Mediterranean Hegemon of Ancient Greece

After thinking for a while, Crotokatax unconsciously straightened his chest as if he was proud of his mission. But he then asked, “But many of the cases are complex, so how can I ensure I am as fair and just as possible?”

Satisfied with his son's diligence in asking questions, Davos quickly replied, “Thus, for you to become a wise and firm judge, you need to learn more, think more, experience more and listen more at all times.”

Crotokatax was stimulated that he pondered deeply.

Davos continued to talk and then asked, “I can see that you admire Lysias quite a bit.”

“Yes, father.” Crotokatax said happily, “Teacher Lysias has a wealth of knowledge and a wise mind. Besides having deep attainments in rhetoric and debating, his teaching is fun and interesting, which is appealing.”

“Lysias is a famous scholar in the whole of Greece and the pride of the Kingdom of Theonia,” Davos spoke calmly. He then asked, “What do you think of Kunogelata?”

“Lord Kunogelata is father's greatest helper, and everyone said, ‘The Senate cannot do without him.’ so his departure is a great loss to our kingdom!” Crotokatax with a heavy heart.

“So, when standing in the perspective of governing the kingdom, do you prefer Kunogelata or Lysias?”

Davos' question had once again baffled Crotokatax, who pondered for a moment but didn't reply.

“My son, just the fact that you didn't answer this question according to your preference shows that you have begun to realise it!” Davos nodded in relief and said, “Although Kunogelata doesn't have Lysias' profound knowledge, nor his fame throughout Greece, he has diligently governed Theonia for more than ten years and has greatly contributed to the kingdom's prosperity! In Theonia, there were a lot of ordinary civil servants like Kunogelata, who quietly contributed to the kingdom's strength. It is also because of them that the kingdom of Theonia today can create a stage for famous Greek scholars like Lysias to display their talents so that they can create a more splendid culture for the kingdom, attracting the primitive natives to join us and improving the people's lives!…”

After pondering for a moment, Crotokatax looked at his father and thoughtfully said, “I understand. Lord Kunogelata is just as important as teacher Lysias, but citizens like Lord Kunogelata are the cornerstone of the kingdom; without them, there would be no kingdom of Theonia!”

“Cornerstone!” Davos praised him, “That's quite a vivid analogy, and it seems you've got it. So you should attend the funeral with that in mind!”

“Speaking of which, a debate is indeed a good thing.” Davos exhorted, “Not only can it exercise the mind, but it could also make you understand the reason and convince the other side. However, don't dwell on it so much that you end up as someone who debates for the sake of debating and only argues. You should remember that doing something is better than saying a thousand words!”

“Yes, father,” Crotokatax replied with respect.

“You, father and son, should be both famish after chatting so much.” Cheiristoya and Cynthia went to wash a basket of grapes and apples at some point and place them on the stone table, “Come and eat some fruit!”

“Come, don't keep your mother waiting, or she will scold us,” Davos said jokingly.

Crotokatax smiled.

. . . . . . . . . . . .

At the end of the Corinthian War, Sparta made great efforts to submit to Persia. And with Persia's support, the war ended with the signing of ‘The King's Peace’ with the Anti-Spartan League, forcing its two most important enemies, Argos and Thebes, to break up their union while allowing Athens to retain its rule of the northern Aegean islands. With the three major Greek city-states either unable or unwilling to oppose Sparta, Sparta once again became the hegemon of Greece.

But their approach of regaining their throne by hugging Persia's thigh naturally did not convince the other city-states. Thus a rumour circulated among the populace of many city-states that ‘Persia is turning Sparta into a Persian Sparta.’

The Spartans had, of course, heard these rumours. Although Agesilaus forcefully argued that it was Sparta who was trying to turn Persia into a Spartan Persia, Sparta's prestige among the Greek city-states had declined significantly, even among their allies.

Thus to revive their image as the hegemon, Sparta had to act. Hence they targeted the city-state of Mantineia in the Arcadia region of the central Peloponnese, accusing this formerly dependent ally of disobedience. But if they wished to prove their loyalty, Sparta ordered them to demolish their wall.

But the Mantineians rejected it; thus, the Spartan king Agesipolis led an army to invade Mantineia. However, they failed to storm the city, so he ordered his warriors to block the river flowing through the city of Mantineia, which eventually flooded Mantineia and destroyed the city.

