The great Macedonian general, the conqueror of the entire East, and the significant political-military as well as spiritual figure of Rome who influenced his era like few others.

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

His surviving work is distinguished into the historical-biographical section and the so-called 'Ethical' writings. In the 'Parallel Lives', distinguished Greeks and Romans are compared, and the worlds each represents are indirectly contrasted.

In the 'Ethical' works, 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 in treatises or dissertations.

Erudite and with a refined spirit, the author expressed traditional Greek values with simplicity and an optimistic outlook. His work entertains and educates, while also being a significant source of literature from the classical and Hellenistic periods.