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Today is day two of the festival and you're starting with a bit of a hangover. But you don't care - the first part is actually rather boring. It's really just you Athenians showing off how rich and powerful you are - and rubbing the foreigners' noses in it! The generals - all ten of them together - open the festival with a libation. You're all very quiet for this bit. But you all cheer when the money you've taken off the empire in tax during the year is brought in and piled up high. It's great to know you've got all this cash - you can be sure you'll get your "drachma a day" when you go off to fight! Third is the awards ceremony - your "men of the year" collect their prizes. It's only a crown of leaves - but it's the honour that counts. The last bit is always sad. Every year there's some who don't make it back from the fighting. It's their lads on parade next - they get free board and lodging, and when they're eighteen, a free shield and set of armour so they can go and fight properly kitted out the way their dads would have liked.
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