User:Lady Kyashira/Shadows Documentation

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Abantis Islands

The third labor of Herakles was to capture the Keryneian Hind,

a beast notoriously faster than an arrow.

This particular labor was not about strength, but about speed and patience. Herakles chased the hind on foot for over a year -in Thrace, and as far as Istria in the Adriatic Sea. However, there's more than one legend that tells of its capture. In one version, Herakles caught the hind when it was asleep with a trap-net or a thrown arrow. In another, it was Artemis - whose sacred animal was the hind - who helped Herakles after he told the goddess that he didn't intend on desecrating

the animal.

The Greeks have long been known as a naval powerhouse. The development team created multiple ship models, covering the Trireme (with three rows of oars], the bireme (with two), merchant ships and other smaller boats. Historical pop culture sources, including a visit to a life-size replica of a trireme, 3rd century BCE graffiti, depictions on vases and stone relief, and movies like Hercules [1958], Jason and the Argonauts (1963) and many others, all served to inform the design team to create realistic and functional digital replicas of these classic ships. The color and animal based designs of the ships are also significant. To the far right, the Athenian ship is clear, not just from its blue coloring but also the owl adorning its sail - the owl being the symbol of wisdom, associated with Athena, the protector goddess of Athens. In the center is a darker colored ship common among pirates, to the left a Spartan ship, and in the far left, the smaller and less streamlined ship is a fishing boat. 3D renders of the figureheads featured in Odyssey range from the proud griffin and Pegasos to the terrible hydra and medusa.

Euboea was an important source of grain and cattle - its name even means “rich in cattle”. Knowing this, it isn't that surprising to find depictions of bulls on their coins. The banner was inspired by the head of a bull, taken from the silver drachmae of the Euboean league. Bulls are sometimes presented in full on other Euboean coinages, like those of Eretria, Karystos, or Histiaia. Because of its resources, Euboea was a strategic region to control, and Athens invaded in 506 BCE. The Athenians defeated Chalkis, confiscated the land, and gave it to 4,000 settlers [clerouch] who could retain their Athenian citizenship.

Metal workshops of different sizes coexisted in ancient Greece. By the second half of the óth century BCE, the development of armament workshops [ergasteria] employing a few craftsmen or up to a few dozen slaves is quite noticeable. Larger production units soon appeared, making metalworking one of the most lucrative crafts in Classical Greece - at least, it is assumed so by historians. As with many other crafts, metalworking was exclusively practiced by men. The smallest workshops for local supply might have been comprised of only three workers: one smith, and two slaves to assist him. On the other hand, the largest workshops resembled factories. They could be very large and employ more than fifty slaves. For example, in Athens, on the slopes of the Akropolis, four giant 40-meter-long workshops dating back from 470-440 BCE have been excavated. The Athenian metic Kephalos might have possessed such a weapons workshop, since it was said that he had 120 slaves working for him. By contrast, the metal workshops found in the sanctuary of Nemea are smaller, but they are not necessarily the more common scale. The overall trend was super-specialization; the sword makers, for example, were not the same as helmet or shield makers. There were doryksoi [lance makers) and machairopoioi, who crafted swords or knives. Helmets workshops could also produce greaves, but the cuirasses, especially the “muscle armors”, were manufactured by specific craftsmen. Moreover, in the large workshops, one could assume that all the workers were assigned very narrowly-defined tasks.

The Bronze Statue of Poseidon at the Archaeological Museum of Athens [National Museum of Athens) depicts either Zeus or Poseidon. It is one of the few remaining original bronze statues from Greece's Classical period, but it is also one of the most impressive. The statue depicts a thick-bearded, curly-haired god with a muscular, well-detailed anatomy. It is missing its eyes, which were made of a different material - perhaps semi-precious stone or glass. The statue's right hand clutched either a lightning bolt, if it depicted Zeus, or a trident, if it depicted Poseidon. For the purposes of the game, we decided it was Poseidon. The sculpture was made by an artist of great skill. It's possible it was created by the renowned sculptor Kalamis.

Andros

(Behind the Scenes)

In Greek myth, the Cyclops is a member of a race of one-eyed primordial giants. They would hunt and kill humans, most notably Odysseus and his crew, so it is only fitting that our Hero should run into one. A huge humanoid with unparalleled strength, the Cyclops wields a mighty axe and is adorned with the bones, skulls, and claws of those he has slain. Artwork exploring the variations of this beastly foe is shown here, by artist Gabriel Blain, including a moss-covered, forest-dwelling version, and one painted with blue eyes, his shoulders and arms bristling with enemy arrows. The team had fun creating these, as Thierry Dansereau explains, "The first villain you meet is called the Cyclops but he is only a one-eyed man. Then you meet a real Cyclops. Surprises!"

Argolis

In the 2nd century BCE, Pausanias wrote that the ruins of Mycenae hid underground chambers where Atreus—Agamemnon's father—and the other kings of Mycenae stored their treasure. He also reported the existence of several graves, Agamemnon's included.

When archaeologist Heinrich Schliemann started excavating at Mycenae in the 1870s, he assumed that the huge buried monuments outside the citadel's walls were the treasuries Pausanias mentioned, dubbing the largest monument the "Treasury of Atreus". He also believed he found Agamenmnon's tomb in Grave Circle A.

Schliemann was later discovered to be incorrect in his assumptions, and for a while after, historians believed the so-called "Treasury of Atreus" was the real tomb of Agamemnon. Unfortunately, this was also proven false when the monument was dated to around 1350-1250 BCE, years before Agamemnon was suspected to have lived.

IMAGE DESCRIPTION: Entrance corridor of the so-called "Tomb of Agamemnon"

(Behind the Scenes) The architecture of each city, town, and village reflects both its location's biome and the building materials readily available. For example, Argos, capital of Argolis and known as the 'White City' is constructed from marble. Shown is a variety of concept art by Hugo Puzzuoli, Miguel Bouchard, and Caroline Soucy depicting the types of buildings and structures the Hero will encounter in the game. The variety of heights, sizes, and spacing is important to keep the locations navigable during gameplay. Like most Greek cities there is a clear distinction between rich and poor, with muddy streets and low, ramshackle houses, leading into stone structure, clean roadways and plenty of vegetation. Black and white line sketches by Miguel Bouchard of multiple temples amd residential villas show the raised steps and intricate walkaways between buildings, as well as the ruins of an older temple.

The region of Argolis was a major center of civilization beginning in the Mycenaean period. In the archaic and Classical period, the entire region was under the control of Argos. The banner depicts a wolf's head, the main conage of Argos. The wolf, "lukos", in ancient Greek, refers to Apollo Lykaios, who had an important sanctuary in his name. In Argos, wolves were offered as sacrifices to Apollo.

The Asklepeia was a religious festival that included contests and athletic competitions. The musical portion of the festival featured rhapsodists and citharedes (singers) competing to see who could recite the best epics. The musicians were supervised by the priests of Asklepios, who served as judges. The winner was decided by a jury made up of a priest, the presiding officer of the physicians, and a specially appointed arbiter. The competition's stakes were high, and artists who forgot to show up received a considerable fine. The Asklepeia was not specific to Epidauros. There is evidence of the festival occurring in sanctuaries in Aegina, Gortys, Kos, Pergamon, and Trikka. Meanwhile, in Athens, the Asklepeia conincided with another festival called the Dionysia.

Somewhere between 1225 and 1200 BCE, the inhabitants of Mycenae decided to secure a constant supply of fresh water for the citadel in the event of a prolonged siege. They achieved this goal by building a secret passage to an underground cistern. The water came from a spring on the nearby Mount Profitis Ilias, and travelled to the cistern through underground clay pipes. As time marched on, the installation drained out. However, during the Hellenistic period, another cistern was constructed on the surface to collect rainwater.

If a trip to the Sanctuary of Asklepios wasn’t possible, sick people could seek help from civic doctors. If Herodotos is to be believed, there was already a system of public doctors in place in Aegina and Athens by the late 6th century BCE. Some physicians received a retaining fee to reside in the community and treat citizens. However, the doctors could still receive, or in some cases demand, compensation from their patients. While physicians probably treated the poorest citizens for free, it is unlikely they were willing to do the same for the rich, or for non-citizens.

Pausanias writes that Asklepios's first sanctuary was in

Trikka, a Thessalian city-state some mythological accounts name as the god’s birthplace. While no archaeological evidence of this temple exists, 4th century BCE coins depicting Asklepios have been found in the area.

The remains of the sanctuary in Epidauros, meanwhile, date back to the 6th century BCE. This makes the site the earliest evidence of the cult of Asklepios.

From the 5th century BCE onward, the cult slowly gained popularity, and by the 4th century BCE it had extended across the entire Mediterranean area.

Due to the huge stones found in the walls of places like Mycenae and Tiryns, Classical Greeks believed their ancestors' citadels were constructed by Cyclopes–giant one-eyed builders straight out of mythology. Nowadays, the term "Cyclopean masonry" is used to describe a variety of walls built with enormous and unworked limestone blocks fitted together without mortar. It was extremely popular in Mycenae, and was employed multiple times in the building and extending of the citadel walls. IMAGE DESCRIPTION: Cyclopean wall in Tyrins (sic), picture attributed to Athanasiou Konstantinos (1875-1905)

The exact causes of the decline of Mycenaean civilization remain a mystery to this day. Competing theories include a violent invasion by barbarous Dorians, catastrophic earthquakes, drought and famine, trade disruption, internal revolts, or combinations of two or more of the above. What is known for sure is that almost all important Mycenaean fortifications in mainland Greece were burned down between 1250 and 1180 BCE, just when Mycenaean civilization had reach its apex. The last clay tablets written in Pylos around 1180 BCE claim a foreign attack was imminent, so it's easy to assume that violent events played a significant role in the civilization's decline. The fall of Mycenae was not immediate. Instead, it endured a slow, painful decline throughout the 12th and 11th centuries BCE until it was reduced to a rural community. IMAGE DESCRIPTION: General view of Mycenae

There are several legends regarding the founding of Mycenae. The most popular story involves Perseus, the great hero and slayer of Medusa. After Perseus unintentionally killed his grandfather, he exchanged realms with his relative Megapenthes. When he arrived in his new lands, he dropped the cap of his sword scabbard—called "mycēs" in Greek. Interpreting this event as a good omen, Perseus decided to build a city. In another version of the story, Perseus picked up a mushroom—also called mycēs—and drank from the water that flowed from it. With his thirst quenched, the hero decided that the land from which the mushroom grew was a suitable place to establish his new capital. IMAGE DESCRIPTION: Perseus with the head of the Medusa, copy of the marble statue from the Vatican museum made by Antonio Canova between 1804-1806)

(Behind the Scenes) These detailed frescoes adorn the walls of residential houses, villas, gymnasiums, bath houses, boats, temples, and pretty much any other surface in the game. These sketches by Ubisoft artists show just a tiny selection of the frescoes found in Assassin's Creed ODyssey.

The baths of Epidauros probably had religious and curative uses, and visitors were encouraged to purify their bodies in them before visiting the abaton. However, the baths were also prescribed to treat different ailments. Ancient Greeks knew the value of a good bath, and Hippokrates himself meticulously classified different bath types according to various ailments and pains. For example, he recommended hot baths to help cure things like lung and kidney disease. No matter what the problem, Hippokrates had a bath for it.

