Tag: Greece

The Slave of Fear (died 413 B.C.) N I K I A S by Plutarch The turning point of the war with Sparta was the disastrous Sicilian Expedition, eagerly undertaken by the greedy Athenians. Superstitious old Nicias was their reluctant leader in this debacle. After the death of Pericles, the democracy of At...

If we explore the literature of Heroism, we shall quickly come to Plutarch, who is its Doctor and historian. ... I must think we are more deeply indebted to him than to all the ancient writers. Each of his "Lives" is a refutation to the despondency and cowardice of our religious and political theori...

"The Just" (530 - 468 B.C.) ARISTEIDHS by Plutarch Aristides was so respected throughout Greece for his fairness that Athens assumed the leadership of the alliance against the Persian invaders. His character is a model for all ages. Aristides was a close friend of Cleisthenes, the man who had stampe...

"The Good" (402 - 318 B.C.) FWKIWN by Plutarch After her defeat in the Peloponnesian War, Athens became a decadent democracy. Phocion did his best over many years to save his fellow citizens from their own foolishness, and at last he earned the reward of Socrates. In the conflict between good men an...