The Glory of Greece: An Athenian Empire v2

Chapter 4 - The Greco-Phonecian War

With Tarraco fallen, Ispanian was essentially Carthaginian. Aronopheses, however, wasn’t in a peace-making mood after the news he received. Gathering an army, he launched a massive invasion of Carthaginian Sicily. The defenders of Lilybaeum fell, and the Carthaginians sent a retaliation force. Athenian armies, however, managed to ambush and destroy the Carthaginians. With Sicily fallen to Athens, Carthage attacked Massila. Athenian Massila managed to hold out against the Carthaginian siege, but elsewhere the Carthaginians advanced. From their bases in Phonecia, Carthaginian armies struck out against Athenian outposts in Cyprus, and other Carthaginian armies landed in Sicily, hoping to retake it.

Aronopheses himself was not a military leader. He was wise enough to realize that his leadership would lead to the destruction of his armies. Instead, he gave command to a fiery young general named Nicephorus. It was Nicephorus who planned the attacks on Sicily. Once Sicily fell, Aronopheses gave all command to Nicephorus. Racing, he sent a force to relieve Massila and prepared to launch an invasion of North Africa. Although he was briefly stalled by a Carthaginian counterattack in Sicily, Nicephorus was ready to attack in early 416. Sailing around Carthage, he attacked the second city in Carthaginian North Africa, Thaspus. Surprising them with his attack in late January, Nicephorus quickly took Thaspus and sacked it in retaliation of the fall of Tarraco. Carthage quickly scraped together an army, and was able to beat back Nicephorus. Retreating to Sicily, Nicephorus replenished his forces and settled down in Sicily.

Carthage had been disheartened by the fall of Sicily and Thaspus, but they were reinvigorated when an Athenian relief force broke against the Carthaginian lines. Massila fell soon after, and was also subject to a brutal sacking. Unfortunately, a mistake made by Phoenician ship captains led to a falling-out between Carthage and Jerusalem. The Second Jewish Kingdom controlled most of Cyprus, so when the Phoenicians put a Jewish port to the sword, thinking it was Athenian, the outraged Jews invaded Phoenicia. Sidon and Tyre were both put under siege, and the shocked Phoenicians were forced to surrender.

Meanwhile, the men of Sparta were growing desperate. Their helots were free, their king dead, and their armies tattered. They needed more men, more land, and a chance to redeem themselves. Their hungry eyes eventually settled on a target: Anatolia. Making an epic crossing of the Aegean in 416, 2000 spartan warriors carried on their shoulders the hopes of their people. The surprised Anatolians were caught unaware, and Halicarnassus was soon put under siege. The Spartan siege was especially brutal, as every day flaming bolts were shot over the walls, starting raging infernos and, eventually, killing their old king Calisthenos. Along with his tragic death, the great Mausoleum of Mausulos was damaged by the flames.

Nicephorus was pressed on all sides by Carthage, but the Jewish intervention allowed him the freedom to send a force to relive Halicarnassus. In an epic battle, the spartan army was crushed. Forced to flee into lawless Cappadocia, the spartans would die out, and eventually fade into another group altogether.

Grateful for the Athenian attack, the Anatolians made major concessions to the Athenians. Along with pledging military support to Athens in the Greco-Phoenician war, the sister of their new King Kalas was married to 19-year old Zeno II. With Anatolian backing, Nicephorus and his army were able to plunge back into the fray, liberating Massila and Tarraco. Nicephorus then led another attack in North Africa, and this time managed to decimate the Carthaginian army. However, he was unable to capitalize on his victory. Carthage was too well defended, and Nicephorus had to pull out of North Africa. He signed a peace treaty with Carthage in Spring 413, granting Athens Massila, Tarraco, and Sicily.

Aronopheses, now thoroughly tired of ruling, gave power to 22-year old Zeno II. When Zeno ascended to the throne, Athens was worn out. Casualties of battle, famine, and plague were rampant, and the depopulated lands in Sicily were full of Carthaginian brigands thinking the war was still on. Zeno, however, had bigger things going on. Kalas I of Anatolia had fallen ill, and had summoned his sister back to Halicarnassus. There, in his bed, he died. Kalas hadn’t produced an heir, so power passed to a man who, ironically enough, was Baselios of Athens.

