Plutarch and Rome: the Greek world in the empire

Author(s)

Maria Aparecida de Oliveira Silva

• Document type: Doctoral Thesis
• Press: São Paulo.
• Institution: Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Faculdade de Filosofia, Letras e Ciências Humanas (FFLCH/SBD)
• Defense date: 2007-09-27

Examining board members

Norberto Luiz Guarinello; Margarida Maria de Carvalho; Maria Beatriz Borba Florenzano; Pedro Paulo Abreu Funari; Andrea Lúcia Dorini de Oliveira Carvalho Rossi

• Advisor: Norberto Luiz Guarinello

Abstract

Differently from the usual assertions about the Greek intellectuals\' political compromise with the Empire, in our perspective, as from the second century A.D., the so called Second Sophistic is an indicative of the Greek cultural movement started in the first century A.D. Although its members present distinct intentions of their writings, the Greek intellectuals of the Empire develop similar styles and themes through their narratives. Considering Plutarch\'s case, and this is the core of our thesis, we demonstrate that our author did not write his work to exalt nor to glorify the Roman Empire nor the Greek culture. His writings represent the expression of the singularity and the usefulness of the Greek cultural tradition for the political strength of the Empire. Plutarch\'s main objective is to build a Greek identity in the Empire, based on the history of the people and their cultural tradition to exhibit the Greeks\' contribution to the formation of the Roman Empire. (AU)