Source edition
Plutarch. Plutarch's Lives, Vol. II. Perrin, Bernadotte, editor. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press; London: William Heinemann Ltd., 1914.
Source data
Perseus Digital Library · CC BY-SA 4.0
Cloned and adapted by Humanitext, with ongoing edits.
Summary
This work is a comparative essay (synkrisis) that contrasts the lives and achievements of the Greek general Cimon and the Roman general Lucullus to evaluate their relative merits. The author begins by highlighting the similarity in their final days, both having died in a still-free homeland, while examining the transition in their lifestyles from youth to old age, their use of wealth, and Lucullus's hedonistic retirement. The comparison then shifts to their military accomplishments, examining Cimon's unique feat of winning victories on both land and sea in a single day, as well as their leadership over subordinates and the reasons why their conquests of Asia remained incomplete. On the other hand, the author points out that the scale of Lucullus's campaigns and the formidable nature of his enemies far surpassed those of Cimon. Ultimately, the work concludes by illustrating the difficulty of rendering a definitive judgment between these two prominent figures given their distinct virtues and shortcomings.