City of the Sun. An early Utopia

An utopist state where, for first time ever, concepts like the one of community of property or of non-hierarchical structure were expressed, was the City of the Sun, as described by Iambulos, in 4th century B.C. His work had an important influence to the years followed as it had inspired, in one-hand revolutions of slaves and on the other, many authors, which also with their turn approved Utopia. Writers like Campanella of the medieval ages to-indirectly- Burroughs of Beat generation. The fact and only of the existence of such description and of course the influence in afterward events or inspirations enhance it to a rather interesting story even for now days…



The chronicle of the journey to the City of The Sun

Iambulos

As a Greek merchant’s son and as an historian he lived in 4th Century B.C. during the rise of Alexandrian era. His father’s occupations allowed him to realize many voyages in the whole known world including lands like Arabian and Indian Peninsula. His work, “The City of the Islands of the Sun” was written probably during the last years of his life and had been already lost since antiquity. A brief of the story though had been saved in the 20th book of “Historic Library” of Diodorus the Sicilian, 1st century B.C., as well as a sporadic report in Lukianos play “Real stories”. In Diodorus summary, in spite of the descriptions disorder, made it possible to reconstruct partially the original form and content of Iambulos story, giving a general perspective of a socialistic way of life, different from the one known.

The voyage and the community

Following Diodorus description, Iambulos with anther companion of his, traveling to Arabia were captured by a tribe of Abyssinians-today’s Ethiopians- who after keeping them for a while. Forced them to embark on a small boat with supplies enough for some months and ordered them to direct southwards. There would find an island where could live happily ever after.
They did so, and after 4 months of roaming in the ocean they reached a group of 7 large islands of mild climate and rich nature. The description gives us in a realistic prose, the appearance of the islands inhabitants, which were a special race of humans, unfamiliar to those known. All of them were 3 mts tall with no hair all over their body, which was very flexible as they had bones soft like cartilage. They possessed enormous muscular power, strong hearing and a diptych tongue.
But, the most interesting part of the story is where the Solar Citizens society is described. According to the story their political system had no knowledge of the conceptions of war and slavery, therefore there was no army, weapons or fortresses. Internal criminality was trivial. Land and production means-as well women and children- belonged to everyone, under a system of property’s community. Mature people were forced to work only when needed and, in order not to be exhausted by it, were changing periodically in multiple specializations preventing in this way the division of labor. Similarly, public officers positions were changing with only old people to be excluded.
The civilians of each Island of the Sun were organized in tribes of 400, called Systems. Chief member of its tribe was the eldest, which had neither further power nor privileges but was limited in a consultative role. Some laws and customs also occurred but where not in written form and breaking them had no penalty. One of those rules demanded ill newborns, mentally or physically, should be executed, similar to the Spartan society rules.
The Solar citizens spent most of their time in spiritual entertainment and games. Because their life duration was too long, after 150 living, they were dying in purpose by using poisonous aromatic plants.
According to the story, Iambulos and his companion remained for 7 years in the City of the Sun, without being able, though, to adjust themselves in this new way of life. Due to this reason, they were once again exiled, and after 4 months in the open sea, during which Iambulos companion drowned- he ended up to the coasts of India from where he reached Greece.
From the study of the journey’s summary it is obvious the influence of themes frequently encountered in ancient Greek utopic descriptions of strange voyages and that is mostly for the main body of the description, concerning the land and the people met. The major Iambulos innovation is the social system described, even if obviously “originated from” and “directed towards” the state where in which he belongs to, nevertheless it possesses qualitative novelties rather because of introductions to societies he had met or probably created having in various sources from Indian voyage descriptions. Iambulos had visualized a free society, with no property or sovereignty. Had seen also the incapability adjusting to a society alien comparing to the familiar one. His work was rather an exotic story of an imaginary place without immediate political pursuits. But, paradoxically, became the source of inspiration for a slave rebellion in antiquity and for the rebirth of utopic literature, from the middle ages times and beyond, where liberal societies were described to the same motive.


