa as the next king....

Cato the Younger was one of the many biographies documented by Plutarch in his series called Parallel Lives. Related to Cato the Elder, Cato the Younger was also a student of philosophy as well as a Roman Statesman....

The life of Timoleon, as told by Plutarch in Parallel Lives, is a twisted and intriguing one. Deemed fiercely patriotic for helping plan the assassination of his tyrannical brother, Timoleon was multifaceted....

Agesilaus was a notable king of Sparta prior to the Athens-Spartan war. Although he won and lost many battles for the city, his legacy lived on. He was a short-statured, lame man who managed to rule an entire city-state - and many looked up to him after his death....

One of the many documented lives in Plutarch’s Parallel Lives series, The Life of Coriolanus looks into the controversial life of one of Rome’s most famous generals....

Though Sparta and Greece were once bitter rivals, this did not stop Plutarch from writing about Spartan figureheads in his book, Parallel Lives. Cleomenes was one of these Spartan figureheads - and was the King of Sparta for many years....

Conquering and blood money - without it, and without the help of Lucius Licinius Lucullus, the Roman empire would have been a lot different. Plutarch details Lucullus’ intense military life, through which he finds himself the head of much of Rome’s Eastern territories....

Elected to the position of curule aedile after showing exceptional military valor, Marcellus went on to become one of Greece’s most sought-after warriors. Though his popularity never seemed to wane, it was ultimately that which he was best known for that took his life....

Smart, resourceful, and cruel - three words that might describe Titus Quinctius Flamininus, the subject of Plutarch’s The Life of Flaminius....

Alexander is arguably one of the most notable Greek figures, immortalized in stories and legends that are commonly used in mythology classes today....

Philopoemen, whose father died when he was very young, was adopted by a notable Megalopolan figurehead and studied under the local Greek philosophers. He went on to advise and help defend Greece from Cleomenes III and the many people attempting to gain control of the powerful empire....

Quintus Fabius Maximus Verrucosus is a hotly debated Roman politician and statesman. His controversial warfare tactics, as described by Plutarch, are among the many influences for worldwide guerrilla warfare that can be seen today....

After Marathon, the Athenian government needed a new type of leader. That leader was politician and general Themistocles, whose life is well-attributed in Plutarch’s Parallel Lives series....

Artaxerxes was fairly unique among the mix of famous names listed in the Parallel Lives series, as he was a Persian king. His influence upon the Persian War and the remainder of Parallel Lives biographies is irrefutable....

Phocion, also known as “The Good”, was known for being one of the most beloved and change-inspiring Greek politicians of his time. Elected a military stratego many times, his prowess within the army was highly regarded....

Originally from Sabine, Publicola made his life in Rome with the intent to support the unification of Rome’s people. However, when the revolution happened, he and four others drove out Lucius Tarquinius Superbus and reformed the state. His political presence only grew....