Rome and Athens. Lots of battles. Lots of heroes. If you’re unaware, the Romans ended up on top. Sure, there’s the saying, ‘Pyrrhic victory’. That’s about all the Greeks ended up with. It’s when you win all the battles but lose the war. Now, one particular Roman general took as a slave after Greece fell, one particular Greek Architect, renowned for his work in stone and marble. Naturally, since they hated each others’ guts, the Roman needed a good ‘carrot’ to make the Greek do his bidding without any heartaches. You see, he wanted this Greek to build a monument to him. Etched into stone, all the scenes of Rome vanquishing Athens, the General leading his army on a giant horse, the usual. To pull this off, the General took into custody the Greeks’ entire family. Even his goldfish. They were ensconced at a private villa, where abouts unknown to the Architect. If the man’s work production satisfied the Roman, the family would prosper. The Greek did as he was told…To test out his new slave’s dedication, the Roman put him to work on a great villa, just outside of Rome’s very walls. On occasion, the Roman would take his chariot out along with fellow Roman statesmen to see how the work was progressing and to show his superiority over their former foe. Eating his humble pie, the Greek surpassed all expectations. Pleased with the job well done, the Roman put the Greek to work on the real project, the great temple and library in Rome’s very center. It would surpass all structures standing in the great city for all time. As the years went by, the great building became reality. Hundreds of slaves worked on it seven days a week. Artists, stone masons and others of the trade, worked under the supervision of the Greek master. Never in all this time did the Roman let up on his constant belittling of his now well-known slave. He was allowed to visit his family on occasion, but usually it was just work, work, work. Now in its’ eighth year and nearing completion, the Roman’s health began to fail. He made dire threats to his Greek slave to complete the project, ‘Or else’. The Greek doubled his efforts. Soon, the final touches would be completed and the great edifice would stand as a monument for all time to the great General. Over the entry way was the crowning achievement. A great marble mural, seventy foot long and fifteen foot high was ensconced over the great pillers of the entry way. All of the Roman’s achievements had been carved by the master Greek himself. Now crippled and barely able to stand, the General was brought to the opening ceremony in a garish wagon, filled with friends and family. A giant covering was pulled away and all were filled with admiration at the fantastic detail and beauty standing before them. As a reward, the Greek and his family were put to death…Hundreds of years slipped by. The building had been surpassed many times in those many decades. No one barely noticed it any more. Then, a big earth quake struck in the 1800’s. Rome was hit hard. Many a structure fell, or was so stressed, it had to come down. Engineers were hired from all over Europe to repair- or dismantle, as needed-buildings all over the city. Now, one engineer noticed something odd about a particular library he had often admired on vacations he had spent in Rome over the years. Picking his way backward through the still rubble filled avenue, he looked for signs of cracking or failing. Something just wasn’t the same. No, it was still sound. What the hell was it? Suddenly, like a light going on, it came to the engineer. It was the mural. No longer a mural of a General and his army, it now showed a frolicking Greek family, with the personage of the Greek slave staring down from dead center, over those giant white columns. The Greek had made the mural of his family out of marble, then, had cast what the Roman demanded out of PLASTER AND CEMENT. The quake finally brought it down, just like the old Greek had figured. It still stands…
