Μηδίζω! The World of Achaemenid Hellas
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Stories of Western Colonisation
Μηδίζω! THE WORLD OF ACHAEMENID HELLAS
CHAPTER 2:EIMI! or VARTAIYAIY!
EXCERPTS TAKEN FROM THE STORY OF JUROPA
HELLENIC ROOTS
Of course, when the Illenic refugees departed their homeland for the shores of Italia, it was not to a land solely of their fellow civilized Illenes that they went. The Italiotes had already had dealings with a multitude of other peoples in the rest of the Iperik peninsula, treating or contending with them across innumerable generations, and of them we should discuss for a moment, but there are certain characteristics common to the entirety of non-Illenic Iperika. These peoples were all, to a man, tribal and savage in nature, barbarian chiefdoms content (as with all tribes) simply to go from passion to passion, organising solely in contention over bodily needs. Those with the greatest potential for civilization were those who proved most accepting to the Illenism on offer- the archaic Tinians, and the Iapogs, and even they were just as likely to descend upon Illenes with fire and sword as to study civilization in this period. The Tinians attempted, as best they could, to crudely imitate the acts and politics of the Illenes, with colonies and a loose notion of a federal league- but this league was not of poleis but of hill-forts, gaudily bedecked with trappings of nobler arts that were not fully understood by their owners. Everywhere else there was only local bullies with their strong armed retainers and their citadels, gathering in fear of their fellow brigand-kings and tribal war parties. But, as with all tribes, they had their virtues, and chief among them was freedom. This and the natural division of the country by valleys, rivers, and mountain ranges meant that an atmosphere prevailed not unlike that of primitive Ilas. The basis of all ordered civilization is in a period of disordered but directed competition, harnessed and alloyed into a competitive state or brotherhood. The Illenes had sought to harness the competition among them, creating individual sovereign communities which remained free and in rivalry with one another, but which also were ordered communities. Whether under the Paersins, or their own mastery, the Hellenes progressed themselves, along with hose others keen enough to listen to what they had to say, via this paradigm.
So who, then, was there to be taught in this partially tamed peninsula that the new arrivals found themselves in? We find the aforementioned Iapogs, the most familiar of all of them with a Hellenic presence. Prior to this era, they were also so skilled in arms as to be a near match even for the warriors of Taras, in particular the race of the Messapi. But there were reasons that this was so- the Messapi were themselves descended from Illenes, a long lost tribe of Kretans who would later claim descent from Lakedaimonia. The wandering ancestors of the Messapi became trapped in what was later known as Kalavria, and there mixed with more barbarous stock. Their slight degeneration under the influence of tribal savages and wayward whores was not enough to entirely suppress their natural qualities, but enough to render them inferior to their Hellenic cousins. However, they did also cause an improvement to the stock of their newly adopted kinsmen- an increased potency among all of the Iapog tribes, a certain talent for war and arts so to speak, was clearly grafted on by the addition of Illenic blood. It was this that would later lead to their greatness. In addition, we find that even by this date petty-settlements operated as faux city-states, in imitation of their superior neighbours. The Iapogs were also well regarded at the art of improvisation, a positive harnessing of the momentary and ferocious passion of the tribal individual. Insofar as this does not lead to societal progress, this was of no real use to the Iapogs. But in terms of day-to-day survival, the raw stuff that such things as civilization are moulded from, it stood them in good stead. It also loaned to that otherwise barbaric race a keen wit and perceptive senses, both of these would enable the hard-chested Iapogs to adjust to the Illenic presence and benefit from it.
We also find the Tinians in their spring days, a people almost unrecognisable than those that would reshape the lands of Juropa. Called at this time the Tyrsenoi or Tyrrhenoi by the Illenes, they were a people un-awoken to their promise and talents. They must, alas, be properly classed as barbaric along with all of the other non-Illenes of the peninsula, at least in this period. Illas and its arts was, to them, as a necklace from a distant lover, closely clutched to the bosom and fawned over restlessly. They certainly understood the value of what it is that they imitated- they injected literate behaviour into the heart of Juropa, they imitated the cream of Illenic arts, both literary and visual, they understood the significance of the Illenic myths that they illustrated in their own primitive style. Yet even that primitive style is not unlovely to the civilized eye, raw talent could eventually be burnished and sharpened into incisive engagement. The glimmerings of greatness glittered in the gloomy depths. The Tinians in these days were politically divided, again in imitation of the Illene- they were fiercely pious, but also opportunistic, a trait no doubt learned from the Cardastini to their South who they were often allied to in this period, the ‘Tyrsenoi’ were infamous to the Illenes as pirates as much as merchants of fortune. The Tinians were, in the early part of this period, a perennial menace to the Illenes of the peninsula, launching several expeditions or attacks during the time of Perikles and beyond. It is perhaps a wonder to men of our days that these folk, these tamers of thunder and mounters of mountains, are so rustic in such a formative period. But it is true, even by the admission of the great Tinian authors, that their long summer was not yet upon them in this period. One need not turn far to find other scholarly material, rich in the telling, that deal with the tale of the golden age of the Tinians, and I refer the interested reader to those fine works.