Many city-states in Greece were shocked after hearing about such heinous atrocities, which made them remember the horrible bloodshed caused by the Spartans, especially in Peloponnese. Thus there were no longer any city-states that took the initiative to provoke Sparta's authority.

Unfortunately, Sparta's desire wasn't satisfied by just becoming the hegemon of the Peloponnese, as there was always a huge shadow in the hearts of the Spartan kings and elders, and that was the kingdom of Theonia. Although Theonia and Sparta are now allies, both sides knew it wasn't out of long-term friendship but just for short-term interests. With the kingdom of Theonia's continued growth, Sparta felt the urgency to unite more native Greek forces just to counteract the rise of this mighty kingdom in the western Mediterranean. Thus they set their eyes on the north of the Peloponnese.

And it just so happened that a delegate came from the northwest corner of the Aegean sea, among the barbaric mountains, within Sparta's territory.

Macedonia was a weak and undeveloped land, far from the core of Greek culture and located in the north of Greece. Both common Greeks and renowned scholars looked down on them as they considered Macedonia a country of barbarians. But the Macedonians admired Greeks that their kings not only claimed they were descendants of the royal family of Argos*, the Macedonians even regarded the Greeks who settled in Macedonia as honoured guests.”(In the Archaic era, numerous Greek city-states united and chose Argos as their allies because of their glorious past. After all, almost all important Greek kings came from Argos, such as King Agamemnon of Mycenae, which is why Argos often claimed that they were nobler than Sparta.)

Unfortunately, the Greek city-states didn’t value the Macedonians' admiration for Greece, for although its territory was vast and its population was large, it was mostly Illyrians, Dardarians and Thracians that inhabited their lands, and in the far north, there lived the wandering Celts, and these races were not only fierce but also numerous. And these long years of invasions and raids had not only exhausted the Macedonians but also made their country unable to develop properly.

In the ninth year of Theonia “384 B.C.”, someone from the Macedonian royal family colluded with the Illyrians and launched an even more massive invasion that drove the Macedonian king Amyntas III out of Macedonia. But before fleeing Macedonia, Amyntas had signed an agreement with Macedonia's southeastern neighbours, the Chalkidian League, entrusting the low-lying lands and coastal towns of Macedonia to the Chalkidian League, saving these Macedonian towns and cities from getting plundered and gaining the support of the Greeks.

The Chalkidian League was an alliance of many Greek city-states on the Chalkidian Peninsula. And their alliance stipulates that: Members are completely equal, trade with each other and help defend themselves against foreign enemies. But with the joining of some Macedonian cities and towns, the power of the Chalkidian League further strengthened, and Olynthus, a powerful city-state in the centre of the Chalkidian Peninsula, greatly benefited.

Then the Olynthians began to yearn to establish a larger alliance that included the entire Chalkidian Peninsula and its surrounding areas. Of course, the Olynthians must dominate this alliance.

A year later (that is, the tenth year of the kingdom of Theonia), King Amyntas of Macedonia regained the throne with the help of Thessaly and the Chalkidians. And after stabilising his throne, Amyntas wanted to take back the land he had given, which was rejected by the city-states of the Chalkidian League led by Olynthus.

Then the Thessalians came to help Amyntas appeal to the Chalkidian. After all, even if Thessaly and Macedonia had border conflicts from time to time, the Thessalians knew quite well that if the strength of their neighbour, which is Macedonia, was too weak to resist the fierce Illyrians, it would also be terrible for Thessaly and the Chalkidian League.

With the Thessalians' persuasion, some of the city-states in the Chalkidian League began to waver. Especially the two city-states of Akanthos and Apollonia, as they feared the rapid growth of Olynthus and would thus dominate the entire Chalkidian League in the long run. Therefore they secretly sent someone to Amyntas suggesting that he should ask Sparta to intervene.

Hence Macedonia's delegate came to Sparta.

And in this regard, Sparta's Gerousia held a meeting to discuss it.

Because of the painful lessons of the Corinthian War, the Macedonian delegate persuaded the Spartans with little to no effort due to Sparta's resistance to any form of Greek city-state alliance and union. Sparta even included in ‘The King's Peace’ for Argos and Thebes to break up. But now, there is another Chalkidian League.