He believed in prophecy and, following the Platonic tradition, speaks of its transmission through intermediate spirits (daimones), especially in The Sign of Socrates. In two essays, probably early, On the Eating of Flesh I and II, Plutarch attacked the killing of animals for food, but elsewhere he treats religious festivities, which included sacrifice, as joyous occasions. Walter Burkert has noted in 'Plutarco: Religiosit à personale e teologia filosofica' (1996) the personal and optimistic dimension of Plutarch's attitude toward religion. This interest and his own role is reflected in his Pythian Dialogues ( The E at Delphi, The Oracles at Delphi, and The Obsolescence of the Oracles ), in the first of which he prefers Apollo ( n ) as the name to designate God. As a priest at Delphi and a devout believer in the 'ancestral faith,' Plutarch played a notable part in the revival of the shrine. Plutarch's veiled criticism of imperial cult may reflect a distaste for the Roman emperors Nero and in particular Domitian. Plutarch traveled to Egypt, Asia Minor, and Rome (several times), but his religious knowledge and interpretations usually depend on standard works, such as those of the early Hellenistic authors Manethon and Hekataios of Abdera (Egyptian religion) and Varro (late Roman Republic). As a youth he studied Platonism at Athens under an Alexandrian named Ammonios, and Plutarch's own works in general belong to philosophical and religious Platonism. Plutarch wrote on religious, ethical, philosophical, rhetorical, and antiquarian subjects called Moralia or Moral Essays ( Ethika in Greek), but he is most famous for his Parallel Lives of the Greeks and Romans. Modern scholarship has also concentrated on his Moralia, treating Plutarch seriously as a creative thinker and writer whose views deserve respect and study. The Parallel Lives, written in an idealistic but critical style, represents a vast and masterly achievement that has had enormous influence. The extant work of Plutarch, an extremely prolific writer, surpasses that of almost every classical author up to his time, while many nonauthentic works have survived under his name. Late authorities report that he received high distinctions from the emperors Trajan and Hadrian. He was a good friend of many eminent Greeks and Romans and accordingly had considerable political influence, advocating a partnership between Rome (the power) and Greece (the educator). He spent much time at Athens but in later life seems to have resided mostly at Chaironeia and at Delphi, where he held a priesthood. Mestrios Ploutarchos, before 50 –after 120 ce) was born at Chaironeia near Thebes.