Guest houses were built to host patients during their stay at the sanctuary. One such hostel was a monument called the Katagogeion. The Katagogeion also hosted theorodokoi. Theorodokoi were men of influence who liaised with the sanctuary’s ambassadors, known as theoroi. It was the theorodokoi’s duty to donate funds to maintain the sanctuary, and to make appearances at religious festivals like the Asklepeia.

Hephaistos was the god of metalworking, and the patron god of blacksmiths, goldsmiths, carpenters, craftsmen, artisans, sculptors, and architects. His workshop was believed to be situated on either Mount Olympos, or on the island of Lemnos. In the latter case, the volcano Moschilos of Lemnos was believed to spew fire from the god's subterranean workshop.

Hephaistos' name was closely associated with fire. For example, during the Trojan War, when the river Skamandros tried to drown the great hero Achilles, Hephaistos burned the riverbanks and the entire nearby plain until the river boiled like a kettle.

Because of his occupation as a coppersmith, Hephaistos was usually depicted as having strong arms fit for wielding hammers and tongs, but weak legs due to his constant standing in front of the anvil. However, other versions of Hephaistos' story state he was born lame.

According to the Ancients Greeks, honey was thought to have supernatural characteristics, since it wasn’t fully understood how it was formed. To them, it was a hidden treasure approaching the divine world, and was highly symbolic. The bee and honey were thus part of the daily life of the Greeks. Poets celebrated the sweetness of it, its purity and aroma, and naturalists like Aristotle and Pliny the Elder described the manners of bees. It's known that Minoan Greece produced honey, so the knowledge of honey goes back to early Greek antiquity. It was popular for bees carrying pollen to be represented on jewelry. Hesiod and Homer mention honey, bees, and beehives in their works. Virgil consecrated an ode to beekeeping in his Georgics, describing honey to be a sweet present from the heavens. Raising bees was also a job, and the products that came out of it could even be used as trading currency. For example, Korsika paid a tribute in wax and honey to the Etruscans. With the production of honey, the Greeks developed new culinary dishes and pharmacopoeia.

Herakles' second labor was to kill the Lernaian Hydra, a water monster with numerous poison heads that lived in Lake Lerna of Argolis. One of the heads was immortal, and for each head that was chopped off, two more would generate in its place. The number of the heads was reportedly between six and fifty. In order to kill the Hydra, Herakles needed the help of his nephew, Iolaos. As Herakles cut off its heads, Iolaos cauterized the wounds to prevent them from growing again. To cut off the immortal head, Herakles used a golden sword given to him by Athena. After his victory, he dipped his arrows in the Hydra's poisonous blood, having the instinct that they could come in handy for his upcoming labors.

Herakles, the son of Zeus and Alkmene, was both a hero and god. He was renowned for accomplishing the twelve years at the service of his cousin Eurystheas, king of Mycenae. The first labor was to slay the Nemean Lion, who terrorized the inhabitants of Nemea and took its women as hostages. Herakles arrived at Kleonai, found the lion, and tried to use his bow against. However, the lion's golden fur was impenetrable, and resisted every arrow shot at it. Herakles found a way to trap the lion in its cave, and then used his club to stun the beast. As it lay immobile, he was able to kill it with his bare hands. Thereafter, Herakles wore the lion's skin to show his victory; This was how he was normally represented in Greek art.

After their healing, patients and worshippers of Asklepios would leave an ex-voto in the sanctuary as an offering of thanks. The ex-voto could be a bandage, crutches or medical tools, a confession stele describing their experience, or a statuette. Some ex-voto were especially extravagant. For example, Hermodikos of Lampsakos was instructed by Asklepios to find the largest stone he could, then leave it in the sanctuary as an offering. Hermodikos did as he was told, and the stone he offered exists to this day, his inscription still on it: "In recognition of your power, Asklepios, I dedicated this stone I raised, to prove your art is evident for all to see."

Pilgrims came to Epidauros from all over Greece. However, the influx of visitors increased dramatically after a plague devastated Athens from 430-426 BCE. According to Thucydides, people were desperate for healthcare, and traditional physicians didn't know how to cope with the new disease. These factors led to masses of people making the journey to the sanctuary in the hopes that Asklepios would heal them. Later, in 421 BCE, the Athenians were able to bring Asklepios to them during a break in the Peloponnesian War. The god arrived in the form of a wooden statue. It was placed—along with a statue of Hygieia—in a sanctuary on the south side of the Akropolis

Coming to Asklepios’s sanctuary was a process of purification. From a religious perspective, illness was a pollution the gods could help eliminate. Even Hippokratic authors recommended visits to the sanctuary, especially when the only alternative was a bad or inexperienced healer. Pilgrims visiting the sanctuary at Epidauros had to purify themselves before they could enter. Fortunately, there were nearby sacred springs and baths for exactly that purpose. The springs purified the pilgrims spiritually, but they also made them clean, which was another quality needed to visit the sanctuary.

The Ancient Greeks and Romans had a long history of making bronze statuary. Images of gods and heroes, victorious athletes, statesmen, philosophers were prevalent throughout antiquity, appearing everywhere from temples and sanctuaries to public spaces. However, bronze statues had a high material value, and it is estimated that even a small-scale bronze value would have cost around 150-200 drachmae in the 4th century BCE. As a result, only the prosperous could afford to dedicate bronze statues to sanctuaries, while poorer pilgrims could only offer clay vases and statuettes.

The Asklepian Games occurred every four years during the Asklepeia festival. They were comprised of artistic and athletic contests, the latter of which took place in a formal stadium.

Probably built in the 3rd century BCE, the stadium featured stone seating from where the audience could watch footraces on the racetrack below. Further archeological excavation has

revealed a stone starting line called a balbis, and a starting mechanism called a hysplex, which helped prevent false starts.

The Temple of Asklepios was the main building of the sanctuary. Built around 375 BCE, it replaced an earlier building located further southeast. The temple was constructed over the course of four years. According to Pausanias, the interior contained a chryselephantine [ivory and gold) statue of Asklepios. The statue was made by the sculptor Thrasymedes of Paros, and depicted the god sitting on a throne, holding a staff in one hand and a snake's head in the other. A dog rested by Asklepios' side to keep him company.

The famous theater of Epidauros was built on the slope of Mount Kynortion. It is considered the most perfect theater structure in all of antiquity, due to the harmony of its proportions and its exceptional acoustics. The auditorium, still virtually intact, was built in the second half of the 4th century BCE. The stage building, however, is in ruins, though its basic arrangement is clear enough. The theater housed musical contests held during the Asklepeia, and rocrds show that Greeks used the building as far back as the late 5th century BCE.

Legend told of a beekeeper nymph, Melissa. According to myth, she was the very first to harvest honey. Along with her sister Adrasteia, Melissa took care of a young Zeus on Mount Ida. The grateful Zeus gave unto bees a golden-bronze color, and made them resistant to the weather. Melissa was also initiated to the mysteries of Demeter by the goddess herself. Unfortunately for Melissa, she was killed for refusing to reveal their secrets. Demeter's resulting anger was so great, it provoked an epidemic that made clouds of bees from Melissa's body. The priestesses of the mystery cults in the Greek religion were often compared to bees, and were called Melissai. In these mystery cults, the most revered goddesses were Demeter and her daughter Persephone, Chthonian goddesses symbolizing the return of the seasons. Many honey offerings were presented to these so-called Chthonian divinities. The priestesses of the Artemis of Ephesus were also called Melissai.

The so-called "Treasury of Atreus" or "Agamemnon's Tomb" is the largest of nine tholos tombs outside the citadel walls of Mycenae. The name "tholos" refers to the tombs' round shape. Given their size, it's possible that members of the same family were often buried in the tombs together, along with their riches. The tombs' walls were decorated with bronze sheets attached with nails, and some of the nails are still in place today. Unfortunately, the precautions the people of Mycenae took to seal the tombs—such as walling in the doors and passageways—did little to protect them from ancient and modern treasure hunters, who emptied the tombs of much of their riches.

Also known as the Thymele, the sanctuary’s tholos (round building) housed the cult of Asklepios. It was the most beautiful building in the sanctuary, and its size and splendor emphasized its importance.

An opening in the center of the floor gave access to a circular pit. From there, it was possible to enter the building's foundation: a subterranean maze that may have housed sacred snakes.

Snakes were considered to be Asklepios' emblem. As such, whenever the god's cult integrated into a new city, they brought a pack of sacred snakes with them.

One medical stele relates how a pilgrim was supposedly healed by one of the sanctuary's snakes:

"A man’s toe was healed by a snake. He was suffering terribly from a difficult wound on his toe, and during the day was carried outside by servants and was sitting on some seat. When sleep overtook him, a snake came out of the abaton and healed his toe with its tongue; after it had done this, it returned to the abaton. When the man awoke. he was healthy and said that he had seen a vision: a handsome young man seemed to have sprinkled a drug over his toe."

Arkadia

Arkadia is a mountainous region of the central Peloponnese. It has plains in the valley of the Alpheios and Ladon rivers, and around the cities of Tegea and Megalopolis.

Its banner depicts a head of Demeter, the goddess of agriculture, from the coinage of the city of Pheneos. This

earthy goddess is frequently depicted on the coinage of cities. The greatest gift Demeter gave to humankind was agriculture, and this relation was always shown by the grain wreath that she wore.

(Behind the scenes) The player will encounter seven distinct biomes - six on land, one underwater - as they journey through Ancient Greece. Each features its own flora, fauna, weather systems, and unique topography. The challenge for the art team was to make sure the biomes each had their own individual atmosphere, vegetation, color palette, even down to the type of rocks in each location. “AU biomes are a joint effort of several artists, technical artists, and technical directors who work together to create those landscapes that are driven by procedural rules. In order to create believable procedural biomes, the biome team had to fully understand interaction between elements that drive nature and apply it in the game,” explains Vincent Lamontagne, assistant art director and lead biome artist. From left; cross-sections of the six land-based biomes - Spring, Summer, Arid, Paradise Islands, Volcanic, and Deciduous Forest - gave a broad spectrum of the landscape the Hero will have to navigate to survive. Artist Hugo Puzzuoli adds, “Our team had fun translating the diverse nuances of azure blue from the Mediterranean Sea. From the paradisiac white sand beaches to the arid orange volcanic coast.”

The tenth labor of Herakles required travelling to the end of the world to Erytheia to retrieve the cows of the Giant Geryon. Son of Chrysaor - who came out of Medusa's body - and Callirrhoe - daughter of two Titans = Geryon had one body, but three heads and three sets of legs. When Heraktes arrived to Erytheia, he first killed Orthos, the two-headed dog, and then killed Eurytion, the herdsman. He finally put down Geryon by throwing one poisonous arrow directly into the middle of the Giant's head. Herakles brought the cattle to Eurystheas, who then sacrificed them to Hera.

