I love history, and periodically I run across amazing things while digging through the old books I’ve accumulated over the years. This one may be new to you, but, on the off chance it jogs your memory, do you remember that time the Hebrews and Spartans concluded an alliance?
Put yourself in the position of the ancient Hebrews. The Maccabees, the baddest Hebrew Hammers since the time of Solomon, had just reconquered Judeah from the Seleucid Empire. The Ptolemaic Empire is just to the west, still occasionally casting a covetous eye on the Hellenistic settlements of the Decapolis and Coele Syria. Guess who’s in the way? If you guessed “that person I see in the mirror,” well…you’re simultaneously correct and in a lot of trouble unless you also see heavy armor and weapons in the mirror. You’re going to need some friends.
The Romans are a good first start, since they don’t want either the Ptollies or Seleucids to reclaim Alexander’s ancient glory. They’re pretty far away, though, and they’re busy trying to beat down your distant cousins in Carthage and dealing with the occasional invasion of Celts or Germans. The Macedonians have no desire to stir up trouble with your neighbors, since they’re busy stirring up trouble with their own and too smart to start a multi-front struggle.
So who’s left? Athens? A shadow of their former thalassocracy. Corinth? Under Macedon’s thumb. Pontus? They’re hoping the Seleucids forget they exist. Armenia? They’re…well, about to become part of the problem. Cappadocia? Barely independent. Galatians? They’d invade you themselves if Antiochus hadn’t stopped them in Asia Minor. Crete? You’re probably still mad that their pirates keep disrupting your shipping. Rhodes or Pergamon? Too busy counting their money.
So the options aren’t looking good…except for one. Independent, cranky, weakened Sparta still stands alone, King Areus needs allies as much as you do, and his League with Chremonides of Athens is having even more trouble with Macedon than you are with your neighbors.
The First Book of the Maccabees describes the treaty negotiations and contains a copy of the letters formalizing the treaty. Ancient treaties in the region usually contained some clause explaining how the parties were related, but none had quite the effect on future generations as the clause in this treaty confirming the relatedness of the Hebrews and Spartans. It’s inspired countless writers and bible students, and in my opinion is the most underreported thing in the entire Bible. You should read the whole thing, then get working on the Maccabee/Leonidas crossover fic the world doesn’t know it needs.