Wicked Men and Vengeful Gods

Greek myths are abound with wicked men, doing wicked things and being punished for their wicked ways. Invariably in their tales these men incur the wrath of the gods and are doomed to a punishment that while cruel, has some sort of ironic twist to it.

Dionysus fromBritish Museum

Everyone knows of the tale of King Midas who upon winning a favour from Dionysus for looking after Silenus, one of his companions, wished that everything he touched would turn to gold. However no longer able to drink or eat as "everything he touched turned to gold" it was only after he embraced his daughter and she turned into a gold statue that he pleaded for the wish to be removed. While not necessarily wicked, the tale of Midas is a cautionary one on being careful what you wish for. 

However, here are three tales of wicked men, who were punished for their actions in three unique ways. 

Tantalus

Tantalus was a friend of Zeus and dined with the gods, however he abused the honour by stealing ambrosia and nectar, the food of the gods, and giving it to his friends on earth. He then pushed the gods further by testing their all knowing nature. 

Tantalus killed his own son, Pelops, and served him for dinner. It was forbidden for gods to eat human flesh, however they knew at once it was human flesh on their plates and for his crimes, Tantalus was sent to Tartarus by Zeus.

His punishment was fitting to his crime. Tantalus was forced to stand in a pool of water with fruit hanging just out of reach. If he tried to slake his thirst the water of the pool lowered and if he tried to reach for the fruit, the branch would lift the fruit away from him.

As such he was doomed to stand there, eternally tormented by hunger and thirst. 

Sisyphus

Sisyphus by Titian

Sisyphus was a particularly wicked man. Seducing his niece, he stole his brothers throne and betrayed Zeus's secrets. For his crime Zeus ordered Hades to take Sisyphus to Tartarus. Sisyphus slyly asked Hades to show him how the chains worked. Sisyphus quickly bound Hades in his own chains and took him prisoner. 

This created all sorts of problems as none of the dead could move to the underworld without Hades as a guide. Ares swiftly rescued Hades and Sisyphus was taken to Tartarus. There he was made to roll a boulder up a steep hill, upon reaching the top the boulder would roll back to the bottom. 

As such he was doomed to an endless task.

Ixion

Ixion was a murderer, having killed his future father-in-law. Zeus in a moment of generosity was prepared to forgive him, but instead of being grateful for a second chance, Ixion planned to carry off Hera, Zeus's wife. 

Zeus was not prepared to believe that one man could be so wicked and so made a cloud double of his wife. To his dismay Ixion stole this cloud double woman proving how wicked he really was. 

As punishment Zeus ordered Hermes to tie Ixion to a wheel of fire and sent him spinning around the sky. 

As such he was doomed to endless torment of pain for having angered the gods. 

These tales are of course tales told to teach a morale, no matter how clever you think you are, you will always get your comeuppance in the end. It's the gods will. 

If you have a favourite Greek myth of a wicked man being punished for his crimes why not tell it to us in the comments below. 

Thanks for Reading

James

Qualis Artifex Pereo - Nero The Last Emperor

A warm Mediterranean wind blows through the hills around Rome, bringing with it the smell of warmed earth from the days sun and the faintest sound of hooves through the encroaching night. Glittering in the dark, lamp light shines off the blade of a dagger held high, ready to be thrust downwards and so snuff out the light of Rome's "brightest star", Nero Claudius Ceasar Augustus Germanicus. The last of the Julio-Claudian Emperors.

The events that led to the suicide of the last member of the great Julio-Claudian dynasty are no less dramatic then the Emperor himself perhaps could of wished for. AD 68 saw Nero facing rebellion against his rule from the province of Gallia Lugdunensis, in response to his tax policies.

"This Vindex called together the Gauls, who had suffered much by the numerous forced levies of money and were still suffering at Nero's hands."

