The Queen of Sparta (26 page)

“She asks you to go to Byzantium, Highness, and see what you can do to help Prince Pausanias. She wants you to convince him to return to Sparta. If he insists on not returning, she asks you to see to his safety. You are her only hope.”

“What about Euryanax?” said Sherzada. “Surely he would be a better person to see to Pausanias than myself.”

“He is still in Thessaly leading a column of troops to support King Leotychidas’ expedition against the House of Aleuas. I don’t have any details, except that it is not going well there. In any case, Queen Gorgo says you are better equipped than Prince Euryanax to help Prince Pausanias.”

“I am not sure about that, my friend,” said Sherzada, “but go to Pausanias, I shall. I just need a few days to conclude some business in Rome. And I shall to go to Athens before I go to Byzantium, to find out what the Athenians want to do to Pausanias.”

“But you once told me that you were not welcome there,” said Menander, with a look of concern. “They might kill you for burning down their Acropolis.”

Sherzada laughed. “On the contrary, my friend. This time they will welcome me with open arms.”

CHAPTER 32

THE SINS OF OUR HEROES

Piraeus Harbour, Athens

Three weeks later

Summer, 477
BC

“Marcus Fabianus Scirzadus Ferratus,” a voice thundered. “Quite a mouthful, don’t you think? Nice toga, by the way!”

Sherzada recognized that pompous voice. It was unmistakenly Aristeides. Sherzada had barely gotten off his ship at Athens’ busy Piraeus Harbour and had not expected to run into someone he knew so soon. But it appeared Aristeides had been waiting for him. The man seemed to have aged a good deal in the last years. His hair was grayer than before. His eyes and his gait reflected a weariness that could only have been brought on by fatigue and age, though he had lost none of his high spirits.

“How did you know I was coming?”

Aristeides was a bad liar. His eyes innocently looked towards the sky as he said, “Some of our spies … I mean, sources … in Italy got wind of a Roman delegation heading towards Athens, led by an ambassador with a familiar name ... speaking of which … how on earth did you acquire such an outlandish name?”

“My first name is that of my host-friend; the second after the Fabian clan that adopted me; and my last is the surname,
Ferratus
, which derives from the Latin word for iron and refers to the chainmail armour I wear in battle.”

“I heard about your great battle,” Aristeides responded. “Not an easy victory, I take it. Mind you, the Etruscans will not take it lying down. This war is not over by a long shot. These Italians are very stubborn. All of them … and not very civilized, either.”

Sherzada laughed at Aristeides’ haughtiness.

A cool breeze blew through the busy harbour amid the swearing of sailors, the haggling of merchants and the cackling of seagulls. He had not seen a busier port, perhaps the busiest in the world. Yet only a little over two years ago, when Sherzada had stood at this very spot – on the day after the Persian debacle at Salalmis – this place had been deserted.

Sherzada introduced his Roman colleagues to Aristeides, among them Aulus Antonius, the former military tribune of the Fourth Legion, who had now been charged by the Roman Senate to carry out a study of the Athenian democratic constitution. He hoped that this constitution would provide some answers to Rome’s perennial conflict between the Patricians and the Plebians. The other was Lucius Quinctius Cincinnatus, with instructions to purchase an Athenian warship. Rome did not have a navy but wanted to consider the possibility. The rest were commerce officials charged with reaching a trade agreement with Athens.

Soon Aristeides guided Sherzada and his delegation to the city centre. It was quite a walk, and Aristeides told Sherzada there were plans to build fortifications all along the way. These would be called the ‘Long Walls,’ extending to the sea, protecting the route between Athens and the harbour and naval base at Piraeus. Another set of long walls would also be built along the route to Phalerum, Athens’ other port.

“I thought the Spartans did not want you to build these walls?” Sherzada asked.

“They most certainly did not,” replied Aristeides. “But our interests dictate otherwise. You see, my friend, Athens now has the strongest navy in the Aegean and no one can beat us at sea. However, anyone can destroy our naval might on land by taking Athens, burning down our shipyards, damaging our harbours, and seizing the silver at Laurium. I am sorry that this upsets our Spartan friends, but we have to protect our assets.”

