Plutarch's Parallel Lives

Quite contrary to what nineteenth‑century critics had tried to pontificate, the legacy of the historian Herodotus in Hellenistic and Imperial literature is beyond dispute, not only, as might be expected, among the epigones of the historiographical genre, but also among the representatives of the different poetic genres. This chapter will briefly analyse the Herodotean imprint in some emblematic passages of the most fragmentary Hellenistic elegy.

Nella storia di Roma antica, Pompeo è la figura associata più di frequente ad Alessandro: non a caso nel 1980 Greenhalgh intitolava il primo volume della sua biografia del generale Pompey, the Roman Alexander. Nel secolo scorso, Pompeo è stato infatti considerato all’unanimità imitatore del re macedone, sulla scorta di testimonianze letterarie, epigrafiche, numismatiche ed archeologiche. Tuttavia, ancora si discute sulle forme, le tempistiche e la diffusione geografica di questa connessione. La fonte che più di ogni altra ha contribuito alla diffusione dell’immagine di Pompeo come ‘nuovo Alessandro’ è la Vita di Pompeo di Plutarco. Eppure, l’autore non solo non parla mai esplicitamente di un’imitazione del Macedone da parte del Romano ma, anzi, tratta la questione della somiglianza fra Pompeo e Alessandro soltanto per confutarla. A dispetto delle apparenze, dunque, la Vita di Pompeo non assume rilievo per gli storici che vogliano sostenere la tesi di un’imitatio Alexandri praticata dal generale, in quanto fornisce soltanto indizi di una comparatio operata da terzi. Tuttavia, la σύγκρισις fra Pompeo e Alessandro condotta nella biografia si rivela particolarmente importante per l’analisi della Vita stessa, giacché al suo interno assolve a molteplici funzioni, indagate in questo contributo.

The intent of this article is to retell the story of the victorious Sea Battle of Salamis. The described battle occurred in 480 BCE, following the famous land engagements at Thermopylae and the sea battle at Artemision.

The Battle of Salamis still plays a role in Greek national and European consciousness. At that time a collection of independently operating city-states achieved a degree of cooperation that before and after had never been shown, thus marking the transition from Archaic to Classic Greece.

On land the Spartans, the first military power in Hellas, gained a name of great fame. At sea, the Hellenes with the best reputation were the Aeginetans, then the Athenians. The latter, however, played the leading role, preluding what would be the Golden Age of Athens.

The paper contains an explanation of an odd passage within the "Life of Demetrios" by Plutarch (10.4; 46.2), in which it is stated, that upon the seizure of Athens by Demetrios Poliorketes in 307 the priests of the Theoi Soteres (i.e. the Antigonids) were installed as eponymoi, a decision, which was withdrawn when Athens was freed in 287.

Numerical indications play an important role in Plutarch’s Lives, both in the
characterization of the heroes and in the presentation of the episodes. In order to highlight the idea of a certain (generally large) quantity, Plutarch employs rhetorical expedients, such as impossibility of counting, accumulation of numerical data, combination of numerical indications with generic quantitative ones, comparison of inde􀄕 nite quantities or measures, opposition between high and low quantities. Plutarch sometimes takes a critical approach to the historical numerical data: he is interested in their possible symbolic value and highlights the cases of instrumental use of numbers, with a special focus on the conventional nature of measurement systems.

In his De exilio, Plutarch establishes a narrow link between choosing a new city and choosing a new way of life in exile. The central subject of Plutarch’s reflection on this topic focuses on how and where to live a good life, when exile makes it necessary to pursue a life detached from politics. Plutarch's solution is to turn exile into an opportunity to enjoy tranquillity. In this paper, I intend to study the theme of cosmopolitanism as discussed in 'De exilio' and to show how closely it is related to Plutarch’s eschatological thought as expressed in 'De facie in orbe lunae'.

Plutarch's account of Lucullus unsuccessfully begging his soldiers to follow him further, shortly before being forced to leave his command, is commonly read as the apex of his failure as a military leader. A close reading, however, reveals two hitherto overlooked aspects. Firstly, the story offers valuable information on late Republican military history, regarding the duration of military service before Augustus' reform and the existence of clearly defined subgroups within the army. Secondly, the conflict between Lucullus and his soldiers allows us to get a glimpse of the political debate of the time, characterised by the competing claims to Sulla's heritage, the shift of military loyalty towards specific individuals, and above all the question of who really represented the interests of the res publica.

