Plutarch

Plutarch of Chaeronea is one of the most influential and fascinating authors of antiquity. His Parallel Lives and Moralia are storehouses of challenging questions, valuable insights and interesting observations. Moreover, they contain a wealth of quotations from and references to earlier writers and traditions, and thus provide one of the richest gateways to the ancient world. This book introduces the reader to Plutarch's life and to the different facets of his variegated thinking and writing, such as his tremendous erudition, his Platonism and (moral) philosophy, his interpretation of history and his view of God. Above all, Plutarch stands out as a particularly clever and subtle thinker, driven by a spirit of painstaking enquiry (zetesis) that shows authentic and impressive intellectual honesty and sincere love of the truth. In this respect, as in many others, he remains an inspiring model even for us today.

• This volume provides an authoritative introduction to the life and works of Plutarch of Chaeronea, one of classical antiquity's most influential writers, and includes a list of Plutarch's works and a full bibliography
• Through discussion of his surviving works, the book examines Plutarch's views on philosophy, history and religion, and his method of intellectual enquiry (zetesis)
• This volume considers the value of Plutarch's works as historical sources, which contain a wealth of quotations from and references to earlier writers and traditions