Volume 6: The Meeting of Two Heroes, Chapter 41: A Secret Hidden in Legend

“接下来的资料就有意思了。”戴弗斯露出一丝嘲讽的笑意：“在几十年前，斯巴达王室的多里厄斯（还记得他吧，斯巴达著名的国王克勒奥墨涅斯的兄长，与弟弟争夺王位失败后，被克勒奥墨涅斯以派他去西地中海殖民为由，将其逐出了斯巴达）带着族人来到西西里，以自己是赫拉克勒斯直系后裔为由，要求厄律克斯人归还土地，厄律克斯人不从，于是他带兵赶走原住民，在厄律克斯的附近，建立了一个殖民城。但那时厄律克斯已经开始成为迦太基人在西西里的宗教中心，迦太基人当然不会让异族人占领自己的核心区域，于是率领大军反击遭到，多里厄斯和他的族人大多战死。”

“The next piece of information is rather interesting.” Davos showed a faint, mocking smile. “Several decades ago, Dorieus of the Spartan royal house—remember him? He was the elder brother of the famous Spartan king Cleomenes, and after losing the struggle for the throne to his younger brother, Cleomenes got rid of him by sending him to colonize the western Mediterranean—brought his people to Sicily. Claiming to be a direct descendant of Heracles, he demanded that the Eryxians return the land to him. When the Eryxians refused, he led soldiers to drive out the natives and founded a colony near Eryx. But by then, Eryx was already becoming the Carthaginian religious center in Sicily. The Carthaginians naturally wouldn’t allow foreigners to occupy their core region, so they led a large army to counterattack. Dorieus and most of his people were killed in battle.”

“This comes from Herodotus’s *Histories* and should be fact.” Antistanos was quite familiar with these historical events that had taken place in the western Mediterranean.

“Now look at this one. It’s still that unlucky Spartan prince Dorieus. It seems that before going to Sicily, he had also tried to found a colony on the Libyan coast west of Cyrenaica, within Carthaginian territory, on the grounds that Heracles had killed the giant Antaeus in Africa. But the Carthaginians drove him off… There are several more such incidents in this collection. Antistanos, as a historian, if you set aside your Greek identity and analyze this material from a neutral standpoint, you might see where the problem lies.” Davos reminded him softly.

“Set aside my Greek identity, take a neutral stand…” Antistanos murmured, seeming to catch on. He took the material and began reading again. Gradually, his eyes lit up. “I understand! I understand! These stories of Heracles in the western Mediterranean provide justification for us Greeks to open up colonies there!…”

Davos smiled. “I’d say that in remote antiquity, Heracles was the first of us Greeks to venture into the western Mediterranean as a hero. And if you put together all the stories about him and look at his travels in the western Mediterranean, many routes are repetitive, illogical, or unnecessary. That shows some stories are based on real events”—of course, Davos couldn’t deny Heracles’ existence, as that would deny his own identity as the God-Touched One—“while others were probably invented by later Greeks to provide moral support for taking others’ land and establishing colonies.” Davos pointed at the material. “That’s why the people of Cumae went to the trouble of bringing the hide of the huge boar Heracles killed all the way from the Peloponnese to Italy, and solemnly placed it in the Temple of Apollo at Cumae, to prove to the natives that the land they occupied was rightfully theirs… And as for the site where Heracles fought the giants, there are several versions, one of which is right here in Magna Graecia. And this strongman left legends in many places under Carthaginian control. I can only say that the Greeks who were desperate to find new homes in the western Mediterranean had some nerve, daring to scheme against the Carthaginians…”

By now, Antistanos was immersed in delight. “Lord, thank you for opening my eyes! I’ve finally grasped that wonderful feeling Thucydides spoke of: ‘writing true history from a neutral standpoint, with an impartial attitude’!”

“You should be able to do even better than him. Once you break free from the barriers between city-states and races, and take a higher vantage point to look at history, I believe you will write a great work!”

Davos’s encouragement made Antistanos a little embarrassed. “Lord, I feel I still fall short compared to Thucydides.”

Davos didn’t continue discussing this with him but turned to another topic. “Before you came, Kynogoratas visited. He told me that the Athenian envoys had arrived and called on him…”

“Athenian envoys have come to Thurii?” Antistanos was surprised. Then he thought of something and asked, “Are they here to seek allies for this anti-Spartan alliance?”

“Probably.” Davos said. “Kynogoratas also mentioned that there’s someone you know in the Athenian delegation.”

“Who?” Antistanos’s heart stirred.