We then come to the ruder masses of the peninsula, its brutes, bullies, and brigands. Foremost, and most numerous, among this disreputable category in this period are the collection of peoples known as the Iperikines, Ausones to the Illenes- among this set are classified the Laetines, the innumerable branches of the Savieni, the Oinotrioi, the Sikels, and the Sikanoi. They were numerous and warlike, especially the Savieni, and were an increasingly constant threat to the Illenes of Iperika. In this, their pre-civilized era of barbarism, it is not particularly expedient nor necessary to recall, by rote, the many tribes by which the Iperikines grouped themselves, for in doing so one would soon fall asleep on the work desk, one’s head fully flattened amid the pages of a weighty tome. Rather, we shall concern ourselves with several principal actors among these peoples. The Sikels were the eponymous inhabitants of the great isle Sikelie, and engaged in beneficial congress with the Illenes from ancient times on that fertile, sun-blessed island. Their story, as we shall see, is thus one of hope- of a civilizing process, of hilltop reivers turning into political individuals and contributing towards the progress of the human species. The Rhomaioi were the greatest of the minor powers among the Laetines, and later events would see them further promoted at the hands of Paersine potentates. They were not without a glimmer of civilization, having absorbed much from the archaic Tinians and from the Illenes- they conducted themselves with assemblies and magistrates, not with chieftains. But theirs is a story forgotten, and merely a long abandoned foothill in the great peaks of historical knowledge. But, as we shall see, they serve to indicate what the Iperikines would later become at the hands of more educated peoples. And, chief among the Savieni, we find the tribe called Saunitai by the Illenes. These inveterate bandits and reivers were a scourge even among their fellow Iperikines, and frequently the instigator of drama and crisis, both political and military. The taming of Iperika depended upon the the destruction and assimilation of these wild men.
But none were so wild as the people known to the Illenes as the Keltoi, the Varvarines as they are known to our own history. They feature little in the early years of Illenic dominance of Italia and Iperika, save as a name of terror and brutality passed, by hurried lips, down through the hilltops, valleys, and dales of the peninsula. They are more of an interest to the scholar of the Tinaic than of the Hellenic in this period. But, as the Tinaic and the Illenic heritage of our civilization are inseparable from one another, so too are their histories intertwined, for the adventures and misadventures of the archaic Tinians against the Varvarines often had repercussions for the Illenes of Italia in some form or another. And, later on, the early Varvarines would indeed make incursions into Italia of various kinds. The grandmother of Juropa, Massalia, being located next to the heartland of the Keltoi according to Herodotos, was the first of the Illenic communities to feel the raw anger of the Varvarines in this era of our elaboration, and yet continued to resist every Varvarine attempt to subjugate Massalia. So what is there to say about the Varvarines of this era? One cannot doubt that they were skilled as war, acting as a seemingly insurmountable barrier to Tinaic power for the longest time, and much prized as mercenaries by any desirous of becoming a petty tyrant, or by any poor souls desperate to achieve victory by arms alone. But they were head takers, worshipping ruinous Gods who were mendicant for human sacrifice, and so divorced from any kind of settled life that they were prone to simply wander the wilds in order to find new grazing grounds for rape and pillage. The chronicles of the Antique are filled with the doings of this savage era of Varvarine marauders, and thus they enter into this history of the Illenes of Italia as well.
EXTRACT FROM TARTAN’S ON THE HELLENES
TRANSLATED BY ERMENRIH ADALBERTSUN
ON THE CIVILIZATION OF HESPERIA
TRANSLATED BY ERMENRIH ADALBERTSUN
ON THE CIVILIZATION OF HESPERIA
It matters not that the Old Iranian Empire did not conquer all of the Hellenes, we can still accept without question that the Hellenes were of fundamentally Asiatic culture and heritage, and that by conquering the heart of the Hellenic world the ancient Iranian kings restored a rightful connection between Hellas and the rest of Asia. Their fundamentally civilized, Asian character was irrepressible, even where they were not under the control of a Great King- the Hellenic exiles, rather than becoming barbarous, simply accelerated the great work of progress that their existing communities had begun,. And nowhere is that more closely, demonstrably evident than in the Hesperian peninsula, which also saw the greatest intake of Hellenic refugees. The backbone of Hesperia would become the spinal column of Europa’s civilization, the vigour of progress rushing through it as a great artery of knowledge. No matter that many of the Hellenes were still themselves teetering on the precipice of katakhresis on the matter of civil conduct and peaceful intentions, this was not enough to sour the milk that the infantile cultures of Europa suckled upon. The notion of a cultured lifestyle, in which peace was attainable, good governnance was plausible, and men lived in cities with streets rather than shacks, was firmly inculcated.
