- I miei scritti su Plutarco
- Angelo Casanova
Timoxena’s messenger’s journey (Plut. Cons. ux. 608B)
- © 2025 Author(s) |
- CC BY 4.0
- DOI: 10.36253/979-12-215-0824-6.24
This paper was written in English for a conference in Madeira. The Consolation to His Wife is a short writing rapidly drafted by Plutarch in the span of a few days around the year 90 AD, in all likelihood at Tanagra, after learning about the death of his two-year-old daughter. From a punctual analysis of the incipit we gather that Timoxena’s messenger, whom she had sent to convey the news to her husband, travelled first from Chaeronea to Tanagra, then from Tanagra to Athens, while Plutarch was going from Athens to Tanagra. But, for some hitch, the two men did not meet on the way: the philosopher, therefore, only learned the bad news when he arrived at Tanagra, and was informed by another person, namely the messenger’s granddaughter. Plutarch, however, was not able to leave immediately for Chaeronea, clearly because of an engagement that held him at Tanagra for a few days (possibly a series of lectures). There, during those days, he wrote the Cons. ux., that he may have sent to his wife by a messenger (or possibly delivered in person as soon as he could get home). It was there, during those days, according to my further conjecture, that Timoxena’s messenger finally did catch up with him.
- Keywords:
- Plutarch,
- Consolatio uxoris,
- Plutarch’s family,
- granddaughter,
- Tanagra,
- Chaeronea,
- journeys,
Chapter Information
Chapter Title
Timoxena’s messenger’s journey (Plut. Cons. ux. 608B)
Authors
Language
English
DOI
10.36253/979-12-215-0824-6.24
Peer Reviewed
Publication Year
2025
Copyright Information
© 2025 Author(s)
Content License
Metadata License
Bibliographic Information
Book Title
I miei scritti su Plutarco
Book Subtitle
Raccolti, riveduti e corretti con bibliografia unificata
Authors
Angelo Casanova
Peer Reviewed
Number of Pages
366
Publication Year
2025
Copyright Information
© 2025 Author(s)
Content License
Metadata License
Publisher Name
Firenze University Press
DOI
10.36253/979-12-215-0824-6
ISBN Print
979-12-215-0823-9
eISBN (pdf)
979-12-215-0824-6
eISBN (xml)
979-12-215-0825-3
Series Title
Studi e saggi
Series ISSN
2704-6478
Series E-ISSN
2704-5919