Pompey and Agesilaus

History > Greek and Roman
Literature > Greek and Roman
Philosophy > Ancient Greek

A comparison of the great Roman leader, Pompey, with the Greek leader, Agesilaus, as written by the ancient historian, Plutarch.

1,102 words () | 1 source | MLA | 2004 United States

Paper Summary:

This paper is a summary of the way Plutarch uses a Greek life as a comparison with a Roman life. It was part of his great work, "The Parallel Lives," which was unprecedented at his time. This paper compares the life and actions of Pompey with those of Agesilaus.

From the Paper:

"Plutarch was one of the most influential ancient historians of all time. He was born in Chaeronea, which is in the Greek state of Boeotia. He traveled much in his life, to places such as Egypt, Rome, and Athens. On his return to Boeotia, he became a priest in the temple of Delphi. Plutarch's most famous work was "The Parallel Lives". This work contained 46 biographies, which are found in pairs. Plutarch used a Greek life and comparison with a Roman one, which was unprecedented at his time. The figures used for these comparisons were the most famous statesmen of their times. Plutarch was one of the only biographers of his kind, even though his facts were not always accurate. His main purpose was to portray character and show what impact it had on the morals of these figures. In this paper I will explore one of these figures, the great Roman statesman and military expert, Pompey. I will also try to distinguish what made Plutarch's writing so much different than other historians in his time."