Volume 6: The Meeting of Two Heroes, Chapter 33: Thucydides

“So… what should we do?” Leptines began to worry.

Philistos was about to speak when he saw a slave approaching with letters. He quickly opened two of them, and along with the one Antistanos had given him earlier, handed them to the slave: “Lord Antistanos, please see if the handwriting matches.”

Henipolis also moved close to his teacher, picking up the letters to compare.

“The handwriting is indeed very different,” Antistanos admitted with a nod, and Henipolis had nothing to add.

Philistos then passed the letters to the others for examination.

“This clearly wasn’t written by Lord Philistos. I know that he likes to curl the tail stroke of the letter ‘i’ in his signature, but this one writes it as a straight stick!” Masias declared loudly.

Herollis cast a deep glance at Philistos and uttered a single word: “No.”

Then he handed the letter to Pherosanus beside him.

Pherosanus examined it carefully, then raised the letter and said directly to Antistanos: “This is definitely not Philistos’s handwriting!”

“Well, now we’re finally getting somewhere.” Philistos rubbed his hands together, a look of relief spreading across his face. Then his expression turned serious as he continued: “It seems someone deliberately impersonated me, contacting Polyxides and the others as Lord Antistanos mentioned. On the surface, they appear to be disrupting the order of the Daonia Alliance, but in truth their aim is to sow discord between Syracuse and Daonia, attempting to provoke war. As for the matter of Hermes, it touches even more directly on Syracuse’s security, and we will need to investigate thoroughly! Regardless, the source of Daonia’s trouble comes from Syracuse, and as the Chief Magistrate of Syracuse, I bear an inescapable responsibility for this! Here and now, I offer my sincerest apologies to Lord Antistanos and the Daonia Alliance!” With that, he stood and bowed to Antistanos.

Antistanos remained seated and accepted the gesture.

“Furthermore, Syracuse is willing to compensate Daonia for the losses incurred, as a sign of our desire to foster close and friendly relations with Daonia!” Philistos continued, voicing his expectations.

“That is also another important mission I have been entrusted with by the Senate in coming to Syracuse,” Antistanos said solemnly. “The Daonia Alliance is willing to sign an alliance agreement with Syracuse—not only for friendly diplomatic exchanges and mutual prosperity in trade, but also for military security. In the northern mountains of Daonia, there are fierce barbarians who repeatedly threaten our borders; and though Syracuse’s powerful enemy Carthage has suffered repeated defeats, it still possesses vast territories and enormous wealth in its home city in Africa, and may strike again at any time. Therefore, Daonia wishes to join hands with Syracuse militarily, to jointly safeguard the security of the Greek city-states in the western Mediterranean!”

When Antistanos said this, the banquet suddenly fell silent.

Anyone with a political mind could hear the hidden implications in his words: First, Antistanos was subtly reminding everyone present that Carthage remained Syracuse’s formidable enemy, and that they should not make Daonia an enemy as well. Second, Daonia wanted to engage with Syracuse on equal footing—knowing full well that at this time, Syracuse was the leading Greek city-state in the western Mediterranean.

“Our mighty Syracuse now fears no enemy! What is Carthage? If it dares to come once, we will defeat it once!” Masias shouted loudly, expressing his contempt for Carthage.

Philistos, on the other hand, applauded and said: “An excellent proposal! Lord Antistanos, rest assured, I will report this matter to Lord Dionysius for his decision.”

“Many thanks!” Antistanos expressed his gratitude.

“Alright, alright! Now that the misunderstanding is cleared up, let’s continue drinking and talking freely!” Leptines shouted, raising his cup.

“Lord Leptines is right—we should all set aside those troublesome political affairs. Originally, I wanted to discuss with Lord Antistanos tonight how to write a history book,” Philistos took over the conversation, speaking with emotion. “Lord Antistanos, I too once had the idea of writing a history of Sicily, but due to the press of political duties, I never found the time. So I particularly admire that you have the time and energy to do what you want to do.”

“Actually, I didn’t dare to start writing for a long time. It was thanks to Lord Davos’s encouragement and help…” Once the topic turned to historical writing, Antistanos became much more enthusiastic. “But although I’ve already written part of it, I’ve decided to throw it away and start over from scratch.”

“Why is that?” Philistos asked curiously.

“Have you heard of a man named Thucydides?” Antistanos asked.

The others shook their heads, indicating they didn’t know.

