T ra ns l at e d b y

H e n ry C ary

Wa
it h C ritical and B io g raphical I ntr o ducti o n

by B asil L G il d ersleeve
.

Ill u s t rat ed

N e w Y o rk
D . Ap p le t o n an d C o m p a ny
1 9 04
 H E R O DO T US

0
F the l i f e of Herodotus the Fat h er o f History l ittl e , ,

is known The date commonly accepted f or his birth

.

is 48 4 B C and h e is supposed not to have survived

. .
,

the year 424 B oth dates rest on combinations H e w a s a

.
.

native o f Halicarnassus a Dorian city o f Caria and was proud , ,

o f his Doric blood B ut the D oric speech o f Hal icarnassus.

w a s in time supplanted by th e I onic which w as the prevalent ,

Asiatic type of Greek and in a Halicarnassian inscription o f ,

45 5 B C only. th e opening
. f ormula is D oric Halicarnassus .

w a s thrust out o f th e Dorian league b ecause o f a sin which

one o f the citizens had committed against the maj esty o f
Apollo and f ell first under Lydian and then under Pers ian
,

sway At the time o f H erodotus s birth it was held as a fi e f

.
’

of the Persian Empire by Artemisia th e h ig h hearted h eroine ,

-

o f Salamis .

Herodotus w a s o f a nobl e f amily t h e son o f L y x e s and ,

D ry o or R h o i o and a kinsman o f P a n y a s s i s the diviner the

, , , ,

poet th e reviver of th e epic What the relation was is not

,
.

clear I ntermarriage among the Greeks was o ften complex

.
,

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and Pa n y a s s i s his mot h er s b rot h er may readily have b een
, ,

’
his father s nephew At all events the connection with Pany
.
,

assis lends especial significance to th e H erodotean weakness

f or dreams an d omens si gn s and wonders and makes still , ,
’
more intelligibl e t h e historian s familiarity with epic poetry ,

and th e epic cast an d colouring o f his narrative ; an d wh en

w e read that H erodotus u ndertook a long voyage in order
to investigate th e origin o f the wors h ip o f Tyrian Heracl es ,

w e recollect that P a n y a s s i s composed a H era c l e rs More i m .

iv H E ROD OT US

portant still was the political work of Pa n y a s s i s w h o peris h ed ,

in an unsuccessful revolt against L y g d am i s grandson or ,

haply younger son o f Artemisia A f ter the death o f Pan y a s s i s

.
,

H erodotus who may have been impli cated in the a ff air is sup
, ,

posed to h ave withdrawn to Samos and it is recorded that ,

h e bore a conspicuous part in the revolution that unseated

Ly g d a m i s in 4 5 5 I n 4 5 4 the name o f Halicarnassus appears
.

on th e roll o f the Athenian allies who pai d their quota to the

f und levied f or resistance to Persia B ut f action begets f action .
,

and Herodotus w h o had o u sted Ly g d am i s was himsel f f orced

, ,

to withdraw and we find him registered among those who

,

j oined the Athenian colony o f T h u ri i in Lower I taly f o u nded , ,

in 444 Hence he is sometimes called a Thurian His tomb

. .

was there but another tomb was shown in Athens the city
, ,

he loved so well Shortly b e f ore going to Th u ru h e is said

.

—
to h ave read a portion o f his histories at At h ens which por
tion is much disp u ted—and to have received a publ ic reward
o f ten talents f or his praise o f t h e viol et wreat h ed city The -
.

amount is extravagant ; t h e story reminds one o f the ol d tale

abo u t Pindar but a public recitation is not at all i mp ro b
,

abl e nor a public recognition o f some k ind

,
.

M uch o f his time was spent in travel What the modern .

h istorian finds use f ul f or giving vividness and exactness to

his narrative t h e ancient historian f ound indispensable f or
th e collection o f material The day o f the bookworm his
.

t o ri a n s whose j ourneys were limited to papyrus and to parch

,

ment h ad not yet come In point o f f act the geographer

,
.
,

and th e h istorian were one in the early time and th e di ff er ,

e n t i a t i o n did not ta k e place until a comparatively late period .

H istory ( ia r ap id ) means investigation and th e in f o rmation

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sought had o f ten to be gathered on t he spot .

Attempts have b een made to trace t h e travels o f H e ro d o

tus in his work not always with signal success Continental
,
.

Greece he knew Athens beyond a doubt and the traveller

, ,

of to day who stands in Sparta and looks out toward Therapne

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f eels t h at h e is on Herodotean ground Some o f the Cyclades .

h e m u s t h ave visited b u t h ow many is open to q u es t ion H i s

,
.
 H E R O D OT U S

birt h place was on t h e coast o f Asia M inor and th e coast o f ,

Asia M inor he must have known and the greater islands in ,

those waters notably Samos where he is sai d to have re

, ,

sided Sardis he discusses as one w h o had seen the capital

.

of Lydia His voyage along th e northern coast o f Asia M inor

.

s eems to have extended to the mouth o f th e Phasi s but th ere ,

is no cogent evidence o f h is personal knowl edge o f Scythia ,

and it has been suggested that h e went no farther than

Byzantium and gathered his material t h ere f or the regions
beyond B ut i f h e i s as h onest as we take him to b e his de
.
,

scription o f E x a m p aeu s ( iv 8 1 ) is based on actual vision and

, ,

it is desirabl e that he shoul d h ave visited O l bia a f amo u s ,

outpost o f Greekdom whic h h e calls B o ry s t h en e s Tyre h e

, .

sought as he tells us expressly O f Babylon h e writes as one

, .

t h at h a d seen with his own eyes I n Palestine h e be h eld the

‘

monuments o f the triump h al march o f Sesostris Perhaps he .

saw them on his way to Egypt where h e must have soj ourned ,

for some time B u t t h e extent o f his actual vision o f Egypt

.

is muc h mooted O f U pper Egypt he makes s cant mention

.
,

but t h en h e ma k es scant mention o f Ph oenicia That he never .

reached Elep h antin e is supposed to be proved by his calling

Elep h antine a city and not an is land ; b u t it was bot h then ,

as R hodes became b ot h a fterward Cyrene he most probably .

,
—
visited and Lower I taly h e k new T h u ri i at least w h ich he , ,

h elped to colonize and M et ap o n t u m, Sicily was near and .

,

it s eems likely t h at h e k new Si cily Likeli h ood an d p ro b ab i l .

ity can not b e excluded b ut we may b ol dly say t h at Herodotus

,

was qualified f or memb ers h ip even in an exigent Travellers ’

Club .

O n these travels on t h ese res earc h es rests t h e great work

, ,

w h ich heads t h e long line o f Gree k pros e classics and a brie f ,

summary o f t h e contents o f th e nine books that compose the

Setting F ort h o f I nvestigation may fit l y precede t h e char
a c t e ri s t i c o f this g r eat achievement .

An Al exandrian sc h olar o f some note denied t h at H ero d o

tus wrote t h e pre f ace o f h is work b u t every word in it is sig ,

n i fi can t and i f p roperly st u died t h e pre face gives t h e k ey

, , ,
vi H E ROD OT U S

to the w hol e I t gives the authors h ip I t tells us that it is

. .

a setting f orth of investigation that its obj ect is to prevent

,

the history o f the worl d f rom being e ff aced by the lapse of

time The great and marvello u s deeds wrought by Greeks
.

and non Greeks are not to be l e f t u n f am o u s e d and the cause

-

o f the war between them is to be set down Thucydides is .

satisfied with how ? Herodotus demands w hy ? Thu cy di d es

looks to history as a l esson f or f uture generations drawn f rom m

Herodotus looks t o history as a record o f the

”M u R -na m

e xp er1 e n c e

w
.

de a higher power For the wrat h o f Achilles sub

.

s t i t u t e the envy o f the gods and we have a movement like

,

that o f the I liad .

The history O pens on mythical ground but it is note ,

worthy that H erodotus singles out the Phoenicians as the first

O rientals who came into contact with the Greeks and it is sig ,

n i fi c a n t that Crete plays the part o f a breedbate as she has ,

always done f rom that day to this T h e Eternal F eminine is .

at the bottom o f the trouble between East an d West I o and ,

M edea and Hel en B ut these ol d unhappy f ar o ff t h ings are

.
, ,
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soon d i s m i s s e d a n d we come in an early chapter to Cr oesus the

,

Lydian the first to make the Greek f eel t h e p ower o f the East
,
.

The history of the dynasty o f Cr oesus and h is overt h row by

Cyrus with the necessary account o f the M edes and Per
,

sians takes up about two thirds of the first book U pon the
, .

subj ection o f the Lydian monarchy f ollows t h e subj ugation

o f the I onians and other peoples o f Asia M inor—a task which
was intrusted by Cyrus to his lieutenant H a rp a g u s while ,

Cyrus himsel f undertook to reduce B abylon A f ter Babylon .

the Great comes th e expedition o f Cyrus against the Massa

get ae and his deat h in battl e with Tomyris I t is a dramatic
, .

ending a notabl e ill u stration o f the envy o f the gods of the

, ,

law o f compensation The second book a fter briefly record

.
,

ing t h e accession o f Cambyses and his designs on Egypt ,

takes Egypt itsel f f or its theme and so wholly is Egypt the

,

theme that the book has been li fted out o f the compl ex and
treated as an independent wor k B ut we must remember that
.

biologists h ave succeeded in isolating the heart itsel f and he ,

 H E R O D OT U S vfi

w ho studies the second book aright can trace the fibres that
unite it to the rest of the structure I t has not been simply .

let in The third book tells o f Ca m b y s e s s conquest of Egypt

.
’
,

his plans to subj ugate other p eoples o f Africa an d various ,

performances of that eccentri c monarch B ut Greece is not .

f orgotten Greeks formed part of the army o f Cambyses

.
,

and Polycrates of Samos was an ally o f Cambyses as he had ,

b een an ally o f A m a s i s under the f ormer Egyptian dynasty .

Corinth made common caus e with the Laced aemonians against

Polycrates and this leads to t h e story o f Periander o f Corinth
,
.

Cambyses Polycrates and Periander are three shining ex

, ,

amples o f the unhappiness o f supreme power o f t h e envy o f ,

the gods B ut Samos was a digression and Herodotus apolo

.
,

gizes f or it as he resumes the t h read o f h is narrative o f Per

sian history and recounts the uprising o f th e f alse S m e rdi s
, ,

the death o f Cambyses and the reign o f S m e rd i s his over , ,

throw and the enthronement o f his successor Dari u s th e

, ,

great organizer o f the Persian Empire I ndians and Arabians .

now come into the cycle Samos is subj ugated and as a .

, ,

pre face to the subj u gation we learn th e fate o f Polycrates , ,

and the book closes wit h an account o f the revolt o f Babylon

and the quelling o f t h e same The Persian Empire is firmly .

rooted and begins again to s end f ort h its r u nners northward

,

and westward I n t h e f o u rt h book we f ollow Darius into the

.

land o f the Scythians and many c h apters are given up to ,

Scythian history and geograp h y The Scythian exp e dition .

was a failure and this failure encouraged the I onians to plan

,

a revolt Nor was the attempt to extend the Persian rul e

.

over Libya an unq u al ified success Most o f t h e Libyans cared .

naught f or the Great King but the tal e o f the f amous colony ,

o f Cyrene is told and an account o f the Libyans is given

, .

Largely ethnograp h ical and geograp h ical as th e f ourth book

is it does not detach itsel f so much as does the second and
, ,

prepares us f or the closer complication o f Greece an d Persia

in the fi fth Thrace and M acedon f urnish t h e introductory
.

chapters to the I onian revolt which is the main t h eme o f the ,

remainder o f t h e fi ft h book and the opening o f t h e sixt h .

 H E RODOT US

U pon the suppress ion o f the I onian revolt f ollows the first
invasion o f Greece by the Persians I n both books Athens .

comes to the front and much interest is shown in th e details

,

o f Athenian history B ooks V I I to I X give a consecutive

.

history o f the invasion o f Greece by Xerxes and the failure ,

o f the expedition T h e digressions are f ew The narrative

. .

moves on un h asting and unresting to t h e last chapter

, , .

S u c h is a rapid outlin e o f t h e nine b oo k s o f Herodot u s

the nine M u ses as they were f anci fu lly named in Alexandrian
,

times The division also d u e doubtless to Alexandrian schol

.
,

ars is not original and h as been h otl y assailed B ut as the

, , .

three original M u ses became nine so the three parts or vo l ,

u me s into whic h t h e work naturally f alls may have been split

al ong the lines o f t h e s everal books as we have them The last .

triad f orms as we have s een a clos e u nity and there is a

, , ,

seductive theory that this last part in the order o f time was
the first part in t h e order o f composition and that the history ,

o f the second Persian war was a monograph to which the ,

ot h er parts were a f terward added B ut there is a thread o f .

narrative that h olds the triple triad together and there is ,

no lack o f art in the leisurely introduction the side light di ,

-

g re s s i o
, n s and t h e accelerated close Th e art is t h e art o f .

”
t he I liad and the O dyssey .

B ut th e unity o f H erodot u s so much admired in antiq u ity , ,

h as been r u dely attacked i n modern times Ancient critics .

laud the skill with which the vast material is disposed so as

to preserve unity in variety the skill with which the historian ,

has made one body o u t o f the most heterogeneous subj ects ,

so that a oneness o f li f e p ermeates the whole structure Mod .

—
ern critics on the ot h er h and o r at l east the most domineer
,

—
ing school o f modern critics h av e pointed out the various
layers in t h e composition and h ave maintained t h at th e his
,

tory is not a unit b u t a congeries o f monographs H ero d o

,
.

tus it seems did n ot di ff er essentially f rom h is predecessors

, , ,

at leas t to b egin with H e prepared accounts o f h is travels

. ,

and s u pplemented his own researc h es b y compilations f rom

various s o u rces T h ere was no great conception in h is mind
.
 H E R OD OT U S ix

w h en h e began his story book The thought t h at seems to

-
.

dominate the whole was at best an after thought and what -

we have is an attempt to bring a mass o f heterogeneous mate

rial into some kind of connection with th e history o f th e sec
ond Persian war th e only part o f t h e work that has any true
,

coherence B y processes f amiliar to the student o f Homeric

.

criticism evidence is adduced to show the imper f ect welding

,

o f the mass and the incompleteness o f the work R e f erences .

are made to s t ories that are n ever told to persons that never ,

recur and not only so b ut according to these critics the

, , , ,

narrative f ails o f a proper close I t s h oul d h ave ended earlier

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'

or later Even t h e marvello u s s t yl e h as not escaped criticism

. ,

and attempts have been made to prove that t h e histories lac k

’
the supreme to u ch o f the master s h and .

B ut we must b eware o f over analysis If Herodot u s did -

.

not set out with a fixed purpose and a definite plan i f he ,

began as a curious t ra v ell e r / a n d not as a systematic investi

gator still there must have been in his mind a general con
,

c e p t i o n o f the u niverse which grew clearer an d s h arper as

,

h e matured so that long be f ore h e cam e to write h is pre f ace

,

the work o f his l i f e was reveal ed to h imsel f R evis ion elabora .

,

t ion there must have b een but the unity o f t h e wor k lies in
, ,

its moral purport .

At all events it is t h is u nity t h is grasp o f a vast and varied

,

material that is one o f t h e special claims set up f or H erodotus

,

as the originator o f a new department o f literature and b e f ore ,

proceeding to consider t h e ot h er points in whic h t h e h istorian

di ff erentiates h imsel f f rom h is predecessors it is n e c essary to
give some brie f acco u nt o f t h e earlier writers o f G reek p rose .

’
The extent o f Herodot u s s obligations to h is predecessors
is v ario u sly estimated and there are t h ose who h ave made
,

’
H erodotus out to be an unscrupulous conveyer o f other men s
labours B ut t h e c h arge o f plagiarism to which modern writ
.
,

ers are extremely s ensitive glanced h arml ess f rom t h e armo u r

,

o f the Greek o f th e best period Later Greeklings have muc h .

to say about stealing one f rom another T h e tr u e masters .

h elped t h emselves to w h at t h ey needed A good t h ing w as .

x H E ROD OT U S

common property Was Sophocles in debt to Herodotus or

.
,

Herodotus to Sophocles or both to a third ? To whom did ,

H erodotus and Euripides owe the common estimate of life

as an accident ? Y es Herodotus had predecessors H e may
, .

have learned something o f M iletus f rom an obscure writer ,

Cadmus of M iletus o f Ly d i a f ro m Xanthus called the Lydian

, , ,

and there are those who think that he owes much to H e c a t aeu s
of M iletus an earlier and haply not so far inferior Herodotus
, .

True he cites H e c a t aeu s but f our times— once to magnify the

,
’
importance of the historian s calling once to approve his j u dg ,

ment once to criticise and once to show that his a u thority

, ,

is not overwhelming B ut German pro f essors are always

.

ready to attribute to others the processes o f their own craft ,

and there is scant evidence that the work of Herodotus is in

any sense a compilation From whatever sources he drew his .

material he was th e originator o f a ne w line o f literary work

, .

B e f ore him the epop ee had served as history and the el dest ,

M use o f the nine was commissioned to tell o f the glories o f

t h e past B ut poetry is not history f or h istory means investi
.
,

g a t i o n ; an d poetry is inspiration not investigation and the , ,

beginnings o f prose presaged the death o f the epos The .

earliest writers o f prose were called logograp h ers ( Xa yo yp ci cbo e r r

or h og/07 010 0 writers o f accounts

, When Logos comes in .
,

Mythos retreats There is no M5709 in Homer and th e first

.
,

p ros e writers were th e first critics The logograp h er was .

someth ing else t h an t h e translator o f poetry into the language

o f every day l i f e I n the early p eriod the poetical f orm is
-
.

imperative and the art o f verse is earlier and easier than th e

,

art o f prose For mere narrative the epos woul d have su f

.

fic ed.
—
Chronicl es and genealogies and for that matter , ,

travels — might have been composed in hexameters to the end

o f time B ut the Logos is that which reckons t h at which cal
. ,

c u l at e s ,
t h at w h ich takes stock and this must b e borne in ,

mind when we consider t h e predecessors o f H erodotus The .

opening words o f the Genealogies o f H ec at aeu s show t h at h e

approached tradition in no reverent spirit and that he sco u ted ,

t h e f alse and f oolis h stories which h e f o u nd c u rrent H e ro d o .

 H E R OD OT U S xi

tus w as t h e culmination of one development and so th e origi ,

nator o f another H e w a s a logographer raised to a h igher

.

power but th e higher power means everything M en had

,
.

explored be fore had criticised before but the exploration and

, ,

the criticism had spent themselves on details The vision .

o f the whole had been denied the redintegration of the epic ,

breadth the achievement o f an artistic historical style H el

,
.

l a n i c u s the contemporary o f H erodot u s wrought on very

, ,

much in th e ol d way long a fter th e Father o f H istory had writ

—
ten his last line nay perhaps a fter Thucydides had f ramed ,

his indictment against his great predecessor B ut that i n “

.

d i c t m e n t does not hold The history o f H erodotus is not .

merely a show piece for immediate e ff ect it is not merely a ,

tal e that is tol d to tickle the b e a re r and to win a prize but it ,

is in truth what Thucydides claims f or his own work a pos

, ,

session f orever a f und f or perpetual use There are errors

, .

enough in detail but even T hu cydides h as not escaped the

,

’
critic s lens and the man w h o hel d f ast his f aith against s o
,

p h i s t i c influence was not th e in f erior o f the man who was

dominated by it I t has been well sai d that the attitude o f
.

Thucydi des toward H erodot u s is the attitude o f Euripides

toward E s c h y l u s Th e N ew Lig h t considers t h e O l d Lig h t
.

darkness Time does j ustice to both

.
“
.

B ut when we claim unity f or t h e work o f H erodotus in

contrast to th e j ot tings o f his predecessors we must make it ,

clear wherein t h a t u nity lies Does it l ie simply in t h e con .

fl i c t o f the Persian war and is everything made introductory , ,

made tributary to that ? B ut the story o f the great lib eration ,

as it h as been call ed was not compl eted in the work nor , , ,

indeed in the time o f Herodot u s Tr u e the Persian war may

, .
,

b e said to h ave b roken th e spell o f O riental supremacy but ,

Persia swayed t h e a ff airs o f Greece wh ether by arms or by

gol d generations a fter Herodotus h ad ceased to write ; and h is
,

pre face w h ic h is a retrospect gives a wider and deeper theme

, , .

I n modern lang u age h is t h eme is the history o f the worl d in

its bearing on t h e grea t str u ggl e between Hellene and b ar
barian and t h e Lest w e f orget o f the first l ines o f t h e h is
,
xfi H E RO DOT US

tories h as a moral significan ce This moral significance it is .

that enables us to answer the question whether the work is

complete Why it is asked should the story end with the
.
, ,

occupation o f Sestos ? The occ u pation o f Sestos was not the

last f eat o f the war B ut the answer is ready that it was then
.

and there t h at the aggressive power o f Persia was halted and ,

still readier is t h e answer that the close o f the last book re

turns to the great l esson o f t h e Persian war and gives solemn ,

emphasis to the contrast between moral and physical resources

and to the great law o f compensation D elicate men spring .

f rom delicate countries f or it is not given to the same land ,

to produce excellent f ruits and men val iant in war ( ix ,

Cyrus is the spokesman but the thought is the thought of , ,

”
the epic poet R ugged says U lysses of his dear native
.
,
”
i sland but a good nursing mother o f warriors
,
.

I mmeasurably superior to his predecessors in breadth o f

theme and unity o f purpose H erodotus was superior to them ,

in critical faculty and it has j u stly been said that h e may b e

,

called the Father o f Criticism as well as the Fat h er o f H istory .

He does not deal with his material according to modern met h

ods ; h e does not even set u p t h e standard o f h is younger con
temporary Th u cydides H is history is to a great extent a
, .

story book and as such it has no peer but it is m u c h more

-

, ,

than a story book I t is a picture o f the world not a mere

-
.
,

series o f s k etch es I t is a panorama f ull o f moral significance

. .

T h is moralizing makes us suspicious but a fter all mod ern , , ,

h istoriography i s not muc h more honest and i f we exclude , ,

tendency and partisanship we exclude t h e light and shade ,

that are necessary to l iterary per f ormance To b e sure we .

,

do not believe i n dreams and signs as did Herodotus ; we do ,

not couch the philosophy o f h istory in speeches nor sum up ,

the verdict o f posterity in the words o f some convenient sage ,

but we too are apt to doctor facts and to manu facture epi
, ,

grams Herodo t us is no credulous chil d no garrulo u s ol d

.
,

man He is a t h inker whose thoughts are as sane as t h e ex

.
,

pression is cl ear and a Herodotean cal endar with its daily

,

words o f wisdom mig h t be f ramed as well as a S h a k espearian

 H E RO DOT U S xfl i

cal endar He is a critic of far greater acumen than w a s once

.

supposed and the assaults on his honesty have not demolished

,

the importance o f his evidence O f course we must care .

,

f ully distinguish between the f acts f or which h e vouches and

the reports that he simply repeats but in the vast number o f ,

details it is not always clear when h e is speaking o f his own

knowledge and when he is giving mere h earsay The trouble .

we have f ound in establishing his itinerary recurs when we

f ollow the historian along the track o f events Those who .

study Herodotus critically must b e content to put every nar

r a t i v e to the test to tap every w h eel on which the train runs
,

so smoothly B ut no historian can escape t h is scrutiny and

.
,

the good f aith o f Thucydides h imsel f who claims so much ,

greater accuracy than does H ero dot u s has b een mercilessly ,

impugned Even in antiquity th e u ntr u stworthiness o f H e

.

r o d o t u s was a j est an d the f rivolous s cepticism o f a later age

,

sel ected f or ridicul e the very points on w h ich the tes t imony
of Herodotus has b een sustained by recent exploration Trav .

’
ellers tales are proverbial and H erodot u s may have con ,

tributed to t h e currency o f the proverb I ndeed it must b e .

,

confessed that being no ling u ist h e was at t h e mercy o f

, ,

guides and interpreters and yet h e h as not seldom f ared

,

b etter at the h ands o f modern critics t h an those who h ad

access to native documents The native documents require as.

much interpretation as do th e s t o ri e s o f the native dragoman ‘

and h e who ta k es a romantic epi c f or a so b er c h ronicle is no

b etter o ff t h an a man who h ad no command o f Persi an And .

then much very much depends on the tradition o f the text

, , ,

an d in all matters involving numb ers we must b e care f ul to

suspen d o u r j u dgment The account o f a flood in northern
.

China w h i c h took place in O ctob er 1 88 7 showed a vast di f

, , ,

ference in t h e esti m ates o f the loss o f l i f e which ranged f rom ,

one million to seven millions ; an d to the intrinsic diffi c u lty o f

exactness in figures we must add th e trouble o f the Greek
doubl e notation w h ic h l ent itsel f readily to all manner o f
,
‘

errors .

B u t an introd u ction l i k e t h is can not go into t h e vario u s

xi v H E RO D OT U S

points whic h h ave been raised and met in regard to the tr ust
worthiness of Herodotus and some space must b e given to ,
’
the author s conception o f the world f or a f ter all every his , , ,

tory reflects the historian more or l ess .

I n order to do j ustice to H erodotus s conception o f his task ’

we must remember that he belonged to a s ceptical genera

tion The Persian war had brought about what might be
.

called a revival of religion but the old l eaven was working , .

The protest that X enophanes had made early in the century

against the anthropomorphism of Greek religion had not lost
its e ff ect Pindar is orthodox b ut re f uses to bel ieve the myths
.
,

that he deems dishonouring to the gods ZE s c h y l u s shows .

by his attempts to j usti fy th e ways of God to men that there

is a profound dissidence to b e b ridged Sophocles wears h is .

faith wit h a di ff erence Euripides is counted by some an out

.

and out rationalist The leading agnostics were close con

-
.

temporaries o f Herodot u s Sophistic influences are traceable .

in his style T h e f amous debate o f the third book reminds

.

one o f Protagoras an d the j ingles that bear the name o f Gor

,

gias are h eard now and then U nder these conditions H ero d o .

tus is best understood as a conservative not to say reactionist , .

H e hol ds f ast to the old doctrine H e does not deny t h e exist .

ence o f t h e gods o u trig h t H e goes so f ar as to point out .

t h e influence o f poetic fancy on t h e H ellenic notion of the

several gods and extols the purer ideas o f the Persians ; but
,

he reveres tradi tion he is a Ch u rch o f Greece man and he has

, ,

a strong f ai t lr in t h e divine power t h a t regulates the universe .

To h im as to Anaxagoras anoth er f riend o f Pericles there

, , ,

i s a wise Providence that k eeps everyt h ing in balance This .

balance is now called Nemesis now vengeance now envy o f

“
, ,

”
the gods M ind not high t h ings
. f or high things are ,

bro u g h t l ow T h e dread gen ealogy o f S u r f eit (Kép os ) O u t

.
,

rage D isaster o f w h ich th e poets tell is true ,

o f nations as o f individ u al s The innocent s u ff e r with th e .

guilty Nor do t h e instruments o f divine vengeance escape i f

.

n o t modest in their o ffice There m u st be no excess no over

.
,

stepping t h e bounds The D ivine gives satisfaction to the

.
xv i H E R O D OT U S

t one is gone the mani f old stops of the organ voice b u t t h e

, ,

Engl ish Herodotus retains the picturesqueness o f the narra

tive the flow o f th e stream the play of the eddy ; and some
, ,

thing o f the dramatic impersonation is kept alive The wom en .

of Herodotus are true womanly in English as in Greek T he .

tears o f mortal t h ings drip on our hearts in Engl ish as i n

Greek The princes and the sages o f H erodotean h istory hol d
.

language fitting their high estate their f ar reaching wisdom ,

-
.

Those who emphasize t h e simplicity o f H erodotus are prone

to f orget that antiquity recognised in him magnificence a s.

well .

B ut no matter how much or how little o f the original c h arm

h angs about th e transl ation of Herodotus for the ap p rec i a ,

tion o f the genius of the author fo r the correct estimate o f ,

h is position among the great writers o f the world something ,

must be said o f the artistic character o f his language H e ro d o .

tus was a conscious artist N 0 happy knack of fluent grace .

,

f ul writing was his The easy style was the res u lt o f con
.

s c i e n t i ou s toil Genius t h ere was or else we sho u l d have

.
,

h ad no s u c h res u lt b u t t h e closer st u dy o f H erodot u s shows

,

w h at a close student h e h imsel f was The very dialect in .

w h i c h : h e wrote was a wor k o f art as u nreal as ideal i f yo u , , ,

c h oos e as modern literary Proven cal and t h e ol d f as h ioned

, ,
-

styl e as it is called by th e Gree k critics was del iberately

, ,

adopted or deliberately retained T h e I onic dialect was t h e .

first dialect used f or artisti c prose an d its c h arm was f elt long ,

a fter the common speech o f Greece had swept away all lit
e ra ry rivals so that in the time o f the Gree k Renascence
,

sc h olars co mpose d in I onic an d tried to rep rod u c e t h e easy

pace o f the dialect wit h its wealt h o f vowels and its drawling
,

utterance A great mass o f medical literat ure b earing the

.

name o f Hippocrates was written in I onic ; the dar k and

deep sayings o f H eraclitus were couc h ed in I onic ; the great
t h inker D emocritus was a master o f I onic styl e ; but H e ro d o
tus evolved an I onic o f h is own and his I onic became t h e ,

type though his imitators did not appreciate either h is depth

,

o r h is grande u r did not f eel the b ow string o f tragedy i n t h e

-

,
 H E R OD OT U S xv fi

silken cord o f h is narrative Th e nai vet e o f Herodot u s so .

,

much emphasized by those who have not penetrated into his

real character does not show itself in his lang u age which
, ,

wa s not learned in the streets o f Halicarnassus or p icked up

on t h e island of Samos I t is a composite diction o f h is own
.
,

a n d one o f the hardest tasks o f modern H ellenists has b een

’
s e t by the historian s dialect The personal equation disar .

ranges the most elaborate schemes o f the u ni f ormitarian Now .

t h e breath o f Atti c blows on the vowels now th ere is a remi ,

n i s c e n c e o f Homer and P a n y a s s i s To th e vocal charm o f t h e .

dial ect is ad ded th e delight o f the transparent styl e the sim ,

ple structure o f the sentence and its p ell u c i d fl o w R hetoric ,

'

h ad made considerabl e advance in t h e time Of H erodot us ‘

an d he was no stranger to the periodic style , with its elaborate

-

f ramework wit h its protasis and apodosis its problem and i t s

, ,

answ er an d the gathered power of its circ uit B ut h e d el i b

, .

e ra t el y pre f erred the ol der type t h e s o called strung ou styl e ,

- -

M é
’

( E? L e t
p op my) ,
or rosary style in w h ic h a simpl e a n d a sim i
, ,

pl e bu t serves a s a special bead to c o ordinate the groups o f

,
-

words The f reedom with which t h e Greek can handle h is

.

participles e n a b l e s h i m to give colour and shade to the s en

‘

tence wit h out the u se o f analytic c o n j u n c t i o n s u T h e reader ,

or better the l istener is l e ft to draw h is own in f erences to

, , , ,

ma k e h is own perspective and the tide o f t h e narrative moves

,
”
on f ull and yet f ree This artistic use o f th e str u ng o n
.
‘
-

styl e in narrative h as been misunderstood as so much h as .

,

been misunderstood in H erodot u s whose art only too e ff ec t ,

u a l l y conceals h i s art .

W h et h er we a t tac h m u c h importance or not to the story

o f H erodo t u s s recitation at Athens and i f we put aside as
’
, ,

we must put aside t h e f abl e o f his reading at O lympia and

, ,

elsewhere unquestioned is t h e f act t h at his work b ecame i m

,

mediately famous T hu cydides w h o is b ut l ittl e younger

.
, ,

treats h im as a cel eb rity o f t h e ol d s c h ool and girds at h im ,

’
covert ly wit h a sens e o f superiority Ct es i a s s H istory o f .

Persia was a f ormal assault on Herodot u s wit h t h e res u lt ,

t h at in t h e age o f facile sneer t h e worl d seemed ric h er by an

xvi i i H E R OD OT U S

ot her liar Ctesias

, H erodotus f alling into the s am e c o n
an d '

d e mn a t i o n. I n h i s recently recovered
'

Commonwealth o f
”
Athens Aristotl e uses Herodotus f reely and the rapid de ,

cl ine in his reputation which some assume is nothing but the

, ,

inevitabl e process of absorption Historian swallowed up

.

hist orian ; Herodot u s became a source and his limpid current ,

was a feeder to a mill race I t was not until the ti me of the

‘
-
.

R o man Empire t h at H erodot u s found readers who appreciated

h im f rom the stylistic point o f view How much he was .

studied then how much imitated how strenuously the secrets

‘

, ,

o f his art were sought and practised how many allusions to ,

his history stud th e pages o f the later sophists who saw in ,

him the model o f narrative none but those can rightly meas
,

ure who are f amiliar with the curious chapter o f parasitic

literary li fe c al l e d th e Greek R enascence
'

.
,

V iewed as a history viewed as a moral story b o o k v i ew e d

,
-

, ,

as a contribution to ethnology and anthropology viewed as ,

a wor k o f art t h e Setting Fort h o f I nvestigation is one

,

o f t h e greatest l iterary achievements o f all time and well

’
~

deserves a place in a library l ike this I t is not a simple regis .

try o f f acts b u t the legends and the fi ctions are o ften as illu
,
‘

m i n at i ve as t h e facts and f or wide V 1s 1o n f or mani f old sug

, ,

s t i v e n e s s f or nobl e and y et liberal spirit f or serene wisdom

g e , , ,

f or sunshiny humo u r f or fascinating style the F ather o f His

, ,

tory may c h allenge all t h ose w h o have come after him .

B AS I L L G I L D E RS L E E V E
. .
 CON TENTS

B OO K I

B OOK II

E U T ERPE .

B OO K II I

T HALI A

B OO K IV

M EL P O MENE

B OO K V

T ERP S I C H O R E

BOOK VI

E RAT O

B OO K V II

P O LYMN I A

B OO K V I II
U RAN I A

BOOK IX

C A LLI O PE
 LIST O F ILLUST RAT I O N S

H ERO DO TU S Fronti s pi ece

B AB YLO NI AN M ARRI AG E M ARK E T

From a p a in t i ng b y Ed wi n Long .

B UILD I N G TH E P YRAMI D S
From a pa inti ng i
b y G us ta ve R ch t er .

PROC E S SIO N or THE B ULL AP I S O SI RI S -

T H E PARTH E N O N AS I T AP P EARS T O -
D AY
2 H E R O D O T U S —B O O K I , CL IO 1 —
[ 4

They add that whil e these women were standing near the stern
,

of th e vessel and were bargaining for such things as most

,

pl eased them the Phoenicians having exhorted one another

, , ,

made an attack upon them ; and that most of the women

escaped but that I o with some others was seized ; and that
, , ,

they having hurried them on board set sail for Egypt Thus
, , .

the Persians say that I o went to Egypt not agreeing herein ,

with the Phoenicians ; and that this w a s the beginning o f

wrongs After this that certain Grecians ( for they are unabl e
.
,

to tell their name) having t ou ched at Tyre in Ph oenicia car

, ,

ried o ff the king s daughter Europa These must have been

’
.

Cretans Thus far they say that they had only retaliated ; but
.

that after this the Greeks were guilty of the second provoca
tion for that having sailed down in a vessel of w a r to ZE a 1
,

a city of Col chis on the river Phasis when they had a e com ,

p l i s h e d the more immediate obj ect of their expedition the y ,

carried o ff the king s daughter M edea ; and that the King of ’

Colchis having despatched a herald to Greece demanded

, ,

satisfaction for the rape and the restitution of the princess ; ,

but the Greeks replied that as they of Asia had not given ,

any satisfaction for the rape of I O neither would they give ,

any to them They say too that in the second generation after
.
,

this Alexander the son of Priam having heard of these

, , ,

events w a s desirous of obtaining a wi f e f rom Greece by means

,

of violence being fully persuaded that he shoul d not have

,

to give satisfaction for that the Greeks had not done so When
, .

therefore he had carried o ff Helen they say that the Greeks ,

immediately sent messengers to demand her back again and ,

require satisfaction for the rape ; but that t hey when they ,

brought forward these demands obj ected to them the rape ,

of Medea ; that they w h o had not themselves given satis

faction nor made it when demanded now wished others to
, ,

give it to themselves Thus far then they say that there had .

only been rapes f rom each other ; but that a fter this the
Greeks were greatly to blame for that th ey l evied war against ,

Asia be f ore th e Asiatics did upon Europe Now to carry o ff .

,

women by viol ence the Persians think is the act of wicked

men but to trouble one s self about avenging them when so
,
’

carried o ff is th e act of foolish ones ; and to pay no regard to

them when carried o ff of wise men : for that it is clear t h a t i f , , .

they had not been willing they coul d not have been carried ,

“I n long ves s el
a T h e l o n g v e s s e l s w e re v e s s e l s
. of war ; the
ro u n d v e s s e l s m e r c h a n t m e n a n d t ra n s p o r t s
N O T E —T h e s m a ll fi g u re s i n t h e h e a d li n e s re f e r t o t h e
.
,

p a ra g ra p h i n g
o f Baeh r .
4 7]
-
C R CE S US 3

o ff . Accordingly the Persians say that th ey o f Asia made

, ,

no account of women that were carried o ff ; but that th e

Greeks for the sake of a Laced aemonian woman assembled
a mighty fleet and then having come to Asia overthrew the
,

empire o f Pria m That from this event the had always con
.

s i d e r e d the Greeks as their enemies for t e Persians clai m .

Asia and the barbarous nations that inhabit it as their own ,

and consider Europe and the people of Greece as totally dis

tinct .

Such is th e Persian account ; and to th e capture of Troy

they ascrib e the beginning of their enmity to the Greeks As .

relates to I o the Ph oenicians do not agree with this account

,

of the Persians : f or they a ffirm that they did not use violence
to carry her into Egypt ; but that sh e had connection at Argos
with the master of a vessel an d when she found hersel f preg
,

nant she through dread of her parents vol untarily sailed

, , ,

away with the Ph oenicians to avoi d detection Such then are .

, ,

the accounts of the Persians and Ph oenicians I however am .

, ,

not going to inquire whether the facts were so or not ; but

having pointed out th e p erson whom I myself know to have
been the first guilty of inj ustice toward the Greeks I will then ,

proceed with my history touching as well on the small as

,

the great estates of men : for of those that were formerly pow
e r f u l many have become weak and some that were powerful ,

in my time were f ormerly weak Knowing therefore the pre .

carious nature of human prosperity I shall commemorate both ,

alike .

Croesus was a Lydian by birth son of Alyattes and sov , ,

e re i g n of the nations on this side the river H a l y s This river .

,

flowing f rom the south between the Syrians and P a p hl a

1 2

g o n i a ns empties
,
itself northward into th e Euxine Sea This .

Cr oesus w a s the first of th e barbarians whom we know o f that

subj ected some o f th e Gr e e k s t o the payment o f tribute and ,

f ormed alliances with others H e subdued the I onians and

.

E olians and the Dorians settled in Asia and h e formed an

, ,

alliance with the Laced aemonians ; but before th e reign o f

Cr oesus all the Greeks were free ; for th e incursion of the
Cimmerians into I onia which was before the time o f Croesus
3
, ,

was not for the purpose o f subj ecting states but an invasion ,

for plunder The government which f ormerly belonged to

.
,

the Heraclid ae passed in th e following manner to the family

,

T h e H a l y s h a d t w o b ra n c h e s , o n e fl o w i n g f ro m t h e e a s t , t h e o t h e r
1

f ro m t h e s o u t h H e ro d o t u s s p e a k s o n l y o f t h e s o u t h e r n o n e .

9
S y ri a w a s a t t h a t t i m e t h e n a m e o f C a p p a d o c i a .

3
T h e i n c u rs i o n h e re s p o k e n o f oc c u rre d i n t h e r e ig n o f t h e Ly d i a n
A rd y s .
4 H E R O D O T U S— B O O K I . C L IO [7
-

of Cr oesus who were called M ermnad ae C a n d au l e s whom

, .
,

the Greeks call M y rs i l u s was tyrant of Sa rdis and a descend

, ,

ant o f Alc ae us son of Hercules For Agron son of Ninus

, .
, ,

grandson of B el us great grandson of Alc aeus w a s the fi rSt o f

,
-

the Heraclid ae who became King of Sardis ; and C a n d a u l e s ,

son of M y rs u s was the last They w h o ruled over this coun

, .

try before Agron were descendants of L y d u s son of Atys , ,

f rom whom this whole people anciently called M aeonians de , ,

rived the name o f Lydians The H eraclid ae descended from

.
,

a f emal e slave o f J a rd a n u s and H ercules having been i n ,

trusted with the government by these princes retained the ,

supreme power i n obedience to the declaration of an oracl e ;

—
they reigned for twenty t w o generations a space o f fi v e hun ,

dred and five years the son succeedin g to the father to the
,

time of C a n d a u l e s son of M y rs u s f”This C an d a u l e s was

,
.

enamoured of his own wife and being s o thought that she , ,

was by far the most beautiful of all women N o w being of this .

opinion— Gyges son of Dascyl us one o f his body guard hap

, ,
-

pened to be his especial f avourite and to him C a n d a u l es con ,

fi d e d his most important a ff airs and moreover extolled the ,

beauty o f his wi f e in exaggerated terms I n lapse o f time .

( f or C a n d a u l es was f ated to be miserable ) h e addressed Gyges

as follows : Gyges as I think you do not believe me when
,

I speak o f my wife s beauty ( for the ears of men are naturally

’

more incredulous than their eyes ) you must contrive to see ,

her naked . B ut h e exclaiming loudly answered : Sire

, , ,

what a shocking proposal do you make bidding me behold ,

my queen naked ! With her clothes a woman puts o ff her

modesty Wise maxims have been of ol d laid down by men ;
.

f rom thes e it is our duty to learn : among them is the follow

ing Let every man look to the things that c o ncern himsel f
, .
’

I am persuaded that she is the most beautiful o f her sex b u t ,

”
I entreat o f you not to require w hat is wicked Saying thus .
,

Gyges fought o ff the proposal dreading l est some harm should

,

b e fall himself : but the king answered : Gyges take cour ,

age and be not afrai d of me as i f I desired to make trial of

, ,

you by speaking thus nor of my wife l est any harm shoul d

, , ,

befall you from her For from th e outset I will so contrive

.

that she shall not know she has been seen by you I will .

place you behind the open door of the apartment in which

we sleep ; as soon as I enter my wife will come to b ed ; by
the entrance stands a chair ; on this she will lay her garments
one by one as she takes them o ff and then she will give you ,

an opportunity to look at her at your leisure ; but when she

s teps f rom th e chair to the b ed and you are at her back be , ,
9
-
12 ] GYGE S A N D C A N D A ULE S
5

careful that sh e does not see you as you are going out by
”
the door Gyges therefore finding he coul d not escape p re
.
, ,

pared to obey And C a n d a u l e s when it seemed to be time to

.
,

go to bed led him to the chamber and the lady soon after
, ,

ward appeared and Gyges s a w her enter and lay her clothes
,

on the chair : when he w a s at her back as the lady was going ,

to bed he crept secretly out but she saw him as h e was going
, ,

away Perceiving what her husband had done she neither

.
,

cried out through modesty nor appeared to notice it pur ,

posing to take vengeance on Ca n d a u l e s ; f or among the L y d i

ans and almost all the barbarians it is deemed a great disgrace
even f or a man to b e seen naked .

At the time therefore having shown no consciousness o f

, ,

what had occurred sh e hel d her p eace and as soon as it was , ,

day having prepared such o f her domestics as she knew were

,

most to b e trusted she sent for Gyges H e supposing that , .

,

sh e knew nothing of what had happened came when h e w a s ,

sent for for he had been before used to attend whenever the
,

queen sent f or him When Gyges came the lady thus a d .

,

dressed him : Gyges I submit two p rO p o s a l s to your choice : ,

either kill Ca n d a u l e s an d take possession o f me and o f th e

Lydian kingdom or expect immediate death so that you may , ,

not f rom your obedience to Ca n d au l es in all things again s ee

, ,

what you ought not It is necessary that he who planned this .

,

or that you who have seen me naked and have done what is ,
”
not decorous shoul d die Gyges f or a time was amazed at
, .

what he heard ; but afterward h e impl ored her not to com

pel him to make such a choice H e however could not per .
, ,

suade but saw a necessity imposed on him either to kill his

, ,

master Ca n d a u l e s or die himself by the hands of others ; he

chose there fore to survive and made the f ollowing inq u iry :
, , ,

Since you compel m e to kill my master against my will tell ,

”
me how we shall lay hands on him She answered : The .

assault shall be made f rom the very spot whence h e showed

me naked ; th e attack shall be made on him whil e asleep .

When th ey had concerted their plan on th e approach of night ,

he f ollowed th e lady to th e chamber : then ( for Gyges was

not su ff ered to depart nor was there any possibility of es cape , ,

but either h e or C a n d a u l e s must needs perish ) she having , ,

given him a dagger concealed him behind the same door : an d ,

a fter this when Ca n d a u l e s was asleep Gyges having crept

, ,

stealthily up an d slain him possessed himself both o f the ,

woman an d o f the kingdom O f this event also Archiloch u s 1

.
, ,

A rc h il o c h u s w a s o n e of th e ea r l i e s t w r i t e rs o f i a m b i c s Al l t h a t re
m a i n s o f h i s w ri t i n g i s t o b e met w i t h i n B ru n c k s
“ Analecta
’
.

.
6 H E R O D O T U S— B OO K I , CL I O [ 12 —1 6

the Parian who lived about the same time has made mention
, ,

in a trimeter iambic poem Thus Gyges obtained the king .

dom and w a s confirmed in it by the oracle at D elphi For

,
.

when the Lydians resented the murder of C a n d a u l e s and were ,

up in arms the partisans of Gyges and the other Lydians

,

came to the following agreement that if the oracl e should ,

pronounce him king of the Lydians he should reign ; if not , ,

he shoul d restore the power to the H e ra c l i d ae j The oracl e

answered accordingly and so Gyges became king B ut the , .

Pythian added this t hat t

,
h l i d ae sh ave
”
on t dant of Gy es O f t is prediction neither .

t e Lydians nor their mgs too any notice until it was a c

t u a l l y accomplished .

Thus the M ermnad ae having deprived the H eraclid ae pos, ,

sessed themselves of the supreme power Gyges having ob

’

t a i n e d the kingdom sent many o ff erings to D elphi ; for most

,

of the silver o ff erings at D elphi are his : and besides the sil
v er, h e gave a vast quantity of gol d ; and among the rest ,

what is especially worthy of mention the bowls of gold six , ,

in number were dedicated by him : these now stand in the

,

treasury of th e Corinthians and are thirty tal ents in weight ; ,

though to say the truth this treasury does not belong to the
, ,

p eople o f Corinth but to Cypselus son of Eetion This Gyges

, , .

i s the first of the barbarians whom w e know of that dedicated

o ff erings at D elphi ; except M idas son of Gordius Ki ng o f , ,

Phrygia for M idas dedicated th e royal throne on which he

, ,

used to sit an d administer j ustice a piece o f workmanship ,

deserving of admiration This throne stands in the same .

place as the bowls o f Gyges This gold and silver which .

Gyges dedicated is by the D el p h i a n s called Gy g i a n from the ,

name of th e donor Now this prince when he obtained the

.
,

sovereignty led an army against Miletus and Smyrna and

, ,

took the city of Colophon but as he performed no other ,

great action during his reign of eight and thirty years we ,

will pass him over having made this mention of him I will
,
.

proceed to mention Ardys the son and successor of Gyges , .

H e took P ri e n e and invaded M iletus D uring the time that

,
.

he reigned at Sardis the Cimmerians being driven f rom their

, ,

seats by the Scythian nomads passed into Asia and possessed , ,

themselves of all Sardis except the citadel .

—
When Ardys had reigned forty nine years his son Sady ,

attes succeeded him and reigned twelve years ; and Alyattes

,

succeeded S a d y at t e s H e made w a r upon C y a x a re s a de

.
,

s c e n d a n t of D e i o c e s and upon the Medes He drove the

,
.

Cimmerians out o f Asia ; took Smyrna which was f ounde d ,

1 6—1 9] CO N Q U E ST S O F T HE L Y D IA N S 7

from Colophon and invaded Cl a z o m e n ae From this place

,
.

h e departed not as he could wish but signally defeated H e

, ,
.

also performed in the course of his reign the following actions

worthy of mention : he continued the w a r whi ch h is father
had begun against the M ilesians and l eading his army ,

against M iletus he invaded it in the following manner : when

,

their fruits were ripe on the ground he l ed his army into their ,

territory attended in his march with pipes harps and flutes

,
, , ,

masculine and feminine O n his arrival in M ilesia he nei . ,

ther demolished nor burned their country houses nor forced ,

o ff the doors but let them stand as they were ; but when h e
,

had destroyed their trees and th e fruits on the ground he re ,

turned home ; for the M ilesians were masters of the sea so ,

’
that there w a s no use in the army s besieging it And the .

Lydian king would not destroy their houses for this reason ,

that the M ilesians having those habitations might come out , ,

to sow and cultivate the ground and when th ey had culti ,

v a t e d it he might have something to ravage when he should

, ,

invade them with his army I n this manner h e carried on .

the war eleven years during which the M ilesians received ,

two great blows one in a battle at L i m e n e i o n in th eir o w n

,

territory th e other in th e plain of the M aean der S ix o f these

,
.

el even years S a d y a t t e s the son of Ardys w a s still king o f , ,

the Lydians and during those he made incursions into the

,

M ilesian territory ( for this S a d y a t t e s w a s th e person that

began the w a r) B ut during the five years that succeeded
.

the six Alyattes the son of S a d y a t t e s who ( as I have b e f ore

, , ,

mentioned ) received it from his father earnestl y applied him ,

sel f to it None o f the I onians except th e Chians assisted

.
, ,

th e M ilesians in b earing the burden of this w a r : they did it

in requital for succour they had received ; f or formerly the
M ilesians had assisted the Ch ians in prosecuting the war
against the Erythraeans .

I n the twelfth year when th e corn had been set on fire ,

by the army an accident of the f ollowing nature occurred :

,

as soon as the corn had caught fire the flames carried by , ,

the wind caught a templ e of M inerva called As s e s i a n

,
1
and ,

the templ e thus set on fire w a s burned to the ground No

, , .

notice was taken of this at the time ; b ut afterward when th e ,

army had returned to Sardis Alyattes fell sick Wh en th e , .

disease continued a considerabl e time he sent messengers to ,

D elphi to consult the oracle either f rom the advice of some ,

f riend or b ecaus e it appeared right to himsel f to s end and

1
As s e s u s w a s a s m al l town d e p e n d e n t o n Mil e t u s Mi n e rv a h a d a
—
.

te m p l e t h e re , a n d h e n ce t o o k t h e na me o f t h e As s e s i a n Mi n erva La rch er . .
8 H E R O D O T U S— B O O K I , C L IO [ 19 -
23

make inquiries of the god concerning his disorder The P y t h .

