Undercurrent 44
'I have never advocated war except as means of peace, so seek peace, but prepare for war. Because war... War never changes.' - Ulysses S. Grant
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-Greece, Sparta, 464 BC-
The earth rumbled and settled in the rocky Spartan heartland as the earthquake subsided. Seeing the earthquake as a sign from the gods, there was chaos and an uproar of revolution in Messenia. Sick of their aristocratic Spartan oppressors, the helots rose up in revolution with the aid of Athens.
In the city of Sparta itself, there was an air of unease and uncertainty with the recent earthquake having slain scores of citizens and the surrounding countryside up in arms with revolution. Deep inside the winding streets of Sparta, there was a large auditorium built in the fantastical iconic style of Greece marble columns and elegant walkways.
The auditorium was filled to the brim with various citizens of Sparta donned in courtly robes and tunics. The people ranged in various professions from politicians to warriors and landowners. However, they all had one thing in common which was pristine armor and a sword at their waist.
Sparta was a heavily militaristic society, and every citizen of Sparta was expected to be an expert in the way of battle. To be inept in the way of the sword and spear was a great shame that could dishonor entire generations, so naturally, there was an intense drive for the citizens of Sparta to train and gain accomplishments in battles. This is how the machine that is Sparta turned.
Among the various Spartans in the auditorium was a man donned in gold armor and a red cloak, along with a spiked crown. This man was Archidamus II, King of Sparta, one of the two kings of Sparta and of the Eurypontid dynasty
Raising his hand as a gesture to quiet the boisterous aristocrats, Archidamus spoke, "Poseidon has shaken the earth with his trident and the helots are burning Messenia, with word out that Athens has armed the rebels and they soon plan to march upon Sparta herself!"
Looking around the room at his various colleagues and subordinates, Archidamus made sure to get the point across of the dire straits Sparta was in. He continued on, "Sparta has not seen such hardships since the Great War! Now, does anyone have anything helpful to bring to my attention to reverse Sparta's crisis?"
Silence descended in the large auditorium, and many politicians and generals were left speechless after being told directly to their faces of the peril their city-state faced. After all, citizens of Sparta innately disdained the helots that kept food on their tables and built their towering palaces. The thought of helots actually posing a threat to their greatness was simply unthinkable before now.
The silence went on for minutes, and it reached the point where Archidamus began reconsidering his approach if he should just bargain with the rebels. That was until a deep voice broke through the deafening silence in the grand auditorium.
"King of Sparta, worry not for aid is at your doorstep."
The man who spoke was dressed in voluminous robes that draped over his entire body with colorful yellow hues and spots of bright orange. The dark-skinned man donned a light turban that encircled his face and offered protection from the glaring sun above in the open-roofed auditorium. His various gold ornaments dangled and chimed against the breeze.
Archidamus, grimacing at the sight of the man, asked, "Oh? And what aid is to be expected from your kind, Persian?" The Spartan King practically spat out the last word, clearly showing how he felt about the Persian dignitary.
Many others in the auditorium starred at the man in disdain, if looks could kill, then this poor man would have died a hundred times over. Indifferent to the stares and tone of the King, the ambassador elaborated, "What aid is to be expected? Well, only the entirety of Persia's unlimited resources! This of course includes gold, weapons, metals, and foodstuffs."
Hearing this, several in the room were no doubt tempted, tempted by the exotic tales they had heard of the vast empire to the east, tales of endless mounds of gold and the colossal palaces of Persepolis.
However, the King of Sparta was no fool, "And what does the King of Persia desire? Land? Promises? Women? Because I will not see, not over my dead body, the sight of Sparta succumbing to a Persian debt!"
Archidamus' words seemed to snap the Spartan aristocrats out of their stupor and returned them to their wary and distrustful looks towards the Persian foreigner.
Noticing the tables were turning against his favor, the ambassador spoke carefully, "The ever magnanimous God King, asks for only one thing, he asks for a favor..."
As the ambassador spoke, a barely perceptible grin appeared on his face as he noticed the faces of contemplation among the Spartan elite.
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-Judah, Jerusalem, 464 BC-
After receiving the Kings of Persia's blessing, Ezra immediately commenced his life's work, rebuilding a home for his people. Things were rough from the start, when Ezra went from town to town in Babylon, very few Jews actually left with him to return to their homeland. After all, not everybody was keen on leaving their livelihoods for the uncertain promise of reward.
However, through sheer tenacity and effort, Ezra had managed to gather together a large group of exiled Jews that were eager to go back to Jerusalem and rebuild its walls and temples.
Arriving at the dilapidated city, Ezra nearly had a stroke. The once glorious walls and palisades were in complete ruin, and the people inhabiting the city - no - the town of Jerusalem were few and far between with most of the inhabitants having fled the city generations ago.
Realizing much work had to be done, Ezra rallied his people and construction began at once. Thanks to the gold for the King, there was no issue with funding for the vast resources required to rebuild such a massive city.
Not all was so peaceful with the previous inhabitants of the ancient city, the Samaritans. the Samaritans were a breakaway group of Jews who claimed to be successors of the early Hebrew tribes who escaped Egypt.
Infuriated by the new arrivals' desecration of their previously quaint homes, they complained to the God King Artaxerxes, claiming that Ezra and his Jews planned to revolt, for why else would they need such large walls and ample fortifications?
Artaxerxes, having heard the letter of complaint from his scribes, quite frankly didn't care much. After all, this was during the uncertainty of war with Greece, what does Jerusalem's fate compare to the fate of the entire Empire?
However, as a King, Artaxerxes knew he had to pay close attention to the qualms and struggles of his people. So, when he heard the complaint of the Samaritans who had previously inhabited the city, he decided to meet the two groups of Jews at a middle ground.
While Ezra could rebuild the temples of Jerusalem, he must halt the building of fortifications and walls for the city. Sending his decree by a courtier, Artaxerxes considered the matter finished and didn't pay it much more attention.
Little did Artaxerxes know, the fate of Jerusalem often intertwined with the fate of its Kings...