Myth, History, and Identity in Plutarch's Treatment of the Persian Wars

FAIN: FA-51537-05

John Mark Marincola
Florida State University (Tallahassee, FL 32306-0001)

This project is a systematic study of Plutarch's treatment of the Persian Wars (490-479 BCE) in both his Lives and Moral Essays. It examines the Persian Wars tradition up to Plutarch and then analyzes Plutarch's own understanding of the conflict, especially how he portrayed the warring states, their individual leaders, and the strategy of both sides. It also places Plutarch's treatment of the Persian Wars within the context of the on-going effort by the Greeks under the Roman empire to forge and maintain their historical and contemporary identity.