Volume 4: The League of Dionia, Chapter 40: The Arrival of the Spartans

When these words were spoken, everyone felt a bit depressed.

“This is the arrangement of the goddess of fate—who could have known we didn’t follow Davos back then!” Tolmides exclaimed with a sigh. “Davos truly lives up to the title of God-Touched One. In just half a year, he’s built such a great enterprise. It’s not too late for us to follow him now!”

Hearing Tolmides’ words, Xanthiparis, who had already entered old age, gazed up at the silent starry sky. A wave of melancholy washed over him. “I don’t know how you all feel. I’m old—tired of wandering endlessly, of constant fighting, of fearing there’s no tomorrow once today ends. Settling down here wouldn’t be so bad…”

After he finished, everyone fell silent for a time.

“All right, let’s not think about the future for now. First, consider how we’re going to smoothly meet the other comrades in the coming days and keep them from causing trouble. Otherwise, we’ll be in for a hard time!” Timasion reminded them with worry.

…

Timasion’s fears came true the very next morning.

Before Timasion and the others could even reach the harbor, they learned that a dozen or so outsiders had looted goods in the marketplace, clashed with the arriving administrators, and injured people. Only when the entire market patrol—fifty men, a full platoon—rushed over were they able to make the arrests. Timasion hurried over to check, and sure enough, they were our own mercenaries. In the end, he had to bring in Agasia, pay compensation, and issue guarantees; the offending mercenaries were also sentenced to a month of hard labor. Only then was the matter settled.

To prevent similar incidents, Timasion and his men simply rented a house near the harbor and kept watch.

Even so, conflicts and disputes began to increase each day, most of them involving these arriving mercenaries. At one point, a senator even proposed in the council to expel these mercenaries from the Alliance and restore peace. The motion ultimately failed due to opposition from Agasia, Antonios, Capus, and others, but it still put some pressure on Davos.

Time flew by. By the end of November, Eanilus’s shipyard was completed. Davos and other senators attended the celebration and placed an order with the yard: three triremes.

The establishment of a Daonia fleet had already been placed on the Senate’s agenda, both to protect the Alliance’s increasingly prosperous harbor and maritime trade and to change the embarrassing fact that the Daonia Alliance had no fleet—not even matching its two allied city-states.

By early December, the Thurii Senate Council Hall was completed, finally putting an end to the miserable history where senators had to run all the way to Amendolara for important meetings—compromising secrecy, draining energy, and fattening the pockets of charioteers for nothing.

At the same time, the Thurii–Castron road was fully completed except for the bridge over the Crati River, which was still under construction. And the Thurii Agora Square was nearing completion.

Just as good news was pouring in from every construction site, a small merchant vessel with a large “∧” symbol embroidered on its sail entered the Gulf of Taranto in Magna Graecia. Other ships that saw this marking actively yielded right of way.

Phoebidas, a Spartan commander just past thirty years of age, took this as his due. He ordered the helmsman to steer straight for the harbor of Thurii without making any evasions.

In the western Mediterranean, Sparta had the most dealings with Syracuse and thus knew something about Sicily. As for Magna Graecia, most Spartans knew almost nothing about it—except for seeing athletes from Magna Graecian cities at the games, they had little other contact. True Spartan citizens were not allowed to engage in commerce, so they had no trade relations with the cities of Magna Graecia either. Therefore, as Phoebidas entered these waters, he looked around with keen interest.

After gazing at the harbor of Thurii for a while, he said to his attendant Dorobisces, “There are quite a number of merchant ships here. I’d say it’s comparable to Corinth.”

Dorobisces was a Perioeci. The Perioeci were also Lacedaemonians, but not Spartan citizens. Most lived along the borders of Laconia. They had personal freedom and could handle local affairs, but they had no political rights in the Spartan polis. Formerly, they had engaged mainly in trade, which Spartan citizens could not do. But after years of war, the number of Spartan citizens had dwindled, and the Perioeci were now also being enlisted into the army. Because of their different former occupations, Dorobisces had a liveliness rare among Spartans. Watching the bustling traffic at the mouth of the Crati River, he deliberately countered, “Corinth’s harbor trade is sluggish now—it’s not as lively as here. Phoebidas, you should be asking, ‘How does it compare to Athens?’”

The mention of Athens darkened Phoebidas’s face. After Athens was defeated, Lysander had set up the “Thirty Tyrants” in Athens, attempting to manipulate Athenian politics. Although some Athenians rose up in resistance, if Sparta had fully supported this puppet council, the rebels would never have amounted to anything. However, King Pausanias and the elders led by Diopeithes were at odds with Lysander. They not only stripped Lysander of his military command but also pushed the Council of Elders to negotiate peace with the Athenian democrats. In the end, the Athenian democrats overthrew the Thirty Tyrants and established a new democratic government. Having learned a bitter lesson, Athens implemented policies that were more flexible than before—on one hand, trying to please Sparta as much as possible; on the other, using every means to restore post-war trade and agriculture… It had only been a few years, and Athens’ trade was already flourishing again.

