A few days later, while resting in bed, Kunogelata learned of a new development: a portion of the slaves at the Thurian stone quarry had revolted, overpowering their guards and fleeing the city. A number of these fugitives had made their way to Amendolara to seek protection. An envoy from Thurii had arrived soon after, demanding their immediate return.

At that very moment in the Senate of Amendolara, the Thurian envoy and the representative of the escaped slaves were glaring daggers at each other.

The envoy was Praexinas, a newly appointed general of Thurii. If Kunogelata had been present, he would have instantly recognized him as one of the chief instigators who had incited the mobs to drive him from the city. Now, facing the senators of Amendolara, Praexinas’s voice boomed with indignation.

“Amendolara is an ally of Thurii! Is this how you treat the envoy of an allied state? Forcing a noble general of Thurii to stand in the same hall as a lowly slave is a humiliation to our city! If Amendolara does not respond to Thurii’s request with goodwill, then Thurii will be forced to reconsider its treaty of alliance!”

His words sent a wave of shock through the seated senators.

Just then, Censor Antonios rose to his feet. “Honored envoy of Thurii,” he said calmly, “we have not yet begun our discussion of Thurii’s request. I did not expect you to march into the center of the hall the moment you entered. I forgot to remind you, your designated seat is over here.” Antonios gestured to a spot at the side of the hall. “I would think a noble envoy from Thurii, more than anyone, would be familiar with the diplomatic etiquette of a city-state. Without permission, foreign envoys are expected to remain silent.”

A ripple of laughter went through the senators.

Praexinas, however, showed no sign of embarrassment. He ignored Antonios and pointed a finger at the slave. “And I have never heard of a slave being allowed to attend a discussion of state affairs between city-states! The Senate of Amendolara is a sacred place! How can you allow it to be defiled by a wretched slave?”

“He is here as a representative of the slaves who have fled to Amendolara, and the request he has made concerns both our cities,” Davos interjected, his voice quiet yet carrying an undeniable authority from his seat at the front and center of the hall. “I believe it is necessary for him to state his request once more, so that we, the noble men of this body, may hold a just debate and judge its merits. So, honored envoy of Thurii, do you intend to stand there all day and prevent our meeting from officially beginning?”

The dignified air in Davos’s tone was unmistakable. Praexinas glowered but retreated to his assigned seat.

“Slave, you may now state your request,” boomed Cornelius, the City Administrator and acting chairman of the Senate.

The slave offered a respectful bow. “Honored lords, my name is Aristocrates. First, I wish to state that I was not born into servitude. My father was a nobleman in Cyrenaica, a major proprietor of the silphium trade, with hundreds of slaves and a large estate. Eight years ago, my father and I were sailing to Olympia to watch the games when our ship was attacked by pirates. My father… my father was killed, and I was sold into slavery in Thurii.”

Aristocrates took a deep breath, suppressing the wave of grief that threatened to overwhelm him. “Despite this misfortune, I did not complain. Perhaps it was a punishment from the gods. In Thurii, I fulfilled every task my master gave me with diligence and never once slacked in my duties. Until two months ago, when the city-state rounded us up and marched us to the mercenary camp. You, my lord,” Aristocrates bowed respectfully to Davos, “stood before us and called on us to fight for Thurii. You said, ‘Achieve victory, and you will win your freedom!’ For the sake of that freedom, we who had never held a weapon took up arms! For the sake of that freedom, we who had never killed a man fought against the savage Lucanians! And these were the same savages who had defeated the army of Thurii! But the promise of freedom made us fearless! We fought with all our might, and when the war was won, of the more than two thousand slaves who fought, only a thousand of us were left…”

Aristocrates sniffled softly. The new citizen senators shifted uncomfortably, the memory of that life-or-death battle suddenly vivid in their minds.

“We waited for that thrilling moment to arrive, but what came for us were cold steel spears and chains. Thurii was saved, but we were marched back to those dark, damp mines to continue hauling heavy stones. We protested, but our pleas were met only with beatings and starvation. It was in our darkest moment of despair that we heard the news: the mercenary slaves who had fought alongside us were now all freemen, with the chance to one day become citizens of your city. Why? We were all slaves. We all fought and bled for Thurii. Why were our fates so different? Unable to accept this injustice, we attacked the quarry guards and fled here. We came only to ask you, my lord, does the oath you swore in the name of the gods still hold true?”