The New City of The Sun. The slaves’ rebellion in Asia Minor

One of the two greatest revolutions of the slaves in Roman ages was-together with the one of Spartacus- the slaves rebellion in the kingdom of Pergamus, in Asia Minor, 133-128 B.C. Revolution’s major cause was Aristonicos, son of a slave woman and illegitimate of Pergamus king, Attalus B’. After the king’s death Aristonicos, raised and educated away from the palace, claimed leadership exploiting his royal origin and by calling for support and alarming all those within whose surround he had grown. Slaves, serfs, farmers and workmen were summoned to mutiny against the the state of the rich and called to install a new civil community of property, which Aristonicos, obviously inspired by Iambulos story, named it the New City of the Sun… It would be a community attended to function without the terms of slave and master, rich and poor excluded, under the state of absolute equality and freedom. Stoic philosopher Blossius from Kymi, South Italy. Also followed the revolution, after escaping from the prison cells of Rome. The call for revolution found a spontaneous spread all over Asia Minor , starting from Mysia and reaching all nearby cities, something Plutarchos described with the phrase: “Aristonicos seeded the whole Asia with struggles and revolutions”.
Although the response for rebellion was immediate, the movement finally failed before truly establishing its presence. This occurred because the oligarchy and the wealthy of Pergamus territory preferred to ask for Roman help, even if the price for this would be for Pergamus kingdom to become Roman Prefecture. The revolutions repression had been achieved after 2 years of bloody battles, from 130 to 128 B.C. when the slaves last stand was finally defeated. Aristonicos was exemplary murdered and philosopher Blossius preferred suicide avoiding punishment.
From Hellenistic period to Middle Ages and Renaissance no other rebellion, worth mentioned, appeared attending to establish a liberal utopist state with the exception of the utopian religion heresies of the Anabaptists and Antinomians, in 16th-17th century, without having any relation with Iambulos work.

City of The Sun and Utopian Literature of the Middle Ages

Next time encountered the City of the Sun, after the slaves rebellion, is in the literal work of an Italian monk and intellectual, Tommaso Campanella (1568-1639). Born in the Stilo of Calabria, South Italy joined from early age the order of Dominican monks and the followers of Plato’s philosophy. As intellectual has been classified to the Civil Utopists writers, as-imitating Plato, borrowing main corpse and story title from Iambulos and influenced by other writers of his age, like Thomas More writer of “Utopia”-he describes also his very own “Civitas Solaris”, City of the Sun, an imaginary state, proposed as a model for social and political life. The work was published in 1602, first in Italian, soon after his condemnation to many years in prison accused for heresis and insurrection.
The description of Campanella’s state, lays in a poetic dialogue with a Genovese mariner supposed to have met the City of the Sun in the island Taprovane-today’s Ceylan or Sri Lanka. In its general structure the description is a variation of Iambulos story. There is a city divided in 7 circles, each one with the name of the 7 known -back then-planets. There is a developed urban net with temples and warcrafts where society follows a symbolic way of hierarchy, with the Master called “Metaphysicon” and the three princesses of equal competence to be called Wisdom, Love and Power
Campanella’s utopia was meant to be of the most important of his age. He attended to give a different perspective of social administration, based mostly on philosophy ad religion, without having being disputed form society as known, like Iambulos did.
In 1627, some years after Campanella, another important medieval utopia was published, “New Atlantis”, barely after the death of his writer, Francis Bacon philosopher and literalist. Bacon’s work was probably written around 1623 and had been influenced-less in content- from “Civitas Solaris” and T. More’s “Utopia”
The motive of Bacon’s narration is similar to the one of Campanella. The hero describes how he encounters along with his companions, after cruising in the South Seas, a marine City, Bensalem. Its society structure etc possesses a central spiritual center-University where science is utilized in its practical form as govern mean and social component of progress. In society of Bensalem all metaphysical worries come second, in spite the religious character of its structure, when it is obviously expressed that scientific innovation is the one to determine mankind’s improvement.
Bacon’s work has been characterized prophetic for the manner in which had visualized materialistic science-the contemporary research University and the exploitation of natural sources for man’s profit and how this would determine the way of modern’s society structure, renounced form anything less practical. However the open-minded and inspired critic of Bacon’s social ideas, it surely cannot be compared to the primitivistic City of The Sun of Iambulos, mirror of its times and fully contrasted to the society of “progress” New Atlantis stands for. The positivistic utopia which has probably won the bet with the future.