And what savages they had to contend with! Is it not natural that Hellenes and Iranians would achieve so much in partnership, when we witness what wonders each could achieve on their own! Here we see almost friendly rivalry, such as when a sculptor produces a magnificent marble piece, brings it in front of his competitor, and says ‘surpass this if you can’. If the conquest of Hellas was the Old Iranian offering in the wager, then the taming of Hesperia was the response that the Hellenes provided, and what a masterwork that was. These are the savages that they had to contend with- the hundredform tribes of the Sabinoi, the petty chieftainships of the Latinoi, the Tinianiotes in their elder and primitive days playing at being mock-Hellenes, and the wild and wandering warbands of the Keltoi. They did, at times, have cause to contest with civilized powers as well. Their primary opponents were those other great Asiatic emigres, the Karkhedoniotes, usually over the island of Sikelia. But at times, the Old Iranians did manage to intrude into the life of the Italiote Greeks, peering in at their rival’s masterpiece whilst it was under construction. And, ironically enough, the civilizing of the Tinianiotes would continue to increase the amount of pressure those grandchildren of Asia could bring to bear on their adoptive parents. Yet, nonetheless, against all that could be thrown against them, the Hellenes remained, and thrived. What the Great Kings of Old Iran cursed and rued we, the beneficiaries of both legacies, can celebrate gleefully, for even in opposition they planted the seeds of a brighter, more civilized world.
So, how was it that Hesperia was, at length, tamed? Even in those whose memory of their ancestral Asian heritage was slim, they nonetheless contained a spark which recognised the fruits of Babylon and Xume when they were brought into their presence. The Hellenes, without pause or hesitation, flung themselves into the task of bringing these splendid things into the presence of those of a more savage nature. Great stone buildings, animate and lovely sculpture, the production of cunning artifices, culture, the notion of ordered government, and above all the art of writing- these were the gifts that the Hellenes had already begun to introduce to Hesperia before their exodos accelerated the process. Twas the Latinoi and Tinianiotes who first proved receptive to the message, fashioning for themselves crude models of the spectacular original. But a good teacher is a patient teacher, ignoring the earliest clumsy productions and instead continuing to reinforce the correct message. They would prove the first non-Hellenic outposts of real civilization in Hesperia, and became a signal that a better life was possible. Even some among the Sabinoi would eventually see the light. But it was not through kindness alone that civilization was introduced into Europe- as the Old Iranians had discovered, even the most barbarous of the Hellenes had a real skill for the art of war, and it was Hesperia who was to witness what a full gathering of Hellenes could accomplish in unison. The Sabinoi who could not be tamed were cleansed, and those who would threaten the growth of Hellenic power were beaten back time and time again. They were not invincible, as proven when the Amavadatid splinter state was required to intervene in order to save Taras and the Rhomaioi from a horde of Keltoi, and indeed by the original Iranian conquest of Hellas. But they were certainly redoutable, particularly when sufficiently collected and motivated, even more so when led by a cunning and decisive general.
Key milestones in the Asianising of Hesperia include the following- the inducement of the remaining Iapygoi in Italia to fully accomodate to an urban, Asiatic mode of life (which would eventually cause them to become indistinguishable from Hellenes), the final ruination of the dread Saunitai (the most warlike and savage of all the Sabinoi tribes), the successful defence of Massalia against the Ouolkai (which acted as a bastion against the Keltoi attacking via the sea), the first construction of a theatre in a Tinianiote city, the Amavadatid defence of Roma, the first time that Tinianiote actors were considered eligible to perform in Hellenic drama, the eventual unification of all the Tinianiotes following the Miracle of Felsine, and the foundation of the Second Italiote League. When this was all completed, Italia was a peaceful and powerful state of fundamentally Asiatic character, the Tinianiotes had created the earliest incarnation of their Empire and had become capable of creating their own variation of the song of Asia, and the stage was set for this process to repeat itself in the rest of Europa. Though Europa would never be part of Asia itself, it was now firmly established that congress between the two was not only possible but fruitful, that the Hellenes had been the custodians of Asian progress into Europa, and that Europa too could join the world of civilized states, albeit in a way that lagged behind the immense might and majesty of Asia.
THE ATEKNATIDS OF MASSALIA
EXTRACT FROM THE ETEKHRONIKOS OF MASSALIA
There was a certain Ateknate the son of Ambiorix, who was called Diodoros as well by the citizens of Massalia. He had become a steward of Avenion, and was awarded proxenia in Massalia. He came to lead Cauaretai allies and the citizens of Massalia to victory against the Trikestinai in the year of Polemaios as timoukhos. He had two sons by his wife Phoibe, Nikagoras and Diodoros the younger, and a daughter Aella. After Ateknate died, Nikagoras inherited his arms, and became a steward himself. He gained victory against the Ligyes in the year of Zeuxias as timoukhos, and was awarded citizenship of Massalia due to the actions of himself and his deceased father. He was inducted into the eastern genos.