Ancient Greece had an agrarian economy, meaning that wealth came from farming the land. The polis, or city-state, was made up of the astu (city) and the chora (countryside]. Citizens conducted business and politics in the city, but many made their living on farms in the country, growing olives for oil, wine for grapes, and grains. Due to Greece's mountainous topography and variable rainfall, it is estimated that only one-fifth of the land was arable, so control of the plains was frequently contested. For example, the Spartans conquered the neighboring Messenians and reduced them to slaves with the goal of controlling Messenia's rich and fertile plains. Even a city as powerful as Athens did not produce enough grain to feed its population, and had to rely on grain imports.

Greek myth is full of stories of impressive animals that are separate from the god-like creatures of Medusa and the Minotaur, such as the Nemean Lion, the Golden Hind of Artemis, and the Stymphalian Birds. No foray into classical Greece would be complete without these Legendary creatures. These are strong, powerful animals chosen for their interesting fighting style and appearance. The Odyssey team adapted the real-world versions, embellishing them with different markings and natural weapons. They are dangerous, scarred from many previous encounters, and have an almost diseased, unnatural air to them as shown in the concept artwork by Gabriel Blain. They are not to be attacked lightty. “The 12 labors of Herakles were depicted many times in the game in various forms. For instance the hunt of mythical animals is inspired by many of those myths, as well as some of the stone work and paintings that can be found across the game."

Pan was the national god of Arkadia. His name and hybrid appearance as a half-man, half-goat refer to his special role as the “guardian of the flocks”. Shepherds sacrificed goats to Pan in exchange for protection for the rest of their herd. Pan was believed to enjoy roaming the mountains while playing music on his pipes. The Greeks worshipped Pan - as well as Hermes and the nymphs - in sacred caves. However, in Arkadia, there was an entire sanctuary with a temple dedicated to Pan. The origins of the Athenian cult of Pan have been related by Herodotos. According to the ancient historian, the famous runner Philippides met Pan while journeying to Lakonia to ask the Spartans for aid against the Persians. Pan promised to help the Athenians, and made good on that promise at the Battle of Marathon in 490 BCE when he sowed panic in the ranks of the Persian army.

The sixth labor of Herakles was to kill the birds that lived in lake Stymphalia in Arkadia. These birds were sacred to the god of war, Ares. They were carnivorous with toxic dung, and were made of bronze. The lake where they made their dwelling was swampy, so it was difficult for Herakies to approach them. To help, Athena gave him a rattle made by Hephaistos, the god of metalworking, which scared the birds off. Herakles managed to shoot some of the birds with his poison arrows, but several flew away.

Attika

The sanctuary of Artemis Brauronia, or the Brauroneion, was located near the Propylaia.

In a city dominated with dedications to Athena, the Brauroneion stood out for its focus on Artemis Brauronia, the goddess who presided over girls from puberty to childbirth.

It was likely installed by the ruler Peisistratos, a native of Brauron.

It's probably the sanctuary was built for a smaller branch of the main cult of Artemis Brauronia.

It consisted of a portico, and a wooden statue that was later replaced with a marble one carved by the famous sculptor Praxiteles.

In many ancient texts, the goddess Athena bears the attribute "Ergane", which refers to her patronage of craftsmen and artisans, and other crafts. Athena Ergane was mainly associated with spinning and weaving. She protected women who produced textiles, and in return they offered her spindles, loom weights, raw wool, and textiles as dedications. On ancient painted vases, Athena Ergane was often represented as either an artisan in a tool-filled workshop, or as an owl next to objects symbolizing certain crafts. For example, an owl next to a wool basket was sometimes stamped on loom weights used by weavers. It is not clear if Athena Ergane had an actual cult, like Athena Polias, but it is evident that the goddess bearing this epithet received dedications and offerings from all sorts of artisans. Moreover, the sacred peplos given to the goddess during the Panathenaia was woven under the auspices of Athena Ergane.

(Behind the scenes) Concept artwork on this spread by Gabriel Blain and Fred Rambaud showcases the variety of opponents to be found in Athens, Attika, and all over Greece. The Athenian army is similar to the Spartans', but does have key differences. The Athenian breastplates are smooth, favoring motifs and symbols over representation of muscles. And there is of course the color: Athenians are represented in blue so they are recognizable to the player.

(Behind the scenes) "Realizing an enormous battle on the scale of ancient Greek warfrare was quite a technical and design challenge. We wanted to remain as true as possible to the tactics and warfare of the time, but plenty of compromises were made for gameplay, excitement, and technical constraints." - Scott Phillips "Even making the Discovery Tour was a challenge as we needed to show battlefields without explicitly showing a battlefield. We opted for flags instead of violence to communicate the events." - Paul Green, Assistant Level Design Director on Discovery Tour: Ancient Greece

Following the Greco-Persian Wars, Themistokles recommended that Athens fortify both the city and the port of Piraeus.

The fortifications started under Themistokles and were further strengthened by Perikles and Kimon. Their efforts contributed to the creation of the so-called "Long Walls" that ensured Athens always had access to its port, even in times of war.

Hippias was the son of Peisistratos, the tyrant of Athens. he succeeded his father in 528 BCE, ruled with absolute power, and brutally dispose of his enemies. In spit of this, Athens was surprisingly peaceful and prosperous under Hippias' rule. His reigned ended in 510 BCE, when a Spartan invasion of Attika led to his downfull. Hippias fled to Asia Minor, where he came in contact with the Persian king Darius. The disgraced tyrant would eventually convinced the Persians to land their forces at Marathon.

In Greece, hoplites were heavy inffantrymen. They carried round shields large enough to protect both themselves and anyone to their left, and wore helmets, cuirasses, and leggings. Hoplites normally advanced in a phalanx formation of five to seven lines deep. The phalanx allowed them to attack with spears, and simultaneously defend themselves from any cavalry and archers attacking from the front.

Kore Phrasikleia is one of the most important works of archaic scuplture. It depicts a young woman (kore), and was found in Attika during excavations next to a young male statue. The statue is dated to 550-530 BCE and depicts a kore wearing sandals, a full length sleeved chiton, and a tall kalathos decorated with flowers. In her hand, she holds a lotus bud. She is also wearing earrings, a necklace, and two bracelets. The height of the statue is 1.79 metersm and the preservation of its polychromy is astonishing. Recent research confirms the use of eleven different colorants, as well as gold and lead foil. We know the name of the deeased Phrasikleia bcause it is inscribed on the base of the statue. Her young age is also implied, as she is called the maiden in the inscription, meaning she died before she got married. On the left side of the base is the name of the sculptor, Aristion of Paros. The base was not buried with the kore, but was used as a building material in a nearby church, where it was recovered. Aristion fabricated and signed other statues as well, which allow us to date the creation of the statue of Phrasikleia to between 550 and 530 BCE. It's not impossible hat the artist was associated with the sphere of power of the tyrants of Athens, and that the statue might have belonged to the Peisistratid family.

Philippides was a "hemerodrome", a professional runner who served Athens as a herald.

According to Herotodotus, Athens sent Philippides to ask Sparta for aid at Marathon. During his journey, he encountered the god Pan in the mountains. Pan — who was half-man, half-goat — complained that the Athenians did not honor him as much as they should have — especially since he could render helpful services like sowing panic and terror in the ranks of their enemies. Following the Battle of Marathon, the Athenians corrected their neglectful attitude towards Pan, and thanked him for his help in their victory.

The Propylaia was the monumental gateway on the western side of the Akropolis. It was built between 437 and 432 BCE, under the supervision of either Phidias or Mnesikles, and was part of Perikles' plan to adorn the Akropolis with magnificent monuments. Although it was not seen as a military structure, the Propylaia was also used to restrict access to Athens' holiest area. It was conceived as a spectacular construction of Pentelic white marble and Elusinian grey marble, and its design was meant to stylistically mirror the Parthenon. The Propylaia's construction was suspended in 431 BCE due to the start of the Peloponnesian War, and was never resumed. This means that out of a very ambitious project, only the main building was finished. Nevertheless, with its five gates a ceiling painted with golden stars, it remained impressive. The gateway was also unique in that it mixed both Doric and Ionic columns, in addition to be reinforced with iron. The northern wing of the western façade housed a 10.75m x 9 m ritual dining room known as the Pinakotheke. According to Pausanias, the Pinakotheke was famous in antiquity for its paintings of Greek battles.

Besides Athena Polias and Poseidon-Erechtheus, Athenians believed their city was also protected by Zeus Polieos (of the city). This was based on Zeus being the judge of Athena and Poseidon's mythical competition to become Athen's chief deity. Consequently, a small walled open-air sanctuary was erected to Zeus Polieos ca. 500 BCE. There are no traces left of it, other than cuttings in the bedrock interpreted by archaelogists to be either remnants of a barn for sacrificial animals, or chutes designed to lead the animals to slaughter. The main ritual dedicated to Zeus Polieos was the Bouphonia (“the ox murder”), which took place each summer during the greater festival of Dipolieia. Two working oxen, whose sacrifice was normally prohibited, were led to the sanctuary altar, where grain was spread. The first ox to eat the grain was considered to consent to being sacrificed, and was slain by a member of the Thaulonidai family, who subsequently had to throw aside his axe and flee the Akropolis. That man and his companions were later tried for “murder”, but always acquitted. In the end the sacrificial axe (or knife) was found auiltv and thrown into the sea. The ritual, believed to be very archaic, was based on the myth of a priest who accidentally killed a ploughing ox and had to expliate the sin through annual sacrifices to Zeus. It reminded the ancient Athenians that laboring beasts should not be sacrificed, and that they should respect the sacred laws of raising special sacrificial animals. Modern scholars also think the ritual was a means to explain how humanity passed from grain and honey offerings to animal sacrifices.

Sounion is located approximately 70 kilometers south of Athens, at the southern tip of the Attika region. Prehistoric tombs in the area suggest that Sounion was first inhabited around 3000 BCE.

The sanctuary of Poseidon stood at Sounion's highest point. It was an imposing structure that overlooked the sea from steep cliffs — Appropriate, for a place dedicated to the power god of the ocean.

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The Battle of Salamis, oil painting by Wilhelm von Kaulbach (1805-1874)

The Battle of Salamis took place in 480 BCE, and ended in a stunning victory for the Greeks. The battle marked the end of the second Persian invasion of Greece.

After the Greek loss at the Battle of Thermopylai, cntral Greece was open to invasion by King Xerxes and his Persian forces. Xerxes was closer than ever to the vengeance he sought for the humilations his father Darius suffered during the first Persian invasion of Greece.

However, the city of Athens was much stronger than it had been during Darius' time. Rich with resources from the Laurion silver mines, the city used its considerate funds to finance its military effort, with the general Themistokles ordering the construction of 200 triremes.

The Athenians' strength was bolstered by their cooperation with other Greek cities. At Salamis, the Greeks faced their enemy together.

The battle itself occured as sea, in a small closed bay west of Athens. it was hard-fought on both sides, but in the end, the Persians suffered far more casualities than the Greeks.

