This collected volume, edited with commendable care and meticulousness by Clúa Serena, is the result of the thirteenth International Symposium of the Spanish Society of Plutarchists, held at the University of Lleida in October 2018. The book focuses mainly on the use of myth in Plutarch's Parallel Lives and Moralia, and it explores a great variety of interconnected themes, such as the occurrence and role of mythological figures (e.g. Theseus, Heracles, Eros and others) in Plutarch's writings, the inclusion of myths in his Platonically-inspired dialogues (notably the Amatorius), the depiction of mythological stories in iconography, and the connection between history and myth. The volume is divided into two parts; the first one negotiates myth as the symposium's specific focus and comprises the vast majority of the chapters, namely 37, whereas the second deals with the broader theme of Plutarch's relationship to the classical tradition or Humanism and is made up of the remaining nine chapters.

I shall consider the main topic and argument of each chapter in turn, before attempting an overall assessment of this project. The chapter by C. Alcalde Martín examines the way in which Plutarch parallels Demetrius and Antony by associating them, more or less explicitly, with Dionysus. The second chapter by A. Aragó Navarro turns the spotlight on a lesser-known work of the Pseudo-Plutarchan corpus, On Rivers, which includes a number of rare stories of metamorphoses. It argues that the representation of geographical metamorphosis in particular renders this work a valuable source for the use of this kind of metamorphosis in antiquity. The next chapter by A. Arriaza explores how the mythographer Herodorus of Heraclea Pontica was selectively employed by Plutarch in his account of Theseus. Despite the fact that Plutarch occasionally disagreed with the mythographer over the accuracy of his account, Arriaza holds that Plutarch still found Herodorus a valuable source. S. Beta discusses the role of the nymph Egeria in Plutarch's Life of Numa, bringing out the similarities between Egeria and Cleobulina in the Symposium of the Seven Sages, while the chapter by E. Calderón Dorda investigates the social and moral implications of αἰδώς. The following chapter by F.J. Campos Darosa and L.P. Romero Mariscal analyses neglected aspects of Ismenodora's love affair with the young Bacchon in the Amatorius, foregrounding the similarities between Ismenodora's story and the depiction of love and rivalry in the ancient novel. M. Camps Caset's chapter is about Plutarch's warning against preparing too much food and overconsumption. M. Carrillo Rodríquez discusses Plutarch's story of the recovery of the bodies of the Argives who fell in the war against Thebes and compares it to the versions in Aeschylus and Euripides, while A. Casanova explores Plutarch's use of archaic poetry in the Life of Theseus. S. Citro discusses the function of mythological and historical figures in the Regum et imperatorum apophthegmata, and Clúa Serena offers an arresting analysis of how to approach the myth of Theseus through the lens of Lévi-Strauss's social anthropology and the role of mythemes. Essential to Clúa Serena's discussion is Plutarch's creative elaboration on or discussion of intermediary sources, for example Euphorion of Chalcis. C. Di Serio's contribution explores the mythical background that helps build up Alexander's symbolic image. E. Falaschi's chapter addresses the representation of Ocnus, including evidence from archaeology, and R. Gallé Cejudo examines Plutarch's use of the myth of Lamia in the Life of Demetrius. J. García López focuses on the structure and the religious terminology of the Life of Timoleon, while P. Gómez shows how Plutarch uses legends involving Heracles to construct his narrative or characterise his heroes in the Lives. This is followed by M. González González's chapter, which discusses Plutarch's use of the myth of Ocnus, and D.F. Leão's contribution, which provides a stimulating analysis of the intersection of myth and history with reference to Plutarch's deployment of the figure of Lycurgus. M. López Carrera discusses the mythology relating to Dionysus in On Isis and Osiris; then J.A. López Férez deals with the use of the verb mythologéō in Plutarch. M. López Salvá examines the different dynamics that Plutarch attributed to myths in different stages of his life, while B. Méndez focuses on disability in the Roman Lives. J. Mossman discusses Plutarch's uses of ecphrasis in the representation of myth, adducing thought-provoking connections with other authors of the Imperial period. V.L. Navarro Martínez explores the use of comic quotations in the Amatorius, while E. Parra examines the cult image of Trophonius in the light of De genio Socratis. A. Pérez Jiménez focuses on the anecdote of Alexander's cure by his physician Philip of Acarnania. V. Ramón Palerm and S. Vergara Recreo explore the denotation of ἀνίερος in Plutarch. M.Á. Rodríguez Horrillo addresses the use of quotations from Latin historiography in Plutarch's work. L. Roig Lanzillotta explores the different types of revelation in Plutarchan myths to show that in the ancient world there was no strict demarcation between reason and revelation. D. Romero-González surveys the representation of Hercules as a warrior, intellectual and benefactor. V. Sabaté Vidal focuses on Plutarch's references to lead as an epigraphic medium in the ancient world. C. Sánchez-Mañas studies the form that the myth of a phantom phallus assumes in Plutarch's Rom. 2.4–8 and De fort. rom. 323A–D. M. Sanz Morales analyses Plutarch's approach to incredibilia in the light of Palaephatus’ Περὶ ἀπίστων. G. Sissa focuses on the love story between Ismenodora and Bacchon in the Amatorius, and F. Tanga explores myth in the Symposium of the Seven Sages. A.C. Vicente Sánchez suggests a new structure of Quomodo adolescens poetas audire debeat, and P. Volpe discusses the interesting reference to the Sirens in Problem 14 of the Sympotic Questions. In the second part of the volume E. Ayensa examines the influence of Plutarch on Cavafy in the light of both published and unpublished material; F. Ballesta offers a comparison between Plutarch and the New Testament with regard to the use of omens and prophecies; M. Cerezo revisits the issue of Plutarch's knowledge of Latin; C. Garriga is concerned with some lines from Aeschylus’ Niobe in Plutarch and later thinkers, such as Goethe and Nietzsche; P. Gilabert Barberà explores the afterlife of Plutarch's concept of female fidelity in nineteenth-century England; R.J. Montañés focuses on Plutarch's use of comic fragments; L.M. Pino Campos discusses Plutarch's early fame in the second and third centuries ce; C. Rizos examines the last edition of Plutarch's Lives translated into Aragonese by Juan Fernández de Heredia's scriptorium in 2009; and finally I. Vidiella Puñet explores the Plutarchan citations in Eusebius’ Praeparatio Evangelica.

The volume offers interesting insights into various aspects of Plutarch's oeuvre and improves our knowledge of his understanding of myth and his reception in later periods. Although the vast majority of the contributions are written in Spanish (only four chapters are in English), the volume is relatively accessible thanks to the abstracts in English heading each chapter and the bibliographies appended at the end. The inclusion of some full-colour images also helps to make the volume more attractive. The only reservation readers might have about this volume concerns its coherence, since not all contributions relate to myth. There are, for example, chapters on aidos, on cooking and eating, on Latin historiography, disability, poetry etc. That said, one should bear in mind that, when it comes to volumes arising from conference proceedings, some degree of heterogeneity is unavoidable, and the editor has done his best to organise the diverse material in a manner that is likely to make most sense to readers. The publication should be consulted by anyone concerned with the multi-layered use of myth in Plutarch, while its second part in particular makes an interesting read for any scholar or student interested in Plutarch's reception.