Requiem For Athens

by David Alkek

  Aristotle knew that he was unpopular in Athens because of his support of Alexander and the Macedonian Party. The supporters of Plato's Academy and the school of Isocrates also were jealous of him as a rival and critic. He knew that any jury that would listen to his case would be much less sympathetic towards him than the one that had condemned Socrates to death.

  Aristotle met with his friend and fellow teacher at the Lyceum, Theophrastus. "My friend, I am afraid that I must leave Athens soon, before the mob kills me."

  "I feel that you are correct in that assumption, Aristotle. The people and the Assembly are definitely against you. Now that Alexander is dead and the Macedonians have fled, you have no defenders. It is reported that Demosthenes, your old nemesis, will soon return from exile to enflame the city more in revolt against Macedon."

  "I am aware of that. So the prospect that a jury will condemn me to death is even more certain. I will not give Athens a second chance to sin against philosophy. I will never forgive her for murdering Socrates. Socrates chose to give us a moral lesson, even by his own death. He chose death rather than to escape into exile, to show that he would obey the law that condemned him to death rather than show cowardice in fleeing it.

  "I have no need to make a point, for I have already done so by publishing them. The convicted person in Athens always has the option of exile. There is no cowardice in this. I do not believe there is dishonor to prefer exile over death. What will my death gain for philosophy? It will only dishonor Athens again. I will not let them do it, so I will leave in two days."

  "Where will you go?"

  "I will go to the home of my mother's family in Chalcis. I want you to take over and lead the Lyceum. You are its finest scholar and will be a fitting successor to me. Please protect my library and maintain the collection of plants and animals. Surely this city will not destroy them. Defend our school against the jealous Academy and school of Isocrates. I wish you well."

  "Thank you, Aristotle, for your confidence in me. I can never truly take your place. You are a giant in whose shadow we mere mortals but grope around."

  "You flatter me, my friend. I am flesh and blood like you. I have used the talents I have been given and used my intelligence to enrich my life. I have always tried to teach as many as would listen, that the pleasure of contemplation for truth is a continuous joy that does not come and go. This search for truth and the contemplation of it characterizes the highest life of all. We must, as best as we can, strain every nerve to live in accordance with the best that is within us. Always remember that, Theophrastus, and you will do well. Good fortune to you. Now I must ask you to go so that I may quickly decide what to take with me to my exile and what to leave behind."

  Aristotle fled during the night to avoid trouble and traveled to Chalcis. The trial against him was held in his absence. The priests presented their accusations of impiety and read from his books. Leaders of the Patriotic Party accused him of treason for supporting Alexander and the Macedonians. A verdict of guilty was returned as sentence of death was imposed. "If he ever returns to Athens, we will make him drink hemlock like Socrates," said a priest.

  The crowd ran from the trial cursing Aristotle for cheating them of his death. They streamed to the forum where his statue stood. Screaming in anger, they tore it down and smashed it to pieces.

  A friend and former student of Aristotle went to Chalcis to tell him not to return to Athens for he would be executed. He found him in bed ill. "What is the matter, my friend," he said as he sat on the side of his bed. Aristotle's room was small and made smaller by the crates of books and specimens that lay about. His face was pale and his skin dry and hot with fever. He had lost weight and the hollows of his temples exposed a weak pulse.

  "I have not felt well since I arrived here. Perhaps the stress of flight and spoiled food along the way caused this abdominal illness. I can eat only the simplest of broths."

  "What can I do for you, Aristotle?" his friend asked with a painful sympathy in his eyes.

  "There is nothing you can do to help me. I have brought some herbs with me that my father used to use for abdominal troubles. I have been using them and will try some others." He pointed a weak finger at an opened crate. "I want you to return to Athens after you have rested and tell Theophrastus that I hope he keeps the Lyceum thriving in my absence. I believe now it will not be hampered by my political unpopularity. I do not think I will see Athens again. I will miss her."

