Pericles and Fabius Maximus. Nicias and Crassus

Lives

by Plutarch, Bernadotte Perrin (Translator)

Plutarch (Plutarchus), ca. 45–120 CE, was born at Chaeronea in Boeotia in central Greece, studied philosophy at Athens, and, after coming to Rome as a teacher in philosophy, was given consular rank by the emperor Trajan and a procuratorship in Greece by Hadrian. He was married and the father of one daughter and four sons. He appears as a man of kindly character and independent thought, studious and learned.

Plutarch wrote on many subjects. Most popular have always been the 46 Parallel Lives, biographies planned to be ethical examples in pairs (in each pair, one Greek figure and one similar Roman), though the last four lives are single. All are invaluable sources of our knowledge of the lives and characters of Greek and Roman statesmen, soldiers and orators. Plutarch’s many other varied extant works, about 60 in number, are known as Moralia or Moral Essays. They are of high literary value, besides being of great use to people interested in philosophy, ethics, and religion.

The Loeb Classical Library edition of the Lives is in eleven volumes.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Biography, Classics, Roman

464 pages, 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.