AN EXTRACT FROM ON LIGYSTIKE BY DIEUKHIDAS OF MASSALIA
ON THE ATEKNATIDS
ON THE ATEKNATIDS
The Ateknatids were named for Ateknate, their eponymous ancestor. They had been a force in Massliote politics for some generations, repeatedly winning key military victories against aggressors. It was now, however, that they began to reach the highest rank of political and popular power within the Massliotes; Phoxinos, Ateknatid, was head of an armed expedition of Massliotes and Keltoi allies when an army of Ligyes attacked the fortress at Avenion. They were besieged by some 100,000 Ligyes with Iberian and Keltoi allies of their own. Immediately, Phoxinos rode with the army to meet this invasion in battle, and to rescue to polis at Avenion. The ire between those Keltoi on the side of the Massaliotes and those on the side of the Ligyes was fierce and lengthy, and accordingly they were eager to battle one another. So eager, in fact, that they charged at one another before the rest of either army could engage. However, Phoxinos was faster in improvising to this adverse change in circumstances than his opponent, the king of the Ligyes, and came crashing down with Massaliote hoplitai on the right flank of the enemy army. The discipline of the Ligyes being poor, the greater part of their army was forced to flight or rout, and their Keltoi allies were either dead on the field, induced to surrender, or executed. The Iberian allies of the enemy were content simply to be paid to leave. Phoxinos became determined to expand the power of the Massaliotes, great as it already had become, because he believed correctly that the Ligyes were a threat that needed to be ended. A large part of the Ligyes had survived their battle against the Massliotes, and so when the two armies met at the Rhodanos river it was once again a match of large armies, rather than simply mopping up the Ligyes and their warriors. The battle was fierce and hotly contested, until the king of the Ligyes was killed by a spear through the chest, at which point the Ligyes fully routed, and were driven off the field with great slaughter. Phoxinos then set about, each year, to occupy and garrison more and more of the strong places of Ligystike, which often involved garrisons of Keltoi loyal to the Massliotes by deed, treaty, or payment. The Massliotes were thus carried into dominance, over several years of campaigning, throughout most of the district of Ligystike. This was not without cost, for here lay the cause of both the War of the Allies and also the Great Ligye Revolt, which cost Massaliotes so much in blood and treasure. But Phoxinos had nonetheless done much to advance the cause of the Massaliotes and to carry it to new heights, and was duly honoured with the position of timoukhos. Struggles between the Ateknatids and the other great gene of Massalia were inevitable, due both to the success of Phoxinos and his habit of carrying out positive military actions that were nonetheless further than the desires expressed by the boule.
Abhakhazia
Banned
Excellent as always. I'm very intrigued by Tartan's take on the Greek conquest of the West.
Graffiti and Sacrifice
Μηδίζω! THE WORLD OF ACHAEMENID HELLAS
CHAPTER 2:EIMI! or VARTAIYAIY!
THE BOOK OF DAYS
EXTRACT FROM THE LAY OF METIE TEITHURNA
AULE TULUMNES’ WAR WITH THE HELLENES
Said the Cumaeots, the men of the land of visions, “O strong-armed Aule Tulumnes, our sympathy for our countrymen, our fellow firm-helmed Hellenes, knows no bounds. O fierce king, the pain of our motherlands being given over to foreign kings rends our hearts, makes us gnaw our teeth, makes us pull our hair, makes us weep. But of the ten thousand cities of the Hellenes, from Athenae to Focaea, there is room for all the wailing warriors who flee from high-crowned Xerxes! Why must all the wailing warriors come to Italia, where already the Fifty Tribes bake their bread and sharpen their swords? We have not the wheat to feed them, nor the power to stay their recklessness. For among them come thrifty Corinthioe and savage Lacedaemonians, who will not respect the sanctity of the oracle in Cumae, the land of visions. Will you not help us, O fierce king, O wise king, O pious king? Even against our own brothers would we beg your help.”
Said the Carthadastimes, the men of the East, “We too, endless and redoubtable friends of the Rasna, ask of you thick-shielded aid against the firm-helmed Hellenes, for their feud against our great ports is a tale of a thousand years. They do seek to descend upon the isle of Icania, the island of long wheat, they do seek to humble the city of Carthadast and its great ports, they do seek to drive we the men of the East away from the wine-dark seas that all of our ancestors traditionally shared between them, as sworn to Tinia, Uni, and Menrva. And have we not stood with our long spears and black-sailed ships against those who would similarly humble the Rasna, even the lofty city of Veia? Have we not made congress, the signs of peace, and mixed our soils? So then do we ask you to battle against the firm-helmed Hellenes.”
Said strong-armed Aule Tulumnes, “O Cumaeots, o Carthadastimes, my red heart is set to following you to battle, to swear by Tinia, Uni, and Menvra to aid you in your struggles with the firm-helmed Hellenes, for though the Hellenes and their ten thousand cities be very great, the bread of Italia will not feed their hundred thousand hungry mouths. But I follow the laws of the lofty city of Veia, I do not take the men of Veia to war without being told that this is our fate, nor will the rest of the Rasna follow unless they know that the pious course of action has been taken. The priests shall read the entrails, and give their warnings, and we shall wear to the Gods who honour such things as these.”
