While reading a book about the history of telecommunications, I came across an ancient story The Oresteia by Aeschylus account of the events of the 12th century BC during the Trojan War. And it’s seems to be a genuine SOTA activation by our SV colleagues to spread the news of the victory.
From the book I take this:
From somewhere online (extract The Oresteia by Aeschylus):
- News has reached us that Troy has just fallen:
- And when exactly was that city razed to the ground?
- CLITEMNESTRA. – I shall tell you: last night, the night that gave way to this day.
- And who could have come to announce it so soon?
- CLITEMNESTRA. – Hephaestus [god of fire, here a metonymy for fire] (could be propagation god), sending a brilliant glow from Mount Ida [Turkey is not in Sota program yet]. From the fire that was the first to bring the news, each bonfire sent another bonfire all the way here: from Ida to Hermeus Prof. Ilias SV/AG-006 (?) the mountain of Lemnos. Thirdly, the heights of Athos SV/AA-001, consecrated to Zeus, received a great bonfire from this island, and the vigour of the travelling torch rose up through those heights, as if to come over the sea for our joy, and the burning resin of the pine gave warning to the watchmen of Mount Macistus Delfi SV/EV-001(?) with the brilliance of a golden glow like that of the sun. The mountain did not delay, nor, overcome by senseless sleep, did it neglect the part that fell to it in the message; rather, on the contrary, the light of its bonfire reached far away, giving the signal to the sentinels of Mesapio Melissovraxo SV/ST-097 (?) as far as the currents of the Euripus. They, in turn, lit another bonfire, so that the signal might carry on, setting alight a heap of dry heather. The vigorous flame, without dying out for even a moment, leapt across the lowlands of the river Asopus, like a resplendent moon, as far as the rock of Citeron Pr. Ilias SV/AT-003 (that’s Cythaeron for sure), and triggered a fresh relay of the fire charged with bearing the news.
- The sentry (activator) did not neglect to light a fire that could be seen from afar, even brighter than he had been ordered. And the light crossed over Lake Gorgopis and reached Mount Egiplanto Makryplagi SV/AT-002 (? Not clear), where it urged them not to neglect the order to light a fire. They lit it with diligent zeal and sent up a huge column of flame, as if to surpass and illuminate the promontory from whose summit the Saronic Gulf can be seen. Then it leapt and instantly reached Mount Aracneo Arachnaio SV/PL-057, an observation post already close to our city, and then that light—which is none other than a descendant of the fire kindled on Mount Ida
—reached this dwelling of the Atreides. Such were my instructions to the torchbearers: let each take the other’s place, and may the first and the last prevail in this race. And such is the assurance and sign I give you that my husband sent me the news from Troy.
I’m asking our Greek colleagues or anyone interested in Greek mythology for help in filling in the gaps and checking that the SOTA names are the correct ones.
Wouldn’t it be awesome to recreate in VHF the light of Mount Ida, like the VHF, requires a direct line of sight to bring the news to Argos?