Cassius Dio Book 63 Chapter 22

The legions on the Rhine were sent into suppress the rebellion, which has recently gained support from the governor of Hispania Tarraconensis, Galba. The rebellion in Gaul was defeated at the Battle of Vesontio, however the spark had been applied to the powder keg and the German legions declared there own general, Verginius emperor. Verginius declined the offer, but despite momentarily regaining control of the situation, things were starting to slip away from Nero. 

Marble bust of Nero fromThe British Museum

Galba's popularity grew and the leader of the Praetorian Guard declared his loyalty to him. Perhaps learning from the history of his own family, Nero decided it was time to leave Rome. First heading to Ostia to sail for the loyal eastern provinces, Nero abandoned the idea,

"Whereupon he turned over various plans in his mind, whether to go as a suppliant to the Parthians or Galba, or to appear to the people on the rostra, dressed in black and beg as pathetically as he could for pardon for his past offences"

Suetonius Life of Nero Chapter 47

That night Nero slept in the palace. Indecisive he awakened to find the palace abandoned, Nero called for a gladiator to kill him. When no one answered, Nero with some of his freedmen, fled to a villa located in the hills outside Rome. 

At the same time the Senate were debating what course of action to take. Nero was the last member of the great Julio-Claudian dynasty founded over one hundred years ago by the best and greatest, Augustus the first emperor of Rome. There was no one in the Senate who had lived outside of the Julio-Claudian rule and some who questioned what would happen in the event of the fall of Nero. The threat and fear of civil war were ever present in the minds of all Romans. 

A courier arriving to Nero brought the news that he had been declared a public enemy and that it was the Senates intention to execute him. Demanding a grave be dug, Nero murmured his famous line,

"Qualis artifex pereo" or "What an artist the world is losing"

Suetonius Life of Nero Chapter 49

 Losing his nerve Nero asked one of his companions to kill himself to set him the example, however hearing the sound of hooves in the night, Nero steeled himself to face his end. Still unable to commit the act himself, he commanded his secretary, Epaphroditos to kill him. When the horsemen finally reached the villa they found Nero on the cusp of death. Attempting to stem the bleeding Nero's final words came from his lips "Too late. This is fidelity!".

Coin from AD 62 depicting Nero
from the British Museum 

Nero died on the 9th June AD 68 and with him the Julio-Claudian dynasty. The Senate declared him a public enemy after his death to win support from the future Emperor Galba, who was at that time bearing down on Rome. 

It is often said that it was Nero himself who lost the Empire, through his indecision and doubting his own support. It was Nero alone who threw his position away. After suppressing the rebellion in Gaul, the German legions remained loyal, if not completely content and you can only surmise that a less dramatic and more level headed Emperor could of easily equally crushed Galba's rebellion. After all it was only one governor out of the whole empire who had risen in revolt. Nero's resources, wealth and access to legions remained in tact. 

The end of AD 68 saw the fears of the Senate realised, with a return to civil war and what has become to be known as the Year of the 4 Emperors. The passing of Nero marks one of those watershed moments in Roman history, it paved the way for new dynasties and elected men to take the top job on the emperor of Rome. Tacitus says it best

"For the secret of empire was now revealed, that an emperor could be made elsewhere than at Rome"

Tacitus Histories Book 1 Chapter 4

Thanks for Reading

James

A Dinner Date with Scipio Africanus and Hannibal

In 193 BC the Roman general Scipio Africanus, the subduer of Carthage due to his victory at the Battle of Zama, after a period outside of the Roman political spotlight was part of a delegation sent to help settle a dispute that was brewing with Antiochus III of Syria.

Scipio Africanus

Seven years after the Battle of Zama saw Roman power finally destroy Carthage in the second Punic War, Hannibal Barca, the great terror of Rome, went into voluntary exile after the Romans requested his surrender, seeing Carthaginian power growing again under his leadership. Travelling the Mediterranean in 193 BC he ended up at the court of Antiochus III preparing for war with Rome and offered his help in his war.