  "I will also miss you, Master." He clasped Aristotle's thin hand and kissed it as tears traced a course to his lips. As he left, he looked at the phials and flasks in the crate. Some were labeled with poisons that he was familiar with. He looked back at the tired and frail figure in the bed as he left the room. The intellectual giant looked all too mortal in the colorless clothes that covered his gaunt frame.

  News reached Athens a few months after Aristotle had left that he had died. He was sixty-three. Some rejoiced, but most were aware that they had lost one of Athens’ most brilliant lights. Whether he died of his illness, or whether by his own hand, we will never know, although there was speculation on both sides.

  Aristotle, like Plato, believed that human intelligence was not only divine, but immortal. It linked humans to the gods and gave them the ability to grasp the truth. If true, then the magnitude of Aristotle's intelligence and his numerous gifts to human understanding certainly gained for him immortality.

  On hearing that Aristotle had died, Phidias shed tears and tore his clothes. "He was my friend and teacher," he cried. "Different from Plato, he was more a scientist. They both are with the immortals in that divine and eternal realm, where truth is universal. I will miss him, but now he belongs to the ages."

  It was not long after his death that revenge and defeat were visited upon Athens.

  * * *

  Demosthenes returned to an Athens that was complacent in its new freedom, but unprepared to meet a vengeful enemy. "We must rearm ourselves," he said. "The Macedonians will surely come back in force."

  "We can't face them alone," Hyperiedes complained.

  "I'll take a delegation to Sparta and other cities to raise allies," said Demosthenes. "They will certainly join us in a war of liberation."

  He succeeded in convincing Sparta and some others in forming an army. They marched north, filled with the ardor of Greek liberation. Too many times a military force that is filled with patriotic valor believes that the righteousness of its cause will be defense enough.

  The hard lesson that patriotic pride was no match for the Macedonian phalanx had been forgotten and had to be relearned. Antipater's forces completely destroyed the Greek armies.

  "Those stupid Greeks will never learn that they can’t resist our phalanx," said Antipater as he surveyed the Greek slain scattered over the battlefield. "I have lost all patience with rebellious Athenians. I will teach them a lesson this time that they will not forget."

  One of his generals advised him, "Remember that Philip and Alexander had much admiration for Athens and her culture. They spared her of harsh punishment or even a garrison.”

  Antipater replied with disdain, "look at what it gained us. They only listened to that hornet, Demosthenes, and rebelled again and again. They must be dealt with harshly this time. They must pay all the costs of the war. Athens must give up all its democratic government, including the Assembly and the courts. There will be a governing council and governor appointed by us. We'll leave a garrison here to enforce our will."

  "What of Demosthenes and other agitators?" asked one of the generals. "Demosthenes, Hyperiedes, and Aristocus must be surrendered to us for trial,” he said. Antipater issued an order that all citizens who possessed less than two thousand drachmas in property were to be deported to Asia as colonists.

  The three anti-Macedonian leaders knew that if they were handed over to the victors, they would be summarily executed. They fled in different directions.

  Demosthenes went to a nearby town where he claimed sanctuary in a temple
. The priests supplied him with food and water. It didn't take long for the people who sought Macedonian favor to tell them of his whereabouts. A detachment of Macedonian soldiers was sent and Demosthenes soon found himself surrounded.

  The Macedonian captain called to him. "Demosthenes, you cannot escape. We can’t violate the temple and come in to arrest you. However, we will not allow food or water to enter the temple and you will eventually die of starvation. Why not save yourself that ignominious death, and come out to face your trial as a rebel like a courageous man?"

  Demosthenes called out from the temple, "I will surrender to you after dawn tomorrow. I will use this night to sacrifice to the gods."

