Plutarch

Founders, lawgivers and political rivals appear side by side in Plutarch's paired lives of men from ancient Greece and Rome. The collection opens with Theseus and Romulus, examining the stories surrounding Athens and Rome while weighing fable against credible history. Theseus lifts a stone to recover the tokens left by his father, then chooses the dangerous road to Athens despite his family's warnings.

Later portraits bring the reader into the quarrels and alliances of Roman public life. Crassus and Pompey struggle to cooperate during their consulship, and Caesar seeks to draw their competing interests together. Speeches, personal grievances and gestures of friendship show how individual relationships affect government. With biographies followed by comparisons, the collection offers readers a way to consider leadership and reputation through particular lives, from legendary founders to figures such as Alexander, Demosthenes and Cicero.