Courage, strength and leadership are just some of the characteristics possessed by Theseus of Greece and Romulus of Rome. Plutarch, a Greek historian, explains the lives of each of these men. These men were different from all other men of ancient Greece and Rome; according to Plutarch they were descendants of the divine, who ultimately destined them for greatness. Over the course of their lives, they would rise to power through various events and establish the societies and politics of two of the greatest cities in history. The paths each of them took and the events that occurred in their lives transformed them into heroes, while also contributing to the legacy they would leave behind. Monarchs ruled Athens, before the life of Theseus. To maintain control of the monarchy and continue the authority of the current ruler, an heir had to be born. Conflict between the current ruler and those who wanted to take his place was always inevitable. In Plutarch's writing, Theseus was born to the king of Athens, Aegeus, and Aethra, the daughter of the sage Pittheus. After Aegeus' meeting with Aethra, he left shoes and a sword under a rock so that if he produced an heir he would return to Athens to be at his father's side. Aegeus knew that if he produced an heir he would have to keep the child a secret so that his enemies, the fifty sons of Palla, would not kill him. When Aethra's son was born to her, her father claimed that baby Theseus' father was the sea god, Poseidon, hiding the secret of the true father. Furthermore, it is possible that Poseidon was said to be the boy's father because this could have increased the boy's reputation as he grew up. As Athens prepared to meet a young man who would change their city, Plutarch es...... middle of paper...did not worry about Theseus' death until the Battle of Marathon, where the men claimed to see Theseus charging the army to victory. By order of the oracle of Delphi, Theseus' bones were found on Scyros and brought back to be buried in Athens. Theseus' bones were buried in an area where his memory as protector of the weak flourished. Plutarch paired Theseus and Romulus because they were both men of divine origin who showed courage and did whatever was necessary to make their cities grow. Both had their flaws, such as Romulus ruling as king and killing his brother, while Theseus had issues with kidnapping women which prevented him from ruling Athens properly. From the readings there are no clear passages of favoritism on Plutarch's part because no man was really better than the other. They were just men who went from being bastard sons to legends of ancient history.