The age of Caesar : five Roman lives
(Book)

Includes bibliographical references and index.

"An outstanding new edition of Plutarch, the inventor of biography, focused on five lives that remade the Roman world. Pompey, Caesar, Cicero, Brutus, Antony: the names still resonate across thousands of years. Major figures in the civil wars that brutally ended the Roman republic, they haunt us with questions of character and authority: how to safeguard a republic from the flaws of its leaders. Plutarch's rich, vivid profiles show character shaping history through grand scale events and intimate details. The creator and master of the biographical form, Plutarch brilliantly locates character in small gestures such as the selfless Brutus's punctilious use of money, or Caesar's embrace of the plainspoken discourse of the soldier rather than the eloquence of Cicero. This is a true reader's edition of Plutarch. The translation lends a straightforward clarity to Plutarch's prose, and the notes helpfully identify people, places, and events named in the text. The substantial introduction and foreword explore both Plutarch himself as a historical figure and the basic history of the republic's fall."--Provided by publisher.

"Pompey, Caesar, Cicero, Brutus, Antony: the names resonate across thousands of years. Major figures in the civil wars that brutally ended the Roman republic, their lives still haunt us as examples of how the hunger for personal power can overwhelm collective politics, how the exaltation of the military can corrode civilian authority, and how the best intentions can lead to disastrous consequences. Plutarch renders these history-making lives as flesh-and-blood characters, often by deftly marshalling small details such as the care Brutus exercised in his use of money or the disdain Caesar felt for the lofty eloquence of Cicero. Plutarch was a Greek intellectual who lived roughly one hundred years after the age of Caesar. At home in the world of Roman power, he preferred to live in the past, among the great figures of Greek and Roman history. He intended his biographical profiles to be mirrors of character that readers could use to inspire their own values and behavior--emulating virtues and rejecting flaws. For Plutarch, character was destiny for both the individual and the republic. He was our first master of the biographical form, a major source for Shakespeare and Gibbon. This edition features a new translation by Pamela Mensch that lends a brilliant clarity to Plutarch's prose. James Romm's notes guide readers gracefully through the people, places, and events named in the profiles. And Romm's preface, along with Mary Beard's introduction, provide the perfect frame for understanding Plutarch and the momentous history he narrates." -- Publisher's description

Text in English translated from the ancient Greek.