Two sons, named Autoboulos and Plutarch, appear in a number of Plutarch's works Plutarch's treatise on Plato's Timaeus is dedicated to them. The loss of his daughter and a young son, Chaeron, are mentioned in the his letter to Timoxena. Plutarch and Timoxena had at least four sons and one daughter, though two died in childhood. He attended the games of Delphi where the emperor Nero competed and possibly met prominent Romans, including future emperor Vespasian. Plutarch studied mathematics and philosophy in Athens under Ammonius from AD 66 to 67. He hinted at a belief in reincarnation in that letter of consolation.

A letter is still extant, addressed by Plutarch to his wife, bidding her not to grieve too much at the death of their two-year-old daughter, who was named Timoxena after her mother. Rualdus, in his 1624 work Life of Plutarchus, recovered the name of Plutarch's wife, Timoxena, from internal evidence afforded by his writings. His brothers, Timon and Lamprias, are frequently mentioned in his essays and dialogues, which speak of Timon in particular in the most affectionate terms. His name is a compound of the Greek words πλοῦτος, 'wealthy' and ἀρχός, 'leader.' In the traditional aspirational Greek naming convention the whole name means something like 'prosperous leader.' His family was long established in the town his father was named Autobulus and his grandfather was named Lamprias.

Plutarch was born to a prominent family in the small town of Chaeronea, about 30 kilometres (19 mi) east of Delphi, in the Greek region of Boeotia. Upon becoming a Roman citizen, he was possibly named Lucius Mestrius Plutarchus ( Λούκιος Μέστριος Πλούταρχος). 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. AD 46 – after AD 119) was a Greek Middle Platonist philosopher, historian, biographer, essayist, and priest at the Temple of Apollo in Delphi. Plutarch ( / ˈ p l uː t ɑːr k/ Greek: Πλούταρχος, Ploútarchos Koine Greek: c.

Plutarchs lives