Sometimes such biographies recount something miraculous about the birth of the subject. Moses’ mother, Jochebed, is enabled to give birth so easily that nobody notices the occurrence (cf. Josephus, Ant. 2.205–221) and similarly Cicero’s mother delivers her child without any pain or labour (Plutarch, Cic. 2). More frequently, and of more significance for our topic, the miracle has to do with conception. Plutarch provides three examples. In relating the origins of Romulus, he says that ‘the story which is most believed and has the greatest number of vouchers’ is that her uncle, Amulius, made
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