Livy in his Ab Urbe Condita writes of a legendary meeting between these two great and influential men at the court of Antiochus III and a conversation that followed

"When Africanus asked who, in Hannibal's opinion, was the greatest general, Hannibal named Alexander, the king of the Macedonians because with a small force he has routed armies innumerable and because he has traversed the most distant regions, even to see which transcended human hopes. To the next request, as to whom he would rank second, Hannibal selected Pyrrhus, saying that he had been the first to teach the art of castrametation, besides no one had chosen his ground or placed his troops more discriminatingly; he possessed also the art of winning men over to him, so that the Italian people preferred the lordship of a foreign king to that of the Roman people, so long the master in that land. When he continued, asking whom Hannibal considered third, he named himself without hesitation"

Livy Ab Urbe Condita Book 35 Chapter 14

It's fairly safe to say that Scipio was angling for a compliment of his own military acumen from a man he had beaten in war, and also to have a little dig at Hannibal no doubt. But let us analyse the three men Hannibal chose as the greatest generals.

Ingot showing elephants from the army of Pyrrhus
from the British Museum

Alexander the Great is without doubt one of the greatest generals and kings the world has ever seen. In the space of a decade Alexander conquered the Persian empire destroying great armies with his Macedonian forces, travelled as far as and into the Hindu Kush and it was only a mutiny of his men that saw him turn back. His slowly emerging empire saw a homogenisation of Greek and Persian ideals and it was only his sudden illness and death in 323 BC that saw his plans fail.

Pyrrhus was an enemy of early Rome. King of Epirus, Pyrrhus was persuaded to aid the Italian Tarentines in their struggle against the Romans. In 280 BC he landed in Italy with the intention of aiding the city of Tarentium and no doubt carving out his own little empire on Italian soil too. Pyrrhus won many victories over the armies of Rome, and his placing and positioning of military camps is often sited as the first example of tactical placement, but he lost so many of his own men in the battles he had to withdraw from Italy, causing it to be named a Pyrrhic victory,

" If we are victorious in one more battle with the Romans, we shall be utterly ruined"

Plutarch Life of Pyrrhus

Finally, Hannibal named himself. The scourge of Rome for many years, Hannibal had crossed the Alps, defeated the Romans in three stunning battles at Trebia, Trasimene and Cannae and came the closest anyone has ever come to destroying Roman power. It was only Rome's complete refusal to surrender and repeated raising of new armies that wore down Hannibal's power in Italy.

Hannibal Barca

There is little to argue with Hannibal in his choices. Alexander the Great was universally recognised throughout the Greek and Roman world as the pinnacle of what it meant to be a general, conqueror and great man, Roman Emperors of the 1st century AD, like Augustus and Gaius Caligula were still trying to link themselves with him.  His choice of Pyrrhus is no doubt due to his developing the tactical art of the placement of military camps and troops, something which Hannibal learnt from himself in his own wars with Rome. Pyrrhus might have eventually lost against Rome, but he laid the ground work for future military tacticians. Hannibal's own achievements in warfare are well known, no more so then his great victory at Cannae and his clever tactics to almost completely wipe out the Roman legions. 

Hannibal's choice of himself for the final slot, led Scipio to break into a laugh and ask,

"What would you say if you had defeated me?"

"Then, beyond doubt" he replied,

"I should place myself both before Alexander and before Pyrrhus and before all other generals"

Livy Ab Urbe Condita Book 35 Chapter 14

Flattery will get you everywhere it seems, as it is reported that Scipio was stirred deeply as "Hannibal had segregated him from all other commanders as one beyond estimation"

Of course if you actually analyse what Hannibal says he is still back-handedly complimenting Scipio. In a nuanced sentence Hannibal recognises the fact that Scipio is the man that defeated him and Carthage, but still doesn't fully accept it outright as ranking as great as his own achievements. 

Opposing generals meeting to trade witty barbs is rare, especially when it is two generals of Scipio's and Hannibal's stature. In a war that spanned the Mediterranean and saw Carthage within reach of destroying Roman power before their own eventual demise, it is nice to think that at the end of it, Hannibal with his little witticism won the final blow in the long bloody Second Punic War for his city, Carthage.

Thanks for Reading

James