Towards a Chronology of Plutarch’s Works

Abstract The belief is widespread that the majority of Plutarch’s works was written after the death of Domitian in 96, when the author was a comparatively old man. So far, however, the foundations for this belief have not been firmly laid. The latest study of Plutarchian chronology, that of Ziegler, omits much, and new evidence is constantly accruing. The following study is an attempt to make use of all the material now available that bears on the dating of Plutarch’s works. It cannot be definitive: there may be omissions, certain problems (such as that of Plutarch’s marriage and the number of his children) appear insoluble, and new data, particularly new inscriptions, that affect the question are sure to turn up. The study has five parts. In Part I the dating of two of the moralia is discussed separately, since the argument is complex and has not been advanced before. In Part II I have considered Plutarch’s relations with Hadrian and the date of his death. Part I II comprises a discussion of the chronology and the methods of publication of the Parallel Lives. This is a question at once insoluble in its entirety and yet indispensable for the present study. In Part IV I have reviewed the chronology of that fraction of Plutarch’s works that can be dated securely (stylistic evidence has not been admitted). Finally in Part V some conclusions are drawn about the significance of these dates for Plutarch’s career and development.