Plutarch

Born in Chaeronea in Boeotia around the mid-1st century CE, Plutarch became one of the most influential writers of the ancient world. He was a Greek biographer, essayist, and philosopher who lived under the Roman Empire, and his work moved easily between history, ethics, religion, and everyday conduct.

His most famous book, the Parallel Lives, pairs notable Greeks and Romans to compare their character and choices rather than simply list events. He also wrote the Moralia, a wide-ranging collection of essays and dialogues on subjects from virtue and education to politics and religion, which helped preserve a great deal of ancient thought.

What makes him enduring is the way he treats history as a guide to human nature. Even when modern scholars question some of his details, readers still turn to him for memorable portraits of ambition, leadership, friendship, and failure.