Chapter 44 The Status Quo of Carthage

"Yes, this is the original manuscript of the "History" written by Herodotus and the diaries and materials he recorded in his travels. When Turii was burned, his family did not bring anything but these precious The materials escaped the fire. Now they have donated them all to the library!" Ancitanos said excitedly.

"I... can I see it?" Even though his family was poor in Athens, Lysias never asked for anyone, but now he looked at Ancitanos eagerly.

Ancitanos shook his head: "I'm really sorry, Lysias. Herodotus's "History" manuscripts and materials are Dionia's most precious treasure, and such precious materials are stored on it, by the Special personnel." Ancitanos pointed to the top of his head, which was the second floor of the library: "Only the elders of the Senate and the scholars of the Dionysian Academy will be allowed to enter because of their duties and research needs. Above, check out those precious and confidential materials, and still can't bring the books out.

"If you join Dionysus, according to Lord Davos's promise, you will become the dean of the Faculty of Letters, then it will be easy for you to check any books and materials in the library."

Lycias stood in the same place, his face changed. Although he only stayed in Dionia for about two days, he was greatly shocked: this city-state alliance with a short history was not only vigorous and developed rapidly, but also had a great impact on knowledge. He culture attaches great importance to it, and has formulated many systems and built many facilities to highlight its importance and ensure its development and inheritance, such as the Dionysian Academy, the Pantheon, and the newly built library... Even Athens, which has a splendid culture, does not have such systems and facilities, nor does it place respect for knowledge and scholars in such an important position as Dionia. This is the paradise for scholars to give full play to their talents!

After thinking about it, Lysias finally made up his mind: "After I return to Athens, I will discuss with my family before deciding when to come to Turii."

"That's great!" Ancitanos was overjoyed, stepping forward and grabbing Lysias' shoulders: "Lord Davos will be very happy when he finds out about the addition of a scholar who is well-known throughout Greece in Dionia. Trust me, you will only be better in Dionia than in Athens!"

"Shh!" The librarian poked his head from behind the registration desk and made a silent gesture.

Ancitanos nodded apologetically.

At this time, Lycias said with a complicated expression: "Ancitanos, as far as I know, you are the dean of the Faculty of Letters."

"Researching history is what I'm interested in. As head of the Faculty of Letters, I reluctantly acceded to the consul's request because no one was really competent at the time, and it wasted too much time that I should have spent writing books. Now I have someone who is more capable than me and has more literary attainments to take over, I'm too happy to..." Ancitanos said a lot of words without hesitation.

"Thank you, my friend!" Lycias saluted Ancitanos with a smile, and finally made a decision, and his heart suddenly became very relaxed. He looked at the countless rows of bookcases in front of him extending to the depths of the main hall. The air was filled with the strange aroma of wood and paper scraps. He took a deep breath and was a little intoxicated: He will spend the rest of his life here!

"Ancitanos, if it's convenient, please take me to meet Davos, the undefeated general who you call the 'God's Blessed One'. I want to see a man who founded the Dionysian Academy and built the book. What kind of great people should the people in the museum be?" His eyes were full of curiosity and yearning.

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When the ships of the Carthaginian messengers sailed into the well-known circular military port in the entire Mediterranean Sea of ​​Carthage, when the messengers came out of the dock, the Carthaginian people swarmed them and surrounded them to understand the situation of the negotiations.

When the people of Carthage learned that the peace agreement had been signed, Carthage only needed to pay a certain amount of food, gold and silver to continue to have several cities including Lily Beer, Eryx, and a small town in Sicily. part of the west when

Many people cheered, and some people shed tears...

The Sicilian war that lasted for several years not only cost Carthage a lot of gold and silver, but also thousands of citizens died in this long and brutal war.

Especially in the first war with Dionysius, the tyrant of Syracuse, Sophie Similko led his army to a great victory at the beginning, and even attacked in front of the city of Syracuse, but because of the outbreak of the plague However, the strength was greatly lost, and in the end, it was a fiasco, and only a dozen or so ships were left struggling to sail back to the port.

At that time, the people of Carthage who heard about the tragedy gathered in the port to inquire about their relatives. When it was learned that 50,000 or 60,000 soldiers (excluding mercenaries) either died in Sicily or were captured, the wailing and screaming of the bereaved resounded throughout the coastline. It was the darkest day in Carthage, and the whole The city is in mourning.

All the people were approving black veils, everyone closed their doors to thank guests, commercial activities were suspended, and temples were also closed...

