Theseus was a hero in Greek mythology. When Theseus grew up his mother then told him the truth about his father's identity and that he must take the sword and sandals back to king Aegeus to claim his birthright. To journey to Athens, Theseus could choose to go by sea or by land, following a dangerous path around the Saronic Gulf, where he would encounter a string of six entrances to the Underworld, each guarded by a chthonic enemy. He decided to go alone by the land route and defeated a great many bandits along the way. When Theseus arrived at Epidaurus, he met Periphetes, who roamed the road from Athens to Troezen where he robbed travelers and killed them with his bronze club. Theseus tricked him into giving him the club to check if it really were bronze, then bashed him in the head and killed him. Red-figure vase painting is one of the most important styles of figural Greek vase painting. It developed in Athens around 520 BC and remained in use until the late 3rd century BC. Its modern name is based on the figural depictions in red color on a black background, in contrast to the preceding black-figure style with black figures on a red background.