Volume 3: The First Croton War, Chapter 37: The Fall of Thurii

The bugle call for the attack rang out over the city of Thurii. The freemen and slaves crowded in the dock districts of the north and south cities received the signal and immediately rose up in revolt, drawing hidden weapons to assault the garrison.

The south city lay on the southern bank of the Crati River. It began when citizens farming the plains south of the Crati sometimes worked too late and crossing the river in darkness was dangerous, so they built a few huts on the southern bank to spend the night. Over time, it gradually developed into a village. Because Bruttians occasionally crossed the mountains to plunder livestock and kill citizens, walls were built for safety. Thus, the south city was small and lightly garrisoned. Only in the last two days had troops been reinforced, but the earlier false news of a truce had made them lax. The attack by the freemen caught them off guard, and they could barely hold out.

The Croton soldiers, facing almost no resistance, crossed the moat, set up scaling ladders, swiftly seized the walls, lowered the drawbridge, and opened the gates. The Croton army surged in, drove off the defenders, and orderly boarded ferries, cargo ships, and merchant vessels. Freemen acted as sailors, and they quickly sailed toward the north city docks.

When the Thurian generals heard that the Croton army was at the city gates, before they could even issue orders, the dire news of the freemen uprising at both the north and south city docks arrived, throwing them into panic. They hastily assembled the citizens to suppress the freemen at the docks. Men over fifty and boys over fourteen donned armor and took up shields and spears. For them, this was a critical moment for Thurii's survival—every citizen had to stand up to defend their home.

Although gathering the citizens took some time, their shared hatred of the enemy drove them to fight fiercely, pushing back the poorly armed freemen step by step. But just then, the Croton army landed.

As soon as they set foot on shore, they charged straight at Thurii's forces. The freemen's nearly broken line quickly stabilized.

The two sides clashed in the narrow streets of the harbor. Though Croton kept landing troops and heavily outnumbered the Thurian citizens, they could not deploy effectively in the tight alleyways. Despite the Croton soldiers being tall and strong, Thurii's ranks included old men and youths, and even the generals themselves took the field. Behind them, several hundred Thurian women screamed nonstop, cheering on their kin—a tragic, stirring cry! The Crotonians were fighting, but the Thurians were fighting for their lives. Thus, the battle remained deadlocked.

Melanthius, who usually led from the front, had been delayed because his ferry was leaking. By the time he arrived at the docks, they were crowded with ships, and he barely found a spot to land. Seeing the stalemate, he immediately ordered the buildings on both sides of the alleys to be torn down.

When the Croton soldiers began to outflank them from both wings, the Thurians gradually faltered. After holding out a little longer, with citizens being cut down continuously, they finally broke and fled.

Neonxis refused to flee and instead charged into the surging enemy. This general, born of commoners, had won the citizens' praise since taking office for his steady style and diligent work ethic. Yet less than two months after reaching the pinnacle of the city-state's highest office, he had brought disaster upon Thurii. In shame, he fell dead under the spears of the Croton soldiers, while Polyxides and several other generals turned and fled for their lives.

Bourkos and Pleisinas led some citizens, women, and children to retreat into the acropolis on the hillside behind the city. There stood the Temple of Apollo and the Altar of Hera, where the sacred flame had burned continuously for forty-one years since its founding. It was the spiritual anchor of Thurii's citizens, the resting place of their souls, a holy site! The people of Thurii decided to make their last stand there.

After capturing and pacifying the other districts, Melanthius found the day already dark. He ordered his soldiers to light torches and surround Thurii's acropolis completely. Then he sent Polyxides to deliver a message: surrender immediately, or the acropolis of Thurii would be burned.

Bourkos and the others had not expected the Crotonians to be so ruthless, given that Apollo was also the patron god of Croton. After agonizing over the choice, they opened the gates. Thus, Croton fully occupied the city of Thurii.

...

When the news reached Thurii, Davos was in the training camp watching citizens drill. Learning of Thurii's fall, he and his officers were shocked.

"Unbelievable. Thurii fell just like that!" Heilos remarked with emotion.

"If Thurii hadn't failed to resolve the conflict between freemen and slaves, how could Croton have succeeded so easily!" Amyntas clearly had no respect for Croton's achievement.