Theseus is a hero linked with the mythological origins of Athens. He was responsible for the political unification of Attika, and as such, was considered a symbol of Athenian democracy. The myth of Theseus goes back to the 7th century BCE, but it wasn't until the 5th century BCE that he started to be incorporated into Athens' civic ideology as the founder of the city. Theseus was the son of Aegeus, king of Athens, and Athira, daughter of Pittheus. Athira was also possessed by Poseidon, which means Theseus had a divine father in addition to a mortal one. Athira gave birth to Theseus on the island of Sphairos. After growing up, Theseus travelled from Sphairos to Athens, accomplishing several labors along the way. These labors include killing the bandits Periphetes, Kerkyon, and Prokruste and kill the Krommyonian Sow, a wild pig that was ravaging the region of Krommyon. However, Theseus is best known for his capture of the bull of Marathon, and his killing of the ferocious Minotaur.

A tumulus was a special tomb in which the ashes of cremated bodies were collected in purple cloth — purple being the mark of royalty. The ashy remains were then placed in a bronze urn.

There is a large tumulus in the Kerameikos that was used from the 560's BCE to the end of the 5th century BCE.

Hephaistos Islands

(Behind the Scenes)

Created by Nika Rukavishnikova for each of the twenty-seven regions in Assassin's Creed Odyssey, the flags represent the color and iconography of their region. For example, Athens is easily identifiable as the blue banner with the owl symbol. Krete shows the bull head, and Sparta the rich red with a gold lambda. The flags also denote the export or main industry of that region. A lot of historical research was referenced for these designs, particularly from coins of the period and region.

The banner of Thasos depicts the head of Herakles, inspired by the area's coinage. Herakles had an important sanctuary the city and was the hero-protector of Thasos. He is shown wearing a lion-skin headdress - the scalp of the Nemean lion he killed with his bare hands. The iconography of the coin itself is a precise copy of a relief of the gate of Herakles, one of the entrances to the city. All gates were decorated by reliefs - there was also a gate of Hermes, a gate of Zeus, and a gate of the Silenos, amongst others. The gate of Herakles led to the Herakleion, the sanctuary dedicated to him.

Euripides's “Bacchae” features the tale of how the god Dionysos introduced wine to Attika. The story goes that Dionysos found hospitality in the home of lkarios and his daughter Erigone. During his stay, Dionysos showed his mortal host how to cultivate vine plants and turn their fruit into wine. Later, Ikarios gave his wine to some shepherds. Not used to the feeling of drunkenness, the shepherds thought that lkarios had poisoned them, and killed him in response. Stricken with grief for the death of her father, Erigone hung herself from the branches of the tree that stood where her father was buried.

Thasian wine was very popular in the Greek world, and it was in such high-demand that adulteration and imitation wines became major issues. To combat these issues, a law was established by the citizens and landowners of Thasos that forbid any foreign wine from entering Thasian territory. They also prohibited the selling of wine in jugs or cups, to ensure that wine could only be sold in properly labelled amphoras or pithoi marked with a stamp of authenticity. Below is text from a stele outlining the details of the law: “No Thasian ship shall import foreign wine within Athos and Pacheia; if it does, the owner shall be Liable to the same penalties as for adulterating the wine with water, and the helmsman shall be liable to the same penalty ... Nor shall anyone sell wine by the kotyle either from amphoras or from a cask or from a false [unlabeled] pithos; and whoever sells it, the lawsuits and the deposits and the penalties shall be the same as for adulterating it with water.”

Kephallonia

(Behind the scenes)

The development team kept the siblings as close as possible in look and feel, with a few distinctions. Alexios has a different body and gait, he's larger and sports dark brown dreadlocks, but they share the same coloring and variations on the same outfits.

Alexios and Kassandra fight with a sword, bow, or spear. The development team wanted to show proactive combat, wielding dual weapons with a focus on attack rather than defense.

Earty concept sketches of Alexios by Fred Rambaud show different outfits and weapons, from bare-chested brawler, to

full Spartan warrior.

Pegasos was the mythical winged-horse bred by the dead Medusa after Perseus killed her. Bellerophon captured the animal while it drank water from a well. Pegasos helped Bellerophon in fighting and killing Chimera in Lycia. Chimera was a monster that had the body of a goat, the head of a lion, and the tail of a snake. Bellerophon attacked her from the sky, and thought of placing a block of lead on the tip of his spear. He threw the spear - aiming for the neck of the fire-breathing monster - and the heat of the fire made the lead melt, asphyxiating her. Bellerophon returned victorious, but several quests followed that would leave him blind and miserable.

Pitch and timber were the main materials used to create triremes. The pitch was produced from various trees and was extracted by heat. The pitch and wax were customarily applied, either successively or as a mixture, to the wetted surface of the ship's hull, giving the vessel its speed potential as well as its watertightness and protection from sea microorganisms. The seams of newly built warships - as well as older ships under maintenance - were caulked with flax soaked in pitch. It seems likely that a new coat of pitch was put on before each new sailing. Although pitch was used generously on the triremes' hulls, they seem to have leaked water into the bilges fairly quickly. This is why ships had to be beached and dried out. The emphasis of lightness for the hull timber was obviously a prime consideration in its overall design. For lightness combined with strength, a trireme's timber was mostly made of soft wood such as pine and fir, but the keel was made of oak for extra strength. Masts were made of fir - one of the tallest and straightest trees - while carefully prepared rough, young fir trees ensured that the grain of the wood was aligned along the shafts, making the oars strong for their weight. For the inner part of the ships, larch (pitys) or plane (platanos) were also used because of their Light weight, while the stem-posts adjoining the breastwork and the bow timbers were made of ash, mulberry, and elm. One result of using softwoods was that the trireme hull tended to soak up water. The hulls not onty became waterlogged and leaky, but they also suffered from the scourge of wooden ships: the marine borer (teredo navalis). Consequently, alltriremes were beached and carried out of the water as often as possible to dry and clean their hulls.

It is archeologically attested that systematic reuse of wood from old ships was practiced throughout antiquity. When triremes were sunk during a sea battle, combatants went to great lengths and took heavy risks to recover the wreck. Sometimes, vessels were towed home as prizes, and after being repaired, equipped, and renamed, they became part of the enemy navy. In addition, older triremes were used as service vessels. One was the “soldier-vessel”, a troop transport. There was also the “horse-transport”, made out of old triremes by removing the two lower levels of seats and converting the space into stalls for thirty horses.

Jason was the rightful king of lolkos in Thessaly, though the position was occupied by King Pelias. When Jason appeared in front of Pelias and asked to return to the throne, Pelias told him that he should bring him the Golden Fleece. This was the fleece of the golden ram held in Kolchis. Jason set out on this quest with his crew, the Argonauts. After several adventures, they arrived in Kolchis to claim the fleece. While there, Jason felLin love with the witch Medea, daughter of Aietes, the king of Kolchis. Medea helped Jason in the quests her father required, and her potion lulled the giant snake that was protecting the Golden Fleece to sleep. Once he held the fleece tightly in hand, Jason began his journey back home, with Medea at his side.

(Behind the scenes) We first meet Kassandra in her home on Kephallonia; she is a mercenary, hardened and scarred by her experiences. When designing her features, the team wanted her to look strong and vibrant. Bringing such a character to life includes the smallest of details. “We had to create a false reflection in her eyes to ensure she looked alive. She needed to Look great in every angle," explains Thierry Dansereau.

On his way back home, Odysseus found himself on the island of the Cyclops - giants that have one single eye in the center of their forehead. Odysseus reached the island and entered a cave with his companions. They were so hungry, they began to drink and eat everything in sight. When a Cyclops named Polyphemos returned to the cave with his flock, he blocked the entrance with an enormous rock, and began to eat the men. Trapped, Odysseus introduced himself as simply “nobody”, and offered wine to the confused Cyclops. Once the giant was drunkenly asleep, Odysseus blinded him with a burning wooden stake. The next day, Odysseus and his men escaped the cave hidden under the bellies of animals, while the blinded Polyphemos shouted to his fellow Cyclopes that he was blinded by "nobody".

The sirens were beautiful but deadly creatures that lived on a rocky island. Their song was so enchanting, sailors who heard their singing fell to the rocks. Sirens were half-women, half-birds - or at least, that was how they were represented in Greek art. They were usually depicted played musical instruments, such as harps. In "The Odyssey”, Odysseus was very curious to listen to them, so Circe the witch told him how he could enjoy their song without danger. Odysseus had his sailors plug their ears with beeswax and tie him to the pole of his ship. When they passed near the sirens, Odysseus was mesmerized by the song. He begged his sailors to release him, but they couldn't hear him. This trick saved his life and the lives of his companions.

Skylla was a mythological female sea monster that was placed opposite Charybdis in a very narrow passage of water, thought to be the channel of Messina. The mention of Skylla is first seen in “The Odyssey”, when Odysseus and his companions had to travel the channel and found themselves between the two monsters. Circe advised Odysseus to sail at full speed, but closer to Skylla - Charybdis was more dangerous and could sink the entire ship. Odysseus followed this advice, and as they passed by, Skylla devoured six of his men. They quickly escaped, and managed to pass through with no further losses.

Typhon was an extremely dangerous monster in Greek mythology. À giant serpent-like creature with “a hundred heads, fearful eyes, and terrible voices”, Typhon was either the son of Gaia (goddess of the earth] and Tartaros [one of the primordial deities), or of Hera, or of Kronos. At some point, Typhon chalienged Zeus in order to overthrow him and take his place. The battle between them was desperate, but Zeus managed to win with the aid of his powerful thunderbolts. After losing to Zeus, what happened to Typhon differs depending on the account. He was either thrown to Tartaros, the deep abyss, or buried under either Mount Etna, or under the volcanic island Ischia. Zeus, on the other hand, became the legitimate ruler of the gods.

Korinthia

Terracotta doll (child's toy)

After a baby was born, it was presented to the father, who would then decide its fate. If the child was a girl or showed signs of a disability, they were occasionally abandoned and left to die.

Wealthier families could hire caretakers or employ their slaves as nurses to look after their children. This was a necessary precaution, as children were very susceptible to diseases and illnesses.

Education in Greece was reserved for boys and young men. Rich families could hire tutors to teach their daughters skills like reading, but this was not the norm, and girls were mainly taught how to run the household.

Jason was the legendary Greek hero who led the Argonauts, a group of adventurers named after their ship, the Argo. Together, they set out to steal the magical Golden Fleece, and eventually succeeded with the help of a sorceress named Medea.

Jason married Medea, and the couple eventually settled in the city of Korinth. But the couple's happy ending was short-lived; when Jason met the king of Korinth's daughter, Glauke, he abandoned Medea to seek the princess' hand in marriage.

Enraged, Medea gifted Glauke a dress that was secretly poisoned. Upon wearing the dress, Glauke was burned alive.

The ending of the story varies. Either Medea's children were stoned to death as punishment for her murder of Glauke, or Medea herself killed her children as a way of getting revenge on Jason.

The legend of Medea was later told in a tragedy by the famous playwright Euripides.

Kythera

Aphrodite, the goddess of love, was born from salty sea foam, and that is why she is sometimes called Haligeneous ("salt-born"). The myth tells us that this foam came from the genitals of Ouranos (the sky). They fell near the island of Kythera, and this is where and how Aphrodite was born.

