Chapter 377
Then, Lysias said seriously: "This time, Athens sent Aesocrates as an envoy to Diónia. He knew that I had stayed here for many years, so he invited me to accompany him to Turií —"
"You mean Athens sent you as an envoy to Diónia?" Cunogorata was surprised. Obviously, he did not receive any news beforehand, and thought that Lysias had come from Athens to visit his old classmate.
"You know, my father is not a citizen of Athens, so even though I have lived in Athens for many years, I can't become a citizen of Athens, so it's impossible for me to become an envoy. I can only assist Aesocrates." Lysias did not understand the reason for Cunogorata's surprise, and deliberately explained it, obviously a little resentful.
"If that's the case, you should take these vases back, I can't accept them!" Cunogorata immediately refused.
"Why?" Lysias was very surprised.
"Previously, the public trial of the traitors in Turií caused a big commotion, I believe you have heard about it." Seeing Lysias nod, Cunogorata said firmly: "I don't want to become the second Polyxis!"
"But … Athens just wants to express its goodwill to the Diónia Alliance, and at the same time, conclude an alliance treaty." Lysias said anxiously.
"Now that Athens is at war with Sparta, who is this alliance treaty against?" As a political veteran, Cunogorata immediately guessed the motive of Athens: "Sparta? No, Diónia does not have the strength to face the wrath of the Greek overlord. Sparta's staunch ally, Syracuse? Unfortunately, we have just signed a friendship treaty with Syracuse. "
Cunogorata's words left Lysias at a loss. He was different from Isocrates. Although he lived in Athens, he was not a citizen of Athens and had been excluded from political life all year round. He did not have much political experience. Even when it came to defending in court, because he was not a citizen of Athens, he could not go on the court to defend others. He could only go through careful preparation and planning before writing a speech for others. After being like this for so many years, he lacked a bit of quick-wittedness. Thus, he didn't know what to say for a moment.
Cunogorata sighed. "Take these Athens pottery back first. Since the envoy from Athens had come from afar, the Diónia Alliance certainly had to meet him. I will make a proposal to the Senate tomorrow. Let the emissary from Athens get ready. "
"That's good, that's good …" Lysias heaved a sigh of relief.
"Lysias." Cunogorata stared at her and suddenly asked, "You used to be a citizen of Turín. Have you ever thought of returning to Turín and becoming a citizen of Diónia?"
Lysias was stunned.
"In Athens, you are a foreigner. Even if you have great talent, there is no bigger stage for you to display it. And when you return to Turín … "Cunogorata said, then changed the topic." Do you know Ancitanos? "
Cunogorata's words made Lysias a little uneasy. He murmured, "… Yes, I know … He is a student of Herodotus. We often met when we were young."
"Our Consul Devers once proposed the establishment of a Diónia Academy in Turín. All the outstanding scholars of the Alliance are gathered in the academy. Whether it is mathematics, medicine, literature or rhetoric … They will enjoy the special salary given by the Alliance. They can continue to do their own research with peace of mind while teaching their academics and theories to outstanding students. Their reputation will spread throughout Greece and even the Mediterranean!" Cunogorata saw that Lysias was listening carefully and a smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.
"In the academy, there is a branch dedicated to teaching students literature. Ancitanos is not only a senator of the Senate, but also the dean of the Faculty of Literature. While teaching rhetoric, he also writes his history book. For this reason, he has recruited more than a dozen students and imparted knowledge. The Senate also specially allocated funds for him to hire some people to search for information throughout Greece for him to write his book … But I think although Ancitanos is unparalleled in historical research, literary rhetoric is not his strong point, which is exactly what you are good at. I heard that in Athens, many people took your litigation speeches and copied them as models. If you can stay in Dionia, our Lord Dyvers, who loves talents as much as his own life, will definitely request the Senate to grant you special permission to become a citizen of Dionia. You will also be the supervisor of the Faculty of Arts, teaching students, and writing books. Your name will be as famous as that of Ancitanos in Great Greece! … "
With Cunogorata's understanding of the Devers, he dared to make such a promise. And these words were like a stone that smashed into Lysias's heart, splashing countless ripples and splashing countless waves …
… …
Dyvers skimmed through the information that Ancetanos had given him, and a look of surprise appeared on his face. "There's also a Great Altar of Hercules in the city of Rome. Are you sure?"