When news reached Zeno of his ascension to the anatolian throne, shockwaves were sent across the Empire. Where would he reside? Which Empire would he choose? Soon enough, though, Zeno eased the minds of both sides. He incorporated Anatolia into the Athenian Empire, giving Halicarnassus, Sinope, and Ephesus special rights that only Athens and Corinth had enjoyed up until that point. He then swept across Anatolia, building at such a rate that some believed he was possessed. The Mausoleum of Mausulos was restored, and another Mausoleum was built on the opposite side of the city for Calisthenos and Kalas. Likewise, new markets, statues, and theaters popped up across the land. Soon, his fervor for building had come into Greece, too. Athens’s famed long walls were enlarged to extend to the port of Phaleron, and within these walls a new city was built to house Athens’s booming population. Corinth, Thebes, Byzantion, and Thesseloniki were all enjoying similar attention. Even smaller towns reaped the rewards of Zeno’s obsession with irrigation systems, walls, theaters, and markets. It was for his fervent building that Zeno obtained the title “the Architect”.
Thessaloniki?it doesn't EXIST my friend at that time! The city was build by Kassander,one of the Diadochoi of Alexander in honour of his wife Thessaloniki,more than 100 hears later....
 
Chapter 5 - The Architect and his Retinue

Zeno II had inherited everything that had made his father so easy to follow. Young, energetic, and good-looking, Zeno his a powerful intellect behind a congenial smile and soft-spoken demeanor. Zeno began his reign with a power play that would secure his rule over the Athenian Empire. In the entirety of the empire, only two men had the power to overthrow him: Aronopheses, who had held the position before Zeno, and Nicephorus, the successful general that had won the Greco-phonecian war. For their part, there are no records of either one contemplating an attempt to usurp Zeno, but his brilliant move secured his power. First, he shipped Aronopheses off the the island of Samos, where he was endowed with money to build a new library and installed as governor. Aronopheses happily took up the offer, only too happy to take up a life of simple contemplation of his scholarly subjects. Aronopheses had been the first true Baselios of the Athenian Empire, and it is with him that we can place the honor of paving the way for the great things to come from Athens. But his greatness was carried away in the tides of history, for he was a regent that came before a great.

For Nicephorus, however, a different treatment was necessary. Nicephorus was a hero to the people, and had the majority of the army in his pocket. Mere exile or dismissal from his post would lead to outrage. Luckily, Zeno had a twenty-year old half-sister. Marrying the two, Zeno happily adopted Nicephorus into the royal family. With his two potential rivals dealt with, Zeno could finally turn to his true passion: building.

According to his personal biographer, Asclepius, Zeno was born on the same day the Parthenon was completed. Modern historians believe that this was fabricated, as the Parthenon was completed in 432 yet Zeno was born in 435, but the legend goes on. The year Zeno turned 10, a fire gutted the harbor of Piraeus. When Zeno I and his son went to the port-city to organize a rebuilding effort, young Zeno asked his father for a piece of parchment and a jar of ink. Zeno stayed up all night illustrating how he thought the harbor should be rebuilt, and when he showed it to his father, Zeno I was so amazed by the idea that he showed it to the craftsmen at the site. Realizing the brilliance of the idea, they constructed the harbor like Zeno had drawn it, and it rapidly became the standard for harbors across the Mediterranean. Although the accuracy of this tale has often been called into question, it demonstrates the enormous respect Zeno commanded in the architects and craftsmen in the empire.

Thus, Zeno II traveled his empire, constructing new buildings in every major city, and in many minor ones. The war-torn Peloponnese, which had been absorbed into the Athenian Empire after Sparta's defeat near Halicarnassus, was revitalized by Zeno. Sparta herself was razed to the ground, but cities like Olympia and Corinth became boom-towns, located between Cyprus, Crete, and the East and Sicily and the west. Anatolia, too which had its own cultural revolution under Calisthenos, seeped Persian culture into Athenian art and architecture. Paradisios, the Persian royal gardens, now spring up around Senate houses and Theaters in Athenian lands. Persian throne halls were incorporated into Athenian Senate Houses, and the Babylonian colored tiles began giving color and life to the previously been pure white marble. All of this cultural development can be attributed to the great Baselios of Athens: Zeno II.

All of this building, however, came at a price. Zeno's treasuries were notoriously empty, and he had learned enough from his father to dissuade him from raising taxes too high. Instead of cutting back, however, Zeno discovered a new source of income: plunder. The Persian successor states were quite feeble beyond their hinterlands. Nicephorus managed to conquer the southern coast of Asia minor to Cilicia, followed by his conquest of the entirety of the Sinai peninsula. With Sinai in his pocket, Zeno revamped Darius's canal, creating a channel from the Red sea to the Mediterranean, revolutionizing trade from India and Africa. Using Sinai as a bace, Nicephorus the unified the Arabian coast down to Yemen.With the plunder and expanded tax base, Zeno was able to continue his construction. With these trade routes open, Greek culture began to diffuse around the east.