As you can see, salt and Aphrodite go together. Salt was associated with fertility and reproduction. For instance, Plutarch wrote in his Symposiakon that “salt encourages remarkably generation”, reshaping Aristotle's notes in the “History of Animals” that “if they merely lick salt, mice get pregnant”.

Aphrodite is sometimes shown holding a small salt bag in her hand, and those who attended the Aphrodisia - the sacred festivals of Aphrodite - were required to bring and carry a salt bag to honor the salt-born goddess.

Different types of murex secrete different types of purple. The purple is influenced by the chemical composition of their sacs, but also their sex and size. Sunlight, temperature, humidity and salinity can also influence the color's brightness, tone, and intensity. Dyers could obtain a greater variety of color shades by mixing different types of shellfish, controlling the fermentation process, or adding other ingredients such as honey or flour.

Kythera is the name of an island as well as a city. The strategic position of the island - just south of the Peloponnese - made it a target for the Athenians during the Peloponnesian War. Athens occupied it during most of the war and used it to support trade and to raid Lakonia. Kythera's banner was inspired by its coinage. Both featured the dove, which is sacred to Aphrodite, who had a sanctuary in Kythera. According to mythology, this island was the goddess's birthplace.

Lakonia

Compared to Athens, Sparta has been subjected to far less archaeological work, and its akropolis and agora have not yet been excavated. As a result, it's difficult to put together a complete picture of ancient Sparta.

The Athenian general and historian Thucydides gives the earliest description of Sparta, but it is Pausanias's visit to the city in the 2nd century CE that provides most of the knowledge we have today.

The original layout of Sparta is difficult to map because in Thucydides's time, the city did not have any defensive walls. This is partially because Spartans viewed fortifications as frivolous, expensive, and unnecessary - they felt their men could do a better job defending the city than any walls could.

In one of the Athenian general Thucydides's historical writings, he described a debate between the Spartan king Archidamos and one of Sparta's ephors over whether or not the city should engage Athens and the Delian League in what would later become the Peloponnesian War. Surprisingly, Archidamos argued for a more cautious approach, stating that their enemies were numerous, well-funded, and more skilled when it came to naval engagements. He believed that Sparta should not be so hasty in picking a fight until it was more prepared. The ephor, meanwhile, appealed to the city's honor, and said that the only response worthy of strong Spartans was to vote for war. Despite being the king, Archidamos's efforts to postpone the war were eventually overruled.

Artemis was the daughter of Zeus and Leto, and Apollo's twin sister. A virgin and a huntress, she was one of the most important Olympian deities, and presided over crucial aspects of life: girls' transition to womanhood, childbirth, the rearing of children, but also Spartan boys” rites of transition to manhood, and certain aspects of war. She was most commonly depicted with a bow and arrow, and associated with deer. Artemis had several cults in Sparta, and the most important of them was Artemis Orthia. This cult was closely associated to the Spartan education system, the agoge. Many dedications to Eileithyia - the goddess associated with good deliveries - were found in the sanctuary, showing the two deities' roles were closely related.

Dionysos was the Greek god associated with wine, ritual madness, and theater. This temple was set on a hill opposite the Spartan Akropolis. The site was called Kotona [“the hill”), which gave the god his epithet Kolonatas. The temple seems to have been a place of worship for women. When approaching adulthood, girls may have been initiated into the mysteries of Dionysos linked to this temple. During the god's annual feast, Pausanias tells of a footrace involving eleven girls, the “Dionysiades”; this custom would have come from Delphi.

According to Pausanias, the Dromos was used as a place for footraces, and contained gymnasia as well. It was open to Sparta's citizens, who could also offer sacrifices on the nearby statue of Herakles.

(Behind the scenes) The Spartan army encampment in Megaris sprawls across the landscape. Tents house weary soldiers, shields and spears neatly arranged, to be quickly grabbed if the Athenians should attack. These camps are a maze of tents and low buildings, temples and houses overtaken by war and generals, and are always well guarded. “The layout of the locations needs to feel credible as though it could be lived in and at the same time needs to fit within the game metrics of fight and stealth,” explains world director, Benjamin Hall. “Anywhere in the world where the player finds themselves against enemies are designed to be a homogeneous blend between art and design.”

Kastor and Pollux, the Dioskouroi, were divine twins, sons of Zeus and Leda, and brothers of Helen and Klytemnestra. One of them human and the other divine, they were linked to Sparta, as myth stated they were born on Mount Taygetos. The Dioskouroi were the protectors of the Spartan kings, and took turns in their royal duty. They helped the Spartans in battle, and they were associated with horsemanship as well as with athletic contests. In art, they were often represented with their sister Helen. An important number of marble reliefs of the Dioskouroi have been found in excavations of the Spartan area, and are now kept in the Sparta Museum.

Four Spartan kings played important roles in the Peloponnesian War: Archidamos II, his elder son Agis II, Pleistoanax, and his son Pausanias.

In 464 BCE, Archidamos Il managed to quell a helot revolt following an earthquake that shook the city to its core. A few years later in 445 BCE, his double in kingship, Pleistoanax, was exiled for presumably taking a bribe from the Athenian statesman Perikles - someone Archidamos had previously been on friendly terms with.

During the first part of the Peloponnesian War, which was named the Archidamian War after Archidamos, the king marched against Attika in 431 BCE, 430 BCE, and 428 BCE. He was succeeded by his son Agis Ilin 427/6 BCE, who was appointed a guardian because of his young of age. Agis did not manage to invade Attika, but together with Pleistoanax, who had returned from exile, they signed a treaty with the Athenians in 421 BCE known as the Peace of Nikias.

During the third part of the war, it was Agis's decision to occupy Dekeleia and control Athens's countryside, as well as access to the Laurion mines. This move was crucial, because Athens lost the possibility to mint coins with Laurion silver, restricting the city's ability to finance the war and pay for mercenaries and contributing to Athens's eventual surrender in 404 BCE.

Pausanias, meanwhile, was the king of Sparta who laid siege to Athens in collaboration with the admiral Lysander, which culminated in Sparta's decisive victory in Aigos Potamoi in 405 BCE.

The mothakes are one of the less well-known classes of Ancient Spartan society. Most of what is known of them is the stuff of hypotheses and theories: they were either illegitimate children of Spartan fathers and helot or períoikoi mothers, orphans whose training was sponsored by guardians, or poor people whose training was paid for by wealthier Spartan families. Mothakes accompanied Spartan boys in the agoge as their companions, or syntrophoi. Though they did not share the same rights as citizens, they could eventually join the Spartan elite if they completed their training, or if their patron bought them a unit of land known as a kleros. Fulfilling these conditions granted them citizenship, and allowed them to join the Spartan military. Written sources attest that some mothakes, such as Gylippos, became accomplished military leaders during the Peloponnesian War. In fact, it's been suggested that Lysander, the famous Spartan admiral instrumental in winning the aforementioned war, was a mothax as well.

The Lakedaimonian army was not exclusively made up of official Spartan citizens. The army was composed of all male Lakedaimonians aged twenty to sixty [and occasionally even older], regardless of social class. Because of this, Helots and Perioikoi often fought alongside Spartan homoioi (citizens).

The períoikoi were indigenous non-Spartan freemen who lived in the periphery of Sparta, but did not have political rights. They formed autonomous communities and developed local economies because, unlike the Spartans, they engaged in commerce and manufacturing. In other words, while Spartans concentrated on war, the períoikoi focused on everything else. They could be carpenters, merchants, farmers, and fishermen, among many other professions. Their dependency on Sparta did now allow them to develop a proper economy, but at the same time they aided the Spartans by allowing them to concentrate on military matters. It is also believed that the períoikoi procured of the metals and crafted the arms the Spartans used in battle.

When Pausanias visited Sparta's agora, he described the imposing Persian Stoa, a structure built to commemorate the Greeks' decisive victory over the Persians in the Greco-Persian Wars: “The most prominent building in the market place is the Persian Stoa, so called because it was built from the spoils of the Medes. In time they embellished it to the size and ornamentation which It now has. The columns are Persians of white stone, Mardonios son of Gobryas and others.”

(Behind the scenes) “A dedicated river tool has been developed in order to render believable river layouts in a Greek mountainous landscape. Here is an in-game image of a spring river.” - Vincent Lamontagne, assistant art director and lead biome artist.

The Spartan banner bears the letter “lambda”, standing for Lakedaimon, the other name of Sparta. On their coins, the initials were lambda and alpha: “LA”.

This emblem is inspired by Spartan shields bearing the lambda. While there's no archaeological evidence of these shields' decoration, they're known from textual evidence. A fragment of a comedy by Eupolis tells that the sight alone of the lambdas on Spartans' shields was enough to frighten Kleon.

On other occasions, shields were decorated by varied iconographies, as shown on numerous vases depicting warriors.

(Behind the scenes) Fearsome and formidable, these warriors are unmatched throughout Greece and the known world. These character studies by artist Fred Rambaud show the different types of warriors the Hero will encounter in Sparta, from the heavily armored brute, to the more nimble, spear-wielding fighter, and the brawler, replete in gold armor and a heavy ram's- head hammer.

(Behind the scenes) Storyboards are crucial to mapping out a sequence of events. These storyboards by Miguel Bouchard show the Hero's family sharing some dramatic moments at the top of the treacherous Mount Taygetos. This storyboard demonstrates the terrible decision made by Nikolaos.

The Akropolis of Sparta consisted of several buildings that date from different chronological periods - from the Archaic to the Byzantine era. At the top of the Akropolis was the sanctuary of Athena Chalkioikos, dated to the óth century BCE. It was originally a sanctuary of Pitane, as confirmed by archaeological discoveries dating as early as the Mycenaean period. Near the sanctuary of Athena was the ancient theater of Sparta. The theater seen in-game is based on a structure dated to the Roman period. The theater probably had a wooden stage; a fact supported by several inscriptions from the 2nd century CE. Excavations next to the theater also revealed connected shops. The Akropolis of Sparta also held visible traces of the Skias, the semi-circular building of the archaic-classical periods - but with visible repairs from the Roman period.

According to Pausanias, the two most important Spartan temples were the temple of Artemis Orthia, and the temple of Athena Chalkioikos. Pausanias describes the building of the sanctuary of Athena Chalkioikos in great detail. It was Located on the Akropolis of Sparta, west of the agora. Its construction was started by the mythical king of Sparta, Tyndareos, but was completed by the Spartan sculptor Gitiadas in the 6th century BCE. The epithet Chalkioikos [house from bronze] was attached to this temple due to the bronze and copper decorations on its walls. These embossed sheets depicted mythological scenes like Herakles's labors, achievements of the sons of Tyndareos, the Legend of Perseus and Medusa, and the birth of Athena. The bronze decorations and the bronze statue of Athena were the works of Gitiadas, who also composed a hymn to the goddess.

