Plutarch was born at Chaeronea in Boeotia in central Greece, studied philosophy at Athens, and, after coming to Rome as a teacher in philosophy, was given consular rank by the emperor Trajan and a procuratorship in Greece by Hadrian. He was married and the father of one daughter and four sons. He appears as a man of kindly character and independent thought, studious and learned. He wrote on many subjects. Plutarch’s many varied extant works, about 60 in number, are known as Moralia or Moral Essays . They are of high literary value, besides being of great use to people interested in philosophy, ethics and religion.