La guerre contre l'Autre. Idéologie et représentation des Perses et des Parthes dans l’œuvre de Plutarque

The War against the “Other”. Ideology and Representation of the Persians and Parthians in Plutarch's Work This thesis examines the account of the wars against the Persians and the Parthians in the work of Plutarch. The Greek author, who lived between the 1st and the 2nd centuries, develops in his corpus a plural but coherent reflection on the relations between the Greeks and the Romans on the one hand and the Eastern barbarians on the other. The period in which he writes is not insignificant since the Emperor Trajan, who was at the head of the Empire at the time, was preparing an ambitious campaign against the Parthians. The first chapter shows that the Greco-Persian wars represent for Plutarch an important moment in the union of the Greek cities. The second chapter analyzes the campaigns of the biographical couple Cimon and Lucullus where the philhellenism of the two protagonists is put in the spotlight. The third chapter deals with the expedition of Agesilaus where the key themes of the narrative are ambition, the union of the Greeks and the liberation of the Greeks in Asia. Plutarch also shows in his accounts a particular interest in Persian characters. The fourth chapter focuses on Alexander's expedition and shows that Plutarch's work highlights the Macedonian's ambition and his relationship with the Greeks, two themes inherited from ancient debates. Lastly, the fifth chapter deals with the expeditions of the Romans against the Parthians: through the figure of Alexander and the imitatio Alexandri, the Roman Parthian campaigns fall under the tradition of the wars against the Persians and underline once again the incompatibility between the Greek culture and the Eastern barbarians.