So the fierce king went to the priests, and he asked of them whether it was fated that the firm-helmed Hellenes be fought, whether it was fated that Cumae and Carthadast would survive, whether high Veia and the Rasna were fated to survive such a clash of arms as this. The entrails spoke thus to the priests, and thus did they speak to Aule Tulumnes:
“Thou art a man of two fates, o red-hearted king. Thy choice is between these two things, whether to decline the battle, preserve thy life as the fierce king of ancient Veia, or whether to join the battle, and sacrifice thyself in thy cause. But if thou should choose the latter, if thou should choose to fate thy doom, then high Veia will be raised above even sacred Ulvmpus.”
Aule Tulumnes was given this choice, and told none others that it had been uttered in this manner, but instead made his choice.
Said Aule Tulumnes to fiery Laran, “I will indeed throw myself on thy pyre, O god, if thou will speak for the fate of Veia and the Rasna, if thy will ensure that their fate shall honour, and righteous power, and bread everlasting. I plunge willingly into the pool of fur-caped Aita if this is the fate that is chosen.” And upon saying those words, the braziers in the room all spontaneously lit themselves, in the middle of the day, and strong-armed Aule Tulumnes knew that Laran would speak for the fate of the men of high Veia and the Rasna.
So then Aule Tulumnes, proud hearted, called the call of the king of Veia, summoning the men of the Rasna. They came from Arretim rich in orchards, hallowed Caisra, thick-walled Perusna, Clevsin seat of kings, Turan’s city Velch, orderly Tarchna, ancient Fufluna, gold-rich Vetluna , Voltumna’s sanctuary Velzna, and impregnable Velathri, and mighty Curtun. The northern allies came from riverine Manthava, from Mother Cel’s city Ceisna, from shaded Misa. They marched with their thick shields and their blinding bronze to their appointed fate. Fierce Aule Tulumnes led them, on black-sailed ships, to the south, to the splendid plains of Capeva, across the briny breakers of the sea. There they were joined by the hardy men of Capeva, and by the blood-loving men of Irna, and also by some of the foreign men of seven-hilled Ruma, and by foreign men from dazzling Herclena, and by foreign men of Anth where egrets roost. So great and mighty was the host that fierce Aule Tulumnes raised for war.
So great and mighty was the host that fierce Aule Tulumnes took to battle that the city of Pumpai, Pumpai that sits under Sethlans’ cap, surrendered without giving battle. That was the fate of Pumpai. Then the firm-helmed Hellenes gave battle on the plain of Hercle; they came from once-decadent Subaris, they came from magnificent Croton, they came from Taras where the dolphins swim, and as allies to the Hellenes came the Messapi of the magnificent mares. The Hellenes were led by the silver-tongued Pericle, the son of Chanthipus, whose spear was straight. He had vanquished many, oh so many, and when the Rasna realised that Pericle was leader of the army of the Hellenes they became afraid for their fate. But not red-hearted Aule Tulumnes, he was not afraid for his fate or the fate of the Rasna. He stood tall and firm, and his warriors stood tall with him. Ten thousand tall Hellenes set against ten thousand tall Rasna. Before the horns of battle were sounded, the two mighty commanders sallied forth without fear of betrayal but with little hope of a negotiated solution.
Said fierce Aule Tulumnes, “O Pericle, son of Chanthipus, we are called here by the men of Cumae of the land of visions, will you not depart these lands in peace? Are there not ten thousand cities of the Hellenes? Why must you come to this peninsula, why must your wandering be to these parts of the world?”
Said straight speared Pericle, “O Aule Tulumnes, king of Veia, why do you forbear to allow us to settle in lands where Hellenes have settled for generations? I would heed your righteous presence were my people descending as locusts upon the ancient lands of the Rasna, but we settle exclusively in those lands where Hellene after Hellene has met their fate, and the fate of this land is bound to the fate of the Hellenes. Why ought we not to settle in these fair lands, among others of our people? We are chased out from our own houses and farms by the Medoe, do we not deserve rich fields and strong walls wherever we can make them, for to recover our power and to reconquer our ancient lands. We are barred from our fields with strong, guarded walls- are we not entitled to take a few apples from our neighbour’s garden to replenish our strength?”
Said King Aule Tulumnes, “But are Hellenes not grasping, and strewn with momentary passions of a thousand kinds? The race of Hellas rarely keeps to a few apples, and more often takes every last fruit, cuts down the tree for firewood, and plants a sapling in their own garden when they return home. You come to these lands with tens of thousands of firm-helmed Hellenes in your wake, and not even your fellow Hellenes trust to the state of affairs that will result. We are called here by Cumaeots and Carthadastimes by sacred oaths and treaties that lie heavily upon these lands, and we fate ourselves to follow divine obligation placed by us. What fate brings you to battle with us, what calls the Hellenes forward?”