A partir del relato de las Antigüedades romanas de Dionisio de Halicarnaso, Plutarco escribe la biografía de Publícola, el cónsul romano que tuvo un papel determinante en el paso de la monarquía a la república a fines del siglo VI a. C. Las facultades fundamentales del personaje son la elocuencia y el dinero, de los que se sirve con rectitud y franqueza, así como con generosidad y filantropía para favorecer a los necesitados. Además de estas virtudes cardinales, el héroe se caracteriza por la diligencia, la lealtad y la valentía. Asimismo, el aprecio por la amistad y el desdén de la envidia describen a Publicola como un modelo ideal de hombre de Estado

En su acercamiento a la filosofía griega, los estudios modernos tienden a destacar, a mi ver de forma excesiva, el carácter eminentemente racional de la misma. Según una muy extendida opinión, gnosis o "conocimiento" en la antigüedad griega se buscaba sólo a través de medios racionales, pues su objeto era exclusivamente de tipo racional. Plutarco ofrece el más claro ejemplo para desestimar dicha opinión: por un lado, Moralia destaca el papel de la epopteia en la aprehensión de los primeros principios; por otro, los mitos incluidos en tratados como De facie, De genio y De sera presentan la experiencia de diversos visionarios como culminación a discusiones previas de tipo científico y/o empírico. Tras ofrecer un análisis de los diferentes tipos de revelación en estos mitos plutarqueos, mi contribución intentará defender la tesis de que en el mundo antiguo no existía una separación estricta entre razón y revelación, pues una y otra se concebían como medios complementarios de alcanzar el conocimiento.

I taccuini del museumgrandtour SACRIPORTO. Il luogo della battaglia Paesaggi, documenti, materiali, immagini, parole di Angelo Luttazzi Realizzato nell'ambito del progetto "Fabrica Museumgrandtour" promosso dal Sistema Museale dei Castelli Romani e Prenestini-Museumgrandtour e finanziato con fondi della Regione Lazio a valere sull'Avviso Pubblico "La Cultura fa Sistema 2019".

The article examines Demetrius Poliorcetes' sobriquet and the origins of the hostile tradition towards this king and his besieging skills. The prevailing opinion is that Demetrius' nickname derived from his unsuccessful siege of Rhodes (305/304 BC) and was applied to him in derision. Recently, however, we have observed a rise in interest in his military undertakings, especially sieges he laid. A re-examination of the ancient sources demonstrates that king's sobriquet, emphasizing his poliorcetic talents, was well-deserved. This paper attempts to provide further arguments to support this claim. Moreover, they also shed some light on innovative aspects of Demetrius' royal self-fashioning, one of the key elements of which were his talent for designing siege engines and engineering endeavors. Such conclusion might produce an essential change in our interpretations of the origins of the hostile tradition against the king.

I taccuini del museumgrandtour SACRIPORTO. Il luogo della battaglia Paesaggi, documenti, materiali, immagini, parole di Angelo Luttazzi Realizzato nell'ambito del progetto "Fabrica Museumgrandtour" promosso dal Sistema Museale dei Castelli Romani e Prenestini-Museumgrandtour e finanziato con fondi della Regione Lazio a valere sull'Avviso Pubblico "La Cultura fa Sistema 2019".

En griego antiguo la particularidad de algo y de alguien se expresa mediante el campo semántico que indica una idea de 'propio' (ἴδιος). El objetivo de este trabajo es ofrecer una muestra del uso que Plutarco hace del substantivo ἰδιώτης, con el fin de analizar si el contexto matiza el sentido original del vocablo o amplía su campo de aplicación.

Review of Chandra Giroux, ed., Plutarch: Cultural Practice in a Connected World. Teiresias Supplements Online 3. Münster: Universitäts- und Landesbibliothek Münster, 2022. Pp. 188. Online only, open-access. ISBN 978-3-9821178-1-2.
Volume available here: https://www.uni-muenster.de/Ejournals/index.php/tso/issue/view/387
Review available here: https://histos.org/documents/2023RR16KuinonGiroux.pdf

iii. O que há de revolucionário na narrativa do Livro X como uma Introdução ao Timeu? Σόλωνος ποιητῶν ποιήµατα, os poemas de Sólon ………………………………….. p. Sólon é importante para a pesquisa que se atem a pensar no Livro X como introdução ao Timeu porque ele é citado tanto na primeira obra (599e) quanto na segunda. Nomeado (ὀνοµαστοτάτης),

This article examines Demetrius Poliorcetes’ imitation of Alexander the Great. The assumption that imitatio Alexandri was his prevailing attitude towards Alexander’s memory has been broadly accepted by modern researchers. Hence, they draw parallels between the rulers and recognise the Alexander’s influence on Demetrius’ actions. The author attempts to indicate that such a method might obscure the actual intentions and  accomplishments of Demetrius.

