Plutarch

Parallel Lives of the Noble Greeks and Romans

The books are arranged roughly according the the chronology of the Roman half of the pairs.

Wikipedia has a chronology

Here is an interactive timeline

This book is rather long, so here is an attempt to rate the best sections.

**** THESEUS (h) (f) (w)
Legendary king and lawgiver of Athens

*** ROMULUS (f) (w)
Legendary founder and first king of Rome.  Contains the story of the Sabine women.

COMPARISON OF ROMULUS WITH THESEUS

**** LYCURGUS (g) (h) (f) (w)
Founder of Sparta, and its rather "interesting" laws and culture, which are eerily similar to communism

**** NUMA POMPILIUS (f)
Second king of Rome, a Philosopher-King, inspires the war-like Romans (and all the neighboring tribes) to live in peace during his reign.  (my personal favorite)

COMPARISON OF NUMA WITH LYCURGUS

*** SOLON (g) (h) (w)
Lawgiver in Athens

POPLICOLA
Co-consul after the end of the Roman Monarchy.  (End of the monarcy is chronicled better in Livy)

COMPARISON OF POPLICOLA WITH SOLON
(This contains the observation that division of lands or forgiveness of debts is almost always accompanied by civil disorder and violence.)

** THEMISTOCLES (g) (b) (w) (c)
Athenian archon, leader of greek forces at Salamis

** CAMILLUS (w)
Virtuous leader in early Roman republic.  One city surrenders to him because he proves the Romans are superior in virtue.

(lacks comparison -- would be a good writing assignment)

*** PERICLES (g) (h) (f) (w) (c)
general and leader in Athens during golden age

*** FABIUS (f) (c)
general opposing Hannibal, successfully used delay and non-engagement

COMPARISON OF PERICLES WITH FABIUS

ALCIBIADES (g) (f) (w) (c)
Athenian playboy, switched sides often (Athens, Sparta, Persia)

CORIOLANUS (f) (b) (w) (c)
(shakespeare has a play based on Plutarch)

COMPARISON OF ALCIBIADES WITH CORIOLANUS

***TIMOLEON (a) (h) (b)
Great example of a virtuous leader, who frees Sicily from its tyrants.  Immediately follows the story of Dion, so read that first.

AEMILIUS PAULUS (r)
Defeats the Macedonions.

COMPARISON OF TIMOLEON WITH AEMILIUS PAULUS

PELOPIDAS (a) (h) (b)
Theban general, defeated Spartans, contemporary of Epaminondas
(read with the Life of Epaminondas by Cornelius Nepos, before Alexander: Philip was educated in Thebes and learned their strategies.)

MARCELLUS

COMPARISION OF PELOPIDAS WITH MARCELLUS

ARISTIDES (h) (b) (w)
Athenian general and stateman, "the just".  Fought at Marathon and Salamis.

MARCUS CATO

COMPARISON OF ARISTIDES WITH MARCUS CATO

PHILOPOEMEN (h) (b)

FLAMININUS

COMPARISON OF PHILOPOEMEN WITH FLAMININUS

* PYRRHUS (a) (h)

CAIUS MARIUS (b) (r)

* LYSANDER
Spartan General who defeated Athens and won the Peloponnesian war.

* SULLA (r)
dictator of Rome, in the declining years of the Republic

COMPARISON OF LYSANDER WITH SYLLA

** CIMON (w)

** LUCULLUS

COMPARISON OF LUCULLUS WITH CIMON

*NICIAS (g) (h)
Athenian. Succeeding in making a short-lived peace with Sparta during Pelloponesian War.  Led a disastrous war in against Sicily.

**CRASSUS
Rich Roman leader, jealous of Pompey and Caesar.  Perished in war against Parthians.

COMPARISON OF CRASSUS WITH NICIAS

SERTORIUS

EUMENES

COMPARISON OF SERTORIUS WITH EUMENES

*AGESILAUS (g) (a) (h)
Spartan general, might have defeated Persians, but was recalled to help at home.

*POMPEY (r) (w)
Roman general, appointed dictator, etc.

COMPARISON OF POMPEY AND AGESILAUS

****ALEXANDER (g) (a) (h) (f) (b) (c)
Macedonian conqueror of the Greece and Persia

****CAESAR (f) (b) (r) (c)
Seized absolute power in Rome, murdered for fear of becoming king

PHOCION (a) (h)

***CATO THE YOUNGER (r?)
defender of Roman republic and liberty against Caesar, Pompey, and Crassus

***AGIS (h)
***CLEOMENES
Kings of sparta who tried to restore the ancient laws of Lycurgus.  Spartans had declined after luxuries had been introduced following the Pelloponesian war, with rich families buying up the lands of the poor, thus increasing the divide between rich and poor.

***TIBERIUS GRACCHUS (b) (r) (c)
***CAIUS GRACCHUS (b) (r) (c)
Rome has also declined in virtue, with the rich finding ways around laws limiting the amount of land they can own and buying up the lands of the poor, and hiring foreign workers to work the land.  Both try to effect a division of lands to the poor, getting their power from the common people and being opposed by the rich elite.

COMPARISON OF TIBERIUS AND CAIUS GRACCHUS WITH AGIS AND CLEOMENES

DEMOSTHENES (a) (f) (w) (c)
Greek orator and demogogue

*CICERO (f) (w) (c)
Roman orator and philosopher

COMPARISON OF DEMOSTHENES AND CICERO

*DEMETRIUS (a)
Son of Antigonus, heir of Alexander.  Good depiction of the warring between Alexander's heirs. (read after Alexander)

*ANTONY (r)
most powerful general after death of Caesar, rather corrupt, seduced by Cleopatra.  Rival of Augustus for empire.

COMPARISON OF DEMETRIUS AND ANTONY

***DION (a) (h)
Fought to free Syracuse from its dictator.  Student of Plato.  Immediately followed by Timoleon, who succeeds after Dion fails.

**MARCUS BRUTUS (b)
Murderer of Caesar, and possibly his son.  Virtuous man, did the deed to prevent Caesar becoming king, and try to preserve Roman Freedom. (compare with Brutus from end of the Roman Kingdom)

COMPARISON OF DION AND BRUTUS

ARATUS
From a small city in the Peloponnese, gains power and frees Greeks from the Macedonions for a short time.

*ARTAXERXES
Persian King, the other side of the story for Xenophon's Anabasis.

-GALBA

-OTHO
Galba and Otho are two short-lived emporers who briefly gained power after Nero.

Anthologies of Plutarch's Lives

...so we can see who they chose to include...

(g) Greek lives: a selection of nine Greek lives, By Plutarch, Robin Waterfield, Philip A. Stadter

(a) The age of Alexander: nine Greek lives, By Plutarch, Ian Scott-Kilvert

(h) 15 Ancient Greek Heroes from Plutarch's Lives, by Wilmot H. McCutchen (good summaries)

(f) Plutarch Selected Lives, The Franklin Library

(b) Plutarch's Lives for Boys and Girls, by W. H. Weston

(r) Roman Lives: A Selection of Eight Lives, by Plutarch, Robin Waterfield

(w) Plutarch's "Lives" Selected and Edited, by John S. White

(c) Classical Biography selected from "Plutarch's Lives", by William P. Nimmo