While he traveled his empire for most of the year, Zeno spent eight weeks a year in Athens. It was there that he could see the full results of what he and his precursors had wrought. In the butterfly-filled Agora, one's senses were bombarded. The smells of oriental spices and perfumes mixed with Arabian incense, cretan wine, and various stews being made in the food stalls. Greeks, Persians, Egyptians, Jews, and Romans wandered the streets, along with the occasional African, Carthaginian, or Barbarian. Greek was the most common language, but in one listened closely, they could hear the babble of many foreign languages. The Parthenon rose above the rooftops, gleaming in the sunlight, with the Niketheon right beside it. In the halls of the Library of Athens, Zeno would wander around and see small groups of scholars discussing some particular topic, thinkers putting their ideas down on paper, and Philosophers debating the ideas of morality and truth. Just outside, in the Stoa, orators would lecture their students on war and diplomacy, trade and travel. Clinging to the side of the Acropolis was the Theater of Dionysus, where once a week the players would perform one of the classics, by Aeschylus or Sophocles. It was in Athens, which was becoming less exclusive and more and more a true "world city", that Zeno met three extraordinary men: Alexios, Aristotle, and Demosthenes.

Alexios was the youngest of the three. Born into a middle-class family, Alexios grew fabulously rich off of the new banking profession, which he pioneered. It was said that he could "snap his fingers" and money would be created. With his monetary brilliance, Alexios was able to streamline the tax codes, eliminating loopholes and making conditions more favorable for Athenian merchants. Next, there was Demosthenes. A fiery speaker and political scientist, he was a famous Athenian nationalist. Word of his arrival would, according to legend, reach his destination before he would. His political ability allowed him to control Athenian foreign policy well, allowing Athens to remain in positions of power while not angering foreign dignitaries. Finally, Aristotle was Zeno's favorite philosopher. Unlike his autocratic teacher, Plato, Aristotle favored Demokratios and earthly logic. He helped shape the internal policies of Athenian law, even molding the laws on which Aronopheses and Zeno I had created the Empire. Zeno II, Nicephorus, Alexios, Demosthenes, and Aristotle all worked in tandem to control the Athenian Empire. Together, they wrote the "Guide to Rule", a guide to future rulers on how to govern their empires. In 400 B.C., Zeno II was only 35, and he and his retinue showed no signs of slowing down.
What is "Democratios?
 
Sorry for the long delay - honestly, I am. School was a mess, but anyway, I'm back with a new installment and hopefully more to come. To answer some questions:

-OTL, Carthage had lost his territories in Sicily after a defeat against a sicilian coalition in the first half of 5th century BC; it was only after the failure of the Sicilian expedition that the Carthaginians, called by Segesta, have recovered a territory in west Sicily.

Quite true, in OTL. ATL, Athens was so wrapped up in its own troubles. Remember, after that Athens was absorbed in a) consolidating its Greek holdings, b) dealing with Kleomenes's rebellion, and c) dealing with Persian successor states, so Carthage could have easily reclaimed some territory. In fact, this helps the TL as it stretches tensions between Athens and Carthage.

-It doesn't seem to me that Tarraco was a greek colony

So I looked it up, and you are correct, but it was a major trading partner to Athens and it isn't inconceivable that it would submit to Athenian rule. If not, the sacking of one of the only cities in Ispania, and a major trading partner at that, would still anger Aronopheses.

Anyway, without further ado…

Greek Athens


A misnomer if there ever was one, many began referring to Zeno II’s reign as the creation of a more “Greek” Athens. With Athens now in control of Greece, many consider this the creation of a more Greek-oriented Athens, unlike the colonization efforts of previous times. In reality, however, Zeno II’s reign was the opening up of Athens to the world. While previously, an Athenian could never be truly integrated to Sparta or Persia, now the Athenians were opening up to the world. Merchants from as far away as Arabia, India, and Africa all sold their wares in Greek markets, the most popular destinations including Halicarnassus, Samos, and, of course, Athens. Athenian culture, which had remained solely greek, opened p to foreign influences. Through Anatolia, Persian ascetics slowly incorporated themselves into Athenian art and architecture. Babylonian glaze began to decorate the floors of Stoas, paradisio gardens began to grace the exteriors of temples, and reliefs in the persian style became prominent in Athenian lands. Likewise, Athenian theater received a massive influx of writings from other cultures. Tales such as The Epic of Gilgamesh and stories of the Egyptian deities found there way into theatrical adaptations. This all led to an extraordinary flowering of Athenian culture.