According to many ancient authors, Spartan women were an exception among other Greek women; authors from Athens were both fascinated and afraid of these figures, and presented them as both powerful and licentious. In the warfare state of Sparta, girls were educated with a eugenic perspective to become the future wives and mothers of warriors. According to Queen Gorgo, they were the only Greek women who gave birth to real men, and were the only ones who “commanded to men”. This famous sentence showed the authority of Spartan women in their city. In addition to the desire for strength, gymnastics and sports were also emphasized in education to make the young women attractive enough to marry. This included being well-versed in music, dancing, singing, and poetry. Spartan women dedicated themselves to intensive physical exercise and led very different lives from their Athenian counterparts. They were more autonomous, and more free than many Greek women of ancient times. They also may have trained themselves to wrestle. One purpose of this training could've been for the defense of the city and of their children in the event of an attack on Spartan territory.

Lokris

Salt harvesting was known to humankind at least from the

Neolithic age, on account of the considerable quantities of fragmented ceramic molds accumulated around salt springs. There were two main ways of collecting salt.

The first one was to simply harvest it where it was accessible - that is, near salt lakes, marshes, or near the sea. Pans were used to let collected water evaporate in the sun and then harvest the resulting salt.

The other method was extracting it from the earth. This was - difficult in mainland Greece since the soil did not provide much yield in this fashion. Collecting salt from water was therefore the more utilized method.

We know for sure that salt played a role in magic. For example, eating salty cakes on a special day was thought to allow young girls to dream of their future husbands. It was also used in some religious practices. Even in Homeric times, salt was offered to the gods and used when sacrificing animals and making libations. Furthermore, salt played an important part in some Greek festivals - such as the Eleusinian Mysteries, celebrated in the town of Eleusis in Attika to honor Demeter, the goddess of the crops, and her

daughter, Persephone.

The banner of Lokris shows a griffin - a mythological creature with the body, legs, and tail of a lion, and the head and wings of an eagle. The griffin is inspired by the Lokris Opuntii coinage which depicted Ajax, the Lokrian hero of the Trojan War. His shield bore a griffin on the interior side. Griffins were known for guarding treasure - especially if it belonged to the gods - and were a symbol of strength and vigilance.

Makedonia

Makedonia's banner features the head of a horse. In northern Greece—especially in Thessaly and Makedonia—horse breeding was an important activity and a major source of wealth.

When Makedonia increased its power under King Phillip II—the father of Alexander the Great—horses played a crucial role in the army. Companion cavalry, the elite cavalry of the Makedonians, has been regarded as the best of the ancient world.

The inspiration of the banner came from a coin from Pharsalos in Thessaly depicting an artistic-rendering of a horse's head. Horses are very common in iconography, especially in coinage.

The Peloponnesian War began over two main stories. One is the Athenians having entered into conflict with an ally of Sparta, the great city of Korinth, which had tried to take over one of Athens' allies, the city of Potidaia. The other is the so-called "Megarian decree" which was passed by Athens in order to forbid all trade between Megaris and the Athenian empire. As a result, the Spartans called for a great congress in Sparta where they conferred with their allies. The Megarians were pushing towards war, since they were greatly affected by the decree, and so were the Korinthians. The king of Sparta, Archidamos II, advised for a more cautious policy, trying to prevent the outbreak of the war, or at least to make sure that Sparta was better prepared to face the Athenians who ruled the seas in an open confrontation. The war that would ensue pit two essentially different powers and styles of warfare against each other. Sparta and their allies were based mainly in the Peloponnese, and their force consisted especially of land armies of hoplites—the only maritime power of this League was Korinth. The Athenians, on the other hand, had become a maritime power during the struggle against Persia, and remained so in the aftermath.

In providing for their fleet and for the public building program, the main problem the Athenians faced was finding timber of first-class quality, and particularly timber of long lengths. From the late 5th century BCE at least, and throughout the 4th century BCE, there is ample evidence that Athens relied primarily on Makedonia for her ship-timber. As for the timber needed for housing, the rich, who were more concerned with quality, possibly preferred the greater variety and finer quality materials available from Makedonia, Italy, or Ásia Minor. In addition, what Attika was unable to supply could probably have been bought in Euboea.

The eighth labor of Herakles was to bring back the mares of Diomedes. Diomedes, the king of Thrace and son of Ares and Cyrene, fed his horses human flesh. This drove the horses mad, making them wild. Herakles captured the beasts with the help of his young companion Abderos, and left the horses with him while he chased down Diomedes. In Herakles's absence, the crazed horses ate the young boy. Seeking revenge, Herakles then fed Diomedes to the horses, and founded the city of Abdera nearby in his friend's honor. When Eurystheas received the horses, he dedicated them to Hera.

In the Classical era, metal armor coexisted alongside lighter cuirasses (corselets) called “linothoraxes”. This was because procuring an actual set of bronze armor was beyond the means of many citizens - especially in poorer cities. Linothoraxes were also sometimes preferred in situations where hoplites had to be Lighter and more mobile. The linothorax consisted of a linen breastplate that could be strengthened with shoulder pieces, bronze scales, or bronze- sheeted mantling. To protect the Lower abdomen and the groin, two layers of pteruges - “wings” in ancient Greek — were attached to the bottom edge of the armor. Linen armor was one of the oldest types of armor in Greece. It even appears in “The Iliad" - a story that is believed to have taken place long before the Classical period.

If a hoplite's spear broke or if he had to fight hand to hand - as was the case for the 300 Spartans in the final stages of the battle of Thermopylai - he could always fall back on his sword. In the 4th century BCE, the most common sword had a thick cruciform hilt with a blade that swelled near the tip. Hoplites carried their sword in a sheath under their Left arm, enabling them to quickly seize their weapon with their right hand. Ancient Greeks had specific names to refer to different types of swords, but it's difficult for modern historians to match these names with their corresponding weapon. While “xiphos” was the standard name for swords in ancient Greek, words like “machaira” and “kopis" were also used. It is believed that the previous two words may have referred to recurved swords, while xiphos described straight-bladed weapons.

A hoplite's equipment consisted of a bronze cuirass (or lighter armor], bronze greaves, a spear, and a sword. Although the comic playwright Aristophanes was probably exaggerating when he wrote that crafted armor cost 1,000 drachmae - about ten times the monthly wages of a skilled craftsman - the bronze-muscle cuirass was one of the costliest pieces of a hoplite's equipment. As such, only the wealthiest individuals could afford it. A soldier's body armor could be completed by a pair of greaves to protect their shins. The greaves were made of hammered bronze, and had to be well-adjusted to the hoplite's legs. They also had to be made thin so as not to weigh the soldier down. Since shin greaves were also expensive, many lower-class citizens opted not to buy them, instead purchasing armor that covered more vital parts of their body. Altogether, an entire set of armor was known as a “panoply”.

Hoplites were heavily armored infantrymen. Their most important piece of equipment was arguably the “aspis”, a round shield large enough to protect both its wearer and the man to the left of him. The aspis was light and could effectively parry spear and sword thrusts. However, according to its depiction on ancient vases, it was ineffective against javelins and arrows. Hoplite helmets were similarly designed to be light, but they could endure direct blows and offered a reasonable amount of protection. There were many varieties of helmet, but the most widespread seems to have been the Korinthian helmet. Made of a single sheet of bronze that covered much of the head and neck, the Korinthian helmet offered only a small, t- shaped opening at the front to allow soldiers to see and breathe. Because the helmet was closed in on itself, it most likely impaired the sight and hearing of the soldiers who wore it. Helmets could also be adorned with crests of dyed horsehair to make the hoplites wearing them look more imposing.

Hoplites mainly fought using spears. Called “dory” in ancient Greek, the spear was a wooden shaft with a Length of up to three meters. It was probably made from the wood of ash trees, since the trees provided strong material that was also light enough to be handled with ease. The spear-head and butt were manufactured in metal workshops. The spear-head was usually made of iron - but could also be made of bronze - and was fixed to the slender end of the wooden shaft with pitch or nails. The spear-butt allowed the weapon to be planted in the ground when not being used. It's possible that the spear-butt could also have served as a spare head, but there's little evidence to support this theory. The spear also had a hand grip which may have been made of leather.

Malis

Upon the arrival of the Persians, the terrified Delphians consulted the Oracle of Apollo. They were told to address their prayers to the winds, as they would be Greece's most powerful ally in the coming conflict; Xerxes campaign did indeed rely heavily on coordination between land and sea forces advancing in unison. During the Battle of Thermopylai, a storm cost the Persian sea armada many of its ships—over four hundred vessels were destroyed. In calm weather, these ships would likely have forced the Greeks to fight in a tactical retreat, letting Xerxes land troops south of Leonidas' position and bypass Thermopylai entirely. The cooperation of the winds led the Athenians to later construct a temple in honor of Boreas, the wind god.

The Greeks had always distinguished Europe—where they had settled—from Asia. They reckoned it began with the far side of the Aegean Sea and extended well beyond to Persia and India. But, beyond pure geography, the Persian invasion gave a political significance to the distinction between Asia and Europe. Herodotos writes of two worlds: Asia, dominated by the Persian Empire, and Europe, by which he actually means the Greek world. This is particularly notable at the time of the passage of the Dardanelles by the Persian army. While Greece is still a few hundreds of kilometers away, Herodotos quotes Xerxes as saying: "Let us enter into Europe after having prayed to the gods who reign over the land of the Persians". He passes radically from one world to another, from one civilization to the other. Texts describe Asia as a "barbarous country", but we must be careful that the word does not have the meaning of today; it simply means that the spoken language is incomprehensible to the Greeks, without implying a judgement of value.

In "The Iliad", Homer describes the struggles that broke out between friends and foes over who would lay claim to the remains of a fallen warrior. The death of Leonidas at Thermopylai prompted such a fight. Herodotos, who knew "The Iliad" well, was no doubt aware that he was repeating a well-known trope. He says that two sons of Darius fell in fighting over Leonidas' corpse, and that a melee ensued between the Spartans and Persians. Leonidas' conduct at Thermopylai is comparable to the Homeric heroes of legend, as it's often suggested that this conflict is as important as the Trojan War itself.

The Greco-Persian Wars incited the Greek Herotodos from Asia Minor to write the first works of a new literary genre: history. At the beginning of his book, Herodotos writes, "Herodotos exposes here his research, so that what men have accomplished does not fade from memory, those great and wonderful exploits accomplished by both Barbarians and Greeks". The word "research" was previously used only in medicine to describe the search for the causes of a disease. It then came to designate a new intellectual construction, history, in the current sense of the word, highlighting the need for rigor and objectivity. Since the 5th century BCE, it's thanks to the Histories of Herodotos that we're able to understand the deeds of Sparta at Thermopylai.

Xerxes went to spectacular lengths to ensure the passage of his army from Asia Minor into Greece. For example, he made a bridge of boats to cross the straits of Dardanelles, twelve kilometers long. This bridge was barely finished when a storm destroyed it. Furious, Xerxes ordered that the sea be punished with three hundred lashes, and the chains be thrown to the bottom of the ocean to better restrain it. Xerxes also dug a canal at the entrance of the eastern peninsula of Athos, which has a height of more than 2,000 meters, can prove extremely dangerous in the event of a storm, as shown by the catastrophe that struck a Persian fleet in 492 BCE. Xerxes had a channel of some two kilometers long constructed, using "detachments of all the peoples of the army, and by the inhabitants of the region, who dug under the threat of the whip". Herodotos saw it as a manifestation of pride more than a work of public utility. It would've sufficed, he says, to build a kind of wooden rail on which the vessels would have been drawn, as was done for the Isthmus of Korinth.

