Plutarch: Lives, Vol. III, Pericles and Fabius Maximus. Nicias and Crassus (Loeb Classical Library) (Volume III) by Plutarch (1916) Hardcover

Lives

by Plutarch

Excerpt from Plutarch's Lives, Vol. 3 of 10: With an English Translation; Pericles and Fabius Maximus, Nicias and Crassus

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Biography, Classics, Roman

Hardcover

First published January 1, 100

About the author

Plutarch (later named, upon becoming a Roman citizen, Lucius Mestrius Plutarchus; AD 46–AD 120) was a Greek historian, biographer, and essayist, known primarily for his Parallel Lives and Moralia. He is classified as a Middle Platonist. Plutarch's surviving works were written in Greek, but intended for both Greek and Roman readers.

Reviews

[Alexander Rolfe · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a good volume to read if you think your life is going badly. Poor Nicias. And poor Crassus, even though he's less likeable. And Fabius Maximus suffered through a pretty tough time, reviled as a coward for years while Hannibal rampaged through Italy at will.

The main events are plenty interesting, but I also like the offhand comments that shine unexpected light on the past. Do you know how the Romans trained horses and dogs? With "care and intimacy and feeding rather than goads and heavy collars," we learn on p.177 when Fabius treats an insubordinate soldier leniently. Nice to know.

[Koeneman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Once again, four good and interesting biographies. However, this was one of the lesser "Plutarch Lives" books I've read. That has nothing to do with the writing style or the content, but with the fact that I already knew three of the four people, two even more so.

A final point, as is the case with any contemporary work, is that you have to be very careful with the "facts." By far, most of them are incorrect or partially so.

[Ilja Leonard Pfeijffer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read Pericles and Nicias.

[Sophia Ries · Rating 2 out of 5]

Plutarch is really biased on this one

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the most "fun" volume, because it contains famous figures such as Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar, Cato, etc. Plutarch tended to include a lot of superstition and character conjecture instead of fact, but reading about somewhat familiar figures in this light is entertaining - more so than when I was trying to learn about new people from him. Moreover, several of the Roman characters overlap - in this volume, Plutarch happens to have chosen several Roman contemporaries. So, while each biography is a bit sketchy, taken as a whole, the overlapping stories become richer.