Chapter 1200
As they moved forward, the number of thatched houses decreased, and the number of traditional Greek courtyards increased. However, the outer walls of these houses were not decorated with any fancy decorations. Instead, they looked very simple. Each house was built according to the terrain and the stream, and it did not feel crowded at all.
Trees, wildflowers, and weeds were planted in front of most of the houses. In this season of spring, birds were singing, streams were flowing, and flowers were in full bloom. Bees and butterflies were flying. The air was filled with the intoxicating fragrance of vegetation. These houses were submerged in a sea of colorful plants. Perhaps this was the unique aesthetic of the people of Sparta. It was full of the vitality of the countryside.
"This is Sparta! It's like a village!" Tyltotis, the eldest son of Leotychides and now an attendant of Cloto Catax, had a disappointed look on his face.
Tyltotis grew up in Diónia. For some reason, Leotychides never told his children about Sparta, so he did not have any special feelings for Sparta. After learning about his identity, he felt that it would make him stand out among the citizens of Diónia.
Cloto Catax agreed to Leotychides's request to let Tyltotis stay by his side. In fact, he did not order Tyltotis around as an orderly. On the contrary, he treated Tyltotis as if he was his own brother. After spending some time together, Klotokatax felt that Tyrtotis and Briantes were quite similar in personality and age. Therefore, when he entered Sparta this time, he deliberately brought Tyrtotis with him. It was out of good intentions that he wanted Tyrtotis to have a good look at his hometown. As a result, the young man who was used to the prosperity of Tuliyi obviously did not fancy the simple and crude Sparta.
"Hey, kid!" A strange smile appeared on Olivers' face. "When there's a chance, I'll take you to the Lagonda Pass that leads to Messenia from Mount Tegetos. I heard that there's an unfathomably deep canyon there. The Spartans would throw newborn babies that weren't strong enough into the canyon. After hundreds of years, who knows how many baby skeletons have accumulated in there …"
Tel 'Totis glared at him fiercely and turned his head away, ignoring him.
"Army Commander Olivers, saying such disgusting things at a time like this is affecting our mood," Printos said half-jokingly, half-complaining.
"This isn't the only disgusting thing the people of Sparta have done. Luckily, the merciful Hades sent us here," said Olivers with a sigh.
Hearing this, Tertotis felt even more disgusted with Sparta.
"That should be Sparta's citadel, right?" Cloto Catax asked loudly.
Following the direction of his finger, there was a hill that wasn't too high in the middle of the low houses in front of them. On top of the hill stood several tall temples. The walls of the temples were built with dark red marble. Looking up from below, the temples looked majestic and dignified, but there were no surrounding walls, so Klotokatax didn't dare to be certain.
"That can be counted as Sparta's citadel, the Temple of Athens Na — Chakro 'Rock," replied the Sekerian.
The citadel of a Greek city-state was not only the center of worship and worship for the people of the city-state, but it was also the last fortress against foreign invaders. Usually, it was surrounded by stone walls as a defensive barrier. However, since the people of Sparta were confident that they didn't need walls to defend their city, they probably didn't need to build a citadel wall either. But now, they might be regretting it … thought Cloto Catax. He couldn't help but ask another question that puzzled him. "Don't the people of Sparta worship Zeus and Hercules? Why do they worship Athens Na in their citadel? "
Sekerian shrugged. "There's a smaller Temple of Hercules on the top of this hill, but the citadel is indeed dominated by Athens Na. As for why? I can't answer that. Maybe I should ask an old man from Sparta? "
"The people of Sparta worship war, and Athens Na is the goddess of war and wisdom. I'm afraid it has something to do with this," Printos said.
"Since the people of Sparta like to fight, it might be more appropriate to worship Ares, the god of war," Olivers chimed in.
"Actually, the people of Sparta are very particular about strategy in war. They usually don't act recklessly, which coincides with the god of war and wisdom that Athens Na is good at. On the other hand, the barbaric and ferocious Ares is not popular among the Greek people, and few city-states worship him. I heard that he is respected by the people of Thrace in northern Greece … "Cloto Catax could not help but share his speculation.
As they talked, they came to the front of the Temple of Hercules in Athens Na. It was all flat ground and stairs paved with large stone slabs, extending up to the temple step by step. It was completely different from the bumpy dirt road they had been on before.