Correspondingly, the nobles among the nobles in the Carthaginian political circles-the Margonides family from the Carthaginian mother state and the famous Phoenician city of Tyre have monopolized the dominance of Carthage politics for nearly 200 years. Finally received a real threat. After more than 70 years ago, the Carthaginian army organized by the Magonid family patriarch Hamilka and the tyrant Dillon of Syracuse were defeated in the battle of Himera, and the name of the Magonid family was once again associated with overseas expeditions. The defeat of the two was linked together, and this time the situation was even more serious. The Carthaginian army was almost wiped out, and Shimilco did not die in the battle like his ancestors, but abandoned his comrades and soldiers and fled back alone. The act of escaping like this should have been punished by "crucifixion" according to the laws of Carthage. Due to the status of the Margonid family as a king in the city of Carthage, the Margonid patriarch was temporarily exempted from the death penalty. criminal law. But the storm was not over. The Carthaginian elites, who had long been dissatisfied with the Margonides family, took advantage of the grief and anger of the citizens to promote the reform of the system.

Himilko, the loser who had brought shame to his family, realized that the situation was extremely unfavorable for the Margonids, and wore cheap and worn linen robes every day around the main temple of Melkat in Carthage God accused himself of his blasphemy, and prayed to God to punish him, hoping to restore something in this way. But in the end, the persecution of the situation and the ridicule and humiliation of the citizens finally broke his spirit. After half a year, he locked himself at home and committed suicide. This public act of atonement was still not enough to secure the power of the Margonides.

Soon after, a new Carthaginian political institution was established—the Court of 104, an institution composed of members of the noble class that oversaw the conduct of Carthaginian officials and military magistrates, as well as high-ranking The duties of the court, but no one from the Margonid family was elected to this institution.

In order to revive Margonid's declining power in Carthage and regain his prestige among the people, Margonid's new patriarch Margo, the younger brother of Similko, took advantage of the fact that the family still held the Senate in the Senate. With great influence, through the opportunity of the tyrant Dionysius of Syracuse to attack Carthage's son Bonsolus, it once again promoted Carthage's third Sicilian war against Syracuse.

However, it is not what it used to be. The strength of the Carthaginian army, which has been greatly reduced, resists the attack of Syracuse, which has become stronger and stronger, but it loses more and wins less. Marco is still insisting, but Carthage is tired of war, and they are even more afraid of another fiasco when they see no chance of victory, so the "truce negotiation" has become the unanimous voice of the citizens.

The final agreement was reached, but the responsibility for defeat had to be carried by Marco. When Carthage's messenger in charge of negotiating with Syracuse returned, the whole city cheered the arrival of peace, but only one family seemed deserted, even sad.

In a huge mansion not far from Mount Pilsa, the Acropolis of Carthage, the people of the Margonid family were paying homage, because today happened to be Himilko's memorial day, but there was a constant noise of music outside the mansion. And the cheers of the people obviously seriously damaged the mourning atmosphere.

Hasdrubal knew: it was the Carthaginians who were worshipping and celebrating the Greek goddess of harvest Demeter and her daughter Persephone.

Citizens of Carthage Worship Greek Gods? ! Yes, in Sicily, due to the intertwining of the Phoenician colonial cities with the Greek city-state and Carthage, they have lived together for hundreds of years and have a deep influence on each other. Demeter and Persephone are two. The goddess was not only popular with the Greeks in Sicily, but also gradually allowed the Phoenicians to accept them. Even the Sicilian people believed that Hades, the Hades, was the Persephone who abducted in Sicily. This cultural influence penetrated into Carthage, where the temples of these two goddesses already existed, but the reckless actions of Himilco’s army made their status among the Carthaginian gods even more prominent, because the Greek goddesses When Mirco led his army to attack the city of Syracuse, his soldiers looted the temples of the two goddesses on the southern slope of Epipole. It was a fiasco, so the Carthaginians thought it was the goddess' punishment for blaspheming the Carthaginians, knowing that Persephone was the queen of the underworld.

The terrified Carthaginian people even strongly requested the Senate to formally pass a bill to worship the two goddesses on a large scale. To this end, they also specifically searched for the Greeks who settled in the city of Carthage, and assigned them to serve the two goddesses, especially Persephone, and stipulated that their worship ceremonies must be carried out in the Greek way. As a result, this religious ceremony continued year by year, making the two Greek goddesses occupy an increasingly important position in the hearts of the citizens of Carthage.