The natural state of man is barbarism. Rendered thus, man is a beast like any other, content to feed and sleep and rut and little more. If such a man thought, he would be plagued with worry over his next meal, cower at the uncertainty of his nightly shelter, despair at the loss of his children to the other beasts of the wild. Barbarians rove in packs like wolves, a brutal hierarchy built of savagery and witless strength, where even the alpha is but a breath away from being torn apart and left for dead at the feet of his conquerers. But he does not worry, for thoughts rarely disturb the bestial mind. Thus is the life of the barbarian.

If a barbarian is lucky, he will lose in battle against Greeks and be taken as a slave. Slaves are brought into civilized lands, live in civilized homes, and enjoy the benefits that civilization offers: safety from hunger and senseless rabid violence. In exchange, the slave performs labor for his masters as he learns the ways of civilization. The labor may be menial, but this is not necessarily the case. Slaves do all manner of work, from backbreaking labor in the fields to playing music in feasting halls to educating the young to overseeing the affairs of an entire household. A slave may own property and after his duties are done he may work for pay.

If a slave is industrious, he will earn his freedom and become a thetes, or citizen. Many thetes work for others, performing many of the same tasks that slaves do and in fact working under slaves in some cases. Others practice a trade such as ceramics, smithing, or ropemaking. More than mere labor, however, thetes can participate in city government. They may vote for public officers, although they cannot be elected themselves. Their favor and business is curried by the elites of their city, who employ and patronize them to prosper the city’s industry.

If a thete is successful, he will come to own land and beasts of burden, thus becoming a zeugitai, or landowner. The threshold over which a man must pass to become zeugitai differs from city to city. Some require a certain amount of land; others require a breeding pair of oxen; still others require a quota of grain to be produced. Whatever the definition, the sense is that the zeugitai is a self-sufficient economic entity, capable of clothing and feeding an entire estate and all who live and work on it. Zeugitai are financially secure, and enjoy the leisure and freedom that comes with that security. They own slaves and employ thetes; they may be elected to office (although rarely to high office). They make sacrifices to the gods on behalf of their household. They may enter into contracts for trade and commerce. The prosperity of the city is generated by the zeugitai.

If a zeugitai is determined, his estate will prosper to the point where his finances can afford him a suit of armor and a warhorse. If he elects to do so, he becomes hippeis, a defender of the city, and indulges in the pasttime of warfare. In addition to being an independent economic entity, he is now an independent martial entity, and is not to be trifled with. He can back up his will with arms. He can join armies and pledge his arm to others. The success of the army on the battlefield, the stature of the city, and the glory of its patron diety depends on these men.

If a hippeis is canny, his alliances will elevate him to pentakosiomedimnoi, or oligarch, a leader of the city. Proving the nobility of his character through word and deed, the oligarch is far more likely to be elected to the high offices of the city. He may collect oaths of arms from hippeis, extend and call on favors to zeugitai, employ thetes, and will own many slaves. He can sponsor temples and festivals so that the city may honor the gods. He has become an independent political entity, a force to be reckoned with, and an essential element of the city. Everything that the city does will be influenced by every oligarch within it, which often leads to complicated and delicate arrangements between them. The success of the city rests on their shoulders.

If an oligarch is trusted, he may become a tyrant, an executive officer created in desperate times, when the city must place all its trust in the hands of one man. The tyrant often leads armies to war, but also regulates trade and industry, conducts sacrifices on behalf of the city, institutes law, and in all other ways serves as its figurehead and lord. Tyrants may be temporary, rising up to lead the city in overcoming some danger or threat, and then abdicate their power when the threat is no more, becoming an oligarch again. Other tyrants, however, may perform their duties so well that the city will not let them abdicate, and they serve as tyrant for the extent of their life.

If a tyrant is favored by the gods, they may be revealed as demigods themselves, with the blood of the gods running through their veins. Their parentage may be discovered to be false, a story to hide their divine heritage, or a distant ancestor may be discovered to have been a god travelling in disguise. Their heritage may be discovered while they sit on their tyrant’s throne or long after they have let that power pass. Whatever the cause or circumstance, the revelation of their demigod status thrusts upon them a direct relationship with the gods, and they are often called thereafter to serve as intermedaries, representatives, and champions for both sides.

If a demigod is victorious, he may become basileus, or king, of a central city, its surrounding lands, and vassal cities pledged to support and fight alongside their home. He may win his dominion through military conquest, economic savvy, religious proselytism, or any number of means. Only a man who counts gods in his lineage, however, can hope to maintain such power and loyalty. As basileus, he serves his domain as a tyrant serves his city, the executive and figurehead of all manner of business. He leads armies, institutes rites, regulates trade both internal and external, and codifies law.

If a basileus is loved, he may become a god. The support, adoration, and worship of his people allow him to ascend the slopes of Mount Olympus and prove his divinity by trials and tasks. His concern extends to cosmological significance, adopting some sphere of influence as his purview, watching over the lives of men, and meting out justice on the disgraceful and wicked. He will sip from the cup of ambrosia and live forever, the apotheosis of mankind’s potential, harnessed and disciplined and applied to rising above barbarism and into the dazzling reaches of the empyrean.

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What is it? I have only the barest ideas. I can tell you this, though: it won’t see completion until 2008.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, September 19th, 2006 at 3:36 pm and is filed under My Games. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.