Aristocrates’s passionate and eloquent account moved the senators, and for a long moment, the hall was silent. Only Praexinas’s furious voice broke the quiet. “He’s lying! These are not the slaves who fought in the battle!”

Antonios was on his feet in an instant. “As to whether they were the ones who fought, we have a way to confirm it. The freemen of our city fought alongside them. They spent a night and a day together and are familiar with them. I have already had them identify these escaped slaves at their place of detainment. I request that a representative of the freemen be permitted to enter the Senate and testify.”

“Agreed!”

“Agreed!”

The senators voiced their assent in a chorus, completely drowning out Praexinas’s protests.

During the brief pause, Davos studied the slave before him with interest. Aristocrates had a thick beard and several scars on his face. His skin was dark from the sun, and his posture was slightly stooped from years of labor, but one could still see the features of a young man beneath the hardship. “I will answer your question to me in a moment,” Davos said. “But first, I wish to ask you something. From the way you speak, you are clearly a well-educated man. How did you end up as a mine slave?” A slave with Aristocrates’s level of education would have been valuable and would never have been wasted on the filth and misery of manual labor typically reserved for common slaves.

A bitter smile touched Aristocrates’s lips. “I was first purchased by a wealthy merchant in Thurii to manage his vineyards and winery. I did my job well and earned his complete trust. He even spoke of granting me my freedom… but then he fell ill and died. His wife remarried soon after, and my new master gifted me to the city-state of Thurii for free. At the time, the city was in need of mine slaves, and so I was sent to the quarry.”

There was surely a more complicated story hidden in those words, but from Aristocrates’s calm expression, it was clear he had made his peace with it. Davos said with admiration, “I do not think the gods were punishing you. I think they were forging you.”

At these words, a flicker of excitement ignited in Aristocrates’s heart. He understood the meaning hidden within them.

Just then, the freemen representatives entered the hall. After swearing an oath before the gods, they gave their answer: these escaped slaves had, indeed, fought in the battle.

Praexinas refused to yield. He stood and argued, “It is common for city-states to have slaves fight in their wars! Sparta, for example, frequently uses the Helots in battle and has won countless victories with their help. Has Sparta ever granted the Helots their freedom? Of course not! Given the many years of friendship between Thurii and Amendolara, and the busy trade between our cities, I do not believe Archon Davos would ever have made such a promise. This slave is clearly lying! To return lost property to its rightful owner is a Greek virtue! I once again demand that the Senate of Amendolara return these slaves, which are the property of Thurii, to their rightful owners!”

The color drained from Aristocrates’s face. He turned his gaze to Davos.

Davos, in turn, looked at the arrogant and unyielding Praexinas, a cold sneer forming in his mind. This Thurian has the audacity to threaten me and Amendolara.

He rose to his feet and addressed Aristocrates, his expression grave. “You asked me a question, and now I will give you my answer. I, Davos, Archon for Life of Amendolara, declare that the promises I make are like the ever-burning fires of Hades—they will never be extinguished! Yes, I promised you freedom upon achieving victory! And because you were slaves of Thurii, I asked Burkos to act as a witness. I had him write my promise down on paper and rush back to the city of Thurii to have the generals sign it. Before the battle began, when Burkos returned to try and persuade us to retreat, I reaffirmed that promise to him. I never imagined that to this day, you would still be in chains!”

Davos’s expression turned to one of profound sorrow. His voice thundered through the hall. “You saved Thurii, and so Thurii is in your debt! You helped the mercenaries, and so Amendolara is also in your debt! I request that the envoy of Thurii grant them their freedom!”

The moment Davos finished speaking, the senators rose as one and shouted, “Grant them their freedom! You swore an oath to the gods! You must give these poor, honorable slaves their freedom, men of Thurii!”

Praexinas’s face was a mask of panic. He resorted to denial. “Thurii has never seen any agreement to free them! I have never seen such a thing! Lord Davos, you must be mistaken! Yes, that’s it, you must have misremembered!”

***

Authors’s Note: Silphium, believed to be a species of Ferula, was a plant that grew in antiquity in the city-state of Cyrenaica. It was highly valued as fodder for livestock (believed to promote fertility), as a culinary spice, and most importantly, as a purported aphrodisiac. As a result, it was wildly popular across the ancient Mediterranean and became the backbone of Cyrenaica’s economy, earning so much wealth that its image was minted on their coins. Unfortunately, the Mediterranean demand for the plant was so great that it was harvested to extinction. True silphium can no longer be found today.