Linley dipped his finger in the wine and drew a map of ancient Greece on the deck. Ancient Greece was located in the eastern Mediterranean Sea, between the three continents of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Modern Greece is mainly the Greek peninsula, but ancient Greece was much larger, including, besides the Greek peninsula, the Aegean Islands, the western coast of Asia Minor, as well as southern Italy and Sicily.
Now that the Roman Empire had risen, Italy and Sicily were of course directly ruled by the Roman Empire, the islands in the Aegean Sea and the western coast of Asia Minor were still dotted with Greek cities, but these cities were also under Roman rule, and soon they would be ordered to convert to the worship of the Roman gods. To escape, the safest way was to leave the rule of the Roman Empire.
The problem was that the faith of the Olympian gods was all within the Roman Empire, leaving the Roman Empire meant leaving their followers and abandoning their roots.
"We are here," Linley pointed to Athens and said, "All around us is the territory of the Roman Empire. To leave Rome, we either go north across the Black Sea to Central Asia, or go south to Africa."
The Suez Canal did not yet exist, and a long stretch of land had to be traveled to reach the Red Sea, then you could sail all the way to China.
There was also a way to sail all the way to the western Mediterranean Sea, through the Strait of Gibraltar, and then you could go to those lands in Europe that had not yet been touched by Rome. But none of these options were visible on the map.
Ocean-going navigation was still in its infancy in this era, and ordinary merchant ships sailed along the coastline. With many islands in the Aegean Sea, ships could always see land, so the area around Greece was the earliest area to develop cross-sea trade.
If you leave the coastline, you will soon lose your way, and the ship will also be battered by the waves. Along the coastline means not only finding a way, but also being able to land ashore at any time to replenish supplies and repair ships.
There is a famous Ship of Theseus paradox in philosophy. In the 1st century AD, the Greek philosopher Plutarch raised a question: If Theseus was sailing, the wood on the ship was gradually replaced until all the wood was not the original wood, was the ship still the original ship?
This question is only asked in places like Greece because you can dock and repair at any time while sailing. Other places either don't sail far enough, or there is nowhere to stop on the way, and if there is any damage, you can only hold on until you reach your destination and then repair it. They wouldn't be able to sail for a few days, dock to make repairs, and then continue sailing, only to dock again to make more repairs.
This time Linley found was still a fishing boat, far less suitable for ocean sailing than merchant ships.
It was impossible to lead dozens of fishing boats to sail the ocean, even if Poseidon himself came, he would not be able to do it, Linley, a newly appointed Wine God with little divine power, would certainly not be able to do it.
"That's too far," Odysseus said.
"Let's find an island nearby and stay there for a while," Dave suggested.
"There are Romans on the island, and the residents might have already converted," Linley responded.
"No, I'm talking about an uninhabited island," Dave explained. "There are many uninhabited islands around here."
Linley was not aware of this. He asked, "Why are there uninhabited islands? Aren't all islands inhabited?"
The same population laws applied in Greece. For thousands of years, the Greek population has continued to grow, migrating to areas outside the Greek peninsula, establishing cities, and forming the Great Greek World.
Plato's "The Republic" mentions that the ideal country has external colonies. When the population is too large, it migrates outwards, and when insufficient, it absorbs the elite from the colonies back.
It can be seen that even in the fantasy of the ideal country, this is only the ideal of the rulers of the ideal country. For ordinary people, when the population of the ideal country is too large, they will be sent to the colonies. When the population is insufficient, they will have to go back to contribute.
The first step for Greek immigrants was undoubtedly those small islands scattered in the Aegean Sea. However, how could there still be untouched islands when the Greeks of that time were all over the Mediterranean coast?
"Not every island is inhabited," Dave explained. "Those remote islands with harsh environments are basically untouched. Only fishermen like us occasionally stop on these islands."
"But we can't live on these islands for long," Odysseus questioned.
"Actually, it's possible to live," Dave responded. "We can go fishing at sea, make sea salt, and make clothes using the goats on the island. We can endure for a few years and return when the wind dies down."
However, the course of history does not easily change. If the history of this world is similar to that of Linley's world, Divine Authority will completely replace the faith of the Olympian gods, at least for two thousand years.
Even if they stay on the island until they die, they won't be able to wait for the wind to die down. By the Middle Ages, if they were discovered by fanatical believers, the situation would only be worse.
At this time, Linley was also helpless. He looked at the pale-faced believers on the ship and could only say, "Then let's find a small island and dock."
"Yes!" Dave immediately agreed.
The faces of others on the ship also eased. In this era, ordinary people rarely went to sea. Even in coastal cities like Athens, going to sea was a dangerous thing. A little bit of wind and waves, and the ship would shake violently. Even experienced sailors would inevitably get seasick, let alone those who were going to sea for the first time.
Most of the believers Linley brought were already seasick and relied on alcohol to calm their nerves. Even the famous warrior Bavaria was lying on the deck, unable to move. The thought of a long journey on the ship made many want to jump overboard.
Hearing that they were going to find a small island to stay, the believers immediately cheered. At least they could feel at ease.
Dave pulled the sail, and the fishing boat quickly turned and sailed towards the southeast. Continuing south, they would have eventually spotted Crete.
In fact, many years ago, when the Greeks were still in a barbaric period, Crete already had a civilization. Greek culture was also inherited from Crete.
However, after inheriting it, the Greeks fabricated the myth of the Cretan king giving birth to a bull, building a labyrinth, demanding sacrifices from Greek city-states, and eventually being defeated by Theseus.
Sailing southeast, they would pass the Aegean islands. These islands are large and small. Some are densely populated, and even Roman troops are stationed there. Some islands are so small that they are difficult to find on modern maps.
In the gentle sea breeze, the fishing boat moved forward quickly. After several days of sailing, a horizon finally appeared in front of them.