1 a n refused to
g ive any answer to the messengers when they
arrived at Delphi until they had rebuilt the Temple o f
M inerva which they had burned at A s s e s u s in the territory
o f Milesia This relation I had from the D el p h i an s : but the
.

Milesians add that Periander the son o f Cypselus who was , ,

a very intimate friend of Thrasybulus at that time King of ,

M iletus having heard of the answer given to Alyattes de

, ,

s p a t c h e d a messenger to inform him of it in order that being , ,

aware of it beforehand he might form his plans according

,

to present circumstances This is the M ilesian account Aly . .

attes when the above answer w a s brought to him i m m e d i

, ,

ately sent a heral d to M iletus desiring to mak e a truce with ,

Thrasybulus and the M ilesians till such time as he shoul d

h ave rebuilt the temple The heral d accordingly went on this
.

mission to M iletus B ut Thrasybulus b eing accurately i n

.

formed o f th e whole matter and knowing th e design o f Aly ,

attes had recours e to the following artifice : having collected

,

in the market place all th e corn that was in the city both his
-

own and what belonged to private persons he made a proc ,

l a m a t i o n that when h e gave the signal all the inhabitants

,

should f east togeth er Thrasybulus contrived and ordered

.

this to the end that the Sardian h eral d seeing so great a pro
, ,

f usion o f corn and the peopl e enj oying themselves might

, ,

report accordingly to Alyattes ; and so it came to pass For .

when the heral d had s een thes e things and delivered to ,

Thrasybulus the message o f the Lydian king he returned to ,

Sardis ; and as I am informed a reco n ciliation was brought

, ,

about f or no other reason For Alyattes expecting that there .

w a s a great scarcity of corn in Miletus and that the people ,

were reduced to extreme distress received f rom the herald ,

on his return from Miletus an account quite contrary to what

he expected Soon afterward a reconciliation took place b e
.

tween them o n terms o f mutual f riendship and alliance And

,
.
‘

Alyattes b u ilt two temples to M inerva at A s s es u s instead o f ,

one and himsel f recovered f rom sickness Such were the

,
.

circumstances o f the war that Alyattes made against T h ra s y

bulus and the M il esians .

—
Periander was th e son of Cypselus h e it was who a c
q u a i n t e d Thrasybulus with th e answer o f the oracl e Now .
,

Periander was King of Corinth and the Corinthians say ( and ,

the Lesbians confirm th eir account) that a wonderful prodigy

occurred in his l ifetime They say that Arion o f M e t h y m n a
.
,

who was second to none o f his time in accompanying the harp ,

and w h o was the first that we are acquainted with who com
10 H E R O D O T U S— B OO K 1, CL IO [ 25 -
29

all the o ff erings at D elphi I t was made by Glaucus the Chian .

,

who first invented the art of inlaying iron .

After the death of Alyattes his son Croesus w h o was then , ,

thirty fiv e years of age succeeded to th e kingdom H e a t

-

, .

tacked the Ephesians before any other Grecian people The .

Ephesians being besieged by him consecrated their city

, ,

to Diana by fastening a rope f rom the temple to th e wall

,
.

The distance between the old town which w a s then besieged , ,

and the temple is seven stadia Croesus then attacked these .

the first and after ward the several cities of the I onians and
,

ZE o l i a n s one after another all eging di ff erent pretences against

,

di ff erent states imputing graver charges against those in

,

whom he was abl e to discover greater causes of blame and ,

against som e of them alleging frivolous pretences A fter he .

had reduced the Grecians in Asia to the payment of tribute ,

he f ormed a design to build ships and attack the I slanders .

B ut when all things were ready for the building of ships B ias ,

of Pri e n e ( or as others say Pittacus of M itylene) arriving

, , ,

at Sardis put a stop to his ship building by making this reply

,
-

, ,

when Cr oesus inquired if he had any news from Greece : O

king the I slanders are enlisting a large body of caval ry with
, ,
”
intention to make war upon you and Sardis Cr oesus think .
,

ing he had spoken the truth said May t h e gods put such , ,

a thought into th e I slanders as to attack the sons of the Ly d i

ans with horse The oth er answering said : S ire you ap
.
,

pear to wish above all things to see the I slanders on horse

back upon the continent ; and not without reason B ut what .

can you imagine th e I slanders more earnestly desire a fter ,

having heard of your resolution to buil d a fleet in order to

attack them than to catch the Lydians at sea that they may
, ,

revenge on you the cause of thos e Greeks w h o dwell on th e

”
continent whom you hol d in subj ection ?
, I t is related that ,

Cr oesus was very much pl eased with the conclusion and that , ,

being convinced ( f or he appeared to speak to the purpose ) ,

he put a stop to the ship building and made an alliance with -

the I onians that inhabit the islands .

I n course o f time nearly all the nations that dwelt with

in the river H a l y s except the Cilicians and Lycians were
, ,

subdued ; f or Cr oesus hel d all the rest in subj ection : and

they were th e f ollowing : the Lydians Phrygians Mysians , , ,

M a ri a n d y n i a n s C h al y b i a n s Paphlagonians Thracians both

, , , ,

the Thy mians and B ithynians Carians I onians Dorians ZE o l i , , , ,

ans and P a m p h y l i a n s Wh en these nations were subdued

, .
,

and Cr oesus had added them to the Lydians all the other wise ,

men o f t hat time as each had opportunity came f rom Greec e

, ,
29 -

3 1 ] C R CE S US Q U E S T I O N S SO L O N r

to Sardis which had then attained to the highest degree O f

,

p rosperity ; and among them Solon an Athenian w h o hav , , ,

i n g made laws for the Athenians at their request absented ,

himsel f f or ten years having sailed away under pretence O f

,

s eeing the world that he might not b e compell ed to ab ro

,

gate any O f the laws he had established : f or th e Athenians

coul d not do it themselves since they were b ound by solemn ,

oaths to O bserve for ten years whatever laws Solon should

enact f or them Solon therefore having gone abroad f or
.
, ,

these reasons and f or the purpose O f O bservation arrived in

, ,

Egypt at the court o f A m as i s and afterward at that O f Croesus ,

at Sardis O n his arrival h e was hospitably entertained by

.

Croesus and on the third or f ourth day by order O f the king

, , ,

the attendants conducted him round the treasury and showed ,

him all their grand and costly contents ; and when h e had
seen and examined everything suffi ciently Cr oesus asked him
this question “M y Athenian guest your great fame has
.
,

reached even to us a s well o f your wisdom as O f your travels

, ,

how that as a philosopher you have travelled through various

countries f or the p urpose O f O bservation ; I am there f ore de
s i ro u s O f asking you who is th e most happy man you have
,
”
seen ? H e asked this question b ecause he thought hims el f ,

the most h appy O f men B ut Solon speaking the truth f reely .

, ,

without any flattery answered Tellus the Athenian ,

Cr oe , .

sus astonished at h is answer eagerly asked him

, On , ,
”
what account do you deem Tellus the happiest ? H e replied :
Tellus in the first place l ived in a well governed common
, ,
-

wealth ; had sons w h o were virtuous and good ; and he saw

children born to them all and all surviving : in the next place , ,

wh en h e had l ived as happil y as the condition O f human a ff airs

will permit he ended his life in a most glorious manner For
, .

coming to the assistance O f the Athenians in a battle with

their neighbours O f El eusis he put th e enemy to flight and , ,

died nobly The Athenians buried h im at the publi c charge

.

”
in the place where he f ell and honoured him greatly , .

When Solon had aroused th e attention O f Cr oesus by relat

ing many and happy circumstances concerning Tellus Cr oe ,

sus expecting at least to O btain the second place asked whom

,

h e had s een next to him ”

Cleobis said h e “an d B iton .
,
,

, ,
‘
for they being natives of Argos possessed a s u fli c i e n t for
, ,

tune an d had withal such strength O f body that they were

,

both alike victorious in the public games An d moreover t h e »

f ollowing story is related O f th e m : when the Argives were

celebrating a festival O f Juno it was necessary that their ,

mother shoul d b e drawn to t h e temple in a chari o t t he oxen

12 —
H E RODOT U S BO O K I , CL I O [ 3 1 —32

di d not come from the fiel d in time and the young men ,
‘

therefore being pressed for time put themselves beneath the

, ,

yoke and drew the car in which their mother sat ; and hav
,

ing conveyed it forty fiv e stadia they reached the temple

-

,
.

After they had done this in sight of the assembled people a ,

most happy termination was put to their lives ; and in them

the D eity clearly showed that it is better for a man to die than
to live For the men O f Argos who stood round commended
.
, ,

the strength o f the youths and the women blessed her as the
,

mother O f such sons ; but the mother hersel f transported with ,

j oy both on account O f the action and its renown stood b e ,

f ore the image and prayed that th e goddess would grant to

Cl eobis and B iton her own sons w h o had so highly honoured
, ,

her the greatest bl essing man coul d receive After this prayer
,
.
,

when they had sacrificed and partaken O f the feast the youths ,

fell asleep in th e temple itself and never awoke more but , ,

met with such a termination of life U pon this the Argives .

,

in commemoration of their piety caused their statues to b e ,

made and dedicated at D elphi Thus Solon adj udged the .

second place of felicity to these youths B ut Cr oesus being .

,

e nraged said M y Athenian friend is my happiness then so

, , ,

slighted by you as nothing worth that you do not think m e

O f S O much value as private men ? He answered : Cr oesus ,

—
do you inquire of me concerning human a ff airs o f me who ,

know that the divinit y I S al way s j ealous and delights in con ,

fusion For in lapse O f time men are constrained to see many

?

things they would not willingly see and to su ff er many things ,

’
they would not willingly su ff er Now I put th e term O f man s .

l i f e at seventy years ; these s eventy years then give twenty

fi v e thousand t w o hundred days without including the inter ,

calary month ; and if w e add that month to every other year

1
,

in order that the s easons arrivin g at the proper time may

agree the intercalary months will b e thirty fi v e more in the
,
-

s eventy years and the days O f these months will be one thou
,

—
sand and fifty Y et in all this numb er of twenty six thousand
.

t w o hundred and fifty days that compose these seventy years , ,

one day produces nothing exactly the s ame as another Thus .

,

then O Cr oesus man is altogether the sport of fortune Y ou

, ,
.

appear to me to be master O f immense treasures and king ,

of many nations ; but as relates to what you inquire of me ,

I can not say till I hear you have ended your life happily For .

1
If fi rs t n u m b e r
the i s c o rr e c t , i t f o l l o w s t h a t t h e y e a r w a s 360
d a y s ; i f t h e n u m b e r o f i n t e rc a l a r y d a y s w a s i n 70 y e a r s , t h e re w ill
b e a l t o ge t h e r w h i c h w il l gi v e 3 75 d a y s t o t h e y e a r ; s o t h a t i n s p i t e
o f t h e p re c a u t i o n t h e s e a s o n s w i ll b e conf u s e d
.
L a rc h — “
.
32
-

34] T HE W IS D O M o r S O L O N 1 3

the richest of men is not more happy than he that has a su f

fi c i e n c y for a day unless good fortune attend him to the grave ,

so that he ends his life in happiness Many men w h o aboun d .

in wealth are unhappy ; and many w h o have only a moderate

competency are fortunate H e that abounds in wealth and .
,

is yet unhappy surpasses the other only in t w o things ; but

,

th e other surpasses the wealthy and the mis erable in man y

things The former indeed is b etter abl e to gratify desire
.
, , ,

and to bear the blow of adversity B ut the latter surpasses .

him in this ; he is not indeed e qually able to bear misfortune

or satis f y desire but his good fortune wards o ff these things
,

from him ; and he enj oys the full use of his limbs he is free ,

from disease an d misfortune h e is blessed with good chil dren ,

and a fine form an d i f in addition to all these things he shall

, , ,

end his life well he is the man you seek and may j ustly b e
, ,

called happy ; but b efore he die we ought to suspend our

j udgment an d not pronounce him happy but fortunate Now
, , .

it is impossibl e for any one man to comprehend all th ese a d

vantages : as n o one country su ffices to produce everything
f or itself but a ff ords some and wants others an d that which
, ,

aff ords the most is the best ; so no human being is in all re

s p e c t s sel f s u ffi c i e n t
-
but possesses one advantage and is in
, ,

need of anoth er ; he there f ore who has constantly enj oyed

the most of these and then ends his life tranquilly this man
, , ,

in my j udgment O king deserves the name of happy We

, , .

ought therefore to consider the end o f everything in what ,

way it will terminate ; for the D eity having shown a gl impse

”
of happiness to many has afterward utterly overth rown them , .

When he spok e thus to Cr oesus Cr oesus di d not con f er any ,

f avour on him and holding h im in no account dismiss ed him ;

W
, ,

f or he considered him a very ignorant man becaus e he over ,

looked present prosperity and bade men l o O th e Ef fi j O

‘’

f
‘

m
,
f

fi rfl f
e w

Af t er the departure o f Solon the indignation o f the gods ,

f ell heavily upon Cr oesus probably because he thought hims el f ,

th e most happy of all men A dream soon after visited him .

while sl eeping which pointed out to him the truth o f the mis
,

f ortunes that were about to b e fall him in the p erson o f one

o f his sons For Cr oesus had two sons of whom one was
.
,

grievously a fflicted f or he was dumb ; but the other whose, ,

name was Atys far surpassed all the young men o f his a ge
, .

Now th e dream intimated to Cr oesus that h e woul d lose this

Atys by a wound inflicted by the point of an iron weapon ;
he when he awoke and had considered the matter with him
, ,

sel f dreading the dream provided a wi f e f or h is son ; and

, ,
14 H E R O D O T U S— B OO K 1, CL IO [ 34 3 7

though h e was accustomed to command the Lydian troops ,

h e di d not ever after send him out on that business ; and

causing all spears lances and such other weapons as men use
, ,

in war to be removed from the men s apartments he had them ’

laid up in private chambers that none of them being sus ,

pended might fall upon his son While Cr oesus was engaged .

with the nuptials of his son a man oppressed by misfortune , ,

and whose hands were polluted a Phrygian by birth and of , ,

royal family arrived at Sardis This man having come to

, .
,

the palace o f Cr oesus sought permission to obtain purification

,

according to th e custom of the country Cr oesus purified him .

( now the manner of expiation is nearly the same among the

Lydians and the Greeks ) ; and when he had performed the
usual ceremonies Cr oesus inquired whence he came and w h o
, ,

h e was speaking to him as follows : Stranger who art thou

, , ,

and from what part of Phrygia hast thou come as a suppliant

”
to my hearth and what man or woman hast thou slain
? ?

The stranger answered : Sire I am the son of Gordius son , ,

of M idas and am called Adrastus ; having unwittingly slain

,

my own brother and b eing banished by my father and de

,

p r i v e d of everything I am come hither Cr,

oesus answered .

as follows : Y ou are born of parents who are our f riends ,

and you are come to f riends among whom if you will stay , , ,

you shall want nothing ; an d by bearing your mis fortune as

”
lightly as possible you will be the greatest gainer
, So A d ra s .

tus took up his abode in the palace of Cr oesus .

At this same time a boar o f enormous size appeared in

Mysian O lympus and rushing down from that mountain
, , ,

ravaged the fiel ds of the Mysians The M ysians though they .

,

often went out against him could not hurt him but su ff ered , ,

much from him At last deputies from the M ysians having

.

come to Cr oesus spoke as f ollows : O king a boar of enor

, ,

mous s ize has appeared in our country and ra vages our fields :
‘

though we have often endeavoured to take him we can not ,

.

We therefore earnestly beg that you woul d send with us your

son and some chosen youths with dogs that w e may drive him ,
”
from the country Such was their entreaty but Cr oesus
.
, ,

remembering the warning o f his dream answered : Make no ,

further mention of my son f or I shall not send him with ,

you b ecaus e h e is lately married and that now occupies his

, ,

attention ; b ut I will sen d with you chosen Lydians and the ,

whole hunting train and will order them to assist you with
,

their best endeavours in driving the monster f rom your coun

”
try . Such was his answer ; and when the M ysians were con
tent with this th e son o f Croesus who had heard of their
, ,
37
—4 1 ] AT Y S AN D A D R A ST U S 1 5

request came in ; and when Cr oesus re f used to send h im with

,
“
them the youth thus addressed him : Father in time past
, ,

I was permitte d to signalize myself in the two most nobl e

and becoming exercises of w a r and hunting ; but now you
keep me excl uded f rom both without having observed in me ,

either cowardice or want of spirit H o w will men look on .

me when I go or return f rom the forum ? What kind of man

?
shall I appear to my f ellow citizens What to my newly mar -

ried wi f e ? What kind o f man will she think she has f or a

partner ? Either su ff er me then to go to this hunt or con ,
’
v i nce me that it is better f or me to do as you woul d have me .

My son answered Cr oesus

,
I act thus not because I have , ,

seen any cowardice or anything else unbecoming in you ;

,

but a vision in a dream appearing to me in my sleep warned

me that you woul d be short lived an d woul d die by the point -

of an iron weapon O n account o f this vision there f ore

.

I hastened your marriage and now refuse to send you on this ,

expedition taking care to preserve you i f by any means I

, ,

can as long as I live for you are my only son ; th e other

, , ,
”
who is deprived o f his hearing I consider as lost The youth , .

answered : Y ou are not to blame my father i f a f ter such a , ,

dream you take so much care o f me ; but it is right f or m e

to explain that which you do not comprehend and which has ,

escaped your notice in the dream Y ou say the dream S i g n i .

fi e d that I S houl d die by the point o f an iron weapon B ut .

what hand or what pointed iron weapon has a boar to occa

, ,

sion such f ears in you ? Had it said I shoul d lose my l ife by

a tusk or something o f lik e nature you ought then to h ave
, ,

done as you now do ; whereas it said by the point of a weapon ;

”
since then we have not to contend against men let me go
“Y ou have surpassed me ” replied Croesus “in explaining , .

, ,

the import o f th e dream ; t h ere f ore being overcome by you , ,

”
I change my resolution and permit you to go to the chase
, .

Cr oesus having thus spoken sent for the Phrygian A d ra s

, ,

tus and when he came addressed him as f ollows : A d ra s

, , ,

tus I purified you when smitten by a grievous mis f ortune

, ,

which I do not upbraid you with and have received you into ,

my house and su pplied you with everything necessary Now

, .

there f ore ( f or it i s your duty to requite me with kindness ,

since I have first conferred a kindness on you ) I beg you

’
woul d be my son s guardian when h e goes to the chase an d , ,

take care that no skulking villains show themselves in the way

to do him harm B esides you ought to go f or your own
.
,

sake where you may signal ize yoursel f by your exploits ; f or

,

this was th e glory o f your ancestors and you a re b e s id e s i n ,

16 H E R O D O T U S— B O O K I, CL I O [ 41
-

45

full vi gour Adrastus answered :

. O n no other accoun t ,

sire would I have tak en part in this enterprise ; for it is not

,

fitting that one in my unfortunate circumstances should j oin

with his prosperous compeers nor do I desire to do so ; and , ,

indeed I have often restrained myself Now since you urge

, .
,

me and I ought to oblige you for I am bound to requite

, ,

the benefits you have conferred on me I am ready to do as

'

you desire ; and rest assured that your son whom you bid ,

me take care of shall as far as his guardian is concerned

, , ,
”
return to you uninj ured .

When Adrastus had made this answer to Cr oesus they ,

went away well provided with chosen youths and dogs ; and
, ,

having arrived at Mount O lympus they sought the wild beast , ,

and having found him and encircled him around they hurled ,

their j avelins at him Among the rest th e stranger the same

.
, ,

that had been purified of murder named Adrastus throwing , ,

his j avelin at the boar missed him and struck the son of Cr oe
,

sus : thus he being wounded by the point o f the lance fulfilled ,

the warning of the dream U pon this some one ran o ff to .

,

tell Cr oesus what had happened and having arrived at Sardis , ,

’
gave him an account of the action and of his son s fate Cr oe .

sus exceedingly distressed by the death of his son lamented

, ,

it the more bitterly becaus e h e fell by the hand of one whom

he himsel f h a d p u r ifi e d from blood ; and vehemently d e p l o r
ing his misfortune h e invoked Jove the Expiator attesting
, ,

what he had su ff ered by this stranger He invok ed also the .

same deity by the name of the god of hospitality and private

,

f riendship : as the god of hospitality because by receiving a ,

stranger into his house he had unawares fostered the mur ,

derer of his son ; as the god of private f riendship b ecause , ,

having sent him as a guardian he found him his greatest ,

enemy After this the Lydians approached bearing the corps e

.
, ,

and behind it followed the murderer H e having advanced .

,

in front of the corpse delivered himsel f up to Cr oesus stretch

, ,

ing forth h is hands and begging of him to kill him upon

it relating his former misfortune and how in addition to
, ,

that he had destroyed his purifier and that he ought to l ive ,

no longer When Cr oesus heard this though his own a ffl i c

.
,

tion w a s so great h e pitied Adrastus and said to him : Y ou

, ,

have made me full satisfaction by condemning yourself to die .

B ut you are not the author of this misfortune except as far ,

as you were the involuntary agent ; but that god whoever ,

he was that long since foreshadowed what w a s about to hap

,
”
pen Cr oesus therefore buried his son as the dignity of his
.

birth required ; and Adrastus s on o f Go rgi u s son o f M idas , , ,

13 H E R O D O T U S— B OO K I , CL IO [48 5 1 —

watching the appointed day he had recourse to the f ollowing ,

contrivance : having thought of what it was impossible to

discover or guess at he cut up a tortoise and a lamb and , ,

boiled them himself t ogether in a brazen caldron and put ,

on it a cover of brass Such then was the answer given to .

Cr oesus from D elphi : as regards the answer of th e oracl e o f

Amphiaraus I can not say what answer it gave to the Lydians
, ,

w h o per f ormed the accustomed rites at t h e temple ; for noth

ing else is related than that h e considered this also to b e a
true oracle .

After this he endeavoured to propitiate t h e god at D elp h i

by magnificent sacrifices ; f or he o ff ered three thousand head
of cattle of every kind fit f or sacrifice and having heaped u p ,

a great pile h e burned on it beds of gold and silver vials o f

, ,

gold and robes of purpl e and garments hoping by that means

,

more completely to conciliate the god : he also ordered all the

Lydians to o ff er to the god whatever he was able When .

the sacrifice w a s ended having melted down a vast quantity ,

of gold he cast half bricks f rom it o f which the longest were

, ,

six palms in lengt h the shortest three and in thickness one

, ,

palm : their number was one hundred and seventeen ; f our

of these of pure gol d weighed each two talents and a hal f ;
, ,

th e other half bricks of pale gol d weighed two talents each .

H e made also the figure of a lion o f fine gol d weighing ten ,

talents This lion when the Temple o f D elphi was burned

.
,

down f ell from the half bricks f or it had been placed on them ;
, ,

and it now lies in the treasury o f the Corinthians weighing ,

six talents and a hal f ; for three talents and a hal f were melted
from it Cr oesus having finished these things sent them to
.
, ,

D elphi and with them these f ollowing : two large bowls

, ,

one o f gold the other o f silver : that of gold was placed on

,

the right hand as one enters the templ e and that o f silver ,

on the left ; but th ese also were removed wh en the temple

was burned down ; an d th e golden one weighing eight talents ,

and a half and twelve min ae is placed in the treasury o f Cl az o ,

men ac ; th e silver one containing six hundred amphorae l ies , ,

in a corner of the vestibul e and is used by the D el p hi a n s f or ,

mixing the wine on the T h e o p h a n i an f estival The D el p h i an s .

say it was the workmanship of Theodorus the Samian ; and I

think so too for it appears to be no common work H e also
,
.

sent four casks of silver which stand in the treasury o f th e ,

Corinthians ; and he dedicated two lustral vases one o f gol d , ,

the other of silver : on the golden one is an inscription OF ,

”
TH E L A C E D ZE M O N I A N S who say that it was their o ff er ,

ing but wrong f ully for this al so was given by Croesus : a cer
, ,
5 1 —5 5] R I CH G I FT S O F C R CE S US 19

tain Delphian made the inscription in order to pl ease the ,

Laced aemonians ; I know his name but forbear to mention it ,

.

The boy indeed through whose hand the water flows is their
, , ,

gi ft ; but neither of the lustral vases At the same time Cr oe .

sus sent many other off erings without an inscription : among

them some round silver covers ; and moreover a statue of a
woman in gold three cubits high which th e D el p h i a n s say is ,
’
the image o f Cr oesus s baking woman ; and to all these things
he added the necklaces and girdles o f his wi f e .

These were th e o ff erings he sent to D elphi ; and to A m

p h i a ra u s ,
having ascertained his virtue and su ff erings h e ,

dedicated a shiel d all o f gold an d a lance of solid gold the , ,

sha ft as well as th e points being o f gol d ; and these are at

Thebes in the Templ e o f I s m e n i a n Apollo .

To the Lydians appointed to convey these presents to the

temples Cr oesus gave it in charge to inquire of the oracles
,

whether he should make war on the Persians and i f he S houl d ,

unite any other nation a s an ally Accordingly when the .

,

Lydians arrived at the places to which they were s ent and ,

had dedicated the o ff erings they consulted the oracles say , ,

ing : Cr oesus King o f the Lydians and of other nations e s

, ,

teeming these to be the only oracles among men sends thes e ,

presents in acknowledgment of your discoveries ; and now

asks whether he shoul d lead an army against the Persians
, ,

and whether he shoul d j oin any auxiliary forces with his

”
own ? Such were their questions ; and the O pinions o f both
“
oracles concurred f oretelling that i f Cr 5 sho e
,

war on the P n a
'

and they advised him to engage th e most power f ul of he

Grecians in his alliance When Cr oesus heard the answers
.

that were brought back h e was beyond measure delighted

,

with the oracles ; and fully expectin g that h e Should destroy

the kingdom o f Cyrus he again sent to D elphi and having
, ,

ascertained the number o f th e inhabitants p resented each of ,

them with two staters o f gold I n return f or this the D el .

,

p h i a n s gave Cr oesus and th e Lydians th e right to consult th e

oracl e be fore any oth ers and exemption from tribute and
, ,

the first seats in t h e temple and the privilege o f being made

,

citizens o f D elphi to as many as should desire it in all future

,

time Cr oesus having made these presents to the D el p hi a n s

.
,

sent a t h ird time to consult the oracl e For after he had a s c e r .

t a i n e d the veracity o f the oracl e he had f requent recourse to ,

it His demand now was whether h e should long enj oy th e

“
.
,

kingdom to which th e Pythian gave this answer : When

,

a mule shall become King o f the M edes then tender f ooted , ,

-
20 H E R O D O T U S— B OO K I, CL IO [5 5 5
-
8

Lydian flee over pebbly Hermus no r tarry nor blush to b e

, , ,
”
a coward With this answer when reported to him Cr oesus
.
, ,

w a s more than ever delighted thinking that a mul e should ,

never b e King of the M edes instead of a man and consequently ,

that neither he nor his posterity should ever b e deprived of the

kingdom I n the next place he began to inquire carefully
.

who were the most powerful of the Greeks whom he might

gain over as allies ; and on inquiry found that the L a c e d ae
m o n i a n s and the Athenians excelled th e rest the former being ,

of Dorian the latter of I onic descent : for these were in ancient

,

times the most distinguished the latter being a Pelasgian , ,

the oth er an H ellenic nation ; the latter had never emigrated ,

but the former had very often changed their seat ; for under
the reign of D eucalion they inhabited the country of P h t h i
otis ; and in the time of D orus the son of H ellen the coun , ,

try at the foot of O ssa and O lympus called H i s t i aeo t i s : when ,

they were driven out of H i s t i aeo t i s by the Ca d m aea n s they set ,

t l e d on M ount P i d n u s at a place called M a c e d n u m ; thence

,

they again removed to Dryopis ; and at length coming into

Peloponnesus were called Dorians , .

What language the Pelasgians used I can not with cer

tainty a ffirm ; but i f I may form a conj ecture from those Pelas
gians who now exist and who now inhabit the town o f Cres
,

tona above the Tyrrhenians and who were formerly neigh ,

bours to those now called Dorians and at that time occupied ,

the country at present called T h e s s al i o t i s : an d if I may con

j ec t u r e from those Pelasgians settled at Placia and S c y l a ce

on the H ellespont and who once dwelt with t h e Athenians

, ,

and whatever other cities which though really Pelasgian , , ,

have changed their name ; if I say I may be permitted to , ,

conj ecture from these th e Pelasgians spoke a barbarous lan

,

guage And if the whol e Pelasgian body did so the Attic

.
,

race being Pelasgic must at the time they changed into Hel
, ,

l enes have altered their language For neither do the Cres .

to mions use th e same language with any of their neighbours ,

nor do the peopl e o f Placia but both use the same language ; ,

by which it appears they have taken care to preserve the char

acter o f the language they brought with them into those
places The H ell enic race however as app ears to me from
.
, , ,

the time they became a peopl e have used the same langua ge :
though when s eparated from the Pelasgians they were at first
, ,

insignificant yet from a small beginning they have increased

,

to a multitude o f nations chiefly by a union with many other ,

barbarous nations Wherefore it appears to me that t h e Pelas

.

gic race being barbarous never increased to any great extent

, , .
5 9
—
60 ] P I S IS T RAT U S 21

Of these nations then Cr oesus learned that the Attic w a s

oppressed and distracted by Pisistratus son o f Hippocrates , ,

then reigning in Athens To this Hippocrates w h o w a s at the .

,

time a pr i vate person and a spectator at the O lympian games , ,

a great prodigy occurred For having killed a v i ctim the .

,

caldrons which were full of fl esh an d water bubbled up with

, ,

out any fire and boiled over Chilon the Laced aemonian who .
, ,

was accidentally there and saw the prodigy advised H i p p o c , ,

rates first of all not to marry any woman by whom h e might

, ,

have children ; or if he w a s already married then to put away , ,

his wife ; an d i f he happened to have a son to disown him , .

However Hippocrates when Chilon gave this advice woul d

, , ,

not be p ersuaded ; and had afterward this same Pisistratus ,

w h o when a quarrel happened b etween those w h o dwelt on

,

the sea coast and the Athenians the former headed by M ega
-

cles son o f Alcm aeon the latter by Lycurgus son o f Aristo

, , ,

laides aiming at the sovereign power formed a third party

, ,
.

And having assembled his partisans under colour o f protecting

those of the mountains he contrived this stratagem : having ,

wounded himself and his mules h e drove his chariot into the ,

public s quare as if he had escaped from enemies that de

,

signed to murder him on his way to the country ; and b e

s ought the people to grant him a guard having b efore ,

acquired renown in the expedition against M egara by taking ,

N i s aea and displaying other illustrious deeds Th e p eopl e

,
1
.

o f Athens being deceived by this gave him such of the citi

, ,

zens as h e s elected w h o were not to b e his j avelin men but , ,

club bearers f or the y attended him with clubs o f wood These

, .

men therefore j oin i ng in revolt with Pisistratus seized the

, , ,

Acropolis and thereupon Pisistratus assumed the government

,

o f the Athenians neither disturbing th e existing magistracies

,

nor altering the laws ; but he administered th e government

according to the established institutions ordering it liberally ,

and well Not long a fter the partisans o f M e g a c l e s and

.
,

Lycurgus being reconciled drove him out I n this manner

, , .

Pisistratus first made himself master o f Athens and his power , ,

not being very firmly rooted lost it B ut those w h o exp elled , .

Pisistratus quarrelled anew with one another ; and M e g a c l e s ,

harassed by the sedition sent a herald to Pisistratus to ask ,

i f h e was willing to m ar ry his daughter on condition of having ,

the sovereignty Pisistratus having accepted the p ro p Os al and

.

agreed to his terms in order to his restitution they contrived , ,

the most ridiculou s proj ect that I think was ever imagined , , ,

especially if we consider that the Greeks have f rom ol d been

1
N i s ae a w a s t h e p o rt o f t h e M e g a ri a n s ,
a bou t t wo m il e s f ro m the c t i y .
22 H E R O D O T U S— B O O K 1, CL I O —
[60 62

d istinguished f rom the barbarians as being more acute an d

free from all foolish simplicity and more particularly as they ,

played this trick upon the Athenians who are esteemed among ,

the wisest of the Grecians I n the Pae a n ea n tribe was a woman .

named Phya f our cubits high wanting three fingers and in

, , ,

other respects handsome ; having dressed this woman in a

complete suit o f armour and placed her on a chariot and h av , ,

ing shown h er be f orehand how to assume the most becoming

demeanour they drove her to the city having sent heralds
, ,

be f ore who on their arrival in the city proclaimed what was

,
“,

ordered in these terms : O Athenians receive with kind

,

wishes Pisistratus whom Minerva herself honouring above

, ,
”
all men now conducts back to h er own citadel
,
They then .

went about proclaiming this ; and a report was presently

spread among the peopl e that M inerva was b ringing back
Pisistratus ; and the peopl e in the city b elieving this woman ,

to be the goddess both adored a human being and received

,

Pisistratus .

Pisistratus having recovered th e sovereignty in t h e man

ner above described married the daughter of M e ga cl e s in ,

accordance with his agreement B ut as he already had grown .

up sons and as the Al c m aeo n i d m were said to be under a

,

curs e he wishing not to have any chil dren by his newly mar
, ,

ried wife had intercourse with h er unnaturally The woman

, .

at first kept th e thing a secret but afterward whether ques , ,

t i o n e d by her mother or not she discovered it to her and she , ,

to her husband H e felt highly indignant at being dishon

.

o u re d by Pisistratus and in h i s rage instantly reconciled him

,

self to those of th e opposite f action ; but Pisistratus hearing

of the designs that were being f ormed against him withdrew ,

entirely out o f the country and arriving in Eretria consulted

1
, ,

with his sons The opinion o f Hippias prevailed and to re

.
, ,

cover the kingdom they immediately began to collect con ,

t ri b u t i o n s f rom those cities which f elt any gratitude to them

for benefits received ; an d though many gave large sums ,

the Thebans surpassed th e rest in liberality At length ( not .

to give a detailed account) time passed an d everything was ,

ready for their return for Argive mercenaries arrived f rom ,

Peloponnesus and a man of Naxos named L y g d a m i s who , ,

had come as a volunteer and brought both men and money , ,

showed great zeal in the cause Having set out from Eretria .
,

they came back in the eleventh year o f their exile and first ,

o f all possessed themselves o f Marathon While they lay eu .

1
T h e re w e re t w o p l a ce s o f t h i s n a m e o n e i n T h e s s a l y a nd a nothe r in
E u b oe a .Pi s i s t ra t u s r e t i re d t o t h i s l a s t —L a rc h e r .
,

.
6 2—64] P IS IS T RAT U S T Y R A N T A T AT H E N S , 23

camped in this place both their partisans f rom the city j oined ,

them and oth ers f rom the various districts to whom a tyranny
, ,

was more welcome than liberty crowded to them ; thus they ,

were collected together The Athenians of the city on th e .

,

other hand had shown very little concern all the time P i s i s
,

t ra t u s was collecting money or even when h e took possession ,

o f Marathon B ut when they heard that he w a s marching

.

from Marathon against the city they at l ength went out to ,

resist him : so they marched with their whol e force against th e

’
invaders I n the meantime P i s i s t ra t u s s party having set out
.
,

from Marathon advanc ed toward th e city and arrive d in a

, ,

body at the Temple of the P a l l e n i a n M inerva and there took 1

,

up their position Here Am p h il y t u s a prophet o f A c a rn a n i a

.
, ,

moved by divine impulse approached Pisistratus and pro , ,

n o u n c e d this oracl e in hexameter vers e The cast is thrown .

,

and the net is spread ; by the moonlight the tunnies will rush
in . He inspired by the god uttered this prophecy and Pi
, , ,

s i s t ra t u s comprehending the oracl e and saying he accepted

, ,

the omen l ed on his army The Athenians o f th e city were

, .

then engaged at their break f ast and some o f them after ,

breakfast had betaken themselves to dice others to sleep , .

The army of Pisistratus f alling upon t hem by surprise soon , ,

p u t them to fl ight and as they were flying Pisistratus con , ,

t ri v e d a clever stratagem to prevent their rallying again ,

that they might be thoro u ghly dispersed H e mounted his .

sons on horseback an d sent them forward ; and they having ,

overtake n the f ugitives spoke as they were ordered by P i s i s ,

t ra t u s bidding them be o f good cheer and to depart every

, ,

man to his own home The Ath enians yiel ded a ready obedi .

ence and thus Pisistratus having a third time possessed him

, ,

sel f o f At h ens secured his power more firmly both by th e aid

,

o f auxiliary f orces and by revenues partly collected at home

and partly drawn f rom the river Strymon 2
H e also seized .

as hostages the sons o f the Athenians who had hel d out against
him and had not immediately fled and settl ed them at Naxos ;
, ,

which islan d Pisistratus had f ormerly subdued an d given in ,

charge to L y g d a m i s : h e moreover purified the island o f , ,

'

D elos in obedience to an oracle And h e purified it i n the

, .

f ollowing manner : having dug up the dead bodies as f ar ,

as the prospect f rom the templ e reached he removed them ,

to another part o f D elos Thus Pisistratus ruled despotically .

1
Fa ll e n e w a s t h e n a m e o f o n e o f t h e b o ro u g h s o f A t t i ca , b e l o n gi n g t o
t h e t r i b e A n t i o c h i d e s o n t h e ro a d f ro m M a ra t h o n t o A t h e n s
, .

1
T h e c o u n t ry b e t w e e n t h e S t ry m o n a n d t h e N e s s u s w a s c e l e b ra t e d f o r
i t s m i nes — L a rc h e r
. .
24 H E R O D O T U S— B O O K I, C L IO 6 —
[ 4 66

over the Athenians but of them some had fallen in th e bat , ,

tle and others fl ed from their homes with the son o f Alcm aeon
,
1
.

Cr oesus was informed at that time that such was the

condition o f the Athenians ; and that the Laced aem o nians ,

having extricated themselves out o f great di fficulties had ,

first gained the mastery over th e Tegeans in war For .

during the reign o f Leo and H e g es i cl es Kings of Sparta , ,

the Laced aemonians were successful in all other wars and ,

wer e worsted by the Tegeans only And long before their .

reign they had been governed by the worst laws o f almost

any people in Greece both as regarded their deal ings with
, ,

one another and in hol ding no intercourse with strangers

, .

B ut they changed to a good government in the following man

ner : Lycurgus a man much esteemed b y t h e Spartans hav
, ,

ing arrived at D elphi to consult th e oracl e no sooner entered

the templ e than the Pythian spoke as follows : Thou art “ ,

come Lycurgus to my wealthy temple b eloved by Jove and

, , ,

all that inhabit O lympian mansions : I doubt whether I shall

pronounce thee god or man ; but rather god I think L y c u r , ,
”
gus . Some men say that besides this the Pythian also com , ,

m u n i c a t e d to him that f orm of government now establ ished

among th e Spartans B ut as the Laced aemonians themselves .
,

a ffirm Lycurgus b eing appointed guardian to his nephew

, ,

L eob o t a s 2
King o f Sparta brought those institutions f rom
, ,

Crete For as soon as h e had taken the guardianship b e

.
,

altered all their customs and took care that no one shoul d ,

transgress them Afterward h e established military regula .

tions th e e n o m o t i ae the t ri e ca d e s and the syssitia and besides

, , , ,

these he instituted th e ephori and senators Thus having .

,

changed their laws they establ ished good institutions in their ,

stead ; and having erected a temple to Lycurgus a fter his

death they hel d him in th e highest reverence As they had
,
.

a good soil and abundant population they quickly s p ra n g u p ,

'

and fl ourished And now they were no longer content to live

.

in peace but proudly considerin g themselves superior to the

,

Arcadians they sent to consult the oracle at Delphi touching

,
“
,

the conquest o f the whol e country o f the Arcadian s ; and the

Pythian gave them this answer : Dost thou ask of me Arca
dia ? thou askest a great deal ; I can not grant it thee There .

are many acorn eating men in Arcadia who will hinder thee -
.

B u t I do not grudge thee all ; I will give thee Tegea to dance

on with b eating of the f eet and a fair plain to measure out ,

1
M e g a cl e s .

I t i s g e n e ra lly a g re e d t h a t t h e nam e
’
1 of Ly c u rg u s s nep h ew was not
Le o b o t a s , b u t C h a r i l a u s .
26
—
H E R D O T U S B OO K
O I, CL IO [ 68 —70

as I w a s endeavouring to sink a well in this inclosure in dig ,

ging I came to a co ffin seven cubits long ; and because I did

not believe that men were ever taller than they now are I ,

opened it and saw that the body was equal to the co ffin in
,
”
l ength and after I had measured it I covered it up again The
, .

man told him what he had seen but Lichas reflecting on what , ,

was said conj ectured from the words o f the oracle that this
,

must b e the body of O restes forming his conj ecture on the ,

following reasons : seeing the smith s two bellows he dis ’

,

cerned in them the two winds and in the anvil and hammer ,

the stroke answering to stroke and in the iron that was being ,

forged the woe that lay on woe ; representing it in this way ,

that iron had been invented to the inj ury of man Having .

made this conj ecture he returned to Sparta and gave the

, ,

Laced aemonians an account of the whol e matter ; they brought

a feigned charge against him and sent him into banish ,

ment H e then going back to Tegea related his m i s fo r

.
, ,

tune to the smith and wished to hire the inclosure from him
, ,

but he would not let it B ut in time when he had persuaded

.
,

him he took up his abode there and having opened the s ep u l

, ,

chre and collected the bones he carried them away with him ,

to Sparta From that time whenever th ey made trial of each

.
,
’
other s strength the Laced aemonians were by f ar superior in
,

war ; and the greater part of Peloponnesus had been already

sub dued by them .

Croesus being in formed o f all these things sent ambassa ,

dors to Sparta with presents and to request their alliance h av , ,

ing given them orders what to say ; and when they were ar
rived they spoke as f ollows : Cr oesus King of the Lydians ,

and o f oth er nations has sent us with this message : O Lace

,

d aem o n i a n s since the D eity has directed me by an oracle to

,

unite mysel f to a Grecian friend there f ore ( for I am in formed ,

that you are pre eminent in Greece) I invite you in obedience

-

to the oracle being desirous o f becoming your f riend and

,
’
ally without treachery or guile
,
Cr oesus made this pro .

posal through his ambassadors An d the Laced aemonians .

,

w h o had before heard of the answer given by th e oracle to

Cr oesus were gratified at the coming of the Lydians and ex
, ,

changed pledges o f friendship and alliance : and indeed cer

tains f avours had been formerly con f erred on them by Cr oesus ,

for when the Laced aemonians sent to Sardis to purchase gold ,

wishing to use it in erecting the statue o f Apollo that now

stands at Th o rn a x in Laconia Cr oesus gave it as a present to ,

them when they were desi rous o f purchasing it For this rea .

s o n t h en and b ecaus e h e ha d s ele ct ed t h em f ro m al l th e

,
70 -

72 ] C H A RA CT E R O F T HE PE R S IA N S 27

Greeks and desired their friendship the Laced aemonians a c

, ,

c e p t e d his o ff er of alliance ; and in the first place they prom

ised to be ready at his summons ; and in the next having ,

made a brazen bowl capabl e of containing three hundred ,

amphor ae and covered it outside to the rim with various fi g

,

ures they s ent it to him being desirous o f making Cr oesus

, ,

a present in return B ut this bowl never reached Sardis f or

.
,

one of the t w o following reasons : the Laced aemonians say ,

that when this bowl on its way to Sardis w a s o ff Samos th e , , ,

Samians having heard of it sailed out in long ships and took , ,

it away by force O n th e other hand the Samians a ffirm that

.
,

when the Laced aemonians w h o were conveying th e bowl f ound

they were too late and heard that Sardis was taken an d Croe
, ,

sus a prisoner they sold the bowl in Samos and that some
, ,

private persons w h o bought it dedicated it in the Templ e o f

j uno And
. perhaps they who sol d it when they returned ,

to Sparta might say that th ey had been robbed o f it by the

,

Samians So it is then respecting this bowl

. .

Cr oesus misinterpreting the oracl e prepared to invade

, ,

Cappadocia hoping to overthrow Cyrus and the power o f the

,

Persians While Cr oesus was preparing f or his exp edition

.

against th e Persians a certain Lydian w h o before that time , ,

was esteemed a wise man and on this occasion acquired a ,

very great name in Lydia gave him advice in these words ,

( the name o f th is person was S an d an i s ) : O king you are ,

preparing to make war against a peopl e w h o wear leather

trousers and the rest o f their garments o f leather ; w h o i n
,

habit a barren country and feed not on such things as they ,

choose but such as they can get B esides they do not habit
,
.
,

u al l y use wine but d rink water ; nor have they figs to eat nor
, ,

anything that is good I n the first place t hen if you should .

, ,

conquer what will you take f rom them since they have noth
, ,

ing O n the other hand i f you should be conquered consider

?
, ,

what good thin gs you will los e For when they have tasted .

o f our good things th ey will become f ond of them nor will , ,

they be driven f rom them As f or me I thank the gods that .

,

they have not put it into the thoughts o f the Persians to make
”
w a r on the Lydians I n saying this he did not persuade .
,

Cr oesus Now before they subdued th e Lydians the Persians

.
,

possessed nothing either luxurious or good The Ca p p a d o .

eia u s are by the Greeks called Syrians ; th ese Syrians be fore ,

the establishment of the Persian power were subj ect to the ,

M edes but then to Cyrus For the boundary o f the Median

,
.

empire and the Lydian was the river H al y s which flows from ,

the mountains o f Armenia through Cilicia and a fterward has ,

28 H E R O D O T U S— B OO K A
I, CL I O [ 72 -
74

th e M at i e n i a n s on the right and the Phrygians on th e other

side ; th en passing these and flowing up toward the north it ,

skirts the Syrian Cappadocians on one side and the P ap hl a ,

g o n i a n s on th e left Thus the river H a.l y s divides almost the

whol e of lower Asia from the sea opposite Cyprus to the ,

Euxine : this is the isthmus of that whol e country ; as to the

length of the j ourney it takes five days for a well girt man ,
-
.
1

Cr oesus invaded Cappadocia for the following reasons as ,

well from a desire o f adding i t to his o w n dominions as espe , ,

c i a l l y from his confidence 1 n th e oracle and a wish to punish

, ,

Cyrus on account of A s t y a g e s For Cyrus son of Cambyses .

, ,

had subj ugated A s t y a g e s son o f C y a x a re s w h o w a s brother , ,

‘
i n l aw of Cr oesus and King of the M edes
-

,
H e had become .

-
i —
brother n law to Cr oesus in the f ollowing manner : a band
o f Scythian nomads having risen in rebellion with drew into ,

M edia ; at that time Cy a x a r e s son of P h rao rt e s grandson o f , ,

D e i o c e s ruled over the M edes he at first received these S cyth

,

ians kindly as b eing suppliants so much so that esteem

, , ,

ing them very highly he intrusted some youths to them to ,

learn their language and th e use of the bow I n course o f .

tim e it happened that these Scythians w h o were constantly ,

going out to hunt and w h o always brought home something

, ,

on one occasion took nothing O n their returning empty .

handed Cy a x a re s ( for he was as he proved o f a violent tem

, , ,

per) treated them with most O pprobrious language The .

Scythians having met with this treatment from C y a xa re s and

, ,

considering it undeserved by them determined to kill one o f ,

the youths that were b eing educated under their care and ,

having prepared th e fl esh as they used to dress the beasts

taken in hunting to serve it up to Cy a x a r e s as i f it were game ;
,

and then to make their escap e immediately to Al yattes son ,

of S a d y a t t e s at Sardis This accordingl y w a s done : C y a x

, .

ares and his guests feasted on this fl esh and the Scythians ,

having done this becam e suppl iants to Alyattes After this

, .

( for Alyattes re f us ed to del iver up the Scythians to C y a x a r e s

when he demanded them ) w a r lasted between the Lydians and

the M edes for five years ; during this period th e M edes often
defeated the L y d i an s a n d often th e Lydians de f eated the M edes
, ,

and during this time th ey had a kind of nocturnal engage

ment I n th e sixth year when they were carrying on the w ar
.
,

with nearly equal success on occasion of an engagement it , ,

happened that in th e heat of th e battl e day w a s suddenly

turned into night This change of th e day Thales the Milesian
.

1
The long fl o w i n g d re s s e s o f t h e a n c i e n t s m a d e i t n e ce s s a r y to gi r d
th em u p wh en t h e y w i s h e d t o m o v e e x p e d i t i o u s ly .
 —
74 76] C RCE S US I N VA D E S CA PPA D O C I A 29

had f oretol d to the I onians fixing b eforehand this year as ,

the very period in which the change actually took place The .

Lydians and M edes seeing night succeeding in the place of ,

day desisted from fighting and both showed a great anxiety

, ,

to mak e peace S y e n n e s i s th e Cilician and L a b y n e t u s the

.
2 1
,

B abylonian were the mediators of their reconciliation ; thes e

,

were they w h o hastened the treaty between them and made ,

a matrimonial connection f or they persuaded Alyattes to give

his daughter A ry e n i s in marriage to A s t y a g e s son o f C y a x ,

ares For without strong necessity agreements are not wont

.
, ,

to remain firm These nations in their federal contracts o b

.

serve the same ceremonies as the Greeks and in addition , ,

when they have cut their arms to the outer S kin they lick up ,

one another s blood ’

.

Cyrus had subdued this same A s t y a g e s his grand fath er by ,

the mother s S ide for reasons which I shall hereafter relate

’
,
.

Cr oesus alleging this against him sent to consult the oracle

, , ,

if he shoul d make w a r on the Persians ; and when an ambigu

ous answer came back he interpreting it to his own a d va n , ,

tage l ed his army against th e territory o f th e Persians When

, .

he arrived at th e river H al y s Cr oesus transported his forces , ,

as I believe by the bridges which are now there B ut the .

common opinion o f the Grecians is that Thales the M il esian

procured him a passage For whil e Cr oesus w a s in doubt .
,

how h i s army shoul d pass over the river ( f or th ey say that

thes e bridges were not at that time in existence) Thal es w h o , ,

w a s in the camp caused th e s t i e a m whi ch flowed along the

‘

, ,

le ft of th e army to flow likewise on the right ; h e contrived

,

it thus : having begun above the camp he dug a deep ,

trench in th e shape o f a half moon s o that the river being

, , ,

turned into this from its ol d channel might pass in the rear
, ,

o f the camp pitched where it then was an d a f terward hav , ,

ing passed by th e camp might fall into its former course ; so ,

that as soon as th e river w a s divided into two streams it b e

came f ordabl e in both Some say that th e ancient channel o f .

the river w a s entirely dried up ; but this I can not assent to :

for how then coul d th ey have crossed it on their return ?
Cr oesus after passing th e river with h is arm y came to a
, ,

place called Pteria in Cappadocia ( Now Pteria is the stron g

, .

est position o f the whole of this country an d is situated ,

over against Sinope a city on th e Euxin e Sea ) Here h e , .

1
S e n n e s i s s e e m s t o h a v e b e e n a n a m e c o m m o n t o t h e k i n g s o f C ili c i a
y .

I n a d d t i o n t o t h e o n e h e re m e n t i o n e d w e m e e t w i t h a n o t h e r i n t h e t i m e
i ,

o f Da n u s , a n d a t h i rd i n t h e t i m e o f X e rx e s .

