Chapter 656: Delphi

Chapter 656: Delphi

Agesilaus became devastated at his brother, Teleutias’ death in the Battle of the Chalkidiki Peninsula, resulting in him falling ill again.

As a result, Agesipolis, another Spartan King, gathered a massive army again from their allies in the Peloponnesian Peninsula and headed to northern Greece to attack the Chalkidian League.

When Agesipolis reached northern Greece, it was already midsummer. Unfortunately, he contracted a fever from the heat and died before even fighting the enemy.

After hurriedly carrying out the king’s funeral, the Spartan Gerousia sent a subsequent expedition against the Chalkidian League. In the spring of the third year(the 13th year of Theonia, or 380 B.C.) and after many strenuous battles, Sparta manages to force Olynthus to surrender and dissolve the league. Afterwards, they forced the other city-states of the Chalkidiki Peninsula to join the Spartan League, while the coastal cities of Macedonia were returned to the Macedonian king, Amyntas. Sparta, on the other hand, gained its supremacy in northern Greece.

While Sparta was waging a fierce war in northern Greece, they adopted an oppressive policy in the Peloponnese by forcing Phocis to call back the previously banished nobles, which resulted in a war between the nobles and commoners, with Sparta supporting the nobles. After a six-month siege, Sparta forced Phocis to surrender and implement a new government following their wish.

In the central part of Greece, Sparta gained the support of other city-states in Boeotia after they managed to control Thebes and supported Plataea, allowing Sparta’s power to expand to Attica in the east and Phocis in the west of Boeotia.

After the rain on a hot summer, Polybiades, the strategos of the Spartan expedition to the north, led his army back from northern Greece with victory. But before they could enter the flat and fertile Boeotia region, they would have to pass through Thessaly, Malis, Doris, and Phocis because it is worth making these places witness the Spartan strategos who had returned victorious.

The first is Mount Oeta, where the ancestor of Sparta’s royalty, Heracles, is said to have sacrificed himself on a pyre and ascended to join the gods on Mount Olympus.

The second was crossing the narrowest passage where it could only accommodate two four-wheeled wagon side by side, and this passage is called Thermopylae. And its name resonates strongly among Spartan soldiers because a hundred years ago, the Spartan King Leonidas led his 300 men to defend this place and fight against the Persian army. Although they all died in battle, they won long-lasting glory for the Spartan warriors.

After trekking through the rugged passage, they would enter a small plain area known for its abundance, called the Plain of Doris, from which the Greek caste of Dorians got their names (The Spartans were also Dorians). Hundreds of years ago, Greeks migrating from the inhospitable north had temporarily rested in the Plain of Doris first and eventually invaded the lowlands surrounding the mountains and scattered all along the coastline. As centuries passed, they forgot their barbarian status as the Spartans kept claiming they were descendants of Heracles and Menelaus, the former king of Sparta.

Then just south of the Plain of Doris near the Gulf of Corinth, is a mountain known throughout Greece, Parnassus. Legend has it that this steep mountain is the home to a giant serpent called Python, known for its cannibalism. And while Leto was pregnant with Apollo and Artemis, Python once tried to hunt them at the behest of Hera. But after Apollo had grown up, he came to this mountain and found this colossal monster devouring the eagles in a desolate and gloomy ravine. Afterwards, Apollo shot Python with his deadly archery and thus became the master of this area.

Later, Apollo planted a laurel tree to purify this sacred land. Time passed, and the people cut down the branches of the laurel tree and built one Temple of Apollo after another. Then this place became the holy land for all Greeks – Delphi.

Due to the steep mountain, dense forest and barren land, the locals struggle to make a living.

So Apollo said to them, “Guard my temple and warmly welcome visitors.”

And thus, the people of Delphi became priests of Apollo, built a massive Temple of Apollo, and justly charged the same amount of money to everyone who came to worship and get an oracle. Because of the Delphic priests’ impartiality, more and more Greeks trusted the Delphic oracles. The people became even more convinced that Apollo, the sun god, resides on mount Parnassus, where the air is pure, for the ninth month of the year.

