Books IV-VI. Indicative topics: Why are so many invited to wedding banquets? Who is the god of the Jews? Why do women not eat the heart of the lettuce? Why do those who fast thirst more than they hunger? The cause of bulimia, etc.

The biographer and philosopher Plutarch (c. 50-120 AD) was born in Chaironeia, Boeotia. Through his travels, he broadened his horizons and came into contact with personalities of his time, mainly prominent Romans. He lived most of his life in his homeland and held public priestly offices.

His surviving work is distinguished into historical-biographical parts and the so-called 'Moral' writings. In the 'Parallel Lives,' prominent Greeks and Romans are compared, indirectly comparing the worlds that each represents. In the 'Morals,' issues of ethics, philosophy, science, politics, literary criticism, as well as topics from the realms of religion, nature, history, etc., are developed, sometimes in the form of dialogues and other times as treatises or dissertations.

Erudite and with a subtle mind, the author expressed traditional Greek values with simplicity and an optimistic outlook. His work delights and teaches, being a significant source of literature from the classical and Hellenistic periods.