This blossoming of culture was all attributed, and some consider rightfully, to Baselios Zeno II. “The Architect” travelled from town to town with his powerful retinue, building new courthouses, harbors, stoas, gymnasiums, theaters, and more. Many archeologists today consider Zeno II one of the greatest rulers in history, mainly because of the plethora of work he left them. Zeno’s prodigious building projects may have left his treasuries empty, but most forgave him for the prosperity that he brought with him. On the advice of Alexios, he created a state bank from which money was lent and, ultimately, created. Zeno, however, decided not to use it to stuff his treasuries and instead cut back taxes on the people, winning him love but not riches. It cannot be stressed enough how the reign of Zeno II the Architect proved to be a Golden age of Athens.

In the political spectrum, however, the world was changing. Macedonia, which made up the majority of Athens’s northern border, was rapidly hellenizing. Just as Persian culture crept into Athenian society, Athenian culture crept into Macedonian society. In 366, the entire court of Macedon spoke Athenian Greek, met in Athenian-style senate chambers, and used Athenian currency for trade. This year is important because, at the age of 73, Zeno II the Architect died. Whereas Pericles had caused a week-long mourning around Athens, it is said that Zeno’s death caused a month-long mourning across the entire Athenian Empire. He was buried in a silver coffin and placed next to Pericles below the Parthenon. His right hand, however, was cut off and burned. When it was reduced to ashes, they were set afloat in the Aegean sea, so that the hand that wrought so much for Athens could now drift to all corners of the Earth.

Unfortunately for the Empire, Zeno II hadn’t left a clear heir. He had a legitimate son, Calisthenos II, but it was widely believed by the Athenian population that he would move the capital to Halicarnassus and forsake the true Greeks. Unwilling to submit to a half-Anatolian, the people of Greece threw their support behind another man: Xenophon. Xenophon was the nephew of the famed general Nicephorus, and had studied at the feet of his great uncle. It could be said that Xenophon didn’t have the brilliance or panache of his uncle, but he did have a grim determination that few other generals could match. The night after Calisthenos II was crowned, 25-year old Xenophon took control of the city guard and burst into the Baselios’s palace. Demanding that 23-year old Calisthenos come out and surrender the crown to him, Xenophon was forced to battle the palace guards. It was a bloody battle, but within the hour Xenophon and his men were advancing on Calisthenos’s bedroom. The young Baselios was taken into custody, and Xenophon proclaimed himself Baselios, Strategos, and Hegemon of Athens. Some of the people welcomed his rule, but others, particularly the immigrants and lower classes that Zeno II had endeared himself to, howled in rage. Across the Aegean sea, the people of Anatolia were doing the same. If this Greek pretended could replace an election with an army, they reasoned that they could too. The anatolians sailed under the equally gifted general Andreas.

The two armies met on the island of Euboea, where they met in an indecisive battle. Andreas fell back to a hill-top fortress, where Xenophon put him under siege. Constructing a counter-wall around the hill, Xenophon and his army settled down for the siege. For three weeks, Andreas managed to keep morale up, until late in 358 Calisthenos II arrived at the head of an army he purchased from Macedonia. Outmaneuvered, Xenophon was forced to retreat into the hills. However, in the night Xenophon’s fleet picked up his army and sailed back to mainland Greece. Resupplying, Xenophon returned to Euboea, where he outflanked the Anatolian and Macedonian armies and managed to crush Calisthenos’s force. Andreas, however, was able to salvage the battle just in time to save Calisthenos, despite the battle being a Greek victory.

Frustrated that he hadn’t caught his rival, Xenophon engaged in a vicious guerrilla war against Andreas and Calisthenos II. Crops were burned, scouts were killed, and the armies were struck at every turn. By the time the Anatolians reached their ships, their bloodied force was badly outnumbered by Xenophon’s army. Forcing a battle on the beach before the ships, Xenophon went in for the kill in May 357. The huddled, scared, and outnumbered Anatolians and Macedonians formed up for a last stand. Andreas, however, hadn’t lost any of his skill. Pulling his forces back to dry, loose sand, Andreas managed to prevent Xenophon from using his superior cavalry. Xenophon tried to compensate by sending his cavalry around the Anatolian lines, but the loose sand caused many horses to crash, forcing the rest to pull back. Meanwhile, Andreas had him men move much like the Athenians at Marathon so long ago, and the outflanked Greeks surrendered. Xenophon was exiled to Italy, and Calisthenos was returned to the throne, with Andreas as the master of the army.

