The Plutarch Podcast
Tom Cox from grammaticus.co explores Plutarch’s Parallel Lives to introduce you to antiquity, encourage you in your education, or refresh your perspective on people and politics by stepping outside the news cycle. Biography invigorates the study of history by bringing it to life. Plutarch was the first master of this form, examining in a person the relationship between fortune, virtue, and excellence. Whether you just want to study antiquity from your armchair, sit at the feet of the greatest teachers of the West, or expand your own classical education, Plutarch’s Parallel Lives and the podcast are here to serve. Plutarch wrote almost 50 lives exploring the greatest leaders of the Greek and Roman world before Christ. His lives have been foundational to education for centuries, but they are often wrapped in the obscurity of older translations or bog the reader down with specific political and social terms from Athens or Rome. Let Tom translate the jargon and enliven the journey by outlining and explaining each essay encouraging you to dive in and learn from the teacher himself, or guide your students through his essays. Whether you learn or teach in a classroom or at home, join Plutarch—and Tom—in examining what it means to live well, by considering those who have lived before us.
Latest episodes
Jul 27, 2020 • 23min
Aristides
Send us a textAristides acts as a great introduction to the wars that made Athens great, the defensive wars against the Persian invaders, occurring between 490 and 479 BC. Plutarch admired Aristides immensely, so he serves as a great introduction to the standards Plutarch holds up for the other leaders he studies.The outline of his life pretty much follows the important events of the Persian Wars:Marathon – 490 BCPolitical Heighteponymous archonostracism (etymology!)Salamis – 480 BCPlataea Disaster – 479 BCAftermathFrom defense to offenseRise of the Delian LeagueI also link the important people to their places:Miltiades is general at MarathonThemistocles is the mastermind behind SalamisPausanias leads at PlataeaTranslationThe most modern translation available, while still being in the public domain.Support the show
Jul 27, 2020 • 26min
Why Read Plutarch?
Plutarch, an ancient biographer who compared Greek and Roman heroes, is the guest of this podcast. Topics explored include Plutarch's focus on virtue, the format of the show which covers one episode per life, the best English translations of Plutarch's works, and the organization of his lives.
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