T h e s a m e , s a y s P r i d e a u x , w i t h t h e N e b u c h a d n e zz a r o f S c r i p t u re .
30
H E R O D O T U S—B O O K I, CL IO

encamped and ravaged the lands o f the Syrians and took ,

th e city of the Pterians and enslaved the inhabitants ; he also

,

took all the adj acent places and expelled the inhab itants w h o
, ,

had given him no cause for blame Then Cyrus having assem .
,

bl ed his own army and having taken with him all w h o i n

,

habited the intermediate country went to meet Cr oesus B ut , .

before he began to advance h e sent heralds to the I onians ,

to persuade them to revolt f rom Cr oesus ; the I onians how ,

ever refused When Cyrus had come up and encamped opp o

, .

site Cr oesus they made trial o f each other s strength on the

,
’

plains o f Pteria ; but when an obstinate battl e took place and ,

many f ell on both sides they at last parted on the approach

,

o f night neither having b een victorious I n this manner did

, .

the two armies engage .

B ut Cr oesus laying the blame on his own army on account

of the smallness of its numbers for his forces that engaged ,

—
were far fewer than those of Cyrus laying the blame on this ,

when on the f ollowing day Cyrus did not attempt to attack

him he marched back to Sardis designing to summon the ,

Egyptians according to treaty for he had made an alliance ,

with A m a s i s King o f Egypt before he had with the Lace

, ,

d aem o n i a n s and to send for the B abylonians ( for he had made

an alliance with them also and La b y n e t u s at this time reigned
,

over th e B abylonians ) an d to require the presence of the

,

Laced aemonians at a fixed time : having collected these to

gether an d assembl ed his own army he purposed when win
, , ,

ter was over to attack the Persians in the beginning of the

,

spring With this design when he reached Sardis he de

.
,

s p a t c h e d ambassadors to his di ff erent allies requiring them ,

to meet at Sardis be f ore th e end of five months ; but the army

that was with him and that had fought with the Persians
, ,

which w a s composed of mercenary troops he entirely dis ,

banded not imagining that Cyrus who had come o ff on such

, ,

equal terms would venture to advance upon Sardis While

,
.

Croesus was forming these plans the whole suburbs were ,

fill ed with serpents and when they appeared the horses for
, , ,

saking their pastures came and devoured them When Cr oe

,
.

sus behel d this he considered it to be as it really was a

, , ,

prodigy and sent immediately to consult the interpreters at

,

Telmessus ; but the messengers having arrived there and ,

l earned from th e T e l m e s s i a n s what the prodigy portended ,

were unable to report it to Cr oesus f or be fore they sailed back ,

to Sardis Croesus had been taken prisoner The T e l m e s s i a n s .

had pronounced as follows : that Cr oesus must expect a f or

e i g n army to invade his country which on its arrival wo u ld , ,
78-
8 0 ] RE T RE AT O F C R CE S US 3 1

subdue the natives because they sai d the serpent is the son
, , ,

of the earth but the horse is an enemy and a stranger This

,
.

answer the T e l m es s i a n s gave to Cr oesus when he had been

already taken ; yet without knowing what had happened with
respect to Sardis or Cr oesus himself .

B ut Cyrus as soon as Croesus had retreated after the bat

,

tle at Pteria having discovered t hat it w a s the intention o f

,

Cr oesus to disband his army found upon deliberation that , , ,

it woul d be to his advantage to march with all possible ex

p e d i t i o n on Sardis before the forces of,
the Lydians could b e
a second time assembled ; and when h e had thus determined ,

h e put his plan into practice w i t h a ll possible expedition for

'

having marched his army into Lydia he brought this news ,

o f his own enterprise to Cr oesus Thereupon Croesus b eing .

,

thrown into great perplexity seeing that matters had turned ,

out contrary to his expectations nevertheless drew out the ,

Lydians to battl e ; and at that time no nation in Asia was more

valiant and warlike than the Lydians Their mode o f fi g h t .

ing was f rom horseback ; they were armed with long lances ,

and managed their horses with admirabl e address The place .

wh ere they met was the plain that lies before the city of Sardis ,

which is extensive and bare ; several rivers as well as the

Hyllus flowing through it force a passage into th e greatest
, , ,

called the Hermus which flowing from the sacred mountain

, ,

o f mother Cyb ele falls into th e sea near the city of Phoc aea
, .

Here Cyrus when h e saw the Lydians drawn up in order of

,

battle alarmed at the caval ry had recours e to th e f ollowing

, ,

stratagem on the suggestion of H a rp a g u s a M ede : collect

, ,

ing together all the camels that followed his army with pro
visions an d baggage and having caused their burdens to be
,

taken o ff he mounted men upon them equipped in cavalry

, ,

accoutrements and having furnis h ed them he ordered them

, ,

to go in advance o f the rest of his army against th e Lydian

horse ; and he commanded his infantry to f ollow the camels ,

and he placed the whol e o f his cavalry b ehin d the infantry .

When all were drawn up in order h e charged them not to ,

spare any o f the Lydians but to kill every one they met ; but
,

on no account to kill Cr oesus even if he shoul d o ff er resistance ,

when taken Such were the orders he gave H e drew up

.
.

the camel s in th e front of the cavalry for this reason : a h orse ,

is afraid of a camel and can not endure either to see its form
,

or to scent its smell : for this reason then h e had recourse to , ,

this stratagem that the cavalry might be usel ess to Cr oesus

,
,

by which th e Lydian expected to signalize himsel f Accord .

i n gl y when they j oined battl e th e horses no sooner smelt

, ,
3 2 H E R O D O T U S— B O O K I, C L IO [ 8 0 —
8 2

the camels and saw them than t h ey wheeled round and the ,

hopes of Cr oesus were destroyed N evertheless the Lydians .

,

were not therefore discouraged but when they perceived what ,

had happened leaped from their horses and engaged with the
,

Persia ns on foot ; at last when many had fallen on both sides

, ,

the Lydians were put to flight and being shut up within th e ,

walls were besieged by t h e Persians

, .

Siege was then laid to them ; but Cr oesus thinking it ,

would last a long time sent other messengers f rom the city to
,

his all ies ; f or thos e whom he had sent before requested them
to assembl e at Sardis on the fifth month but he sent out these ,

last to request them to succour him with all speed as he w a s ,

already besieged H e sent therefore to the rest of his allies

.
,

and especially to the Laced aemonians ; but at that very time the
Spartans themselves happened to have a quarrel with the Ar
gians about a tract called T h y re a for this T h y rea which , ,

properly belongs t o the territory of Argos the Spartans had ,

seized And indeed the country that lies westward as f ar as

.

Malea both on the continent and the island Cythera and the
, ,

other islands belongs to the A rg i a n s The A rg i a n s having

, .

advanced to the defence of their country which had been thus

seized upon both parties upon a conference agreed that three
, , ,

hundred men on each side shoul d engage and that whichever ,

party was victorious should be entitled to the disputed terri

tory : but it was stipulated that the main body of each army
should withdraw to their own country and not remain while ,

the engagement w a s going on lest if the armies were present , , ,

either side seeing their countrymen in distress sho u ld come

, ,

to t h eir assistance Having agreed to these terms the armies

.
,

withdrew and the picked men on each side remaining b e

,

hind engaged : they f ought with such equal success that o f

th e six hundred only three men were left alive ; o f the Ar
,

gians Al c e n o r and C h ro m i u s and o f the Lacedaemonians

, , ,

O t h ry a d es ; these survived when night came on The two .

~

A r g i a n s thinking themselves victorious ran to Argus with

, ,

the news ; but O t h ry a d e s the Laced aemonian having stripped

, ,

the corpses of the A r g i a n s and carried their arms to his own

,

camp continued at his post O n the next day both armies

,
.
,

being informed o f the event met again in th e same place and , ,

f or a time both laid claim to th e victory ; the one side alleging

that the greater number o f their men survived the other ,

side urging that those survivors had fled and that their coun ,

t ry m an had kept the field and spoiled their dead At length .

,

f rom words they betook themselves to blows and when many

had f allen on both sides the Laced aemonians obtained the v i c
,
 HER D TU
O O S — B OO K I, CL I O 8
[ 5 8 6
34
-

respects proper enough b u t dumb Now in the time o f his

, .
,

f ormer prosperity Cr oesus had done everything he could

,

f or him and among other expedients had sent to consult the

,

oracl e o f D elphi concerning him ; but the Pythian gave him

this answer O Lydian born king of man very foolish
.

y , ,

Cr oesus wish not to hear the longed for vo i ce of thy son

,

speaking within thy palace it were better f or thee that this .

”
shoul d be far o ff f or he will first speak in an u nhappy day .

When the city was taken one of the Persians not knowing ,
.

Cr oesus was about to kill him : Cr oesus though he saw him

, ,

approach from his present misfortune took no heed of him

, , ,

nor did he care about dying by the blow ; but this speechl ess
son of his when he saw the Persian advancing against him
, ,

through dread an d anguish burst into speech and said Man , , , ,

”
kill not Croesus These were t h e fi rs t words he ever uttered ;
'

but from that time he continued to speak during the remainder

o f his l ife So the Persians got possession of Sardis and
.
,

made Croesus prisoner after he had reigned fourteen y ears

, ,

being b esieged fourteen days and lost his great emp i re as , ,

the oracl e had predicted The Persians having taken him .

, ,

conducted him to Cyrus ; and he having heaped up a great ,

pile placed Cr oesus upon it bound with fetters and with him
, , ,

fourteen young Lydians designing either to o ff er this sacri

,

fi c e to some god as the first fruits of his victory or wishing

, ,

to per f orm a v o w ; or perhaps having heard that Cr oesus ,

was a religious person he placed him on the pile f or the pur

,

pos e o f discovering whether any deity would save him from

being burned al ive H e accordingly did what has been re
.

lated : it is added that when Cr oesus stood upon the pile not ,

withstanding the weight o f his misfortunes the words of ,

Sol on recurred to him as spoken by inspiration o f the deity

, ,

that no l iving man coul d b e j ustl y called happy When this .

occurred to him it is said that a fter a long silence he t e

,

covered himself an d uttering a groan thrice pronounced the

, ,

name o f Solon : that when Cyrus heard him he commanded ,

his interpreters to ask Cr oesus whom it was he called upon ;

that they drew near and asked him but Cr oesus f or some time ,

kept silence : but at last b eing constrained to speak said

, I , ,

named a man whose discourses I more desire all tyrants might

hear than to b e possessor of the greatest riches When he .

gave them this obscure answer th ey again inquired what h e ,

said : and when th ey persisted in their inquiries and were ,

very importunate he at l en gth tol d them that Solon an

, ,

Athenian formerly visited him and having viewed all his

, ,

treasures made no account of them ; telling in a word h ow

, , ,
8 6—88] C R CE S US PA R D O N E D B Y C YR U S 35

everything had be fallen him as Solon had warned him t h ough ,

his discours e related to all mankind as much as to himself ,

and especially to those who imagine themselves happy They .

say that Cr oesus gave this explanation and that the pile being ,

now kindled the outer parts began to burn ; and that Cyrus
, ,

in formed by the interpreters of what Cr oesus had said re ,

a

l e n t e d and considering that being but a man he was yet

, ,

going to burn another man alive w h o had b een no w a y in ,

f e ri o r to himsel f in prosp erity and moreover fearing retri , ,

b u t i o n and reflecting that nothing human is constant com

, ,

m a n d e d the fi re to be instantly extinguished and Cr oesus , ,

with those w h o were about him to b e taken down ; and that ,

they with all their endeavours were unabl e to master the fire .

I t is related by the Lydians that Cr oesus p erceiving that ,

Cyrus had altered his resolution when h e saw every man e n ,

d e av o u r i n g to put out the fire but unable to get the better ,

o f it shouted al oud invoking Apollo and b esought him i f

, , , ,

ever any of his o ff erings had been agreeabl e to him to protect ,

and deliver him from the present danger : they rep ort that he
with tears invoked the god and that on a s udden clouds were ,

seen gathering in the air which before was s erene and that
, ,

a violent storm burst forth and vehement rain fell and ex

t i n g u i s h e d the flames ; by which Cyrus perceiving that Croe ,

sus was beloved by the gods and a good man when h e had , ,

had him taken down f rom the pil e asked h im the following ,

question : Who persuaded you Cr oesus to invade my ter , ,

r i t o ri e s
”
, and to become my enemy instead o f my f riend ?
H e answered : O king I have done this f or your good but
, ,

my own evil f ortune and t h e god o f the Greeks w h o e n c o u r

,

aged me to mak e war is the cause of all For no man is so .

void o f understanding as to pre f er w a r before p eace ; f or in

the latter children bury their fathers in the f ormer f athers
, , ,

bury their children B ut I S uppos e it pl eased the gods t h at

.
, ,

these things should be so .

He thus spoke and Cyrus having s et h im at l iberty

, , ,

placed him by his own side and showed him great respect ; ,

and both he and all thos e that were with him were astonished
a t what they saw B ut Cr oesus absorbed in thought r e
.
, ,
m ained silent ; an d p resently turning round an d b eh olding
the Persians sacking the city o f th e Lydians he said D oes , ,
1 t become me O king to tell you what is passing through
, ,

my m 1n d or to keep silence on the present occasion ?

, Cyrus
bade him say with confidence whatever h e wished ; upon which
Cr oesus asked him saying What is this vast crowd so ear
, ,

n es t l
y e mp l oy ed ab ou t ?
’

H e answered T h ey are sacking ,

 6 HER D TU
O O S — BOOK C L IO —0
3 I, [ 8 8 9

your city and pl undering your riches Not so Cr oesus

“ , .
,

replied ; they are neither sacking my city nor plundering

my riches for they no longer belong to me but they are rav
, ,
”
aging what belongs to you The reply of Cr oesus attracted
.

the attention of Cyrus ; he therefore ordered all the rest to

withdraw and asked Cr oesus what he thought should be done
,

in the present conj uncture H e answered : Since the gods .

have made me your servant I think it my duty to acquaint ,

you if I perceive anything deserving of remark The Per

, .

sians w h o are by nature overbearing are poor I f there

, , .
,

fore you permit them to plunder and possess great riches

, ,

you may expect the f ollowing results : whoso acquires the

greatest possessions b e assured will be ready to rebel There
, , .

fore i f you approve what I say adopt the following plan :

, ,

place some of your body guard as sentinels at every gate

-

with orders to take the booty from all those w h o would go

out and to acquaint them that the tenth must o f necessity
,

be consecrated to Jupiter ; thus you will not incur the odium

o f taking away their property and they acknowledging your , ,
”
intention to be j ust will readily obey
, Cyrus when he heard .
,

this was exceedingly delighted as he thought the suggestion

, ,

a very good one ; having therefore commended it highly and ,

ordered his guards to do what Cr oesus suggested he addressed ,

Cr oesus as follows : Croesus since you are resolved to dis ,

play the deeds an d words o f a true king ask whatever boon ,

” ”
you desire on the instant Sir h e answered
. the most , ,

acceptabl e f avour you can bestow upon me is to l et me send

my fetters to the god of th e Grecians whom I have honoured ,

more than any other deity and to ask him if it be his custom
,
”
to deceive thos e w h o deserve well of him Cyrus asked him .

what caus e h e had to complain that induced him to make this

request : upon which Cr oesus recounted to him all his proj ects ,

and the answers o f the oracles and particularly the o ff erings ,

he had presented ; and how he was incited by the oracle to

make war against the Persians When h e had said this he .
,

again besought him to grant him l eave to reproach the god

with these things B ut Cyrus smiling said
. Y ou shall not , , ,

only receive this boon f rom me but whatever else you may ,
”
at any time desire When Cr oesus heard this he sent cer
.
,

tain Lydians to D elphi with orders to lay h is fetters at the

entrance o f th e templ e and to ask the god if he were not
,

ashamed to have encouraged Cr oesus by his oracl es to make

war on the Persians assuring him that he woul d put an end
,

to the power o f Cyrus o f which war such were th e first fruits

,

( commanding t h em at thes e words to show the f etters ) and ,

90 -

9 2 ] T HE O R AC LE I N TE RPRET E D 37

at the same time to ask if it were the custom of the Grecian

gods to be ungrateful When th e Lydians arrived at D elphi . ,

and had delivered their message the Pythian is reported to ,

have made this answer : The god himself even can not avoid
the decrees of fate ; and Cr oesus has atoned the crime of his
ancestor in the fifth generation w h o being one of th e body ,
1
,

guard O i the Heraclid ae w a s induced by the artifice of a ,

woman to murder his master and to usurp his di gnity to , ,

which he had no right B ut although Apollo w a s desirous .

that the fall o f Sardis might happen in the time of the sons
of Cr oesus and not during his reign yet it w a s not in his
, ,

power to avert the f ates ; but so far as they allowed he a c

complished and con f erred th e boon on him ; for h e delayed
,

the capture of Sardis for the space o f three years Let Cr oe .

sus know therefore that he w a s taken prisoner three y ears

, ,

later than the f ates had ordained : and in the n ext place he ,

came to his relie f when h e w a s upon the point of being burned

alive Then as to the prediction of th e oracle Cr oesus had
.
, ,

no right to complain ; for Apollo foretold him that if he made

war on the Persians h e woul d s ubvert a great empire ; and
had he desired to b e truly informed he ought to have sent ,

again to inquire whether his o w n or that o f Cyrus w a s mea n t .

B ut since he neither understood the oracle nor in q uired again ,

let him lay th e blame on himself A n d when h e last consulted .

the oracl e he did not understand the answer concerning the

,

mule ; for Cyrus was that mule ; inasmuch as he was born

of parents o f di ff erent nations the moth er sup erior but the , ,

f ather inferior For she was a M ede and daughter o f Asty

.
,

ages King o f M edia ; but h e was a Persian subj ect to the

, ,

M edes an d though in every respect in f erior marri ed his

, ,

o w n mistress The Pyth ian gave this answer to th e Lydians

.
,

and they carried it back to Sardis and reported it to Cr oesus ,

.

and he when he heard it acknowl edged t h e f a u l t to b e his

, , j ,
’
and not the god s Such is the account o f the kingdom o f .

Cr oesus and the first subj ection of I onia

, .

Many oth er o ff erings were also consecrated by Cr oesus in

Greece besides thos e al ready mentioned For at Thebes o f
, .

B oeotia there is a golden tripod which he dedicated to I s m e ,

nian Apollo ; and in Ephesus th e gol den h ei f ers and s everal , ,

of the pillars ; and in th e P ro n aea at D elphi a large gol den

shiel d All thes e were in existence in my day ; but others have
.

been lost The o ff erings h e dedicated in B ra n c hi s a city o f

.
,

C r oes u s w a s t h e fif t h d e s c e n d a n t o f G yg e s , i f w e i n c l u d e t h e t w o
1

e x t r e m e s ; f o r t h e h o u s e o f t h e M e r m n a d ae w a s a s f o ll o w s : G yg e s A rd y s
, ,

S a d y a t t e s , Aly a t t e s , C roes u s .
33 H E R O D O T U S—B OO K 1, CL IO [92
-

94

the Milesians were as I am informed equal in weight an d

, , ,

similar to those at D elphi Now the o ff erings which he made

.

to Delphi and to Amphiaraus were his own property and the

first fruits of his patrimonial riches ; but the rest were the
produce o f the property of an enemy w h o before he came to ,

the throne had set up an advers e faction endeavouring to

, ,

raise Pantaleon to the throne : now Pantaleon was the son o f

Alyattes but not of the same mother as Cr oesus for Aly
, ,

attes had Cr oesus by a Carian and Pantal eon by an I onian ,

woman When therefore Cr oesus by the will of his father

.

obtained the kingdom he put his opponent to death by tear

,
’
ing his flesh with a fuller s thistle ; and having already vowed
all his treasure to the gods he dedicated it in the manner ,

above described to the places I have mentioned And this .

may su ffice respecting the o ff erings .

The Lydian territory does not present many wonders

worthy of description like some other countries except the
, ,

gold dust brought down from M ount T m o l u s I t exhibits .

,

however one work the greatest o f all except those of the

, ,

Egyptians and Babylonians There is there a monument to .

Alyattes father of Cr oesus the basis of which is composed

, ,

o f large stones ; the rest is a mound o f earth This f abric was .

raised by merchants a rt ifi c e rs and prostitutes O n the sum

, ,
.

mit o f this monument remained even in my day five termini , , ,

upon which were inscriptions showing how much o f the work ,

each class executed and when measured th e work of the

,

women proved to be the greatest For the daughters of the .

Lydian common people all prostitute themselves for the pur ,

pose o i providing themselves with dowries ; and they con

t i n u e to do so until they marry ; and th ey dispose of them
selves in marriage This monument is six stades and two
.

p l e t h r a in circumference and in breadth , thirteen p l e t h r a ;

contiguous to it is a large lake which the Lydians say is fed ,

by perpetual springs and it is called th e Gy g e an Lake This

, .

may su ffice for this subj ect .

The customs of the Lydians di ff er l ittl e f rom those of the

Grecians except that they prostitute their women They are
, .

th e first of all nations we know of that introduced the art of

coining gold and silver ; and they were the first retailers The .

Lydians themselves say that th e games which are now com

mon to themselves and the Greeks were their invention ; and
they say they were invented about th e time they sent a colony
to T y rrh e n i a of all which they give the following account :
,

During the reign o f Atys son of Manes King o f Lydia a great

, , ,

scarcit y o f corn pervaded all Lydia : f or some time the Ly d i

 — 6 ] C U STO M S OF T H E L Y D IA N S
94 9 39

ans supported it with constancy ; but when they saw th e evil

still continuing they s ought for remedies and some devised ,

one thing some another ; and at that time the games of dice
, ,

hucklebones ball and all other kinds of games except

, ,

draughts were invented for the Lydians do not claim the i n

, ,

v e n t i o n o f this last And having made these inventions to

.

alleviate the famine they employed them as f ollows : th ey ,

used to play one whol e day that they might not b e in want
o f food ; and on the next they ate and abstained from play ; ,

thus they passed eighteen years ; but when the evil did not
abate on the contrary became still more virul ent their king
, ,

divided the whol e people into two parts and cast lots which ,

shoul d remain and which quit the country and over that part ,

whose lot it should be to stay he appointed himsel f king ;

and over that part which was to emigrate h e appointed his
own son whos e name w a s T y rrh e n u s Thos e to w h ose lot
,
.

it f ell to leave their country went down to Smyrna built S hips , ,

and having p u t all their movables which were o f use on board ,

set sail in search o f f ood and land until having passed by many ,

nations they reached t h e O m b ri c i where they b uilt towns

, , ,

and dwell to this day From being called Lydians they .

,
’
changed their name to one a fter th e king s son w h o led them ,

out ; from him they gave themselves the appellation o f Tyr

rh e n i a n s The Lydians t h en were reduced under th e power
.

o f the Persians .

M y history h ence proceeds to inquire w h o Cyrus was that

overthrew the power of Cr oesus and how the Persians b e ,

came masters o f Asia I n which narration I shall f ollow those .

Persians w h o do not wish to magni f y the actions o f C y rus ,

but to relate the plain truth ; though I am aware that there

’
are three other ways of relating Cyrus s history After the .

Assyrians had rul ed over upper Asia five hundred and twenty
years the M edes first began to revolt f rom them ; and they it
,

seems in their str u ggl e with the Assyrians f or liberty proved

, ,

themselves brave men and having shaken o ff th e yoke b e , ,

came f ree ; a fterward the ot h er nations also did the same as ‘

the M edes When all throughout th e continent were i n d e p e n d

.

ent they were again reduced under a despotic government in

,

the f ollowing manner : There was among th e M edes a man

famous f or wisdom named D e i o c es son of P h ra o rt e s
, This , .

D e i o c e s aiming at ab solute power had recourse to th e f ol

, ,

lowing plan : th e M edes were at that time distributed in

villages a n d D e i o c es who was already hig h ly esteemed in
, ,

his own district applied himsel f with great zeal to the exercise
,

o f j ustice ; and this h e did since great lawlessness prevailed ,

40 H E R O D O T U S—B OO K I, C L IO 6—
[ 9 98

throughout th e whol e of M edia and he knew that inj ustice ,

and j ustice are ever at variance The M edes of the same .

village observing his conduct chose him for their j udge ;

, ,

and he constantly keepin g the sovereign power in view

, ,

showed himself upright and j ust B y this conduct he acquired .

no slight praise from his fellow citizens so much so that the -

inhabitants of other villages hearing that D e i o c e s was the ,

only one who j udged uprightly having before met with u n ,

j ust sentences when they h eard o f him gladly came from all
, ,

parts to D e i o c e s in order to submit their quarrel s to his de

,

c i s i o n ; and at last they would commit the decision to no o n e

else I n th e end when the number o f those w h o had r e

.
,

course to him continually increased as men heard of the j us

tice of his decisions D e i o c es seeing the whol e devolved upon
, ,

himself would no longer occupy the seat where he used to

,

sit to determine di ff erences and re f used to act as j udge any ,

more for that it w a s o f no advantage to him to negl ect his

,

own a ff airs and spend the day in deciding the quarrels o f

,

others U pon this rapine and lawlessness growing far more

.
,

f requent throughout th e villages than be fore the M edes called ,

an assembly and consulted together about the present state

o f things but as I suspect the partisans of D e i o c e s spoke
, , ,

to the following purpose : Since it is impossible for us to

inhab it the country if w e continue in our present condition ,

let us constitute a king over us and so the country will be ,

governed by good laws and we ourselves shall be abl e to ,

attend to our business nor b e any longer driven from our

.
,
”
homes by lawlessness B y some such words they persuaded
.

them to submit to a kingly government U pon their imme .

d i a t e l y putting th e question whom they should appoint king , ,

D e i o c e s was unanimously pre f erred and commended ; so that

at last they agreed that h e should b e their king B ut he re .

quired them to build him a palace suitable to the dignity o f

a king and guards for the security of his person The Medes
,
.

accordingly di d so ; an d built him a spacious and strong pal

ace in the part of th e country that he selected and permitted ,

him to choos e guards for his person out of all the Medes .

B eing thus possessed of the power h e compelled the M edes ,

to build one city and having carefully adorned that to pay

, ,

less attention to the others And as the M edes obeyed him .

in this also h e built lofty and strong walls which now go

, ,

under the name o f Ecbatana one placed in a circl e within ,

1

the other ; and this fortification is so contrived that each cir

cle w a s raised above the other by the height of the battlements
1
Fo r t h e S c r i p t u re a cco u n t o f Ecba t a n a , s ee Ju d ith i ,
I —
4 .
4 2 H E R O D O T U S— B O O K I , C L IO [ 1 02 -
10 5

reduced them under the dominion of the M edes And after .

ward being master of these two nations both o f them power ,

f ul he subdued Asia attacking one nation after another

, , ,

until at last he invaded the Assyrians who inhabited the ,

city of Nineveh and who had before been supreme though

,

at that time they were abandoned by their confederates ( who

had revolted) but w h o were otherwise in good condition :
,

P h rao rt e s then having made war on them perished with the

, ,

greater part of his army after he had reigned twenty two ,

-

years .

When P h ra o rt e s was dead C y a x a re s his son grandson , , ,

o f D e i o c e s succeeded him H e is sai d to have b een more

, .

warl ike than his ancestors H e first divided th e people o f .

Asia into cohorts and first divided them into spearmen arch
, ,

ers and cavalry ; whereas before they had been confusedly

,

mixed together I t was he that f ought with the Lydians when

.
,

the day was turned into night as they were fighting ; and
who subj ected the whole of Asia above the river H al y s H e .

assembled the forces of all his subj ects and marched against ,

Nineveh to avenge his father and destroy that city How .

ever when he had obtained a victory over the Assyrians

, ,

and while he w a s besieging N ineveh a great army o f S c y t h i ,

ans came upon him under the conduct o f their king M a d y e s, ,

son o f P ro t o t h y a s These Scythians had driven the Cim

.

merians out of Europe and pursuing them into Asia by that , ,

means entered the territories of th e M edes The distance .

f rom the lake M aeo t i s to th e river Phasis and to Colchis is a

j ourney of thirty days to a well girt man but the route from -

Col chis to M edia is not long f or only one nation the Sas , ,

pires lies b etween them : when one has passed over this
, ,

one finds one s self in M edia The Scythians however did

’
.
, ,

not pass by this w a y but turned to the higher road by a much ,

l onger route having Mount Caucasus on th e right and there

, ,

the M edes coming to an engagement with the S cythians and ,

being worsted in the battl e lost their dominion and the , ,

Scythians became masters o f all Asia Thence they pro .

c e e d e d to Egypt and when they reached Pal estine in Syria

, ,

P s a m m i t i c h u s King of Egypt having met them with pres

, ,

ents and prayers diverted them f rom advancing farther I n

, .

their return however they came to Ascalon a city o f Syria

, , , ,

and when most o f them had marched through without doing

any inj ury some f ew who were left behind pillaged the T e m
, , ,

ple of Cel estial V enus This templ e as I find by inquiry is .

, ,

the most ancient o f all the temples dedicated to this goddess ;

f or that in Cyprus was built a fter this as the Cyprians them ,
 —
1 5 108 ] THE S C Y T H IA N S IN A S IA
0
43

selves confess and that in Cythera was erected by Phoenicians

w h o came from the same part of Syria However th e god .
,

dess inflicted on the Scythians w h o robbed her temple at

Ascalon an d on all their posterity a female diseas e ; so that
, ,

th e Scythians confess that they are a fflicted with it on this

account and those w h o visit Scythia may see in what a state
,

they are whom the Scythians call E n a re es For twenty eight .

-

years then the Scythians governed Asia and everything was

, , ,

overthrown by their licentiousness and neglect ; for b esides

the usual tribute they exacted from each whatever they chos e
,

to impose and in addition to the tribute they rode round

, , ,

the country and plundered th em of all their possessions Now .

Cy a x a re s and the M edes invited the greatest part of them to

a feast and having made them drunk put them to death ; and
, ,

so the M edes recovered their former power and all they had ,

possessed before ; an d they took Nineveh ( how they took it ,

I will relate in another work and reduced the Assyrians

into subj ection with the exception of the B abyl onian district
, .

Having accomplished thes e things C y a x a re s died after he , ,

had reigned f orty years including the time of the Scythian ,

dominion .

As t y a g e s the son of C y a x a r e s succeeded him in the king

, ,

dom He had a daughter to whom he gave the name o f

.
,

M an da n e H e dreamed that sh e made so great a quantity

.

of water as not only filled his o w n city but o v e rfl o w e d all Asia , .

And having communicated this dream to those of the Magi

who interpret dreams he was exceedingly alarmed when i n ,

f ormed by them of every particular ; an d h e afterward gave

this M a n d a n e when she had arrived at a marriageable age
, ,

to no one of th e M edes w h o was worthy o f her through dread ,

of the vision but to a Persian named Cambyses whom he

, , ,

f ound descended of a good family and of a p eace f ul disposi ,

tion deeming him far inferior to a M ede of moderate rank

, .

I n the first year after Manda me was married to Cambys es ,

A s t y a g e s s a w another vision : it appeared to him that a vine

’
grew up from his daughter s womb and that the vine covered ,

all Asia Having seen this and communicated it to the inter

.

p r e t e rs of dreams h e sent to Persia for his daughter

, who was ,

then near her time o f del ivery ; and upon her arrival he put
her under a guard resolving to destroy whatever should b e ,

born o f her ; for th e Magian interpreters had signified to him

from his vision that th e issue of his daughter woul d reign
1
S e v e ra l p a s s a g e s o f o u r a u t h o r s e e m t o p ro v e t h a t H e ro d o t u s w ro t e
o t h e r h i s t o ri e s t h a n t h o s e w h i c h h a v e c o m e d o w n t o u s In t h i s boo k h e .

s p e a k s o f h i s A s s y r i a n h i s t o r y ; i n t h e s e c o n d o f t h e Li b y a n .
44
—
H E RO DOT US B OOK I , CL I O [ 1 08 —
1 IO

in his stead A s t y a g e s therefore guarding against this as

.
, ,

soon as Cyrus was born sent for H a rp a g u s a kins man of his

, , ,

the most faithful o f all the M edes and the manager o f all his ,

a ff airs and said to him : H a rp a g u s on no account f ail to

, ,

perform the business I now charge you with ; nor expose m e

to danger by deceiving me ; nor by preferring another draw , ,

ruin upon thy own head Take the chil d that M a n d a n e has .

given birth to carry him to your own house and kill him
, ,
”
and afterward bury him in whatever way you think fit Har .

pagus answered : O king you have never yet observed any ,

ingratitude in me and I shall take care n ever to o ff end you

,

in the f uture If therefore it is your pleasure that this thing

.

”
should b e done it is fitting that I readily ob ey you
,
Har .

pagus having given this answer when the child had been
, ,

put into his hands adorned as if for death returned home

, ,

weeping ; and upon his arrival h e told his wife all that Asty
ages had said She asked him . What then do yo u propose ,
”
to do ? He answered : Not as A s t y a g e s has commanded ;
though he should b e yet more outrageous an d mad than he
is I will not comply with his wishes nor will I submit to
, ,

him by per f orming such a murder : and for many reasons I .

will not murder th e child ; both because he is my own rela

tion and becaus e A s t y a g e s is old and has no mal e o ff spring ;
, ,

besides if after his death th e sovereignty shoul d devolve on

, , ,

this daughter whos e son he would now murder b y m y means

,
-

,
?
what else remains for me but the greatest danger I t is n e c e s
sary however for my safety that the chil d should die but as
, , ,

necessary that one of A s t y a g es s p eopl e shoul d be th e exec u ’

”
t i o n er an d not one of mine
, Thus h e spoke and i m m e d i .
,

ately s ent a messenger f or one o f A s t y a g e s s herdsmen w h om ’

,

he knew grazed his cattl e on pastures most convenient f or

the purpose and on mountains abounding with wild b easts
, .

His name was M i t ra d a t e s and he had married his f ellow ,

servant The name o f the woman to whom he was married

.
,

in the language o f Greece was C y n o and in that of the M edes ,

S p a c o for th e M edes call a bitch S p a c a

, The f oot o f the .

mountains at which this herdsman grazed his cattle lies to

the north o f Ecbatana toward the Euxin e Sea For the , .

M edic territory on this S ide toward th e S a s p i re s is very moun

t a i n o u s lofty and covered with forests ; whereas all th e rest
, ,

of Media is level When therefore the herdsman being sum

.
,

m o n e d in great haste arrived H a rp a g u s addr essed him as

, ,

f ollows : A s t y a g e s bids thee take this infant and expose him ,

on the bl eakest part of the mountains that he may speedily ,

perish ; an d has charged me to add that i f tho u by any means

1 1 0 —1 1 2 ] T H E B I RT H OF CYRUS 45

shouldst save the child tho u shalt di e by the most cruel death ,
”
and I am appointed to see the chil d exposed The herds .

man having heard these words took the infant returned back
, , ,

by the same w a y an d reached his cottage I t so happened,

.

that his wife whose confinement had b een daily expected

, ,

w a s brought to bed while he w a s absent i n the city And .

each had been in a state of anxiety for th e other ; he being

’
alarmed about his wife s delivery and th e woman because ,

H a rp a g u s w h o had not been accustomed to do so had sent

, ,

for her husband When h e returned and came up to her she

.
,

seeing him thus unexpectedly first asked him w h y H a rp a g u s ,

had sent for him in such haste Wife said he when I .

, ,

reached th e city I saw and heard what I wish I had never

,

seen nor had ever befallen our masters The whole hous e
, .

o f H a rp a g u s w a s filled with lamentations ; I greatly alarmed , ,

went in and as soon as I entered I saw an infant lying b efore

,

me panting an d crying dressed in gol d and a robe of various

, ,

colours When H a rp a g u s saw me he ordered me to take

.
,

up the chil d directly and carry him away an d expose him , ,

in the part of the mountain most frequented by wil d beasts ;

telling me at the same time that it w a s A s t y a g e s w h o imposed
this task on me and threatening the severest punishment i f
,

I shoul d f ail to do it I took up th e infant an d carried him

.

away supposing him to belong to one of the servants ; f or I

,

had then no suspicion whence he came ; though I w a s aston

i s h e d at s eeing him dressed in gol d and fine apparel ; and
also at th e sorrow which evidently prevailed in the house of
H a rp a g u s B ut soon after on my w a y home I learned the
.
, ,

whole truth from a servant w h o accompanied me out o f the

city and delivered th e chil d into my hands ; that he was born
o f M a n d a n e A s t y a g e s s daughter and of Cambyses son o f
,
’

, ,

Cyrus and that A s t y a g e s had commanded him to b e p ut to

,
”
death .

As the herdsman uttered these last words h e uncovered ,

the child and showed it to his wife ; sh e seeing that the child
w a s large an d o f a beautiful form embraced the knees of her ,

husband an d with tears besought him by no means to expose

,

it H e sai d that it w as impossibl e to do oth erwis e ; f or that

.

spies woul d come f rom H a rp a g u s to see th e thing done and ,

he must himsel f di e th e most cruel death if h e shoul d f ail to

do it The woman finding she could not persuade her hus
“ ,
.

band again addressed him as follows : Since then I can

, , ,

not p ersuade you not to expos e th e child do this at least i f , ,

it is absolutely necessary that h e shoul d b e s een exposed : now

I too have b een delivered and delivered o f a still born child ,
-

,
4 6 H E R O D O T U S—B O O K I, CL IO [ 1 12 —1 1 4

then take this and expose it and let us bring up the son o f ,

A s t y a g e s s daughter as our o w n Thus you will neither b e

’
.

convicted of having wronged our masters nor shall w e have ,

consulted ill for our o w n interests ; for the child that is dead
will have a royal burial and the one that survives will not be
,
”
deprived of l ife The herdsman thought his wife spoke very
.

much to the purpose under existing circumstances and i m ,

mediately proceeded to act accordingly : the chil d that he had

brought for the purpose o f putting to death he delivered to
his wife ; his own which w a s dead he put into the basket in
, ,

which he had brought the other and having dressed it in all ,

the finery of the other child h e exposed it in the most deso ,

late part of th e mountains O n the third day after the infant .

had been exposed the herdsman having le ft one o f his as

, ,

s i s t a n t s as a guard went to the city and arriving at the house

, , ,

of H a rp a g u s told him h e was ready to show the dead body

,

of the infant H a rp a g u s accordingly sent some of the most

.

trusty of his guards and by that means saw the body and
, ,
’
buried the herdsman s child Thus this child w a s buried . .

The other w h o afterward had the name of Cyrus was brought

, ,
‘
’
up by the herdsman s wi f e who gave him some other name , ,

and not that of Cyrus .

When the chil d attained the age o f ten years a circum ,

stance o i the following nature discovered him : h e was play

—
ing in the village in which the o x stalls were with boys o f ,

his own age in the road The boys who were playing chose
, .

this reputed son of the herdsman for their king B ut he a p .

pointed some of them to build houses and others to be his ,

body guards one of them to b e the king s eye and to an

-

,
’

other he gave the o ffice of bringing messages to him assign ,

ing to each his proper duty Now one of these boys w h o .

w a s playing with him being son of A rt e m b a r e s a man o f

, ,

rank among the M edes refused to ob ey the orders of Cyr u s ; ,

h e therefore commanded the others to seize him and whe n ,

they obeyed Cyrus scourged the boy very severely B ut

, .

the boy as soon as he w as l et loose considering that he had

, ,

b een treated with great indignity took it very much to heart , ,

and hastening to the city complained to his father of the ,

treatment h e had met with from Cyrus not indeed saying ,

f rom Cyrus ( f or h e w a s not yet known by that name ) but ,

f rom the son of A s t y a g e s s herdsman A rt e m b a r e s in a trans

’
.
,

port of anger went immediatel y to A s t y a g e s and taking his

, ,

son with him said that h e su ff ered treatment that was not to
b e borne adding “ , .

Thus O king are we insulted by your

, , , ,
’
slave the son of a herdsman showing the boy s shoulders
, , .
 —1 1 7 CY R US IS D IS C O VE RE D
1 15 ] 47

As t y a ge s having heard and seen what w a s done resolving , ,

on account o f the ran k of A rt e m b a re s to avenge th e i n d i g ,

n i t y o ff ered to the youth s ent for the herdsman an d his ,

son Wh en both came into his presence A s t y a g e s l ooking

.
, ,

upon Cyrus said Have you w h o are the son of such a man
, , ,

as this dared to treat the son of one of the principal persons

,
”
in my kingdom with such indignity ? B ut Cyrus answered :
S ir I treated him as I did with j ustice For the boys o f
,
.

our village of whom he was one in their play made me their

, ,

king because I appeared to them the most fitted to that o f

,

fic e . Now all the other boys performed what they were o r

,

dered but he alone re f used to obey and paid no attention to

, ,

my commands where f ore he was punished ; i f then on this

,

account I am deserving o f punishment here I am ready to ,

”
submit to it As the boy w a s speaking thus A s t y a g es recog
.
,

n i s e d who he was ; both the character o f his face appeared

like his own and his answer more free than accorded with
,

his condition ; the time also o f the exposure s eemed to agree

with the age o f the boy Alarmed at this discovery he was .
,

f or some time speechless ; and at last having with di fficulty ,

recovered himself ( being desirous of sending A rt e m b ares away

in order that h e might examine the herdsman in private ) he ,

said Art e m b a re s I will take care that neither you nor yo u r

, ,

son S hall have any caus e of complaint Thus h e dismissed .

A rt em b a re s ; but the s ervants at th e command o f A s t y a g es , ,

conducted Cyrus into an inner room ; and when the herds

man remained alone he asked him i n the absenc e o f wit ,

nesses whence he had the boy and from whose hands h e re

, ,

i
c e v e d him ? H e a flfirm e d that the boy was his own son and ,

that the mother who bore him w a s still living with him Asty .

ages told him that he did not consult his own safety in wish
ing to be put to the torture ; and as he sai d this he made a
signal to his guards to s eize him The man when brou gh t .
,

to the torture discovered the whol e matter and b eginning

, ,

f rom the outset he went th rough it speaking the truth ,

throughout ; and concluded with prayers and entreaties f or

pardon A s t y a g e s w h en the herdsman had con f essed th e
.
,

truth did not concern himsel f much about him a f terward ; but
,

attaching great blame to H a rp a g u s he ordered his guards ,

to summon him ; and when A s t y a g es asked H a rp a g u s by , ,

what kind o f a death did you dispos e o f th e chil d which I de

”
livered to yo u born o f my daughter ? H a rp a g u s seeing the ,

herdsman p resent had not recours e to falsehood l est h e

should be detected and convicted but said : O king when
,
“ ,
,

I had received the in fant I care f ully cons i d ered h ow I coul d ,

 HER D TU
O O S — B OO K CL IO —
48 I , [ I 17 1 19

act according to your wish and command and without o f , ,

fending you I might b e free from the crime of murder both

,
’
in your daughter s sight and in yours I therefore acted as .

follows : having sent for this herdsman I gave him the child , ,

saying that you had commanded him to put it to death ; and

in saying this I did not speak falsely for such indeed were ,

your orders I n this manner I delivered the infant to him

.
,

charging him to place it in some desert mountain and to ,

stay and watch till the child was dead threatening the severest ,

punishment i f he should not fully carry out these inj unctions .

When he had executed these orders and the chil d was dead , ,

I s ent some o f the most trusty of my eunuchs and by means ,

o f them behel d the body and buried it This is the whole , .

”
truth O king and such was the fate of the child
, , .

Thus H arp a g u s tol d the real truth ; but A s t y a g e s dis ,

s embling the anger which he felt on account of what had been

done again related to H a rp a g u s the whole matter as he had
,

heard it from th e herdsman ; and a fterward w h e n h e had ,

‘

repeated it throughout he ended by saying that th e child was,

”
al ive and all was well For he added I su ff ered much
.
, ,

on account o f what had been done regarding this child and ,

coul d not easily bear th e reproaches o f my daughter ; there

f ore since f ortune has taken a more favourable turn do you , ,

in th e first place send your o w n son to accompany the boy

,

I have recovered ; and in the next place ( for I purpose to ,

o ff er a sacrifice for the preservation of the child to the gods ,

”
to whom that honour is due) do you b e with me at supp er , .

H a rp a g u s on hearing these words when he had paid his

, ,

homage and had congratulated himsel f that his fault had

,

turned to so good account and that he was invited to the ,

f east under such auspicious circumstances went to his own ,

home And as soon as h e entered h e sent his only son who

.
,

w a s about thirteen years o f age and bade him go to Asty ,

ages and do whatever he should command ; and then b eing

, ,

f ull of j oy h e tol d his wife what had happened

,
B ut when .

the son o f H a rp a g u s arrived having slain and cut him into ,

j oints A s t y a g e s roasted some parts of his flesh and boiled

,

others and having had them well dressed kept them in re a di

, ,

ness At the appointed hour when the other guests and Har
. ,

pagus were come tables full of mutton were placed before

,

the rest and A s t ya g e s himself but before H a rp a g u s all the ,

body o f h is son except the head th e hands and the f eet ;

, , ,

thes e were laid apart in a basket covered over When Har .

pagus seemed to have eaten enough A s t y a g e s asked him i f ,

h e was pleased with the enterta i nment ; and when H arp a g u s

5 0 H E R O D O T U S— B O O K 1, C L IO

issued in a trifling event w e ourselves take courage and advise , ,

you to do the like and to send the boy out of your sight to his
,
”
parents in Persia When therefore A s t y a g es hea rd this he
.
, ,

was delighted and having called for Cyrus said to him

, , ,
°

Child I have b een unj ust to you by reason of a vain dream ;

, ,

but you survive by your own destiny N o w go in happiness .

to Persia and I will s end an escort to attend you : when yo u

,

arrive there you will find a father and mother very di ff erent
f rom the herdsman M i t ra d a t e s and his wife .

A s t y a g e s having spoken thus sent Cyrus away and

, , , ,

upon his arrival at the house o f Cambyses his parents wel ,

comed him ; and having received him when they heard ,

w h o he was they embraced him with the greatest tender

n ess having been assured that he had died immediately
,

after his birth ; and they inquired o f him by what means

his l ife had been preserved H e tol d them saying that b e .
, ,

f ore he knew not but that on the road he had heard the ,

whole case ; for that till that time he bel ieved he was the
son of A s t y a g e s s herdsman H e related that he h ad been
’
.

’
brought up by the herdsman s wife ; and h e went on con
s t a n t l y praising her ; and C y n o w a s the chie f subj ect o f his
talk His parents having taken up this nam e ( in order that
.

the Persians m ight suppose that the chil d was somewhat

miraculously preserved for them) spread about a report that ,

a bitch had nourished him when exposed : hence this report

’
was propagated When Cyrus had reached man s estate and
.
,

proved the most manly and b eloved of his equal s in age Har ,

pagus paid great court to him sending him presents from his , ,

desire to b e avenged on A s t y a g e s ; for h e did not see that

he himsel f w h o w a s but a private man could b e abl e to take
, ,

vengeance on A s t y a g e s Perceiving therefore that Cyrus .

, ,

was growing up to be his avenger h e contracted a f riendship ,

with him comparing the s u ff erings of Cyrus with his own

, .

And be fore this he had made the following preparations : see

ing A s t y a g e s s evere in his treatment o f the M edes H a rp a g u s , ,

holding intercourse with the chie f persons of th e nation one ,

a fter another persuaded th em that they ought to place him

,

at their head and depose A s t y a g e s When h e had e ff ected

, .

his purpos e in this respect and all was ready H a rp a g u s wish , , ,

ing to discover his designs to Cyrus w h o resided in Persia , ,

and having no other way l eft because the roads were all ,

guarded contrived th e following artifice : having cunningly

,

contrived a hare by opening its belly and tearing o ff none

, ,

o f the hair he put a letter containing what he thought meces

, ,

sary to write into t h e b o d y ; a nd h avi n g s ew e d u p the belly

,
‘
 —
1 2 3 1 26 ] H A RPA G US PL O T S W IT H C YRU S 5 1

o f the hare he gave it with some nets to the most trusty of

,

his se rvants dressed as a hunter and sent him to Persia ;

,
»

having by word of mouth commanded him to bid Cyrus as ,

he gave him the hare to open it with his o w n hand and not , ,

to su ff er any one to be present when he did so This w a s .

accordingly done and Cyrus having received the hare opened

, ,

it ; and finding the letter which w a s in it he read it ; and it ,

was to the f ollowing purport : Son of Cambyses s eeing the ,

gods watch over you ( for otherwise you coul d never have
arrived at your present fortune) do you n o w avenge yoursel f ,

on y o u n m u rd e re r A s t y a g e s ; for as far as regards his pur

pose you are long since dead but by the care of the gods and ,

o f me you survive I suppose you have been long since

.

in formed both as to what was done regarding yourself and ,

what I su ff ered at the hands of A s t y a g e s because I did not put ,

you to death but gave you to the herdsman I f then you

, .
, ,

will f ollo w my counsel you shall rule over the whol e terri ,

tory that A s t y a g e s now governs Persuade th e Persians to .

revolt and invade M edia ; and whether I or any other ill u s

,

t ri o u s Mede b e appointed to command the army opposed to

you everything will turn out as you wish ; f or th ey on the
, ,

first onset having revolted from him and siding with you
, , ,

will endeavour to depose him Since then everything i s .

, ,
”
ready here do as I advise and do it quickly
, ,
.

Cyrus having receive d this intelligence began to consider

, ,

by what measures he coul d best persuade the Persians to re

volt ; and after mature consideration h e fixed upon the f ollow
, ,

ing as the most proper and accordingly he put it in practice ,

having written such a letter as he thought fit h e called an ,

assembly of th e Persians and then having opened the l etter , ,

and read it he said that A s t y a g e s had appointed him general

,

o f the Persians Now he continu ed . I require you to

, ,
”
attend me every man with a sickl e
, Cyrus then issued such .

an order Now the Persians are divi ded into many tribes
.
,

and some o f them Cyrus assembled together an d p ersuaded ,

to revolt f rom the M edes ; these are they upon whom the rest
o f th e Persian s are dependent the Pasargad ae th e M a ra p h i , ,

ans and the M a s p i a n s : of thes e th e Pasargad ae are the most

,

nobl e ; amon g them is t h e family of th e Ach aemenid ae f rom ,

which the kings o f Persia are descended The rest are as .

f ollows : th e P a n t h i a l aea n s the D e ru s i aea n s and t h e Ger , ,

m a n i a n s ; these are all husbandmen : th e rest are pastoral ;

D a i a n s M a r d i a n s D rO p i c i a n s and S a g a rt i a n s When all were
, , , .

come with their sickles as had been ordered Cyrus sel ected , ,

a tract o f land in Persia which was overgrown with briers , ,

 H E R O D O TU S— B O O K I, CL IO [ 1 26 —1 2 8
5 2

and about eighteen or twenty stadia s quare and directed them ,

to clear it during the day : when the Persians had finished t h e

appointed task he next told them to come again on the next
,

day having first washed themselves I n the meantime Cyrus

, .
,

having collected together all his father s flocks and herds ’

had them killed and dressed as purposing to entertain the ,

Persian forces and he provided wine and bread in abundance

, .