When he returned to Greece, however, Calisthenos found that he was no longer welcome. The gates of Athens, Corinth, and Thebes were all promptly shut in his face. Enraged, Calisthenos declared that he would conquer any city that didn’t submit, but the badly bloodied Anatolian army was no match for the Athenians’ formidable defenses. Finally, 32-year old Calisthenos abdicated his throne in an act of peace making. Taking his place would be his son, a 9-year old boy named Pericles. His mother had been Greek, so he was allowed the throne as “three-quarters Greek”. Until he came of age, Pericles would have the regent Demosthenes, the same man that served his grandfather so faithfully. One of the first acts of Demosthenes was to assist in a civil war that was occurring in Macedonia. One side was a group of pro-Greeks, led by Phillip II, the right king of Macedon. The other side was a group of anti-Greeks, led by a usurper named Antiochous. Sweeping in on Phillip’s side, Demosthenes’s armies destroyed Antiochous’s and saved Phillip’s crown. Rather shrewdly, Demosthenes demanded that Phillip either submit to Athenian rule or pay massive reparations to Athens for lost soldiers and other, minor grievances. Like his Hellenophillic self, Phillip agreed to submit to Athens’s rule.

Philip himself was a notorious womanizer, with at least a dozen children. However, he was a military and political genius, and quickly rose through the ranks in Athenian politics. His smart policies, combined with his quick wit and charming personality, made him the darling of Athenian society. While in Epirus, Phillip met a charming young princess named Olympias, and soon they had a son. Born on July 21st, 356, this boy would be raised alongside Phillip’s other favorite bastard son, Ptolemy, in the Macedonian court. The boy’s name was Alexander.
Are you seriously maintaining that Athens had kingship?something they got rid of almost 700 years ago? that cannot happened even in Alternate History.Why should Athens abandon a perfectly well functioning system of
Democratic goverment?
 
A note on some comments

@ cimon -

While you raise some excellent points, there are a couple of things I'd like to say. First of all, I definitely find it a little unfair to describe a story as "rape", especially in the first paragraph of your post. I can understand trying to offer helpful tips or pieces of criticism, and I wouldn't mind that. But classifying my story as "not even alternate history" isn't exactly helpful. Secondly, if baffles me how you even found this thread, which I haven't updated in quite a while, and assumed that I was still working on this version of the story. Clearly, this lends itself to one of two conclusions. A, I've abandoned this thread, or B, I'm working on improving it. Since I have been posting polls for debate, I would hope it's clear that I'm doing the latter.

I can't claim to know everything about history, but I can say that I'm constantly learning more. I can't see how your comments were anything but blatant degradation of my story, And I feel obliged to defend it. If you intend to offer constructive critisim of my work, please leave the allegory of "rape of alternate history" out of it.
 
@ cimon -

While you raise some excellent points, there are a couple of things I'd like to say. First of all, I definitely find it a little unfair to describe a story as "rape", especially in the first paragraph of your post. I can understand trying to offer helpful tips or pieces of criticism, and I wouldn't mind that. But classifying my story as "not even alternate history" isn't exactly helpful. Secondly, if baffles me how you even found this thread, which I haven't updated in quite a while, and assumed that I was still working on this version of the story. Clearly, this lends itself to one of two conclusions. A, I've abandoned this thread, or B, I'm working on improving it. Since I have been posting polls for debate, I would hope it's clear that I'm doing the latter.

I can't claim to know everything about history, but I can say that I'm constantly learning more. I can't see how your comments were anything but blatant degradation of my story, And I feel obliged to defend it. If you intend to offer constructive critisim of my work, please leave the allegory of "rape of alternate history" out of it.
My comments my friend are neither abusive nor degrading,since they don't refer to your person but to the facts you put in the story as you present them;I commend you for trying to construct a thread,but there are some impossible things there,for example Thessaloniki is a non-existent city in the timeline and I cannot understand the city of Pericles that was an empire with Democratic Government would turn inexplicably to kingship which would not constitute progress but regression;Sorry if I use the old thread, so please direct me the new one by answering this message here.
If you want help in history or bibliography you can contact me in my e-mail held on this site.
 
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