The Arising

[ZEUS THE ADMIN]

North of Egypt and West of India, a new civilization has come to power. The stories have passed through the other civilizations that they have the power to defeat Persia and the ability to think beyond anything anyone else had ever imagined. These people were called Greeks.

We slaughtered the Persians. Twice. First, it was the great king Darius, and then when he died, we defeated his son Xerxes in the two Persian wars, when we proved that we were strong and able. We are the Greeks, and we are the strongest force the world has ever seen. It is now 435 BC, and the city-states of Greece are flourishing.

[1] First, there's Athens. It is the city-state where the mind rules and we aren't afraid to question. We have the strongest navy in all of Greece, and our leader, Pericles, has brought the city into its golden age. We have a beautiful acropolis with a temple to our patron goddess, Athena, which we call the Parthenon. There are many people in this city that are outspoken and continue to bring forth their new ideas, which is really making the city bloom. Of course, we are the founders of the Delian League, and it seems that, after a couple years of skirmish with Sparta, we are doing just fine. But not everyone here feels totally secure. There have been some rumours lately, concerning a Spartan navy? Ah, well, no trouble. They'll never take Athens.

[2] Athens? What a joke. In Sparta, we are all about war. There is no point in the education that Athens gives its youth. They are corrupting their minds! Why, if we had a democracy and schools like them, we wouldn't be here today. Our oligarchy works just fine. Everyone here in Sparta is fit. That's just it. You have to be at your very top physical condition if you want to live. That includes children, women, and men alike. If we see a child that's not stong enough, we can't keep them. Women must be strong to give birth to strong children. And from age 7, our boys are military trained. At 12, they spend a year alone in the wilderness. Then they are trained with war games. At 30, they are married but still kept in the barracks until they're 60. This is Sparta. And here, you exist for the good of Sparta.

[3] Welcome to the city of Corinth. We have a beautiful city, but I guess you could say we'll never be as great as Athens (on the other hand, we're a lot better than those Spartans). Most people consider us neutral ground as far as the leagues. Sparta's Peloponnesian League and Athens' Delian League went at it about a decade back, but it's all good now, at least we hope. Corinth is a city that has been flourishing on trade. We love to participate in the Olympics, and we can respect different kinds of people. Our economy is great, as we are in a strategic trade location, and we are happy for the time being. As long as we remain wealthy and buzzing, Corinth is the best place in all of Greece!

...Keep in mind that Sparta and Athens are not friends. They went to war about 13 years ago, and though they agreed to a truce, things are still tense. Corinth is part of the Peloponnesian League, but they are generally a neutral city-state. In one of the greatest ages in history--and one of the most tense--Greece is divided, but flourishing. But do I recall someone saying that "a house divided amonst itself cannot stand...?"