Conclusions

This chapter describes the main features of the content and structure of the Persica works as gathered in this study, and outlines Plutarch's method of employing these sources. Some of the features which can be attributed to the lost works used by Plutarch and to their authors were probably those that the biographer presumed to be common knowledge and regarded as information shared by his intended readers. The outcome of this study shatters the image of Plutarch as an author who largely copied his sources or echoed royal propaganda reflected in the Greek texts he used. In fact, some of the 'fragments' commonly regarded as such by scholars are not really fragments of the Persica works but rather sections which Plutarch composed himself, using several works while twisting them around, omitting and adding details. Drawing together the main strands of the book, this chapter presents a general argument concerning the manner Plutarch preserved ancient authors. Reiterating the aforementioned discussions on Plutarch's handling of the Persica works, the chapter suggests an outline of his work method in composing a Life by using the Artaxerxes as an example.