Megaris

This banner is inspired by the coins from Halikarnassos. Bandits and pirates have been associated with a ketos—a sea monster associated with Poseidon—which is often depicted on their coins from 500-495 BCE.

Bandits and piracy were a harsh realities (sic) in antiquity—so much so, that it wasn't unheard of to be killed or enslaved by them.

A ketos looks like a serpent fish with a dragon head. When he needed to send punishment, Poseidon would unleash a ketos. He sent one to Troy to punish King Laomedon, and sent another attack Ethiopia to punish King Cepheus and Queen Cassiopeia. However, the latter ketos was killed by Perseus when he rescued Andromeda.

The region of Megaris is the link between central Greece and the Peloponnese, located on the Isthmus of Korinth. The area was well-suited for agriculture and animal husbandry. The name of the city derived from "megarizein", the appellation of a ritual in honor of Demeter and Kore where piglets and other offerings were thrown into ground cavities (megara). Pigs and boars were often depicted on coins, and one coin of Lyttos in Krete was chosen as the model for the banner. Pigs served as both food and sacrifices, but on some occasions they were used in war. When Megara was besieged by the Makedonian King Antigonos Gonatas, the Megarians sent burning pigs to defeat his elephants.

Messara

The area of Messara is the largest plain of the island of Krete.

The symbol of the region is inspired by the coins of Knossos, which bear a labyrinth on the reverse, referencing the famous Kretan Minotaur myth.

The minotaur was half-human, half-bull. King Minos of Krete made the mistake of sacrificing a bull, and thus angered Poseidon. The god then instilled “passion” for the bull into Minos' wife, who later gave birth to the minotaur.

The minotaur was kept in the labyrinth built by Daidalos. On a regular basis, fourteen young men and women were given to

the beast in tribute, until the hero Theseus killed him.

The seventh labor of Herakles was to kill a great bull that had destroyed crops and property in Krete. Herakles went to King Minos of Krete, who gave him permission to get rid of the bull. Herakles managed to capture the beast, suppressing it with his hands, but he ultimately didn't kill it. Instead, he shipped the bull to Eurystheas so he could confirm that the labor was successful, and then the animal was released.

Koulourai are large, stone-walled pits that can be found in a number of major sites in Krete, including Knossos, Malia, and Phaistos. All of them were constructed around 1850-1750 BCE. While the exact purpose of the koulourai is still debated, there are three prominent theories as to what they were used for. Arthur Evans believed they functioned as refuse or garbage pits. Conversely, Chapouthier and Pernier theorized that they were used as ancient cisterns. However, this theory is flawed since kouroulai did not have the same waterproofing as other Knossian structures of the time. The most widely accepted theory is that koulourai were used to store grain. This assumption gains even more ground when paired with the theory that Minoan palaces were not palaces at all, but massive agricultural redistribution centers.

In the "History of Animals” by Aristotle, he provides a guide to the species present in the Mediterranean: 105 fish, twenty- four shells, twenty-four marine or crustacean animals, and five cetaceans and amphibious animals. Philosophers and moralists had little regard for fishermen. Plato deemed the activity unworthy of a well-born man. But there was solidarity between sailors, and the specificity of the trade was important enough to even become a Literary theme; it's known that Aischylos had written a piece entitled “Diktyoulkoi” (Net-Haulers), and Menander wrote a piece called “The Fishermen”. These authors were much more interested in the psychology of the fisherman than the real sociology of the profession. A fisherman is often alone, practicing his profession all year long. He has to be intelligent and cunning, but he also must be lucky.

Navigation on the Mediterranean was difficult. Most sailing depended on the winds, and was done in the summer. The storm season started in late September or early October, and ended in late February or early March. During these months, navigation was highly dangerous. In addition, the nature of th currents made certain areas dangerous. The sea monsters Charybdis and Skylla in “The Odyssey” would be the pictorial representation of the strong current of the Strait of Messina that separates the western tip of the south of Magna Graecia with Sicily. There were several methods of fishing in ancient Greece. Plato and Oppian discussed fishing with nets, laces, baskets, hooks or tridents, and angling. t was also possible to fish for mollusks, shellfish, crustaceans, and fish thrown from the sea to the shores. In some cases, the fish was caught by hand, like in octopus fishing. Fishing could also be done with lanterns - as fish were attracted to the light source - or could simply be “picked" during sleep. There were also more unusual methods, such as the smell fishery where fish were attracted with foul food, excrement, or salted octopus. There was also the method of “poisoning fishing”, where plants like hellebore or conia were used to catch fish and octopus.

(Behind the scenes) The seventh biome of the game, the Hero explores the underwater world of the Aegen Sea looking for treasure and artifacts. The sea teems with all manner of life including dangerous sharks and beautiful corals. “By exploring the depths of the ocean the player can choose to take a dive amongst long forgotten ruins. Here they can take on fights with deadly sharks as they search for hidden treasures,” adds Benjamin Hall. Featuring shipwrecks, ruins and remnants of ancient civilizations as shown in these concept arts by Hugo Puzzuoli, this biome is just as diverse and intricate as the rest.

Messenia

Charcoal is the solid residue that remains when wood - or other organic matter - is “carbonized” under controlled

conditions in a closed space. Very Little air is allowed to come into contact with the fuel during the carbonization process. If this condition is not observed, the wood (or other raw material) is simply reduced to ash and its fuel value is lost.

This means that transport costs are much lower for locally produced charcoal than for Locally gathered wood - an important consideration for a product whose production cost consists almost exclusively of the labor invested in it. It's also noteworthy that charcoal creates a much hotter, more even, and more easily controlled heat than wood, which means that itis much better suited for domestic cooking and grilling and a virtual “sine qua non” for blacksmithing and particularly ironworking.

Messenia's history was linked closely with Sparta's. The region was long-occupied by the Spartans - its population was enslaved as helots. Independent cities emerged only after the Theban invasion of the Peloponnese in the 4th century BCE. After the defeat of the Spartan army at the battle of Leuktra in 371 BCE, the helots of Messenia revolted against Sparta. Epaminondas, the Theban general, supported the building of the fortified city of Messene. The banner of Messenia is inspired by the coins of Messene, showing Zeus brandishing his thunderbolt. Zeus had an important sanctuary on Mount Ithome, which was included in the walls of Messene.

(Behind the scenes) Waging war in the ocean was a brutal affair in Ancient Greece, The ships, mostly triremes, were simply designed and unstable, especially in high seas and adverse weather. The development team looked at historical accounts of naval warfare from the period to recreate the drama and danger in game. Blue-clad Athenians have their ship cleaved in two in concept art by Hugo Puzzuoli.

Thucydides was an Athenian aristocrat, general, and historian who chronicled the history of the Peloponnesian War. While he does not mention his predecessor Herodotos directly, it is probable that Thucydides was influenced by the so-called “Father of History”. Thucydides's account of history, however, focused less on the mythic origins of the Greeks, and instead provided a perspective on how much the Greek world had evolved since its beginning - and how much it would continue to evolve into the future. His work also provided insight into the educational and cultural development of Athens. Thucydides was a skilled orator trained by some of the best speakers of his time. Because of this, many of the most important moments in his historical writings are presented as speeches.

Several Greek authors have left us works on siege tactics or on how to build war machines. However, artillery such as catapults were not yet invented at the time of the Peloponnesian War - it would take another century for them to appear. The main war machines used at this time, called mechanai, were mostly scaling-ladders, battering rams, and tortoises. There are two known instances of incendiary machines, but we don't know exactly how they worked. The Thebans used one against the Athenians at Delium in 424 BCE, and the Spartans at Torone in 423 BCE.

Woodcutting and charcoal making typically took place in the forest. Charcoals were then bagged and transported to private homes or presumably nearby markets. In wood-rich areas, local production of wood for common use appears to have been either in the hands of individuais, or potentially middlemen who might collect wood from various sources, then reselLit at the local agora. The elite's access to such wood may have been outside the market if their landholdings provided suitable material), except for the purchase of exotic materials. The full range of woodworking tools and techniques employed by wood workers of the ancient Mediterranean and the practical knowledge concerning wood species and their most valuable applications attest to the importance of wood technologies for agriculture and hunting, domestic life, trade, warfare, and leisure activities. It is worth mentioning that the tools and the techniques employed by the end of the Classical and Roman period would show little change until the appearance of the Industrial Revolution fifteen centuries later.

Naxos

The ancients often made bees and honey into symbols related

to the deities. Honey was considered heavenly since it never expired, and was a typical offering placed on altars for the gods. These offerings were given to rustic deities such as Pan and Priape, who were protectors of beekeepers, but also to Chthonian deities worshiped in mystery cults such as Hermes, Dionysos, and Demeter. Honey and bees were also a symbol of resurrection.

Honey was considered a gift - a remnant of the Golden Age - that the gods kindly gave to men. It guaranteed long life and good health. In this way, it was connected to nectar and ambrosia - drinks of the immortal gods. In childhood, Zeus was nourished with honey and milk. Mead was seen as a substitute for these divine drinks. Honey's religious symbolism was all the more important since it could be food for newborns - a young Plato was said to be fed with honey -

but also for the dead.

Naxos was the largest island in the Kyklades. lts protective deity was Dionysos, god of wine, who was born on the island according to mythology. The money of Naxos served as model for the banner, and is linked with the god as the coins show a kantharos - a wine cup. Naxos produced wine, but was more famous for its marble. It was exported and widely used. For example, it was used in Olympia and on the Akropolis in Athens. Its craftsmen were pioneers in the development of monumental marble sculptures and architecture.

Greek soil contains great geological diversity. Since the beginning of the Early Cycladic period, the Greeks used marble in architecture, sculpture, figurines, and more. The word marble, from the Greek term marmaros, means “resplendent stone”. It quickly became a luxury furniture in Greek cities, and it played a big part in the Greek economy. Some regions stand out for their marble-related wealth, including Naxos, Paros, Thasos, Attika, the Peloponnese, and Euboea Island. Marble is made up of different colors (red, pink, yellow), and each has a different texture (translucent, wavy, streaked, swirly, etc.). For example, Peloponnesian marble was red with touches of black. Pentelic marble, found near Athens, was greenish with a grainy pattern. The most prestigious marble of the time came from Paros, and was greyish white.

In Naxos, ancient quarries were located on the Ágios loannis hill on the north side of the island, with another one in the central region, Melanes. In general, the quarrymen exploited natural fissures and applied pressure to extract massive blocks. They then drilled holes into the marble, drove wooden shafts into the holes, and poured water over the wood so it swelled and split off the desired blocks of stone. In Naxos, whiter parts of the stone were preferred during the quarrying process, which had a direct impact on the price of this marble. Around 5000 m³ of the most prestigious Naxian marble was exported annually. The workers carried the marble with cranes and rails. They moved it around with pullies, cranes, levers, rails, and inclined planes.

Obsidian Islands

The banner of Melos is derived from a coin of the city, depicting the symbol of the triskeles; the name of this symbol literally means "three legs". It was sometimes used on coins, but more often on shields.

