Mediterranean Hegemon of Ancient Greece Chapter 1059: The Kingdom's Two Princesses
Carving the statues was the most critical part of constructing the temple, and their design was of paramount importance. Since the original temple's two statues of Hades had already deeply satisfied the believers, no modifications were made to the design. However, because the new temple would be much taller and more spacious, the original statues would look far too small inside. Therefore, new ones had to be carved.
Because the new temple was being rebuilt on the original site, the craftsmen erected a temporary warehouse nearby. It housed the statues and other items from the old temple, and it was also here that the initial carving for the new statues took place.
Miliktos was the chief overseer for carving the statues. A renowned sculptor in the kingdom, he was the artist behind the bronze statue of Hades holding a rugby ball outside the Main Arena in the Inner District of Thurii.
Despite the statues' massive and heavy appearance, their cores were made of wood. Naturally, the wood required for divine statues had to be hard and densely grained, so ship timber was typically used—preferably cedar over a century old. Using the original statues as models, Miliktos spent a mere two months carving three wooden statues (two of Hades and one of Persephone). They were even more exquisite and lifelike than the originals.
He handed the subsequent work over to his assistants: applying skin to the statues. Because of its pristine whiteness and rarity, ivory had become the premier choice for the skin of divine statues over the past century. The sculptors sliced whole elephant tusks into thin sheets, then painstakingly glued them onto the statues' surfaces piece by piece. The seams had to match perfectly—a task demanding immense patience.
Each statue was so colossally huge that a single person could, at most, finish attaching the ivory to one finger in a day. However, with hundreds of sculptors working simultaneously, the progress was quite rapid.
While applying the skin, the sculptors and craftsmen were also carrying out two other tasks. First, they melted sand into stained glass to craft star-shaped ornaments. Each piece resembled a sparkling little gemstone and would be inlaid into the wall behind the statues to form a starry backdrop. Second, the goldsmiths hammered gold into thin foils to adhere over the ivory skin. This served as the golden robes and crowns worn by the statues, further enhancing the supreme elegance and majesty of the God Hades. As for the statue in the Hall of the Underworld, it was covered in silver foil and painted with a muted, dark green lacquer to match the solemn atmosphere of that hall.
In addition, they had to forge gold and silver thrones for the statues. Though not made entirely of solid precious metals—their inner cores were bronze—the amount of gold and silver consumed once the statues were finished was by no means small. When the Daunian Alliance was first established, they never would have dared to create statues with such extravagance. Yet today, the consumption of these precious metals amounted to no more than a few days' yield from the mines in Iberia and Sardinia.
Miliktos did not participate in these remaining production steps. Instead, he was wholly focused on an even more important task: crafting the temple's pediment reliefs.
Beneath the eaves at the temple's two main entrances lay triangular sections known as pediments. These pediments were inlaid with stone slabs decorated with relief patterns. Normally, such carvings depicted stories from Greek mythology. For the design of this temple, however, the Senate's discussions resulted in a different decision: one pediment would feature a relief of the masses parading during the Festival of Hades, while the other would depict the Daunian Royal Family—the king, the two queens, and their five children. (Davos had originally proposed including Adoris and Cynthia, as they were also family, but the Senate strongly objected. They argued that once the temple was built, it would be admired and worshipped by future generations for thousands of years. The kingdom's citizens and descendants would see the relief and understand that the Daunian Royal Family were descendants of the God Hades, but adopted children were not. Rashly carving them into the pediment might invite the wrath of Hades.)Given the immense prestige King Davos and the royal family commanded today, if this relief were carved poorly, Miliktos would be drowned in the spit of the masses—even if the merciful king said nothing. Therefore, Miliktos acted with extreme caution. He specifically beseeched King Davos to spare some precious time and bring his family to serve as models, posing according to the sculptor's requests. Miliktos spent several days sketching out a draft on a wooden board. Only after presenting it to Davos for review and securing the king's satisfaction did he take the drawing to the construction site to serve as a reference for his carving.
The relief of the Daunian Royal Family depicted the following scene: Wearing a crown and a faint smile, Davos sat squarely on a throne in the center. The two queens, dressed in magnificent robes, stood elegantly on either side, their hands resting intimately on Davos's shoulders. The five children surrounded them with joyous expressions, and Crotocatax was perfectly positioned right in the middle of the five children.