  The captain agreed. After dawn when the sun began to peak from the horizon, he called for Demosthenes to come out and surrender himself. Demosthenes drank a phial of poison he had brought with him. He appeared at the top of the steps of the temple and began to speak, the words coming slowly and with difficulty. "I have been a true citizen of Athens and fought hard for her freedom against tyranny and oppression." He paused and leaned against a pillar. Raising his head he stammered with all his remaining strength, "Long live Athenian liberty." With that, he lost his support and fell down the steps, dying at the feet of the captain. He was sixty-three.

  Thus it was that he died within months of Aristotle at the same age. So within one year, Greece lost its greatest ruler, its greatest philosopher, and its greatest orator.

  VII Reward

  Chapter 33

  When Alexander was ill and obviously sinking to his death, his generals and friends gathered around the bed of their revered king, who had led them through so many conquering battles, and asked, "Alexander to whom do you leave your Empire?"

  Alexander opened his feverish eyes and slowly gazed around at the eager and ambitious faces that he knew well. He raised his right hand with difficulty from his side, as if to point to someone and said, "To the strongest." With that his hand collapsed and his eyes closed.

  Powerful men looked at each other as if guaging one another. They tried to get Alexander to speak again, but he would not, and died soon afterward. His body had not gone through the elaborate funeral ceremonies, before his generals and administrators were jockeying for power.

  Perdiccas was the administrator in Babylon, and also controlled the treasury. He could probably have assumed the throne, but a vote of the Macedonian Army confirmed Philip Arrihaeus, Alexander's feebleminded half-brother, and the yet to be born son of Alexander by Roxana as co-heirs. Perdiccas was given the title of regent, and with the veteran army commanded by Craterus, maintained his power.

  Antipater was confirmed in his role as regent in Macedon, while Lysimachus was assigned Thrace, and Ptolemy was given Egypt. Antigonus was confirmed as satrap of Asia Minor. Some of these governors supported a unified empire under the heirs of Alexander, while others sought to divide it and retain their own part as independent rulers.

  After these appointments were confirmed, Phidias approached Ptolemy, "May I speak with you, General?"

  Ptolemy replied, "Master Phidias, you have known me since you taught me about the history of government. Please call me by my name. What can I do for you?"

  “I know that Alexander didn’t name an heir. For now the Empire is administered by Perdiccas, and regions have been divided among powerful generals. It is knowledge that you will have Egypt."

  "Yes, Alexander actually assigned me as satrap before he died."

  "But you were wise in desiring it. Egypt is not only wealthy, and already well-administered, but easily defended."

  "You are very discerning, Phidias. Those were my reasonings exactly."

  "When will you leave Babylon for Egypt?"

  "As soon as possible. My men are collecting supplies and what treasure that Perdiccas will allow us."

  "I wish to go with you," said Phidias.

  "Why is that? I thought you would be glad to go back to your home, like the other philosophers."

  "I foresee troubled times ahead. Athens will undoubtedly start another revolt, now that Alexander is dead. Antipater will have his hands full there. The other satraps, including you, will not be content under Perdiccas. There will be war among you."

  "Why do you say that, my friend? Perdiccas is regent for Alexander's baby, and Antipater is co-regent for his half-brother. They both will continue the reign of the Argead House."

  "That is true for now, but there are men who do not want to see the Empire ruled by a half-wit and an infant. The satraps will want to control their own spheres as independent rulers. I repeat that there will be civil war among you. For those reasons, I fear for my life here in Asia as well, as in Athens."

  "Don't repeat any of those thoughts about conflict and division of the Empire. Perdiccas and Craterus would not like it.”

  "Then will you take me with you to Egypt? There is another reason for me to accompany you."

  "And what is that?"

  "I want to start a museum and library that Alexander wanted built in Alexandria."

  "That is a noble reason, and I will support that enterprise. We will have to see what Dinocrates has built since we left him. So the answer is yes; I will take you with me."

  "Thank you, Ptolemy. I have quite a collection of artifacts, plants and animals, and books. I was going to take them with me back to Athens, but I fear now for their safety. They will be a nucleus around which to build the museum and library.

