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Plutarch, Moralia 505c: Some notes on the discovery of the Pisonian conspiracy

Habaj, Michal (2016) Plutarch, Moralia 505c: Some notes on the discovery of the Pisonian conspiracy. Acta Antiqua Academiae Scientiarum Hungaricae, 56 (3). pp. 341-350. ISSN 0044-5975

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Abstract

Although it is primarily through Tacitus’ narration of the event that we are able to reconstruct the Pisonian conspiracy, the particular details of the plot can be partially completed from other sources of information. In that regard, relatively little time has been devoted to Plutarch’s account — found in his essay De garrulitate — of the discovery of the Pisonian plot. The account to some extent poses a problem, as it does not explicitly specify which conspiracy it refers to. In addition, the account is in the form of a moral essay; most importantly, it proffers a version of the events of AD 65 (when the plot was disclosed) that is totally different from that of Tacitus. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is at least partially to incorporate Plutarch’s report into the whole, rather foggy portrayal of the Pisonian conspiracy, and simultaneously to point to the fact that Plutarch’s report may not be an alternative to Tacitus’ one, but rather a complement of it. The author strives to evaluate the various literary and historical elements of the report, as well as its possible sources, and following the knowledge obtained, to assess its informative value within the broader context of the entire conspiracy.

Item Type: Article
Subjects: P Language and Literature / nyelvészet és irodalom > PA Classical philology / klasszika-filológia
Depositing User: László Sallai-Tóth
Date Deposited: 10 Nov 2017 13:34
Last Modified: 30 Sep 2018 23:16
URI: http://real.mtak.hu/id/eprint/67491

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