Plutarch created a diverse range of works that have entertained generations of readers since the days of Imperial Rome. Plutarch's writings had an enormous influence on English and French literature.

Plutarch  was a Greek Middle Platonist philosopher, historian, biographer, essayist, and priest at the Temple of Apollo.

He is known primarily for his Parallel Lives, a series of biographies of illustrious Greeks and Romans, and Moralia, a collection of essays and speeches.