  "It is decided then. Prepare to leave for Egypt within a fortnight."

  Ptolemy was more of a shrewd political maneuverer than a strategic general. He was as realistic and clear in his thinking as he was open and generous with the people who served him. He improved his hand by claiming the body of Alexander. "I will have him entombed in a sarcophagus of gold and put him in the temple at Memphis. It was there that he was first proclaimed god and Pharaoh." He also took Alexander's mistress and housed her in his palace. He later married and sired two sons by her.

  * * *

  Soon after arriving in Alexandria, Ptolemy had a meeting with his ministers. He outlined broad plans for the development and administration of Egypt. He was fortunate in having a vast Egyptian bureaucracy already in place. All he had to do was appoint competent Greeks and Macedonians over them.

  Later he met with Dinocrates and Phidias. "I am very impressed with what you have done in the nine years since we left Egypt," he said to Dinocrates.

  "Thank you, Sire. Alexander wanted the city laid out as a rectangle with the central avenue fifty paces wide, running east and west. It is crossed by another of the same width, running north and south. The main thoroughfares are lighted at night, and kept cool during the day by miles of covered colonnades. The western half will be occupied mostly by Egyptians, while the northeastern part will be for foreign merchants. The southeast quarter contains the royal palace, public buildings, and temples."

  "What about the museion and library?" Phidias asked.

  "It will be housed in this temple," Dinocrates indicated on his plan.

  "That's not big enough," Phidias complained. "Alexander said that he wanted several buildings in the palace complex dedicated to science and philosophy."

  Dinocrates slammed his fist on the table. "What did he want, a school like Aristotle's? We have soldiers and traders and administrators. You are the only philosopher. Where are your students?"

  "The school with teachers will come later. What Alexander wanted is a museion dedicated to the muses. It will be a place where science, the arts, literary activity, and philosophy may flourish."

  Ptolemy spoke up, "I also want a place for learning. It will be no mere collection of artifacts and books, but an institution where scholars can gather, do research, and teach."

  "But, Sire, how much space will that that require?" asked Dinocrates.

  "As much as necessary.” Ptolemy rose and stepped to the window as if contemplating his next words. “I want to build the largest collection of books in the Greek world. I want to gat
her scholars from all lands and house them at public expense. It will be a grand project. Phidias here will help you lay out the space and buildings."

  Phidias was excited by the enthusiasm of Ptolemy. He quickly added, "I will write to scholars in Sicily, Rhodes and Pergamum to join me.”

  Ptolemy looked out the window overlooking the grand monuments of ancient Memphis. His eyes seemed to fill with the vision as it expanded in his mind. "I want you to collect every book or a copy of it in the Greek world." He turned to Phidias. “I will help you develop this museion into the gem in Alexandria’s crown. It will outshine all other places of learning in the world.”

  Phidias' eyes widened. He had not conceived of such ambitious plan. "I will try my best," he said. The museion or House of the Muses will be formally dedicated as a temple to them. The titular head should be a priest of the goddesses. I suggest that you request one from the prestigious temples in Greece or Ionia."

  "I will have someone look into that, “agreed Ptolemy. "Now, I will have my hands full running Egypt, and defending it from invaders. I trust that you will handle the museion. He turned to Dinocrates. "I will make sure that there are funds for the buildings that Phidias will require. Alexandria will be my capital one day. I want it to be a magnificent Greek city to out sparkle these huge but ancient and colorless Egyptian edifices.”

  Phidias and Dinocrates left, both extremely satisfied that they had the support of the Pharaoh of Egypt to build the most impressive institution of learning in the Greek world.

  * * *

  But they were both frustrated in their plans, because Ptolemy was engaged in the serpentine alliances and wars among the successors of Alexander. Within a year, Perdiccas actually invaded Egypt attempting to overthrow and kill Ptolemy. Fortunately for Ptolemy, Perdiccas was killed in the process.