The next day when the Persians were assembled he made

, ,

them lie down on the turf and feasted them ; and after the ,

repast was over Cyrus asked them wheth er the treatment

,

they had received the day before or the present were prefer , ,

abl e They answered that th e di ff erence w a s great ; for on

.

the preceding day they had every hardship but on the pres ,

ent everything that w a s good Cyrus therefore having re .

,

c e i v e d this answer discovered his intentions and sai d :

, M en ,

of Persia the case stands thus : if you will hearken to me you

, ,

may enj oy these and numberless other advantages without

, ,

any kind of servil e labour ; but if you will not hearken to

me innumerabl e hardships l ike those o f yesterday await
, , ,

you Now therefore obey me and be f ree ; for I am per

.
, , ,

s u a d e d I am born o f divine providence to undertake this work ;

and I deem you to b e men in no way inferior to the M edes ,

either in other resp ects or in war : since then these things

are so revolt with all speed from A s t y a g e s
,
.

The Persians having obtained a l eader gladly asserted ,

their freedom having for a long time felt indignant at being

,

governed by the M edes A s t y a g e s being informed o f what .

,

Cyrus w a s doing sent a messenger and summoned him ; ,

but Cyrus bade the messenger take back word that he would
come to him sooner than A s t y a g e s desired When A s t y a g e s .

heard this he armed all th e M edes and as i f the gods had

, , ,

deprived him of understanding made H a rp a g u s their general , ,

utterly forgetting th e outrage he had done h 1m And when .

the M edes cam e to an engagement with the Pers 1ans such ,

of them a s knew nothing of the plot f ought but others went , ,

over to the Persians ; and th e far greater part purposely b e

haved as cowards and fled Th e army of the M edes being thus .

shamefully dispersed as soon as th e news w a s brought to ,

A s t y a g e s he exclaimed threatening Cyrus

,
Not even so , ,

shall Cyrus have occasion to rej oice H a v1ng so sa 1 d he . ,

first impaled the Magi w h o had interpreted h 1s dream and ,

,

advised him to let Cyrus go ; then h e armed all the Medes

that were l eft in the city both ol d an d young ; and l e a d m g ,

th em out he engaged the Persians and was defeated Asty

, ,
.

ages himself was made prisoner and h e lost all the M edes ,
 1 2 8 —1 3 1 ] REV O LT OF T H E PE R S I A N S 53

whom he had led out H a rp a g u s standing by A s t y a g e s after .

,

he w a s taken exulted over him and j eered him ; and among

,

other galling words he asked him also about the supper, at ,

which he had feasted him with his son s flesh and i n q u 1 re d ’

how he liked slavery in exchange for a kingdom Asty .

ages looking steadfastly o u H a rp a g u s asked in return

, ,

whether he thought himself the author of Cyrus s success ’

.

H a rp a g u s said he did for as h e had written the ach 1 eve , , ,

ment w a s j ustly due to himsel f A s t y a g e s thereupon proved .

him to be the weakest and most unj ust o f all men : the weak
est i n giving the kingdom to another which he might have
, ,

assumed to himself i f indeed h e had e ff ected this change ; and ,

the most unj ust b ecaus e he had enslaved the M edes on a c

,

count o f the supper For i f it were absolutely necess ary to .

transfer the kingdom to some one else and not to take it him ,

sel f he might with more j ustice have conferred this benefit

,

on some one of the M edes than on a Persian ; whereas now the

M edes w h o were not at all in fault had become slaves instead
, ,

of masters and the Persia ns w h o be f ore were S laves to the

, ,

M edes had now b ecome thei r masters

, .

So A s t y a g e s after he had reigned thirty fi v e years w as

,
-

thus depos ed ; and by reason of his cruelty the M edes bent

under the Persian yoke after they had ruled over all Asia ,

b eyond the river H al y s for the space o f one hundred and

1
twenty eight years excepting the interval o f th e Scythian
-

dominion At a later period however they repented o f what

.
, ,

they had done and revolted from Darius but b eing conquered
, ,

in battle were again subdued : but now in th e time o f Asty

,

ages the Persians under the conduct o f Cyrus having risen

, , ,

against the M edes have f rom that time been masters o f Asia , .

As f or A s t y a g e s Cyrus kept him with him till he died with

,
,

out doing him any f urther inj ury Cyrus there f ore having .
,

been thus born and educated came to the throne ; and a fter ,

these events he conquered Cr oesus w h o gave the first provo ,

cation as I have already related and having subdued him

,
, ,

h e became master of all Asia .

The Persians according to my own knowledge observe ,

,

the following customs : it is not their practice to erect statues ,

1
A c co rd i n g to H e ro d o t u s , De i o c e s re ig n e d 53 y e a rs
P h ra o r t e s 22
C y a xa r e s 40
As t y age s 35

50
1
I f f ro m i
t h s n u m b e r w e s u b t ra c t 2 8 , t h e t m e i t h a t t h e Sc yt h i a n s re ig n e d ,
t h e r e re m a n b u t 1 2 2 ; s o t h a t i n a l l
i il i y
p ro b a b t a m i s t a k e h a s b ee n ma d e
1n t h e te t b x
s om e co
p st y a rc h e r yi .
—L .
54 H E R O D O T U S— B OO K 1, CL IO [ 1 31 -
1 33

or temples or altars but they charge those with folly who

, ,

do so ; because as I conj ecture they do not think the gods

, ,

have human forms as the Greeks do They are accustomed , .

to ascend the highest parts of the mountains and off er sacri ,

fi c e to Jupiter and they call the whole circle of the heaven s

,

by the name of Jupiter They sacrifice to the sun and moon .

,

to the earth fire water and the winds To these alone they
, , , .

have sacrificed from the earliest times : but they have since
l earned from the Arabians and Assyrians to sacrifice to V enus
U rania whom the Assyrians call V enus M ylitta the Arabians
, , ,

Alitta and the Persians M itra The f ollowing is the estab

, , .

l i s h e d mode of sacrifice to the above mentioned deities : they -

do not erect altars nor kindle fires when about to sacrifice ;

they do not use libations or flutes or fillets or cakes ; but , , , ,

when any one wishes to o ff er sacrifice to any one o f these

deities he l eads the victim to a cl ean spot and invokes the
, ,

god usually having his tiara decked with myrtle He that

, .

sacrifices is not permitted to pray for blessings for himsel f

alone ; but he is obliged to o ff er prayers f or the prosperity o f
all the Persians and the king for he is himself included in
, ,

the Persians When he has cut the victim into small pieces
.
,

and boiled the fl esh h e strews under it a bed o f tender grass

, ,

generally trefoil and then lays all the flesh upon it : when
,

he has put everything in order one o f the Magi standing by ,

sings an ode concerning the original of the gods which they ,

say is the incantation ; and without one o f the Magi it is not

’

lawful f or them to sacrifice A fter having waited a short time .

,

h e that has sacrificed carries away the fl esh and disposes o f

it as h e thinks fit I t is their custom to honour their birth
.

day above all other days ; and on this day they f urnish their
tabl e in a more plentiful manner than at other times The .

rich then produce an ox a horse a camel and an ass roasted , , , ,

whole in an oven ; but the poor produce smaller cattle They .

are moderate at their meals but eat o f many a fter dishes and ,
-

those not served up together O n this account the Persians .

say that the Greeks rise h ungry f rom table because nothing ,

worth mentioning is brought in a fter dinner and that i f any ,

thing were brought i n th ey woul d not leave o ff eating The ,

.

Persians are much addicted to wine ; they are not allowed

to vomit or make water in presence o f another These cus .

toms are observed to this day They are acc u stomed to de .

bate important a ff airs when intoxicated ; but whatever they

h ave determined on in such deliberations is on the f ollowing
day w h en they are sob er proposed to them by their master
, ,

o f t h e h ouse wh e r e t h e
y h av e me t t o Q Q nS u l t ; and i f t h ey
1 33 1 37
-

] C U ST OM S OF T H E PE R S I A N S

app rove o f it when sober also then they adopt it ; i f not they , ,

rej ect i t And whatever they have first resolved on when

.

sober they reconsider when intoxicated When they meet one

, .

another in the streets one may discover by the following cus

,

tom whether those w h o meet are equals : for instead of ac

costing one another they kiss on the mouth ; if one be a little
,

in f erior to the other they kiss the cheek ; but if he be o f a

,

much lower rank he prostrates himself before the other They

, .

honour above all those w h o live nearest to themselves ; in

, ,

the second degree thos e that are second in nearness ; and

,

a fter that as they go f urther o ff they honour in proportion ;

, ,

and l east of all they honour those w h o l ive at the greatest

distance ; esteeming themselves to b e by far the most excel
lent o f men in every r espect ; and that others mak e approach es
to excellence according to the foregoing gradations but that ,

they are the worst w h o live farthest from them D uring the .

empire o f the M edes each nation ruled over its next neigh
,

bour the M edes over all and especially over those that were
, ,

nearest to them ; these again over the bordering people and , ,

the last in like manner over their next n eighbours and in the
same gradations the Persians honour ; for that nation went
on extending its government and guardianship The Persians .

are o f all nations most ready to adopt foreign customs ; for

they wear the M edic costume thinking it handsomer than ,

their own ; and in w a r they use the Egyptian cuirass And .

they practise all kinds of indulgences with which they b ecome

acquainted ; among others they have learned from the Greek s,

a passion f or boys ; they marry each o f them many wives , , ,

and keep a still greater number of concubines N ext to .

bravery in battl e this is considered th e greatest proo f of man

,

l i n e s s to b e abl e to exhibit many chil dren and to such as

, ,

can exhibit th e greatest number the king sends presents every

year ; f or numbers are considered strength B etween the .

ages o f five years and twenty th ey instruct their sons in thre e ,

things only— to ride to use th e b o w and to speak the truth

, , .

B e f ore he is fiv e years of age a son is not admitted to the pres ,

ence o f his father but l ives entirely with th e women : the

,

reason of this custom is that if he shoul d di e in childhood

, ,

he may occasion no grief to his father .

N o w I much approve of the above custom as also o f th e ,

f ollowing that not even the king is allowed to put any one
,

to death for a singl e crime nor any private Persian exercise ,

extreme severity against any o f his domestics for one fault ,

but i f on examination he shoul d find that his misdeeds are

more numerous and greater than his services h e may in that ,
5 6 H E R O D O T U S— B O O K 1, CL I O [ 1 37 1 4 1
-

case give vent to his anger They say that no one ever yet .

killed his o w n father or mother but whenever such things ,

have happened they a ffirm that if the matter were thoroughly

searched into they woul d b e found to have been committed
by supposititious children or those born in a d ultery for the y ,

hol d it utterly improbable that a true father should b e mur

dered by his o w n son They are not allowed even to mention
.

the things which it is not law f ul for them to do To tell a lie .

is considered by them the greatest disgrace ; next to that to ,

b e in debt ; and this for many other reasons but especially ,

because they think that one w h o is in debt must of necessity

tell lies Whosoever of the citizens has the l eprosy or s crofula
.

is not permitted to stay within a town nor to have communi ,

cation with other Persians ; and th ey say that from having

committed some o ff ence against the sun a man is a fflicted
with these diseases Every stranger that is seized with these
.

distempers many of them even drive out of the country ; and

they do the same to white pigeons making the same charge ,

against them They neither make water nor spit nor wash
.
, ,

th eir hands in a river nor defile the stream with urine nor
, ,

do t hey allow any one else to do so but they pay extreme ,

veneration to all rivers Another circumstance is also p e c u l

.

iar to them which has escaped th e notice of the Persians

,

themselves but not of us Their names which correspond

,
.
,

with their personal for m s and their ran k all terminate in the ,

same l etter which the Dorians call San and the I onians Sigma , .

And if you inquire into this you will find that all Persian
names without exception end in th e same l etter These
, , .

things I can with certainty a ffirm to be true since I mysel f ,

know them B ut what follows relating to the dead is only

.
, ,

secretly mentioned and not openly ; namely that the dead ,

body of a Persian is never burie d until it has been torn by

some bird or dog ; but I know for a certainty that the Magi
do this for they do it openly The Persians then having c o v
, .
,

ered the body with wax conceal it in the ground The Magi , .

di ff er very much f rom all other men and particularly from the ,

Egyptian priests for the latter hol d it matter of religion not

,

to kill anything that has life except such things as they o ff er ,

in sacrifice ; whereas th e Magi kill everything with their own

hands except a dog or a man ; and they think they do a meri
,

t o r i o u s thing when they kill ants serpents and other reptiles , ,

and birds And with regard to this custom let it remain as

.
,

it existed from the first I will now return to my f ormer sub

.

j e c t
.

The I o n 1an s and ZEo l i an s as soon as the Lydians were

0

,
 H E R O D O T U S— B O O K I C L IO [ —1 4 6
58 ,
1 43

Grecian race then was the I onian w as weakest o f all and o f , ,

least account ; for except Athens there was no other city o f ,

note The other I onians therefore and the Athenians shunned

.
, ,

the name and woul d not be called I onia ns ; and even now
,

many of them appear to me to b e ashamed of the name B ut .

these twelve citi es gloried 1n the name and b uilt a temple for ,

th eir o w n use to which they gave the name of P a n i o n i u m ;

,

and they resolved not to communicate p rivileges to any other

o f the I onians ; nor indeed have any others except the S m y r ,

n ma n s , desired to participate in them I n the same manner .

the D orians of the present Pentapolis which w a s b efore called ,

H e x a p o l i s take care not to admit any o f the neighbouring

,

D orians into the temple at T ri o p i u m but excluded from par ,

t i c i p a t i o n such of their own community as have violated the

sacred laws For in th e games in honour of T ri o p i a n Apollo
.

they formerly gave brazen tripods to the victors ; and it was

usual for thos e w h o gained them not to carry them out of
the temple but to dedicate them there to the god : however
, ,

a man of Hal icarnassus whose name was A g a s i c l es having , ,

won the prize disregarded their custom and carrying away

, ,

th e tripod hung it up in his o w n house ; for this off ence th e

,

five cities L i n d u s I a l y s s u s C a m e i ru s Cos and Cnidus ex

, , , , , ,

cluded the sixth city Hal icarnassus from partici at ion ; on , , _ _

them therefore they imposed this punishment

, , he Ionians .

appear to me to have formed themselves into twelve cities ,

and to have refused to admit more for the following reason , ,

1
b ecause when they dwelt in Peloponnesus there were twelve
divis ions of them as now there are twelv e divisions o f the
,

A c h ara n s w h o drove out the I onians

,
P el l e n e is the first to .

ward Sicyon ; next ZE g y ra and ZE g e in w hich is the ever ,

fl o w i n g river C ra t h i s from which the river in I taly derived

,

its name then B ura a n d H elice to which the I onians fled

, ,

wh en th ey were defeated by the Ach aeans ; ZE g i u m Rh yp es , ,

P a t re e s P h a re e s and O lenus in which 1 5 the great r i ver Pirus ;

, , ,

lastly D y m a and T ri t aee s the only inland places among them

, , .

Thes e now are the twelve divisions of the Ach aeans which ,

formerly belon ged to th e I onians ; and on that account the

I onians erected twelve cities For to say that thes e are more .

properly I onians or of more nobl e origin than other I onians

, ,

woul d be great folly ; since th e Abantes from Euboea w h o ,

had no connection even in name with I onia are no i n c on s i d e r ,

abl e part of this colony ; and M inyan O r c h o m e n i a n s are i n -

t e rm i x e d with them and C a d m aea n s Dryopians Phocians

, , ,

( who separated themselves f rom the rest of their countrymen ) ,

and M olossians Pelasgians of Arcadia Dorian E p i d a u ri an s

, , ,
 1 4 6—1 5 ] T HE IO N I A N C IT IE S
0
59

and many other people are intermixed with them ; and those ,

o f them w h o set out from the Prytaneum o f Athens and w h o ,

deem themselves the most noble of the I onians brought no ,

wives with them when they came to settle in this country ,

but seized a number of Carian women after they had killed ,

their men : and on account of this massacre these women

established a law and imposed on themselves an oath and ,

transmitted it to their daughters that they would never eat ,

with their husbands nor ever call them by the name of hus
,

band ; because they had killed their fathers their husbands , ,

and their children and then a fter so doing had forced them
,

to become their wives This w a s done in Miletus The I oni

. .

ans appointed kings to govern them ; some choosing Lycians ,

of the posterity of Glaucus son of Hippolochus ; others Cau ,

c o n i a n Pyl i a n s descended from Codrus son o f M elanthus ;

, ,

others again from both those families However they are .

,

more attached to th e name o f I onians than any others ; let it

be allowed th en that they are genuine I onians : still all are ,

I onians w h o derive their original f rom Athens and celebrate

the Ap at u ri a n festival b ut all do so except the Ephesians an d
Colo p honians
" ; for these alone do not celeb rate the A p a t u ri a n
f é S fi val , o n some pretext of a murder Th e P a n i o n i u m is a .

sacred place in M y ca l e looking to the north and by the I oni

, ,

ans consecrated i n common to Heliconian Neptune ; and

M y ca l e is a headland o n the continent stretching westward ,

toward Samos At this place th e I onians assembl ing from

.
,

the various cities were accustomed to cel ebrate th e festival

,

to which they gave the name o f Panionia ; and not only do

the f estivals of the I onians but all the f estival s o f all th e Greeks
,

terminate like th e Persian names in t h e same letter These

, , .

then are the I onian cities .

The f ollowin g are th e ZE ol i a n : Cym e call ed also Phri ,

conis L ari s s ae Neon t e i c h o s Tem nos Cilla N o t i u m ZE g i ro

, ,
-

, , , ,

essa Pi f ane ZE g aeae Myrina an d Gry n i a : these are eleven

, , , ,

o f th e anci ent cities of the ZE o li a n s ; for one o f them Smyrna , ,

was taken away from them by th e I onians ; f or they too had

twelve cities on th e contin ent m u m . mam
1 0 1 e fer il o u n try t h a n t h e l o ni a rt h bu t no t equal in cli
t e
‘
3 1L c

mat e The E bl i afi s lost Smyrna in th e f ol l o ng manfierz

.

"
o
'

T hey receive d into their city certain Colophonians w h o were ,

unsuccess f ul in a sedition and driven f rom their country B ut .

some time afterward the Colophonian exiles having watched

, ,

the opportunity while the S m y rn aean s were celebrating a f esti

va l to Bacchus outside the walls shut to the gates and seize d , ,

the city B ut when all the ZE o l i a n s came to the assistan ce o f

.
60 HER D TU
O O S — B OO K I , CL I O [ 1 5 0 —1 5 3

the S m y rn aea n s an agreement was made that the I onians should

,

restore th e movable property and that the JE ol i a n s should ,

abandon Smyrna When th e S m y rn aea n s did this the other

.
,

eleven cities distributed them among themselves and gave

them the privilege of citizens These then are the ZE ol i a n .

ci ties on the continent ; besides thos e settled on M ount I d a ;

for these are altogether distinct B ut of those that occupy .

islands five cities are situated in Lesbos ; for the sixth in

,

Lesbos A ri s b a the M e t h y m n aea n s reduced to S lavery al

, , ,

though they were o i kindred blood ; one city is situated in

Tenedos and another in what are called th e Hundred I slands .

Accordingly the Lesbians and T e n e d i a n s as well as the I oni

, ,

ans o f the islands had nothing to fear ; but all the other cities
,

resolved with one accord to follow the I onians whereve r they

should lead the w a y .

When the ambassadors of the I onians and ZE ol i a n s arrived

at Sparta ( for this w a s done with all possibl e speed ) they made ,

choice of a Phoc aean whose name was P y t h e rm u s to speak , ,

in b ehalf of all ; he then having put on a purpl e robe in order , ,

that as many as possible of the Spartans might hear of it and

assemble and having stood forward addressed them at length
, , ,

imploring their assistance B ut the Laced aemonians woul d .

not listen to him and determined not to assist the I onians :

,

th ey there f ore returned home N everthel ess the La c e d aem o n i .

ans though they had rej ected the I onian ambassadors de

, ,

s p a t c h e d men in a penteconter as I conj ecture to keep an , ,

eye upon the a ff airs of Cyrus and I oni a These men arriving .
,

in Phoc aea sent th e most eminent person among them whose

, ,

name w a s L a c r i n e s to Sardis to warn Cyrus in the name

, , ,

of the Laced aemonians not to inj ure any city in the Grecian ,

territory f or in that case they woul d not pass it by unnoticed

, .

When the heral d gave this message it is related that Cyrus ,

inquired of the Grecians w h o were present w h o the Lace

d aem o n i a n s were and how many in number that they sent
, ,

h im such a warning And when informed he said to the Spar.

,

tan heral d : I w a s never yet afraid o f those w h o in the midst

o f their city have a place set apart in which they collect and
ch eat one anoth er by false oaths ; and if I continue in health ,

not the calamities of the I onians shall b e talked about but ,

”
their own This taunt of Cyrus w a s levelled at th e Grecians
.

in ge n eral w h o have markets for the purposes of buying and

,

s elling ; for th e Persians themselves are not accustomed to

use markets nor have they such a thing as a market After
,
.

t h is Cyr u s having intrusted T a b al u s a Persian with the

, , , ,

government o f Sardis and appointed P a ct y as a Lydian to , , ,

 —1 5 6 R EV O LT OF T H E L Y D IA N S 61
1 53 ]

bring away th e gold both that belonging to Croesus and to ,

the other Lydians took Cr oesus with him and departed for
, ,

Ecbatana for from the first h e took no account of th e I onians

,
.

B ut Babylon w a s an obstacle to him as were also the B ac ,

~

t ri a n s the Sac ae and the Egyptians

, ,
against whom he resolved
to lead an army in p erson and to s end some other general ,

against the I onians B ut as soon as Cyrus had marched f rom

.

Sardis P a c t y a s prevail ed on the Lydians to revolt from Ta

,

balus and Cyrus and going down to th e sea coast with all
,
-

the gold taken f rom Sardis in his possession h e hired mer ,

c e n a ri e s and persuaded the inhabitants of the coast to j oin

him ; and then having marched against Sardis h e b esieged ,

T a b a l u s w h o was shut up in the citadel

, .

When Cyrus heard this news on his march h e sai d to ,

Cr oesus : Cr oesus what will b e the end of thes e things ? the

,

Lydians it seems will never cease to give trouble to me and

, , ,

to themselves I am in doubt whether it will not be b etter to

.

reduce them to slavery ; for I appear to have acted like one

w h o having killed the father has spared th e chil dren ; I am
, ,

carrying away you w h o have b een something more than ,

a father to th e Lydians and have intrusted their city to the ,

Lydians themselves : and t h en I wonder at their reb ellion !

Now he said what h e had in contemplation to do : b ut Cr oesus ,

f earing l est he shoul d utterly destroy Sardis answered : Sir , ,

you have but too much reason for what you say ; yet do not
give f ull vent to your anger nor utterly destroy an ancient city , ,

which is innocent as well of the former as of the present o f

fence : f or o f th e f ormer I myself was guilty and n O b ea r , W
'

the punishment on my own head ; b ut in the present instance

Pa c t y a s to whom you intrusted Sardis is the culprit ; let him
, ,

therefore pay the p enalty B ut pardon th e Lydians and e n .

,

j oin them to observe the f ollowing regulations to the end that ,

W
they may never more revolt nor b e troub l esome to you : s en d ,

to them and order them to keep no eapons of w a r in their

possession ; and enj oin them to wear tunics under their cloa k s ,

and buskins on their f eet ; and require them to teach their

sons to play on the cithara to strike the guitar and to sell , ,

by retail ; and then you will soon s ee them becoming women

instead of men so that they will never give you any ap p re
,
”
h e n s i o n s about th eir revolting Cr oesus suggested this plan .
,

thinking it woul d b e more desirabl e for th e Lydians than that

they shoul d b e sold f or slaves ; and being persuaded that u n
less he could suggest some feasibl e proposal h e s houl d not ,

prevail with him to alter his resolution : and he dreaded also ,

lest the Lydians i f they shoul d escap e the present danger

, ,
62 H E R O D O T U S—B O O K I, CL I O [ 1 5 6—1 59

might hereafter revolt from the Persians and bring utter ,

ruin on themselves Cyrus pleased with the exped i ent laid .

, ,

aside his anger and said that he would follow his advice then
, .

having sent for Mazares a M ede he commanded him to order , ,

the Lydians to conform themselves to the regulations pro

posed by Croesus and moreover to enslave all the others w h o
,

W
had j oined the Lydians in the attack on Sardis ; but b y all
means to bring Pa c t y a s to him alive Cyrus then —havin g gi ven .

these orders o a y proceeded to the Se tf l efne n t s o f the

Pe rs ian s B ut Pa c t y a s} hearing that t h e ar my whi ch was com
, m

to Cyme ; and Mazares the M ede having marched against ,

Sardis with an inconsiderable division of Cyrus s army when ’

he f ound that P a c t y a s and his party were no longer there in ,

th e first place compelled the Lydians to conform to the i n

j unctions o f Cyrus ; and by his order th e Lydians completely
changed their mode of life : after this Mazares despatched
messengers to Cyme requiring them to deliver up P a c t y a s , .

B ut the Cy m aea n s in order to come to a decision resolved to

, ,

refer the matter to the deity at B ra n c h i d ae for there was there ,

an oracular shrine erected in former times which all the I oni

, ,

ans and ZE ol i a n s were in the practice of consulting : this place

is situated in Milesia above the port of Panormus The , .
1

C y m aea n s therefore having sent persons to consult th e ora

, ,

cl e at B ra n c h i d ae asked what course they shoul d pursue r e

,

specting P a c t y a s that would be most pleasing to the gods .

The answer to their question w a s that they shoul d deliver up ,

P a c t y a s to the Persians When the C y m aea n s heard this a n .

swer reported they determined to give him up ; but though

,

most of them cam e to this determination A ri s t o d i c u s the son , ,

of H e ra cl i d e s a man of high repute among the citizens dis

, ,

trusting the oracl e and suspecting the sincerity o f the con

,

s u l t e rs prevented them from doing so ; till at last ot her mes

,

s e n g e rs among whom w a s A ri s t o d i c u s went to inquire a

, ,

second time concerning P a c t y a s When they arrived at B ran .

chid ae A ri s t o d i c u s consulted the oracle in the name of all

, ,

inquiring in these words : O king P a c t y a s a Lydian has , , ,

come to us as a suppliant to avoid a violent death at the hands ,

of the Persians They now demand him and require the

.
,

C y m aea n s to give him up We however though w e dread the .

, ,

Persian power have not yet dared to surrender the suppliant

,
”
till it be plainly declared by thee what we ought to do Such .

1
I t w ill b e p ro p e r t o re m a r k t h a t t h e re w e re t w o p l a ce s o f t h a t n a m e ;
a n d t h a t t h i s m u s t n o t b e c o n f o u n d e d w i t h t h e p o rt o f P a n o r m u s , i n t h e

v i c i n i t y o f E p h e s u s —B e l o e . .
1 59
-
1 62 ] PA C T Y A S 63

was the inquiry of A ri s t o d i c u s ; but the o ra c l e g ave t h e same

answer as before and bade them surrender P a c t y a s to th e
,

Persians U pon this A r i s t o d i c u s deliberately acted as f ollows :

.

walking round the temple he took away the sparrows and ,

all other kinds of birds that had built nests in the temple ; and
while he w a s doing this it is reported that a voice issued from ,

the sanctuary and addressing A r i s t o d i c u s spoke as follows :

, , ,

O most impious of men how d a r e s t thou do this ? D ost ,

thou tear my suppliants from my temple ? A r i s t o d i c u s with

out hesitation answered O king art thou then so careful to , ,

succour thy suppliants but b i d d e s t the C y m aea n s to deliver up

theirs ? “ ,

The oracle again rej oined : Y es I bi d you do so ; ,

that having acted impiously ye may the sooner perish and , ,

never more come and consult th e oracle about the delivering

”
up o f suppliants When the Cy m aea n s heard this last answer
.
,

they not wishing to bring destruction on themselves by sur

,

rendering P a c t y a s or to subj ect themselves to a siege b y pro

,

t ec t i n g him sent him away to M ityl ene

,
B ut the M i t y l e n ae .

ans when Mazares sent a message to them requir i ng them

,

to deliver up Pa c t y a s were prepar i ng to do so f or some r e

,

m u n e ra t i o n ; what I am unable to say precisely for the pro

, ,

posal was never completed For the C y m aea n s b eing informed .

,

of what was being done by the M i t y l e n aea n s despatched a ,

vessel to Lesbos and transported P a c t y a s to Chios whence

, ,

he was torn by violence from the Templ e o f M inerva Poli

u c h u s by the Chians and delivered up The Chians delivered
, .

him up in exchange for At a rn e u s ; this At a rn e u s was a place

situated in Mysia opposite Lesbos I n this manner P a c t y a s
, .

fell into the hands of the Persians ; therefore having got pos
session o f P a c t y a s th ey k ept him under guard in order that
,

they might deliver him up to Cyrus An d for a long time .

after this none of the Chians would o ff er barley meal from

At a rn e u s to any of the gods or make any cakes of the fruit ,

that came from thence ; b u t a l l the p roductions of that coun

try were excluded from the temples Thus th e Chians gave .

up P a c t y a s Mazares after this marched against those w h o

.
, ,

had assisted in besieging T a b al u s ; and in the first place h e

reduced th e P ri e n i a n s to slavery a n d m the next overran th e ,

whole plain of the M aeander and gave it to his army to pillage ; ,

and he treated Magnesia in the same manner : and shortly

afterward he fell sick and died .

O n his death H a rp a g u s cam e down as his successor in

the command : he also w a s by birth a M ede the same whom ,

A s t y a g e s King o f the Medes entertained at an impious f east

, , ,

and who assisted Cyrus in ascending the throne This man .

,
 64 H E R O D O T U S —B O O K I , CL IO [ 1 62 -
1 65

b eing appointed general by Cyrus on his arrival in I onia took , ,

several cities by means of earthworks ; for he forced the peo

ple to retire within their fortifications and then having heaped , ,

up r n
__
o u n d s against the walls he carried the cities by storm , .

Phoc
F “
aea w a s the first place in I onia that he attacked .

/ Th se Phoc aeans were the first of all the Grecians who

undertook long voyages and they are the p eopl e w h o d i s c ov ,

ered the Adriatic and Tyrrhenian Seas and I b eria and Tar , ,

f essus They made their voyages in fi ft y oared galleys and

1 -
.
,

not in merchant ships When they arrived at T a rt e s s u s they .

were kindly received by the King of t h e T a rt e s s i a n s whose ,

name was A rg a n t h o n i u s ; he reigned eighty years over T a r

I t e s s u s an d lived to the age of one hundred and twenty
, The .

Phoc aeans became such great favourites with him that he at

first solicited them to abandon I onia and to s ettle in any part ,
l
o f his territory they shoul d choose ; but afterward finding h e ,

Coul d not prevail with the Phoc aeans to accept his o f fer and ,

hearing from them the increasing power of the M ede he gave ,

th em money for the purpose of building a wall around their

city ; and h e gave it unsparingly for the wall is not a few ,

stades in circumference and is entirely built of large and well ,

compacted stone N o w the wall of the Phoc aeans had been

.

built in the above manner ; but when H a rp a g u s marched his

army against them h e b esieged them having first o ff ered , ,

terms : That h e woul d be content if the Phoc aeans would

throw down only one of their battlements and consecrate ,
’
one house to the king s use The Phoc aeans detesting .
,

slavery sai d that they wished for one day to del iberate and
, ,

woul d then give their answer ; but while they were d el i b

e ra t i n g they required him to draw o ff his forces f rom the
wall H a rp a g u s said that though he well knew their de
.
,

sign yet he would permit them to consult together I n the

,
.

interval then during which H a rp a g u s withdrew his army

, ,

from the wall the Phoc aeans launched their fift y oared galleys
,
-

and having put their wives children and goods on board to , , ,

gether with the images from the temples and other o ff erings , ,

—
except works of brass or stone or pictures with these ex ,

c ep t i o n s having put everything on board and embarked

, ,

themselves they set sail for Chios : and the Persians took pos
,

session o i Phoc aea abandoned by all its inhabitants The

,
.

Phoc aeans when the Chians refused to sell them the ( E n y s s ae

,

I slands for fear they should become the seat of trade and
, ,

their own island b e thereby excluded thereupon directed thei r ,

1
T a r t e s s u s w a s s i t u a t e d b e t w e e n t h e t w o b r a n c h e s o f t h e B oe t i s (n o w
G u a d a l q u i v e r) , t h ro u g h w h i c h i t d i s c h a rg e s i t s e l f i n t o t h e s e a .
66 HER D TU
O O S — BOO K I , CL IO [ 1 67 1 71 —

sacred rites to Cy rnu s as being a hero but not to colonize the ,

island of that name .

The Teians also acted nearly in th e same manner as the

Phoc aeans For when H a rp a g u s by means of his earthworks
.

had made himself master o f their walls they all went on board ,

their ships and sailed away to Thrace and there settled in

, ,

the city of Abdera ; which T i m es i u s o f Cl a z o m e n ae having

formerly founded did not enj oy but was driven out by the
, ,

Thracians and is now honoured as a hero by the Teians of

,

Abdera .

These were the only I onians who abandoned their coun

try rather than submit to s ervitude The rest except the .
,

M ilesians gave battle to H a rp a g u s and as well as those who

, ,

abandoned their country proved themselves brave men each , ,

fighting f or his own ; but being defeated and subdued they ,

severally remained in their own countries and submitted to ,

3the commands imposed on them B ut the Milesians as I .

,

jremained quiet Thus then was I onia a second time enslaved

h av e before mentioned having made a league with Cyrus
.
, ,

, and when H a rp a g u s had sub dued the I onians on the conti

nent thos e that occupied the islands dreading the same fate
, , ,

made their submission to Cyrus When the I onians were .

brought to this wretched condition and nevertheless still held ,

assemblies at Pa n i o n i u m I am in f ormed that B ias of P ri e n e ,

gave th em most salutary advi ce which if they had hearkened , ,

to him wo u l d have made them the most flourishing of all

,

the Grecians H e advised that the I onians having weighed

.
,

a nchor should sail in one common fleet to Sardinia and then

, ,

buil d one city for all the I onians ; thus being freed f rom servi
tude they would flourish inhabiting the most considerable
, ,

o f the islands and governing the rest ; whereas if they re

,

mained in I onia h e saw no hope of recovering their liberty

, .

This was the advice o f B ias the P ri e n e a n after the I onians

were ruined B ut before I onia was ruined the advice o f
.

Thales the M ilesian w h o was o f Phoenician extraction was, ,

also good H e advised the I onians to c onstitute one general

.

council in Teos which stands in the centre of I onia and that

,

the rest o f the inhabited cities should nevertheless be governed

as independent states Such was the advice they severally .

gave.

H a rp a g u s having subdued I onia marched against the

, ,

Carians C a u n i a n s Lycians I onians and ZE o l i a n s O f these

, , , ,
“
.

the Carians had come from the islands to the continent For .

b eing subj ects of Minos and anciently called L el e g e s they , ,

occupied the isl an ds w i t hout may ing any h ri p u te as far as I m

g
‘ fi
,
I 71 —I 73l H A R P A G US S U B D U E S I O N I A 67

am able to discover by inquiring into th e remotest times but , ,

whenever he required them they manned his ships ; an d as ,

M inos subdued a large territory an d w a s successful in w a r , ,

the Carians were by far the most famous of all nations in those
times . They also introduced three inventions which the
Greeks have adopted For the Carians set th e exampl e o f .

fastening crests upon helmets and of putting devices on

shields ; they are also the first w h o put handles to shields ;
but until their time all who used shiel ds carried them without
handles guiding them with l eathern thongs having them
, ,

slung round their necks and l e f t shoulders After a l ong .

time had elapsed the Dorians and I onians drove th e Carians

,

out o f the islands and so they came to the continent This

, .

then is the account that the Cretans give of the Carians : th e

Carians themselves however do not admit its correctness ; , ,

but consider themselves to b e aboriginal inhabitants of th e

continent an d always to have gone under the same name as
,

they now do And in testimony of this they S how an anci ent

.

Templ e o f Jupiter Carius at Mylasa which the M ysians and ,

Lydians share as kinsmen to the Carians for they say that

, ,

L y d u s and M y s u s were brothers to Car Now they do share .

th e temple but none w h o are of a di ff erent nation though o f

, ,

the same language with the Carians are allowed to share it , .

The C a u n i a n s in my o p i n i o n are aboriginals though th ey

, , ,

say they are from Crete However they have assimilated .

,

their language to that o f the Carians or the Carians to theirs ; ,

f or this I can not determine with certainty Their customs .

are totally distinct from those of other nations even from th e ,

Carians ; f or they account it very becoming for men women , ,

and boys to meet together to drink according to th ei r age and

intimacy They had f ormerly erected temples to f oreign dei
.

ties but a fterward when they changed their minds ( f or they

, ,

resolved to have none but their own national deities ) all the ,

Ca u n i a n s armed themselves both young and ol d an d b eating , ,

the air with their spears marched in a body to th e C al i n d i a n ,

confines and said they were expell ing strange gods Th ey

, .

then have such customs The Lycians were originally sprung .

f rom Crete for m ancient time Crete was entirely 1 n th e pos

,

session o f barbarians B ut a dispute having arisen between .

Sarpedon and M inos sons o f Europa respecting the s ov e r , ,

e i g n power wh en M inos got the upper hand in the struggl e

, ,

h e drove out Sarpedon with his partisans ; and they b eing

exp elled came to th e land o f Milyas in Asia : f or the country
which the Lycians now occupy was anciently call ed M ilyas ;
but the M il y an s were then called Solymi So long as S a rp e .
68 HER D TU
O O S —B OO K I, C L IO [ 1 73 -
1 75

don reigned over them they went by the name o f T e rm il ae, ,

which they brought with them and th e Lycians are still called ,

by that name by their neighbours B ut when Lycus son o f .

,

Pandion who was likewise driven out by his brother ZE g e u s

, ,

came from Athens the T e rm i l ae under Sarpedon in course

, ,

of time got to b e call ed Lycians after him Their customs are

, .

partly Cretan and partly Carian ; but they have one peculiar
to themselves in which they di ff er from all other nations ; for
,

they take their name f rom their mothers and not from their
fathers ; so that if any one ask another w h o he is he will de ,
’
scrib e himself by his mother s side and reckon up his ma ,

ternal ancestry in the female line And if a free —born woman .

marry a slave the children are accounted of pure b irth ; but

,

i f a man w h o is a citizen even though of high rank marry , ,

a foreigner or cohabit with a concubine the children are i n

, ,

f amous .

Now the Carians were subdued by H a rp a g u s without hav

ing done any memorable action in their own defence : and
not only the Carians but all the Grecians that inhabit those
,

parts behaved themselves with as little courage And among

, .

others settled th ere are the Cnidians colonists from the Lace ,

d aem o n i a n s whos e territory j u t s o n the sea an d is called the

‘

, ,

T ri o p e a n : but the region of B y b a s s u s extended f rom the

Peninsula for all Cnidia except a small space is surrounded
, , ,

by water ; for the Ceramic Gulf bounds it on the north and ,

on the south the sea by Syme and R hodes : now this small
S pace ,
which is about five stades in breadth the Cnidians , ,

wishing to make their territory insular designed to dig ,

through while H a rp a g u s w a s subduing I onia For the whol e

,
.

of their dominions were within th e isthmus ; and where the

Cnidian territory terminates toward the continent there is the
isthmus that they designed to dig through B ut as they were .

carrying on the work with great diligence the workmen a p ,

p e a r e d to b e wounded to a greater extent and in a more

strange manner than usual both in other parts o f the body , ,

and particularly in th e eyes by the chipping of the rock ; they ,

therefore sent deputies to D elphi to inquire what was th e

cause of the obstruction ; and as the Cnidians say the Pythia , ,

answered as follows in trimeter verse : B uild not a tower on

,

the isthmus nor dig it through for Jove would have made
, ,
”
it an island had h e so willed When the Pythia had given .

this answer the Cnidians desisted from their work and sur
, ,

rendered without resistance to H arp a g u s as soon as he a p

o h d with his army The P e d a s i a n s were situated inland
p r a c e .

above Halicarnassus When any mischie f is about to be fall

.
1 75 —1 79] T HE C IT Y OF BA B Y L O N 69

them or thei r neighbours the priestess of M inerva has a long ,

beard ; this has occurred three times N o w these were the .

only peopl e about Caria w h o opposed H a rp a g u s for any time ,

and gave him much trouble by fortifying a mountain called ,

Lyda After some time however th e P e d a s i a n s were sub

.
, ,

dued The Lycians when H a rp a g u s marched his army to

.
,

ward the Xanthian plain went out to meet him and engaging , , ,

with very inferior numbers displayed great feats of valour ,

.

B ut being defeated and shut up within their city they col

, ,

l e c t e d their wives children property and servants within the

, , ,

citadel and then set fire to it and burned it to the ground

,
.

When they had done this an d engaged themselves by the ,

strongest oaths all the X anthians went out and died fighting
,
.

O f the modern Lycians w h o are said to be Xanthians all ex , , ,

cept eighty families are strangers ; but these eighty famil ies
,

happ ened at the time to b e away from home and so survived .

Thus H a rp a g u s got possession of Xanthus and C a u n i a almost ,

in the same manner for th e Ca u n i a n s generally followed the

,

exampl e of th e Lycians .

H a rp a g u s therefore reduced th e lower parts of Asia but

‘

, , ,

Cyrus conquered the upper parts subduing every nation with ,

out exception The greatest part o f th ese I shall pass by

.

without notice ; but I will make mention of those which gave

him m ost troubl e and are most worth y of b eing recorded
,
.

When Cyrus had reduced all the other parts of th e conti

nent he attacked th e Assyrians N o w Assyria contains many
,
.

large cities b ut th e most renowned and the strongest and

, ,

where the s eat of government was established after the de

struction of Nineveh w a s B abylon which is of the follow , ,

ing description : the city stands in a spacious plain and is ,

quadrangular an d shows a f ront on every side of one h un

,

dred and twenty stades ; thes e stades make up th e sum o f

f our hundred and eighty in the whol e circum f erence Such is .

the size of th e city o f B abylon I t was adorned in a manner .

surpassing any city w e are acquainted with I n the first place .

,

a moat deep wide an d full o f water runs entirely round it ;

, , , ,

next there is a wall fifty royal cubits in b readth and in height

, ,

two hundred but the royal cubit is larger than th e common

,
’
one by three fingers breadth And here I think I ought to .

explain how the earth taken out o f the moat w a s consumed , , ,

and in what manner the wall was b uilt As th ey dug the .

moat they made bricks o f the earth that w a s taken out ; and
when they had moul ded a su fficient number th ey baked them ,

in kilns Then making use of hot asphalt for cement and

.
,

l a ying wattled weeds between th e thirty bottom courses o f

 H E R O D O T U S— B O O K I, C L IO [ —
19 1 8 2
70

bricks they first built up the sides o f th e moat and a ft c ward

, ,
r

the wall itself in the sam e manner ; and on th e top th e

'

wall at the edges they built dwellings o f one story f ro t in g

, , ,

each other and they left a space between thes e dwellin g su f

,

fi c i e n t f or turning a chariot with four horses I n the c i zu m .

f erence o f th e wall there are a hundred gates all o f rass , ,

as also are th e p osts and lintels Eight days j o u rn ey zrom ’ '

Babylon stands another city called I s on a small river 6 the , ,

same name which discharges its stream into the E u p h i t es ;

,

n ow, this river brings down with its water many lu m s of

bitumen f rom whence the bitumen used in th e wall o f ab y
,

l on w a s brought I n thi s manner B abylon w a s e n c o m ps s ed

.

with a wall And th e city consists o f t w o divisions for a iver

.
,
°

call ed the Euphrates separates it in th e middl e : this iver ,

which is broad deep and rapid flows from Armenia an t falls

, , , ,

into the R ed Sea The wall there fore on either bank h s an

.
, ,

elbow carried down to the river ; from thence along the c rva
tures of each bank o f the river runs a wall o f baked b c ks .

The city itself which is full of houses three an d f our s t ries

,

high is cut up into straight streets ; all th e others as w l as

,

the transverse ones that l ead to the river At the end o f zach .

street a little gate is f ormed in the wall al ong th e river ide s

,

in number equal to the streets ; an d they are all m ac of

brass and l ead down to the edge of th e river This uter
, .

wall is the chief de f ence but another wall runs round w hin , ,

not much inferior to the other in strength though n a rrw e r , .

I n the middle o f each division of the city fortified b u il m s

g
were erected ; in one the royal palace with a s p a c i o u s an d , ,

strong inclosure brazen gated ; an d in the other the ) re

, ,

cinct of Jupiter B elus which in my time w a s still in e ist ,

ence a square buil ding of t w o stades on every S ide I r t h e

, .

midst of this precinct is built a solid tower o f one stade ot h

in length and breadth and on this tower ros e a n o t h e r 1 n d ,
,

another upon that to th e number of eight An d an a s e n t

, .

to thes e is outside running spirally round all the t o vzrs , .

About the middle o f th e ascent there is a lan ding p l a c e t n d -

seats to rest on on which those w h o go up sit down and est

,
°

themselves ; and in th e uppermost tower stands a s p a o u s

temple and in th is temple is placed han dsom ely f u rn i s e d
,
, ,

a large couch and by its side a tabl e o f gol d No s t a t u e i a s

, .

been erected within it nor does any mortal pass t h e r h t ,

g

there except only a native woman chosen by the god w t

,
,

of t h e whol e nation as th e Chal d aeans w h o are priests o f hi s

, ,

d e 1t y say These same priests assert though I can not c rd i t

, .

what they say that the god himsel f comes to th e templ e md

,
1 8 2—1 8 5 ] S E M I R A M IS AND N IT O C R IS
7 1

reclines on the bed in th e same manner as the Egyptians ,

say happens at Thebes in Egypt for there also a woman lies ,

in the Templ e o f Theban Jupiter and both are sai d to have ,

no intercours e with men ; in the same manner also the priest

ess who utters the oracles at P a t a rae in Lycia wh en the god
, ,

is there f or there is not an oracl e there at all times but when

, ,

there she is shut up during the night in th e temple with the

,

god There is also another templ e below with in the precinct

.
,

at Babylon ; in it is a large gol den statue of Jupiter seated ,

and near it is placed a large tabl e o f gol d ; the throne also

and the step are o f gold whi ch together weigh eight hun ,

dred talents as the Chald aeans a ffi rm O utside the temple

, .

is a golden altar ; and another large altar where full grown ,

-

sheep are sacrificed ; f or on th e golden altar only suckl ings

may b e o ff ered O n the great altar th e Chal d aeans consume
.

yearly a thousand tal ents o f f rankincense when they cel ebrate

the festival o f thi s god There was also at that time within .

the precincts of this templ e a statue o f solid gold twelve cubits ,

high : I indeed did not see it I only relate what i s said by ,

the Chald aeans D arius son o f H y s t a s p e s f ormed a design

.
, ,

to take away this statue b ut dared not do so ; but X erxes , ,

son o f Darius took it and killed the priest w h o forbade him

, ,

to remove it Thus then this templ e was adorned ; and b e

.
, ,

sides there are many private o ff erings .

There were many others who reigned over B abylon whom ,

I shall mention in my Assyrian history w h o b e au t i fi e d th e ,

walls and templ es an d among them were two women Th e ,

.

first o f these named S emi ramis lived five generations be f ore

, ,

the other ; sh e raised mounds along th e plain which are ,

worthy o f admiration ; f or be f ore the river us ed to overflow

the whole plain like a s ea B ut the other w h o was queen next .
,

a fter her and wh os e name was N i t o c ri s ( she was much more

,

sagacious than th e queen b efore h er ) in the first place l e ft ,

monuments of hers elf which I shall presently describe ; and ,

in the next place when she s aw th e power o f the M edes grow

,

ing formidabl e and restl ess an d that among other cities , , ,

Nineveh was capture d b y th em she took every possibl e p re ,

ca u tion f or h er own de f ence First o f all with respect to the .

,

river Euphrates w h ic h b e f ore ran in a straight line and

, ,

wh ic h fl ows t h roug h the middle o f the city this by h aving , ,

c h annels dug ab ove sh e made so winding t h at in its cours e

,

it touches three times at one an d the sam e village in Assyria :

the name o f t his village at which the Euphrates touches i s
Ard e ri c a : and to this day those w h o go f rom our sea to B aby
lon i f t h ey travel by the E u p h rates com e t h r e e t im es t o t h i s
, ,
 H E R O D O T U S— B O O K I, C L IO [ 1 79 —1 8 2
70

bricks they first built up the sides of th e moat and afterward

, ,

the wall itself in the same manner ; and on the top of the
wall at the edges they built dwellings of one story fronting
, , ,

each other and they left a space between these dwellings su f

,

fi c i e n t f or turning a chariot with four horses I n the circum .

ference of the wall there are a hundred gates all of brass , ,

’
as also are the posts and lintels Eight days j ourney f rom .

Babylon stands another city called I s on a small river of the , ,

same name which discharges its stream into the Euphrates ;

,

now this river brings down with its water many lumps of
,

bitumen from whence the bitumen used in the wall of B ab y

,

l on was brought I n this manner B abylon w a s encompassed .

with a wall And the city consists of two divisions for a river
.
,

call ed the Euphrates separates it in th e middle : this river ,

which is broad deep and rapid flows f rom Armenia and f alls
, , , ,

into the R ed Sea Th e wall therefore on either bank has an .

, ,

elbow carried down to the river ; from thence along the curva
tures of each bank o f the river runs a wall o f baked bricks .

The city itself which is f ull o f houses three and four stories
,

high is cut up into straight streets ; all the others as well as

,

the transverse ones that l ead to the river At the end o f each .

street a little gate is formed in the wall along the river side -

in number equal to the streets ; and they are all made o f

brass and lead down to the edge of the river This outer
, .

wall is the chie f de f ence but another wall runs round within , ,

not much inferior to the other in strength though narrower , .

I n the middle of each division of the city fortified b uildings

were erected ; in one the royal palace with a spacious and , ,

strong inclosure brazen gated ; and in th e other the pre , ,

cinct of Jupiter B elus which in my time was still in exist ,

ence a square building of two stades on every side I n the

, .

midst of this precinct is built a solid tower of one stade both

in len gth and breadth and on this tower ros e another and , ,

another upon that to the number of eight And an ascent , .

to these is outside running spirally round all the towers , .