"Yes, my Lord. This Great Altar is near the livestock market in Rome. At first, we got it from the Capua merchants who traded with Picossis and sent someone to confirm it. My Lord, you should know that Hercules once stole the cattle of Geryon and traveled a long distance to bring them back to King Oressius. Therefore, many races in the western Mediterranean who live on livestock worship Hercules as the patron god of livestock … "Ancitanos did not think that it was a great thing for Rome to worship Hercules. On the contrary, he could not stop talking about the topic of Hercules.
In fact, the study of Hercules' activities in the western Mediterranean was a special task given to Ancitanos by the Devers. After conquering the Bruti, the Devers discovered a strange phenomenon: there were many altars and statues of Hercules in the Bruti area, and the Bruti even claimed to be "the descendants of Hercules, because their ancestor, Brutus, was the son of the hero Hercules and their queen, Valentia."
This statement surprised the Devers. An alien race claimed to be the descendants of a famous Greek god. This made the Diónia Alliance find a common ground to assimilate the Bruti, because they were all "of the same race".
However, at the same time, this also made the Devers pay attention to Hercules, the god of strength in Greek mythology. What they learned from Ancitanos and others made them realize that Hercules was very famous in the western Mediterranean. Legend has it that half of the "12 great feats" he completed happened in the western Mediterranean. This alien among the Greek gods spent most of his time wandering in the western Mediterranean. He went to Sicily, traveled north through Italy, crossed Gaul, and came to the Iberian Peninsula. Before stealing the golden apples from the garden of Hesperides (the 11th great feats), he used his divine power to split the Atlas Mountains into two, thus connecting the Atlantic Ocean and the western Mediterranean Sea. This was the origin of the "Pillars of Hercules" in the Greek people.
The furthest Hercules went was the mysterious island of Erythraea in the Atlantic Ocean, the westernmost point of the world. He killed Geryon and stole the herd of cattle. Then, he drove the herd of cattle through Western Europe and finally returned to Greece … In the story of his adventures, because his heroic deeds were widely spread, he gained the love and recognition of many people of different races. In many places in the western Mediterranean, there were legends that he had many children with the noble women of the local races, and the Bruti were just one of them.
The Devers picked up the research material again and read it carefully.
Ancitanos was not in a hurry at all. He leaned back in his chair leisurely, closed his eyes, and began to think about the history book he was going to write.
After a long time, the Devers closed the book and put the material on the wooden table. He rubbed his tired eyes and asked, "Lord Ancitanos, as a historian, what do you see after you erase the dust of the myths and legends that you have collected?"
Ancitanos opened his eyes. The Devers's question was quite interesting, but wasn't this what a historian was good at? He thought for a while and said, "What I see is the strong attraction of the elegant culture of Greece to the mountain races that are still in the stage of ignorance. They all want to have a relationship with Greece to show that their origins are not barbaric."
"Yes, this is what we want to see." "It seems that we need to build a magnificent Temple of Hercules in Tuliyi and hold a celebration for him every year to increase the recognition of Dionia among the aliens." Dyvers nodded slightly and said, "Looks like we need to build a magnificent temple of Hercules in Tuliyi and hold a celebration for him every year to increase the recognition of Dionia among the aliens.
"Lord, your decision is very wise!" Ancitanos complimented.
"But —" The Devers picked up the material on the table and changed the topic, "Lord Ancitanos, you have only seen the surface meaning of this material. You have yet to discover the deeper meaning."
There is a deeper meaning? Ancitanos looked at the Devers suspiciously. He had read the material many times before handing it to the Devers.
"Look at this —" The Devers turned to a page and read aloud, "When Hercules was driving his cattle back to Greece, a lost bull swam across the Strait of Messina and came to a place called Elux in Sicily, where it was kept by a local ruler. When Hercules found out, he killed the ruler, took back the bull, and agreed to return the land to the oppressed indigenous people. He made a promise that once his descendants appeared in Sicily, the indigenous people would have to return the land to them. "
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