If an observant spectator were to savor this composition carefully, they would discover that the arrangement of the king and the queens was almost completely identical to that of the Underworld king and queen in the Hall of Light within the Main Temple of Hades (save for the presence of a second queen). This was a subtle hint provided by Scepter Priest Praxinas, imbuing the artwork with a profound implication.
Holding an iron chisel in one hand and a small iron hammer in the other, Miliktos focused all his attention on the carving. This was already the third iteration of the relief; unsatisfied with the first two, he had destroyed them. But thanks to the experience gained from those earlier attempts, he no longer needed to reference his initial sketch. The entire pattern was already memorized by heart. Thus, every strike fell without the slightest hesitation, the force behind each blow perfectly judged.
Just as he was intoxicated by his own creation, a crisp female voice rang out from behind him. "Wrong! That's not right! You've carved me too... Hmm, my eyebrows aren't that thin, and the bridge of my nose should be a bit higher..."
Ripped from his immersive world by the voice, Miliktos felt a genuine flare of annoyance. He whirled around, ready to fiercely scold the intruder for disturbing his work. But when he saw the two beautiful young women standing behind him, his anger instantly vanished. He immediately stood up and spoke in the most amiable tone he could muster, "Princess Eunice! Princess Avia! Welcome!"
"We came to pay our respects to the God Hades, and decided to drop by and see how our family's relief is coming along." Stepping forward, Eunice pointed at the carving and spoke with no trace of politeness. "But after taking a look, I feel rather disappointed. This one is supposed to be me, right? Yet it doesn't feel like me at all. You've carved me far too delicately."
"Your Highness, while carving stems from reality, it is usually a beautification of it. Furthermore, this relief will be viewed by the kingdom's citizens in the future. I believe they all wish to see a beautiful and virtuous princess..." Miliktos tried to persuade her. The reason he displayed such patience was that he hadn't only met her in the sketching room. This tomboyish princess was quite famous in Thurii. In an attempt to temper her wild nature, Queen Cheiristoya had introduced her to business affairs when she was sixteen. As a result, this decisive, fiery young woman had become her mother's capable right hand before even turning eighteen. When Miliktos was trying to expand his sculpting workshops to other towns in the kingdom, he had taken out a loan from Cheiristoya's Bank and personally dealt with Eunice a few times, so he understood her quite well.
Eunice raised her brows. "Are you saying I'm not beautiful and virtuous?!"
Miliktos's heart skipped a beat. Realizing he had misspoken, he hurriedly tried to explain.
But Eunice suddenly composed her expression and said seriously, "You're right. I'm really not delicate and virtuous like other girls. But I have no need to change that, because that isn't me! Just like this girl in your relief, she doesn't resemble me at all. Since you are carving our family, I want you to carve my true likeness. I don't want any beautification!"
"...Sister." Sensing the tense atmosphere, Avia gently tugged at Eunice's sleeve.
"Stop fussing!" Eunice brushed her sister's hand away and stared directly at Miliktos. "Do you think I'm right?"
"...Princess, you are absolutely right... I will make the revisions..." Miliktos actually yielded. This left his assistants, who were hiding off to the side, too afraid to speak, staring with their jaws dropped in shock.
Just then, Miliktos suddenly looked past Eunice and called out loudly, "Lord Scepter Priest!"
"Ah, Miliktos." Wearing a white robe, Praxinas saw the plea for help in the sculptor's eyes. He waved his hand gently, then stepped up to Eunice. "Your Highnesses, my apologies for keeping you waiting. The temporary shrine has been cleaned, and the braziers, lamps, and other items required for your worship are fully prepared. You may begin."
Eunice glanced at Miliktos, her eyes rolling in thought, before she said softly, "My sister and I came over specifically to admire this relief. Master Miliktos has carved it beautifully. We had a little chat, and he even promised me that the carving will be even better the next time I come to see it. Isn't that right, Master Miliktos?"
"Yes, Your Highness," Miliktos replied helplessly.
Praxinas looked at the relief, then at Miliktos. With his wealth of experience, he could naturally sense something fishy going on, but he tactfully chose not to pry. Instead, he immediately led the two princesses and their escort of royal guards toward the temporary shrine.
Only after they had completely left did the assistants step out to voice their grievances. "Even if she is a princess, she shouldn't interfere with your artistic creation, Master!"
"So she's the famous mischievous princess of Thurii! With such a bratty temper, how will she ever get married!"
...
"Shut your mouths, all of you! Do you have a death wish?! Get back to work!" Miliktos bellowed. Immediate silence followed.