About the middle o f the ascent there is a landing place and -

seats to rest on on which t h ose who go up sit down and rest

,

themselves ; and in th e uppermost tower stands a spacious

templ e and in t h is temple is placed handsomely furnished
, , ,

a large couc h an d by its side a tabl e o f gold N O statue has

, .

been erected within it nor does any mortal pass the night ,

there except only a native woman chosen by the god out

, ,

o f the whol e nation as the Chal d aeans w h o are priests o f this , ,

deity say These same priests assert though I can not credit
, .
,

what they say that the god himsel f comes to the templ e and
,
72 H E R O D O T U S—B O O K 1, a m [ 185 —1 8 7

village on three successive days She also raised on either .

bank of the river a mound astonishing for its magnitude and ,

height At a considerable distance above B abylon S h e had

.

a res ervoir for a lake dug carrying it out some distance from ,

the river and in depth digging d own to water and in width

, ,

making its circumference of fo u r hundred and twenty stades :

she consumed the soil from this excavation by heaping it up
on the banks of the river and when it w a s completely dug she ,

had stones brought and built a casing to it all round She .

had both these works done the river made winding and the , ,

whol e excavation a lake in order that the current being , ,

broken by frequent turnings might b e more slow and the , ,

navigation to B abylon tedious and that after the voyage a ,

long march round the lake might follow All this w a s done .

in that part of the country where the approach to Babylon is

nearest and where is the shortest w a y for the M edes ; in order
,

that the M edes might not by hol ding intercourse with her ,

p eopl e become acquainted with her a ff airs

,
She inclosed .

herself therefore with these defences by digging and imme

, , ,

d i a t e l y afterward made the following addition : as the city

Consisted of two divisions which were separated by the river , ,

during the reign of former kings when any one had occasion ,

to cross from one division to the other he w a s obliged to cross ,

in a boat : and this in my opinion was very troubl esome : she

, ,

therefore provided for this for after she had dug the reser ,

voir for the lake S h e left this other monument built by similar
,

toil She had large blocks of stone cut an d when they were
.
,

re a dy and the place w a s completely dug out she turned the ,

whole stream of the river into th e place she had dug : while
this was filled and the ancient channel had b ecome dry in the
, ,

first place she lined with burned bricks the banks of the river
,

throughout th e city and the descents that lead f rom the gates
,

to the river in the same manner as the walls I n the next

, .

place about the middle of the city she built a bridge with
, ,

the stones she had prepared and bound them together with ,

plates of lead and iron U pon these stones sh e laid during .

,

the day s quare planks of timber on which th e Babylonians

, ,

might pass over ; but at night these planks were removed to ,

prevent people from crossing by night and robbing one a n

other When the hollow that w a s dug had b ecome a lake
.

filled by the river and the bridge was finished she brought
, ,

back the river to its ancient channel f rom th e lake And thus .
,

the excavation having b een turned into a marsh appeared ,

to answer th e purpose for which it w a s made and a bridge ,

was built f or the use o f the inhabitants .

1 8 7—1 8 9 ] CY R U S A T T H E GY N DE S 73

This same queen also contrived the following deception :

over the most frequented gate of th e city she prepared a
sepulchre for herself high up above the gate itself ; and on the
,

s epulchre she had engraved : S H O U L D A N Y O N E O F M Y S UC

C E S SO RS KI N GS O F B A B Y LO N FI N D H I M S E LF I N A N T O F
, ,
W
M O N E Y , LE T H I M O P E N T H I S S E P U L C H R E A N D TA K E A S M U C H
A s H E C H O O S E S ; B U T I F H E B E N O T I N W A NT L ET H I M N O T ,

O PE N I T ; F O R T H AT W E R E N O T W E L L This monument r e .

mained undisturbed until the kingdom fell to Darius ; but it

seemed hard to Darius that this gate should be of no use and ,

that when money was lying there and this money i nv i t ,

ing him to take it he should not do so ; but no use w a s

,

made o f this gate f or this reason that a dead body w a s over ,

the head of any on e W ho passed through it H e therefore .

O pened the sepulchre and instead of money f ound only ,

the body and these words written : H A D S T T H O U N O T

,

B EEN I N S AT I A B LY C O V ET O U S ,
A N D GR E E D Y O F T H E M O ST
S O R D I D G A I N , T H O U W O U L D S T N O T H A V E O P E N E D T H E C HAM
B E R S O F T H E D EA D Such then is the account given o f this
.

queen .

Cyrus made w a r against the son of this queen w h o bore ,

the name of his father L a b y n e t u s and had th e empire of As ,

syria Now when the great king l eads his army in person
.
,

he carries with him from home provisions well prepared and

cattl e ; and he takes with him water from th e river C h o a s p e s ,

which flows past Susa of which alone and no other the king , ,

drinks A great numb er of four —

,

. W h eeled carriages drawn by

mules carry the water of this river after it has been boil ed ,

in silver vessels and follow him from place to place W herever

,

he marches When Cyrus in his march against B abylon

.
, ,

arrived at the river Gy n d e s whose fountains are in the M a ,

t i e n i a n Mountains and which flows through the land of th e

,

Dardanians and falls into another river the Tigris ; which

, ,

latter fl owing by the city o f O pis discharges itself into the

, ,

—
R ed Sea now when Cyrus w a s endeavouring to cross this
,
‘

river Gy n d e s which can b e passed only in boats one of th e

, ,

sacred W hite horses through wantonness plunged into the

stream and attempted to swim over b ut th e stream having ,

carried him away and drowned him Cyrus w a s much e n ‘

,

raged with the river for this a ff ront and threatened to make ,

his stream so weak that henceforth women shoul d easily cross

it without wetting their knees After this menace deferring .
,

his expedition against B abylon h e divided his army into two ,

parts ; and having so divided it he marked out by lines one ,

hundred and eighty channels on each side of the river di , ,

6
 HER D TU
O O S —BOOK I, C L IO [ 1 8 9- 1 9 1
74

verging every way ; then having distributed his army he ,

commanded them to dig His design was indeed executed .

by the great numbers he employed ; but they spent the whol e

summer in the work When Cyrus had avenged himself on .

the river Gy n d e s by distributing it into three hundred and

,

sixty channels and the second spring began to shine he then

, ,

advanced against Babylon B ut the B abylonians having .

,

taken the field awaited his coming ; and when he had a d

,

v a n c e d near the city the Babylonians gave battle and being

, , ,

de f eated were shut up in the city B ut as they had been long

, .

aware of the restless spirit of Cyrus and saw that he attacked ,

all nations alike they had laid up provisions for many years ;
,

and therefore were under no apprehensions about a siege .

O n the other hand Cyrus found himself in di fficulty since

, ,

much time had elapsed and his a ff airs were not at all a d ,

va n c e d Whether there f ore some on e else made the sug

.

gestion to him in his perpl exity or whether he himsel f devised ,

the plan he had recourse to the f ollowing stratagem : having

,

stationed the bulk of his army near the passage of the river
where it enters B abylon and again having stationed another ,

division b eyond the city where the river makes its exit he , ,

gave orders to his f orces to enter the city as soon as they

should see the stream fordabl e Having thus stationed his .

f orces and given these directions he himsel f marched away

, ,

with the ine ff ective part o f his army ; and having come to t h e
lake Cyrus did the same with respect to the river and the
,

lake as the queen o f the Babylonians had done For having .

diverted the river by means o f a canal into the lake which

, , ,

was be f ore a swamp he made the ancient channel fordabl e ,

by the sinking of the river When this took place the Per
sians W
.
,

h o were appointed to that purpose close to the stream

o f the river which had now subsided to about the mi ddle o f
,
’
a man s thigh entered B abylon by this passage If however
, .
, ,

the Babyl onians had been aware o f it be f orehand or had

‘

known what Cyrus was about they would not have su ff ered ,

the Persians to enter the city but would have utterly de ,

stroye d them ; f or having shut all the little gates that lead
down to the river and mounting the walls that extend along
,

the banks o f the river th ey woul d have caught them as in a ,

net ; whereas the Persians came upon them by surprise I t .

is related by the people who inhabited this city that by reason ,

o f its great extent when t h ey who were at the extremities

,

were taken those o f the B abylonians who inhabited the centre

,

knew nothing o f the capture ( f or it happened to be a festival )

but they were dancing at th e time and enj oying themselves , ,
76 H E R O D O T U S— B O O K I, a m [ —1 96
1 93

trees growing all over the plain ; most of these bear fruit from
which they make bread wine and honey These they cul , ,
.

t i v a t e as fig trees both in other respects and they also tie the

, ,

fruit of that which the Grecians call the mal e palm about
those trees that bear dates in order that the fly entering the ,

date may ripen it lest otherwise the fruit fall before maturity ;
,

f or the males have flies in the fruit j ust lik e wil d fig trees , .

The most wonderful thing of all here next to the city ,

itsel f is what I now proceed to describe : their vessels that

,

sail down the river to Babylon are circular and made o f ,

l eather For when they have cut the ribs out of willows that
.

grow in Armenia above B abyl on they cover them with hides ,

extended on the outside by w a y of a bottom ; neither mak ,

ing any distinction in the stern nor contracting the prow , ,

but making them circular like a buckler ; then having lined

this vessel throughout with reeds they su ff er it to b e carried
‘

down by the river freighted with merchandise but they chiefly ,

take down casks of palm wine The vessel is steered by t w o .

spars and two men standing upright one of whom draws

, ,

h is spar in and t h e other thrusts his out Some o f these v e s .

s els are made very large and others of a smaller size ; but ,

the largest of them carry a cargo o f five thousand talents .

Every vessel has a live ass on board and the larger ones more ,
.

For after they arrive at B abylon and have disposed of their ,

freight they sell the ribs of the boat and all the reeds by public
,

auction ; then having piled the skins on the asses they re ,

turn by land to Armenia for it is not possible by any means ,

to sail u p the river by reason of the rapidity of the current :

and for this reason they make their vessels of skins and not
of wood and at their return to Armenia with their asses they
,

construct other vess els in the same manner S uch then is .

, ,

the description of their boats For their dress they wear a .

,

l inen tunic that reaches down to the feet ; over this they put
a nother garment of wool and over all a short white cloak ; ,

t hey have sandals p eculiar to the country very like the Boc o ,

tian clogs They wear long hair bin ding their heads with
.
,

turbans and anoint the whol e body with perfumes Every

,
.

man has a seal and a sta ff curiousl y wrought ; and on every

,

sta ff is carved either an apple a rose a lily an eagle or some , , , ,

thing of the kind ; for it is not allowabl e to wear a stick W ith

a device Such then is their m anner o f adorning the
t
u

go 1y
.
, ,

The following customs prevail am ong them : this in my ,

opinion w a s the wisest which I hear t h e V enetians o f I llyria

, , , ,

also practise O n ce in every year t h e following course was

.
 8 HE R O D O T U S—B O O K I CL IO [ 1 98—
7 , 20 2

he sits over b u rning incense and his wi f e does the same in

,

some other place ; at break of day both wash for they will ,

not touch any vessel till they have washed The same pra e .

tice is observed by the Arabians .

The most disgraceful of the Babylonian customs is th e

f ollowing : every native woman is obliged once in her l ife , ,

to sit in the Temple o f V enus and have intercours e with some

s tranger And many disdaining to mix with the rest being
.
,

p roud on account of their wealth come in covered carriages , ,

and take up their station at the temple with a numerous train

of servants attending them B ut the far greater part do thus
. .

many sit down in th e Temple o f V enus wearing a crown of ,

cord round their heads ; some are continually coming in and ,

others are going out Passages marked out in a straight lin e

.

lead in every direction through the women along which ,

strangers pass and make their choice When a woman has .

once seated hersel f she must not return home till some
,

stranger has thrown a piece of silver into her lap and lain with
her outside the templ e He who throws the s ilver must say
.

”
thus ,
I beseech the goddess Mylitta to f avour thee : f or
the Assyrians call V enus Mylitta The silver may be ever so .

small but she will not rej ect it inasmuch as i t is not lawful
, ,

f or her to do so f or such silver is accounted sacred

, The .

woman f ollows the first man that throws and refuses no one , .

B ut when she has had intercourse and has absolved hersel f

f rom her obligation to the goddess she returns home ; and ,

after that time however great a sum you may give her you
, ,

will not gain possession of her Those that are endowed with .

b eauty and symmetry o f shape are soon set free ; but th e de

formed are detained a long time f rom inability to satisfy the ,

l a w for some wait f or a space of three or f our years

,
I n some .

p arts o f Cyprus there is a custom very similar These cus .

toms then prevail among th e Babylonians There are three

, ,
.

tribes among them that eat nothing but fish ; these when ,

th ey have taken and dried them in the sun they treat in the ,

f ollowing manner : they put them into a mortar and having ,

pounded them with a pestle si ft th em through a fine cloth ;

,

then whoever pl eases kneads them into a cake or bakes

, , ,

them like bread .

When Cyrus had conquered this nation h e was anxious ,

to reduce th e M a s s a g e t ae to subj ection Now this nation is .

,

sai d to be b oth power f ul and valiant dwelling toward the ,

east and the rising sun b eyond the river Araxes over against ,

th e I s s e d o n i a n s ; there are some w h o say that this nation is

S cy thian The Araxes is reported by some persons to be
.
20 2—204 ] T H E M A SS AG E T /E 79

greater by others less than the I ster ; th ey say that there are
, ,

many islands in it some nearly equal in size to Lesbos ; and

,

that in them are men w h o during the summer f eed upon all
manner of roots which they dig out of the ground ; and that
,

they store up for f ood rip e fruits which th ey find on the trees ,

and f eed upon these during the W inter They add that they .

h ave discovered other trees that p roduce f ruit o f a pec u liar

kind which the inhabitants when they meet together in com
, ,

p a n i es and
, have lit a fire throw on the fire as they sit,round ,

in a circl e ; and that by inhaling th e f umes o f the burning

f ruit that has been thrown on th ey b ecome intoxicated by
the odour j ust as the Greeks do by wine ; and that the more
,

f ruit is thrown on the more intoxicated they become until ,

they rise up to dance and betake themselves to singing I n .

this manner these islanders are reported to live The river .

Araxes flows f rom the M a t i e n i a n M ountains whence also ,

springs the river Gy n d e s which Cyrus distributed into the ,

three hundred and sixty trenches ; and it gushes out from

f orty springs all of which except one discharge themselves
, , ,

into fens an d swamps in which it is said men live w h o f eed

,

on raw fish and clothe themselves in the skins o f sea calves ; -

but the one stream of the Araxes fl ows through an u n o b

str u cted channel into the Caspian Sea The Caspian is a sea .

b y itsel f having no communication with any other sea ; for

,

th e whol e o f that which th e Grecians navigate and that b e ,

yond the Pillars called the Atlantic an d the R ed Sea are all
, , ,

one B ut th e Caspian is a separate sea o f itsel f b eing in

.
,
’
length a fi fteen days voyage f or a rowing boat and in breadth -

where it is widest an eight days voyage O n the western

,
’
.

shore of this sea stretches the Caucasus which is in extent ,

the largest and in height the lo ftiest o f all mountains ; it con

,

tains within itsel f many an d various nations o f men w h o f or ,

the most part live upon the produce o f wild f ruit trees I n .

this country it is said there are trees which produce leaves

, ,

o f such a nature that by rubbing them and mixing them wit h

water the p eopl e paint figures on their garments ; these fi g
ures th ey say do not wash out but grow ol d W ith the wool
, , , ,

as i f they had been woven in f rom the first I t is said that .

sexual intercours e a m ong these peopl e takes place openly as ,

with cattle The Caucasus then bounds the western side

.
, ,

o f this sea which is called the Caspian ; and on the east to

, ,

ward th e rising sun succeeds a plain in extent unbounded in

,

th e p rospect A great portion of this extensive plain is i n

.

h abited by the M a s s a g e t ae against whom Cyrus resolved to ,

m ak e w a r ; f or th e motives t ha t u rg ed a nd inci t ed him t o t h is

80 H E R O D O T US—B O O K I , CL I O [ 2 0 4—20 7

enterprise were many and powerful first of all his birth which ,

he thought w a s something more than human ; and secondly ,

the good fortune which had attended him in his wars ; for
wherever Cyrus directed his arms it w a s impossibl e for that
nation to escape .

A woman whos e h usband w a s dead w a s Q ueen of the Mas

s a g e t ae ; her name was Tomyris ; and Cyrus sent ambassa

dors under pretence o f wooing her and made h er an o ff er o f ,

marriage B ut Tomyris b eing aware that he w a s not woo

.
,

ing her but the kingdom of the M a s s a g e t ae forbade their

, ,

approach U pon this Cyrus p erceiving his artifice i n e ff ec

.
,

tual marched to th e Araxes and openly prepared to m ake

, ,

w a r on the M a s s a g e t ae by throwing bridges over the river ,

and building turrets on the boats whi ch carried over his army .

While he w a s employed in this work Tomyris sent a heral d ,

to him with this message : King o f the M edes desist from ,

your great exertions ; for you can not know if they will ter
minate to your advantage ; and having desisted reign over ,

your own dominions and bear to see me governing what is ,

mine B ut if you will not attend to my advice and pre f er

.
,

everything before peace ; in a word i f you are very anxious ,

to make trial of the M a s s a g e t ae toil no longer in throwing ,

a bridge over the river ; but do you cross over to our side ,
’
while w e retire three days march f rom the river ; or i f you
”
had rather receive us on your side do you t h e like When , .

Cyrus h eard this proposal he called a council o f the princi ,

pal Persians ; and having assembled them he lai d the matter ,

before them and demanded their opinion as to what he should

,

do : they unanimously advised him to l et Tomyris pass with

her army into his territory B ut Cr oesus the Lydian who .
,

was present and disapproved this advice del ivered a contrary ,

opinion to that which w a s put f orward and said : O king I , ,

assured you l ong ago that since Jupiter del ivered me into ,

your han ds I woul d to the utmost of my power avert what

,

ever misfortune I should see impending over your house ;

and my o w n calamities sad as they are have been l essons to , ,

me I f you think yourself immortal and that you command

.
,

an army that is so too it were needless for me to make known ,

to you my opinion B ut if you know that you too are a man.

,

and that you command such as are men learn this first o f ,

all that there is a wheel in human a ff airs which continually

, , ,

revolving does not su ff er the same persons to b e always suc

,

c e s s fu l N o w th erefore I hol d an O pinion touching the mat

.
, ,

ter before us W holly at variance with that already given For

, .

i f w e shall receive the enemy into this co u ntry there is t h i s ,

82 H E R O D O T U S—B OO K I , CL IO [ 20 9 2 1 2 -

m on e d H y s t a s p e s and taking him aside said : H y s t as p es

, , , ,

y our son has been detected plotting against me and my em

p ire ; and I will show you how I know it for a certainty The .

g ods watch over me and f orewarn me of everything that is

,

about to befall me Now in th e past night as I was sleep

.
, ,

ing I saw the eldest of your sons with W ings on his shoul
,

ders and with one of these he overshadowed Asia and Eu

, ,

rope with the other ; from this vision it can not be otherwise
than that your son is forming designs against me ; do yo u
there f ore go back to Persia with all speed and take care that , ,

when I have conquered thes e peopl e and return home you ,

bring yo u r son before me to b e examined Cyrus spoke thus .

under a persuasion that Darius was plotting against him ;

but the deity forewarned him that he himself woul d die in
that very expedition and that his kingdom would devolve ,

on Darius H y s t a s p e s however answered in these words :

.
, ,

God f orbid O king that a Pers ian shoul d be born who

, ,

woul d plot against you ! B ut if any such there be may sud ,

den destruction overtake him f or you have made the Persians ,

f ree instead o f being slaves and instead of being ruled over ,

by others to rul e over all : but i f any vision informs you that
,

my son is forming any plot against you I freely surrender ,

”
him to you to deal wit h as you please H y s t a s p e s having .
,

given this answer repassed the Araxes and went to Persia

, ,

f or th e purpose o f keeping his son Darius in custody f or

C y rus .

’
Cyrus having advanced one day s march from the Araxes ,

proceeded to act according to the suggestion o f Croesus After .

this wh en Cyrus and th e e ff ective part o f the Persian army

,

h ad marched back to the Araxes leaving the ine ff ective part ,

behind a third division o f the army o f the M a s s a g e t ae attacked

,

those of Cyrus s f orces that had been l e ft behind and after

’
, ,

some resistance put them to death Then seeing the f east

,
.
,

lai d out as soon as they had overcome their enemies th ey lay

,

down and f easted ; and being filled with f ood and wine f ell ,

asleep B ut th e Persians having attacked them put many

. ,

o f them to death and took a still greater number prisoners

, ,

and among them the son o f Q ueen Tomyris who commanded ,

t h e M a s s a g e t ae and whose name was S p a rg ap i s e s

,
She when .
,

s h e h eard what had b e f all en her army and h er son sent a ,

h erald to Cyr u s with t h e f ollowing message : Cyr u s insa ,

t i a t e with blood b e not elated with what has now happened

, ,

that by the f ruit of the vine with which ye yourselves w h en , ,

filled with it so rave that when it descends into your bodies

, ,

e vil words fl o at on y our lip s ; b e n o t el at ed t hat b y s u ch a

 —
212 2 16 ] T HE D E A T H O F C YRU S 33

poison you have deceived and conquered my son instead o f ,

by prowess in battle Now however take the good advice .

, ,

that I o ff er you R estore my son ; depart out of this coun

.

try unpunished for having insolently disgraced a third di

vision o i th e army o f the M a s s a g e t ae B ut if you will not do .

this I swear by the sun the Lord of th e M a s s a g et ae that i n

, , , ,
”
satiable as you are I will glut you with blood ,
Cyrus how .
,

ever paid no attention to this message ; but S p a rg a p i s e s the

, ,

son of Q ueen Tomyris as soon as he recovered from the e f ,

f e e ts of the wine and p erceived in what a plight he w a s

, ,

begged of Cyrus that he might be freed f rom his f etters ; but

as soon as he was set free and f ound his hands at lib erty h e , ,

put himself to death Such was the end h e met with B ut. .

Tomyris finding Cyrus did not listen to her assembled all

, ,

her f orces and engaged with him I think that this battl e
, .

was the most obstinate that was ever fought between bar
b a ri a n s And I am in formed that it took place in the f ollow
.

ing manner : it is related that first of all they stood at a dis , ,

tance and used their bows an d that a fterward when they had , ,

emptied their quivers they engaged in close fight with their ,

swords and spears and that thus they continued fighting f or

,

a long time and neither were will ing to give way ; b ut at

,

l ength the M a s s a g e t ae got the better and the greater part o f ,

the Persian army w a s cut in pieces on the spot an d Cyrus ,

himsel f killed after he had reigned twenty nine years B ut

,
-
.

Tomyris having filled a skin with human blood sought f or

, ,

the body of Cyrus among the slain o f the Persians and hav , ,

ing f ound it thrus t the head into the skin and insulting the
, ,

dead body said : Thou hast indeed ruined me though al ive

,

and victorious in battle since thou hast taken my son by ,

stratagem but I will now glut thee with blood as I threat ,

”
ened . O f the many accounts given o f th e end o f Cyrus this ,

appears to me most worthy o f credit .

The M a s s a g e t m resemble the Scythians in their dress and

mode o f l iving ; they have both hors e and foot ; f or they have
some o f each ; and bowmen and j avel in men who are a c
‘
,
-

customed to c a rry b a t t l e axes : they use gol d and brass f or -

everything ; for in whatever concerns spears and arrow ,

points and battl e axes th ey use b rass ; b ut f or th e head and

,
-

, ,

belts and shoulder pieces th ey are ornamented with gol d

,
-

, .

I n like manner with regard to th e chests o f horses they put ,

on breastplates o f brass ; but th e bridl e bit an d cheek pieces -

-

are ornamente d with gold They make no use o f silver or .

iron for neither o f those metals is f ound in their country

, ,

but they have brass and gol d in abundance Thei r manners .

84 —
H E R O D OT U S B OO K I, CL IO [ 2 16

are as follows : each man marries a wife but they use the ,

women promiscuously What the Grecians say the Scythians

.

do is a mistake for they do it not but the M a s s a g et ae ; for

, ,

when a M a s s a g e t a n desires to have the company of a woman

he hangs up h i s quiver in front of her chariot and has inter ,

course with her without shame No particular term o f life

.

is prescrib ed to them ; but when a man has attained a great

age all his kinsmen meet and sacrifice him together with
, , ,

cattl e of several kinds : and when they have boiled the flesh , ,

they feast on it This death they account the most happy ; but
.

they do not eat the bodies of those w h o die of disease ; but

bury them in the earth and think it a great misfortune that
,

they did not reach the age to b e sacrificed They sow noth .

ing but live on cattl e an d fish wh ich the river Araxes yields
, ,

in abundance and they are drinkers o f milk They worship

, .

the sun only of all th e gods and sacrifice horses to him ; and
,

this is the reason of this custom : they think it ri g ht t o O ff er

the swiftest of all animals to the swi ftest o f all t he gods .
 BOOK II

E UTE R P E

FTE R the death o f Cyrus Cambyses succeeded to th e ,

kingdom : he w a s the son o f Cyrus and C a s s a n d a n e the , ,

daughte r of P h a rn a s p e s who having died some time

, ,

before Cyrus both deeply mourned f or her himsel f

, ,

and commanded all his subj ects to mourn Cambyses being .

,

the son of this lady and Cyrus consi dered the I onians and ,

E olians as his hereditary slaves ; when there f ore h e made , ,

an expedition against Egypt h e took with him others o f his

,

subj ects and also some of the Greeks over whom he b ore
,

rule.

The Egyptians be fore th e reign of P s a m m i t i c h u s c o n s i d

, ,

ered themselves to be the most ancient of mankind B ut .

a fterward P s a m m i t i c h u s having come to th e throne e n d eav

, ,

o u r e d to ascertain w h o were the most ancient from that time ,

they consider the Phrygians to have been before them and ,

themselves before all others Now when P s a m m i t i c h u s w a s

.
,

unable by inquiry to discover any solution of this question

, , ,

who were the most ancient of men he devised the following ,

expedient : H e gave two new born children o f poor parents

-

to a shepherd to b e brought up among his flocks in the fol

,

lowing manner : h e gave strict orders that no one shoul d

utter a word in thei r presence that th ey shoul d lie in a sol i
,

tary room by themselves and that he should b ring goats to

,

them at certain times and that wh en h e had satisfied them

,

with milk h e shoul d attend to his other employments P s a m .

m i t i c h u s contrived and ordered this for the purpose of hear ,

ing what word th e chil dren woul d first articulate after they
had given over th eir insignificant mewlings ; and such a c
c o r d i n g l y w a s th e result For when the sheph erd had pur
.

sued t h is plan for the space of two years one day as h e opened ,

the door and went in both the children falling upon him an d
, ,
”
holding out their hands cried B ecos,
Th e sheph erd when .

h e first h eard it said nothing ; b ut when this same word w a s

constantly repeated to him whenever h e went and tended the
85
36 H E R O D O T U S— B O O K I I, E U TE RPE [ 2
-

children he at l ength acquainted his master and by his com

, ,

mand brought the children into his presence When P s a m .

m i t i c h u s heard the same he inquired what people call any

,

thing by the name of B ecos and on inquiry he discovered

that the Phrygians call bread by that name Thus the E g y p .

tians convinced by the above experiment allowed that t h e

, ,

Phrygians were more ancient than themselves This relation .

I had from the priests of V ulcan at Memphis B ut the Greeks .

tell many other fool ish things and moreover that P s a m m i t i

,

chus having had the tongues of some women cut out then
, ,

had the chil dren brought up by these women Such is the .

account they gave of the nurture of the children I hea rd .

other things also at Memphis in conversation with the priests

of V ulcan And on this very account I went al so to Thebes
.
,

and to Heliopolis in order to ascertain whether they would

,

agree with the accounts given at M emphis ; f or the H el i O p ol i

tans are esteemed the most learned in history of all the E g yp
tians The parts of the narration that I heard concerning di
.

vine things I am not willing to relate except only their names ,

and with thes e I suppose all men are equally well acquainted
but w h at more I shall relate o f these matters I shall relate ,

f rom a necessity to keep up the thread o f my story .

B ut as concerns human a ff airs they agree with one a n ,

other i n the following account : Th at the Egyptians were the

fi rst to discover the year which they divided into twelve parts
,

and they say that they made this discovery from the stars :
and so far I think they act more wisely than the Grecians in
, , ,

that the Grecians insert an intercalary month every third year ,

on account of the seasons ; whereas the Egyptians reckon ,

ing twelve months o f thirty days each add five days each year ,

ab ove that number and so with them the circl e of the seasons
,

comes round to the same point They say also that the E g y p.

tians were the first w h o introduced the names of the twelve

gods and that th e Greeks borrowed those names f rom them ;
,

that they were the first to assign altars images and temples , ,

to the gods and to carve the figures of animals on stone ; and

,

most of thes e things they proved were so in fact They added . .

that M enes was the first mortal who reigned over Egypt and ,

that in his time all Egypt except the district of Thebes was
, ,

a morass and that no part o f the land that now exists below
,

Lake M y ri s w a s then above water : to this place f rom th e sea

is a seven days passage up the river And they seemed to
’
.

me to give a good account o f this region For it is evident to .

a man of common understanding who has not heard it b e ,

fore but sees it that the part o f Egypt which the Greeks fre
, ,
88 H E R O D O T U S— B O O K 11, E U TE RPE [ 8 —1 1

before mentioned the lan d is level and in the narrowest part ,

appeared to me to b e not more than two hundred stades in

breadth from the Arabian mountain to that called the Libyan ;
,

but a b o v e t h i s Egypt again becomes wide Such then is

,
.
, ,

the character of this country From Heliopolis to Thebes is .

a voyage up o f nine days ; the l ength of this j ourney is in

s t a d e s f o u r thousand eight hundred and sixty which amounts ,

to eighty one s c h oen i Now if we compute these stades to

-
.
,

geth er the coast o f Egypt as I before explained contains

, , ,

in length three thousan d and six hundred stades : h o w far it

is from th e sea inland as far as Thebes I will next show ,

namely six thousand one hundred and twenty stades ; and

,

from Thebes to the city called El ephantine one thousand ,

eight hundred stades .

The greater part of all this country as the priests informed ,

me and as appeared to me also to be the case has been a c

, ,

quired by the Egyptians For the space b etween the above .

‘

mentioned mountains that are situated beyond the city o f ,

M emphis seem to me to have been formerly a bay of the

,

sea ; as is the case also with the parts about I lium T e u t h ra n i a , ,

Ephesus and the plain of the M aeander if I may be permitted

, ,

to compare small things with great ; f or of the rivers that

have thrown up the soil that f orms these countries not one ,

can j ustly be brought into comparison as to size with any , ,

one of the five mouths of the Nile B ut there are other rivers .

not equal in size to th e Nile which have wrought great works ; ,

of these I could mention the names and among them one o i ,

'

the most remarkable is the Achel ous which flowing through

’

, ,

A c a rn a n i a and falling into the sea has al ready converted one

, ,

hal f of the E c h i n a d e s I slands into continent There is also .

in the Arabian territory not far f rom Egypt branching from , ,

the R ed Sea a bay of the sea of the l ength and w idth I shal l
, ,

here describe : the l ength o f the voyage beginning from the ,

innermost part of this bay to th e broad sea occupies forty ,

days for a vessel with oars ; and the width where the bay is ,
’
widest half a day s passage : and in it an ebb and flow takes
,

place daily ; and I am of opinion that Egypt was formerly a

similar bay ; this stretching from the Northern S ea toward
Ethiopia ; and the Arabian B ay which I am describing from , ,

the south toward Syria ; and that th ey almost perforated their

recess es so as to meet each other overlapping to some small ,

extent Now if the Nile were to turn its stream into this
.
,

Arabian gulf what could hinder it from being filled with soil
,

by the river within twenty thousand years ? For my part I ,

think it would b e fill ed within ten thousand How then in .

, ,
1 1 —1 4] E G Y PT 89

the time that has elapsed before I w a s born might not even ,

a much greater bay than this have been filled up by such a

great and powerful river ? I therefore both give credit to
those w h o relate these things concerning Egypt and am m y ,

self persuaded o f their truth when I see that Egypt proj ects
beyond the adj oining land ; that shells are found on the moun
tains ; that a saline humour forms on the surface so as even
to corrode the pyramids ; and that this mountain which is
above M emphis is the only one in Egypt that abounds in
sand : add to which that Egypt in its soil is neither like
, , ,

Arabia or its confines nor Libya nor Syria ( Syrians occupy

, ,

the sea coast o f Arabia) but is black and crumbling as if it

-

, ,

were mud and alluvial deposit brought down by th e river

f rom Ethiopia ; W hereas w e know that the earth o f Libya is
reddish and somewhat more sandy ; an d that of Arabia and
,

Syria is more clayey and fl i n t y .

The priests told me this also as a great proo f o f what they ,

related concerning this country that in the reign of M oeris , ,

when the river rose at l east eight cubits it irrigated all Egypt ,

below Memphis ; and yet M oeris had not b een nine hundred
years dead when I received this in f ormation B ut now u n .
,

l ess the river rises sixteen cubits or fi fteen at least it does , ,

not overflow the country I t appears to me therefore that.

, ,

i f the soil continues to grow in height in the same propor ,

tion and to contribute in like manner toward its increase

, ,

those Egyptians below Lake M oeris who inhab it other dis ,

t ri c t s and that which is call ed D elta must by reason o f th e , ,

Nil e not overflowing their land f orever su ff er th e same calam,

ity which they used to say th e Greeks woul d su ff er f rom For .

having h eard that all th e lands o f Greece were watered by

rain and not by rivers as their o w n w a s they sai d that th e
, , ,

Grecians at some time or other would be disappointed in their

great expectations and su ff er miserably from famine ; mean
,

ing that i f the D eity shoul d not vouchsa f e rain to them but
, ,

visit them with a long drought the Greeks must perish by ,

famine since they had no other resource for water except from
,

Jupiter only And the Egyptians are right in saying this to

.

the Greeks ; but now let me state h o w the matter stands with
the Egyptians t h emselves : i f as I said b efore the land b el ow
, ,

Memphis ( for this it is that increases ) should continue to i n

crease i n hei g ht in the same proportion as it has in time past ,

what else w i ll happen but that th e Egyptians who inhabit this

part will starve i f their land shall neither b e watered by rain
,

nor the river be abl e to inundate th e fields ? Now indeed , ,

they ga ther in the f ruits o f the earth with less labour than
9 0 H E R O D O T U S—B O O K II, E U TE RPE [ 14 -
17

any other people and than the rest of the Egyptians for they
, ,

have not the toil of breaking up the furrows with the plough ,

nor of hoeing nor o f any other work which all other men
,

must labour at to obtain a crop of corn ; for when the river

has come o f its own accord and irrigated their fiel ds and ,

having irrigated them has subsided then each man sows his ,

own land and turns swine into it ; and when the seed has been
trodden in by the swine he afterward waits f or harvest time :
,
-

then having trod out the corn with his swine he gathers it in , .

B ut i f we shoul d adopt the opinion o f the I onians respect

ing Egypt who say that the D elta alone is properly Egypt
, ,

stating that its sea coast extends f rom what is called the Tower
-

o f Perseus to the T a ri c h aea of P el u s i u m forty s c h oen i in ,

l ength ; and who say that from the sea inland it stretches to
the city of C e rc a s o ru s where the Nile divides and flows to
, ,

ward P el u s i u m and Canopus ; and w h o attribute the rest o f

Egypt partly to Libya and partly to Arabia— i f we adopted
this account we should show that the Egyptians had not for
,

merly any country o f their own ; f or the Delta as the E g y p ,

tians themselves acknowl edge and as I think is alluvial and

, , ,

( i f I may so express mysel f ) has lately come to light If then .

, ,

they f ormerly had no country how foolish they were to think

,

themselves the most ancient of all people ! nor w a s there any

use in their having recourse to the experiment of the chil
dren to ascertain what language they would first speak For .

my own part I am not of O pinion that the Egyptians began

,

their existence with the country which the I onians call D elta ;
but that they always were since men have been ; and that
,

as the soil gradually increased many o f them remained in ,

their former habitations an d many came lower down F or

,
.
,

anciently Theb es w a s call ed Egypt and is six thousand one

, ,

hundred and twenty stades in circumference If therefore .

, ,

I j udge correctly of these things the I onians are mistaken ,

with respect to Egypt ; but if their opinion is correct then ,

I will S how that neither the Greeks nor the I onians them
selves know how to reckon when they say that the whole,

earth consists of three divisions Europe Asia and Libya ; , , ,

for they ought to add a f ourth the Delta o f Egypt if it be , ,

not a part either of Asia or of Libya For by this account .

, ,

the N ile does not separate Asia f rom Libya but is divided at ,

the point o f Delta so that it must be between Asia and Libya

,
.

B ut I will dismiss the O pinion of the I onians and p roceed to ,

give my own account of the matter I cons i der that t h e w hole .

country inhabited by Egyptians is Egypt as that inhabited by ,

Cilicians is Cilicia and that by Assyrians Assyria And

, , .
,
 —
H E R O D O T U S B OO K II E U TE RPE
9 2 , [ 1 9 23 -

ber of days falls short in its stream and retires ; so that i t

,
-

continues low all the winter until the return of the summer ,

solstice O f these particulars I could get no information from

.

the Egyptians though I inquired whether this river has any

,

peculiar quality that makes it di ff er in nature from other rivers .

B eing anxious then o f knowing what w a s said about this

, ,

matter I made inquiries and also how it comes to pass that

, ,

this is the on ly one of all rivers that does not send f orth breezes
from its surface Nevertheless some of the Greeks wishing
.
, ,

to b e distinguished for their wisdom have attempted to a c ,

count for these inundations in three di ff erent ways : two of

these ways are scarcely worth mentioning except that I wish ,

to show what they are O n e o f them says that the Etesian .

winds are the cause of th e swelling of the river by prevent ,

ing the Nile from discharging itself into the s ea B ut f r e .

quently the Etesian winds have not blown yet the Nile pro ,

duces the same e ff ects ; besides if the Etesian winds were the ,

cause all other rivers that flow opposite to the same winds
,

must of necessity be equally a ff ected and in the same manner

as the Nile and even so much th e more as they are l ess and
,

have weaker currents yet there are many rivers in Syria a n d, ,

many in Libya which are not at all a ff ected as the Nile 1s The
, .

second opinion shows still more ignorance than the f ormer ,

but if I may s o say is more marvellous I t says that the Nil e

, , .
,

fl owing from th e ocean produces this e ff ect ; and that the ,

ocean flows all round the earth The third w a y of resolving .

this di fficulty is by f ar th e most specious but most untrue , .

For by saying that the Nil e flows from melted snow it says
nothing for this river flows from Libya through the middle
,

o f Ethiopia and discharges itsel f into Egypt ; how therefore , ,

since it runs from a very hot to a col der region can it flow ,

f rom snow ? Many reasons will readily occur to men o f good

understanding to S how the improbability of its flowing from
snow The first and ch ief proof is derived from the winds
.
,

which blow hot f rom those regions : the second is that the ,

country destitute of rain is always f ree f rom ice ; but after

, ,

snow has f allen it must of necessity rain within five days ;

,

so that i f snow fell it woul d also rain in these regions I n

,
.

th e third place the inhab itants b ecome black from the e x c e s

,

s ive heat ; kites and swallows continue there all the year ;
and the cranes to avoid the col d o f Scythia migrate to these
, ,

parts as W inter quarters : if then ever so little snow f ell in , ,

this country through which the Nil e flows and from which ,

it derives its source none of these things would happen as

, ,

necessity proves B ut th e person w h o speaks about the ocean

.
,
2 3 26
-

] T HE N I LE 93

since he has re f erred his account to some obscure fable pro ,

duces no conviction at all ; for I do not know any river call ed

the O cean ; but suppose that Homer or some other ancient ,

poet having invented the name introduced it into poetry

, , .

Y et if after I have found fault with the opinions advanced

,

by others it b ecomes me to declare my o w n concerning so

,

obscure a question I will describe what in my opinion causes

, , ,

the Nil e to overflow in summer D uring the winter season .

,

the sun being driven by storms f rom his former course re

, ,

tires to the upp er p arts of Libya : this in f ew words compre

hends the whol e matter ; f or it is natural that that country
which this god is n earest to and over which he is shoul d b e , ,

most in want of water and that the native river streams shoul d ,

be dried up B ut to explain my meaning more at l ength th e

.
,

case is this : The sun passing over the upper parts of Libya ,

produces the following e ff ect : as the air in these regions is

always serene and the soil always hot since there are no col d
, ,

winds passing over he produces j ust the same e ff ect as he

, ,

usually does in th e summer when passing t h f o u g h the mid ,

dle of the fi rm a m e n t ; for he attracts th e water to himsel f ,

and having so attracted it throws it back upon the higher ,

regions ; there th e win ds taking it up and dispers ing it melt , ,

it : and there f ore with good reason the winds that blow from
, ,

this country f rom th e south an d southwest are by f ar the most

, ,

rainy of all I do not think however that the sun on each

.
, ,

occasion discharges th e annual supply of water from the N ile ,

but that some remains about h im When however the w i n .

, ,

ter grows mild the sun returns again to the middl e o f th e

,

heavens an d from that time attracts water equally from all

,

rivers U p to this time thos e other rivers having much rain

.
,

water mixed with the m flow with f ull streams : but as th e ,

country has b een watered by showers and torn up by tor

rents when the showers fail them and they are attracted in
, ,

summer by the sun they b ecome weak b ut the Nil e being , , ,

destitute of rain and attracted by the sun is the only river

, ,

that with good reason flows much weaker than usual at this
time than in summer ; for i n summer it is attracted equally
with all other waters but in winter it alone is hard pressed , .

Thus I consider that th e sun is th e cause of these things The .

same cause in my O pinion occasions also the dryness o f the

air in these parts the sun scorching everything in his passage :
,

in consequence of this heat always p revails in the upper parts ,

of Libya B ut i f th e order of the seasons were changed and

.
,

that part of th e heaven where the north and W inter are now
placed could b e made th e position o f the south and midday ,
94
H E R O D O T U S— B OO K I I, E U TE RPE [ 26 29
-

and the north were trans f erred to the so u th if such a change ,

were made the sun driven f rom the middl e of the fi rm am en t

, ,

by the winter and the north wind woul d go to the upper parts ,

o f Europe as he now does through those o f Libya ; I sup

,

pos e he would produce i n his passage the same e ff ects on

the I ster which he now does on the Nil e Then with regard .

to the reason why no breezes blow from the Nile ; my opin i on

is that it is very improbabl e they should blow from hot coun
,

tries f or they generally blow f rom some cold one

,
.

B ut I leave these things as they are and as they were at ,

the beginning With respect to the sources o f th e Nile no

.
,

man of all the Egyptians Libyans or Grecians with whom I , ,

have conversed ever pretended to know anything except the ,

registrar of M inerva s treasury at Sais in Egypt He indeed ’

.

seemed to b e trifling with me when he said h e knew per

f e c t l y well ; yet his account was as f ollows that there are .

two mountains rising into sharp peaks S ituated between the ,

city o f Syene 1n Thebais and Elephantine ; the names o f these

mountains are the one CrO p h i the other M o p h i ; that the
, ,

sources o f the Nil e which are bottomless flow f rom between

, ,

thes e mountains ; and that hal f of the water flows over Egypt ,

and to the north the other hal f over Ethiopia and the s outh
, .

That the f ountains of the Nil e are bottoml ess he said P s am , ,

m i t i c h u s King of Egypt proved by experiment ; f or having

, ,

caused a line to b e twisted many tho u sand fathoms in length ,

h e let it down but could not find a bottom Such then was
, .
, ,

the opinion the registrar ga ve if indeed h e spoke the real ,

truth proving in my opinion that th ere are strong whirl

, , ,

pools and an eddy here ; so that the water beating against

the rocks a sounding line when let down can not reach t h e
, , ,

bottom I was u nable to learn anyt h ing more f rom any one
.

else B ut this much I learned by carrying my researches

.

as f ar as possible having gone and made my own observa

,

tions as f ar as Elephantine and b eyond that obtaining i n f o r ,

mation f rom h earsay As one ascends the r i ver above the .

,

city o f Elep h antine t h e country is steep ; h ere there f ore it

, , ,

is necessary to attach a rope to both sides o f a boat as one

does with an ox in a plough and so proceed ; but i f the rope ,

should h appen to break the boat 1s carried away by the f orce ,

o f the stream This kind o f country lasts f or a f our days

.
’

passage and t h e Nile h ere winds as much as t h e M aeander

, .

There are twelve s c h oen i whic h it is necessary to sail through ,

in this manner ; and a fter that yo u will come to a level plain ,

w h ere the Nil e flows round an island ; its n ame is T a c h o m p s o .

E t h iopians inhabit the country immediately above E l e p h an

9 5 H E R OD OT U S— B OO K II , E U T E RPE [ 31
-

32

Nile is known in addition to th e part of th e strea m that is in

,

Egypt For upon computa tion so many months are known

.
,

to b e spent by a p erson w h o travels from Elephantin e to the

A u t o m ol i This river flows f rom th e west an d th e s etting of
.

the sun ; but b eyond this no on e is abl e to sp eak w ith cer

tainty for th e rest of th e country i s des ert by reason of the
,

excessive heat B ut I have heard th e following account fro m

.

certain C y r e n aea n s w h o say that they went to the oracle of

,

Ammon and had a conversation with E t ea r c h u s K ing o f the

, ,

A m m o n i a n s and that among oth er subj ects they happened

, ,

—
to discours e about the Nile that nobody knew its sources :
whereupon E t e a rc h u s sai d that cert ain N a s a m o n i a n s once
came to him ; this nation is Libyan and inhabits th e Syrtis ,

an d the country f or no great distance eastward of th e Syrtis ;

and that when these N a s a m o n i a n s arrived and were asked
if they coul d give any f u rther information t o ii c h i n g th e deserts
,

of Libya they answered that there were some daring youths

,

among them sons o f powerful men ; an d that th ey having ,

reached man s estate formed many other extravagant plans , ,

and moreover chose fi v e of their numb er by lot to explore the

deserts o f Libya to see if th ey coul d make any f urther dis
c o v e r y than thos e w h o had penetrated the f arthest ( For as .

respects th e parts o f Libya al ong th e Northern Sea b eginning ,

from Egypt to the p romontory o f S o l o i s where is the ex ,

t re m i t y of Libya Libyans an d various nations o f Libyans

,

reach all alon g it except thos e parts which are occupied by

,

Grecians an d Ph oenicians : b ut as resp ects the parts above the

s ea and those nations whi ch reach down to the s ea in the
, ,

upper parts Libya is infested by wild b easts an d all b eyond

that is sand dread f ully short o f water an d i1 t t e rl y d esolate )
,

.
, ,

They further related that when th e young men deputed by t h eir

companions set out well f urnish ed with water and provisions
, ,

they passed fi st through th e inhabited country ; and having

r

traversed this they came to th e region infested by wil d beasts ;

,

and after this th ey crossed the desert making their w ay to ,

ward the west ; and when they had traversed much sandy
ground during a j ourney o f many days they at len gt h s aw
, ,

some trees growing in a plain ; and that they approached an d

began to gather th e f ruit that grew on th e trees ; and while
th ey were gathering som e diminutive men l ess than m en , ,

o f middl e stature came up and having s eized them carried

, , ,

th em away ; an d that the N a s a m o n i a n s

stand
32
-

35 ] T HE N I LE 97

came to a city in w h ic h all the inhabitants were o f t h e same

,

size as their conductors and black in colour : and by the city ,

flowed a great river runnin g from the west to the east an d , ,

that crocodil es were seen in it Thus far I have s et forth th e .

account o f E t e a r c h u s the A m m o n i a n to which may b e added , ,

as the C y re n aea n s assured me that h e said the N a s a m o n i an s ,

all returned sa f e to their own country and that the men whom ,

they came to were all n ecromancers E t ea rc h u s also con .

re d that t h is river which flows by their city is the N ile ;

j e c t u , ,

and reason so evinces ; f or th e N il e flows f rom Libya and ,

intersects it in the middle ; an d ( as I conj ecture inferring ,

things unknown f rom th ings known ) it sets out from a point

corresponding wit h th e I ster For th e I ster beginning f rom .
,

the Celts an d t h e city o f Pyren e divides Europ e in its co u rse :

, ,

but the Celts are b eyon d th e Pillars o f H ercules and border on ,

the territories o f th e C y n e s i a n s who lie in the extremity o f ,

Europe to t h e westward ; and th e I ster terminates by flowing

through all Europ e into th e Euxin e S ea where a M ilesian ,

colony is s ettle d in I stria Now th e I ster as it flows through .

,

a well peopled country is generally known ; b ut no one is

-

able to speak about the sources o f the N il e becaus e Libya , ,

t h rough which it fl ows is uninhabited an d desolate Re , .

specting this stream there f ore as f ar as I was abl e to reac h

, ,

by inquiry I have already spoken I t discharges itsel f into

, .

Egypt ; and Egypt l ies as near as may b e oppos ite to th e , ,

mountains o f Cilicia ; from Cilicia to Sinop e on the Euxine ,

’
Sea is a five days j ourney in a straight l in e to an active
,

man ; and Sinop e is opposite to th e I ster where it dis c h arges ,

itsel f into th e s ea So I think that the Nil e traversing the

.
,

whol e o f Libya may b e p roperly compared wit h the I ster

, .

Such then is th e account that I am able to give respecting

, ,

th e Nile .

I now proceed to give a more particular account o f Egypt ;

it possesses more wonders than any oth er country and ex ,

hi b i t s works greater than can b e described in comparison ,

wit h all other regions ; t h ere f ore more must b e said about it .

The Egyptians b esides h aving a climate peculiar to them

,

selves and a river di ff ering in its nature f rom all other rivers
, ,

have adopted customs and u sages in almost every respect dif

f ere n t f rom t h e rest o f mankin d Among them the women .

attend mark ets an d tra ffi c b u t th e men stay at home and ,

weave O ther nations i n weaving throw the wool upward ;

.
, ,

th e Egyptians downward The men carry burdens on their

, .

heads ; the women on their shoulders They eas e themselves

, .

in t h eir ho u ses b ut eat o u t o f doors ; alleging that whatever

, ,

7
9 3 H E R O D O T U S— B O O K 11
, E U TE R PE [35
-

37

is indecent though necessary ought to be done in private ;

, ,

but what is not indecent openly No woman can serve th e , .

offi ce for any god or goddess ; but men are employed for both
o ffi ces Sons are not compelled to support their parents u n
.

less they choose ; but daughters are compelled to do so ,

whether they choose or not I n other countries the priests .

o f the gods wear long h a i r ; i n Egypt they have it shaved '

With other men it is customary in mourning for the nearest

relations to have their heads shorn ; the Egyptians on occa ,

sions o f death let the hair grow both on the head and face
, ,

although accustomed to shave O ther men l ive apart f rom .

beasts but the Egyptians live with them O thers f eed on

, .

wheat and barley but it i s a very great disgrace for an E g y p

,

tian to mak e f ood of them ; but they make bread f rom spelt ,

which some call zea They knead the dough with their feet ;
.

but mix clay and take up dung with their hands The E g y p .

tians are circumcised Every man wears two garments ; the .

women but one O ther men fasten the rings and sheets o f
, .

their sails outside ; b ut the Egyptians inside The Grecians , .

write and cipher moving th e hand f rom left to right ; but the
,

Egyptians from right to left : and doing so they say they do

,

it right ways and th e Greeks l e ft ways They have t w o sorts

-

,
-
.

o f l etters one of which is called sacred the other common

, , .

