An Idea of Alliance Between Athens and Persia

Citizens of Athens, my name is Lithicles of Scambonidae, and I come to you, the Assembly, with an urgent subject. Athena, the goddess of wisdom, has instilled the words in me to convince you, great men of Athens, to help this cause. Persia- one of Athens’ neighbors- is in the midst of a war of succession. Darius II, the king of Persia, died just the year prior to this very day. The succession of the throne would follow to his eldest son, Artaxerxes II, yet there is a rift in this political progression. Before King Darius II of Persia was to be pronounced dead by the god Thanatos, he had named his younger son, Cyrus, the commander of an army in Ionia. Now, great men of Athens, does this sound like naming his son Cyrus the true successor of the Persian crown? While Cyrus took on the command of the army in Ionia, he expanded his military hand to many Greek hoplites, who were serving as mercenaries in Anatolia as well as Ionia. Artaxerxes became furious and captured Cyrus. Their mother intervened and stopped any senseless violence between the heirs to the Persian throne. (Anabasis, Book I, Part I) This, however, sparked Persia’s current state of turmoil. Cyrus has now openly declared his deposition of his older brother and with that, Persia has been flung into a war within itself after the death of their King.

I trust that you, great men of Athens, and this Assembly will hear my plea. Let us seek an alliance between these two opposing parties. Both men hold enough wealth to quickly revive our ailing city. The walls of Athens signify our strength as a nation. (The Threshold of Democracy) After the reign of the Thirty, our walls have collapsed under their rule. I, one of the leaders of the projects to build these walls, understand this ideology more than any. These walls were built by me, and my father, and his father. And shall the gods gift me with more sons to contribute to the power and stability of these walls and of Athens. As we are proud men of Athens, it is hard to admit that we are vulnerable as the physical strength of our city has been knocked down. But as proud men of Athens, we hold the strength in ourselves to fight in order to make our city great once again.

The two men fighting for the crown are in the position of vulnerability that Athens can assist. Yes, we are in financial need that they can aid us with, but they are unaware of these past thirteen months and our struggles as they have been having struggles of their own. Let us use this to our advantage. They only view Athens as a friend from the West that seeks to gain diplomacy. And as two young men fighting for their birthright to rule, they are in need of alliances quickly. They will make haste to have friends on their side. However, what does Athens have to give, you may ask? As I stated previously, Cyrus’ military hand stretched into some Greek hoplites serving as mercenaries in Anatolia and Ionia. These men, as all Greek men, have served well. It is ingrained in our blood to work harder than any other man, physically and mentally. Cyrus has seen this. If we attempt to invite his hospitable funds into our economy, we may offer more of our men in his service. Men in power need the numbers to back them up and Cyrus of all men understands that. Artaxerxes II, as the eldest son of King Darius II, has been schooled in the art of being king. His advisors have been teaching him diplomacy since infancy in preparation for his time of need. While soldiers are necessary in obtaining his victory against his younger brother, Artaxerxes II sees more. Artaxerxes II sees Athens, a city rich in knowledge and culture, as an asset for his country in the future. He himself agreed that the Persian “grammar and orthography of the inscriptions was ‘far from perfect.’” (Achaemenid Empire) Our philosophers have etched a name in history forever and those around us will be hungry for their teachings. Let us offer our wisdom unto them if Artaxerxes II seeks our help.

Now while I have no say in who I approach first, let the question stand for you, the great men of the Assembly, to answer. Shall we take this opportunity into our own hands? Shall we embark in a diplomatic friendship between either brothers to strengthen our economy now and in our future? We have an abundance of what they are looking for, and they have an abundance of what we lack. This can be our chance to make Athens the city we built and love. Let I, Lithicles of Scambonidae, travel to Persia to carry out this strategy. Great men of the Assembly, I thank you for your time and I ask you humbly to consider this great opportunity.