Plutarch’s biographies establish him as one of the great writers of antiquity &
a vital source
on some of the most significant figures in history. Included in the surviving manuscripts are 50 Lives.
What type of source is Plutarch?
Plutarch mainly relied on
secondary sources
(in his work he quotes from 250 different writers) and is often guilty of making serious factual errors. One of the main themes in his work was that Greeks should co-operate with their Roman rulers. Plutarch died in about AD 127.
Did Plutarch have a bias?
Historians have
criticised Plutarch for being biased towards the Greeks
, and for distorting the historical record to make it fit his ideas of life as a battle between good and evil. * ultimately his history is a (subjective) interpretation .
Is Plutarch a primary source?
Plutarch’s Sources
Since Plutarch wrote around 100 A.D., over 400 years after Alexander,
he can hardly be considered a primary source
. At the same time, he appears to have been very careful in his research, and may be the best source now extant.
How useful is Plutarch?
He’s
a reliable guide to what people of his time thought about motivations
, and he has some charming anecdotes, but he’s far more of a character study than a rigorous historian. Shakespeare made good use of Plutarch in a number of his historical dramas, such as Julius Caesar.
What is Suetonius known for?
130/140 CE), better known simply as Suetonius, was a Roman writer whose most famous work is
his biographies of the first 12 Caesars
.
Where did Plutarch get his information from?
This date is inferred from Plutarch’s own testimony (On the E at Delphi 385B), according to which he began studying at
Athens with
a Platonist philosopher named Ammonius (see Dillon 1977, 189–192, Donini 1986b), when Nero was in Greece (66/67 CE). (This assumes that he was not more than twenty years old at the time.)
What did Plutarch say about Caesar?
p483 17 1 Such spirit
and ambition Caesar himself created and cultivated in his men, in the first place, because he showed, by his unsparing bestowal of rewards and honours
, that he was not amassing wealth from his wars for his own luxury or for any life of ease, but that he treasured it up carefully as a common prize …
What is Plutarch’s full name?
L. Mestrius Plutarchus
, better known simply as Plutarch, was a Greek writer and philosopher who lived between c. 45-50 CE and c. 120-125 CE.
Was Plutarch a vegetarian?
Influenced by Pythagorean philosophy,
Plutarch adopted a vegetarian diet
and wrote several essays in favor of vegetarianism as well as arguing that animals were rational and deserving of consideration.
Who was Plutarch’s audience?
In his Parallel Lives, Plutarch presented to
educated Greek and Roman readers
, but especially to leading men of the Roman imperial administration, the moral issues he recognized behind political leadership.
What did Plutarch say about Alexander the Great?
1 1
It is the life of Alexander the king, and of Caesar
, who overthrew Pompey, that I am writing in this book, and the multitude of the deeds to be treated is so great that I shall make no other preface than to entreat my readers, in case I do not tell of all the famous actions of these men, nor even speak exhaustively …
What did Plutarch think of Alexander?
According to Plutarch, among Alexander’s traits were
a violent temper and rash, impulsive nature
, which undoubtedly contributed to some of his decisions. Although Alexander was stubborn and did not respond well to orders from his father, he was open to reasoned debate.
Is Aristotle a primary or secondary source?
For example, the Library’s online catalog will find works BY Aristotle (primary source) or works ABOUT him (
secondary source
).
Are ancient historians primary sources?
Primary sources are
the historical documents used by historians as evidence
. Examples of primary sources include diaries, personal journals, government records, court records, property records, newspaper articles, military reports, military rosters, and many other things.
Was Plutarch Greek or Roman?
Plutarch was a
Greek
biographer and author born in the 1st century CE whose works strongly influenced the evolution of the essay, the biography, and historical writing in Europe from the 16th to the 19th century.