They are o f all men the most excessively attentive to t h e

worship o f the gods and observ e the f ollowing ceremonies :
,

they drink f rom cups of brass which they scour every day ; ,

nor is this custom practised by some and neglected by others ,

but all do it They wear linen garments constantl y fresh

.
,

washed an d they pay particular attention to this The y are

, .

circumcised for the sake o f cleanliness thinking it better to ,

b e cl ean than handsome The priests shave their whole body .

every third day that neith er lice nor any other impurity may
,

be f ound upon them when engaged in th e service o f the gods .

The priests wear linen only and shoes of b y b l u s and are not , ,

permitted to wear any other garments or other shoes They , .

wash themselves in col d water twice every day and twice ,

every night ; and in a word they use a number of ceremonies

, , .

O n th e other hand th ey enj oy no sl ight advantages for they

, ,

do not consume or expend any of their private property ; but

sacred food is cooked f or them and a great quantity of bee f ,

and geese is allowed each o f them every day and wine from ,

the grape is given them ; but they may not taste of fish B eans .

the Egyptians do not sow at all in their country neither do ,

th ey eat thos e that happen to grow there nor taste them when ,

dressed The priests indeed abhor the sight o f that pulse

.
, , ,
1 00 H E R O D O T U S—B O O K I I, E UT E RPE [ —
4240

on it a great quantity o f oil They sacrifice after they have .

fasted ; and while the sacred things are being burned they
all beat themselves ; and when they have done beating them
selves they spread a banquet of what remains of the victims
,
.

All the Egyptians sacrifice the pure mal e kine an d calves ,

but they are not allowed to sacrifice the females f or they ,

are sacred to I sis ; f or the image o f I sis is made in the f orm

o f a woman with the horns of a cow as the Grecians re p re ,

sent I o ; and all Egyptians alike pay a far greater rever

ence to cows than to any other cattl e So that no Egyptian .

man or woman will kiss a Grecian on the mouth or use the ,

kni f e spit or caldron o f a Greek or taste o f the flesh o f a

, , ,

pure ox that has been divided by a Grecian knife They bury .

the kine that die in the f ollowing manner : the f emales they
throw into the river and th e mal es th ey severally inter in the
,

suburbs with one horn or both appearing above the ground

, , ,

for a mark When it is p u t re fi e d an d th e appointed time ar

.

rives a raft comes to each city f rom the island called Pro
,

s 0 p i t i s ; this island is in the D elta and is nine s c h oen i in cir ,

c u m f e re n c e : now in this island P r o s o p i t i s there are several

cities ; but that from which the ra fts come to take away the
bones o f the oxen is called At a rb e c hi s ; in it a Templ e o f
V enus has been erected From this city then many persons
.
, ,

go about to other towns ; and having dug up th e bones all ,

carry them away and bury them in one place ; and they bury
,

all other cattle that die in the same way that th ey do the oxen ;
f or they do not kill any o f them All those who have a temple .

erected to Theban Jupiter or belong to th e Theban dist rict , ,

abstain from sheep and sacrifice goats only For the E g y p

, .
A

tians do not all worship the same gods in the same manner ,

except I sis and O siris w h o they say is B acchus ; but these

, , ,

deities they all worship in t h e same manner O n the other .

hand thos e w h o frequent the Templ e of M endes and b elong

, ,

to the M e n d e s i a n district abstain f rom goats and sacrifice , ,

sheep Now th e Thebans and such as abstain f rom sheep

.
,

a fter their example say that this custom was established

,

among them in the f ollowing way : that Hercules was very de

s i ro u s o f seeing Jupiter but Jupiter was unwilling to be s een
,

by him ; at last however as H ercul es persisted Jupiter had

, , ,

recourse to th e f ollowing contrivance : having flayed a ram ,

he cut o ff th e head and held it b e f ore himself and then hav

, , ,

ing put on th e fl eece he in that f orm showed himsel f to Her

,

cul es . From this circ u mstance the Egyptians make the

’
image o f Jupiter with a ram s f ace ; and from the Egyptians
t h e Am m o n i an s who are a colony o f Egyptians and Ethi
,
42
-

44] C U STO M S OF T H E E G Y PT I A N S IO I

O p ian s , and w h o speak a language between both have ,

adopted the same practi ce ; and as I conj ecture the A m , ,

m o n i a n s f rom h ence derived their name f or th e Egyptians ,

call Jupiter Ammon The Thebans then do not sacrifice rams

, .
,

but they are for the above reason accounted sacred by them ;
on one day in the year however at the festival of Jupiter , , ,

they kill an d flay one ram and put it on the image o f Jupiter , ,

and then they bring another image of Hercules to it ; when

they have don e this all w h o are in the templ e beat themselves
,

in mourning f or th e ram and then bury him in a sacred vault , .

O f this H ercules I have heard this account that h e is one ,

of th e twelve gods ; b ut of th e other Hercul es who i s known

to th e Grecians I coul d never hear in any part o f Egypt An d
,
.

that the Egyptians did not derive th e name of Hercules from

th e Grecians but rather the Grecians ( and especially those
,

who gave the name o f H ercul es to th e son of Amphitryon )

f rom the Egyptians I have both many other proo f s to show
, ,

and moreover the following that the parents of this H ercules , ,

Amphitryon and Al cmene were both of Egyptian descent , ,

and becaus e the Egyptians say they do not know the names
o f Neptune and t h e D ioscuri and that they have never been ,

admitted into t h e number o f their gods ; yet i f they h ad de ,

rived the name o f any deity f rom th e Grecians they would ,

certainly have mentioned these above all others since even ,

at that time t h ey made voyages an d some o f th e Grecians ,

were sailors so that I b elieve and am persuaded that the

, , ,

Egyptians must have learne d the names of thes e gods rather ,

than that o f Hercul es B ut H ercules is one o f the ancient

.

gods o f the Egyptians ; an d as they say themselves it was ,

s eventeen thousand years be f ore the reign o f A m a s i s when ,

th e numb er o f their gods was increas ed from eight to twelve ,

o f whom H ercules was accounted one And b eing desirous .

o f obtaining certain information f rom w h atever source I coul d ,

I sailed to Tyre in Ph oenicia having heard that there was ,

there a temple dedicated to Hercules ; and I saw it richly

adorned with a great variety o f o ff erings and in it were two ,

pillars one o f fine gold the oth er o f emeral d stone both shin
, , ,

ing exceedingly at night Conversing with the p riests o f this .

god I inquired how long this templ e had been b u ilt and I
, ,

f ound t h at neither did they agree with th e Greeks For they .

said t h at t h e templ e was built at the time when Tyre was

f ounded an d that two thousand three hundred years had
,

elapsed since t h e f oundation o f Tyre I n this city I also saw .

another templ e dedicated to Hercules by th e name of Thasian ;

I went there f ore to Thasos and f ound there a Templ e o f
, , ,
 —
H E RO D OT U S B OOK II E U TE RPE
102 , [44 -

47

Hercules built by the Ph oenicians who having set sail in , ,

search of Europa founded Thasos ; and this occurred fiv e

,

generations before H ercules the son of Amphitryon appeared , ,

in Greece The researches then that I have made evidently

.

prove that Hercules is a god of great antiquity and there , ,

f ore those Grecians appear to me to have acted most cor

,

re c t l y who have built two kinds o f temples sacred to Hercules ,

and who sacrificed to one as an immortal under the name o f ,

O lympian and paid honour to the other as a hero

, B ut the .

Grecians say many other things on this subj ect i n c o n s i d er

ately ; for instance this is a silly story o f theirs which they
,

tell o f Hercules : that when he arrived in Egypt the E g y p ,

tians having crowned him with a garland l ed him in p ro c es ,

sion as designing to sacrifice him to Jupiter and that for some

, ,

time he remained quiet b ut when they b egan the preparatory

,

ceremonies upon him at the altar he set about de f ending him ,

sel f and slew every one of them Now the Greeks who tell
, .

this story appear to me to be utterly ignorant o f the character

and customs o f the Egyptians For how can they who are .

f orbidden to sacrifice any kind of animal except swine and , ,

such bulls and calves as are without bl emish and geese sacri , ,

fi c e human b eings ? M oreover since H ercules was but one , ,

and besides a mere man as they confess how is it probable , ,

that h e should slay many thousands ? And in thus speak

ing o f them may I meet with indulgence both f rom gods and
heroes .

The reason why th e Egyptians above mentioned do not

sacrifice the goat either mal e or fe mal e is as follows : The
, ,

M e n d e s i a n s consider Pan one of the eight gods and they ,

say that these eight existed prior to the twelve gods And .

indeed their painters and sculptors represent Pan with the

face and legs of a goat as th e Grecians do : not that they,

imagine this to b e his real form f or they think him like other ,

gods ; but w h y th ey represent him in this way I had rather

not mention The M e n d e s i a n s pay reverence to all goats
.
,

and more to the males than to the f emales (and the goat
herds w h o tend them receive greater honour) and p art i c u ,

l a rl y one h e goat on whose death publ ic mourning is observed

-

throughout the whole M e n d e s i a n district I n the language .

o f Egypt both a goat and Pan are called Mendes The E gy p

,
.

tians consider the pig to be an impure beast and there fore , , ,

if a man in passing by a pig shoul d touch him only with

h is garments h e f orthwith goes to the river and plunges in :
,

and in the next place swineherds although native Egyptians

, ,

are the only men who are not allowed to enter any o f their
1 04 H E R O D O T U S— B O O K I I, E U TE RPE

monies adopted in Egypt in honour o f this god and those ,

among the Greeks coincide by chance ; in that case they

,

would b e conformabl e to Grecian customs and not have been ,

lately introduced ; neither can I admit that the Egyptians

borrowed either this or any other usage f rom the Greeks B ut .

I am o f opinion that M elampus obtained his in f ormation r e

specting the ceremonies o f Bacchus chiefly f rom Cadmus the
Tyrian and those who accompanied him f rom Ph oenicia to
,

the country now called B oeotia .

And indeed the names of almost all the gods came f rom
Egypt into Greece ; for that they came f rom barbarians I find
on inquiry to be the case ; and I think they chiefly proceeded
f rom Egypt For with the exception o f Neptune and the
.

D ioscuri as I be f ore mentioned and Juno V esta Themis

, , , , ,

the Graces and the Nereids th e names o f all the others have
, ,

always existed among the Egyptians : in this I repeat what

the Egyptians themselves a ffirm ; but the gods whose names
th ey say they are not acquainted with I think derived their , ,

na mes f rom the Pelasgians with the exception of Neptune ;

,

this god they l earned f rom th e Libyans f or no peopl e except , ,

th e Libyans originally possessed t h e name o f N eptune and

, ,

they have always worshipped him M oreover t h e Egyptians .

,

pay no religious h onour to heroes These and other c u stoms .

,

b esides which I shall herea fter mention t h e Grecians received

, ,

f rom the Egyptians Th e practice o f making the images o f

.

M ercury with the memb er erect they did not l earn from the ,

Egyptians but f rom the Pelasgians : the Athenians were the

,

fi rst o f all th e Greeks who adopted this practice and others ,

f rom them ; f or th e Pelasgians dwelt in the same country as

the Athenians w h o were already ranked among Greeks
, ,

whence they also b egan to b e reckoned as Grecians Who .

ever is initiated i n th e mysteri es o f the Cabiri which the Samo ,

thracians h ave adopted f rom t h e Pelasgians knows what I ,

mean For these Pelasgians dwelt in the same country as t h e

.

Athenians f ormerl y inhabited S o m a t h ra c e and from th em , ,

th e Samothracians l earned the mysteries : the Athenians there

‘

fore were the first of the Grecians w h o having l earned the ,

practice f rom th e Pelasgians made the images of M ercury ,

with the memb er erect ; but the Pelasgians assign a certain

sacred reason f or this w h ich is explained in the mysteries o f
,

Samothrace Formerl y th e Pelasgians sacrificed all sorts o f

.

vi ctims to th e gods with prayer as I was informed at D odona , ,

but they gave no surname or name to any o f them f or they ,

had not yet heard o f them ; but they called them gods b e ,

cause they had set i n order and ruled over all t h ings T h en .
,
5 2 —
5 5] C U ST O M S OF T H E E G Y PT IA N S 105

in course o f time they learned the names of the ot h er gods

,

th a t were brought fr om Egypt and after some time that o f , ,

B acchus Concerning the names they consulted the oracle

.

of Dodona for this oracl e is accounte d th e most ancient o f

,

thos e that are in Greece and w a s then th e only one When , .

there fore the Pelasgians inquired at Dodona whether they

shoul d receive the names that came f rom barbarians the ,

oracle answered that they should From that time there .

,

fore they adopted the names o f the gods in their sacrifices

, ,

and the Grecians afterward received them from th e Pelas

gians Whence each o f the gods sprun g whether they ex
.
,

i s t e d always an d of what f orm they were w a s so to sp eak

, , , ,

unknown till yesterday For I am o f opinion that H esiod .

and Homer l ived four hundred years be f ore my time and ,

not more and thes e were they w h o framed a th eogony f or the

,

Greeks and gave names to the gods and assigned to them

, ,

honours and arts and declared their several f orms B ut the

, .

poets sai d to have b een before them in my opinion were

, , ,

a fter them The fi rst part o f the above statement is derived

.

f rom the D odon aean priestesses ; but the latter t h at relates ,

to Hesiod and Homer I say on my own authority , .

Concerning th e two oracles one in Greece th e other in , ,

Libya t h e Egyptians give the f ollowing acco u nt : Th e priests

,

o f th e Theban Jupiter say that two women employed in ,

the templ e were carried away f rom Thebes by certain Ph oe

,

n i c i an s an d that on e o f them was discovered to have b een

,

sol d into Libya t h e other to the Greeks ; and that th es e two

,

women were th e first w h o established oracles in th e nations

above mentioned When I inquired how they knew this f or
.

a certainty they answered that they made diligent search f or

,

these women and were never abl e to find them ; but had
,

a fterward heard t h e account they gave o f them This then .

, ,

is the account I h eard from the priests at Thebes ; but the

prophetesses at D odona say that two black pigeons fl ew
away f rom Thebes in Egypt ; that one o f them went to Libya ,

and the other to them ; that this last sitting perched on an ,

oak tree proclaimed in a human voice t h at it was fitting an

,

oracle shoul d be erected there to Jupiter ; and that the p eopl e

b elieved this to b e a divine m essage to th em and did accord ,

i n gl y They add that the other pigeon which fl ew into Libya

.
, ,

commanded th e Libyans to f ound th e oracl e o f Ammon ;

this also belongs to Jupiter The priestesses o f D odona o f .
,

whom th e el dest is named P ro m e n i a the s econd T i m a re t e , ,

and the youngest Nicandra gave this account ; and the rest ,

o f the D odon aeans engaged in the service o f the temple , ,

8
1 06 H E R O D O T U S —B O O K 11 . E U TE R PE [5 5 -
60

agreed with them M y opinion of these things i s this : I f the

.

Ph oenicians did really carry o ff the women employed in the

temple and sold the one of them into Libya and the other
,

into Greece this last woman as I think was sold to some

, , ,

Thesprotians in that part which is now called H ellas but

, ,

was f ormerly called P e l a s g i a : then being reduced to slavery , ,

she erected a temple to Jupiter under an oak that grew there ; ,

nothing being more natural than that she who had been an ,

attendant in the Templ e of Jupiter at Thebes should retain ,

the memory of it wherever she came And afterward when .

,

she had learned the Greek language she instituted an oracle ; ,

and she said that her sister in Libya had been sold by the
same Ph oenicians by whom she herself was sold The women .
,

I conj ecture were called doves by the D o d o n ma n s because

, ,

they were barbarians and they seemed to them to chatter like

,

birds ; but after a time when the woman spoke intelligibly ,

to them they presently reported that the dove had spoken

,

with a human voice ; for as long as she used a barbarous lan

guage she appeared to them to chatter like a b ird : f or how
,

could a dove speak with a human voice ? B ut in saying that

the dove was black they S how that the woman was an E gy p
,

tian The manner in which oracles are delivered at Thebes

.

in Egypt and at Dodona is very similar ; and the art o f divina

, ,

tion from victims came likewis e f rom Egypt .

The Egyptians were also the first who introduced p u blic

f estivals processions and sol emn supplications ; and the
, ,

Greeks learned them from them : for these rites appear to have
b een established for a very long time but those in Greece ,

have been lately introduced The Egyptians hol d public fes .

t i va l s not onl y once in a year but several times : that which is ,

best and most rigidly observed is in the city o f B u b a s t i s in ,

honour of Diana ; the second in the city o f B usiris is in hon , ,

our o f I sis ; for in this city is the largest Temple of I sis and ,

it is situated in the middl e o f the Egyptian Delta I sis is in ’

th e Grecian language called D emeter The third festival is .

h eld at Sais in honour of M inerva ; the fourth at H el i opolis

, , ,

in honour o f the sun ; the fifth at the city of B uto in honour , ,

of Latona ; the sixth at t h e ci t y of Pa p re m i s in honour o f

, ,

Mars Now w h en they are being conveyed to the city E u

.
,

bastis they act as f ollows : for men and women embark to

,

gether and great numbers o f bot h sexes in every barge : some

,

o f the women have castanets on which they play and the men ,

play on the flute during the whol e voyage ; the rest o f the
women and men sing and clap their hands together at the
same time When in the course o f their passage t h ey com e
.
1 08 H E R O D O T U S— B O O K I I, E U TE RPE [64 66 -

w h o had been educated abroad when he reach ed to man s ,

’

estate came and wished to converse with his mother ; and

, ,
’
that his mother s attendants as they had n ever seen him b e ,

f ore did not allow him to pass them but repelled him ; where
, ,

upon he having collected men from another city handled the

, ,

servants roughly and got access to his mother I n conse, .

q u e n c e of this they say that they ,have instituted this combat

on this festival in honour of M ars .

The Egyptians were likewise the first who made it a point

o f religion that men shoul d abstain f rom women in th e sacred
precincts ; and not enter unwashed after th e use o f a woman .

F or almost all other nations except the Egyptians and Gre ,

c i an s have intercours e in sacred places and enter them u n

, ,

washed ; thinking mankind to b e like other animals : there

f ore since they see other animals and birds coupl ing in the
,

shrines an d temples of the gods they conclude that if this were ,

displeasing to th e god even the brute creatures woul d not ,

do it They w h o argue thus act in a manner that I can not

.

approve The Egyptians then are b eyond measure s c ru p u

.
, ,

lous in all things concerning religion and especially in the ,

above mentioned particulars

-
.

Egypt though bordering on Libya does not abound in

, ,

wil d b easts ; but all that they have are accounted sacred as ,

well those that are domesticated as those that are not B ut .

i f I shoul d give the reasons why they are consecrated I must ,

descend in my history to religious matters which I avoid ,

relating as much as I can ; and such as I have touched upon

in the cours e o f my narrative I hav e mentioned from meces ,

s it y . They have a custom of th e following kind relating to ani

mals : Superintendents consisting both of men and o f women , ,

are appointed to f eed every kind s eparately ; and the son suc
c e e d s th e father in this o f fice All the inhabitants o f the cities .

manner : having made a v o w to the god to whom t h e animal

b elongs they shave either the whole heads o f their children
, ,

or a hal f or a third part o f the head and then weigh the hair
, ,

in a scal e against silver and whatever the weight may b e they, ,

give to the superintendent of the animals ; and she in return

cuts up some fish and gives it as food to the animal s : s u ch
"

is the usual mode of f eeding them Shoul d any one kill one .

of these b easts i f wil f ully death is th e punishment ; i f by a c

, ,

c i d en t h e pays such fine as the priests choos e to impose

,
.

B ut whoever kills an ibis or a hawk whether wilfully or by ,

accident must necessarily b e put to death Although the

,
.

domesticated animals are many t h ey wo u l d b e much more ,

66—
68] C U STO M S O F T HE E G Y PT I A N S 1 09

numero u s were it not f or th e f ollowing accidents w h ich b efall

the cats : When the females have littered they no longer seek ,

the company of the males and they being desirous of having , ,

intercourse with them are not abl e to do so ; wherefore they ,

have recours e to the following artifice : having taken the

young f rom the f emal es and carried them away secretly they , ,

kill them ; tho u gh w h en t h ey have killed them they do not

eat them The f emal es b eing deprived of their young and
.
,

desirous of others again s eek th e company of the mal es ; for

,

this animal is very fond o f its young When a c o n fl a g ra t i o n .

takes place a supernatural impulse seizes on th e cats For

, .

the Egyptians standing at a distance take care of the cats

, , ,

and neglect to put out the fire ; b ut the cats making th eir ,

escap e and leaping over the men throw themselves into the
, ,

fire ; and when this happens great lamentations are made

among the Egyptians I n whatever house a cat dies of a natu .

ral death all the f amily shave thei r eyebrows only ; but if a
,

dog die they shave the whol e body an d the head All cats
, .

that die are carried to certa i n sacred houses wh ere b eing , ,

first embalmed they are buried in the city o f B u b as t i s All

, .

persons bury their dogs in sacred vaults within their own city ;
and ichneumons are buried in the same manner as th e dogs :
but fi el d mice and hawks th ey carry to th e city of B uto th e
-

ibis to Hermopolis ; the bears which are f ew in number an d , ,

the wolves which are not much larger than foxes they bury
, ,

wherever they are found lying .

The following is the nature o f th e crocodile : D uring th e

f our coldest months it eats nothing and though it has f our ,

f eet it is amp h ibious

, I t lays its eggs on land an d th ere .
,

hatches them I t spends th e greater part o f th e day on the

.

dry ground but the whol e night in the river ; for the water
,

is then warmer th an the air an d dew O f all living things .

with which we are acquainted this f rom th e l east beginning , , ,

grows to be the largest For it lays eggs littl e larger than .

thos e o f a goos e an d the young i s at first in proportion to

,

the egg ; but when grown up it reaches to the length o f s even

teen cubits an d even more I t has t h e eyes of a pig large
, .
,

teeth and proj ecting tusks in proportion to the body : it is

, ,

the only animal that has no tongue : it does not move th e

lower j aw but is the only animal that brings down its upper
,

j aw to the under one I t has strong claws and a skin covered

.
,

wit h scales t h at can not b e b roken on the back I t is blind

,

—
.

in the water but very quick sighted on land ; and because it

,

lives f or t h e most part in th e water its mouth is filled with ,

leec h es All other birds and beasts avoid h im but h e is a t

.
,
1 10 H E R O D O T U S— B O O K II , E U T E RPE [68 73
-

p eace with the trochilus because he receives benefit f rom ,

that bird For when the crocodil e gets out of the water on
land and then opens its j aws which i t does most com monly
.

, ,

toward the west the trochilus enters its mouth and swallows
,

th e leeches : the crocodile is so well pleased with this service

that it never hurts the trochilus With some o f the Egyptians .

crocodiles are sacred ; with others not but they treat them ,

as enemies Those w h o dwell about Thebes and Lake Moeris

.

consider them to be very sacred ; and they each of them train

up a crocodile which is taught to be quite tame ; and they
,

put crystal s and gold ear rings into their ears and bracelets -

on their fore paws ; and they give them appointed and sacred
food and treat them as well as possible whil e al ive and when
, ,

dead they embalm th em and bury them in sacred vaults But , .

the people w h o dwell about the city of Elephantine eat them ,

not considering them sacred They are not called crocodiles .

by the Egyptians but champs ac , the I onians gave them

the name o f crocodiles because they thought they resembled
,

lizards which are also so called and which are found in the
, ,

hedges in their country The modes of taking the crocodile .

are many and various but I shall only describe that which,

seems to me most worthy o f relation When the fisherman .

has baited a hook with the chine o f a pig h e l ets it down into ,

the middl e o f the river and hol ding a young live pig on the
, ,

brink of the river beats it ; the crocodil e hearing the noise

, , ,

goes in its direction and meeting with the chine swallows

, ,

it ; but the men draw it to land : wh en it is drawn out on

shore th e sportsman first o f all plasters its eyes with mud ;
,

and having done this a fterward manages it very easily ; but

,

until h e has done this he has a great deal o f trouble The

,
.

hippopotamus is esteemed sacred in the district of P a p rem i s ,

but not so by the rest of the Egyptians This is th e nature .

-

of its shape : I t is a quadruped cloven footed with the hoofs ,

-

,
—
of an ox snub nosed h as th e mane of a horse proj ectin g
, ,

tusks and the tail and neigh o f a horse I n size he is equal

,
.

to a very large 0 x : his hide is so thick that spear handl es are -

made of it when dry O tters are also met with in th e river

.
,

which are deemed sacred : and among fish they consider that ,

which i s called the l epidotus and the eel sacred these they , , ,

say are sacred to the Nil e and among birds the vulpanser , ,
.

There 13 also another sacred bird called the ph oenix which , ,

I have never seen except in a picture ; for it sel dom makes

its appearance among them only once in five hundred years , ,

as the H e l i o p ol i t a n s a ffirm : they say that it comes on the

death o f its sire I f h e is like the picture h e is o f th e f ollow
.
,
1 12 H E R O D O T U S— B OO K I I, E U TE RPE 6—
[ 7 80

that o f the water snake ; but he has wings without f eathers

-

and as l ike as possible to the wings of a bat This must suf .

fi ce for the description of sacred animals .

O f the Egyptians those who inhabit that part o f Egypt

,

which is sown with corn in that they cultivate the memory of ,

past events more than any other men are the best in f ormed ,

of all with whom I have had intercourse Their manner of life .

is this : They purge themselves every month three days suc ,

c e s s i v e l y seeking to preserve health by emetics and clysters

, ,

f or they suppos e that all diseases to which men are subj ect
p roceed from the f ood they use And indeed in other respects .

the Egyptians next to the Libyans are th e most healthy peo

, ,

pl e in the worl d as I think on acco u nt of the seasons becau se

, , ,

they are not l iable to change ; f or men are most subj ect to
disease at periods o f change and above all others at the ,

change of the seasons They feed on bread of spelt made into .

,

loaves which they call c yl l e s t i s ; and they use wine made o f

,

barley for they have no v i nes in that country Some fish they
,
.

dry in th e sun and eat raw others salted with brine ; and o f
, ,

birds they eat quails ducks and smaller birds raw having , , ,

first salted them : all other things whether b irds or fishes , ,

that they have except such as are accounted sacred they eat
, ,

either roasted or boiled At their convivial banquets among .

,

the wealthy classes when th ey have finished supper a man, ,

carries round in a co ffin the image o f a dead body carved in

wood made as like as possible in col our and workmanship
, ,

and in size generally about one or two cubits in length ; and

showing this to each o f the company he says : Look upon ,

this then drink and enj oy yourself ; f or when dead you will
,
”
b e l ike this This practice they have at t h eir drinking parties
. .

They observe their ancient customs but acquire no new ,

ones Among other memorable customs they have one song

.
, ,

Linus which is sung in P h oenicia Cyprus and elsewhere ; in

, , ,

di ff erent nations it b ears a di ff erent name but it agrees so ,

exactly as to b e the same which th e Greeks sing under the ,

name of Linus So that among the many wonder f ul things

.

seen in Egypt this i s esp ecially wonderful whence they got

, ,

this Linus ; f or they seem to have sung it f rom time imme

morial The Linus in the Egyptian language is called
.

M a n e ro s ; and t h e Egyptians say that h e was the only son

o f th e first King of Egypt and that happening to die prema ,

t u rel y he was honoured by the Egyptians in this mourning

,

dirge : and this is the first and only song they have I n this .

other particular the Egyptians resembl e the Laced aemonians

only amon g all t h e Grecia ns t h e y oun g men when t h ey meet
8 0—
8 6] C U STO M S OF T H E E G Y PT I A N S I I 3

their elders give w a y and turn aside ; and w h en they a p

proach ris e from thei r seats I n the following custom th ey
, .

do not resemble any nation of the Greeks : instead o f a d

dressing one another i n the streets they salute by letting the ,

hand fall down as far as the knee They wear linen tunics .

f r1n g e d round the legs which they call c a l a s i ri s and over

, ,

these they thro w white woollen mantl es ; wooll en clothes ,

however are not carried into the temples nor are they buried
, ,

with them for that is accounted profane I n this respect they

, .

agree with the worshipp ers o f O rpheus an d B acchus w h o ,

are Egyptians and Pythagor eans For it is considered pro

'

f ane f or one w h o is initiated in these mysteries to b e buried

in woollen garments and a religious reason is given for this
,

custom .

These other things were also invented by th e Egyptians :

each month and day is assigned to some particular god ; an d
according to the day on which each person is born they de ,

termine what will b e fall him how h e will die and what kind , ,

o f p erson he will be And these things the Grecian poets have

.

made us e o f They have also discovered more prodigies than

.

all the rest o f the worl d ; f or when any prodigy occurs they ,

care f ully observe and write down the result ; and i f a similar
occurrence should happen a fterward t h ey think the result will
be th e same T h e art o f divination is in this condition : it is
.

attributed to no human b eing but only to some o f th e gods , .

For they h ave among t h em an oracl e o f H ercules Apollo , ,

M inerva D iana Mars and Jupiter ; and that whic h they hon
, , ,

our above all others is th e oracl e o f Latona in t h e city of B uto .

Their modes o f delivering oracles h owever are not all alike , , ,

but di ff er f rom each other T h e art o f medicine is thus di .

v i d e d among them : each p h ysician appl ies himsel f to one dis

ease only an d not more All places aboun d in physicians ;
, .

some physicians are for the eyes others f or the h ead others , ,

f or the teeth others for th e parts about th e belly and others

, ,

f or internal disorders .

Their manner o f mournin g and burying is as f ollows :

When in a family a man of any consideration dies all the ,

women o f t h at family besmear their heads and f aces wit h mud ,

and then leavin g the body in the house they wander ab out ,

th e city and b eat t h emselves having their clothes girt up

, , ,

and exposing th eir breasts and all their relations accompany ,

them O n the other hand the m en b eat themselves being

.
, ,

girt up in like manner When they have done this th ey

, .
,

carry out th e body to be embalmed There are persons w h o .

are appointed f or t h is very purpose ; they w h en th e dead ,

1 14 H E R O D O T U S— B O O K I I, E U TE RPE [ 8 6—88

body is brought to them show to the bearers wooden models ,

of corpses made exactly like by painting And they show

, .

that which they say is the most expensive manner of em

balming the name of which I do not think it right to men
,

tion on such an occasion ; they then show the second which ,

is inferior and less expensive ; and then the third which is ,

the cheapest Having explained them all they learn f rom

.
,

them in what way they W ish the body to be prepared ; then

the relatives when they have agreed on the price depart ; but
, ,

the embalmers remaining in the workshops thus proceed to

embalm in the most expensive manner First they draw out .

the brains through the nostrils with an iron hook taking part ,

of it out in this manner the rest by the in f usion o f drugs ,

.

Then with a sharp Ethiopian stone they make an incision i n

the side and take out all the bowels ; and having cl eansed
,

the abdomen and rins ed it with palm wine they n ext s p ri n kl e -

it with pounded p erfumes Then having filled the belly with .

pure myrrh pounded and C assia and other p er f umes f rank , , ,

incense excepted they s ew i t up again ; and when they have

,

done this they steep it in natrum leaving it under f or s eventy

, ,

days ; f or a longer time than this it is not lawful to steep it .

At the expiration of the seventy days they wash the corpse ,

and wrap th e whol e body in bandages of flaxen cloth smear ,

ing it with gum whi ch the Egyptians commonly use instead

,

o f glue After this the relatives having taken the body back
.
,

again make a wooden cas e in the shape of a man and h av

, ,

ing made it they inclose the body ; and thus having f astened
, ,

it up they store it in a sepulchral chamb er setting it upright

, ,

against th e wall I n this manner they prepare th e bodies that

.

are embalmed in th e most expensive way Those who avoid .

,

ing great expense desire the middl e w a y they prepare in the

, ,

f ollowing manner : When they have charged their syringes

with oil made f rom cedar they fill the ab domen of the corpse ,

without making any incision or taking out the bowels but ,

inj ect it at the f undament ; and having prevented the i nj ec

tion f rom escaping they steep the body in natrum f or the ,

prescrib ed numb er o f days and on the last day they let out ,

f rom the ab domen th e oil o f cedar wh ich they had be f ore i n

j e c t e d and,
it has suc h power that it brings away the intestines
and vitals in a state of dissolution ; the natrum dissolves the
fl esh and nothing of the body remains but the skin and the
,

bones When they have done this they return the body with
.

out any f urther op eration The third method of embalming .

is this which is us ed only f or the poorer sort : Having thor

,

ou ghly rinsed t h e ab domen in syrmaea the y s tee p it wi t h ,

1 16 H E R O D O T U S— B O O K 1 1, E U TE RPE [ 9 1 -

93

his mother : they add that by his order they instituted gym
nastic games in honour of him .

The Egyptians w h o dwell above th e morasses observe all

thes e customs ; but thos e w h o live in the morasses have the
same customs as the rest of the Egyptians and as in other ,

things so in this that each man has but one wi f e like the
, , ,

Greeks B ut to obtain food more easily they have the follow

.
,

ing inventions : When the river is full and has made the ,

plains like a s ea great numbers o f lilies which the E g yp

, ,

tians call lotus spring up in the water : these they gather and
,

dry in the sun ; then having pounded the middle of the lotus ,

which res embles a poppy they make b read of it an d bake it , .

The root also of this lotus is fit for food and is tolerably sweet ; ,

and is round and of the size o f an apple There are also other
, .

lil ies like roses that grow in th e river th e fruit of which is

, , ,

contained in a s eparate pod that springs up from the root ,

’
in form very like a wasp s nest ; in this there a re many berries
fit to b e eaten of the size of an olive stone and they are eaten
, ,

both fresh and dried The b y b l u s which is an annual plant .

, ,

when they have pulled it up in the fens they cut o ff the top ,

o f it and put to some other uses but the l ower part that is ,

l eft to th e length of a cubit they eat and sell Those w h o

, , .

are anxious to eat th e b y b l u s dressed in the most delicate

manner stew it in a hot pan and then eat it Some o f them
,
.

live entirely on fish which they catch and gut an d dry in the, , ,

sun and then eat them dried

, .

Fishes that are gregarious are seldom found in the rivers ,

but being bred in the lak es they proceed as follows : When ,

the desire o f engendering comes upon them th ey swim out ,

in shoals to the sea ; th e males lead the way scattering the ,

sperm ; and the f emales f ollowing swallow it and are thus ,

impregnated When th ey find themselves f ull in the sea

.
,

they swim back each to their accustomed haunts ; however

, ,

the mal es no longer take th e l ead but this is done by f emales : ,

they l eading th e w a y in shoals do as th e males did b e f ore ;

, ,

for they scatter their spawn by degrees and the males fol ,

lowing devour them ; but f rom the spawn that escapes and
are not devoured the fish that grow up are engendered Any
,
.

o f these fish that happen to be taken in their passage toward

the sea are f ound bruised on the l eft side o f th e head ; b ut
those that are t aken on their return are bruised on the right ;
and this proceeds from the f ollowing caus e : they swim out
to th e sea keeping close to the land on the l e ft side and when
, ,

they swim back again th ey keep to th e same shore huggin g ,

i t and touch ing it as much as possible f or f ear o f losing thei r ,

 —6 C U ST O M S O F T HE E G Y PT I A N S
93 9 ] ”7

way by the stream When th e N il e begins to over fl ow the

.
,

hollow parts of the land and the marshes n ear the river first
begin to be filled by the water oozing through f rom the river ;
and as soon as they are f ull they are immediately fill ed with ,

little fishes ; th e reason of which as I conj ecture is this : in , ,

the preceding year when the Nil e retreated th e fish that had
, ,

deposited their eggs in the marshy ground went away with

the last o f the waters ; but when as th e time came round the , ,

water has risen again fishes are immediately produced f rom ,

thes e eggs Thus it happens with respect to the fis h es

. .

The Egyptians who live about the fens use an oil drawn
f rom the f ruit of the s i l li c y p ri a which they call cici ; and they ,

make it in the following manner : They plant these s i l l i c y p ri a ,

which in Greece grow spont aneous and W ild on th e banks o f ,

the rivers and lakes : thes e when planted in Egypt bear , ,

abundance o f fruit though o f an o ff ensive smell When they

, .

have gathered it some bruise it and press out the oil ; others
,

boil and stew it an d collect the l iquid that flows from it ; this
,

is fat and no less suited f or lamps than olive oil ; but it emits
,
-

an o ff ensive smell They have the following contrivance to

.

protect th emselves f rom the mos quitoes which abound very ,

much : the towers are o f great service t o t h o s e w h o inhab it v

the upper parts o f the marshes ; f or the mos quitoes are pre
vented b y the winds from flying high ; but those w h o live
roun d th e marshes have contrived another expedient instead
o f th e towers Every man has a net with which in th e day he
.
,

takes fish and at night uses it in the f ollowing manner : I n

,

whatever bed he sleeps h e throws the net around it an d then , ,

getting in sl eeps under it : i f h e should wrap himself up in

,

his clothes or in linen the mosquitoes would bite through ,

them but they never attempt to bite through th e net

, .

Their ships in which they convey merchandise are made

o f the acacia which in shap e is very l ike th e C y r e n aea n lotus
, ,

and its exudation is gum From this acacia they cut planks .

about two cubits in length an d j oin them together like bricks , ,

building their ships in th e f ollowing manner : they f asten

th e planks o f two cubits l ength roun d stout and long ties :
when they have thus built th e hulls they lay bench es across ,

them They make no use o f ribs b ut calk the seams inside

.
,

with b y b l u s T h ey mak e onl y one rudder an d that is driven

.
,

through th e keel They use a mast o f acacia and sails o f

.
,

b yb l u s Thes e vessels are unabl e to sail up th e stream u nl ess

.

a fair wind prevails but are towed f rom th e shore Th ey are

,
.

thus carried down the stream : t h ere is a hurdle made o f

tamarisk wattled with a band o f reeds , and a s t o ne b ored
,
1 18 H E R O D O T U S— B OO K I I, E U TE R PE 6—
[9 99

through the middle of about two talents in weigh t ; o f these

,

two the hurdle is fastened to a cable and let down at the prow
, ,

o f the vessel to be carried on by the stream ; and the stone

by another cable at the ste m ; and by this means the hurdle ,

by the stream bearing hard upon it moves quickly and draws ,

along the baris ( for this is the name given to these vessels ) ,

but the stone being dragged at the stern and sunk to the ,

bottom keeps the vessel in its course They have very many
, .

o f these vessels and some of them carry many thousand tal

,

ents When th e Nil e inundates the country the cities alone

.
,

are seen above its sur face very like the islands in the i n n ,

Sea ; for all the rest o f Egypt becomes a sea and the cities ,

alone are above the sur face When this happens they navi .
,

gate no longer by the channel o f the river but across the ,

plain To a person sailing from Naucratis to M emphis the

.
,

passage is by the pyrami ds ; this however is not the usual , ,

course but by the point o f the D elta and the city of Cerca
,

sorus ; and in sailing from the sea an d Canopus to Naucratis

across the plain you will pass by the city of A n t h yl l a and
,

that call ed A rc h a n d ro p o l i s O f these An t h y ll a which is a .

, ,

city of importance is assigned to purchase shoes f or th e wife

,

o f the reigning King of Egypt ; and this has b een so as long

as Egypt has been subj ect to the Persians The othe r city .

appears to me to derive its name from the son i n law o f Da - -

naus A rc h a n d e r son of P h t h i u s and grandson o f Ach aeus ;

, , ,

f or it is called A r c h an d ro p o l i s There may indeed have been .

, ,

another A rc h a n d e r but the name is certainly not Egyptian

, .

Hitherto I have related what I have seen W hat I have ,

thought and what I have learned by inquiry : but from this

,

point I proceed to give the Egyptian account according to

what I heard ; and there is added to it something also of my
own observation The priests informed me that M enes who
.
,

first ruled over Egypt in the first place protected Memphis ,

by a mound ; for the whol e river f ormerly ran close to the

sandy mountain on th e side o f Libya ; but M enes b eginning ,

about a hundred stades above M emphis filled in the elbow ,

toward the south dried up the ol d channel and conducted

, ,

the river into a canal so as to make it flow between the moun ,

tains : th is bend of the Nil e which flows excl uded from its
1
,

ancient course is still care f ully upheld by th e Persians being

, ,

made secure every year ; for if the river shoul d break through
and overflow in this part there woul d b e danger l est all Mem
phis should be flooded When th e part cut o ff had been made .

firm land by this M enes who was first king he in the first , ,

1
Th a t is , t h o s e of Arab i a a nd Li b y a .
1 20 H E R O D O T U S—B O O K II , E U TE RPE [ 1 02-
1 05

c l a ri n g his own name and country an d how he had conquered ,

them by his power : but when he subdued any cities without

fighting and easily he made inscriptions on columns in the
,

same way as among the nations that had proved themselves

.

valiant ; and he had besides engraved on them the secret parts

of a woman wishing to m k e it known that th ey were cow
,

a rd l y. Thus doing he traversed the continent until having

, , ,

crossed from Asia into Europe he subdued the Scythians , ,

and Thracians : to these the Egyptian army appears to me

to have reached and no farther ; for in their country the col
,

u m n s appear to have been erected but nowhere beyond them , .

From thence wheeling round he went back again ; and when

, ,

he arrived at the river Phasis I am unable after this to say ,

with certainty whether King Sesostris himself having de ,

t a c h e d a portion of his army left the m there to settle in that ,

country or whether some of the soldiers being wearied with

, ,

his wandering expedition of their o w n accord remained by ,

the river Phasis For th e Colchians were evidently Egyptians

.
,

and I say this having mysel f observed it before I heard it

,

from others ; and as it was a matter of interest to me I i n ,

quired o f both p eople and the Col chians had more r e c o ll e c

,

tion o f th e Egyptians than the Egyptians had of the Col chians

yet the Egyptians said that they thought the Colchians were
descended from the army o f Sesostris ; and I formed my con
j e c t u r e not
,
only because they are swarthy and curly headed -

f or this amounts to nothing b ecause others are so likewise , ,

but chiefly f rom the following circumstances because the Col ,

chians Egyptians and Ethiopians are the only nations o f the

, ,

world who from the first have practised circumcision F or

, , .

the Ph oenicians and the Syrians in Palestine acknowledge

, ,

that they l earned the custom from th e Egyptians ; and the

Syrians about T h e rm o d o n and the river Parthenius with their ,

neighbours th e M a c ro n e s confess that they very lately learned,

the same custom f rom the Colchians And thes e are the .

only nations that are circ u mcised and thus appear evidently ,

to act in the same manner as th e Egyptians B ut of the E g y p .

tians and Ethiopians I am unable to say which l earned it from

the other for it is evidently a very ancient custom And this
,
.

appears to me a strong proo f that the Ph oenicians learned this

practice through their intercours e with the Egyptians f or all ,

the Ph oenicians who have any commerce with Greece no

longer imit a te th e Egyptians in this usage but abstain f rom ,

circumcising th eir children I will now mention anot h er fact .

respecting the Colchians how they res embl e the Egyptians ,

.

They alone and the Egyptians manufacture l inen in the same

1 0 5 —1 0 8 ] E X PE D I T IO N O F S E SO ST R IS 121

manner ; and th e whole w a y of l iving an d th e l ang u age is , ,

similar in both nations ; but the Colchian linen is called by

the Greeks Sardonic though that which comes from Egypt ,

is called Egyptian As to th e pillars which S esostris King of

.
,

Egypt erected in the di ff erent countries most of them are

, ,

evidently no longer in existence but in Syrian Palestine I ,

myself s a w some still remaining and th e inscriptions before ,

mentioned still on them There are also in I onia t w o i m .

ages o i this king carved on ro cks one on the w a y f rom

, ,

E p h e s i a to Phoc aea the other from Sardis to Smyrna

,
In .

both places a man is carved f our cubits and a half high

‘

, ,

holding a spear in his right hand and in his left a b o w and , ,

the rest o f his equipment in unison f or it is partly E g y p ,

tian and partly Ethiopian ; from on e shoul der to the other

across the breast extend sacred Egyptian characters e n
graved which have the f ollowing meaning : “I A CQ UI RED
W
,
”
T H I S R E GI O N B Y M Y O N S H O U LD E R S Who or whence he .

i s he does not here show but has elsewhere made known

, ,
.

Some w h o have seen these monuments have conj ectured them

to be images o f M emnon herein being very far from the ,

truth .

The priests sai d moreover o f this Egyptian S esostris that ,

returning and bringing with him many men from the nations
whose territories he had sub dued when he arrived at the Pelu ,

sian D a p h n ae his broth er to whom h e had committed the

, ,

government of Egypt invited him to an entertainment and , ,

his sons with him an d caused wood to be piled up round the

,

house and having caused it to b e piled up set it on fire : but

, ,

that Sesostris being informed o f this immediately consulted

, ,

with his wife for h e took his wife with h im ; and sh e advised
,

him to extend two o f his six sons across the fire and form ,

a bridge over the b urning mass and that the rest should ,

step on them an d make their escape Sesostris did so and .

,

two of his sons were in this manner burned to death but the ,

rest together with their father were saved Sesostris hav

, , .

ing returned to Egypt an d taken revenge on his brother , ,

employed the multitude of prisoners whom h e brought from

the countries he had subdued in the following works : these ,

were the persons w h o drew the huge stones which in the ,

time o f this king were conveyed to the Templ e of V ul can ;

,

they too were compelled to dig all the canals now seen in
, ,

Egypt ; by their involuntary labour they made Egypt which ,

before w a s throughout practicable for hors es and carriages ,

u n fit for thes e purposes ; for from that time Egypt though ,

I t w a s one l evel plain became impassabl e f or horses or car

,
1 22 H E RODOT US —
BOOK I I, E U TE RPE [ 1 0 8 —1 1 1

ri a g es and this is caused by the canals which are numerous

; ,

and in every direction B ut the king intersected the country

.

f or this reason : such of the Egyptians as occupied the cities

n o t on the river but inland when the river receded being
, , ,

in want of water were forced to use a brackish b everage which

,

they drew from wells ; and for this reason Egypt w a s inter
s e ct e d .They said also that this king divided the country
among all the Egyptians giving an equal square allotment ,

to each ; and from th ence he drew his revenues having re ,

quired them to pay a fixed tax every year ; but i f the river
’
happened to take away a part of any one s allotment he w as ,

to come to him and make known what had happened ; where

upon the king s ent persons to inspect and measure how much
the land w a s diminished that in future he might pay a pro
,

p o rt i o n a t e part of the appointed tax H ence land measuring .

-

a ppears to me to have had its beginning and to have passed ,

—
over into Greece ; f or th e pol e and the sun dial and the divi ,

sion of the day into twelve parts the Greeks l earned f rom ,

the Babylonians This king was the only Egyptian that

.

’
ruled over Ethiopia ; and he left as memorials be f ore V ulcan s
Templ e statues of stone ; t w o o f thirty cubits himsel f and ,

his wi fe ; and his four sons each o f twenty cubits A lon g ,

.

time afterward th e priest of V ulcan woul d not su ff er Darius

,

the Persian to place his statue be f ore th em saying that deeds ,

had not been ach ieved by him equal to those of Sesos

tris th e Egyptian : for that Sesostris had subdued other na
tions not fewer than Darius had done and the S cythians
, ,

besides ; but that Darius w a s not able to conquer the S c y t hi

ans ; W herefore it w a s not right for one w h o had not sur
passed him in achievements to place his statue before his o ff er
ings They relate however that Darius pardoned these ob
.
, ,

s e rv a t i o n s .

After th e death of Sesostris they said that his son P h e ro n ,

succ e eded to the kingdom ; that he undertook no military ex

p e d i t i o n and happened
,
to become bl ind through the f ollow
ing occurrence : The river having risen a very great height
f or that time to eighteen cubits wh en it o v e rfl o w e d the fields
, , ,

a storm o f W ind arose and the river w a s tossed about in

,

waves ; whereupon they say that the king with great arro
gance laid hol d of a j avelin and threw it into the midst o f ,

the eddies o f the river ; and that immediately a fterward he .

w a s seized with a pain in his eyes and became blind He ,

.

continued blind f or ten years ; but in the eleventh year an

oracl e reach ed him from t h e city of B uto importing that ,

t h e time o f h is punishment w a s ex p ired and h e s h ould re ,

1 24 O —
H E R D T U S BOO K
O II , E U TE RPE [ 1 1 3—1 1 6

with regard to Hel en and his inj ustice toward M enelaus , .

Thes e accusations were made to the priests and the governor ,

of that mouth whose name w a s T h o n i s T h o n i s having heard

, .

this immediately s ent a message to Proteus at M emphis to

, ,

the following e ff ect : A stranger of Troj an race has arrived ,

after having committed a nefarious deed in Greece for hav ,

ing beguiled the wife of his o w n host he has brought her with ,

him and very great treasures having been driven by winds

, ,

to this land Whether then shall w e allow him to depart

.
, ,

unmol ested or shall we seize what he has brought with him ?

,

Proteus sent back a messenger with the following answer

Seize this man whoever he may b e that has acted so wick
, ,

e d l y toward his host and bring him to me that I may know

, ,
”
what he will say for himself T h o n i s having received this .

message s eized Paris and detained his ships ; and then sent
, ,

him up to M emphis with Hel en and his treasures and besides ,

the suppliants also When all were carried up Proteus asked

.
,

Paris w h o h e was and whence h e had sailed ; an d he gave

,

him an account of his family and tol d him the name of his ,

country and moreover describe d his voyage and from whence

, ,

h e had set sail Then Proteus asked him whence he got

.

Helen ; and when Paris prevaricated in his account and did ,

not speak the truth they w h o had become suppliants accused

,

him relating the whole account of his crime At last Pro

“
.
,

teus pronounced this j udgment saying : I f I did not think ,

it o f great moment not to put any stranger to death who ,

being prevented by the winds from pursuing his course has ,

come to my territory I woul d take vengeance on you on ,

b ehalf of the Grecian you basest of men who after you had
, , ,

met with hospitabl e treatment have committed the most n e ,

f a r i o u s deed : you s educed the wife o f your host an d this did ,

not content you but having excited her passions you have
, ,

taken her away by stealth Nor even did this content you .
,

but you have also robb ed the hous e o f your host and come ,

hither with the spoils : now therefore since I deem it o f , ,

great moment not to put a stranger to death I will not su ff er ,

you to carry away this woman or this treasure but I will keep ,

them for your Grecian host until he please to come himsel f

an d take them away ; as f or you and your shipmates I bid ,

you depart out of my territory to some other within three

”
days ; if not you shall b e treat ed as enemies
, .

The priests gave this account of the arrival o f Helen at

the court of Proteus And Homer appears to me to have .

h eard this relation but it was not equally suited to epic poetry
as the other which he has made use of wherefore he has re ,
 —1 1 8 ]
1 16 H E LE N IN E G Y PT 125

e ct e d
j it t h oug h ,he has plainly shown that he was acq u ainted
with this account also And this is evident since h e has .
,

described in the I liad ( an d has nowhere else retraced his

steps ) the wanderings o f Paris how while he was carrying , ,

o ff Hel en he was driven out of his course and wandered to

, ,

other places an d how h e arrived at Sidon of Ph oenicia : and

,

he has mentioned it in the exploits of D iomede his verses ,

are as follows : Where were the variegated rob es works o f ,

S idonian women which godl ike Paris himself brought from

,

Sidon sailing over the wide sea along the course by which
, ,
” 1
he conveyed high born H elen H e mentions it also in the
-
.

