Impi YaseMarathon—Ukuthotshiswa Kombuso Wezwe

NGUMLOBELI WE-PHAPHAMA! EGREECE

NJENGOBA isivakashi sanamuhla sehla emagqumeni eThafa laseMarathon, amakhilomitha angu-40 enyakatho-mpumalanga yase-Athene, eGreece, ngokushesha sigcwala ukuthula nokuzola okungenakuphazanyiswa kwalendawo. Umuntu akanakucabanga nakancane ukuthi lendawo yayiyinkundla yenye yezimpi ezaziwa kakhulu emlandweni, impi eyakuthiya ngokuphumelelayo ukudlulela kombuso wezwe waseMesopotamiya eYurophu ngokwayo. I-World Book Encyclopedia iyibiza ngokuthi “enye yezimpi ezibaluleke kakhulu emlandweni wempucuko yaseNtshonalanga.” Futhi isazi-mlando uWill Durant siyichaza ngokuthi “okunye kokunqoba okubabazekayo emlandweni.”

Umbuso Wezwe Ubekelwa Inselele

Iziprofetho zeBhayibheli zencwadi kaDaniyeli zikuchaza ngokucacile ukubusa, ukwanda, nokulandelana kwemibuso yezwe. Ekhuluma ngokomfuziselo kodwa ngokufanelekile ngombuso wezwe wamaMede namaPheresiya, uDaniyeli wabhala: “Bheka, esinye isilo, esesibili, sinjengebhere, . . . Kwathiwa kuso: Vuka, udle inyama eningi.”—Daniyeli 7:5.

Lokhu kwaba yiqiniso. Phakathi nokuchuma kombuso wamaMede namaPheresiya, cishe engxenyeni yesibili yekhulu lesithupha B.C.E., amabutho awo ayebonakala engenakunqotshwa ngaphansi kokuhola kukaKoresi noDariyu I aqothula edlulela ngasentshonalanga ngaphesheya kwaseLydia. Kokubili indawo yaseThrace neyaseMakedoniya, ezisenyakatho yeGreece, zabuswa ngempoqo. Lokhu kwakusho ukuthi cishe ingxenye yezwe yabakhuluma isiGreki yase ingaphansi kokulawulwa amaPheresiya, ngenxa yokuthi lapho kuthunjwa iLydia, amaPheresiya athatha namadolobha amaGreki asoGwini lwase-Ionia ayengaphansi kokubuswa iLydia.

Lapho amadolobha avinjezelwe ase-Ionia eGreece ekhalela usizo, kwasabela kuphela izifunda ezinamadolobha zase-Athene nase-Eretria. Lokhu akuzange kuwavimbele amabutho amaPheresiya aqeqeshiwe ekuhlaseleni abase-Ionia abavukelayo abenze bawathobele. Ngaphezu kwalokho, uDariyu wanquma ukuthi kwakufanele ajezise izifunda ezinamadolobha zaseGreece ngenxa yokusiza abavukeli base-Ionia.

Lapho amadolobha ase-Athene, eSparta, nase-Eretria ngokwedelela enqaba ukwanelisa izimfuno zasePheresiya, ibutho lasePheresiya elinamandla lamasosha ahamba ngezinyawo namahhashi lahlasela iGreece ekungeneni kwehlobo lika-490 B.C.E. Ngo-August amaPheresiya ayesekulungele ukubhekana ne-Athene nesifunda sayo, i-Attica.

Izinkinga Zokuphaka Impi

AmaPheresiya afika eMarathon ayesewela ithafa elinamaxhaphozi lasogwini olusempumalanga ye-Attica, eyayiqhele ngamakhilomitha angu-42 kuphela ukusuka e-Athene. Abase-Athene babengenalo ithemba, bakwazi nje ukuqoqa amasosha ahamba ngezinyawo angu-9 000 kuphela, kanye namanye angu-1 000 asePlataea, bengenakho nokuncane ukusekelwa amabutho amahhashi noma alwa ngemicibisholo.a Nakuba bacela usizo lweSparta, izicelo zabo azizange zilalelwe—abaseSparta babematasa ngemikhosi engokwenkolo yokudumisa u-Apollo. Ngakho, bengenawo amandla ezempi anele, kwadingeka ukuba abase-Athene balwe namaPheresiya bebodwa.

