Ctesias (b)

Abstract

This chapter deals with passages in Plutarch's works which can be attributed to Ctesias with a high degree of probability. It proposes to check Plutarch's adaptation of Ctesias' work in three parts. The first compares Plutarch's confirmed use of Ctesias (mostly in the sections of the Artaxerxes where he is explicitly mentioned and which are given in the previous chapter) with the same stories or details as they appear in the works of other ancient readers, mainly in Photius' epitome. The second part explores Plutarch's employment of the differences between Ctesias' work and other texts (mainly Xenophon's Anabasis). The third part studies Plutarch's probable use of Ctesias in cases where the physician's name is not explicitly mentioned. It advances a cautious approach with regard to these sections, and suggests a way to locate them in the original work.