This anthology of Plutarch's biographies boasts an excellent and highly
readable translation by two scholars of classical literature. In this
volume, we hear Plutarch's accounts of several iconic figures from Greek
and Roman antiquity. Nominally arranged according to their moral
successes and failings of the individuals concerned, the Lives are a
stunning insight into how the figures of antiquity were perceived and
chronicled relatively soon after passing into history. Written in the
2nd century A.D., the Lives were distributed en masse following the
invention of the printing press in the early Renaissance. As well as
being compelling biography, certain accounts of rulers such as Pericles
are highly regarded as secondary sources by contemporary historians. In
multiple cases, Plutarch compared and contrasted several of his
biographical subjects. For instance early in this volume we find
comparisons between Theseus and Romulus, wherein their morals,
characteristics and actions are examined.