Ojenene abayishumi abahlukene babesebenza njengekomiti yokunquma izindaba zokuphaka impi, ngokwentando yeningi. Manje kwakudingeka banqume ngezindaba ezimbili ababebhekene nazo. Okokuqala, ingabe kufanele bagcine amabutho abo e-Athene ukuze bavikele idolobha, noma ingabe kufanele bangqubuzane namaPheresiya enkundleni? Uma kucatshangelwa ukuthi idolobha lase-Athene lalingenazo izindonga eziqinile zokulivikela, lendikimba yavumelana ngazwi-linye ukuba ibambane ngezihluthu eMarathon.

Okwesibili, ingabe kufanele bahlasele naphezu kwesimo sabo esibucayi—ngokuyinhloko ngenxa yenani eliphakeme lamaPheresiya—noma ingabe kufanele balinde, benethemba lokuthi abaseSparta bazofika ngokushesha ukuze babasize bamelane ngokuphumelelayo nokuhlasela okunamandla kwamaPheresiya?

UJenene Miltiades—Umphaki Wempi Onekhono

Umuntu oyinhloko owaba umholi kwakungujenene ongumGreki uMiltiades. Wayengumholi wempi ongumakad’ ebona futhi onamasu, iqhawe elalilwele ibutho lamaPheresiya phakathi nemikhankaso yokuqala enyakatho. Ngakho-ke, wayesazi kahle isitha. Wayenolwazi olukhulu hhayi nje kuphela ngokwakheka kwebutho lamaPheresiya kodwa nangezikhali zawo, futhi okubaluleke kakhulu, nangamasu awo okuphaka impi. Ngaphezu kwalokho, ezinsukwini ezandulela impi, wayihlola ngokucophelela indawo ezungeze inkundla yempi.

UMiltiades wayeqaphela futhi ukuthi kwakudingeka isinyathelo esisheshayo, njengoba embusweni wentando yeningi wase-Athene owawusanda kumiswa, kwakunamaqembu asekela amaPheresiya ayengakujabulela ukunqotshwa kwe-Athene. Ngobusuku bangaphambi kwempi, imbuka elithile lasePheresiya lafika ekamu lamaGreki nezindaba zokuthi ibutho lamahhashi lamaPheresiya lalihoxile okwesikhashana. Ngokwenkolelo-mbono ethile lelibutho lamaPheresiya lalithathe imikhumbi ukuze lihlasele i-Athene ngasogwini olusempumalanga lwe-Attica ukuze likwazi ukuthumba idolobha ngokushesha ngemva kokunqoba okuqinisekile eMarathon. Kungakhathaliseki ukuthi sasiyini isizathu, lokhu kwayiqeda ingozi enkulu amasosha ase-Athene ahamba ngezinyawo ayebhekene nayo.

Lapho kuntwela ezansi, amabutho aseGreece ahamba ngezinyawo ahlasela. (Bheka ibhokisi ekhasini 24.) AmaPheresiya adidekile ahoxa kodwa ngokushesha aphinde ahlasela adabula isifuba sempi yamaGreki. Ngaleyondlela, ngokungenhloso amaPheresiya awela ogibeni lukaMiltiades oluhlelwe ngobunyoninco! Ngamabomu wayeshiye isifuba sebutho lamaGreki sibuthaka ukuze aqinise izimpondo zalo ngamadoda engeziwe. Manje, ngokungazelele izimpondo ezinamandla zavuka umbhejazane, zahlala izithonto kumaPheresiya futhi zawaqothula kwaze kwaba yilapho abasinde ekuhlaselweni bebalekela emikhunjini yabo. Kwabulawa inqwaba yabantu. Izinkubela zamaPheresiya kwaba amadoda angaba ngu-6 400, kuyilapho abase-Athene balahlekelwa amadoda angu-192 kuphela.

