AcknowledgementsAbbreviationsIntroductionJoaquim Pinheiro and Laurens van der WielPlutarch’s Lycurgus: A Classical and Contemporary Model for the Politikos in the High EmpireCarmine NastriThe Mythical Politikos as a Role Model: Plutarch’s LycurgusIris SulimaniRomulus vs. Numa: The Development of the Politikos in Roman Monarchy According to PlutarchSerena Emilia Di SalvatoreDoing What the Situation Requires: Insights from Solon, Themistocles, Cato Minor, and CaesarSusan JacobsPericles’ Political Theatre in the Construction of DemocracyRenan LiparottiPhocion’s Rhetoric as a Key for the Political Use of History in Praecepta gerendae reipublicaeMaria Serena ChiodoThe Statesman and the Love of Wealth: Exploring the Moralia and the LivesAlessandro FinoΦυσικόν and πολιτικόν: Themistocles and Alcibiades from a Plutarchan PerspectiveGiulia TardioWas Antony Controlled By Women? Plutarch’s PerspectiveBorja Méndez SantiagoThe Statesman as Doctor: The Use of Medical Metaphors in Plutarch’s LivesFrancesca GaudianoBibliographyNotes on ContributorsGeneral IndexPolitical leadership and the enduring tension between ethical ideals and pragmatic actionWhat makes a good political leader? This volume explores a central question in the work of Plutarch of Chaeronea, one of antiquity’s most influential moral and political thinkers. Drawing on ten case studies, it shows how Plutarch used famous figures from the Greek and Roman past to reflect on leadership in his own time under Roman rule.The chapters in this edited collection reveal how leaders were often forced to balance ideals with practical demands, facing difficult choices between principle and praxis. They present a world in which ambition, ethics, and responsibility to the community are constantly in tension.Bringing together contributions from both established and early-career scholars, the book offers fresh insights into Plutarch’s political thinking and his reflections on leadership which continue to resonate today. By bridging theory and practice, it will appeal both to specialists in Plutarch and to readers interested in ancient political thought.