Phoebidas snorted and said no more.

Just then, a Daonia patrol boat approached.

Phoebidas called out loudly, “I am an envoy from Sparta. I wish to see the magistrate of your Alliance!”

The patrol boat dared not be negligent and immediately sped back to the city of Thurii.

For a diplomatic matter as major as a Spartan visit, it was naturally handled by the Senate. With more than fifty senators, they couldn’t be at the Council Hall every day—not every day required a full assembly of senators to handle major affairs, and many senators held public offices. So Davos had instituted a rotation system: five senators stood duty at the Council Hall each day, and the next day another five would rotate in.

Just as the patrol boat rushed the news to the Council Hall, Davos was already in his own courtyard receiving an urgent report from Aristelas.

A Spartan envoy visiting! Davos frowned and immediately thought that Sparta might be here about Timasion and the others.

Soon, the patrol boat returned to the river mouth and signaled for the Spartan vessel to follow.

Before coming, Phoebidas knew little about Thurii. He hadn’t realized that the city of Thurii and its harbor were not together—somewhat like Athens in that respect. However, they hadn’t connected the harbor and city with walls, so in case of war, the harbor could easily be taken. Phoebidas viewed everything with a military eye.

“Athens doesn’t have such a great river. And look at this terrain—very flat, the soil should be fertile. Thurii’s agriculture must be quite good!” his attendant Dorobisces observed with an economic perspective.

After sailing a few stades, Phoebidas saw Thurii’s towers on both banks and the iron chains suspended across the Crati River. He knew that if an enemy fleet broke through the river mouth and sailed upstream, this chain would be lowered to block the ships from entering the city’s channel.

The patrol boat finally docked at the northern bank wharf.

Phoebidas noticed that the docks, piers, and shore buildings were all clean and new—except for the farthest dock, which was blackened and charred. Dorobisces asked the patrol boat captain curiously.

“That was deliberately left by our magistrate, Lord Davos,” the captain said. “All over the city, including the temples, he has kept ruins like this. He wants every citizen to see these ruins wherever they go, constantly reminding us that this city was once burned by invaders. We must remember this great shame and never let Thurii be humiliated again. Only with victory can we restore its former glory! Just a few days ago, we repaired one of the ruins because we captured Nerulum!”

Watching the captain’s solemn and proud expression, Phoebidas pretended to be unimpressed, but he was inwardly moved.

Just then, a squad of guards arrived.

Phoebidas observed their bearing and movements. He could tell: these were well-trained soldiers with strong discipline, and they definitely had rich combat experience. To be honest, apart from Spartan citizens, he had never seen patrol troops in any other city-state maintain such good formation and remain ready for combat while inside their own city. He was indeed somewhat startled.

The captain handed over to the patrol captain Olivus and sailed away.

“Your soldiers must stay aboard. You will come with me to the Senate Council Hall!” Olivus said sternly to Phoebidas. “The Alliance has regulations: foreign soldiers are not permitted inside the city!”

“They are Spartan warriors! They may freely enter any Greek city-state!” Phoebidas declared loudly with self-righteous indignation. Though it was an exaggeration, Spartans did enjoy such privileges in many Greek city-states of the eastern Mediterranean, much to the resentment of those states.

Olivus glanced at him and said dismissively, “I know who you are. I don’t care how you act in other city-states. But once you set foot on the land of the Daonia City-State League, you must obey our laws!”

Phoebidas was furious, but Patrol Captain Olivus refused to yield, his expression firm: “Either you follow the Alliance’s rules, or you leave Alliance territory.”

In the end, Dorobisces compromised. The Spartan warriors changed into civilian clothes, and only then were they allowed to pass.

Phoebidas entered the city of Thurii with a belly full of anger. Before coming, he had heard that Thurii had been burned by the Crotoniates a few months ago, but inside the city, it was almost impossible to tell: the streets were straight and wide, rows of new courtyards stood at orderly intervals, and flowers bloomed everywhere on the rooftops. In the distance, two long aqueducts stretched from two giant, wheel-like, ever-turning devices on the riverbanks all the way to the centers of the eastern and western districts. Through towering water towers, river water was channeled into several pools where children played. The pools had fountains and statues, providing water for the people to draw and rest. Water then continued through drain holes beneath the pools, flowing through ditches along the streets past the homes of thousands of households, washing away garbage and dust, keeping the whole city clean and tidy. Nourished by water, the city brimmed with vitality.