“I didn’t know either, until Lord Davos introduced him to me. Although he was still unknown throughout the Mediterranean before this, I believe that within a few years his name will spread across all of Greece! I even think he is greater than Herodotus!” Antistanos said with a look of reverence.

“He wrote a history book?” Philistos was somewhat moved, since Antistanos was a well-known scholar in Magna Graecia, and his praise carried weight.

“Yes. Thucydides is an Athenian, once served as one of the ten generals, and participated in the Peloponnesian War. Later, he was exiled by the Assembly, and he lived in seclusion in Thrace, spending more than twenty years writing the history of the Peloponnesian War… After the war ended, he returned to Athens. By the time Lord Davos sent someone to visit him, he was already seriously ill, lying in bed, unable to hold a pen. Lord Davos paid a large sum to his nephews to copy the original manuscript, bringing it back to Thurii to be stored in the soon-to-be-completed library.

I read this book carefully. Although it is not fully completed, it is definitely a great historical masterpiece! Thucydides rejected some of Herodotus’s practices; he did not include any rumors about oracles or prophecies in his book. Instead, he recorded every major event of the Peloponnesian War in chronological order, describing them truthfully. Just as he wrote at the beginning: ‘A portion of my account is based on my own experience, and the rest on reports from other eyewitnesses; I have verified them as rigorously and carefully as possible…’

Moreover, although he is an Athenian, he does not show favoritism toward Athens in his book. Instead, he narrates the events of Athens, Sparta, and the other city-states drawn into the war from a completely neutral standpoint. He says, ‘My history is perhaps not very entertaining because it lacks marvelous tales,’ but whenever I think of this book, the scenes of the Peloponnesian War emerge in my mind with incredible vividness. I believe even after decades or centuries, people will still want to read it again and again to understand the truth of that war. And we scholars who wish to write history should learn from him, using his work as a model to compose new histories. That is why I want to rewrite mine!”

After Antistanos finished speaking with great earnestness, Philistos could no longer sit still. He asked eagerly: “What is the name of this history written by Thucydides? Has it been published yet?”

“*History of the Peloponnesian War*. I think it hasn’t been published yet, but it should be soon,” Antistanos said. “If you are eager to see it, Lord Philistos, I can copy another copy and send it to you after I return.”

“I would be extremely grateful!” Philistos thanked him repeatedly.

“It’s nothing. I am very happy to see another companion on the path of exploring history,” Antistanos said sincerely.

“Well said. I also hope to seek your advice in the future, Lord Antistanos, and exchange ideas on writing history. Come, let us drink to our friendship!” With that, Philistos raised his cup toward Antistanos from afar.

Both of them drank it all in one go.

The others also raised their cups joyfully, and the atmosphere grew lively.

Philistos set down his cup, wiped the foam from his lips, and said with high spirits: “Right now, if only that scholar Thucydides you mentioned were here at this banquet!”

“I’m afraid that’s no longer possible,” Antistanos said in a low voice. “Thucydides of Athens… has already passed away not long ago…”

Philistos’s smile froze on his face, and he exclaimed: “What?! He’s dead?!”

“Yes, this is confirmed news from Athens. I had planned to find time to visit him there, but in the end…” Antistanos’s face was full of regret and sorrow.

“Why mourn! From what you’ve said, this Athenian left behind a great work, so even if he has gone to the Underworld, he has no regrets,” Pherosanus said, his eyes slightly glazed from drink, and shouted loudly: “Bring me a lyre! I want to sing a song for him!”

“It’s rare to hear Pherosanus sing a song!” Herollis began to get excited as well.

At Philistos’s signal, a slave brought a lyre.

Pherosanus, slightly drunk, took it with care, plucked a few notes to test it, and praised: “A fine lyre!”

Then, with a light leap, he sat sideways directly on the dining table, completely oblivious to the grease staining his clothes.

The slave girl beside him quickly moved the food off the table, and he began to pluck the strings. Pleasant music flowed from his sliding right hand, and he became completely immersed in the sound. Then, improvising, he lifted his head and sang:

“In the lonely sky,

Search for that star brighter than the sun’s own light.

What joy in the world can compare

To strolling through the river of history,

Speaking with heroes,

Singing with warriors?

The Muses offer you an olive crown;

Apollo drives a golden chariot—

And in it sits your seat…”

The others joined in softly, sending their sincere silent mourning and blessings to that Athenian they had never met.

That night, both hosts and guests were thoroughly delighted.