”
O dyssey in the following lines : S uch well chosen drugs
,
-

had the daughter of Jove of excell ent qual ity which Poly , ,

damna gave her the Egyptian wi f e of T h o n i s where the

, ,

f ruitful earth produces many drugs many excell ent when ,

” 2
mixed an d many noxious
, M enelaus also says th e f ollow
.

ing to Telemachus : Th e gods detained me in Egypt though ,

anxious to return hither because I did not o ff er p er f ect heca

”
tombs to them H e shows in these verses that he was
.
3

acquainted with the wandering of Paris in Egypt ; f or Syria

borders on Egypt ; and the Ph oenicians to whom Sidon b e ,

longs inhabit Syria From these verses and this first passage
, .
,

especially it is clear that Homer was not th e author of th e

,

Cyprian verses , but some other person For in the Cyprian .

verses it is said that Paris reached I lium from Sparta on th e ,

third day when h e carried o ff H elen having met with a

, ,

f avourabl e win d and a smooth s ea ; whereas Homer in the

I liad says that he wandered f ar whil e taking her with him .

And now I take my l eave o f Homer and the Cyprian verses .

When I asked the priests whether the Greeks tell an idl e

story about the Troj an war or not they gave me th e f ollow , ,

ing answer saying that they knew it by inquiry from M ene

,

laus himself : That after the rape o f H el en a vast army o f ,

Grecians came to the land of T e u c ri a to assist M enelaus ;

and that when th e army had landed and p itch ed their camp ,

they sent ambassadors to I l ium and that M enelaus himsel f ,

went with t h em : when they reach ed the walls they demanded ,

the restitution o f Hel en and the treasures that Paris had stolen
,

from h im an d satisfaction for th e inj uries done : that the

,

Troj ans tol d th e same story then and ever after both when ,

put to th e oath and when not swearing that they had neither ,

H el en nor the treasures about which they were acc u sed but ,

that they were all in Egypt ; an d that th ey coul d not with

j ustice be answerabl e f or what Prote u s th e Egyptian king , ,

I li a d , v i : 28 9 . Odys s ey , i v : 22 7 .
3
Od ys s ey, i v : 35 k .
1 26 HER D TU
O O S —BOOK I I, E U T E RPE [ 1 1 8 —1 2 0

had in his possession : b ut the Greeks thinking they were ,

derided by them therefore besi eged them until they took their
,

city When after they had taken the fortifications Helen

.
, ,

was nowhere found but they heard the same story as b e

,

f ore then they gave credit to the first account and sent Mene
, ,

laus himsel f to Proteus When M enelaus reached Egypt .

,

h e sailed up to M emphis and related the real truth : he both ,

met with very hospitable entertainment and received back ,

Helen unharmed and in addition all his treasures M enelaus

, .
,

however though he met with this treatment behaved very

, ,

iniquitously to the Egyptians : for when he was desirous o f

sailing away contrary winds detained him ; and when this
,

continued the same for a long time h e had recourse to a ,

ne farious expedient ; for having taken two children o f the

people of the country he sacrificed them ; but afterward when
, ,

it was discovered that he had done this deed he was detested ,

and persecuted by the Egyptians and fled with his ships to ,

Libya : whither he bent his cours e f rom thence the E g yp ,

tians were unable to say ; but of the above particulars they

said they knew some by inquiry and others having taken , ,

place among themselves th ey were able from their own knowl,

edge to speak o f with certainty These things the priests .

o f the Egyptians related ; an d I myself agree with the a c

count that is given respecting Helen from the following con ,

siderations : I f Helen had b een in I lium sh e woul d have been ,

restored to the Grecians whether Paris were willing or not , .

For surely Priam coul d not have b een so infatuated nor the ,

others h is relatives as to be willing to expose their own per

,

sons their children and the city to danger in order that

, , ,

Paris might cohabit with Helen B ut even if at first they .

had taken this resolution yet seeing that many of the other ,

Troj ans perished whenever they engaged with the Greeks

, ,

and that on every occasion when a battle took place two or ,

three or even more of Priam s o w n sons f ell i f w e may speak ’

,

on the authority of the epic poets — when such things hap

pened I think that if Priam himself were cohabiting with
, ,

Helen he would have restored her to th e Greeks in order to

, ,

b e delivered f rom such present evils N eithe r woul d th e king .

dom devolve upon Paris so that when Priam was now old , ,

the administration of a ff airs shoul d fall upon him ; but H ector ,

w h o w a s both ol der and more a man than he was would ,

succeed to th e throne on the death of Priam ; nor did it b e

come him to give way to his brother when acting unj ustly ,

and this too when through his means so many evils w e re f al l '

ing on himself and on all the rest of the Troj ans B ut indeed
,
.
1 28 H E ROD OT U S —
BOOK II , E U TE RPE [ 1 21

there f ore in what a predicament he was he immediately called

, ,

to his brother and tol d him what had happened a n d bade

, ,

him enter as quick as possible and cut o ff his head lest if , , ,

he was s een and recognised he shoul d ruin him also : the ,

other thought that he spoke well and did as he was advised ; ,

then having fitted in the stone he r eturned home taking

, , ,
’
with him his brother s head When day came the king h av .
, ,

ing entered the chamber was astonished at seeing the body ,

of the thief in the trap without the head but the chamber ,

secure and without any means of entrance or exit I n this

, .

perpl exity h e contrived the following plan : he hung up the

body of the thief from the wall and having placed sentinels ,

there he ordered them to seize an d bring before him whom

,

soever they shoul d see weeping or expressing commiseration

at the spectacle The mother was greatly grieved at the body
.

being suspended and coming to words with her surviving

,

son commanded him by any means he could to contrive

, , ,

how he might tak e down and bring away the corpse of his
brother ; but shoul d he negl ect to do so she threatened to
, ,

go to the king and inform him that he had the treasures

, .

When the mother treated her surviving son harshly and when ,

with many entreaties he was unable to persuade her he con ,

t r i v e d the following plan : Having got some asses and having ,

filled some skins with wine he put them on the asses and , ,

then drove them along ; but when he came near the sentinels
that guarded the suspended corpse having drawn out two ,

or three of th e necks of the skins that hung down h e loosened ,

them ; and when the wine ran out h e b eat his head and cried , ,

out aloud as if he knew not to which o f the asses he shoul d

,

turn first : and the sentinels when they saw wine flowing in ,

abundance ran into the road with vessels in their hands

, , ,

caught the wine that w a s being spilt thinking it all th eir own ,

gain ; but the man f eigning anger railed bitterly against them
, ,

all ; however as the s entinels soothed him he at length pre

, ,

tended to b e pacified an d to forego his anger ; at last he ,

drove his asses out of th e road and s et them to rights again ,

.

When more conversation passed and one of the sentinel s ,

j oked with him an d moved him to laughter he gave them ,

another of the skins ; an d they j ust as they were lay down , ,

and s et to to drink and j oined h i m t o their party and invited '

him to stay and drink with them ; h e was p ersuaded forsooth , ,

and remained with them ; and as th ey treated him kindly d u r

ing the drinking he gave them another of the skins ; a n d
,

the sentinels having taken very copious draughts became

, ,

e xceedingly drunk and b eing overpowered by the wine f ell, ,

1 21 —1 2 2] T H E T RE A S U RE O F R H A M PS I N IT US 1 29

asleep on the spot where they had been drinking B ut he .

,

as the night w a s far advanced took down the body of h is ,

brother and by w a y o f insult shaved the right cheeks o f all

,

the sentinels ; then having laid th e corpse on the asses he ,

’
drove home having per f ormed his mother s inj unctions The
,
.

king when he was informed that the body of th e thie f had

,

been stolen w a s exceedingly indignant and resolving by any

, ,

means to find out the contriver o f this artifice had recourse , ,

as it is said to the following plan a design which to me seems

, ,

incredibl e : He placed his own daughter in a broth el and o r ,

dered her to admit all alik e to her embraces b ut before they ,

had intercourse with her to compel each one to tell her what ,

he had done during his li f e most clever and most wicked ,

and whosoever should tell her the f acts relating to the thief ,

she was to seize and not su ff er h im to escape When there

, .
,

f ore the daughter did what her f ather commanded th e thie f

, , ,

having ascertained for what purpose this contrivance was had

recourse to and b eing desirous to outdo the king in c ra ft i
,

ness did as follows : Having cut o ff the arm o f a fresh corpse

,

at the shoulder he took it with him under his cloak and hav
, ,
’
ing gone in to the king s daughter and b eing asked the same ,

questions as all the rest were h e related that h e had done ,

the most wicked thing when he cut o ff his brother s h ead ’

’
who was caught in a trap in the king s treasury ; and the
most cl ever thing when havin g made the sentinels drunk h e , ,

took away the corpse o f his brother that was hung up : she ,

when sh e heard this endeavoured to seize him but the thie f , ,

’
in the dark h eld out to her th e dead man s arm and she seized ,

it and hel d it f ast imagining that sh e had got hol d o f the

,

man s own arm ; then the th ie f having l et it go made his

’
, ,

escape through the door When this also was reported to .

the king he was astonished at th e shrewdness and daring o f

,

the man ; an d at last s ending throughout all the c i ties he , ,

caused a proclamation to b e made o ff ering a free pardon , ,

and promising great reward to th e man i f h e woul d discover ,

himself The thief relying on this promise went to th e king s

.
, ,
’

palace ; and Rh a m p s i n i t u s greatly admired him and gave him

his daughter in marriage accounting him the most knowing ,

of all men ; f or that th e Egyptians are superior to all others ,

but he was superior to the Egyptians .

A fter this they said that this king descended alive into
,

the place which th e Greeks call Hades and there played at ,

dice with Ceres and sometimes won and other times lost ;, ,

and that he came up aga i n an d brought with him as a pres

ent f rom her a napkin o f gol d O n account o f th e descent o f .

9
1 30 H E R O D O T U S—B O O K II , E U TE RPE [ 1 22 —1 24

Rh a m p s i n i t u s
since he came back again they said that the
,

Egyptians celebrated a festival this I know they observed .

even i n my time but whether they held this feast for some
,

other reason or for that above mentioned I am unable to

, ,

say However on that same day the priests having woven

.
, , ,

a cloak bind the eyes of one of their number with a scar f and
, ,

having conducted him with the cloak on him to the w ay that

leads to the Temple of Ceres they then return : upon which ,

they say this priest with his eyes bound is led by two wolves
,

to the Temple of Ceres twenty stades distant from the city , ,

and afterward the wolves lead him back to the same place .

Any person to whom such things appear credible may adopt

the accounts given by th e Egyptians ; it is my obj ect how ,

ever throughout the whol e history to write what I hear from

, ,

each p eople The Egyptians say that Ceres and Bacchus

.

hol d the chief sway in the infernal regions ; and the E g y p

tians also were the first w h o asserted the doctrine that the
soul o f man is immortal and that when the body p erishes it ,

enters into some other animal constantly s p ri n g i n g i n t o ex ,

i s t e n c e ; and when it has passed through the di ff erent k inds

o f terrestrial marine and a erial beings it again enters into
, , ,

the body o f a man that is born ; and that this revolution is

made in three thousan d years Some o f the Greeks have .

adopted this opinion some earlier others later as i f it were

, , ,

their own ; but although I knew their names I do not men

tion them .

N o w they tol d me that in the reign o f R h a m p s i n i t u s there

,

w a s a p erfect distribution of j ustice and that all Egypt was in ,

a high state of prosperity ; but that a fter him Cheops com ,

ing to reign over them plunged into every kind o f wicked ,

ness For that having shut up all the temples he first o f all
.
, ,

f orbade them to o ff er sacrifice and afterward he ordered all ,

the Egyptians to work f or himself ; some accordingly were , ,

appointed to draw stones f rom t h e quarries in the Arabian

mountain down to the Nil e others h e ordered to receive the ,

stones when transported in vessels across th e river and to ,

drag them to the mountain called the Libyan And they .

worked to the numb er of a hundred thousan d men at a time ,

each party durin g three months The time during which .

the p eopl e were t h us harassed by toil lasted ten years on the

road which they constructed along which they drew the ,

stones a work in my opinion not much less than the pyra

, , ,

mi d : f or its l ength 1s five stades and its width ten o rg yae and , ,

its height where i t is the highest eight o rg y ae ; and it is o f

, ,

polished stone with figures carved on it : on this road then

,
1 24 -
1 27 ] B U IL D I N G T HE P Y RAM I D S 1 31

ten years were expended and in forming the subterranean ,

apartments on the hill on which th e pyramids stand which , ,

he had made as a burial vault for himself in an island formed , ,

by draining a canal from the Nile Twenty years were spent .

in erecting the pyramid itself : of this which is s quare each , ,

face is eight p l e t h ra and the height is the same ; it i s com

,

posed of polished stones and j ointed with the greatest exact ,

ness ; none o f the stones are l ess than thirty feet This pyra .

mid w a s buil t thus : i n the form o f steps which some call ,

cross ac others b o m i d e s When they had first built it in this

, .

manner they raised the remaining stones by machines made

,

of short pieces of wood : having lifted them f rom the ground

to the first range of steps when the stone arrived there it , ,

was p ut on another machin e that stood ready on the first

range ; and from this it was drawn to the second range on a n
other machine ; f or the machines were equal in number to the
ranges o f steps ; or they removed the machine which was ,

only one and portabl e to each range in succession when

, , ,

ever they wished to raise the stone higher ; for I shoul d relate
it in both ways as it is related The highest parts o f it there
, .
,

f ore were first finished and afterward they completed the

, ,

parts next f ollowing ; but last of all they finishe d the parts
on the ground an d that were lowest O n the pyramid is
, .

shown an inscription in Egyptian characters how much was, ,

expended in radishes onions and garl ics for the workmen ; , ,

which the interpreter as I well remember reading the in , ,

scription told me amounted to one thousand six hundred tal

,

ents o f silver An d i f this b e really the case how much more

.
,

w a s probably expended in iron tools in bread and in cl oth es , ,

f or the labourers since they occupied in buil ding the works

,

the time which I mentioned and no short time b esides as I , ,

think in cutting an d drawing the stones and in f orming the

, ,

subterranean excavations ! I t is related that Cheops reached

such a degree o f in famy that b eing in want of money h e , ,

prostituted his o w n daughter in a brothel and ordered her ,

to extort t h ey did not say how much ; but sh e exacted a cer

,

tain sum o f money privately as much as her f ather ordered

, ,

her ; and sh e contrived to l eave a monument of hersel f and ,

asked every one that came in to h er to give her a stone to

ward the edifice sh e designed : o f these stones they said th e
pyramid was built that stands in the mi ddle o f the three b e ,

fore the great pyramid each side o f which is a plethron and ,

a hal f in l en g th The Egyptians say that this Ch eops reigned

.

fifty years ; and when h e died his b roth er Chep h ren suc ,

c ee d e d to the kingdom ; and h e f ollowed t h e same practices as

1 3 2 H E R O D O T U S—B O O K II, E U TE RPE [ 1 27 1 -

3 1

the other both in other respects and in building a pyramid ;

, ,
’
which does not come up to the dimensions of his brother s ,

f or I myself measured them ; nor has it subterranean cham

b e rs ; nor does a channel from the N il e flow to it as to the ,

other ; but this flows through an artificial aqueduct round an

island within in which they say the body of Cheops is laid
, .

Having laid the first course of variegated Ethiopian stones ,

less in height than the other by f orty feet h e built it near the ,

large pyramid They both stand on the same hill which is

.
,

about a hundred feet high Chephren they said reigned fi ft y .

, ,

six years Thus one hundred and six years are reckoned
.
,

during which the Egyptians su ff ered all kinds of calamities ,

and f or this length of time the temples were closed and never
opened From th e hatred th ey bear them the Egyptians are
.
,

not very willing to mention their names ; but call the pyra
mids after P h i l i t i o n a shepherd who at that time kept his
, ,

cattle in those parts .

They said that a fter him M ycerinus son of Cheops , , ,

reigned over Egypt ; that the conduct of his f ather w a s dis

pleasing to him ; and that he opened the temples and per ,

m i t t e d the people who were worn down to the last extremity

, ,

to return to their employments and to sacrifices ; and that he ,

made the most j ust decisions o f all their kings O n this acco u nt .
,

o f all the kings that ever reigned in Egypt they praise him ,

most f or he both j udged well in other respects and more

, ,

over wh en any man complained of his decision he used to

, ,

make him some pres ent out of his own treasury and paci fy
his anger To this Mycerinus w h o was thus b e n e fi c e n t to
.
,

ward his subj ects and who f ollowed thes e practices the first
, ,

beginning o f misfortunes was the death of his daughter who ,

was his onl y chil d : whereupon he being extremely a fflicted ,

with the calamity that had b efall en him and wishing to bury ,

her in a more costl y manner than usual caused a hollow ,

wooden image o f a cow to b e made and then having covered , ,

it with gol d h e put th e body o f his deceased daughter into it

,
.

This cow was not interred in the ground but even in my time ,

was exposed to view b eing in the city o f Sais placed in the , ,

royal palace in a richly furnished chamber ; and they burn

,

near it all kinds of aromatics every day and a lamp is kept ,

burning by it throughout each night I n anoth er chamber .

’
near to this cow are placed the images of Mycerinus s co n c u
bines as the priests o f Sais a ffirmed ; and indeed wooden stat
,

ues about twenty in number all formed naked are placed

, , ,

there ; however as to who they are I am unable to say ex

, , ,

cept what was told me Some peopl e give the f ollowing ac .

1 34 H E RODOTU S - ~

BOOK II , E U TE RPE [ 1 34 -
1 36

it is quadrangular an d built hal f way up of Ethiopian stone

,
-
.

Some of the Grecians erroneously say that this pyramid is the

work of the courtesan R hodopis ; b ut they evidently appear
to me ignorant w h o R hodopis w a s ; for they woul d not else
have attributed to her the building such a pyramid on which , ,

so to speak numberless thousands of talents were expended ;

,

besides R hodopis flourished in the reign o f A m a s i s and not at

, ,

th is time ; f or she was very many years later than those kings
w h o left these pyramids B y birth she was a Thracian serv .
,

ant to I a d m o n son of H e p h ms t o p o l i s a Samian and fellow

, , ,

servant with ZE S O p t h e w ri t e r of fables f or he too belonged

,
\
,

to I a d m o n as is clearly proved by this circumstance : When

,

the D el p h i an s frequently made proclamation in obedience to ,

the oracle for any one w h o woul d require satisfaction for

,

the death of ZE S O p no one else appeared but another I a d , ,

mon th e grandson of this I a d m o n required it ; thus ZEs o p

, ,

must have belon ged to I a d m o n R hodopis came to Egypt .

,

under th e conduct of Xanthus the Samian and having come

to gain money by her person she w a s ransomed for a large ,

sum by Ch a ra x u s o f M itylene son to S c am a n d ro n y m u s and , ,

brother o f Sappho the poetess Thus R hodopis was made .

f ree and continued in Egypt and being very lovely acquired

, , ,

great rich es for a person o f her condition though no way ,

su fficient to erect such a pyramid For as any one who wishes .

may to this day see the tenth of her wealth there is no need ,

to attribute any great wealth to h er For R hodopis was de .

siro n s of leaving a monument to hersel f in Greece and hav , ,

ing had such a work made as no one ever yet devised and
dedicated in a temple to off er it at D elphi as a memorial o f ,

herself : having therefore made from the tenth of h er wealth

a great number of iron spits for roasting oxen as far as the ,

tenth allowed she sent them to D elphi ; which are still piled
,

up b ehind the altar which the Chians dedicated opposite th e ,

templ e itsel f The courtesans o f Naucratis are generally very

.

lov ely ; f or in th e first place this one of whom this account is ,

given became so famous that all the Greeks became f amiliar

,

with the name o f R hodopis ; and in the next place a fter ,

her another whose name was A rc h i d i c e became cel ebrated

, , ,

throughout Greece though less talked about than the former ,

.

As f or C h a ra x u s when having ransomed R hodopis he r e

, , ,

turned to M ityl ene Sappho gibed him very much in an ode ,

.

Now I have done speaking of R hodopis .

After Mycerinus the priests sai d that As y c h i s became ,

King of Egypt and that h e built the eastern portico to the

,

Templ e of V ul can which i s by f ar the most beautiful and the

,
 T HE TE M PLE or B UB A ST I S 1 35

largest : f or all the porticoes have sculptured figures an d an ,

infinite variety of architecture but this most o f all They ,

.

related that during his reign there being a great want o f cir ,

culation of money a law w a s made by the Egyptians that a

,

man by giving the dead body of his father in pledge might

, ,

borrow money ; and it w a s also added to this law that the

lender should have power over the whol e sepul ch re of the bor
rower ; and that on any one w h o gave this pl edge the follow
ing punishment shoul d be inflicted : if he afterward refused to
repay the debt that neither he himself when he died should
, , ,

be buried in his family sepulchre or in any other nor have , ,

th e liberty o f burying any other of his o w n dead This king .

being desirous of surpassing his predecessors who were Kings

of Egypt l eft a pyramid as a memorial made of bricks ; on
, , ,

which is an inscription carved on stone in the f ollowing ,

words : D o not despis e me in comparison with the pyramids

of stone for I excel them as much as Jupiter the other gods
, .

For by plunging a pol e into a lake and collectin g the mire ,

that stuck to the pole men made bricks and in this manner
, ,

built me Such were the works that this king per f ormed
. .

A fter him there reigned a blind man of the city of An y s i s

, ,

whose name w a s A n y s i s During his reign the Ethiopians

.
,

and Sab a c o n King of the Ethiopians i n v a d e d E g yp t with a

, ,

large f orce ; whereupon this blind king fl ed to the fens and

the Ethiopian reigned over Egypt for fifty years during which ,

time he performed the following actions : When any Egyptian

co mmitted any crime he woul d not have any of them put to
,

death but passed sentence upon each according to the magni

,

tude o f his o ff ence e nj oining them to heap up mounds against

,

their own city to which each of the o ff enders belonged : an d

by this means th e cities were made much higher ; f or first
o f all they had been raised by those w h o dug the canals in
the time of King Sesostris and secondly under the Ethiopian, , ,

they were made very high Although other cities in Egypt .

were carried to a great height in my opinion the greatest , ,

mounds were thrown up about th e city of B u b a s t i s in which ,

is a Temple of B u b a s t i s well worthy o f mention ; f or though

other templ es may b e larger an d more costly yet none is more ,

pleasing to look at than this B u b a s t i s in the Grecian lan .

,

guage answers to D iana H er sacred precinct is thus situ

,
.

ated : All except th e entrance is an island ; for two canal s

from th e Nil e extend to it not mingling with each other but
, ,

each reaches as far as the entrance of th e precinct one fl o w ,

ing round it on one side the other on th e other Each is a

, .

hu ndred f eet broad and shaded wi t h tre es

, T h e p or t i c o is .
1 36 H E R O D O T U S—B O O K 11 , E U T E RPE [ 1 38 —1 4 1

ten o rg y ae in height and is adorned with figures six cubits

,

high that are deserving of notice This precinct being in

, .
,

the middle of the city is visible on every side to a person

,

going round it : for as the city has been mounded up to a con

s i d e ra b l e height but the temple has not b een moved it is
, ,

conspicuous as it was originally built A wall sculptured with .

figures runs round it ; and within is a grove o f lofty trees ,

planted around a large temple in which the image is placed .

The wi dth and length of the precinct is each way a stade .

Along the entrance is a road paved with stone about three ,

stades in length leading through the square eastward ; and

,

in width it is about four p l e t h ra : on each side of the road

grow trees o f enormous height : it l eads to the Temple o f
M ercury Such then is the situation o f this precinct They
.
, ,
.

related that th e final departure o f th e Ethiopian occurred in

the f ollowing manner : That he having seen a vision o f the ,

following kind in his sl eep fl ed away : it appeared to him that ,

a man standing by him advised him to ass emble all the priests
, ,

in Egypt and to cut them in two down the middle ; but he

, ,

having seen this vision said that he thought the gods held ,

out this as a pretext to him in order that he having been , ,

guilty of impiety in reference to sacred t hings might draw ,

down some evil on himsel f from gods or from men ; he wo u ld

not therefore do so ; but as the time was expired d u ring w h ic h
it was foretol d that he shoul d reign over Egypt h e would ,

depart from the country ; for wh il e he was yet in Ethiopia ,

the oracles which the Ethiopians have recourse to answered

that he w a s fated to reign over Egypt fifty years Since then .
, ,

this period had elapsed and the vision of the dream troubled
,

him S a b a c o n of his own accord wit h drew f rom Egypt

, , ,
.

When therefore the Ethiopian departed f rom Egypt the

, , ,

blind king resumed the government having returned f rom ,

the fens where h e had l ived fi f ty years having f ormed an

, ,

island o f ashes and earth For when any o f the Egyptians .

came to him bringing provisions as they were s everally o r ,

dered unknown to the Ethiopian h e bade them bring some ,

ashes also as a present No one b e f ore Am y rt aeu s w a s able

.

to discover this island ; but for more than seven hundred

years the kings who preceded Am y rt aeu s were unabl e to find
it out : the nam e of this island was Elbo ; its size is about ten
stades in each direction .

A f ter him reigned the priest o f V ulcan whose name was ,

S et h o n : he hel d in no account and despised the military caste

of th e Egyptians as not having need of their services ; and
,

accordingly amon g oth e r indi gnities he took away their

, ,
1 38 H E R O D O T U S— B OO K I I, E U TE RPE [ 1 43 -
1 46

that was spacious and showing me wooden colossuses to the

,

number I have mentioned they reckoned them up ; f or every ,

high priest places an image of himself there during h is li f e

time ; the pri ests therefore reckoning them and showing
, ,

them to me pointed out that each was the son of his own
,

father ; going through them all from the image o f him that ,

died last until they had pointed them all out B ut when
, .

H eca t aeu s traced his own genealogy and connected himself ,

with a god in the sixteenth degree they controverted his gene ,

alogy by computation not admitting that a man coul d b e

,

bo rn f rom a god ; and they thus controverted his genealogy ,

saying that each of the colossuses was a P i ro m i s sprung from ,

a Pi ro m i s until they pointed out the three hundred and f orty

fi v e colossuses each a P i ro m i s sprung from a P i ro m i s and
, ,

they did not connect them with any god or hero P i ro m i s

“
.

”
means in the Grecian language
, a noble and good man , .

They pointed out to me there f ore that all those of whom , ,

there were images were o f that character but were very far ,

from being gods ; that indeed before the time of these men
, ,

gods had been the rulers o f Egypt and had dwelt among ,

men ; an d that one o f them always had the supreme power ,

and that O rus the son of O siris whom the Greeks call Apollo
, , ,

was the last w h o reigned over it ; he having deposed Typhon , ,

was the last who reigned over Egypt Now O siris in the .
,

Grecian language means B acchus .

Among th e Greeks the most recent of the gods are,

thought to b e H ercul es Bacchus and Pan ; but by the E g y p

, ,

tians Pan is esteemed the most ancient and one o f the eight ,

gods called original ; but Hercules is among the second ,

among those called the twelve ; and Bacchus is of the third ,

who were sprung f rom the twelve gods I have already de .

c l a r e d how many years th e Egyptians say there were f rom

H ercul es to the reign of Am a s i s ; but f rom Pan a still greater
number o f years are said to have intervened and f rom Bacc h us ,

fewest o f all ; and from him there are computed to have b een
fifteen thousand years to the reign o f Am a s i s The Egyptians .

say they know these things with accuracy because they always ,

compute and register the years Now f rom Bacchus who is .

,

said to have been born o f Semele th e daughter o f Cadmus , ,

to my time is about sixteen hundred years and from H er

, ,

cules the son of Al cmena about nine hundred years ; but

, ,

from Pan born of Penelope ( for Pan is said by the Greeks

,

to have sprung f rom her and Mercury) is a less numb er o f ,

years than from the siege of Troy about eight hundred to , ,

my time O f these two accounts each person may adopt

.
,
 —1 4 8 ]
1 46 THE T W
E LVE K IN G S 1 39

that which he thinks most credible ; I have there fore declared

my o w n opinion respecting them For if these deities had .

been well known and had grown ol d in Greece as Hercules

, , ,

w h o was sprung from Amphitryon and especially Bacchus , ,

the son o f Semel e and Pan w h o w a s borne by Penelope some

, , ,

one might say that these later ones though mere men bore , ,

the names of the gods w h o were long before them Now .

,

the Greeks say o f Bacchus that Jupiter sewed him into his
thigh as soon as he w a s born and carried him to Nyssa , ,

which is above Egypt in Ethiopia ; and concerning Pan they ,

are unabl e to say whither he was taken at his birth I t is .

evident to me there fore that the Grecians learned their names

, ,

later than thos e of the other gods ; and f rom th e time when
they learned them they trace their origin there f ore they as ,

c r i b e their generation to that time and not high er These ,

.

things then the Egyptians themselves relate .

What things both other men and the Egyptians agree in

saying occurred in this co u ntry I shall now proceed to relate ,

and shall add to them some things o f my own observation .

The Egyptians h aving b ecome f ree a fter th e reign o f the ,

priest of V ulcan f or they were at no time abl e to l ive without

,

a king established twelve kings having divided all Egypt

, ,

into twelve parts Thes e having contracted intermarriages

.
,

reigned adopting the following regulations : That they woul d

,

not attempt the subversion o f on e anoth er nor one seek to ,

acquire more than another and that th ey shoul d maintain the

,

strictest friendship They made these regulations and strictly

.

upheld them for the f ollowing reasons : I t h ad b een f oretold

‘

them by an oracle when they first assumed th e government ,

that whoever among them shoul d o ff er a l ibation in th e

Temple o f V ulcan f r om a brazen b owl shoul d b e King o f al l
Egypt ; for they used to assembl e in all the templ es Now .
,

they determined to le ave in common a memorial o f them

selves ; and having so determined th ey built a labyrinth a ,
.

h t t l e above the lake o f M oeris situated near that called t h e ,

c 1t y of Crocodil es ; this I have myself seen and found it ,

greater than can b e described For if any one shoul d reckon .

up the buildings and public works o f the Grecians they woul d ,

be foun d to have cost less labour and expense than this lab y
r1n t h ; though the templ e in Ephesus is deserving of mention
,

and also that in Samos Th e pyrami ds likewise were b eyon d

.

description and each of th em comparabl e to many o f the

,

great Grecian structures Y et the labyri n th surpasses even

.

the pyramids For it has twelve courts i nclosed wi t h walls

.
,

W i th doors opposite each other six facin g the n or th and s i x ,

1 40 H E R O D O T U S— B OO K I I, E U TE RPE [ 1 48 —1 5 0

the south contiguous to one another ; and the same e x t e

,

rior wall incloses them I t contains two kinds o f rooms .

,

some under ground and some above ground over them to ,

the number of three thousand fifteen hundred of each The , .

rooms above ground I myself went through and saw and ,

relate from personal inspection B ut the underground rooms .

I only know from report ; for the Egyptians w h o have charge

o f the building would on no account show me them saying
, , ,

that there were the sepulchres o f the kings w h o originally

built this labyrinth and o f the sacred crocodiles I can there
, .

f ore only relate what I have l earned by hearsay concerning

the lower rooms but th e upper ones which surpass all human ,

works I myself saw ; for the passages through the corridors

, ,

and the windings through the courts f rom their great variety , ,

presented a thousand occasions o f wonder as I passed from

a court to the rooms and from the rooms to halls and to
, ,

other corridors from the halls and to other courts from the ,

rooms The roofs o f all these are o f stone as also are the
.
,

walls ; but the walls are f ull o f sculptured figures Each .

court is surrounded by a colonnade of white stone closely ,

fitted And adj oining the extremity of the labyrinth is a pyra

.

mid f orty o rg y ae in height on which large figures are carved

, , ,

and a w a y to it has been made under ground .

Although this labyrinth is such as I have described yet ,

the lake named from M oeris near which this labyrinth is built , ,

occasions greater wonder : its circumference measures three

thousand six hundred stades or sixty s c h oe n i equal to the , ,

sea coast o f Egypt The lake stretches len gt hways north and
-
.
,

south being in depth in the deepest part fifty o rg y ae That

,
.

it is made by hand and dry this circumstance proves f or , ,

about the middl e o f the lake stand two pyramids each ris ,

ing fi fty o rg y ae above th e surface o f th e water and the part ,

built under water extends to an equal depth : on each of these

is placed a stone statue seated on a throne Thus these ,
.

pyramids are one hundred o rg y ae in height : and a hundred

o rg y ae are equal to a stade o f six p l e t h r a ; the o rg y a m e a s u r

ing six f eet or f our cubits ; the f oot being f our palms and
, ,

the cub it six palms Th e water in this lake does not spring
.

f rom the soil fo r thes e parts are excessively dry but it is

, ,

conveyed through a channel from the Nile and f or six months ,

it flows into th e lake and six months out again into the Nile
,
.

And during th e six months that it flows out it yields a talent

’
o f silver every day to the king s treasury from the fish ; but
when th e water is flowing into it twenty min ae The people ,
.

o f the co u nt ry tol d m e t hat t h is lake discharges itsel f under

1 42 H ER O D O T U S—B OO K 11 , E U T E R PE [ 1 5 2 -
1 54

the Ethiopian withdrew in consequence of the vision in a

dream And afterward having been made king he w a s a
.
, ,

second time constrained by the eleven kings to go into exile

among the marshes on account of the helmet Knowing .
,

then that he had been exceedingly inj ured by them he e n

, ,

t e rt a i n e d the design of avenging himself on his persecutors ;

and when he sent to the city of B uto to consult the oracle of
Latona where is the truest oracle that the Egyptians have
, ,

an answer came : That vengeance woul d come from the sea ,

when men of brass should appear H e however was very

.
.
, ,

incredulous that men of brass woul d come to assist him B ut .

when no long time had elapsed stress of weather compelled ,

some I onians and Carians wh o had sailed out for the pur ,

pose o f piracy to b ear away to Egypt ; and when they had

,

disembarked and were clad in brazen armour an Egyptian , ,

who had never b efore seen men clad in b rass went to the ,

marshes to P s a m m i t i c h u s and tol d him that men o f brass , ,

having arrived from the sea were ravaging the plains He ,

.

perceiving that th e oracl e w a s accomplished treated these ,

I onians an d Carians in a friendly manner and having prom ,

ised them great things persuaded them to j oin with him : ,

and when he had succeede d in persuading them he thus with , ,

th e help o f such Egyptians as were well a ff ected to him and ,

with th e se allies overcame the other kings , .

P s a m m i t i c h u s having made himself master o f all Egypt

, ,
’
constructed the portico to V ul can s Templ e at M emphis that ,

faces th e south wind ; and h e built a court for Apis in which ,

h e is fed whenever he appears opposite the po rtico sur , ,

rounded by a colonnade and full of s culptured figures ; and ,

instead of pillars statues twelve cubits high are placed under

,

the piazza Apis in the language o f the Greeks means Epa

.
, ,

p h u s . To the I onians and those w h o with them had

,
assisted
him P s a m m i t i c h u s gave lands opposite each other with the
, ,

Nile flowing between ; to thes e lands was given the name of

Camps And besides these lands h e gave them all that he
.

had promised ; and he moreover put Egyptian children under

their care to be instructed in the Greek language ; and f rom
,

those w h o learned the language the present interpreters in

Egypt are descended The I onians and the Carians continued .

f or a long time to inhabit thes e lands and they are situated ,

near th e sea a l ittl e b elow the city of B u b a s t i s on that which

, ,
'

is called th e P e l u s i a c mouth of the Nile ; these in after time , ,

King A m a s i s removed and settled at Memphis making them ,

his body guard against the Egyptians From the time o f

-
.

the settlement o f these p eopl e in Egypt we Greeks have had ,

1 5 4—1 5 6 ] T HE O RAC LE AT B U T O 143

such constant communication with them that w e are accu

r at e l y informed of all that has happened in Egypt beginning
'

f rom the reign of P s a m m i t i c h u s to the present time These .

were the first p eople of a di ff erent language w h o settled in

Egypt The docks f or their ships and the ruins of their
.
,

buildings were to be seen in my time in the places from

,

which they were removed Thus then P s a m m i t i c h u s b ecame .

master o f Egypt .

O f the oracl e that is in Egypt I have al ready made f re ,

quent mention ; and I shall now give an account of it as well ,

deserving notice This oracl e in Egypt is a templ e sacred

.

to Latona situated in a large city near that which is called

, ,

the S e b e n n y t i c mouth o f the Nile as one sails upward from ,

the sea The nam e of this city wh ere th e oracle is is Buto

.
, , ,

as I have already mentioned There is also in this B uto a .

precinct sacre d to Apoll o and D iana : and the Templ e of

Latona in which th e oracle is is spacious and has a portico
, , ,

ten o rg y ae in height B ut of all the things I saw there I

.
,

will describe that which occasioned most astonishment There .

is in this inclosure a Templ e o f Latona made from one stone ,

both in height and length ; and each wall is equal to them ;

each o f these measures forty cubits : f or the roof another ,

stone is laid over it having a cornice f our cubits deep This

, .

temple then is the most wonderful thing that I s aw about

, ,

this precinct : next to it is the islan d called Chemmis situ ,

ated in a deep and broad lake near the precinct in B uto This .

is said by the Egyptians to b e a floating island but I myself ,

saw it neither floating nor moving and I w a s astonished ,

when I heard that there reall y was a fl oating island I n this .

,

then is a spacious Templ e o f Apollo and in it three altars

, ,

are placed ; and there grow in it gre a t numbers o f palms and ,

many other trees both such as produc e fruit and such as do

,

not The Egyptians when they a ffi rm that it floats add the
.
, ,

f ollowing story : They say that in this island which be fore ,

did not float Latona w h o w a s one o f th e eight primary

, ,

deities dwelling in B uto where this oracl e o f hers now is , ,

received Apollo as a deposit from the hands of I sis and saved ,

him by concealing him in this which is now called the float ,

ing island when Typhon arrived searching everywhere and

, , ,

hoping to find the son o f O siris For they say that Apollo .

and D iana are the o ff spring of Bacchus and I sis an d that ,

Latona w a s their nurs e and preserver : in the language o f

Egypt Apollo is c al e d O rus ; Ceres I sis ; an d D iana B ubas
, , ,

tis Now from this account and no other ZE s c h yl u s the son

.
, , , ,

o f Euphorion alone among the earlier p oets derived the tra

, ,
1 44 H E R O D O T U S —B O O K I I, E U T E RPE [ 1 5 6—1 60

dition that I will mention ; f or he made D iana to b e the d a u g h

ter of Ceres O n this account they say that the island w a s
.

made to float Such is the account they give

. .

P s a m m i t i c h u s reigned in Egypt fi f t y four years ; during -

twenty nine of which he sat down before and b esieged Azotus

-

a large city of Syria until he took it This Azotus of all the

, .
,

cities w e know of held out against a siege the longest period

, .

Neco w a s son of Ps a m m i t i c h u s and became King o f Egypt ,

he first began the canal that leads to the R ed Sea which ,

Darius the Persian a f terward compl eted It s length is a v oy .

age o f four days and in width it w a s dug so that two triremes

,

might sail rowed abreast The water is drawn into it f rom .

the Nile and it enters it a l ittle above the city B u b a s t i s passes

, ,

near the Arabian city P a t u m o s and reaches to the R ed Sea , .

The parts o f the Egyptian plain that lie toward Arabia were
dug first ; above this plain is situated the mountain that
stretches toward M emphis in which are the quarries Along , .

the base of this mountain there f ore the canal is carried length
, ,

ways f rom th e west to th e east an d then it stretches to the ,

d e fil e s passing from th e mountain toward th e meridian and

,

the south inward as far as the Arabian Gulf B ut in the part

, .

where is the shortest and most direct passage f rom the north
ern sea to th e southern which is the same as that called the
,

R ed Sea namely f rom Mount Ca s i u s that separates Egypt

, , ,

f rom Syria from this point the distance is a thousand stades

,

to the Arabian Gulf this then is the most direct way ; b u t , ,

th e canal is very much longer i n that it is more winding , ,

in the digging o f which one hundred and twenty thousand

Egyptians perished in the rei gn of Neco Now N eco stopped .
,

digging it in the middle of the work the f ollowing oracle hav ,

ing caused an impediment : that he w a s working for a bar

barian ; f or the Egyptians call all men barbarians w h o do
not speak th e same language as themselves B ut Neco h av .
,

ing put a stop to his excavation turned his attention to mili ,

tary a ff airs ; and trirem es were constructed some on the ,

north ern sea and others in the Arabian Gul f or the R ed S ea

, , ,

o f which the docks are still to b e s een These he used as he .

had occasion ; and Neco having come to an engagement with ,

the Syrians on land at M a g d o l u s conquered them and after , ,

the battl e took Ca d y t i s wh ich is a large city in Syria The

,
.

garments h e wore during these actions h e consecrated to

Apollo having sent them to B ra n c h i d ae o f th e M ilesians
,
.

Afterward having reigned sixteen years in all he died and

, ,

left th e kingdom to his son P s a m m i s , .

Whil e this P s a m m i s was reigning over Egypt ambassa ,

1 46 H E R O D O T U S— B OO K I I, E U TE RPE [ 1 62 —1 66

him king And this action w a s not at all disagreeabl e to

.

A ma s i s as he presently showed
, For when the revolters had .

appointed him King of the Egyptians he prepared to lead a n ,

army against Ap ri e s ; but Ap ri e s b eing informed of this sent , ,

to A m a s i s a considerable person among the Egyptians that

adhered to him whose name w a s P a t a rb e m i s with orders to
, ,

bring Am a s i s alive into his presence When P at a rb e m i s ar .

rived and summoned A m as i s Am a s i s raising his leg ( for he , ,

happened to b e on horseback ) broke wind and bade him carry ,

that to Ap ri es Nevertheless P at a rb em i s begged o f him since

.
, ,

the king had sent for him to go to him ; but he answered , ,

That h e had been some time preparing to do so and that ,

Ap ri e s should have no cause o f complaint for that he would ,

not only appear himself but woul d bring others with him , .

P a t a rb e m i s perceiving his design from what was said and

, ,

s eeing p reparations b eing made returned in haste as h e , ,

wished to inform the king as soon as possibl e o f what was

going on : when however h e came to Ap ri e s without bring
, ,

ing A m a s i s A p ri e s taking no time for del iberation in a trans

, , ,

port o f passion commanded his ears and nose to be cut o ff .

The rest of the Egyptians w h o still adhered to him seeing , ,

one of the most distinguished among them treated in so u n

worthy a manner did not delay a moment but went imm e
, ,

d i at el y over to the others and gave themselves to Am a s i s .

When Ap ri e s heard o f this he armed his auxiliaries and ,

marched against the Egyptians ; but he had with him Carian

and I onian auxiliaries to the number o f thirty thousand ; and
he had a palace in the city o f Sais that was spacious and mag ,

n ificent . Now Ap ri e s s party advanced against the Egyptians

’
,

and the party of A m a s i s against th e f oreigners They met .

n ear the city M o m e m p h i s and prepared to engage with each

,

other .

There are s even classes o f Egyptians an d o f these some ,

are called priests others warriors others herdsmen others

, , ,

swineherds others tradesmen others interpreters and lastly

, , , , ,

p ilots ; such are the classes o f Egyptians ; they take their

names from the employments they exercise Their warriors .

are called Ca l a s i ri e s or H e rm o t y b i e s and they ar e of the fol ,

lowing districts for all Egypt is divided into districts The

,
.

following are the districts of the H e rm o t y b i e s : B usiris Sais , ,

Chemmis Pa p re m i s the island call ed P ro s o p i t i s and the hal f

, , ,

of Natho From these districts are the H e rm ot y b i es being

. ,

in number when they are most numerous a hundred and

, ,

sixty thousand None o f these learn any mechanical art but

.
,

apply themselves wholly to military a ff airs These next are .

1 60
-
1 69 ] A MAS IS MAD E K I N G 14 7

th e districts o f t h e Cal as i ri e s : Theb es B u b a s t i s Ap h t h i s , , ,

Tanis M endes S e b e n n y s Athribis P h a rb aet h i s T h m u i s

, , , , , ,

O n u p h i s A n y s i s M y c e p h o ri s ; this district is situated in an

, ,

island opposite the city B u b a s t i s These are the districts o f .

the Ca l a s i ri es being in number when they are most numer

, ,

ous two hundred and fifty thousand men ; neither are these
,

allowed to practis e any art but they devote themselves to ,

military pursuits alone the son succeeding to his father , .

Whether the Greeks learned this custom from the Egyptians

I am unabl e to determine with certainty seeing that the ,

Thracians Scythians Persians Lydians and almost all bar

, , , ,

barous natio ns hol d in less honour than their other citizens

those w h o learn any art and their descendants but deem s uch ,

to b e noble as abstain from handicrafts and particularly thos e ,

who devote themselves to w a r All the Greeks moreover .

, ,

have a d O p t e d t h e same notion and especially the L a c e d ae ,

m o n i a n s ; but th e Corinthians hol d handicraftsmen in least

disesteem To thes e alone of all the Egyptians b esides the
.
,

priests the f ollowing special privileges are attached : To each

,

twelve chosen acres free from tribute : the acre contains a

square o f one hundred Egyptian cubits and th e Egyptian ,

cub it is equal to that o f Samos : these privileges were attached

to them all but others enj oyed them by turns an d the same
, ,

persons never more than once A thousan d of th e Cal a s i ri e s .

,

and as many o f the H e rm o t y b i es each served for a year as ,

’
the king s body guard : to these accordingly w a s given the f ol
-

lowing allowance daily in addition to th e acres to each fi v e , ,

min ae in weight of baked bread t w o min ae of b eef and f our , ,

a ry s t e rs o f wine This was the constant allowance o f the body

.

guard .

When there f ore Ap ri e s leading his auxiliaries and Ama , ,

sis all th e Egyptians met together a t M o m e m p h i s they came

, , ,

to an engagement and the f oreigners f ought well but being

, ,

far in f erior in numbers were on that account defeated , , , .

Ap r i e s is said to have been of opinion that not even a god

could deprive him of his kingdom so securely did h e thin k ,

himsel f established : now however when h e came to an e n , ,

g ga e m e n t he was b eaten and being taken prisoner he was , ,

carried back to Sais to that which w a s f ormerly his own ,

palace but which now belonged to A m a s i s : h ere he was

,

maintained f or some time in the royal palace and A m a s i s ,

treated him well B ut at len gth the Egyptians complain

.

ing that he did not act rightly i n p reserving a man who was
the greatest enemy both to them and to h im he th ereupon ,

delivered A p ri e s to the Egyptians ; an d they strangled him ,

1 48 H E R O D O T U S—B OO K II, E U TE RPE [ 1 69 —1 72

and a fterward buried him in his ancestral sepul chre ; this is

in the sacred precinct of M inerva very near the temple on , .
,

the le ft hand as you enter The S a i t ae used to bring all the .

kings sprung from this district within the sacred precinct ;

however the tomb of Am a s i s is further from the templ e than
,

that of A p ri e s and his progenitors b u t even this is in the ,

court of the sacred precinct consisting of a large stone cham ,

ber adorned with columns made in imitation o f palm trees

, , ,

an d with other ornaments ; inside this chamber are placed

f olding doors and within the doors is the sepul chre At Sais
, .

also in the sacred p recinct o f M inerva behind the chapel and

, ,

j oining the whol e of th e wall is the tomb of one whose name ,

I consider it impious to divulge on such an occasion And .

in the inclosure stand large stone obelisks and there is a lake ,

near ornamented with a stone margin f ormed in a circle

W
, , ,

and in size as appeared to m e much the same as that in Delos

, , ,

hich is called the Circular I n this lake they perform by

'

’
night the representation of that person s adventures which ,

they call mysteries O n these matters however though a c .

, ,

c u ra t e l y acquainted with the particulars of them I must o h ,

serve a discreet silence And respecting the sacred rites o f .

Ceres which the Greeks call Thesmophoria although I am

, ,

acquainted with them I must observe silence except so f ar ,

as it is lawful for me to speak of them The daughters o f .

Danaus were they w h o introduced these ceremonies f rom

Egypt and taught them to the Pelasgian women : but after
,

ward when almost th e whol e Peloponnese was depopulated

,

by the Dorians these rites were l ost ; but the Arcadians who
, ,

were the only Peloponnesians l eft and not expelled alone pre , ,

served them .

A p ri e s being thus d ethroned Am a s i s who was o f the , ,

Saitic district reigned in his stead ; the name of the city f rom
,

which h e came was S i u p h At first the Egyptians despised .

,

and hel d him in no great estimation as having b een formerly ,

a private p erson and o f no illustrious family ; but afterward

,

h e conciliated them by his address without any arrogance ,

.

H e had an infinite numb er of other treasures and besides a ,

gol den f oot pan in which A m a s i s himself and all his guests
-

, , ,

were accustomed to wash their f eet Having then b roken this .

in p ieces he had made from it the statue o f a god and placed

, ,

it in th e most suitable part of th e city ; and the Egyptians ,

flocking to the image paid it the greatest reverence B ut ,

.

Am a s i s in f ormed of th eir behaviour called the Egyptians to

, ,

gether an d explained the matter to them saying that the statue

, ,

wa s made out o f the f oot pan in which the Egyptians f ormerly -

1 5 0 H E R O D O T U S— B OO K II, E U TE RPE [ 1 75 —1 78

he l ikewise dedicated large statues and huge andro sphinxes ,

-

and b rought other stones o f a prodigious size for repairs : of

these he brought some f rom the quarries near Memphis ; but
those of the greatest magnitude from the city o f Elephantine , ,

distant from Sais a passage of twenty days B ut o f these .

,

that which I not the least rather the most admire is this : , ,

h e brought a buil ding of one stone f rom the city of E l e p h an

tine and two thousand men who were appointed to convey
, ,

it were occupied three whol e years in its transport and these

, ,

men were all pilots The length o f this chamber outside is

.
, ,

twenty one cubits the breadth fourteen and the height eight
-

, , .

This is the measure of the outside of the one stoned chamber -

.

B ut inside the l ength is eighteen cubits and twenty digits

, ,

and the width twelve cubits and the height five cubits This , .

chamber is placed near the entrance of the sacred precinct ;

f or they say that he did not draw it within the precinct for
the f ollowing reason : the architect as the chamber was being ,

drawn along heaved a deep sigh being wearied w ith the

, ,

work over which so long a time had been spent ; whereupon

,

A m as i s making a religious scruple of this would not su ff er it

, ,

to b e drawn any f arther Some persons however say that .

, ,

one o f the men empl oyed at the levers was crushed to death
by it an d that on that account it was not drawn into the pre
,

cinct A m a s i s dedicated in all the most famous temples works

.

admirable for their magnitude ; and among them at Memphis ,

the reclining colossus before the Templ e o f V ulcan of which ,

the l ength is s eventy fiv e feet ; and on the same base stand

-

two statues o f Ethiopian stone each twenty f eet in height , ,

one on each s ide o f the temple There is also at Sais another .

similar statue lying in the sam e manner as that at M emphis

,
.

I t w a s Am as i s also who built the temple to I sis at Memphis ,

which is spacious and well worthy o f notice .

