Alexander-imitators in the Age of Trajan

• Autores: Mallory Monaco
• Localización: Classical journal, ISSN 0009-8353, Vol. 112, Nº 4, 2017, págs. 406-430
• Idioma: inglés
• Títulos paralelos:
  • Plutarch's "Demetrius and Pyrrhus"
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• Resumen

  • Interest in Alexander the Great witnessed a revival among Greek intellectuals at the beginning of the 2nd century AD, coinciding with the reign of the Alexander-inspired emperor Trajan. This paper argues that Plutarch's Demetrius and Pyrrhus participate in this contemporary discourse by exploring the phenomenon of Alexanderimitation directly. Plutarch portrays these Hellenistic kings as men whose perceived similarities to Alexander failed, for various reasons, to bring them lasting success. These Lives call into question which of Alexander's traits a ruler should imitate and suggest that an association with Alexander can do as much harm as good to a ruler's reputation.