"But that Croton general is no simple man. Even with the help of freemen, he managed to deceive Thurii with a trick beforehand, then struck suddenly. His attack was well organized, and they captured Thurii in less than five hours. The Croton soldiers are well-trained!" Davos analyzed rationally. "Apart from the eight hundred Spartan warriors under Cheirisophus, Croton's army is one of the strongest enemies we've faced so far. We must stay vigilant!" Davos warned the others.

"But we're not afraid of him!" Amyntas shouted defiantly.

"Good, that's the spirit we need! We respect the enemy but do not fear him. We dare to fight any enemy!" Davos encouraged them.

"Legion Commander," Alexis asked, "in the camp, Davos had everyone address him by his military rank rather than his administrative one, "what should we do next?"

"What's your view?" Davos countered.

Alexis thought for a moment and said, "Send more scouts to monitor the Croton army's movements, strengthen the defenses of Amendolara..."

"Good, we'll wait and see," Davos said. Although Croton had occupied Thurii and demonstrated its strength, Davos was pleased to see that none of his officers suggested making friendly overtures to Croton.

Watching the soldiers training hard on the field, thinking of the Croton army rampaging through Thurii, Davos felt no fear.

Meanwhile, in Thurii, Melanthius did not restrain his soldiers after occupying the whole city. They ran wild, looting property, beating citizens, and even raping women. The people of Thurii suffered terribly.

Melanthius set his eyes on the most luxurious mansion, drove the owner out, and moved in himself. He held a banquet there with his officers to celebrate their victory.

While drinking merrily, he heard from the prostitute in his arms that there was a disciple of the historian Herodotus in Thurii. Intrigued, he sent guards to fetch the man.

When Antistanos arrived, he saw the hall filled with Crotonians sprawled on couches, guzzling fine wine, gobbling delicacies, and holding beautiful women in their arms. Most of those who flirted and laughed freely were high-class prostitutes; those forcing smiles were mostly Thurian women.

Some of the Crotonians loudly boasted of this victory, showering Melanthius with flattery. Others told vulgar jokes, with Thurians as the pathetic, stupid punchlines. Still others groped the women in their arms and carried out shameful acts openly in front of everyone. Amid laughter, obscene talk, and lewd words, Antistanos walked in with a tight face, stepping across the marble floor slick with spilled wine.

"Oh, the historian from Thurii has come!" Melanthius had drunk a lot but was still clear-headed. He patted the full breasts of the woman in his arms. "Go pour him some wine."

The woman handed the wine to Antistanos, who drank a mouthful without hesitation.

"Thurian, are you drinking to celebrate our victory?!" an officer taunted him.

"No, I am merely reminiscing about Sybaris, a city once famous throughout Magna Graecia for its wine. In those days, it was powerful, and Croton was weak—just as Croton and Thurii are today. But those who bully the weak eventually meet their doom," Antistanos said calmly.

"Ha! Ha! Ha!" Melanthius laughed heartily. "Too bad it was weak Croton that destroyed mighty Sybaris back then! And today, weak Thurii is occupied by powerful Croton. Your argument is completely wrong!"

"By the gods, even the mightiest city-states eventually perish," Antistanos retorted stubbornly.

"Maybe that day will come... *burp*..." Melanthius belched, unconcerned. "But neither you nor I are likely to see it." He sat up and said loudly, "I hear you are a disciple of Herodotus. If you ever write history, will my name and this glorious victory be recorded for posterity?!"

"No, only the crimes and atrocities you have committed in Thurii!" Antistanos answered coldly.

"How dare you!"

"This Thurian wants to die, does he?!"

The officers shouted angrily, some even throwing food at him.

Melanthius waved a hand, unbothered by Antistanos's provocation. Instead, he raised his cup and said smugly, "'The victor proves his strength through action; the loser can only prove his weakness with excuses.' That is the athlete's motto. The heroes of old only savored the joy of capturing Troy; none cared about the suffering of the conquered Trojans. If you lose, you must accept it—just like the Lucanians..."

He paused as if remembering something, and asked, "I heard that the magistrate of Amendolara, Dav... Davos, annihilated ten thousand Lucanian allied troops with six thousand of his own. Is that true or false? Was it Tarentum's doing, or was it really his achievement?"

"He was the one who planned and organized that battle," Antistanos answered truthfully.

"So it seems this Davos is someone of note... I wonder who would win between him and me?" Melanthius looked eager to find out.

Antistanos looked at him, an idea stirring in his mind. He said, "Behind you stands powerful Croton, but behind him is only little Amendolara."