And it was once said that when Zeus ascended the throne to rule the world, he wanted to measure the land he inherited. Hence, Zeus released two eagles to the east and the west, flying in opposite directions so that he could observe the flight of the two eagles to determine the centre of the world. As a result, the two eagles met at Delphi, where Zeus left a huge stone egg – Omphalos as a marker (this stone egg survives to this day). Thus Delphi became even more famous, making it known throughout the Mediterranean. For this reason, the Delphic priests also welcome foreign races to ask for oracles.

Consequently, when warring city-states come to seek the Delphic oracle, they would completely believe it. But the Delphic must guarantee their neutrality. Otherwise, no one could bear the aftermath.

Two hundred years ago, their powerful neighbouring city-state, Krissa, tried to annex Delphi. However, that truly shook the whole of Greece, causing them to form a coalition to defend this sacred area and fight back with fury. They even violated Greek traditions by poisoning the rivers the Krissaeans drank. Then once they breached the city of Krissa, they razed this impious city to the ground. Then the gulf separating Greece from the Peloponnesian Peninsula was initially owned by the great city-state of Phocis and was called Crissaean Gulf. After the war, they named it after Corinth, an important city-state on the Isthmus. Yet two hundred years later, the wilderness where Krissa was located remained barren, and no one dares to live there because it is a place the gods cursed.

After having this bitter lesson, the city-state around Delphi established a closed alliance, Amphictyonic League, which included Thessaly, Phthia, Boeotia, Athens… and so on. Later, the city-states in the Peloponnesian League joined one after another under Sparta’s leadership.

This alliance’s primary purpose was to protect Delphi’s neutrality and not to allow any power to harm and annex them, hence the name Sacred League. Each city-state that is part of the alliance needs to send two representatives as members of the alliance conference, which they held once a year in spring to discuss the governance of the Delphic region, the maintenance of the temples, the holding of the Pythian Games and the management of the holy territory of Apollo. Through that, the Delphic oracles, priests and nobles gained independent status and made Delphi more prosperous.

On this day, the noble Delphic Delphic priests stepped on the winding staircase and came to a steep hillside where the main Temple of Apollo, made of massive stones, was located. At its back were the cliffs of Mount Parnassus overlooking a deep valley in front of it, giving a cold and solemn feeling.

The nine high-ranking priests of Apollo are the representatives of the nine Greek tribes that had lived in Delphi hundreds of years ago. Apart from them was a woman who sat with the nine priests in the temple.

She is an elderly woman with a dried body, loose skin and wrinkles crisscrossing her face. Although her appearance isn’t impressive, she has excellent prestige among all Greeks because she was the one bringing out Apollo’s oracle from the fumigation of sulfur. And since she didn’t have a name, the people called her Pythia because the person presenting the oracle on behalf of Apollo was called Pythia.

While the ten people sat around the temple, seriousness filled their faces.

The chief priest of the main Temple of Apollo, Sitalces, spoke up and said, “I just sent away Polybiades, the Spartan strategos who conquered Chalkidiki an hour ago. He came here to thank Apollo for his guidance because the Spartan king Agesilaus sent his men for an oracle for this expedition before the northern conquest of Sparta! The enthusiasm of the Spartans for Apollo was marvellous! But-”

Sitalces said seriously, “He brought four heavily armed soldiers and had them set foot on the sacred Mount Parnassus. Only when I protested did he make those soldiers go down!”

“That’s blasphemy! It is well known that we do not allow people carrying weapons to enter this sacred area! We should severely punish those Spartans!” A nearby priest shouted angrily.

“Punish them severely? The Spartans are famous for their barbarism and audacity, so we will be the ones to suffer if we make any fuss. We all know that they stationed their troops in the Plain of Doris not far to the north, ” another priest helplessly said.

“Would the Spartans dare to lead their army into Delphi?! If they do, all of Greece will organise another anti-Spartan League to destroy Sparta as thoroughly as they destroyed Krissa!” said another priest angrily.

“They won’t do such foolishness as they respect Delphi as they respect their ancestor Heracles.” The chief priest Sitalces interrupted their arguments and said concernedly, “But with the destruction of Greece’s balance of power, more and more city-states in central Greece becoming dependent on Sparta, Sparta’s sole words would become the final say in the Sacred League. As a result, maintaining our neutrality becomes difficult and has become a great threat to our survival!”