In the history of ancient Rome, the figure most often associated with Alexander is undoubtedly that of Pompey: it is no coincidence that in 1980 Peter Greenhalgh entitled the first volume of his biography of the general 'Pompey, the Roman Alexander'.
The ancient author who, more than others, is responsible for creating the image of Pompey as the 'new Alexander' is undoubtedly Plutarch. However, this is almost paradoxical given that, in his Life of Pompey, the biographer actually discusses the similarity between Pompey and Alexander only to reject it.
This biography is structured by Plutarch in two parts, according to a scheme of klimax and antiklimax. In the first (chapters 1-45) Pompey advances unstoppably up the ladder of success. This section contains his brilliant military campaigns: the expedition in Sicily and Africa against the supporters of Marius; the one in Spain against the rebel Q. Sertorius; the campaign against the pirates infesting the Mediterranean; and, finally, the war against Mithridates, king of Pontus and bitter enemy of Rome. These successes and conquests made Pompey the ideal candidate to acquire the reputation of 'new Alexander'. However, in the second part of the biography (chapters 46-80) he gradually loses the position of political prominence he had achieved, until his final defeat on the field of Pharsalus and his death in Egypt.
Plutarch uses the comparison between Pompey and Alexander to emphasise the caesura between the first part of the biography, in which the Alexandrian model is clearly present, and the tragic second part, where the figure of Alexander disappears. However, already in the course of the first section, Plutarch makes it clear that he rejects the similarity between Pompey and Alexander, thus creating from the outset what has been called a feeling of "tension" (Mossman 1991: 111) aimed at amplifying the sense of antiklimax that characterises Pompey's career in Plutarch's biography.
In my paper I will therefore review the references to Alexander in the Life of Pompey and analyse the peculiar comparison Plutarch establishes between these two figures.
The way Plutarch depicts the relationship between Pompey and Alexander throughout the biography shows conclusively that for him not Pompey, but Caesar, is the real 'Roman Alexander'.

Se analizan en este trabajo los usos léxicos del tema *thauma- para demostrar cómo lo maravilloso funciona en el pensamiento literario de Plutarco como referente metodológico, tanto a la hora de seleccionar la documentación de que dispone sobre los personajes de sus Vidas Paralelas, como a propósito de la organización de los distintos tópicos que conforman cada biografía.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

In recent studies, reconciliation has been mainly considered as a mechanism enacted by two countries or groups following a conflict. However, if we take the term in its broader sense, reconciliation can also be a means for avoiding fights, and individuals play a key-role in it.
As regards Roman History, Plutarch offers a large pool to analyse the phenomenon from this perspective: in line with his biographical approach, he conceives late-republican politics as relationships between leading figures, which can be built as easily as they can be destroyed. Therefore, Plutarch’s Lives display a wide range of reconciliation (διαλλᾰγή, διάλῠσις) instances, which differ from each other in motifs, purposes, methods, and outcomes.
This paper intends to examine some case-studies, aiming to highlight their connection with the outbreak of civil war in 49 BC. The emerging picture is quite complex: Plutarch ascribes to reconciliation a crucial role in preserving peace – thinking that a statesman should reconcile with his enemies for the sake of his country –, although some friendships ultimately prove to be dangerous for the republic.
An attempt will be made to answer these questions: when is reconciliation good and when is it bad for the State? Why do some of these rapprochements fail and others succeed? How far is Plutarch following his sources and how much is he expressing his own opinion? Is his narrative reliable or is it mainly the result of ‘fictionalization’6? Most importantly, which lesson do these reconciliations offer to Plutarch’s contemporaries?

This paper deals with three pairs of Plutarch’s Parallel Lives, whose Greek
protagonists played a central role in the Hellenic triumph over the Persians: Aristides, Themistocles, and Cimon. We will analyze the Lives of these three Greeks who contributed decisively to cementing the Athenian identity, regarding their lineage, education, character, virtues and death, in contrast with the Romans placed in parallel with them (Marcus Cato, Camillus and Lucullus), in order to observe if in these aspects there are differentiating traits between Greeks and Romans.

A philosopher and biographer of the end of the first century CE and the beginning of the second century CE (c. 50? CE-after 120 CE). A biography of Plutarch and a chronology of his corpus are based on a small number of inscriptions that connect him with Chaeronea and Delphi, and on internal evidence in his own works.