Said Pericle, general of the Athenae, “It is not in our nature to doubt our passions, for rich have the Hellenes grown, are we not the Hellenes of the ten-thousand cities? Are we not the bringers of knowledge to the Rasna, your friends and your tutors? Why do you distrust our spears when they fly so far from your own lands? Jealousy lies heavily upon the Carthadastimes, and so it has ever been, so we are not surprised when the gold-eating Carthadastimes launch their warships and unsheathe their swords. Trust not to their envy at our every success, nay our survival.”
Said red-hearted Aule Tulumnes, “Must all concern at the behaviour of firm-helmed Hellenes be provoked by jealousy? You displease divine Nurtia with your arrogance, that all quarrel must be generated by envy, as though the Carthadastimes or Rasna were a brood of bright-eyed brigands. You feel as though your fate is merely steered by your nobility and how this angers your neighbours, as though the jewels that line your scabbard are the source of the quarrel and not instead where the jewels were taken from. Hellas is a house of wisdom, and we have learned much from it, but we have learned more greatly than the reach of your lessons, and understood the tutoring more clearly than the tutor. We distrust your spears for we have seen how far the hands of the Hellenes would clasp onto the earth, how the Hellenes are drunkards for land. If ever you possessed wisdom, O son of Chanthipus, then turn your firm-helmed warriors around, and sail your people over to other lands of the Hellenes, where jewels run like rivers down snow topped mountains, and where grain fills granaries like endless rain. My fate is known, and knowing what that fate is I will face your ten thousand men with no fear.”
Said Pericle this, “We shall not be kept from the lands that we are owed, and the Hellenes shall not be kept from mastery of the Great Sea. Battle shall be fought, and we shall fight for our fate.”
The two commanders returned to their army, and the horns of battle sounded. The Hellenes advanced with cries and clamour, as a gathering storm batters upon sailors sheltering in strong ships so was the clamour of the firm-helmed Hellenes. But the Etruscans in their serried ranks held firm, as great cliffs in the bays of Kampania hold fast when battered with all the endless power of the sea so the Etruscans withstood the onset of the Hellenes. Laran urged on the Hellenes, and the Mari of the Vanquished were soon among both Hellenes and Rasna, guiding the souls of dying men onward to Aita’s pool deep in the underworld. They met in fury, the firm-helmed Hellenes and the thick-shielded Rasna, with a thunderous clash, two great clouds of lightning disgorging at one another with a fearful din of shields, spears, swords, axes, armour, victorious shouts, and dying wails. As a school of fish darts about in the bright sunlit sea, hither and thither to avoid predators, gleaming brightly in the light and pressing together for protection against dolphins and birds, so the two great armaments pressed at and around one another. Then, Laran let up his guard of the Rasna right flank, for the men of Clevsin were stationed there, and they had not given sufficient offering to the gods, sealing their fate. This is when the Messapi cavalry, with their crushing and thunderous galloping, charged at the the serried ranks of Rasna. The men of noble Clevsin were felled, as cormorants dive into the wine-dark sea, disappearing in flocks to the depths of the waters, so the men of Clevsin fell. Then, hurling his great form at the attack, there was Aule Tulumnes in his shining linen armour, standing strong with his thick shield. As the arm of a staunch, experienced fisherman grabs the fish from the deck and fills the crates with the bounty of the sea, so the arm of red-hearted Aule Tulumnes struck out with his spear, felling firm-helmed Hellenes and wild Messapi horsemen. But then Laran appeared to Clevsin, and Aule Tulumnes felt the fire rising within him; he knew that the fated time had come.
Said Aule Tulumnes, “O Laran, marcher of men, I am ready to meet my fate. My son, lucky Larth Tulumnes, is ready for the leadership of Veia and of the armies of the Rasna, he will lead them to victories and prosperity. It is as you showed to me? Though my final fate be bloody, though I be hewed at by shaft and spear, the Rasna will thrive, the Rasna shall live, Veia shall rule?”
And Laran nodded his assent.
Aule Tulumnes gave into the fire just as the wing of the Rasna army was about to give way. He gave orders for an ordered retreat to Pumpai, and for Cneve Vipina to take command of the army, and then he flung himself at the Hellenes; as a spar, by time and tide, crashes down headlong onto a beach, showering all in dust and rock and broaching no resistance, so red-hearted Aule Tulumnes attacked the Hellenes with the cries of wolves. The advance of the firm-helmed Hellenes was halted, for all around fierce Aule Tulumnes was death, with Vanth rising from the earth to gently guide the unthered souls to their resting places. None could overcome the king of Veia single-handedly, and fourscore men lay dead at his hands. At last the Hellenes sent thirty men at once to overcome the fierce king, and this he was unable to withstand. He fell with sword and spear piercing both of his elbow pits, and with his final breath his fate had been met, and the rest of the army had been saved without any further rout or slaughter. Thus perished the red-hearted King of Veia Aule Tulumnes.
A Selection of Graffito from 5th Century BC Taras
Here Lollianos screwed two boys.
