Plutarch

The Greek author Plutarch was born at Chaeronea of Boeotia, about 50 AD. He was the son of Aristoboulos, who belonged to a noble and rich family, and was himself a philosopher and biographer. Plutarch received a fine education, studying under the peripatetic Ammonios of Athens, where he learned mathematics and philosophy.
After his studies he traveled widely in Greece and finally came to Rome, where he settled for some years. In Rome gave public lectures of philosophy and was responsible for the education of the future emperor Adrian. He then returned to his birthplace Chaeronea, where he wrote an immense amount of works.
He wrote mainly biography and his works influenced strongly the evolution of essay and historical writing.
Plutarch is mainly known for the Parallel lives, a series of biographies, where he compares the noble lives of Greeks and Romans.
In this work, he draws from a very big amount of sources and displays his personal great and deep knowledge. He also makes it clear that he does not write history but only examines the character and personality of the men.
His other famous work Moralia (Ethica), which was valued greatly by the Byzantines scholars, comprises from about 60 essays, that deal with various topics mainly philosophical and ethical.
In Chaeronea, he was holding the office of Archon and he was priest of Pythian Apollo. Late in his life, he was named governor of Greece, by emperor Adrian.
He died around 120 AD, in Chaeronea, his native town.