Burroughs Cities of the Red Night. The pirate utopian communities of the 18th Century

American Beat writer W. Burroughs (1914-1997)in late 70’s wrote the book “The Cities of the Red Night” with main source of inspiration political systems developed by pirates in utopian states founded in order to avoid oppression of European naval empires order.
Burroughs has as source a 1900’s book of Don C. Seitz, “Under the Black Flag” where life of some 18th’s century pirates is described. The report of Seitz as well further info Burroughs gives, even if they appear not to have immediate relation with the City of the Sun, nevertheless are governed by exactly the same principles Iambulos had expressed an slaves of the antiquity applied, as well some European pirates without having knowledge of the previous
From Seitz’s book we read:
“Captain Mission has been a pioneer of the French Revolution.100 years in front of his age, started his career by trying to ordinate more fairly the humanity’s fairs, something that ended up to be ordination of his own future…after having conquered a British battleship, he called the crew. All those who wished to follow him would treat them like brothers. The rest would get aboard safe in nearest cost. Everyone in one voice joined the New Liberty. Some demanded the black flag to be raised, though Mission negated, saying they are no pirates but freedom lovers fighting for equal rights against all nations submitted to governmental tyranny….all money were held in a case and clothes were distributed to those needed. Mission indicated them to live in disciplined harmony, that a narrow-minded society will always consider them pirates…slaves joined the crew…Mission gave a speech where disclaimed slavery and argued that men bargain other men as if they were animals prove that their religion is nothing more but a feint…”

Burroughs continues, “…Mission explored the coastline of Madagascar…and decided to install there, their ground base…to built a City and obtain a place they could call of their own. The city was named Libertatia, set under the Articles…voting for every decision, abolition of slavery, abolition of death penalty, freedom to join any religion or faith…
Mission’s colony was destroyed, after a surprise attack by natives. Himself, got killed soon afterwards in a naval battle. Other similar colonies were established in West Indies, Central and South America without surviving. Their limited number did not allowed them to resist attacks. If they had managed so, the world’s history route would have changed…Imagine a dozen of such fortresses scattered, imagine a similar movement in world climax. In front of such an original enforcement of freedom, French and American Revolution would have to keep their promises. All destructive consequences of uncontrolled industrialization would be restricted, as well, industrial workers and citizens of the urban ghettos would reach for shelter to the liberal territories. No more white masters, Puka Sahib, los Padrones, Colonists. The opportunity existed, the opportunity got lost. The principals of American and French revolution became fake words in political speeches…liberal revolutions of Latin America after a terrible chronicle of dictatorship oppression, briberies and bureaucratic method, blockaded any possibility of communities, like the one of Mission, to be established…of course, there’s no chance for liberation from “governmental tyranny” as urban inhabitants are fully depended on them for food, energy, water supplement, transportation, security and prosperity. Your right to live on your own will, with comrades you choose and with laws you agree with, died in 18th century with captain Mission. Only a miracle or a disaster could resurrect it…”


Moral (of a fable)

City of the Sun is nothing more but an imaginary story, a fairytale. Today’s reality leaves no place for such quest of exotic lands where the ideal will be encountered. A paradise to comfort and give solutions in the real world.
Nevertheless, City of the Sun is a mighty symbol. Demonstrated better than anything in those times how a political perspective, different from the canalized ways, could strangely give birth to expressions-phenomena, characteristic and alien in the flow of History, the one full of freedom’s gaps.
The slaves of Pergamus probably would ever have visualized the establishment of their freedom if haven’t been inspired this could have been occurred. The same for the early years intellectualists, maybe never would had given such a literal stigma without the previous inspiration originated from this liberal state.

Once In some point of History, man reached a point where poverty ad hardship of the ground shrank to such degree where had been completely detained from torturing him in every day. From that point and beyond he had reached the boundaries of his prosperity. He sang his own song, cooked his own food and mediated over the elements, his very own surround-and not its effect- was giving to him.
Once, History its self stopped from being, in its reality, what mean experiences and got disgraced to exist in the form of the thing imprinted. Stopped from being materialized between us and transubstantiated to odors, usually those of gun powder and ink.
Most important though, is the following. History has never fallen from any heavenly made kingdom. The Multitude for years had crawled in the mud, rising face, occasionally only, to the Sun. There has never been a supreme circumstance, which got lost in the obscured suspicions of ancient aeons.
If an Eternity exists, it’s the eternity of our practices. Their repercussion-and nothing but it- is able to produce reality, with inspiration to enlight the paths. No glorious past, so, no hopeful future. The City of the Sun is only to become.