Perikles speaks forth winged words.
Suffer your shrewish Athenian wife if you must, but spare us your foreplay.
A reply to the previous graffito.
If you are tired of the Pythagoreans, nothing keeps them away better than a priest or the smell of a roasted sausage.
Gylkeria loves another, and my heart is broken.
Adgennoriks.
(Sic)
Numphis is loved by both pretty boys and pretty girls.
Numphis promises a hard screwing, but he finishes too quickly.
A reply to the previous graffito.
Platon I know that you are jealous of my success, there’s no need to make it more obvious.
A reply to the previous graffito.
Mnesagoras is a coward.
The Ephoros Puthippos recommends that all sensible people of Taras avoid the food here, otherwise you won’t leave the toilet for hours.
Whoever returns my copper pan that was stolen will be rewarded five silver drachmai.
Aristogoras is a bad publik xpeaker.
(Sic)
But Philomenes is a really bad scholar.
Reply to the above.
Talaris has had no finer companion in life than his wonderful dog.
May Zeus strike down these infernal Pythagoreans, who wail in the streets and wake me up during naps.
Here Tarsas screwed.
If any doubt Hephaistos, then gaze upon the wondrous works of Epharmostos in silver and iron two streets to the south. The girl Iole in the house next door is an excellent lover!
Dadagos got me pregnant.
There is no place for grief in a house which serves the Muse.
If only she came nearer and took my soft hand, immediately I would become her suppliant.
Damagoras loves Persians more than his fellow Hellenes, and departs back to Hellas in the hope of better company.
I miss you, Kora.
TELEO or AKUNAVAM: END OF CHAPTER 2
Still more excellent updates to this excellent thread.
But... am I the only one who feels that this thread deserves its own wiki?
From what I understand (anybody feel free to correct, of course!):
Tinians = Etruscans (Tinia being the Etruscan Zeus)
Ausones = Aurunci = inhabitants of Campania
Oinotroi = inhabitants of Lucania
Messapi = inhabitants of Apulia (OTL believed to be of Illyrian origin according to Wikipedia, which makes their Kretan ancestry here even funnier
Sikanoi = in some part of Sicily ?
Sikels = in another part of Sicily
Savieni = Sabins
Saunitai = Samnites
Rhomaoi = who are these guys, anyway ?
Iperika = ?
Juropa = ? (well, the exact identity of this one is probably a spoiler).
Hesperia = the Occident in general ?
Ouolkai = Volsci (what are these doing near Massalia ?)
Ligyes = Ligures
Rasna = Etruscans again, probably
Larth Tulumnes = Lars Tolumnius from OTL
But... am I the only one who feels that this thread deserves its own wiki?
From what I understand (anybody feel free to correct, of course!):
Tinians = Etruscans (Tinia being the Etruscan Zeus)
Ausones = Aurunci = inhabitants of Campania
Oinotroi = inhabitants of Lucania
Messapi = inhabitants of Apulia (OTL believed to be of Illyrian origin according to Wikipedia, which makes their Kretan ancestry here even funnier
Sikanoi = in some part of Sicily ?
Sikels = in another part of Sicily
Savieni = Sabins
Saunitai = Samnites
Rhomaoi = who are these guys, anyway ?
Iperika = ?
Juropa = ? (well, the exact identity of this one is probably a spoiler).
Hesperia = the Occident in general ?
Ouolkai = Volsci (what are these doing near Massalia ?)
Ligyes = Ligures
Rasna = Etruscans again, probably
Larth Tulumnes = Lars Tolumnius from OTL
Still more excellent updates to this excellent thread.
But... am I the only one who feels that this thread deserves its own wiki?
From what I understand (anybody feel free to correct, of course!):
Tinians = Etruscans (Tinia being the Etruscan Zeus)
Ausones = Aurunci = inhabitants of Campania
Oinotroi = inhabitants of Lucania
Messapi = inhabitants of Apulia (OTL believed to be of Illyrian origin according to Wikipedia, which makes their Kretan ancestry here even funnier
Sikanoi = in some part of Sicily ?
Sikels = in another part of Sicily
Savieni = Sabins
Saunitai = Samnites
Rhomaoi = who are these guys, anyway ?
Iperika = ?
Juropa = ? (well, the exact identity of this one is probably a spoiler).
Hesperia = the Occident in general ?
Ouolkai = Volsci (what are these doing near Massalia ?)
Ligyes = Ligures
Rasna = Etruscans again, probably
Larth Tulumnes = Lars Tolumnius from OTL
Iperika seems to be another name for Italy given the context, although I never saw a source about it. Oulkai are the Volcae Gallic tribe that IOTL dwelt near Tolouse, not the Italic Volsci (although I would guess those names might be etymologically related deep down in the Indo-European).
Hesperia is a real OTL term, which was used for more than one place as I recall but here is used to refer to the Italian peninsula, whereas Italia specifically refers to what modern people OTL tend to anachronistically call Magna Graecia/Megale Hellas. Iperika is indeed also a name for Italy, and etymologically is intended to derive from a declined form of Hesperia.
