Source edition
Plutarch. Plutarch's Lives, Vol. VIII. Perrin, Bernadotte, editor. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press; London: William Heinemann Ltd., 1919.
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 turbulent life of Eumenes of Cardia, a Greek who rose from Alexander the Great's chief secretary to become a prominent general during the Wars of the Diadochi (Successors). The narrative begins with his origins and early career under Philip and Alexander, highlighting both his rise to favor and his occasional conflicts at court. Following Alexander's death, Eumenes is thrust into the fierce power struggles among the Macedonian generals, where he demonstrates exceptional military genius by organizing a formidable cavalry and defeating rivals like Craterus. Even when besieged at the fortress of Nora, he employs extraordinary ingenuity to survive and escape, later navigating complex political rivalries among the eastern satraps. Despite his tactical brilliance and unwavering loyalty to the royal house, he is ultimately betrayed by his own elite infantry, the Silver Shields, and handed over to his rival Antigonus for execution. The biography vividly portrays a resourceful foreigner who, through sheer intellect and resilience, carved his path through a chaotic era of Macedonian dominance.