Although almost two years had passed, there were plenty of signs of the destruction that had been inflicted on the city. But thanks to the industrious nature of the Athenians, the city was slowly rising again, above the ashes, like the mythical phoenix.

“Speaking of burning …!” Aristeides began, “I would not have thought I would ever see you in Athens.” Then he whispered, “There are rumours that you burnt down our Acropolis.”

Sherzada whispered back, “Shhh … the less said about that, the better.”

“Well,” Aristeides responded, “in that case, I would keep it to myself if I were you. By the way, coming here as an ambassador is quite impressive … a stroke of genius, in fact. This way you are guaranteed protection under the law. But, then again, this did not stop us Athenians from executing one or two in the past. The privilege of being civilized, my friend is that we can call everyone else a barbarian, while overlooking our own barbarity.

“So, Ambassador Fabianus,” Aristeides asked loudly, winking at Sherzada, “what brings you to Athens at the head of this Roman delegation?”

“Rome is interested in trade with Athens,” Sherzada replied. “We have grain, salt and timber to offer, in return for the silver of Laurium. In addition, in my delegation there are lawyers who want to study your constitution and see if we can replicate some of its clauses in our republican constitution. I also have military experts in my delegation who would like a closer look at your warships. We have heard that you the largest dockyards in Greece, which are producing these vessels on a massive scale. Though Rome is still far from having a navy, our experts want to learn from your considerable experience. The Romans have always been impressed by Greeks.”

“Yes, they like to mimic us, don’t they?” whispered Aristeides. “The Romans think they are democratic also but somehow their votes always end up benefitting their richest classes.”

“As if all the elected officials in Athens are from the poorer class!” Sherzada interrupted. “When was the last time anyone not from the aristocracy was elected as Archon in Athens?”

Ignoring his remark, Aristeides went on, “At least the Roman system is better than the Spartan one. There, the one who gets elected is the one gets the loudest shouts – not necessarily the most votes. But here in Athens we are truly democratic. One man; one vote.”

“Certainly,” Sherzada said, “it is very democratic of you to allow half of your population to vote.”

“What do you mean, half our population?”

“Well, you have not extended the right of voting to your women.”

“Talk to me about women’s rights in Athens the day you give the right of franchise to Saka women.”

Sherzada laughed. “That might take a while, I am afraid. You see, we haven’t yet got around to giving voting rights even to our men yet.”

They continued to walk among the devastated buildings and through debris-filled streets, until Aristeides brought the delegation to a halt at a reasonably intact and well-furnished inn. After his Roman colleagues had settled in, Sherzada accompanied Aristeides to his house for a private dinner. Sherzada wanted to talk to him alone.

The two men walked south towards the sea again, but this time a little to the east, to Aristeides’ home in the Alopeke district. It was getting dark and Sherzada could not make out much of the city except the rubble the Persians had left behind or that the new construction work was creating. It was hard to tell which.

Aristeides asked him what the real reason was for his visit to Athens.

“Pausanias!” Sherzada replied. “What do you intend to do to him?”

“I thought that might be it.”

“I also want to see Themistocles. Surely he still has some influence here?”

Aristeides shook his head. “Themistocles is not here … In any case, I don’t think there is much he can do now.” After thinking for a moment, he continued, “Imagine a man … a charismatic leader … who wins for Greece an unlikely victory … A victory so spectacular that it goes to his head. He begins to think he is the only one who knows best. He starts to make enemies among those who were previously his friends and he begins to seek friends among his former enemies. But in his arrogance, he continues to believe that he is still right and everyone else wrong. He is the only one who knows where the dangers lie. Only he can lead his people to greatness. He thinks he is their saviour, but others think him cursed … and a man out of touch with reality.”

“So this is what you think happened to Pausanias?”

“I was actually talking about Themistocles. But you are right. The same can also be said of Pausanias. These two men are amongst the most renowned of all the Greeks. They are our heroes. But now they are fallen, no longer in favour with men or the gods.

