The Plutarch Podcast

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Solon was not only the wisest man to be found in Athens, but the most profound political genius of antiquity; and the easy, bloodless, and pacific revolution by which he accomplished the deliverance of his country was the first step in a career which our age glories in pursuing, and instituted a power which has done more than anything, except revealed religion, for the regeneration of society .... By making every citizen the guardian of his own interest Solon admitted the element of Democracy into the State.

—Lord Acton, "The History of Freedom in Antiquity" (1877)

• Rise to power
• Political background in Athens
  • Divisions
    • Rich v. Poor
    • Hill v. Shore v. Plain
• Legislation 1, 2, 3!
  • 1) repeal Draconian laws
  • 2) Set up the Census Classes
  • 3) Areopagus, Council of 400, Assembly
  • Aporias – the weird and bewildering
• Travel
  • Egypt
  • Crete
  • Asia
• Return
• Tyranny

Important People

• Thales
• Pisistratus
• Cylon and Draco – political back-story for Athens

Important Places

• Salamis
• Megara  
• Delphi
• Egypt (Canopus)
  • Atlantis
• Crete
• Lydia

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In this podcast, I introduce you to Plutarch, the man and the biographer. 

We answer questions like: 

Who was Plutarch? 
An ancient biographer who wrote almost 50 biographies comparing Greek and Roman heroes. While his focus in on virtue, his characters are all human and their vices appear alongside their virtues. 

Why should I read him? 

He gives three reasons in three separate biographies! I put them all together here in one place. 

What's the format of this show? 

One episode per life, arranged chronologically. 

The first five episodes will represent each season as we work through chronologically for a historical overview of Greek and Roman antiquity. 

1. Solon (representing Season 1: Kings and Lawgivers)
2. Aristides (representing Season 2: The Rise and Fall of the Polis)
3. Demosthenes (representing Season 3: Macedon Rising)
4. Cato the Elder (representing Season 4: The Roman Republic: From Polis to Empire)
5. Cicero (representing Season 5: The Roman Civil Wars)

What's the best English translation of Plutarch? 

That depends on what you're looking for, but I list all the translations mentioned in the show below:

• Wikipedia page linking to all public domain translations of Plutarch
• The Modern Library editions (Clough's update to Dryden's translation):
  • Two paperback volumes
    • Vol. 1
    • Vol. 2
  • One hardback volume (ISBN: 0394607058)
• The Penguin Editions:
  • The Rise and Fall of Athens (9 lives)
  • On Sparta (4 lives)
  • The Age of Alexander
  • Makers of Rome (9 lives) - this volume includes Brutus and Antony, the lives I said were missing from the other volume. 
  • Rome in Crisis (repeats some lives, and strikes me as an odd assortment overall)
  • Fall of the Roman Republic (6 lives)

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