Chapter 1 Delphi

Agesilaus' brother Telius died in battle on the Carcidia Peninsula, and Agesilaus was devastated and fell ill again.

In the end, another Spartan king, Agesipolis, re-gathered a large army in the allies in the Peloponnesian Peninsula, and went to Northern Greece again to attack the Carcidia Alliance.

As a result, it was the height of summer when Agesiporis arrived in northern Greece. He unfortunately contracted a fever due to the sweltering heat, and died of the disease before he could fight the enemy.

The Spartan Council of Elders, after hurriedly holding the king's funeral, sent the successors of the expedition to the Carcidian League again. 380 BC), forcing Olintus to surrender and disbanding the alliance, at the same time forcing other city-states on the Calcidia Peninsula to join the Spartan alliance, and Macedonian coastal cities also returned to the Macedonian King Amyntas , Sparta gained supremacy in northern Greece in one fell swoop.

During the fierce fighting in northern Greece, the Spartans adopted a high-handed policy in the Peloponnesian Peninsula. They forced Phryus, a city-state in the middle of the peninsula, to recall the nobles who had been exiled before. As a result, a war broke out between the nobles and the commoners. , Sparta supported the nobility. After a six-month siege, Frius was forced to surrender, and then a new government was instituted according to Sparta's wishes.

In central Greece, after Sparta controlled Thebes and supported Platia, it gained the support of other city-states in Pioxia. Expansion of Attica, Phokis in the west...

A rainy spring is a hot summer. The commander of Sparta's northern expedition, Polybiadas, led his army to return victoriously from northern Greece. Before entering the flat and fertile region of Pioxia, they must first pass through Thessaly, Maris, Doris, Phokis, etc., there are many places to worship as the victorious Spartan general of.

The first is Oeta, where it is said that Hercules, the ancestor of the Spartan royal family, sacrificed himself on a cremation mound and ascended in flames to join the gods of Mount Olympus big family.

Secondly, when crossing the narrow pass, the narrowest passage can only accommodate two four-wheeled carriages to pass side by side. This passage is called Wenquan Pass, and its name can resonate strongly among the Spartan soldiers, because the century The former Spartan king Leonidas led his 300 guards against the Persian army here, and all died in battle, winning immortal glory for the Spartan warriors, almost every time the Spartan army passed here. worship.

After trekking up the rugged mountain pass, we entered a small area of ​​lowland known as the fertile plain called the Plain of Doris, from which the Dorians of the Greek population got their names (the Spartans were also Dorians). ). Hundreds of years ago, the Greeks who migrated from the desolate north took a break in the plains of Doris and eventually invaded the lowlands surrounded by mountains and scattered across the coastline.

Hundreds of years have passed, they have forgotten their barbarian identity, such as the Spartans have always claimed to be the bloodline of Hercules, the descendants of Menelaus, the former king of Sparta who occupied the land.

In the south of the plain of Doris, near the Gulf of Corinth, there is also a famous mountain in Greece called Parnassus. According to legend, there is a huge python called Pitong entrenched on this steep mountain. It is known for its cannibalism. Under Hera's instruction, it once hunted down Apollo, the brothers and sisters of Artenis and their mother Leto when they were young. The grown-up Apollo came to this mountain, found this huge monster that was devouring the eagles in the lonely and dark canyon, shot him to death with a deadly bow and arrow, and became the master of the region.

Apollo planted laurel trees to purify this sacred land. Later, people cut down the branches of the laurel tree and built one after another of the temples of Apollo here, which became the holy place of the Greeks - Delphi.

This place has high mountains and dense forests and poor soil, making it difficult for local residents to make a living.

Apollo said to them: "Guard my temple, and welcome the people who come."

So the people of Delphi became the priests of Apollo. They built the huge temple complex of Apollo, and just charged the same fee to everyone who came to seek oracles and worship. It is precisely because of the fairness of the priests of Delphi that more and more Greeks trust the oracle of Delphi, and firmly believe that for nine months a year on the pure air of Mount Parnassus, the god Apollo will live there.

