text: A little 'drunken' from yet another trip through time and space, you find yourself in the middle of some woods. It is cold and damp and judging by the weak daylight, you assume that it must be daybreak or early morning. A mist surrounds you, giving the entire surrounding an eerie outlook. There is not much sound around you, only the occasional cry of a bird resonating through the forest - it occurs to you that some of these cries sound a little human! You wonder where you are and what Chronos has in store for you now. One thing is certain: you miss the sweating warmth of the Palace of Nebuchadnezzar in Babylon.
  
  In the distance, the sound of horses and the cling of armor is slowly becoming apparent resonating through the misty forest. You wonder if you have not been warped to the Teutoburger Forest in 9 A.D. - it would be the perfect setting for the battle. You raise alarm when behind you, you hear the sound of footsteps in the forest...and the cry of some birds.
  
  It is the autumn of 54 B.C., modern-day Belgium in the territory of the tribe of the Eburones. You are about to be spectator or unwilling player in the confrontation between the Romans and the Germanic tribes. It will soon become very bloody as the Eburones have laid a trap in order to fall upon the flanks of the disorganized Romans moving through the woods. Now think fast and answer me this question: In order to gain military prestige and to fill his depleted bank account, the very ambitious politician and able commander Julius Caesar set off on a military campaign that would last from 58 B.C. until 51 B.C. During these so-called Gallic Wars the famous Roman would confront a large number of Gallic and Germanic tribes on the field of battle in France, Belgium, Germany and even Britain.
  
  Which of the following Gallic or Germanic kings/leaders would Caesar NOT personally confront on the battlefield?
  
  > Ambiorix
  Caesar never confronted Ambiorix on the field of battle. You are right!
  
  Ambiorix was prince of the Eburones, a Germanic tribe in modern-day Belgium. Like Vercingetorix, Ambiorix had served under Caesar between 57 B.C. and 54 B.C. to ensure the alliance of the Eburones towards the Romans. After the campaign in Britain in 54 B.C. Caesar's troops desperately needed food and since the harvest in Gaul had been bad, he was forced to divide up the bulk of his troops in Belgium. Obviously the harvest in Belgium had not been better and therefore the local tribes were not keen on offering the Roman intruders their supplies. This led to a revolt under the leadership of Ambiorix and Indutiomarus of the Treverii. Ambiorix managed to convince the local Roman commanders Quintus Sabinus and Lucius Cotta that the area was about to be overrun by the Germans from across the Rhine and urged them to join the units of Quintus Cicero in the area of the Nervii. When the Romans moved out of their stronghold near modern day Kanne they were ambushed by Ambiorix in the woods and cut to pieces. 15 Roman cohorts were completely wiped out in an engagement that would closely resemble the Battle in the Teutoburgerwald a half a century later.
  
  But enough talking. You are in a tight spot and I need to get you out before the Battle of Kanne breaks loose around you. Behind you, covered by the morning fog and hidden behind the trees the Eburones and Treverii under Ambiorix are approaching and in front of you the unsuspecting Romans under command of Sabinus and Cotta are about to be ambushed! Within 10 minutes you will be surrounded by cries of war, the clashing of shields and swords, blood and guts...
  
  Let's get out of here!!!
  
  > Continue....
  Well it was about time! You have arrived in a seemingly peaceful ancient city and for once not in a warzone or on a ship caught in a storm. It is pleasantly warm - not as hot as in Babylon - and it is nighttime. When you walk out of the dark alleyway, you are pleased to see the Parthenon in the close distance, however you also notice that the street is crowded with improvised wooden huts, almost blocking the street entirely. A great number of people are lying in the streets, some are lying immobile others are just sitting there gazing into the heavens, sometimes assisted by a lover or relative providing them with water and care, but all deprived of their clothing. At the far end of the street an overcrowded tavern (or maybe the house of an Athenian) where a party seems to be taking place. You shrug as you see a man leaping onto the street, vomiting and then straggling on towards you with a cup of wine in his hand. The man is definitely drunk and as he approaches you can see that he is also terribly ill: he has a reddish and livid complexion, here and there some leaking pustules are visible. He reaches out to you and wants to speak, but only manages to let out a hard cough followed by a violent spasm which makes him fall down on the cobblestones...he grabs you by your sleeve in an attempt to get up.
  
  Oh great! You have arrived in Athens at the time of the Great Plague!
  
  You are correct my dear contestant. It is 429 B.C., you are in Athens and it is the second year of the Peloponnesian War. I'm sure that you don't want to stay here longer then you want to, so here's my question to you:
  
  After the successful conclusion of the Greco-Persian War in 480 B.C., a number of Greek city-states formed a league under the leadership of Athens in order to protect Greece from future Persian aggression. After a while however, Athens managed to greatly increase its own power reducing his allies to tribute paying vassals. This allowed Athens to fund massive public work programs and to build up a massive naval fleet. By 431 B.C., the member of the coalition had had enough of Athens bullying and treachery and - with the support of Sparta - decided to take up arms against Athens. This caused the Peloponnesian Wars which would last until 404 B.C.
  
  What was the name of this alliance of Greek city-states or league, formed in 478 B.C.?
  
  > Peloponnesian League
  Sorry, but this is a wrong answer.
  
  The Peloponnesian League was an alliance made in the Peloponnesus, the southern region of Greece, around 580 B.C. It was led by Sparta and eventually included the city states of Corinth, Elis, Messenia, Boeotia (Thebes) and many other states. It would be disbanded in 338 B.C. when Philip of Macedon formed his own league with all the other states of Greece except for Sparta.
  
  Well, good thing you like the agreeable climate of Greece because I will be leaving you here in Athens in 429 B.C. Another advantage is that you will be able to follow the politics and military actions of the Peloponnesian War from very close by - that is, if you manage to survive the plague...