Rome in Crisis (Penguin Classics) / Plutarch

Indispensible biographies of major figures in Roman history.

A mathematician and philosopher, Plutarch was also an acclaimed biographer and historian. Bringing together nine biographies from his Parallel Lives series, Rome in Crisis examines the lives of some of the most important people in the roman empire- Tiberius Gracchus, Gaius Gracchus, Sertorius, Lucullus, Younger Cato, Brutus, Antony, Galba, and Otho, a reckless young noble who consorted with the tyrannical, debauched emperor Nero before briefly becoming emperor himself. Each biography is preceded by an insightful introduction by the distinguished historian Christopher Pelling. Taken together, these portraits provide a wonderfully compelling picture of the ancient world.