Since I haven’t done a narration today yet, I will be doing the same thing as last time, reading and narrating consecutively. Today’s narration will be the final chapters of The Story of the Greeks, Chapters 107-115.
I’m almost done with my school term, then I get a break. I’ve been working hard (not just to work hard, to work hard to keep up with school, so we can go snowboarding!) and I am going to be done by the end of next week (I’ll try to be, at least, cause we’re leaving in 7 days).
As usual, on with the narration!
Chapter 107
So… From where I left off from Chapter 106, basically everyone died, and it ended abruptly (perfect stereotypical Greek Story ending).
After Perdiccas dies, Antigonus is his successor, and seeks revenge on Cassander, who murdered Alexander’s family. On his way to take revenge on Cassander, he stops in Syria, and asks the king there what he did with the kingdom’s money. The king flees to Ptolemy, afraid because he spent the money all for himself. Seleucus (ruler of Syria) and Ptolemy team up with Cassander and Lysimachus (Ruler of Thrace) against Antigonus and his son, Demetrius.
After a long time, they make a peace treaty, as both sides were weary of fighting. Part of the treaty was that Cassander would set all the Greek cities free. Cassander doesn’t keep his promise and Demetrius overpowers him in a battle. Demetrius becomes famous and sets the Greek cities free. Soon, Demetrius also conquers Ptolemy, and the people make him King of Syria. Demetrius tries to take Rhodes, but eventually agrees on a treaty.
Chapter 108
Demetrius sets out to overthrow Cassander, but other kings join Cassander and his father Antigonus dies. Demetrius is driven back, and loses. He is angry at the Athenians for opposing him and lays siege to Athens and finally the Athenians give in. At this time, the Gauls came to rob the Temple at Delphi but are hindered by a storm, which they considered a bad omen, and in the darkness, they killed each other.
Chapter 109
The Athenians are afraid of what Demetrius will do to them now that he has them in his power. Demetrius says he will not display his power by killing them, but by being gracious to them. He spares them and has grain and food sent to all the peoples houses. Sadly, Demetrius later got captured by Seleucus, who kept him in prison until he died. At this time, the Gauls came to rob the Temple at Delphi but are hindered by a storm, which they considered a bad omen, and in the darkness, they killed each other.
Chapter 110
The Achaen league consisted of 12 towns, and their leader was a man named Aratus. When Aratus was little, a tyrant killed his father and his family, and knew that he’d be next. He goes to where the last place the tyrant would ever look: the tyrant’s sister. She took care of young Aratus and he survived. Later, Aratus drove the tyrant out of his city. Now Aratus wants to take over Arocorinthus, and is led inside through a secret passage by a traitor (His name was Diocles). He wins the battle, and many others too.
Chapter 111
In Sparta, a lazy king named Leonidas ruled. His fellow king’s son, Agis, is the main character for this story. When Agis’s father died, he decided to restore Sparta to its original glory. He rose up with the people against Leonidas, and he fled, abandoned by all except his daughter, Chilonis, who left her husband Cleombrotus to be with him. Cleombrotus becomes king and Leonidas flees, fearing that the people would kill him. Cleombrotus wants to make everyone equal, but some rich people don’t like this, and bring back Leonidas, who exiles Cleombrotus, and Chilonis goes with him.
Chapter 112
Agis is eventually captured by Leonidas and put to death, and gives his wife’s hand in marriage to his son, Cleomenes. Agis’s wife, Agiatis, influences Cleomenes to rule like Agis, and he turns out to be a good king. Aratus, seeing this, is afraid of Sparta’s growing power, and tries to stop Cleomenes from returning Sparta to its former glory, but Aratus is defeated. Cleomenes now conquers more cities and towns from the Achean League. Aratus goes to Antigonus Doson, ruler of Macedon for help and they begin to attack.
Chapter 113
The Spartans are defeated and fall into the enemy’s hands. Antigonus is so happy at this victory, he dies (There is such a thing as too happy).
Cleomenes is driven into Egypt, and, instead of becoming a slave, kills his children and himself. Aratus realizes that Greece will never be free. The AEtolians battle the Achaens and defeat them. The Achaens ask the Macedonians for help and they help, only for the king to poison Aratus. The Spartans and the AEtolians are now battling the Macedonians and the Achaens. The Spartans and AEtolians go ask the Romans for help, and win.
Now the Spartans have an even worse leader named Nabis. He used a statue to take money from anyone he wished by asking a rich person to donate their money to the statue, and if they refused, the statue grabbed the man and pulled him closer to the statue, where there was hidden knives and sharp points, so if the rich man did not consent to give Nabis the money, he would be tortured to death.
Chapter 114
Now there comes a new character, Philopoemen, who was a very good (Greek) man. He wanted to destroy the Spartans and did just that. Now Rome captured him and tortured him to death and his last words were, “I die happy, since the Achaens are safe”. He is called the Last of the Greeks, because he was the last to try and maintain Greece’s independence. Soon the Achaens took revenge and killed his enemies.
Chapter 115: The Last Chapter
The Greeks had a tradition of the celebration of the Isthmian Games, held in honor of Poseidon. The Romans also liked to witness these games now that there was peace between them. One day the Romans announced that Greece was now free, but only for a while, as the Romans captured Greece finally, and Greece became part of Rome.
THE END (It’s just like this story to end on a bad note, right?)