3 Review(s)

Tiberius Gracchus / Gaius Gracchus / Sertorius / Lucullus / Younger Cato / Brutus / Antony / Galba / Otho 'Now it was no dishonour to die a Roman, conquered only by a Roman' A philosopher and moral essayist, Plutarch (c. 46-120 AD) was also an acclaimed biographer. Bringing together nine biographies from his Parallel Lives series and the Lives of the Roman Emperors, this edition examines the lives of major figures in Roman history, from Lucullus (118-57 BC), an aristocratic politician, bon-viveur and conqueror of Eastern kingdoms, to Otho (32-69 AD), a reckless young noble who consorted with the tyrannical, debauched emperor Nero before briefly becoming a dignified and gracious emperor himself. These biographies provide a wonderfully compelling picture of the Ancient world. Ian Scott-Kilvert's and Christopher Pelling's translations are accompanied by a new introduction considering Plutarch's position as a Greek intellectual under the Roman Empire and the sources he would have had access to. This edition includes, for the first time, Plutarch's epilogues comparing Romans with figures from the Greek world, and also contains a separate introduction for each biography, suggested further reading, notes and maps.