#aasa recap

[athensandspartaadventures]

Athens and Sparta Adventures Recap

Welcome back to the crash course in Ancient Greek History that I started as an undergrad. Two and a half masters degrees and a global panini later, let’s catch up on the story thus far so you don’t have to re-read the whole darn thing from scratch...

1. The Ionian Revolt: 547 BC-499 BC

When the mighty Persian Empire invades Ionia, word quickly reaches across the Aegean to Athens. The newly minted democracy does what any self respecting city-state would do and asks for an alliance, an invitation that all-powerful Persia simply laughs off.

Fifty years after the Persians expanded their empire into Ionia, the Ionians stage a revolt and ask for military aid from their relatives in Athens. The tiny resistance couldn’t stand against the empire, but burning the city of Sardis to the ground certainly drew Persia’s attention back to the little backwater named Athens. An example would have to be set.

2. The Battle of Marathon / The First Persian War: 490 BC

After an initial struggle with the treacherous Greek geography, the Persian army finally arrived to deliver retribution to the Athenians. Athens called frantically for the help of Sparta, known as the home of Greece’s greatest warriors, to no avail.

The Athenians, however, were surprised to find that centuries of warfare against other Greeks was just the thing to prepare them for the Persian invasion force, who were accustomed to rounding up bands of nomads on open plains and not heavily armoured phalanxes. The Persians instead attempted to sail around to attack the undefended city, but the Athenian forces made it home in record time to create the illusion the city had been well defended all along.

3. Thermopylae and Artemisium / The Second Persian War: 480 BC

After a lucky discovery of silver, Athens chooses to invest the money in building a massive fleet to defend the city - no, all of Greece! - from the Persian threat. Meanwhile, the Persian King Xerxes has inherited his father Darius’ grievance with Athens and quickly mobilizes a new army, changing the very geography in order to exact vengeance.

Athens summons the other Greeks, including Sparta and Corinth, to use the natural geography at Thermopylae, “the Hot Gates”, to choke the massive invasion force into a narrow passage lined with cliffs. Due to a scheduling conflict, Sparta was unable to send a regular contingent of soldiers: only 300 Spartans (and their allies) would make their stand against an army rumoured to number in the hundreds of thousands.

4. Salamis and Plataea / The Second Persian War: 480-479 BC

A mysterious prophecy advising Athens to “trust in a wall of wood” after the destruction at Thermopylae is interpreted to mean the wooden hulls of the Athenian Navy, which makes for an impressive defence at the battle of Salamis. The Persians arrive in Athens to find the city evacuated, but leave quite an impression on the Athenian psyche by razing the structures on the acropolis to the ground.

After a final battle at Plataea, Athens and Sparta’s combined alliance are enough to drive the Persian invading force out of Greece. While Athens, giddy to be reunited with Ionia, intends to drive Persia out of all Asia Minor, Sparta draws a firm boundary and refuses to assist. Soon after, the Greeks discover that Spartan general Pausanias has been consorting with Persia. Despite executing the rogue general, Sparta is relieved of command of the Greek forces.

5. The Delian League and the Athenian Empire: 477-464 BC

Flushed with an impossible victory, Athens organizes willing Greek states into a league oriented around a treasury on Delos to continue the fight against Persia. The funds go towards the Athenian Navy, which roams the Aegean protecting the Greek islands from external threats. As Athens grows more and more despotic, more and more city-states join the league under Athenian threats and coercion.

Meanwhile, Sparta faces an internal crisis as the Messenians Sparta had previously enslaved rose up against their masters. Athens’ leadership persuades the city into sending unwanted assistance to Sparta which is promptly rejected. Irritated, Athens decides that a mutual hegemony with Sparta is impossible, while Sparta’s concerns about the danger a democratic Athens poses to Greece grow stronger.

6. The First Peloponnesian War: 461-445 BCE

The cold war between Athens’ Delian League and the Peloponnesian League of Sparta and Corinth heats up when Corinth’s daughter-city Megara defects to Athens. Megara’s alliance means Athens can cut off the Peloponnese from the rest of Greece, which incites Corinth to demand Sparta’s assistance.

The Spartans and the Athenians finally meet at the battle of Tanagra, where the smaller Spartan army routed the overconfident Athenians. Athens took out defeat on neighbouring city-states, installing democratic governments with bloody force and expanding the fight against Persia all the way to Egypt. Ionia begins to see that living under Persia and living under Athens is little different, while Athens decides the city has outgrown preserving the ruined acropolis...

7. Thirty Years Peace: 440 BCE

With a truce with Persia squared away and a three decade peace treaty signed with the Peloponnesian League, Athens begins to relish in the perks and projects associated with the classical age: the theatre, the revelry, and the glorious new temple to Athena Parthenos to replace the ruins left by the Persians four decades prior.

Of course, Athens’ newfound affluence would not have escaped the awareness of the city’s many rivals, even if their faces weren’t being rubbed in it.

