An Opaque Mirror for Trajan

The first full in-depth analysis and interpretation of Plutarch’s Regum et imperatorum apophthegmata in its entirety as a literary piece of art.

Plutarch’s Regum et imperatorum apophthegmata (Sayings of Kings and Commanders) holds a peculiar position in his oeuvre. This collection of almost 500 anecdotes of barbarian, Greek, and Roman rulers and generals is introduced by a dedicatory letter to Trajan as a summary of the author’s well-known and widely read Parallel Lives. The work is therefore Plutarch’s only text that explicitly addresses a Roman emperor and is likely to shed light on his biographical technique. Yet the collection has been understudied, because its authenticity has been generally rejected since the nineteenth century. Recent scholarship defends Plutarch's authorship of the text, but some remain sceptical. This book restores its reputation and provides a first full literary analysis of the letter and collection as a genuine work of Plutarch, wherein he attempts to educate his ruler by means of great role models of the past. Plutarch’s thinking about the function of role models (exempla) is not only relevant for Plutarchan research, but also for our knowledge of exemplarity, a key feature both in Greek and Latin literature in the early imperial period in general. Therefore An Opaque Mirror for Trajan is also of interest for literary and historical scholars who study the broader context of ancient literature of the first centuries CE.

Ebook available in Open Access.
This publication is GPRC-labeled (Guaranteed Peer-Reviewed Content).

"An Opaque Mirror for Trajan" was written by Laurens van der Wiel.

Laurens van der Wiel is a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Warsaw.

Yes, "An Opaque Mirror for Trajan" is part of the "Plutarchea Hypomnemata" series.

The series Plutarchea Hypomnemata intends to further the scholarly study of, and international dialogue on, this rich Corpus Plutarcheum. To that end it welcomes monographs that explore specific themes developed in one or more Plutarchan writings, offer a thorough interpretation of and/or commentary on a particular text, or discuss various aspects of Plutarch's authorial activity, philosophical thinking, religious ideas, political convictions, and attitude towards history, science, and the arts. We also welcome studies that situate him in broader ideological and literary contexts (such as the so-called ‘Second Sophistic', ‘Middle Platonism', ancient biography) and/or in a contemporary political, social, and religious context.

Volumes in this series meet the highest scholarly standards and contribute significantly to the field of Plutarch studies. Specifically, they raise innovative questions while firmly grounded in sound methodology; they reach well-argued and original conclusions; and they are disseminated in the appropriate scientific format. This overall quality is guaranteed by international peer review.

Editorial Board

Jan Opsomer (KU Leuven), Geert Roskam (KU Leuven), Frances Titchener (Utah State University, Logan), Luc Van der Stockt † (KU Leuven)

Proposals

Proposals and enquiries can be sent to Geert Roskam. Please send a preliminary abstract (1-2 pp.) and a short bio. Upon approval of this abstract, the full manuscript will be submitted to international peer review. Two peer reviewers will be asked for expert advice, three in case of conflicting reports. At least one peer reviewer is not a member of the editorial or advisory board.

Please make use of the submission form to present your manuscript or proposal to our board.
Authors interested in Open Access can consult the available funding options.

Links & Resources

Yes, "An Opaque Mirror for Trajan" is published Open Access. It is available under a BY-NC-ND license.

Publication of "An Opaque Mirror for Trajan" was funded by KU Leuven Fund for Fair Open Access
.

Acknowledgements

Text Editions, Translations, and Abbreviations

Introduction

Part I. Preliminaries

1 Authenticity
1.1 The Dedicatory Letter
1.1.1 Writing Style and Content
1.1.2 Plutarch and Trajan
1.1.3 Conclusion
1.2 The Collection
1.2.1 Hiatus
1.2.2 The Origins of the Apophthegms
1.3 Conclusion

2 Dating
2.1 Absolute Dating
2.2 Relative Dating: The Collection and the Parallel Lives
2.2.1 The Connection Between the Works
2.2.2 Romans Absent From the Collection
2.2.3 The Relative Chronology
2.3 Conclusion

3 Early Imperial Anecdote Collections
3.1 Plutarch’s View on Collections of Sayings and Anecdotes
3.1.1 Gnome, apophthegma, apomnemoneuma, and chreia
3.1.2 Anecdote Collections
3.2 Plutarch and Valerius Maximus
3.2.1 The Prefaces
3.2.2 The Structure of the Collections
3.3 Conclusion

Part II. A Literary Analysis

Introduction

1 The Dedicatory Letter (172B–E)
1.1 The Dedication (172BC)
1.2 The Apologetic Part (172C–E)
1.3 A Clash between the Two Parts
1.4 Conclusion

2 The Letter and the Structure of the Collection
2.1 Apophthegms
2.2 Sections on Historical Figures
2.3 Sections on Peoples and Types of Government
2.4 A World History
2.5 Overview

