Source edition
Plutarch. Plutarch's Lives, Vol. X. Perrin, Bernadotte, editor. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press; London: William Heinemann Ltd., 1921.
Source data
Perseus Digital Library · CC BY-SA (per Perseus's terms)
Cloned and adapted by Humanitext, with ongoing edits.
Summary
This work is a biography depicting the life of Philopoemen, a distinguished general of the Achaean League who is often called the "last of the Greeks." Born in Megalopolis, he balanced a simple rural life with rigorous military training from his youth, cultivating the belief that war is the ultimate arena for virtue. After proving his valor at the Battle of Sellasia, he initiated military reforms within the Achaean League, replacing luxury with Macedonian-style heavy armor and transforming the league's forces into a powerful army. Through his exceptional military leadership, he defended Peloponnesian independence by defeating tyrants like Machanidas and Nabis, and incorporating Sparta into the League. He resolutely resisted the expanding hegemony of Rome to maintain Greek autonomy, but in his old age, he was captured during an expedition to quell a rebellion in Messene and ended his life by drinking poison. Following his death, the grieving Achaeans avenged him and brought his ashes back home, laying the great leader to rest with high honors.