Ngokomlando, izindaba zokunqoba kwamaGreki zalethwa ngokushesha e-Athene isithunywa esithile. Umlando onephutha uthi igama laso kwakunguPheidippides, kodwa eqinisweni, uPheidippides wagijimela eSparta esuka e-Athene ngaphambi kwempi eyofuna usizo. Umlando uthi omunye umGreki osemusha, wagijima amakhilomitha angu-42 ukusuka eMarathon kuya e-Athene futhi lapho efika wamemeza, “Thabani, sinqobile!” wayesequmbeka phansi wafa. Kuthiwa lona kwakuwumjaho wokuqala omude (marathon)—owumsuka waleligama—owaba isiqalo somjaho wanamuhla webanga elide esiwaziyo.

Nakuba eminye imikhumbi yamaPheresiya yathungelwa ngomlilo, ingxenye enkulu yeviyo lemikhumbi engu-600 yakwazi ukuzungeza iCape Colonna, esemaphethelweni aseningizimu e-Attica, futhi yafika e-Athene. Nokho, ibutho labanqobi lase-Athene lafika lapho kuqala futhi laphinde latholana phezulu nabo. AmaPheresiya aphoqeleka ukuba ahoxe. Abase-Athene babenqobile naphezu kwazo zonke izimo ezibucayi!

I-Athene yachichima injabulo, ikakhulukazi ngenxa yokuthi yayinqobe ngaphandle kosizo lwabaseSparta.

Ukubaluleka Kwalempi

Izikhumbuzo zemabula ne-bronze eMarathon naseDelphi zagcina ukunqoba kwe-Athene kukhumbuleka. Ngokwesazi-mlando uPausanias, eminyakeni engu-650 kamuva izihambi zazisakholelwa ukuthi zazizwa amaphimbo ezipoki zamadoda asempini lapho zinqamula kulenkundla yempi.

Kungani lempi yaseMarathon yayiphawuleka ngokombono weBhayibheli? Yayiyisibonakaliso, esakhishwa esikhathini eside ngaphambili, sokubusa ekugcineni ‘kwempongo’ yaseGreece yesiprofetho sikaDaniyeli phezu ‘kwenqama enezimpondo ezimbili’ yamaMede namaPheresiya.b—Daniyeli 8:5-8.

Lapho umuntu ebuka i-Tomb of Marathon, esamile enkundleni yempi, ukhumbula inani eliphakeme labafa nokuhlupheka isintu esiye sabhekana nakho ngokukufuna ngokuzidela ukubusa nokuvelela. Umlando ogcwele ukuchitheka kwegazi, izinkundla zempi ezingasasetshenziswa, kanye namathuna athulile kugcwele “amadoda odumo,” “amaqhawe,” kanye “nezehluleki,” bonke abayizisulu zezombangazwe zezwe nokushikashikela ukubusa. Nokho, isikhathi siseduze lapho konke ukushikashikela amandla ezombangazwe kuyophela khona, ngoba uNkulunkulu uthembisile: “Ezinsukwini zalawomakhosi uNkulunkulu wasezulwini uyakumisa umbuso ongasoze wachithwa nobukhosi bawo bungayikushiyelwa kwabanye abantu, kepha uyakuchoboza, uqede yonke lemibuso, wona uqobo ume phakade.”—Daniyeli 2:44.

[Imibhalo yaphansi]

[Ibhokisi/Isithombe ekhasini 24]

Amabutho Ahamba Ngezinyawo Neviyo Lesifuba—Isu Lokunqoba

Ikhuluma ngezici ezimbili eziyinhloko ekunqobeni kwabase-Athene, incwadi ethi A Soaring Spirit ithi: “Amabutho ahamba ngezinyawo aseGreece ayenezikhali zomzimba eziqinile kunezitha zawo ezingamaPheresiya, amahawu aqinile nemikhonto emide. Kodwa okuphawuleka kakhulu, ayelwa ngesivinini esikhulu ngamaviyo anemigqa engafinyelela kwengu-12, amasosha asemgqeni ngamunye esondelene kangangokuthi amahawu awo ayeba udonga oluqinile. Ebhekene nalesisimo, amaPheresiya afunda ukuthi kungani iviyo elihamba ngezinyawo laliyithuluzi lempi elisabeka kakhulu elalaziwa endulo.”

[Umthombo]

The Complete Encyclopedia of Illustration/J. G. Heck

[Isithombe ekhasini 23]

IThafa laseMarathon. Izithombe eziphakathi: ITshe Lesikhumbuzo labase-Athene abangu-192 abafa empini