Parallel Lives of the Noble Greeks and Romans Vol. 2

by Plutarch

Parallel Lives of the Noble Greeks and Romans Vol. 2

THEMISTOCLES

The birth of Themistocles was somewhat too obscure to do him
honor. His father, Neocles, was not of the distinguished people of
Athens, but of the township of Phrearrhi, and of the tribe Leontis;
and by his mother's side, as it is reported, he was base-born.
I am not of
the noble
Grecian race,
I'm poor
Abrotonon,
and born in
Thrace;
Let the Greek
women
scorn me, if
they please,
I was the
mother of
Themistocles.
Yet Phanias writes that the mother of Themistocles was not of
Thrace, but of Caria, and that her name was not Abrotonon, but
Euterpe; and Neanthes adds farther that she was of Halicarnassus in
Caria. And, as illegitimate children, including those that were of the
half-blood or had but one parent an Athenian, had to attend at the
Cynosarges (a wrestling-place outside the gates, dedicated to
Hercules, who was also of half-blood amongst the gods, having had
a mortal woman for his mother), Themistocles persuaded several of
the young men of high birth to accompany him to anoint and
exercise themselves together at Cynosarges; an ingenious device
for destroying the distinction between the noble and the base-born,
and between those of the whole and those of the half blood of
Athens. However, it is certain that he was related to the house of the
Lycomedae; for Simonides records, that he rebuilt the chapel of
Phlya, belonging to that family, and beautified it with pictures and
other ornaments, after it had been burnt by the Persians.

MP3 CD

Published January 1, 2019

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.