Concepts et métaphores relatifs à l’esclavage et à la dépendance dans Vingt Vies de Plutarque

Abstract. If the data collected to study dependence in Plutarch mainly concerns individuals with a clearly defined status (slave or freedman) or uncertain status (slave, freedman, free), it is also crucial to bring forth the implicit in order to better grasp the realities. In this article, we will focus on occurrences related to concepts or metaphors. Although these do not directly reflect the actual legal condition of the individuals in question, they encompass a considerable number of occurrences related to the world of dependence. The aim of this study is therefore twofold. On the one hand, it seeks to approach the metaphorical situations of servitude in Plutarch's work in order to understand the meaning of slavery in Greco-Roman society; on the other hand, it attempts to uncover the vision that the historian from Chéronée might have had of the servile phenomenon.