Will peacetime be honoured? Will the golden age of Athens be all it’s cracked up to be? Will we ever get to see Sparta recite the entire Iliad from memory? Will any of these questions be answered in the next chapter? Stay tuned...

8. Book of Ships: 440-ish BCE

Athens and Sparta who? This is merely the tale of two very ordinary men named Demon and Eugenios on a journey across the sea to Asia Minor, home of the Ionian colonies and precariously close to the Persian Empire.

9. Libation Bearers: 440-ish BCE

With repatriations, defections, and family tensions, maybe peacetime isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.

Coming soon!

[iris-sistibly]

4R’s: Encantadia Season 2 (April 25, 2017 episode review)

Episode 200

Iris-message: First of all, I would like to clarify that the last episode was episode 199 and last Friday was episode 198, sorry for the confusion, I already changed it. This is Encantadia’s 200th episode and I would like to give them a shout out for making it this far despite of the show’s ups and downs.

Recap:

“Amihan, ikaw pala,” -Ybrahim

Alena and Danaya thankfully came and rescued Ybrahim. But the king was badly beaten and lost consciousness, Alena and Danaya brought him to a room where Danaya used her earth gem to heal Ybrahim. Wantuk was grateful at the sisters for saving his king and expressed concern at him for being too blinded by pain that he’s failing to see that there are others who love him. It was only then Alena realized that she has been holding Ybrahim’s hand and immediately let go. Danaya and Alena consulted Imaw’s staff to know how an Etherian made it inside the palace, the sisters were surprised to find out that the Etherian has the power of ivictus and can still get through despite of Pirena’s protection. Imaw recognized the Heran and told them that she is Hera Juvila, she has an ability to speed up or slow down time and because of this, she was able to slow down Pirena’s protection and the reason why she made it inside effortlessly. Because of this, Pirena, Alena and Danaya combined the powers of their gems to strengthen the barriers of Lireo.

Ariana found out from her dama that an intruder sneaked inside the palace and battled Rama Ybrahim and the latter was in bad shape. Ariana became worried and asked the damas to take her to him, Rehav Manik came and prohibited her from doing so. Despite of them being in Lireo, Manik reminded Ariana that she is a Punjabwe and she’s staying in Lireo as a guest, not one of the diwatas. As a man, this gave Manik the privilege to dominate and control Ariana. Rehav Manik returned and found Ariana asleep, relieved, the prince ordered her dama to keep a close eye on her. Ariana who has been pretending all along grabbed the opportunity and went to the king’s room. Ybrahim seemed to be in pain when Ariana saw him and was probably dreaming or having nightmares, Ariana held his hand and kissed him. An image of Ybrahim kissing Amihan shot back at the former’s subconscious, when he opened his eyes, he smiled and addressed Ariana as Amihan and went back to sleep.

Ariana went to the prayer room and prayed to Emre despite of him no longer in Devas. Ariana still prayed that Ybrahim will be granted protection against any harm, she also asked the statue of Hara-Durye Amihan to protect the man they both love.

Deshna’s fears

Hagorn commended Juvila for her great work and knew that the Sang’gres were not seeking answers as to how did the heran able to enter the Lirean palace. He is also aware that the sisters are doing something to strengthen Lireo’s barriers, it was Hagorn’s tactic to distract the diwatas and for them to make a surprise attack in Sapiro. Everything was set, Ether left the deed to Hagorn’s hands while she continues to look for Emre and Cassiopeia. Hagorn found out that Deshna was missing. The young Hathor apparently escaped and attempted to go to Lireo to warn her friends about what her father has been up to, unfortunately she was caught by Hagorn, the latter assured that Deshna’s friends will be unharmed and told his guards to take her back to the camp. Asval is starting to get worried that Hagorn’s own daughter will be the key to their demise. Hagorn and his troop made it to Sapiro, unfortunately, the kingdom was also granted protection by the sang’gres which is why it wasn’t easy to get in, Hagorn used the air and spirit gems in an attempt to break the barriers.

Back in Lireo, Ybrahim had a vision, about his own kingdom filled with corpses and grieving Sapirians, then, he got surrounded by Etherians and attacked him all at the same time. Ybrahim woke up, Danaya and Alena came and asked what was wrong, Alena noticed black retres surrounding the room which usually means bad omen. Ybrahim had a feeling that something bad is happening in Sapiro and hurriedly went back to his kingdom, Danaya opposed for fear that something might happen to the Rama. Alena volunteered to go with Ybrahim so that she’ll be able to teleport themselves out in case anything happens.

The great danger

Emre’s pashnea friend traveled the world to find Haliyah’s missing weapon. The pashnea successfully found it but the weapon was inside a vortex and the pashnea couldn’t get through, it went back and told Emre the news which delighted the god, Emre and Cassiopeia went on their way to retrieve the weapon. Along the way, Ether who summoned a black butterfly to look for the two appeared, her poison was spreading inside Emre and Cassiopeia’s bodies thus weakening them. Ether has no intentions of letting the two get away this time.