And yes, this is the Volcae, not the Volsci.
As for the fact that there is a lot of different ethnonyms different from regular English use, and not only that but multiple overlapping ones, I do appreciate that this might be getting a bit confusing. In general, they stay consistent with period and author and culture- Classical Greeks are always likely to refer to Tyrsenoi or Tyrrhenoi, many later authors to the Tinians, Etruscans to the Rasna. I am not entirely sure how to store this information/display it, particularly because a lot of this is very much in medias res, and thus intended to be figured out rather than spelled out.
And yes, this is the Volcae, not the Volsci.
As for the fact that there is a lot of different ethnonyms different from regular English use, and not only that but multiple overlapping ones, I do appreciate that this might be getting a bit confusing. In general, they stay consistent with period and author and culture- Classical Greeks are always likely to refer to Tyrsenoi or Tyrrhenoi, many later authors to the Tinians, Etruscans to the Rasna. I am not entirely sure how to store this information/display it, particularly because a lot of this is very much in medias res, and thus intended to be figured out rather than spelled out.
Abhakhazia
Banned
Yes, the Sicans and Sicels. If I recall correctly, the Sicels were a tribe that moved into the Sicily from Italy and primarily lived the Eastern part of the island, while the Sicans migrated from Iberia and lived in the west central part of the island. The third Sicilian tribe, the Elymians claimed descent from Trojan refugees, but probably also immigrated from Iberia with the Sicans. All three tribes historically had good relationships with Carthage, as the Carthaginians offered trade and protection from colonizing Greeks.
Just to be clear, I'm actually very grateful for this staying in-character - this is what distinguishes this TL from most others in this forum. I was just trying to provide a small lexikon for those readers (like myself) who are not professors of ancient history and did not read Herodotes in the text
If you want to put the info in a non-obtrusive way, maybe you could write the names as links to a relevant source about the name? Like this:
... the archaic Tinians, and the Iapogs, ...
(btw, google does not know about these Iapog guys, who are they?)
Question: Why is it on the front page, this thread is only "Μηδίζω!" whereas clicking on the subforum and in the thread itself, it's the full title?
'Iapog' is that future culture's terms for the Iapgyes.
I've been reading a lot of old fashioned academic works recently- the terrifying thing you have to consider is that I'm in no way exaggerating the style of what 'good' historical academic writing was supposed to look like through the late 19th-early 20th century. In many ways stuff like Herodotus is a more comfortable read than the work of academic historians in, say, 1902, or 1952.
Oh, I'm aware that, say, 1860-1914 was the "golden age of racism"
, although I was unaware it was still that bad in the academic world at the start of the 1950s. I had the impression that, for instance, anthropology (in the US at least) started moving in more relativist, "just-because-these-people-are-different-doesn't-mean-they-are-awful" directions by the 1930s. Margaret Mead in Samoa and her successors. Bruce
Both Archaeology and Anthropology were already in a somewhat more counter cultural position to a lot of the standard consensuses of the era, and more of the basic elements of modern methodology for both subjects was in place. Even though the archaeologists did tend to be just as bad when it came to writing about 'big history' type perspectives, reading archaeological work from that far back does still have recognisable elements of the basic process modern experts would be going through, and they are often nowhere near as obnoxiously of-the-era as you might imagine. It tends to be especially better from experts in countries not really part of the big Imperial club.
By contrast, Classics and History were not only hugely influential and popular, they were also very much integrated into the imperial establishment, and fundamental notions about what academic history should look like did not really start to seismically shift until the 60s, though you'd find lone voices of dissent before that point, and increasingly more of them from the 50s onwards. Aside from obvious, in your face racism, it also tends to have utterly unapologietic 'ancient history only consists of ancient Mesopotamia and maybe Egypt, then the ancient Greeks, then the Romans, and nobody else matters', and that particular hangover is one that history took a long time to get past.
By contrast, Classics and History were not only hugely influential and popular, they were also very much integrated into the imperial establishment, and fundamental notions about what academic history should look like did not really start to seismically shift until the 60s, though you'd find lone voices of dissent before that point, and increasingly more of them from the 50s onwards. Aside from obvious, in your face racism, it also tends to have utterly unapologietic 'ancient history only consists of ancient Mesopotamia and maybe Egypt, then the ancient Greeks, then the Romans, and nobody else matters', and that particular hangover is one that history took a long time to get past.
I'd argue we're still suffering from that, to some extent... Among other vices of historiography.
Anyway, loving the latest updates! I'm delighted by the prospect of the *Etruscans becoming more influential, and by Hellenic civilization being characterized by TTL historians as "Asian" in origin and character
Those graffiti are absolute gold.
And by "Mesopotamia" of course we only mean "things and regions therof that pertain to the bible or the succession of civilizations". So lots of Assyria, Sumer, and Babylon, not much from all sorts of other interesting regions.