"Commander, do you want to take a look at the temple?" Sekerian made an inviting gesture.
Cloto Catax hesitated for a moment, then shook his head.
Cloto Catax graduated from the Turií School with excellent results. He knew very well that the temple in the acropolis of a Greek city-state was different from the one in the Kingdom of Diónia. In Greek city-states, ordinary people were not allowed to enter the main hall (only priests who could communicate with the god could enter). Therefore, the gate of the temple was usually guarded by guards. However, now that the people of Sparta were all captives, it was impossible for anyone to guard their acropolis. Although he entered the temple as the victor, he did not intend to desecrate the faith of the people of Sparta with an arrogant attitude.
If Cloto Catax did not go up, the other generals would be too embarrassed to do so.
The Temple of Hercules in Athens Na was located in the center of the city of Sparta. As they walked along the flat stone road, they were surrounded by tall bronze sculptures and magnificent buildings: an open-air sports arena, a civic meeting hall that looked like a theater, a public cafeteria that was dozens of meters long, the altars of various gods and heroes, and a victory column surrounded by the statues of the famous kings of Sparta. The square was mainly used for citizens' daily training and gathering during wartime …
Here, the city of Sparta finally showed the air of a Greek hegemon that was far beyond that of a village. In the past, many people of Sparta would wander in this area every day, and many people of Sparta, young and old, would also train and fight in this area. It must have been a lively place. But now, except for the patrolling teams of Diónia soldiers, there was no one else in sight.
Cloto Catax could not help but ask, "General Sekerian, where are you imprisoning the people of Sparta?"
"Some of them are imprisoned in the training ground of the warriors of Sparta in the southeast, mainly women and children. Others are at the port, helping us to unload and unload supplies. Both places are heavily guarded, so there is no way they can escape. "
Cloto and Cartacus nodded. Then, they saw a bronze statue that was about 10 meters tall standing not far in front of them. The statue was of a fully armed Spartan warrior. He held his head high and chest out. His eyes were firm and determined. He held a shield in his left hand and a spear in his right hand. He gave off a firm and unyielding aura. All kinds of wildflowers were planted around the statue, and they were blooming in this season, giving the cold statue a little more vitality.
"This is the tomb of Leonidas, the king of Sparta." Sekerian pointed at the statue, and his relaxed expression faded.
"The one who died in the battle at Hot Spring Gate?!" Tegtinos asked excitedly.
"That's right, it's this hero," Sekerian replied in a deep voice.
Everyone's expression suddenly became solemn.
Leonidas, the king of Sparta, led 300 warriors to defend Hot Spring Gate, and resisted the hundreds of thousands of Persia's army, stopping them from advancing even an inch. In the end, all of them were betrayed by a traitor and died in battle. This was a legendary story that was known by all in Greece, and it was still popular even after a hundred years. The people of Sparta erected a statue for this king, who had won a great reputation for the city, for people to worship, probably hoping that his brave and selfless spirit of sacrifice would be passed down among the people.
Although Cloto Catax and the others were enemies, they also paid respect to this hero of Sparta from the bottom of their hearts.
After a while, everyone turned to leave, and Sekerian suddenly sighed proudly, "Unfortunately … the era of Sparta is about to end! Maybe in the future, the stories of our heroes of Diónia will be passed down among the people of Greece! "
"Many of these stories must be about you, Sekerian," Olivers joked.
"I think that day is not far away!" Cloto Catax immediately took over and encouraged everyone.
Under Sekerian's lead, everyone strode with longing towards a grand building not far away that was also built with red marble. This was the highest authority of Sparta — the Council Hall. It was the office of the Council of Elders and the five censors, but now it would become the place where Cloto Catax and the other generals would discuss how to deal with Sparta.
… …
A few hundred years ago, a group of Dorians who came south from the north of Greece occupied the plains of the Trotas River and built many villages. They were called the "Laxidian Dream", and this land was called "Laconia" by them.
As time went by, one of the villages rose and won the right to rule over the other four villages nearby. From then on, they united and built a town called "Sparta", and they had their own king.
Not long after, they began to wage war against the other villages of Lasidic Dream. However, at the same time, several towns were also rising in other parts of Lagria. Sparta did not have enough power to conquer the entire region. Instead, it allowed the other villages to unite and fight against it.
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