The controversial figure of Alexander the Great is part of our historical and literary tradition. Through the legend and myth arisen around the conqueror almost contemporaneously to his own existence, the Macedonian monarch is modeled as a character who becomes known and unknown at the same time, and it is difficult to understand his true temperament. However, his emblematic and exemplary value as
a prototype of general and king is unquestionable, and Alexander also turns into a favorable or unfavorable model of human behavior, as well as a topic of writings and declamations in the Greco-Roman rhetorical schools since Hellenistic period. This paper aims to analyze the contexts in which the son of Philip is mentioned by Lucian of Samosata (2nd century AD), in order to determine the rhetorical and sophistic use
of the figure of Alexander in the Lucian’s works.

As comparações formam um conjunto à parte na narrativa biográfica de Plutarco, pois a crítica às ações de suas personagens se torna mais incisiva, porque já conhecemos o fim de suas vidas. No entanto, a comparação (σύγκρισις/sýnkrisis) estabelecida por Plutarco não coteja somente os feitos de seus biografados; o sentido de "combinação" que a palavra tem lhe permite compor paralelos que combinem personagens de contextos distintos, mas com atuações que se assemelham no campo político. Os paralelos plutarquianos nos trazem informações e reflexões nem sempre expostas nas biografias de suas personagens. Por isso, é importante analisar a comparação de Demóstenes e Cícero, como um estudo de caso, para compreender sua estrutura e as escolhas feitas por Plutarco na tessitura de sua narrativa. Desse modo, é necessário entender a complexidade de seus paralelos, que não foram escolhidos aleatoriamente, todos dialogam entre si em diversos planos, portanto, passíveis de múltiplos níveis de comparações entre si. Nosso propósito é discorrer sobre a natureza das comparações plutarquianas de Demóstenes e Cícero neste artigo a partir de elementos manifestos nessa composição.

The essay draws some parallels between two Early Imperial portraits of the universal king (kosmokrator), namely Christ in Paul's letter to the Philippians 2:6-11 and Alexander in Plutarch's De Alexandri Magni fortuna aut virtute, both written in epideictic style. Both rulers are contrasted with a negative figure (usurper or selfish tyrant). Both have a mission for universal unification. A remarkable difference between the two portraits consists in the assessment of the relationship between human and divine agency: Plutarch represents a synergistic model whereas Paul offers a monergistic model of God's efficacy in saving believers through Christ.

Plutarco nos presenta una escritura biográfica que dialoga con la historia, en una composición que, a pesar de las inexactitudes, pretende ser precisa. El autor analiza el carácter de sus personajes a través de la historia por sus acciones, ya que estos son logros concretos de sus biografiados. Los prólogos de las biografías de Plutarco destacan por aclarar al lector sobre la metodología empleada en su escritura, donde expone las razones de sus elecciones y los conceptos que impregnan su escritura. En este artículo, por tanto, presentaremos los prólogos más importantes, con el fin de seguir el camino propuesto por Plutarco en su escrito biográfico.

Este trabalho objetiva mostrar elementos historiográficos na Vida de Demóstenes, de Plutarco, analisando as referências utilizadas pelo autor. Primeiramente, verifica-se certa semelhança na escrita dessa biografia com uma forma narrativa descrita na Retórica, de Aristóteles (1416b21), pois nos relatos historiográficos não é produzida tékhne, enquanto nos da oralidade, é produzida. Ao observar esses relatos, verifica-se que, quando há referências provenientes da oralidade e da escrita juntas, Plutarco prefere esta àquela; quando há somente relatos orais, ele pode desenvolver críticas ou demonstrar preferências. Ao analisar a Vida de Alexandre, outra biografia de Plutarco, o autor pode posicionar-se contra relatos provenientes de historiadores, preferindo as cartas do próprio Alexandre. Após a análise dos relatos das biografias, verifica-se que Plutarco demonstra cuidado ao expô-los. Ambos os textos se assemelham em relação à narrativa, mas o posicionamento de Plutarco na biografia de...

The volume contains the text of nineteen contributions, elaborated by professors of eight European universities, linked together in the “Réseau Thématique Plutarque” (Madrid, Málaga, Coimbra, Paris X, Leuven, Groningen, Salerno, Florence) and intends to comment on the news provided from Plutarch on the life and activities, the importance and influence of the great figures of ancient Athens. Relevant contributions are proposed on famous political figures (Teseo, Solone, Pericle and Cimone); on the great Athenian philosophers (in particular Socrates, the tradition of the Platonic Academy and of the Peripate); on the astrologer Metone and Epimenide, the purifier of Athens; but also on famous women (in particular, Aspasia). Two chapters deal with the historical situation of Athens at the time of the Diadochi and in the Roman age. Two other chapters deal with the reception of two specific plutarchic works during the Renaissance: Gloria degli Ateniesi (Glory of Athenians) e Detti degli At...