The most important literary work of Plutarch is universally acknowledged to be the `Parallel Lives`, which are parallel biographies of pairs of a Greek and a Roman politician or general, totaling 48, of which 46 have been preserved.

He also wrote the `Ethics`, numerous treatises on topics such as virtue, theology, religion, politics, and the role of philosophy in shaping character, primarily of public men, whose choices and actions have always determined the lives of those governed.

However, it seems that with his `Ethics`, he did not feel he achieved his objective of influencing the people of his time and steering them toward the path of virtue, at a time when the Roman Empire was at its height and heading toward inevitable decline.

Thus, he turned to the biographies of great politicians and generals from the past, to provide more tangible and human examples - role models for emulating their great moments or for avoiding their unlawful activities.

At the forefront of his choices are Solon with Poplicola, Themistocles with Camillus, Aristides with Cato, Pericles with Fabius Maximus, Alcibiades with Marcius, Pelopidas with Marcellus, Alexander with Caesar, Agesilaus with Pompey, Demetrius with Antony, among others.

In his `Parallel Lives`, Plutarch clearly states that he does not write history nor does he focus on recording their most famous deeds, but with real figures and true situations, he probes into their inner world and provides readers with the necessary historical material to understand the characters of these renowned men and their moral behavior.

Thus, in a masterful way, Plutarch reflects and merges his knowledge of the past with the need for moral rejuvenation of peoples and rulers, at a time when signs of decline were prominently visible.

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