Rave/s:

💪 RAMA! You really are in-love with Amihan! 😭 I thought this episode will turn out really bad but DMR made it clear that no matter what happens, Ybrahim’s heart will always belong to our Hara. Thanks for reminding us that by showing YbraMihan’s first passionate kiss again on national TV, look here guys, I know this may sound nonsense but that YA throwback sparked my hopes again that it’s going to be Ybrahim and the real Amihan in the end, I don’t care, I’ll hold on no matter what. DMR may not be able to grant our request for now, but he’s always reminding us that true love will conquer all at the right time, so yes, I will try my best to be more patient, I have been patient for so long, it snapped when Lira and Mira died, and that one YA throwback helped me cope up in this week’s set of episodes. No matter how many times Ariana kisses Ybrahim, no matter how long Alena will be in denial that she still has feelings for Rama, I am confident that the real reel love story will prevail in the end. Aasa ako, maghihintay ako hanggang wakas!

😐 This is neither a rave nor a rant, but I have noticed and realized tonight that Alena 2016 just turned into Amihan 2005. Have you guys noticed? She stepped out of the way so that Amihan and Ybrahim can freely love each other, yet she’s still there for him when he needed someone who can turn on to in the absence of his beloved Hara. And despite of being exes, Ybrahim still shows concern for Alena every once in awhile which is not bad since they had a son together and all, pretty much like YbraMihan 2005, and while I think Alena will always choose to stay away from Ybrahim (of course to pave way for Ariana’s self-discovery and fingers crossed for the YA reunion), Alena suffering from a one-sided love story is very, very overused. Yes, we have all experienced the same thing even I myself, but this narrative is getting more and more ridiculous af, what was the whole point of introducing Memfes who by the way is more like Azulan 2006 who was very keen at captivating Amihan’s heart. I don’t want Alena’s story to be paralleled in the original version of her sister, rather, I choose and I demand for a better narrative for her character. We all went through the same one-sided relationship shit, but for someone not being able to move on after god-knows-how-many-years is ridiculous and too good to be true. Very “old school soap opera,” we are in this millennia when everyone’s motto is “uso mag move-on bes!” Not all people end up with their first loves, that’s what Philippine series should know about, Alena should be an example and an epitome of “you can never forget your first love, but you can move on and find someone better.” I like the whole becoming mature process of her character but I also wanted her to really move on, like just be free from all sorts pain from the past and just get it over with! No more awkwardness on her side, her showing concern to Ybrahim without giving hints that there is something going on or whatever. Let Amihan 2005’s story remain in 2005 and give Alena an original, well-thought of narrative. Palitan na ang gasgas pwede?

Rant/s:

🙄 I gotta say I have to agree with the apwes in the YA fandom, I think Ybrahim has been hanging out in Lireo way too much to the point that he’s forgetting that he has his own kingdom to look after, he and Pirena actually. I would have understood if Lira was still there but, I also think that Sapiro is being too dependent on Lireo and the sang’gres, I would have appreciated it if they let Ybrahim hold Amihan’s air gem for a little while until the new keepers are ready to take over, heck they also would have prevented the air gem from being stolen! Or maybe give Ybrahim some sort of a powerful item to keep intruders at bay. It was said that Sapiro is just as powerful as Lireo and Hathoria, but I think Sapiro is the weakest kingdom and Ybrahim was downgraded into an incompetent king which I am very, very pissed off, as much as I hate to admit his, the writers just turned him into a useless and overly dependent leader.

😪I don’t even know why I hoped for Arra to kill that kiss scene with Ruru, clearly the Amihan flashback saved her face in the show and for people to divert their attention from bashing her. I am frustrated day by day that she hasn’t changed that bad habit of hers of pulling off the same old face over and over again. Joross is giving the very best he can to be the villain in this love triangle, Ruru is tripling his efforts already to make this Ybriana thing work just to make the fans happy, yet Arra is not doing anything! Nakakaumay na that I’m blabbing the same old shits once again, and while I did say that I no longer care, I rooted for this scene just to give Arra a one last REAL CHANCE. But after the episode tonight, I’m really done guys. So done.

🤔CAN THEY ALL STOP STICKING TO THE OLD SCHOOL HABIT OF SOAP WRITING?! CAN’T YOU THINK OF A MUCH BETTER FINDING DESHNA SUBPLOT THAN THIS CLICHÉ-TYPE OF THE SAME OLD SO CLOSE YET SO FAR PATTERN WHICH IS ALWAYS SEEN IN EVERY PHILIPPINE DRAMA? God! This is why I prefer international shows most of the time.

Best performer/s for this episode: Ruru Madrid 🗡

Joross Gamboa ⛏ 

-They deserve to be commended for their extra hard work! 

Rating: 7 out of 10💎s  

Credits to: GMA network via YouTube and Dailymotion @GMAEncantadia (Encantadia’s Official Twitter account) @GMANetwork (GMA’s Official Twitter account) @GMADrama (GMA Primetime series’ Official Twitter account) Encantadia 2016 (Official Facebook page) www.encantadia.com.ph (Encantadia’s Official Website)