Aeneas and Achilles are two of the great heroes from Greco-Roman mythology, and their exploits were widely written about by Greek and Roman writers.

In general terms, Achilles is classed as a Greek hero, and is closely associated with Homer’s Iliad. In the Iliad, Achilles is one of the main characters and the epic poem tells of his joining of the Achaean forces and subsequent battles outside of the walls of Troy.

Aeneas though is a Roman hero, and is particularly associated with Virgil’s Aeneid, another epic poem, written almost eight centuries after the Iliad. The Aeneid tells of the Trojan prince Aeneas’ departure from the burning ruins of Troy, and his long journey until his arrival in Italy. Aeneas does appear in the Iliad, but is not one of the main protagonists.

It is easy enough to identify the similarities between Achilles and Aeneas.

The two heroes were both demi-gods; Achilles being the son of King Peleus of the Myrmidons and the nymph, Thetis, whilst Aeneas is the son of Trojan prince, Anchises, and the goddess, Aphrodite (Venus). Being a demi-god did not make the heroes immortal, and both would be vulnerable to battle wounds, despite the myth of Achilles’ heel.

Aeneas and Achilles would both become famous for their fighting ability in the battle for Troy, killing numerous opposing heroes. During the fighting both heroes would gain assistance from various deities, be it being rescued from injury, the creation of armour and weapons, or simple guidance.

Both were leaders; Achilles would lead 500 Myrmidons to Troy, whilst Aeneas would lead the survivors of Troy westward to Italy.

The two heroes though are both famed for caring about an individual, in the case of Achilles, probably caring about the individual more than the wider group. For Achilles, it was the death of Patroclus at the hands of Hector that brought the Greek hero back into the fight, after he had threatened to leave Troy. Aeneas would also lose someone close to him, Pallas, during a later fight against the Rutuli. The death of these two would bring both heroes to even greater fighting capability.

Equally, the differences between the two heroes are also easy to identify, and these differences can be used to identify the ways that Greeks and Romans identified with their heroes.

Achilles was destined to die young in a heroic manner at Troy, whilst Aeneas was destined to survive.

In Greek tales, the strong individual warrior was revered, and the individual honour, as measured by kills and war spoils was important. Thus when Achilles’ honour is slighted by the actions of Agamemnon, the withdrawal of Achilles from the fighting is not thought of as being wrong.

To the Romans, great soldiers might be revered, but rather than the individual, it was the collective greatness that was sought. Thus Aeneas’ actions are always undertaken for the greater good; a greater good that would eventually see the founding of the precursor of Rome.

Dying a heroic death, to the Greeks, meant eternity in Elysium, to the Romans, a good, long life was important; and to this end when Aeneas eventually died, many years after leaving Troy, his deeds saw him being made immortal by Zeus (Jupiter).

There was also an underlying character difference between Aeneas and Achilles. Aeneas was considered a thoughtful leader, willing to be guided by the gods, and was generally a calm individual. The main characteristic of Achilles though was his anger, an anger that directed him in everything he did, and perhaps made him the great warrior that he was.

It is easy to compare Aeneas and Achilles, but it has to be remembered that they were major heroes to two different civilisations, separated by geography and several hundred years. Each hero was described in a way that ensured that they were viewed heroically by their main audience.