And because it is said that when Zeus first ascended the throne of ruling the world, he wanted to measure the land he inherited, and released two eagles to the east and west respectively, flying towards each other, and observing the flight of the two eagles to determine the status of the world. In the center, as a result, two eagles met at Delphi, where Zeus left a huge stone egg - Onphale as a mark (this stone egg has survived to this day), so Delphi is even more famous, surpassing the Greek race , known throughout the Mediterranean. To this end, the priests of Delphi also welcome foreigners to come here to pray for the oracle.

When the warring city-states came to seek the judgment of the Oracle of Delphi, they fully believed in the judgment of the oracle. Therefore, the neutrality of Delphi must be guaranteed, otherwise no one can bear the consequences.

200 years ago, when Crisa, a powerful neighboring city-state, tried to annex Delphi, the whole of Greece was shaken and launched an angry counterattack. Many city-states formed a coalition to defend this sacred area, and they even violated the According to the Greek tradition, the rivers that the Cresians drank from were poisoned, the city of Cresa was breached, the ungodly city was razed to the ground, and the bay that separated the Greek mainland from the Peloponnese was originally taken in This great city-state of Phokis is called the Bay of Kresa, and after the war, it was named after the important city-state of Corinth on the Isthmus. More than 200 years later, the wilderness where Krisa was located is still barren, and no one dares to live there, because this is a place cursed by God.

After experiencing this most tragic lesson, the city-states around Delphi established a neighboring alliance, the Amphicione Alliance, which included the Thessaly, Phetiotis, Locris, Phokis, Piosia, Athenians... Later, the city-states on the Peloponnese also joined in under the leadership of Sparta.

The main purpose of this alliance is to protect the neutrality of Delphi and not allow any forces to harm and annex Delphi, so this alliance is also called the Holy Alliance. Each ally provides two representatives as a member of the entire confederate conference, which is held in Delphi every spring and autumn to discuss the governance of the Delphi region, the maintenance of the temple, the holding of the Pythian Games, and the Apollo Sanctuary. management. In this way, Delphi's oracles and priestly nobles gained independent status, and Delphi became more prosperous.

On this day, noble priests from all over Delphi stepped on the winding stone steps to a steep hillside, where the main temple of Apollo, built of boulders, was located. It is backed by the straight and bare cliffs of Mount Parnassus, overlooking the deep Prestos Valley in front of it, giving it a solemn and solemn feeling.

The nine high-ranking priests of Apollo were representatives of the nine Greek tribes that had lived in Delphi hundreds of years ago, and one sitting in the temple with the nine priests was a woman.

This is an elderly woman with a shriveled body, loose skin, and ravines on her face. She is not amazing in appearance, but she has great prestige among all the Greeks, because she was the one who walked into the oracle and brought the oracle of Apollo to the people in the fumigation full of brimstone. She didn't have her own name, so she was called Pythia, and every one who issued an oracle on behalf of Apollo was called Pythia.

Ten people sat around the temple with solemn expressions.

The old priest at the head was Silcitas, the chief priest of the main temple of Apollo, and he said: "An hour ago, I just sent away the Spartan general Polybiadas who conquered Chalcedia. Before the Spartans marched north, the Spartan king Agesilaus sent someone to obtain an oracle for his expedition, and he came this time to thank Apollo for his guidance. Enthusiasm, amazing! But—"

Sirsitas changed the conversation and said in a deep voice: "He brought four fully armed soldiers and let them set foot on the sacred Mount Parnassus. After I protested, he let this Several soldiers came down the mountain!"

"This is blasphemy! This sacred area does not allow people with sharp weapons to enter. This is a well-known thing. These Spartans should be severely punished!" A priest next to him shouted angrily.

"Severe punishment? The Spartans are notorious for their savagery and rudeness. If they start a riot, we will suffer, knowing that their army is stationed in the plains of Doris not far to the north." Another priest said helplessly.

"Do the Spartans still dare to lead their troops into Delphi?! If they dare to do that, the whole of Greece will organize another anti-Spartan alliance, and they want to destroy Krisa and completely destroy Sparta!" Another priest said angrily.

"The Spartans would not do such stupid things. They respect Delphi as much as their ancestor Hercules." The chief priest Sitarsis interrupted their quarrel and said worriedly: "But the Greeks The balance of power has been broken. After the city-states of Central Greece became more and more dependent on Sparta, the Holy Alliance almost became Sparta's sole discretion, and it was difficult to maintain Delphi's neutrality. The survival is a great threat!"