The larger meaning of this symbol is not clear, but an ancient epigram speaks of a triskeles on a shield that is supposed to frighten opponents—the bearer of this shield supposedly ran very fast.

This symbol is still in use today on the Sicilian flag, and that of the Isle of Man.

The eleventh and twelfth labors of Herakles were tacked on at the end, since Eurystheas didn't recognize Herakles killing the Hydra as a labor because Iolaos helped him. Cleaning the stables was also ignored because Herakles was paid, and it was the rivers that did the actual cleaning work. The eleventh labor required Herakles to steal apples from the garden of the Hesperides, the three nymphs of the evening. The garden was situated in the west of the world, in Northern Africa, and produced golden apples. There, Herakles tricked Atlas into retrieving the apples for him. Although he proposed to hold up the heavens for a while in Atlas' stead, Herakles tricked the Titan and walked away with the fruit himself.

Pephka

The source material concerning weapon manufacturing in

Ancient Greece is not prolific. However, we do know that as early as the 7th century BCE, more specialized-production centers emerged in regions already known for their metallurgical activities.

Chalkis, in Euboea, specialized in the production of swords, while Korinth was renowned for its bronze helmets - both crucially important elements of hoplite equipment. Sykyon, in the Peloponnese peninsula, provided the iron for the manufacture of Spartan weapons. Athens, famous especially for its cuirass workshops, was also an important location in the world of Greek weapons production.

During what's called the “Dark Ages” in Greek history [1200- 800 BCE), a transition took place in weaponry. The material used switched from bronze to iron - a substance that was lighter, tougher, and able to take a sharper edge. Swords became shorter and larger than the preceding bronze specimens. Both conical helmets with ornamented crests and all shapes of shields may have also been made of that metal.

Around the 7th century BCE, a new tactical formation, the phalanx, gradually made its appearance in Greece. It marked the return of the use of bronze in weaponry. The new infantryman, the hoplite, was required to pay for his panoply, a set of weapons and pieces of equipment including a cuirass, greaves, helmet with cheek plates, shield, spear, and sword. Bronze was used to make all or some parts of the body armor, shield, and helmet, while the sword and spearhead were crafted with iron.

The costliness of the panoply made it difficult or altogether impossible for lower-class citizens to purchase one. Therefore, only members of the elite could afford the entire

set.

Petrified Islands

The banner of Lesbos, home of the famous poet Sappho, was inspired by one of the most interesting monetary types in antiquity.

Unlike others cities, Lesbos changed monetary types from one issuance to another. This provided great variety - notably this unusual depiction of two female heads overlapping.

Lesbos's cities were members of the Delian league from the start. They provided ships to the alliance, but then revolted in 428 BCE and the victorious Athenians sent clerouchs (settlers) to occupy the island.

Field camps were built at the end of a day's march to provide protection in case of a surprise enemy attack. They were widely-used when attacking cities during sieges. The camps are where soldiers would eat, sleep, and store their weapons, food rations and spoils - often for months at a time. It's also where a soldier would take refuge when and if things went badly in battle. Building a good fortified camp or fortifying a village or small city in the enemy's territory may have meant the difference between victory and defeat. As sieges would stretch on, a good fortified camp meant that an army could safely remain in unfriendly lands and exert pressure on the enemy. This could be done by burning or taking their crops, by preventing resupply, or simply by exerting their demoralizing presence. Establishing a fortified position in enemy lands in order to constantly raid it was a common tactic in the Peloponnesian War. Athens employed it at Pylos from 425 to 409 BCE, and so did the Spartans with a more devastating effect over a weakened Athens when they fortified Dekeleia from 413 to 404 BCE.

Soldiers on the move mostly slept under the sky on beds of reeds, for in most cases tent materials were too great a burden. They ate two meals a day - one at mid-day [except when battle was expected), and then dinner. They usually cooked these meatls themselves. In most cases, the meal consisted of maza, a sort of barley porridge. The Spartans did things differently; they had dedicated cooks in their armies. When the soldiers need to relieve themselves, they simply went wherever they could outside of camp, as there was no special location for this act. There was little in the way of entertainment in military camps. The Spartans, however, did have some techniques for avoiding boredom. After their regular practice and exercise, they had a sort of contest of singing songs by the poet Tyrtaios, and the winner received a prize in meat. Even in a war camp, the gods had to be honored. Whenever possible, sacrifices were made and seers were consulted, often about the tides of battle.

(Behind the scenes) Lesbos is an island situated in the north-east of the Aegean Sea. Lesbos rebelled against the Athenians, leading to its eventual surrender to Athens. Lesbos is notable in real life for its 18-million-year-old petrified forest, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, home to fossilized remains of a once vast swathe of vegetation and forest. The art team used their artistic license to grow the trees into dense forests of tangled roots and branches, a maze for our hero to navigate. The atmosphere of the forest is oppressive, with temple ruins appearing from the murky background, and a sense of dread lingering behind every corner. Finished concepts by Hugo Puzzuoli show the red and yellow accents in the rock of the petrified trees, caused by intense volcanic activity millions of years ago.

The Medusa has been portrayed in many different ways over the years, from a beautiful young woman, to a monstrous creature with a serpent's body and tail. The art team decided to move away from these depictions, concentrating on the details of her appearance. The snakes are based on actual Greek species found on the islands and mainland Greece. Her dress is made from targe swathes of snake skin, suggesting even bigger serpents once existed. “Medusa is represented in her Greek form, as a humanoid woman, rather than in the Roman version that would follow," explains art director Thierry Dansereau. She is, after all, a woman transformed by an ancient artifact, rather than the will of the gods.

Perseus was the Greek hero who ultimately killed Medusa. He was the son of Zeus and Danai, and he promised to obtain the head of Medusa to King Polydektes. Medusa was a gorgon, a female monster that had living snakes on her head instead of locks of hair. Her gaze petrified all who locked eyes with her, and turned them to stone. Perseus went to the Hesperides to acquire the weapon that would help him defeat Medusa. They also gave him a sack to hold her head (kibisis). He received a sword [harpe) from Zeus, winged sandals from Hermes, a shiny shield from Athena, and the ability to hide from Hades. When Perseus entered Medusa's cave, he used the shield's reflection to avoid eye contact, and successfully decapitated her. Perseus used the head of Medusa as a weapon, but later gave itas a gift to Athena, who placed the head of the gorgon (gorgoneion) on her shield, or the Aegis.

Where better to have the home of the notorious Medusa, famous for turning her victims to stone, than in a petrified forest. As one of the most well-known creatures from Greek myth, featuring in countless books, movies, and historical records, it was a challenge for the development team to strip away the previous incarnations and start fresh. In mythology, Medusa was one of the three Gorgons, sisters with wings and snakes for hair, able to petrify onlookers. The Medusa in Assassin's Creed Odyssey is a woman, transformed by a First Civilization artifact into a creature of great power. As such, her temple features the classic geometry and architecture of First Civilization constructions, and is the only open-air First Civilization temple in game.

Silver Islands

The banner of Delos is inspired by the coins of the island. According to mythology, Delos was the birthplace of Apollo, and along with Delphi, it was a major center of his cult. Apollo is a multi-faceted god; he is the god of music, poetry, arts, oracles, light, knowledge, and more.

He's often represented on coins with musical instruments, such as the kithara on this bronze coin from Delos.

The Pythian Games of Delphi also included musical events in honor of Apollo.

Farms aimed to be self-sufficient - a goal that was not always easy. Crop management required various strategies to alleviate the risk of crop failure and ensure the long-term productivity of arable land. Wheat crops failed due to insufficient rainfall every one in four years, while barley crops failed every one in ten. To mitigate crop failure, farmers planted small plots to exploit climate variations. In addition to cereals, they also cultivated vines for wine and olives for oil, and planted fruit trees and vegetables. Herms [rectangular pillar with head] were commonty placed as protectors of sanctuaries, crossroads, and public areas

Southern Sporades

File:Bust of Hippokrates - Engraving by Peter Paul Rubens.png

Hippokrates is the most famous physician of antiquity, and is often called the father of medicine. He was born in the island of Kos in 460 BCE, and was a member of the Asklepiads, an aristocratic family that passed their medical techniques from generation to generation. He had two sons named Thessalos and Drakon.

Hippokrates left Kos early in his career to become a traveling physician. According to his biographers, he once went to the city of Abdere to cure the philosopher Demokritos of madness. Another anecdote says he was asked by the Persian king Artaxerxes to cure a plague decimating his army. Unfortunately for the king, Hippokrates refused to help an enemy of Greece, no matter how much gold he was offered.

Hippokrates died in Thessaly at around the age of 85. He enjoyed a great reputation among his contemporaries, and Plato even credit him with inventing the scientific method.

The Greeks created a bodily hygiene and beauty culture in which the use of fragrances was very important. Both men and women used perfumes in their bathing rituals, and good hosts always made sure they treated their guests to a bath and perfume session. Men also anointed their bodies after exercising, and it was unheard of for a man to go to the gymnasium without bringing his flasks of perfume. The art of making perfume was part of the field of medicine in Antiquity. Certain resins and odorous substances were believed to have therapeutic effects, and the same ointments used in body care could also be used for healing purposes. In the 1st century CE, the famous pharmacologist Dioskourides even began his treatise De materia medica with a list of aromatic plants, perfumed oils, and unguents.

Perfume was often considered to be manifestations of the gods' divine presence, and using or offering incense and perfume was believed to be a way of communicating with the Gods. The Athenian Assembly burned aromatics at the start of each session to invoke deities, in the hopes they would inspire citizens to speak. Perfumes was also burned on the altars that populated various sanctuaries, and statues of the Gods were anointed with perfumed oils. But perfume wasn't the only scented substance with sacred uses. Gardens, as well as crowns of flowers and garlands, ensured that temples always smelled exceptional. Gods were also associated with specific flowers and plants. For example, Apollo was honored with olive branches, and Aphrodite was linked with roses, myrrh, and apples.

(Behind the scenes) “What impressed me was the way historians and archaeologists found out about the color that the Greek artists would use on their creations. Before working on this project, | always thought that the artists of the Classical age would leave the marble uncolored. By using ultra-violet light, archaeologists were able to debunk what we thought to be true. The colors revealed by this process were dazzling and bright, exactly the opposite of what | would have expected them to be.” - Vincent Pamerleau

The lion was chosen for the banner of Samos, as it is a frequent image of ancient Greek iconography. A lion scalp was the emblem of the coinage of Samos. This lion's head was specifically related to Herakles's task of killing the Nemean lion. This legendary lion ravaged the plain of Argolis, and had skin so thick that Herakles couldn't kill it with his arrows. The her chose instead to strangle it. The battle against the Nemean lion symbolized combat against savagery and barbarism, and became the model of athletic fighting - a very popular event of the Olympics.

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User:Lady Kyashira/Shadows Documentation

Discovery Sites

Abantis Islands

Andros

Argolis

Arkadia

Attika

Hephaistos Islands

Kephallonia

Korinthia

Kythera

Lakonia

Lokris

Makedonia

Malis

Megaris

Messara

Messenia

Naxos

Obsidian Islands

Pephka

Petrified Islands

Silver Islands

Southern Sporades

Navigation menu

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