Parallel Lives
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| [[Plutarch]]'s '''''Lives of the Noble Greeks and Romans''''', commonly called '''''Parallel Lives''''' or '''''Plutarch's Lives''''', is a series of [[biography|biographies]] of famous men, arranged in tandem to illuminate their common moral virtues or failings. The surviving ''Parallel Lives'' (in [[Greek language|Greek]]: ''Bioi parallèloi''), as they are more properly and commonly known, contain twenty-three pairs of biographies, each pair consisting of one [[ancient Greece|Greek]] and one [[ancient Rome|Roman]], as well as four unpaired, single lives. It is a work of considerable importance, not only as a source of information about the individuals biographized, but also about the times in which they lived. | [[Plutarch]]'s '''''Lives of the Noble Greeks and Romans''''', commonly called '''''Parallel Lives''''' or '''''Plutarch's Lives''''', is a series of [[biography|biographies]] of famous men, arranged in tandem to illuminate their common moral virtues or failings. The surviving ''Parallel Lives'' (in [[Greek language|Greek]]: ''Bioi parallèloi''), as they are more properly and commonly known, contain twenty-three pairs of biographies, each pair consisting of one [[ancient Greece|Greek]] and one [[ancient Rome|Roman]], as well as four unpaired, single lives. It is a work of considerable importance, not only as a source of information about the individuals biographized, but also about the times in which they lived. | ||
| - | As he explains in the first paragraph of his ''Life of Alexander'', Plutarch was not concerned with writing histories, as such, but in exploring the influence of character—good or bad—on the lives and destinies of famous men. The first pair of Lives—the [[Epaminondas]]-[[Scipio Africanus]]—no longer exists, and many of the remaining lives are truncated, contain obvious [[Lacuna (manuscripts)|lacunae]] and/or have been tampered with by later writers. | + | As he explains in the first paragraph of his ''[[Life of Alexander]]'', Plutarch was not concerned with writing histories, as such, but in exploring the influence of character—good or bad—on the lives and destinies of famous men. The first pair of Lives—the [[Epaminondas]]-[[Scipio Africanus]]—no longer exists, and many of the remaining lives are truncated, contain obvious [[Lacuna (manuscripts)|lacunae]] and/or have been tampered with by later writers. |
| His ''Life of Alexander'' is one of the five surviving [[secondary source|secondary]] or [[tertiary sources|tertiary sources]] about [[Alexander the Great]] and it includes anecdotes and descriptions of incidents that appear in no other source. Likewise, his portrait of [[Numa Pompilius]], an early Roman king, also contains unique information about the early [[Roman calendar]]. | His ''Life of Alexander'' is one of the five surviving [[secondary source|secondary]] or [[tertiary sources|tertiary sources]] about [[Alexander the Great]] and it includes anecdotes and descriptions of incidents that appear in no other source. Likewise, his portrait of [[Numa Pompilius]], an early Roman king, also contains unique information about the early [[Roman calendar]]. | ||
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Revision as of 21:03, 26 March 2012
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Plutarch's Lives of the Noble Greeks and Romans, commonly called Parallel Lives or Plutarch's Lives, is a series of biographies of famous men, arranged in tandem to illuminate their common moral virtues or failings. The surviving Parallel Lives (in Greek: Bioi parallèloi), as they are more properly and commonly known, contain twenty-three pairs of biographies, each pair consisting of one Greek and one Roman, as well as four unpaired, single lives. It is a work of considerable importance, not only as a source of information about the individuals biographized, but also about the times in which they lived.
As he explains in the first paragraph of his Life of Alexander, Plutarch was not concerned with writing histories, as such, but in exploring the influence of character—good or bad—on the lives and destinies of famous men. The first pair of Lives—the Epaminondas-Scipio Africanus—no longer exists, and many of the remaining lives are truncated, contain obvious lacunae and/or have been tampered with by later writers.
His Life of Alexander is one of the five surviving secondary or tertiary sources about Alexander the Great and it includes anecdotes and descriptions of incidents that appear in no other source. Likewise, his portrait of Numa Pompilius, an early Roman king, also contains unique information about the early Roman calendar.
