Ivan Yefremov - Thais of Athens

Lysippus skillfully sliced the condor egg with a sharp dagger and allowed its contents to spread over the marble. He poured the raven’s egg over a black lacquered tile. Peering carefully at both and correlating what he saw, he whispered something, then made mysterious markings on the edges of the marble slab. Not daring to move, Thais observed what was taking place, though she didn’t understand anything of what she was seeing.

Lysippus started calculating and summarizing. Thais, who was enjoying the respite from the many difficult posing sessions with the ruthless Cleophrades, did not notice that the sunbeam had shifted to the left and off the marble slab. Lysippus rose abruptly and wiped sweat from his large, balding brow.

“The Indian campaign is destined to fail.”

“What? Did everyone perish?” Thais started, not immediately comprehending the words spoken by the sculptor.

“There are no indications of that and there cannot be any. The flow of destiny is not beneficial and the space they plan to cross is unconquerable.”

“But Alexander has maps, skilled geographers, cryptii and navigators. Everything he could get from Helenian science and the guidance of the great Aristotle.”

“Aristotle turned out to be blind and deaf not only toward the ancient wisdom of Asia, but also to the Helenian’s own science. Although this often happens when one becomes admired and successful on his path. He forgets that he is but a student, following one of many roads of discovery. He forgets the necessity of keeping his eyes open, preserving the ancient knowledge in his memory and combining it with the new.”

“What did he forget, for example?”

“Democritus and Anaximander of Millet, the Pythagoreans, and Plato, who taught in agreement with our Orphic legends that Earth is a hemisphere, or even a sphere. That is why all maps of flat Earth, calculated by Hecateus are incorrect. Eudox of Knid, who lived in Egypt, calculated the size of the Gaea globe by observing the star Canopus and discovered it to be 330 thousand stadiums in circumference. These wise men wrote that the distance to the stars is incomprehensibly large for a human mind, and that there are dark stars as well as other inhabited lands, like our Gaea. In addition to the planets we already know about, there are many distant ones, and we cannot see them with naked eye, just as not everyone sees the sickle of the planet of Morning, dedicated to your goddess.”

Thais looked around in alarm, as if afraid to see one of the enraged Olympians behind her back. “How could Democritus know about the planets invisible to him?”

“I think from the teachers who possessed the knowledge of the ancient people. At one Babylonian temple I was shown a small tower with a copper dome that could rotate on a thick axle. The dome was inset with a window made of convex glass of splendidly polished transparent mountain crystal. This round window, three podes in diameter, had been called the “Eye of the World” by the Chaldeans since the ancient times. Through it the priests managed to see four tiny stars in the night sky, near the biggest planet. They also saw a greenish planet beyond the gloomy Chronos. I saw it, too.”

“And Aristotle knew nothing of this?”

“I cannot tell you whether he dismissed it or simply did not know. The former is worse, for it is criminal for a philosopher. He himself writes that Earth is a sphere, but he left Alexander ignorant.”

“What else does Alexander’s teacher not know?”

“You ask a question that is unacceptable for an Orphic, who believes in the limitlessness of the world and knowledge.”

“Forgive me, teacher. I am ignorant and do my best to partake from the spring of your knowledge.”

“Aristotle should know,” Lysippus said more gently, “that several centuries ago the Finikians followed the order of the Pharaoh Neho, and sailed around the shores of Libya. Having spent two years on this heroic undertaking, they proved that Libya is an island of the size surpassing all imagination. They did not find the edge of the world, nor did they find gods or spirits, but the sun started doing strange things in the sky. It rose straight above their heads at noon, but then tilted to the side, although the sailors were still headed south. Then the sun started rising on their right instead of their left.”

“I do not understand what that means.”

“It means that first they went around Libya and turned north while following its shores. The change of the noonday location of the sun toward the south or north during their voyage speaks of that, which has long since been known to the Orphics and priests of India and Babylon, who used a wheel as the symbol of the world.”

“But Earth looks like a wheel on the maps by Hecateus, too.”

“A flat wheel. The Orphics know that this wheel is, in fact, a sphere, and Indians have long since considered Earth to be a globe.”

“But if that is so, then Alexander is trying to reach the edges of the world, not knowing its true shape and size. Then Aristotle …”

“Thousands of pseudo-prophets have deceived thousands of kings, certain of the truth of their pitiful knowledge.”

“They ought to be killed.”

“Are you that bloodthirsty?”

“You know I am not. But those who preach false knowledge, not knowing the truth, will bring about terrible disasters. Especially if they are followed by such mighty conquerors and kings as Alexander.”

“So far Aristotle has caused no disaster to Alexander. On the contrary. Having convinced him of the closeness of the edges of the world, he has made him reach for that goal with all his might. Alexander has a share of madness from his maenad mother, and he has invested it in his divine power and the abilities of an army leader.”

“What will happen when the truth comes out? Will Alexander forgive him for his ignorance in geography?”

“Some of it has already come out. There was a reason why Alexander went to India using the route of Dionysus. Perhaps he found out about the Middle Empire.”

“You said you wanted to show me a man who came from there. When?”

“Very well. Tomorrow. But now you must go to Cleophrades or else he will smash my entire collection of Egyptian statuettes. I was careless and left it at the workshop.”

While he waited for her, the Athenian sculptor dashed around the verandah as if he were a leopard. Thais’ punishment was being forced to pose till evening. Eris, who had long since been free of her obligations, had to wait a long time for her in Lysippus’ garden.

“Tell me, Mistress,” Eris asked on their way home. “What makes you serve as a model so obligingly? It tires you more than any other occupation and uses so much of your time. Do they pay a lot of money?” She looked doubtful. “I do not think that Cleophrades is rich.”

Thais shook her head. “You see, Eris, every person has his or her own duties that correspond to whatever gifts the fate bestowed. The greater the gift, the greater the duty. A king must care about his citizens and about the development of his country. An artist must create that which brings joy to others, a poet …”

“I understand,” Eris interrupted. “I was taught also that if I possess greater beauty than that of my friends, then my service must be greater and more difficult as well.”

“You have answered your own question. We were gifted by Aphrodite. We must serve people or else the divine gift will vanish before we fulfill our destiny. There are many sculptors and artists who would have paid a handful of gold to us for each hour of posing, but I shall be an obliging model to Cleophrades without a single obol. What about you?”

“Ehephilos asked me and I refused because I understand that I serve the Great Mother and, as you know, one cannot take money for that. Although sometimes I wish I had a lot of money.”