“Lysias.” Davos looked at him and said slowly. “Kynogoratas told me that he is a man of great talent, but because he isn’t an Athenian citizen, he doesn’t fare well in Athens. He hoped I would try my best to keep him here. What do you think?”

“Keep him! Of course we must keep him!” Antistanos exclaimed excitedly. “When I was young, I often associated with him. I know he has extraordinary talent in prose, rhetoric, and oratory! His essays read naturally without being dull, simple yet not lacking in interest, and they easily resonate with the common people. I still keep three essays he wrote in his youth at home, and I often take them out to study his writing techniques and rhetorical devices… If he stays, I recommend making him the head of the Literature Academy. That would be the most suitable place for him to exercise his talents.”

Hearing this, Davos inwardly praised Antistanos greatly. He showed not a trace of jealousy or disparagement toward Lysias’s talent, but unreserved, heartfelt admiration—even volunteering to yield his position. This true scholarly magnanimity earned Davos’s respect, and he felt ashamed of his earlier veiled probing. He cleared his throat lightly and said, “…Uh… I’ll leave the task of persuading Lysias to stay to you. I can make a promise here: if he agrees to stay, I will immediately propose to the Senate to grant him Daonian citizenship, allocate land, and appoint him head of the Literature Academy at Daonian Academy.”

“I will do my utmost to keep him here!” Antistanos pledged without hesitation.

“For the Daonia Alliance to become the center of the western Mediterranean, strong military power alone won’t suffice. We also need a brilliant culture to inspire those races just emerging from barbarism, and to make other city-states bow in admiration!” Davos set the tone for this retention effort.

“Lord, you are absolutely right! Only city-states with a splendid civilization can endure through the ages without being forgotten!” Antistanos, a man well-versed in history, praised from the heart.

“Also, the Athenian envoy this time is Isocrates. Are you familiar with him?” Davos asked further.

“Isocrates?! He is a student of the Athenian sophist Protagoras.” Antistanos exclaimed in surprise. “Of course I know him! He is a rhetorical genius no less than Lysias. Not only is he deeply accomplished in rhetoric and oratory, but he also excels at teaching students. Many young men from various city-states go to Athens to study under him. What’s going on today?! Two scholars of Greek literature and language have come to Thurii at the same time!” Antistanos was very excited.

“Then can we also—?” Davos quickly asked.

“That’s impossible!” Antistanos shook his head. “Isocrates is an Athenian citizen. It is said that in his speeches to the youth, he often propagates the idea that Greeks—especially Athenians—are superior to other races. So it’s almost impossible for him to stay in our alliance, which is a fusion of diverse peoples…”

Davos sighed regretfully. Although he didn’t have a detailed knowledge of Greek history in his previous life, he was familiar with the names of Lysias and Isocrates, the two ancient Athenian orators. After all, when he studied law and took the course “History of Western Law,” these two names were unavoidable when discussing ancient times.

Getting one of the two would be good enough, he thought hopefully.

…

The next day, Isocrates, who had already learned from Lysias the general attitude of the Daonian Senate, still approached with great enthusiasm and careful preparation. He came to the Daonian Senate—the magnificent assembly hall that could hold over a thousand people.

But fewer than a hundred senators were lounging inside, making the place seem very empty.

If Isocrates had seen this before he had seriously learned about the Daonia Alliance, he might have sneered at the Daonians’ wastefulness and blind vanity.

But after spending a little over a day in Thurii—watching ball games, tasting Thurian cuisine, visiting the Temple of Hades, touring Daonian Academy under Antistanos’s guidance with Lysias, and even disguising himself as a commoner and mixing into taverns to chat with Daonian citizens—he had gained some understanding of the Daonia Alliance. He knew the composition of the Senate. So when he saw the vast hall contrasting so starkly with the small number of senators, he didn’t find it amusing but felt a chill inside, as if he sensed the Daonia Alliance’s grand ambition.

He quickly suppressed that troubling thought to focus all his energy on the upcoming speech.

At that moment, he felt someone staring at him with a piercing gaze. Following the gaze, he saw a young man sitting in the front row, directly opposite the center, turning his head to look at him and offering a gentle smile.

Isocrates smiled back politely. He understood: this young man was the founder of the Daonia Alliance, the magistrate Davos. There were countless rumors about him throughout the streets and alleys of Thurii—descendant of Hades, an undefeated general, a doctor who could bring the dead back to life, an extremely wise sage, a great inventor… But seeing the man himself, aside from an air of dignity far beyond his years, he seemed no different from ordinary people. It was hard to imagine that this magnificent Great Council Chamber was something he had proposed and planned to build.