"Myrmidons: In Greek mythology, inhabitants of the island of Aegina in the Saronic Gulf, the followers of Achilles during the Trojan War. During the reign of Achilles' grandfather Aeacus, Hera, the wife of Zeus, sent a plague that destroyed the island's inhabitants, because Zeus loved Aegina, the maiden after whom the island was named. Aeacus, in despair, prayed to Zeus; seeing a troop of ants as he did so, he asked that they be transformed into people numerous enough to fill his empty city. Zeus answered his prayer in this manner, and because Aegina was repopulated from an anthill, its people became known as Myrmidons, from the Greek word meaning ants (myrmêkes).
Microsoft Encarta® Reference Library 2002.
fortifying PYlos meant they didnt want to lose it- it also meant that the more people under the Athenian, or Spartan sphere of conrol the better- as it gave more oppertunity ot work its magic at convinceing the local popualce to take a firm stance on the issue- point is not so much the Athenians story, but rather the Spartans- if they had wnated to, they coul dhave set outside Athens, and even attacked it if they wanted to- hell, the guys by the end of the war figured out that pileing dirt up the side of a wall would make a nice ramo to send up troops... they could have dont that easilly enough with teh Athenian long walls if they had to, but they didnt
![[Ant]Wimp](https://civfanatics-data.community.forum/avatars/m/35/35417.jpg?1475248323){kind=avatar}
) I only saw rocky plains filled with olive trees. Not really Sahara-desert-like...
