Parallel Lives

This book compares selected Romans of the late Republic with American Founders in the style of Plutarch, encouraging readers to rethink how we view heroes and villains and their conceptions of republicanism.

Through entertaining yet informative short comparisons, this volume demonstrates the humanity of heroes and villains from different times and places through their often idiosyncratic similarities and differences. Readers gain not only a fuller understanding of the late Roman and early American Republics and their leaders but also an appreciation for comparative biography in its ability to make connections across the human experience. The book provides a way to connect two different areas of study, focusing on how republicanism shaped both Romans and American Founders and providing a previously unexplored contribution to a growing trend of broadening historical exposure. In doing so, Baughman and Poston demonstrate the continued need for connecting different fields of history while also helping students understand their connection to the ancient past.

This book is suitable for students and scholars interested in the late Roman and the early American Republics and also appeals to readers of varied interests across historical times and places, particularly those studying the connections between the classical past and modern world.

Karl Baughman is Assistant Professor of History at Prairie View A&M University, Texas, United States. He is the author of several articles and book chapters on the Roman Empire, early Christianity, and the teaching of Classics.

Brook Poston is Associate Professor of History at Stephen F. Austin State University, Texas, United States. He is the author of James Monroe: Republican Champion, as well as several other articles and book chapters on the early American republic.