“Themistocles is becoming unpopular due to his overbearing attitude – throwing his considerable weight around everywhere. His enemies in the city are increasing by the day. Now he has stormed off somewhere in a fit of pique and there is talk of ostracizing him … not that it hasn’t been tried before … every year votes are cast to exile him, but each year there is always one person in Athens more unpopular than Themistocles. But it is only a matter of time before he is ostracized. He is accused of many things, including taking bribes from the Persians.”

“Surely not the victor of Salamis?” said Sherzada.

Aristeides shrugged. “It was never beneath him or, for that matter, most Athenian politicians, to take bribes from anyone. Moreover, Themistocles has been dealing with the Persians in secret for a long time. He would have never been able to lure them into our trap at Salamis had he not contacted them personally. After that, I thought the Persians would never trust him again. But now there are persistent rumours that they are in touch with him again. I really don’t know what he is up to. What I do know is that he is still an Athenian patriot and he will always put Athens’ interests first, even though his methods are, and have always been, questionable.”

“Aren’t you being a little too kind to your former foe?”

Aristeides smiled. “I am no longer a politician and so Themistocles is no longer my rival. But he is not my friend, either. And still, I was proud to have served under him at Salamis. We Greeks could not have won that battle without him. But that victory and this naval reconstruction programme has made him big-headed and now he is getting out of control.”

When Sherzada asked him where Themistocles was, Aristeides shrugged. “I don’t know but he likes disappearing to the Peloponnesus. I suppose he enjoys baiting the Spartans. Themistocles’ dislike for them is well-known … much like Pausanias does not like Athenians anymore. The two have gone completely mad.”

“If Themistocles is away, who is the most influential man in Athens?”

“Cimon, the son of Miltiades,” replied Aristeides as he led Sherzada up a winding street, “is the rising star here. His father’s fame as the victor of Marathon has helped his career. Still, he has no shortage of talent, nor of important people willing to back him. He replaced me as the commander of Athenian forces in the northern Aegean. But I received a message from him last night that he wants me to return to assist him in the North. Cimon is trying to reduce Eion, one of the last remaining Persian strongholds in Europe.”

Sherzada knew the Persian commander at Eion, a fanatical officer who would rather burn down the city than hand it over to the enemy.

“While I am not at liberty to tell you everything,” Aristeides continued, “suffice to say that Thrace is rich in timber and silver, and nearby islands are rich in gold. Athens needs to secure these resources for future military operations.”

By this time they had reached Aristeides’ house, or of what remained of it. It was only a shell of the magnificent residence it had once been. But it was being renovated, and in spite of its poor state of repair, some of its quarters were still inhabitable.

“So, will you go?” Sherzada asked.

Aristeides nodded, a little gravely. “These past few years have not been particularly kind to me. I am no longer the rich man I once was. Politics and the war effort against Persia sucked up a considerable part of my wealth. What was left of it was completely destroyed by the Persians when they occupied Athens. Had it not been for some rich and influential friends – rich and influential friends of Cimon to be precise – I would have become a pauper. I’ll take you to meet one of them tomorrow – a person who also has considerable influence over politics in Athens, and on Cimon himself. It is the generosity of people like these that keeps me fed, keeps a roof on top of my head – especially one that does not leak – and helps me to keep up appearances. So, you see, I cannot very well bite the hand that feeds me. Now that Cimon has asked me to come to him, I shall almost certainly go.”

They sat down for dinner on a comfortable terrace that opened up towards the sea. A pleasant breeze was blowing amid the flickering night lights of the nearby harbour. Servants brought in the famous Athenian charred fish with warm bread, olive oil, cheese, and salad.

As he tucked into the food, Aristeides muttered, “Cimon wants me to come and help him solve our ‘Pausanias problem’, while he busies himself with the siege of Eion.”

“Aha,” said Sherzada. “Tell me about your ‘Pausanias problem.’ How did your once greatest ally become your worst enemy, all in the span of a year?”

“That, my friend, is still something of a mystery to me, but I shall tell you all I know,” said Aristeides. “On his return from Cyprus, Pausanias took command of the combined forces of the Hellenic League in the Aegean. It was Plataea all over again. Even though he was the overall commander, he regularly deferred to me. We worked together very closely and effectively. Island after island fell to us. We liberated many cities and won many engagements both on land and sea.”