3 The Monarchical Sections (172E–184F)
3.1 Persian Despotism (172E–174B)
3.1.1 Cyrus (172EF)
3.1.2 Darius (172F–173B)
3.1.3 Xerxes (173BC)
3.1.4 Four Sections on Artaxerxes Mnemon (173D–174B)
3.1.5 Memnon (174B)
3.2 The Egyptian Kings (174C)
3.3 Barbarian Disarray (174C–F)
3.4 Sicilian Tyranny (175A–177A)
3.4.1 Gelon and Hiero (175A–C)
3.4.2 The Dionysii (175C–176E)
3.4.3 Dion and Agathocles (176E–177A)
3.5 Macedonian Monarchy (177A–184F)
3.5.1 Archelaus (177AB)
3.5.2 Philippus (177C–179C)
3.5.3 Alexander (179D–181F)
3.5.4 The Diadochi (181F–184F)

4 The Greeks of the Core Mainland (184F–194E)
4.1 The Athenians (184F–189D)
4.1.1 Love of Honour and Justice (184F–186F)
4.1.2 Four Generals, Two Orators (186F–187E)
4.1.3 Phocion (187E–189B)
4.1.4 Peisistratus and Demetrius of Phalerum (189B–D)
4.2 The Spartans (189D–192C)
4.2.1 Early Sparta (189D–190A)
4.2.2 A Period of Wars (190A–D)
4.2.3 Lysander (190D–F)
4.2.4 Agesilaus (190F–191D)
4.2.5 Nine Short Sections (191D–192C)
4.3 The Thebans (192C–194E)
4.3.1 Epameinondas (192C–194C)
4.3.2 Pelopidas (194C–E)

5 The Roman Sections (194E–208A)
5.1 The Conquerors of the Roman Republic (194E–202E)
5.1.1 Manius Curius and Gaius Fabricius (194E–195C)
5.1.2 Fabius Maximus and Scipio Maior (195C–197A)
5.1.3 Titus Quintius Flamininus (197A–D)
5.1.4 A General’s Experience: Three Sections (197D–198D)
5.1.5 Cato Maior (198D–199E)
5.1.6 Scipio Minor (199F–201F)
5.1.7 Caecilius Metellus (201F–202A)
5.1.8 Marius, Sulla, and the Civil War (202A–E)
5.2 Gaius Popillius (202E–203A)
5.3 The End of the Roman Republic (203A–206F)
5.3.1 Lucullus and Pompeius (203A–204E)
5.3.2 Cicero (204E–205E)
5.3.3 Caesar (205E–206F)
5.4 The Roman Principate: Augustus (206F–208A)

Concluding Remarks

Part III. A Guide for the Emperor

Introduction

1 The Individual Characters
1.1 Moralism and Characterization
1.1.1 Moralism
1.1.2 Characterization
1.1.3 Conclusion: A Collection of Problematic Heroes?
1.2 Negative Exempla
1.2.1 The Prologue to Demetrius–Antonius
1.2.2 Negative Exempla in Regum et imperatorum apophthegmata
1.3 ‘Perfect’ Exempla
1.3.1 The Comparison of Aristeides and Cato Maior
1.3.2 Perfect Exempla in Regum et imperatorum apophthegmata
1.4 Positive Exempla
1.4.1 The Prologue to Pericles–Fabius Maximus
1.4.2 The Prologue to Aemilius–Timoleon
1.4.3 De profectibus in virtute 84B–85C
1.4.4 Positive Exempla in Regum et imperatorum apophthegmata
1.5 Conclusion

2 Peoples and Their Rulers
2.1 Three Types of Barbarians
2.2 Sicilian Tyranny
2.3 True Monarchy
2.4 Other Types of Government
2.5 Conclusion

3 A World History
3.1 Plutarch’s ‘End of History’
3.2 World History in Regum et imperatorum apophthegmata
3.2.1 Two Paralleled Chronologies
3.2.2 The Driving Force Behind History: φιλοτιμία
3.3 Conclusion: A Warning for the Emperor

Concluding Remarks

General Conclusion

Appendices
Appendix I: A Restructuring of the Collection
Appendix II: The Collection and the Plutarchan Oeuvre
1 List of Parallel Passages
2 Regum et imperatorum apophthegmata and the Parallel Lives
3 Apophthegms Occurring in Two Other Plutarchan Works
Appendix III: The Relative Chronology of the Parallel Lives
1 Methodology
2 The Cross-References: Jones (1966) Revisited
3 Content-Related Criteria
4 Conclusion

Bibliography
Primary Literature
Secondary Literature

Index locorum

The Digital Object Identifier (DOI) for "An Opaque Mirror for Trajan" is 10.11116/9789461665355.