U nder th e reign of Am a s i s Egypt is said to h ave enj oyed

th e greatest prosperity both in respect to the benefits de ,

rived f rom the river to th e land and from the land to the ,

p eopl e ; and it is sai d to have contained at that time twenty

thousand inhabited cities Am a s i s it was who established the .

law among the Egyptians that every Egyptian should a n ,

n u a ll
y declare to the governor of his district by what means
he maintained himself ; and if he fail ed to do this or did not ,

show that he l ived by honest means he should be punished ,

with death Solon the Athenian having brought this law

.
,

f rom Egypt established it at Athens ; and that peopl e still

,

con t inue to observe it as being an unobj ectionable regula

,

t ion .Am a s i s b eing partial to the Greeks both bestowed

, ,
 —
8 181 T H E RE IG N O F A M A S IS
17 ] I SI

other favo u r s on various o f the Greeks and moreover gave

‘

the city o f Naucratis f or such as arrived in Egypt to dwell in ;

and to such as did not wish to settle there but only to trade ,

by sea h e granted places where they might erect altars and

,

temples to th e gods Now the most spacious of these sacred

.
,

buildings which is also the most renowned and f requented

, ,

called the H ell e n i u m w a s erected at the common charge o f

,

the following cities : O f the I onians Chios Teos Phoc aea an d , , , ,

Cl a z o m e n ae ; o f th e Dorians R hodes Cnidus Halicarnassus, , , ,

Phaselis ; and o f the ZE ol i a n s M itylene alone So that this , .

temple belongs to them an d these cities appoint o fficers to

,

preside over the mart : and whatever other cities claim a share
in it claim what does not belong to th em B esides this th e
,
.
,

people o f ZE g i n a built a templ e to Jupiter f or themselves ; and

the Samians another to Juno and the M ilesians one to Apollo , .

Naucratis was anciently the only place o f resort f or merchants ,

and there was no other in Egypt : and i f a man arrived at

‘

any other mouth o f the Nile h e was obliged to swear that ,

he h ad come there against h is will ; and having taken such

an oath he must sail in the same ship to the Canopic mouth ;
,

but i f he shoul d be prevented by contrary winds from doing

so he was f orced to unload his goods and carry them in
, ,

barges round the D elta until he reached Naucratis So great .

were th e privil eges o f Naucratis Wh en the A m p h y c t i o n s .

contracted to buil d th e temple that now stands at D elp h i f or

three hundred talents ( for the temple that was f ormerly there
had been burned by accident and it f ell upon the D el p hi an s to
,

supply a f ourth part o f th e sum ) the D el p h i a n s went about ,

f rom city to city and sol icited contributions ; and doing this
they brought home no small amount f rom Egypt For A m a s i s .

gave them a thousand talents o f alum an d the Grecians w h o ,

were settled in Egypt twenty min a .

Am a s i s also contracted a f riendship an d an alliance with

t h e Cy ren aea n s and resolved to take a wi f e f rom that coun
try either out o f a desire o f having a Grecian woman or f rom
, ,

some pecul iar a ff ection to th e Cy re n aea n s H e there f ore mar .

ried as some say t h e daughter o f Battus ; others o f Arces

, , ,

i l a u s ; though others o f Cri t o b u l u s a person o f distinction

, ,

among the citizens ; her name was Ladice Whenever Am a s i s .

lay with h er he was unable to have connection with her ,

which was not the case with respect to other women : upon
the continuance o f this f or a long time A m a s i s said to this ,

woman w h o was called Ladice : O woman you have us ed

, ,

charms against me and no contrivance can prevent your per

,
”
i s h i n g by the most cruel death o f all women B ut Ladice .
,
1 5 2 H E R O D O T U S —B OO K II , E U TE RPE [ 18 1 —
1 82

finding that A m a s i s was not at all appeased by her denial o f

the fact made a mental vow to V enus that i f Am as i s shoul d
,

have intercourse with her that night ( f or this was th e only

remedy left) she woul d send a statue o f the goddess to Cyrene .

I mmediately after the v o w Am a s i s had intercourse with her ;

and f rom that time forward whenever he came to her he was
, ,

abl e to have connection ; and after this h e was exceedingly

f ond o f her B ut Ladice performed her v o w to the goddess
.
,

f or having caused a statue to be made she sent it to Cyrene

, , ,

and it was still safe in my time facing out of the city o f Cyrene
, .

When Cambyses had conquered Egypt and learned who this ,

Ladice was he sent her back unharmed to Cyrene Am a s i s

, .

also dedicated o ff erings in Greece I n the first place a gilded

.
,

statue of M inerva at Cyrene and his own portrait painted ;

,

secondly to M inerva in L i n d u s two stone statues and a linen

,

corselet well worthy o f notice ; th irdly to Juno at Samos ,

two i m a g e s o f himself carved in wood which stood in the

’

large temple even in my time behind the doors Now he , .

made this o ff ering at Samos ; on account o f the f riendship

that subsisted between himself and Polycrates the son of ,

ZE a c e s ; but those at Li n d u s not on account of any f riend

,

ship but because it is reported that the daughters o f Danaus

,

f ounded the Templ e o f M inerva at L i n d u s when they touched ,

there in their flight f rom the sons o f E g y p t u s : and these were

the o ff erings that A m a s i s made H e was the first who con
.

q u ered Cypr u s and s u bj ected it to the payment o f tribute

, .
 —
H E R O D O T U S B O O K II I T H A L IA
1 54 ,
[ 2
-

ing that he w a s born from this daughter o f Ap ri es f or that

it w a s Cyrus and not Cambyses w h o sent to A m a s i s for his
, ,

daughter ; but in saying this they err Nor indeed could it .

escape their notice ( f or i f any people are well acquainted with

the Persian customs th e Egyptians are so) that first o f all
, , ,

it is not customary with them for a natural son to reign when

there is a legitimate son l iving ; and s econdly that Cambyses ,

w a s the son o f C a s s a n d a n e daughter o f P h a rn as p e s one o f , ,

the Ach aemenid ae and not o f the Egyptian woman But they
,
.

pervert the truth claiming to be related to the family of Cyrus

, .

And this is the real state of the case This other story is also .

told which to me seems incredible A certain Persian lady

,
.

visited Cyrus s women and wh en she saw t h e children of

’

C a s s a n d a n e beautiful and tall standing by her praised t h em

, , ,

highly being exceedingly struck with them ; but C a s s an d ane

, ,

wife of Cyrus sai d Though I am the mother of such chil

, ,

dren Cyrus holds me in disdain an d honours her whom he

, ,
”
has obtained from Egypt This she said through envy o f .

N i t e t i s but the eldest o f her sons Cambyses said There , , ,

fore mother when I a m a man I will turn all Egypt upside

, , ,
”
down He said this when he w a s about ten years o f age and
.
,

the women were much astonished ; but he b earing it in mind ,

when he grew up and w a s possessed o f the kingdom accord ,

i n g l y invaded Egypt .

The following other incident al so occurred to promote this

invasion : There w a s among th e auxiliaries of A m as i s a man
by birth an Halicarnassian whose name w a s Phanes one , ,

abl e in counsel and valiant in w a r This Phanes owing some .

,

spite to Am a s i s escaped in a ship from Egypt with a design

, ,

to con f er with Cambyses B ut as he w a s a man o f no small .

consequence among the auxiliaries and was very accurately ,

acquainted with the a ff airs o f Egypt A m a s i s s ent in pursuit ,

of him making every e ff ort to take him and he s ent the most
,

trusty of his e u n u c h s i n pursuit o f him with a trireme who

k , ,

caught him in Lyci a but having tak en him did not bring , ,

him back to Egypt f o r Phanes overreach ed him by artifice ;

,

for having intoxicated his guards he got away to the Per ,

sians ; and coming over to Cambyses as he was preparing to

march against Egypt and w a s in doubt about his route h ow , ,

he shoul d pass the arid desert he informed him both o f ,

other a ff airs of A m a s i s and explained to him the route a d , ,

vising him to send to th e King of the Arabians and ask ,

him to grant him a safe passage through his territories By .

this w a y only is there an open passage into Egypt For f rom .

P h oenicia to the confines o f the city o f Ca d yt i s which belon gs ,

 —8 A R A B IA
5 ] I55

to thos e who are called th e Syrians o f Pal estin e and f rom ,

Ca d y t i s which is a city in my opinion not much less than

,

Sardis the seaports as far as the city of J e n y s u s b elong to

,

the Arabian king ; and again from J e n y s u s as far as the Lake , ,

S e rb o n i s near which M ount C a s i u s stretches to th e sea b e

, ,

longs to the Syrians and from the Lake S e rb o n i s in which .

,

Typhon is reported to have been concealed Egypt begins , .

Now the country between the city of J e n y s u s M ount Ca s i u s

, , ,

and the Lake S e rb o n i s which is no small tract but about a , ,

’
three days j ourney is utterly destitute o f water A circum ,
.

stance that few o f those who have made voyages to Egypt

have noticed I shall now proceed to mention From every
,
.

part of Greece and also f rom Ph oenicia earthen vessels fill ed

, ,

with wine are imported into Egypt twice every year and ,

yet so to speak not a singl e one o f thes e wine j ars is a fter

, ,

ward to be seen I n what w a y then some on e may ask are

.
, , ,

they disposed of ? This I will also relate Every magistrate .

is obliged to collect all th e vessels f rom his own city and send ,

them to M emphis ; but the p eopl e of that city having filled ,

them with water convey them to thos e ari d parts o f Syria ;

,

so the earthen vessels continually imported and landed in

Egypt are added to thos e already in Syria Thus the Per .

sians as soon as they becam e masters o f Egypt f acilitated

, ,

the passage into that country by supplying it with water in

th e manner above mentioned B ut as at that time water .
, ,

was not provided Cambyses by th e advice o f the H al i ca rn a s

, ,

sian stranger sent ambassadors to th e Arabian an d requested

, ,

a sa f e passage which h e obtained giving to and receiving

, ,

f rom him pledges o f faith .

The Arabians observe pl edges as religiously as any p eopl e ;

an d they mak e them in the f ollowing manner : Wh en any
wish to pledge their faith a third person standing between , ,

the two parties makes an incision with a sharp stone in th e

,

palm o f the hand n ear the longest fin g ers o f both the con, ,

tractors ; then taking some o f the n a p f rom th e garment o f

each he smears seven stones placed between them with th e
, , ,

blood ; an d as h e does this h e invokes B acchus and U rania .

When this ceremony is compl eted th e person w h o pl edges ,

his faith binds his f riends as sureties to th e stranger or th e ,

citizen i f the contract b e made with a citizen an d th e f riends ,

also h ol d themselves obliged to observ e the engagement .

T h ey acknowl edge no other gods than B acchus and U rania ,

and they say t h at their hair is cut in the same w a y as B ac

’
chus s is cut ; but they cut it in a circular f orm shearing it ,

round the temples They call Bacc h us O ro t al ; and U rania .

, ,
1 56 H E R O D O T U S—B O O K III , T H A L IA [9
-
12

Al il a t .When there f ore the Arabian had exchanged pledges

, ,

with the ambassadors w h o came from Cambyses he adopted ,

the f ollowing contrivance : Having filled camels skins with ’

water he loaded them on all his living camels and having

, ,

done this he drove them to the arid region and there awaited ,

the army of Cambyses This is the most credibl e of the a c .

counts that are given ; yet it is right that one less credible
shoul d be mentioned since it is likewise a ffirmed T h ere is
, .

a large river in Arabia called Corys which discharges itsel f ,

into that called t h e R ed Sea F rom this river then it is said .

, ,

that the King of the Arabians h aving sewn together a pipe o f

'

o x hides and other skins reaching in length to the arid region

-

, ,

conveyed the water through it ; and that in the ari d region

h e dug large reservoirs to receive and preserve the water .

’
I t is a twelve days j ourney f rom the river to the arid region ;
he there f ore conveyed water through three several pipes into
three di ff erent places .

P s a m m en i t u s th e son o f Am a s i s lay encamped at that

, ,

called the P el u s i a c mouth o f the Nile awaiting Cambyses ; f or

Cambyses did not find Am a s i s al ive when he marched against
Egypt ; but Am as i s died after a reign of f orty f o u r years -

during which no great calamity had befallen him B ut hav .

ing died and being embalmed h e was buried in the sepul chre
, ,

that is in the sacred precinct which he himsel f had b u ilt , .

D urin g the reign o f P s a m m e n i t u s son o f Am as i s a most re , ,

markable prodigy be f ell the Egyptians ; f or rain f ell at E g yp

tian Thebes which had never happened before nor since to
, , ,

my time as the Thebans themselves a ffi rm

,
For no rain .

ever falls in the upper regions o f Egypt ; but at that time rain
f ell in drops at Th ebes The Persians having marched through
.

the arid region halted near the Egyptians as if with a design

, ,

o f engaging ; there the auxiliaries of the Egyptians consist ,

ing of Greeks and Carians condemning Phanes becaus e he ,

had l ed a f oreign army against Egypt adopted the following ,

expedient against hi m z Ph a n e s had l e ft his sons in Egypt ; ’

these they brought to the camp within sight o f their father , ,

and placed a bowl midway b etween the two armies then drag ,

ging the children one by one t h ey sl ew them over the bowl , .

When they slaughtered all the chil dren they poured wine ,

and water into th e bowl ; and after all the auxiliaries had
drunk o f the blood they immediately j oined battle A hard
, .

battle having b een f ought and when great numbers had f allen ,

on both sides the Egyptians were put to flight Here I s a w

, .

a very surprising f act which the p eopl e of the country i n ,

f ormed me o f For as th e bones of those who were killed

.
1 58 H E R O D O T U S— B O O K II I , T H A L IA [ 14 -
1 5

tion and weeping came into the presence of their fathers all
, ,

the other f athers answered them with wailing and weepi ng

when they behel d their children thus humiliated B ut P s a m .

m e n i t u s alone when he saw and knew what was going on

, ,

only bent his eyes to the ground When these water carriers .
-

had passed by he next sent his son with two thousand E g y p

, ,

tians o f the same age with halters about their necks and a ,

bridle in their mouths ; and they were led out to su ff er retri

b u t i o n f or those M i t y l e n aea n s who had perished at M emphis
with the ship For the royal j udges had given sentence that
.

f or each man ten of the principal Egyptians should be put to

death Y et he when he saw them p a s s i n g b y and knew that
'

.
, ,

his son was being led out to death though all the rest o f the ,

Egyptians w h o sat round him wept and made loud lamenta

tions did the same as he had done in his daughter s case
,
’
.

When these had passed by it happened that o n e of his boon ,

companions a man somewhat advanced in years who had

, ,

lost his all and possessed n othing but such things as a beggar
,

has asking alms of the soldiery passed by P s a mm e n i t u s the

, , ,

son o f Am a s i s and the Egyptians seated in the suburbs ; but

,

P s a mm e n i t u s when he saw him weeping bitterly and calling

, ,

his companion by name sm ote his head There were how ever , .
, ,

spies there who communicated to Cambyses everything that

was done by him at each procession : but Cambyses surprised ,

at this behaviour sent a messenger and inquired o f him as

, ,

f ollows : P s a mm e n i t u s yo u r master Cambyses in quires why

, ,

when you saw your daughter humiliated and your son l ed ,

to execution you did not bewail or lament ; and have been so

,

highly concerned f o r a beggar w h o is in no way related to ,

you as h e i s in f ormed
,
H e then asked this question but
.
,

P s a m m e n i t u s answered a s f ollows : Son o f Cyrus the calami ,

ties o f my family are too great to be expressed by lamenta

tion ; but the grie f s o f my f 1 iend were worthy of tears who , ,

having fallen f rom abundance and p rosperity has come to ,

b eggary on the thres h ol d o f ol d age When this ans wer was .

“
b rought back by the messenger i t appeared to Cambyses to ,

be well said ; and as the Egyptia n: relate Croesus wept f or

, , ,
’
he had attended Cambyses i nto Egy p t and the Persians that ,

were present wept also and Ca m b y s es himself was touched ,

t

with p i ty and gave immediate orders t o preserve his son out

,

o f those w h o were to perish and to rem ove him and b ring ,

him f rom the suburbs into his presenc e Those who were .

sent f ound the son no longer alive havin g been the first that ,

su ff ered but having removed P s a m m e n i t u s himsel f they con

, ,

d u cted him to Cambys es with whom he a fter ward lived wit h , ,

 TOM B or A M A S IS V IO LAT E D 1 59

out experiencing any violence And had it not been s u spected .

that he w a s planning innovations he woul d probably h ave ,

recovered Egypt so as to have the government intrusted to

,

him For the Persians are accustomed to honour the sons o f

.

kings and even if they have revolted from them n evertheless

, ,

bestow the government upon their children ; that such is their

custom may be proved from many other examples and among ,

them by that of T h a n n y ra s th e son of I n a ru s th e Libyan

, ,

who recovered the gover n ment which his father had ; and by
that o f Pa u s i ri s son of Am y rt aeu s f or he also recovered his
, ,

father s government : yet none ever did more mischief to th e

’

Persians than I n a ru s and A m y rt aeu s B ut now P s a m m e n i t u s .

,

devising mischief received h is reward f or h e was discovered

, ,

inciting th e Egyptians to revolt ; and when h e was detected

by Cambyses he was comp elled to drink the blood o f a bull ,

and died immediately Such then w a s his end .

, , .

Cambyses proceeded f rom M emphis to the city o f Sais ,

purposing to do what he did e ff ect ; for when he entered the

palace of Am a s i s h e presently commande d the dead body o f
,

Am a s i s to be brought out o f the sepulchre ; and when this was

done he gave orders to s courge it to pull o ff the hai r to pri ck , ,

it and to abuse it in every possibl e manner B ut when they

, .

were wearied with this employment ( for the dead body since ,

it was embalmed resisted and did not at all fall in pieces )

, , ,

Cambyses gave orders to burn it commanding what is i m ,

pious For th e Persians consider fire to b e a god ; therefore

.

to burn the dead is on no account allowed by either nation ;

not by the Persians for th e reason above mentioned f or they
, ,

say it is not right to o ff er to a god the dead body o f a man ;

and by the Egyptians fire is held to be a living beast and ,

that it devours everything it can lay hold o f and wh en it is ,

glutted with f ood it expires with what it has consumed ; there

f ore it is their law on no account to give a dead body to wild
,

beasts and f or that reason they embalm them that they may
, ,

not lie and be eaten by worms Cambyses therefore com .

, ,

m a n d e d a thing repugnant to th e customs o f both nations .

However as the Egyptians say it was not Am a s i s that was

, ,

thus treated but some other Egyptian of the same stature

,

as Am a s i s whom the Persians insulted thinking they insulted ,

Am a s i s For they say that A m a s i s having been in f ormed

.
,

by an oracl e of what shoul d h appen to him a fter death in ,

order to remedy the impending evil buried the body o f this ,

very man w h o w a s scourged near the door of his own s e p u l

chre and charged his son to deposit his own in the remotest
,

p art of the vault Now t h ese commands o f Am a s i s touch

.
, ,
 H E R O D O T U S— B O O K III T H A L IA [ 1 6—
150 , 20

ing his own burial and this man appear to me never to have
, ,

been given but th e Egyptians falsely boast of them

,
.

Afterward Cambyses planned three several expeditions :

,

one against the Carthaginians another against the Ammoni ,

ans and a third against the Macrobian Ethiopians w h o i n

, ,

habit that part o f Libya which lies upon the South Sea And .

in forming his plans he determined to send a naval force

against th e Carthaginians and against the Am m o n i an s a de
,

t a c h m e n t of his lan d forces ; and against the Ethiopians spies ,

in the fi rst instance w h o were to see t h e tabl e o f the sun which

, ,

was said to exist among th e Ethiopians and besides to ex ,

p l o r e other things and to cover th eir

,
design they were to
carry presents to the king The tabl e o f the sun is said to .

be of the following description : There is a meadow in the

suburbs filled with the cooked flesh of all sorts of quadru
p eds ; in this th e several magistrates o f th e city f or some ,

purpose place the fl esh at night an d in the daytime whoever

, ,

chooses comes and feasts on it Th e inhabitants say that t h e .

earth itself from time to time produces thes e things S u ch

, ,
.

is the description given o f what is called the tabl e o f the sun .

When Cambyses had determined to send the sp ies he imme ,

d i a t el y sent to Elephantine for some o f the I chthyophagi who ,

understood the Ethiopian language ; an d while th ey were

f etching these he commanded the naval f orce to sail against
,

Carthage B ut the Phoenicians re f used to ob ey f or that they

.
,

were boun d by sol emn oaths and that th ey shoul d act i m ,

piously if they made w a r against their o w n descendants As .

th e Ph oenicians woul d not go th e rest were not fit for such ,

an ente rprise : thus therefore th e Carthaginians escaped slav

, ,

ery at the hands of th e Persians For Cambyses did not think .

it right to employ force to w ard th e Ph oenicians b ecause they ,

had voluntarily submitted to th e Persians and th e whole naval ,

force depended on them The Cyp rians t oo having given .

, ,

themselves up to th e Persians j oined th e exp edition against ,

Egypt When the I chthyophagi cam e to Cambyses fro m Ele

.

p h a n t i n e h e ,despatch ed them to th e Ethiopians having i n ,

structed them what to say carrying pres ents consisting of ,

a pu rpl e cloak a gol den n ecklace bracelets an alabaster box

, , ,

of ointment and a cask o f palm win e These Ethiopians to

, .
,

w hom Cambyses sent are sai d to b e the tallest and hand

,

s o m e s t o f al l men : and th ey say that they have customs di f

f e r e n t from those o f other nations and especially the f ollow ,

i n g w i t h regard to th e regal power ; for they confer the sov

,

e r e i g n t y upon the man w hom th e y consi der to b e of the largest

stature and to possess stren gt h p roport ionabl e to his size

,
.
1 62 H E R O D O T U S— BO O K I II , T H A L IA [ 3 2 -
25

was boiled flesh and their drink milk And when t h e spies
, .

expressed their astonishment at the number of years h e l ed ,

them to a fountain by washing in which they became more ,

‘

sleek as if it had b een o f oil and an odour proceeded f rom it

, ,

as of violets The water o f this fountain the spies said is so

.
, ,

weak that nothing is able to float upon it neither wood nor ,

'

such t h ings as are lighter than wood ; but everything sinks

to the bottom If this water is truly such as it is said to be
.
,

it may be they are long lived by reason of the abundant use -

of it Leaving this fountain he conducted them to the com

.
,

mon prison where all were f ettered with golden chains ; for
,

among these Ethiopians brass is the most rare and precious

o f all metals A fter having viewed the prison they next visited
.
,

that which is called the table of the sun After this they vis .
,

i t e d last o f all their sepul chres which are said to be prepared ,

from crystal in the f ollowing manner : When they have dried

the body either as the Egyptians do or in some other way
, , ,

they plaster it all over with gypsum and paint it making , ,

it as much as possibl e resemble real life ; they then put round ’

it a hollow column made of crystal which they d i g u p in ,

abundance and is easily wrought The body being in the

,
.
,

middle o f the col umn is plainly seen nor does it emit an u n , ,

pleasant smell nor is it in any way o ff ensive : and it is all

, ,

visible as the body itself The nearest relations keep the

1
.

column in their houses f or a year o ff ering to it the first f r u its ,

o f all and per f orming sacrifices ; after that time they carry
,

it out and place it somewhere near the city .

The spies having see n everything returned home ; and

, ,

wh en they had reported all that had passed Cambyses being , ,

greatly enraged immediately marched against the Ethiopians

, ,

without making any provision for the subsistence of his army ,

or once considering that he was going to carry h is arms to

the remotest parts of the world ; but as a madman and not in ,

possession o f his senses as soon as he heard the report o f the ,

I chthyop h agi he set out on his march ordering the Greeks

, ,

who were present to stay behind and taking with h im all his ,

land f orces When th e army reached Thebes he detached

. ,

about fifty thousand men and ordered them to reduce the ,

A m m o n i a n s to slavery and to burn the oracular Templ e o f ,

Jupiter while h e with the rest o f his army marched against

,

the Ethiopians B ut before the army had passed over a fi fth

.

part o f th e way all the provisions that they had were e x,

Th e Egy p t i a n m u m m i e s c o u l d o n ly b e s e e n i n f ro n t t h e b a c k b e i n g ,

c o v e re d b y a b o x o r c o ffi n t h e E t h i o p i a n b o d i e s c o u l d b e s e e n a l l ro u n d ,

a s t h e c o l u m n o f gl a s s w a s t r a n s p a r e n t .
25 —2 7] RE T RE AT F R O M E T H IO P I A I 63

hau s t e d and after the provisions th e beasts o f b u rden were

, ,

eaten and likewise failed Now if Cambyses when he learned

, .
,

this had altered his purpose and had led back his army even
, , ,

after hi s first error he would have proved himself to be a wise

,

man B ut now without any reflection he still continued a d

.
, ,

va n c i n g The soldiers as long as they coul d gather any f rom

.
,

the earth supported life by eating herbs ; but when they

,

reached the sands some of them had recourse to a horrid ,

expedient for taking one man in ten by lot they devoured

, ,

him : when Cambyses heard this shocked at their eating one ,

another he abandoned h is expedition against the Ethiopians

, ,

marched back and reached Theb es after losing a great part ,

from his army From Thebes h e went down to M emphis and

.
,

su ff ered the Greeks to sail away Thus ended the expedition .

against the Ethiopians Those who had been s ent on the ex .

p e d i t i o n against th e A mm o n ian s a f ter having set out from ,

Thebes marched under the conduct o f guides and are known

, ,

to have reached the city O asis which is inhabited by Samians , ,

said to be o f the ZE s c h ri o n i a n tribe ; and th ey are distant

’
seven days march from Thebes across th e sands This coun , .

try i n the Greek language is called the I slan d o f the Blessed .

I t is said then that the army reached this country ; but a fter
ward none except the Amm o n i a n s and those w h o have heard
,

their report are abl e to give any account o f them ; for they
,

neither reached the A m m o n i a n s nor returned B ut the A m , .

m o n i a n s make the following report : When they had a d

va n c e d from this O asis toward them across the sands and ,

were about hal f way between them and O asis as they were
-

taking dinner a strong and vehement south wind bl ew and

, ,

carrying with it heaps of sand covered them over and in this , ,

manner they disappeared The Amm o n i a n s say that such was .

the fate of this army .

When Cambyses arrived at M emphis Apis whom the , ,

Greeks call Epaphus appeared to the Egyptians ; and when ,

this manifestation took place the Egyptians immediately put ,

on their richest apparel and kept festive holiday Cambys es .

,

seeing them thus occupied and concluding that th ey made ,

these rej oicings on account of his ill success summoned th e ,

magistrates o f M emphis an d when they came into his pres

ence he asked w h y the Egyptians had done nothing of the
,

kind whe n he w a s at Memphis before but did so now when , ,

”
he had returned with the loss of a great part o f his army .

They answered that their god appeared to them who was a c

, ,

customed to manifest himsel f at distant inte r vals and that ,

when he did appear then all the Egyptians were used to re

164 H E R O D O T U S—B OO K II I , T H A L IA [ 2 74 30

j oice and keep a feast Camb yses having heard this said
.
, ,

they lied and as l iars he put them to death Having slain

, .

them he next summoned the priests into his presence ; and

,

when the priests gave the same account h e said that he would ,

find out whether a god so tractabl e had come among the

Egyptians ; and having said this he commanded the priests ,

to bring Apis to him ; they therefore went away to fetch him .

This Ap i s or Epaphus is the calf of a cow incapable of con

, ,

c e i v i n g another o ff spring ; and the Egyptians say that light

ning descends upon the cow f rom heaven and that from thence ,

it brings forth Apis This calf which is called Apis has the
.
, ,

following marks : I t is black and has a square spot of white ,

on the forehead ; and on the back the figure of an eagl e ; and

in th e tail double hairs ; and on the tongue a beetle When .

the priests brought Apis Cambyses like one almost out of , ,

his senses drew his dagger meaning to strike the belly of

, ,

Apis but hit the thigh ; then falling into a fit o f laughter he

, ,

said to the priests : Y e blockheads are there such gods as ,

th ese consisting o f blood and flesh and sensibl e of steel ?

, ,

This truly is a god worthy o f the Egyptians B ut yo u shall .

”
not mock me with impunity Having spoken thus he com .
,

m a n d e d those whose business it was to scourge the priests ,

and to kill all the Egyptians whom they should find feasting .

Thus the festival of the Egyptians w a s put an end to and ,

the priests were punished B ut Apis being wounded in the .

,

thigh lay and languished in th e templ e ; and at length when

, ,

he had died of the wound the priests buried him without th e ,

knowl edge of Cambyses .

B ut Cambyses as the Egyptians say immediately became

, ,

mad in consequence o f this atrocity though indeed h e was not ,

o f sound mind b efore H is first crime he committed against

.

his brother S m e rd i s w h o w a s born o f the same father and

,

mother ; him h e s ent back from Egypt to Persia through

envy b ecause he alone o f all the Persians had drawn the bow
, ,

which the I chthyophagi brought from the Ethiopian within ,

t w o fingers breadth : of th e other Persians no one was able

’

to do this After the departure of S m e r d i s for Persia Cam

.
,

b y s e s saw the following vision in his sleep : he imagined that

a messenger arrived f rom Persia and informed him that Smer
dis was seated o n the r oyal throne and touched the heavens ,

with his head U pon this f earing for himself lest his brother
.
, ,

s houl d kill him an d reign he s ent P r ex a s p e s w h o was a

, , ,

man the most faithful to him o f the Persians to Persia with , ,

orders to kill S m e rd i s And he having gone up to Susa

.
, ,

k illed S m e rd i s ; some say when he had taken him out to ,

 30
-

32 ] M A D N E SS or C AM B Y S E S 1 65

hunt ; but others that he led him to th e R ed S ea and drowned ,

him This they say w a s the first of the crimes o f Cambys es :

.
, , ,

the second he committed against his sister w h o had a c c o m ,

p a n i e d him into Egypt and whom he married and w h o w as , ,

his sister by both parents H e marri ed her in the f ollowing .

w a y : for before the Persians were on no account accustomed,

to intermarry with their sisters Cambyses b ecam e enamoure d .

o f one o f his sisters and then b eing desirous of making her ,

his wife because he purposed doing what w a s not customary

, ,

he summoned the royal j udges and asked them if there w a s ,

any law permitting one w h o wished to marry his sister The .

royal j udges are men chosen f rom among Persians w h o con ,

t i n u e in o ffice until they die or are convicted o f some i n j u s ,

tice They determine causes b etwee n the Persians and are

.
,

the interpreters of the ancient constitutions an d all questions ,

are referred to them When therefore Cambyses put the .

, ,

question they gave an answer that w a s both j ust an d sa f e ;

,

saying that they could find no law permitting a brother to

marry his sister but had discovered another law whi ch p er ,

m i t t e d the King o f Persia to do whatever he pleased Th u s .

they did not abrogate th e law through f ear of Cambyses ; but

that they might not lose their l ives by upholding the law they ,

f ound out another that favoured his desire o f marrying his

sister Thereupon Cambyses married her o f whom he w a s
.
,

enamoured an d shortly afterward he had another sister The

, .

youngest of these then who followed him into Egypt he , , ,

put to death With resp ect to her death as well as that of

.
,

S m e r d i s a twofold account is given

, The Greeks say that .

Cambyses made th e whelp o f a l ion fight with a young dog ;

an d that this wife was also looking on ; an d that the dog
b eing overmatched another puppy o f th e same litter broke ,

his chain an d came to his assistance and thus the two dogs
, ,

united got th e better o f th e whelp Cambyses w a s delighted .

at the sight but she sitting by him sh ed tears Cambyses

‘

, , , .
,

obs erving this asked her w h y she wept She answered that
, .
,

she wept seeing the puppy come to th e assistance o f his

brother remembering S m e rd i s and knowing that there was no
, ,

one to avenge him Th e Greeks say that for this speech she .

was put to death by Cambyses B ut the Egyptians say that .

,

as they were sitting at table his wife took a lettuce and , ,

stripp ed o ff its l eaves and then asked her husband Whether , ,

the lettuce stripped o f its leaves or thick with f oliage was the
”
handsomer ? he said “When thick with f oliage : where
,
”
,

upon sh e remarked Then you have imitated this lettuce in , ,

”
dismembering the hous e o f Cyrus Whereupon h e being
.
.
,
1 66
—
H E R O D O T U S BOO K III T H A L IA
, [ 3 2 -

35

enraged kicked her when she was with chil d ; and she m i s ca rJ
,

ried and died .

Thus madly did Cambyses behave toward his own f amily ;

whether on account o f Apis or from some other cause from , ,

which in many ways misfortunes are wont to befall man

, ,

kind For Cambyses is said even from infancy to have been

.
, ,

a fflicted with a certain severe malady which some called the ,

sacred disease 1
I n that case it w a s not at all surprising that
.
,

when his body was so diseased his mind should not be sound .

An d toward the other Persians h e behaved madly in the fol

lowing instances : for it is reported that he said to P re x a s p e s ,

whom he highly honoured and whose o ffice it was to bring ,

messages to him and whose son w a s cup bearer to Cam

,
-

b y s e s and this is no trifling honour he is reported to have

, ,

spoken as follows : P re x a s p e s what sort of man do the ,

Persians think me ? and what remarks do they make about

”
me ? H e answered Sir you are highly extolled in every
, ,

other respect but they say you are too much addicted to
,

wine . P re x a s p e s said this of the Persians but the king , ,

enraged answered as f ollows : Do t h e Persians indeed say

,

that by being addicted to wine I am b eside mysel f and am

, , ,
”
not in my senses ? Then their former words were not true .

For on a f ormer occasion when th e Persians and Cr oesus

, ,

were sitting with him Cambyses asked what sort o f man ,

he appeared to be in comparison with his father Cyrus ; they

answered that he was superior to his father for that he held ,

all that Cyrus possessed and had acquired besides Egypt and,

the empire of the sea Cr oesus being present not being .

, ,

pl eased with this decision spoke thus to Cambyses : To me ,

now O son of Cyrus you do not appear comparable to your

, ,
”
f ather f or you have not yet such a son as he left behind him
, .

Cambyses was delighted at hearing this and commended the ,

j udgment o f Croesus Therefore rememb ering this he said

.
, ,

in anger to P re x a s p e s : O bserve now yours elf whether the ,

Persians have spoken the truth or whether they who say such ,

things are not out o f th eir senses ; for if I shoot that son o f
‘
yours who stands under the portico and hit him in the heart , ,

the Persians will appear to have said nothing to the purpose ;

but if I miss t h en say that the Persians have spoken truth
, ,
”
and that I am not of sound mind Having said this and .
,

bent his bow he hit the boy ; and when the boy had fallen
, ,

h e ordered them to open him and examin e t he wound ; and

’
when th e arrow was found in th e heart he said to the boy s ,

f a t h er laughing :
,
P rex as p e s it has been clearly shown to ,

E p il e p s y .
I 68 HER D TU
O O S— B OOK III, T H A L IA [ 37 -

39

f or the image of V ulcan is very like the Ph oenician P at a i c i ,

which the Ph oenicians place at the prows of their triremes .

For t he benefit of any one who has not seen them I wi ll de ,

scribe them ; i t is a representation of a pigmy He likewise .

entered the templ e of the Cabeiri ( into which it is unlawful

for any one except the priest to enter) and these images he ,

b urned after he had ridiculed them in various ways : these

,

also are like that of V ulcan ; and they say that they are the
sons of this latter I t is then in every way clear to me that
.

Cambyses was outrageously mad ; otherwise he woul d not

have attempted to deride sacred things and established cus
toms For i f any one shoul d propose to all men to select the
.
‘

best institutions of all that exist each after considering them , ,

all would choose their own ; so certain is it that each thinks

,

his own instituti ons by f ar th e best I t is not there fore p rob .

abl e that any but a madman would make such things the sub
j ec t of ridicule That all men are of this mind respecti n g
.

their own institutions may b e inferred from many and various

proofs and among them by the f ollowing : Darius having
,

summoned some Greeks under his sway who were present , ,

asked them for what sum they woul d f eed upon the dead
bodies o f their parents They answered that they would not .

do it for any sum Darius afterward having s ummoned some

.

of the I ndians called Call a t i a n s who are accustomed to eat ,

their parents asked them in the presence o f the Greeks and

, ,

w h o were in f ormed of what was said by an interpreter for what ,

sum they would consent to burn their fathers when they die .

B ut they making lou d exclamations b egged he woul d speak

, ,

words of good omen Such then is the eff ect of custom : .

, ,

and Pindar appears to me to have said rightly that custom ,

”
is the king of al en .

Whil e fi m b y s e fiw a s invading Egypt the Laced aemonians ,

made an e3i p €d i t i ofi against Samos and Polycrates the son

'
‘

o f H aces who h ad made an insurrection and seized on Samos

,
.

At first having divided the state into three parts he shared it

, ,

with his brothers Pa n t a g n a t o s and S y l o s o n ; but a fterward ,

having put one o f them to death and expelled S yl o s o n the , ,

younger h e hel d the whole of Samos ; and hol ding it made

, ,

a treaty o f f riendship with Am a s i s King o f Egypt sending , ,

presents and receiving others from him in return I n a very .

short time the power o f Polycrates increased and was noised ,

abroad throughout I onia and the rest o f Greece ; for wherever

h e turned his arms everything turned out prosperously He .

had a hundred fift y oared galleys and a thousand archers

-

,
.

And h e plundered all without distinction ; f or he said t h at h e

39 4 2
-

] P O LY CRA TE S 1 69

gratified a f riend more by restoring what h e had seized than

by taking nothing at all H e“ acc ordingly took m any of the .
v eg -M

isl ands and many cities on the continent ; he moreover over

, i

c ame in a s e a fi g hf f a n d t ook p risoners t h e L e s b i a n__s w h o

~ ¢w ~
’

l
°

-
, ,
. .
s , -
m

came to a s s i s t f h e M ilesians with all their forces : these b eing

'
’

n fi Sf d u g t h e whol e trench that surrounds the wall s

'

u i l i
'
L

E
'

p t i a
of Samos Somehow the exceeding good fortune of Po l y c
.

rates did not escape the notice o f A m a s i s but was the cause ,

of uneasiness to him ; and when his successes continued to i n

crease having written a letter in the f ollowing terms he de
,

s p a t c h e d it to Samos :
“A m a s i s to Polycrates says thus : I t
,

is pleasant to hear of the successes of a friend and ally B ut .

your too great good fortune does not please me knowing , ,

as I do that the divinity is j ealous As for me I woul d rather

,
.
,

choose that both I an d those for whom I am solicitous should

be partly successful in our undertakings and partly su ff er r e ,

verses ; and so pass li f e meeting with vicissitudes of fortune , ,

than being prosperous in all things For I can not remember .

that I ever heard of any man w h o having been constantly ,

success ful did not at last utterly perish B e advised th ere

, .

fore by me and act thus with regard to your good f ortune

, .

Having considered what you can find that you value most ,

and the loss o f which would most pain your soul this cast ,

away that it may never more b e seen of man : an d if a fter

,

this successes are not mingled interchangeabl y with reverses ,

again have recourse to the remedy I have suggested Poly e .

rates having read this letter and conceived that A m a s i s had

, ,

given him good advice inquired of himself by th e loss o f which ,

o f his valuables he shoul d most a fflict his soul ; and on i n

quiry he discovered the following : H e had a seal which he
,

wore set in gold made of an emeral d and it was the work

, , ,

manship of Theodorus the son of T e l e c l es a Samian ; when , ,

therefore he had determined to cast this away he did as f ol ,

lows : Having manned a fift y oared galley h e went on board -

it and th en ordered to put out to sea ; and wh en h e was a

,

co n siderabl e distance from the island he took o ff the seal and , ,

in the sight of all on board threw it into the sea This done , .
,

he sail ed back again ; and having reached his palace he ,

mourned it as a great mis f ortune B ut on the fifth or sixth .

day a fter this th e f ollowing circumstance occurred : A fi s h er

man having caught a large and beautiful fish thought it a
, ,

p resent worthy t o b e given to Polycrates ; he accordingly car

ri ed it to the gates and said that he wished to b e admitted to ,

the presence o f Polycrates ; and when this w a s granted he

“
presented t h e fish and said : O king having caught th is
,

, , ,
12
 I 7O H E RO D OT U S -
B OO K I II, T H A L IA [ 42 -

45

I did not think it right to take it to market although I get ,

my living by hard labour ; but it seemed to me worthy of you

”
and your empire ; I bring it therefore and present it to you , , .

H e pleased with these words replied

, Y ou have done well , , ,

and I give you doubl e thanks for your speech and your pres
”
ent and I invite you to supper
, The fisherman thinking a .
,

great deal of th is went away to his own home ; but the serv
,

ants opening the fish found the seal o f Polycrates in its b el l v

, ,

and as soon as they had seen it and taken it out they car , ,

ried it with great j oy to Polycrates an d as they gave him the

‘

seal they acquainted him in what manner it had been found .

B ut when it occurred to him that the event was superhuman ,

he wrote an account of what he had done and of what had ,

happened and having written he despatched the account to

, ,

Egypt B ut Am a s i s having read the letter that came from

.
,

Polycrates f elt persuaded that it was impossible for man to

,

rescue man from the fate that awaited him and that Poly e ,

rates woul d not come to a good end since he was fortunate ,

in everything and even found what he had thrown away ; hav

,

ing therefore sent a herald to Samos he said that he must ,

renounce his friendship H e did this for the following reason

.
,

lest i f some dreadful and great calamity befell Polycrates he ,

«
fl i gh t himself be grieved for him as f or a f riend , .

Against this Polycrates then who was so universally pros

, ,

pero n s the Laced aemonians made war at the solicitation o f

, ,

those Samians w h o afterward founded Cydonia in Crete .

P o l y c ra te s / h a v i n g sent to ,

son as he - "

was collecting an army for the invasion of Egypt begged ,

that he would send to him at Samos and demand some troops .

When Cambyses heard this h e readily sent to Samos re , ,

\

questing Polycrates to furnish a naval force to attend him

in his invasion of Egypt Whereupon he having selected .
,

those citizens whom he most suspected of seditious designs ,

s ent them away in f orty gall eys enj oining Cambyses not ,

to send them home again Now some say that these Sami.
,

ans w h o were sent out by Polycrates never reached Egypt ,

but when they were o ff C a rp a t h i u s they conferred together ,

and resolved to sail no f arther O thers say that having ar .

,

rived in Egypt and finding themsel ves watched they made

, ,

their escape from thence ; and as they were sailing back to

Samos Polycrates met them with a fl eet and came to an e n
, ,

g g
a e m e n t ; and they w h o were returning gained the victory
and landed on the island and there having fought on land
, ,

they were worsted and so set sail f or Laced aemon There

,
.

are some w h o say that the party from Egypt conquered Poly e
1 72 H E R O D O T U S— B OO K I I I, T H A L IA [48 5 1 -

being conducted to Sardis first o f all instructed the youths ,

to touch the Templ e of Diana and afterward would not su ff er ,

the Corinthians to remove the suppliants from the sanctuary ;

and when the Corinthians denied the youths any sustenance ,

the Samians instituted a festival which they still O bserve in ,

the same w a y For when night came on as long as the youths

.
,

continued suppliants they instituted choruses o f virgins and ,

young men and made a law that they should carry cakes of
,

sesame and honey in order that the Corcyraean youths might ,

seize them and have food This was continued until the .

Corinthians w h o had charge of the youths went away and

, ,

le ft them ; then th e Samians sent home the youths to Corcyra .

N o w if after the death o f Peria nder the Corinthians had been

, ,

on f riendly terms with the Corcyr aeans they would not h ave
”

assisted i n t h e ex p edition against Samos for the above men -

t i o n e d cause but i n fact from the first colonization o f the

.
,

island they have always b een at variance with one another

,
.

f or this reason therefore the Corinthian s , ,

grudge agains t the Samians B ut Periander had selected th e .

Sons of the Corcyr aean nobles and sent them to Sardis to ,

b e emasculated in revenge of an insult o ff ered him ; f or the

,

Corcyraeans had first committed an outrageous deed against

him When Periander had killed his own wi f e M elissa it
.
,

happened that another calamity succeeded the f ormer H e .

had two sons by M elissa one seventeen the other eighteen , ,

years o f age These their maternal grand f ather P ro c l e s w h o

.
, ,

was tyrant of Epidaurus sent for and treated a ff ectionately , , ,

as was natural they being the sons o f his own daughter B ut

, .

when h e sent them home as he escorted them on their way ,

he said Do you know my sons who killed your m o t h e r ? f

, , ,

The elder of th em took no notice o f these words ; but the

younger whose name w a s Lycophron when h e heard it was
, , ,

so grieved at hearing this that on his return at Corinth he nei

ther addressed his father regarding him as the m u rd e re r o f ,
‘

his mother nor entered into conversation with him nor a n

, ,

s w e r e d a word to his questions At last Periander b eing ex .

,

c e e d i n g l y angry drove him f rom the palace Having driven

, .

him out he inquired o f the elder one what their grandfather

,

had said to them H e related to him how kindly he had re .

c e i v e d them ; but h e did not mention the words P ro c l es said

as h e w a s escorting them f or he had paid no attention to ,

them B ut Periander a fli rm e d that it was impossible but that

.

he had suggested something to them ; and he persevered in

his inquiries till the young man recovered his memory and
, ,

mentioned this also Periander reflecting on this and res olv .

, ,
5 1 -

5 3] PE R IA N DE R 1 73

ing not to show any indulgence sent a messenger to the per ,

sons by whom the son w h o w a s driven out w a s entertained ,

and f orbade them to receive him in their houses B ut he .

,

when being driven out from one house he came to another ,

was driven from this also since Periander threatened all that ,

received him and required them to expel him B eing thus

, .

driven about he went to some other of his friends ; and they

, ,

tho ugh in dread yet received him as the son o f Periander

, .

At last Periander made a proclamation that whoever should

either receive him in his house or converse with him should , ,

pay a sacred fine to Apollo mentioning the amount I n con , .

~

sequence of this proclamation therefore n o one would eithe r , ,

converse with him or receive him into their houses ; besides ,

he himsel f did not think it right to attempt what w a s for

bidden but persisting in his purpose strayed among th e
, , ,

porticoes O n the f ourth day Periander seeing him reduced

.
,

to a state o f filth and starvation f elt compassion and relax , ,

ing his anger approached him and sai d : M y son which o f

, , ,

these is pre f erable your present mode o f li f e or by a c c o m mo

, ,
’
dating yourself to your f ather s wishes to succeed to the ,

power and riches which I now possess ? Y ou w h o are my ,

son and a prince o f wealthy Corinth have chosen a vaga

, ,

bond li f e by opposing and showing anger toward him whom

, ,

least o f all you ought so to treat For i f any calamity has

, .

occurred in o u r f a m il y on account o f which you have con

’

c e iv e d any suspicion of me it has fallen upon me and I bear , ,

the chie f burden o f it inasmuch as I murdered her D o you , .

,

therefore having learned how much b etter it is to b e envied

,

than pitied an d at th e same time what it is to b e angry with

,

parents and superiors return to you r home With these

, .

words Periander endeavoured to restrain him H e however .

, ,

gave his father no other answer but said that h e had made ,

himsel f liabl e to pay th e sacred fine to the god by having

spoken to him Periander there fore perceiving that the di s
.

temper o f h is son w a s impracticabl e and invincible put him ,

on board a ship and sent him out o f his sight to Corcyra

, ,

for he w a s also master o f that island Periander having s ent .

him away made w a r on his father i h law P ro c l es as being the

,
- -

principal author of th e present troubles ; an d he took Epi

d au ru s and took P ro c l e s himsel f and kept him prisoner
, B ut .

when in lapse of time Periander grew old and became con

, , ,

scious that h e w a s no longer abl e to superintend and man a ge

public a ff ai rs having sent to Corcyra he recalled Lycophron
, ,

to assume the g overnment for h e did not perceive in his eldest ,

son any capacity for govern ment but he appeared to him ,

1 74 O O —
H E R D T U S B OO K III T H A L IA —
, [53 5 5

dull o f intellect B ut Lycophron did not deign to give an

.

answer to the b earer of the message N evertheless Periander .

,

h av 1 n g a strong a ff ection for the youth next sent to him his ,

sister w h o w a s his o w n daughter thinking she woul d b e mos t

, ,

likely to persuade him O n her arrival she thus addressed .

him : B rother woul d you that the government should pass

,

to others and that your father s family S hould be utterly de

,
’

stroyed rather than yourself return and possess it ? Come

,

home then and cease to punish yourself O bstinacy is a

, , .

sorry possession : think not to cure one evil by another Many .

have preferred equity to strict j ustic e ; and many ere this , ,

’
in seeking their mother s rights have lost their father s i n ’

heritance A kingdom is an uncertain possession and many

.

are suitors for it H e is now old and past the vigour of life
.
, .

”
D o not give your own to others Thus she having been .
,

instructed by her father said what w a s most likely t o per ,

suade him B ut he in answer said that he woul d never return

.

to Corinth so long as he shoul d hear his father was living .

When she brought back this answer Periander sent a third ,

time by a herald to say that he himself intended to go to

Corcyra ; and urged him to return to Corinth and become
his successor in th e kingdom The son consenting to this .

p p
r O o s a l Periander prepared to set out for Corcyra and his
, ,

son for Corinth ; but the Corcyraeans being informed o f each

particular in order that Periander might not co me to their
,

country killed the young man : and in return for this Peri
,

ander took vengeance on the Corcyraeans .

Th e Laced aemonians arriving with a great armament b e , ,

sieged Samos and having attacked the fortifications they

, ,

had passed b eyond the tower that faced the sea near the
suburbs ; but afterward when Polycrates himsel f advanced ,

with a large force th ey were driven back I mmedi at ely after

,
.
,

the auxiliaries and many o f the Samians poured down from

the upper tower which stands on the ridge of the mountain ;
,

and having withstood the Laced aemonians for a short time ,

they fled back again and the enemy pursued them with great ,

slaughter N o w if all the Laced aemonians who were present

.
,

on that day had behaved as well as Archias and L y c op a s ,

Samos woul d have been taken For Archias and L y c o p as .

alone rushing on with the Samians as th ey fled to the wall ,

and b eing shut out from retreat died in th e city of the Sami ,

ans Another Archias the son of Samius son of Archias

.
, , ,

the third in descent from this Archias I myself met with in , ,

P i t a n e for he w a s of that tribe

,
H e esteemed the Samians .

above all other strangers and s aid that the surname o f Samian ,
1 76 H E R O D O T U S— B O O K I I I, T H A L IA —
[59 6 1

purpos e but to expel the Z a c y n t h i a n s f rom the island They

, .

continued in this settlement and were prosperous for five ,

years ; so much so that these are the people who erected the
sacred precincts that are now in Cydonia and the Temple of ,

D ictynna B ut in the sixth year the ZE g i n e t ae having v a n

.
,

q u i s h e d them in a sea fi g h t reduced them to slavery

-
together, ,

with the Cretans ; and they cut o ff the prows of their ships ,

which represented the figure of a boar and dedicated them ,

in th e Temple of M inerva in ZE g i n a The ZE g i n et ae did this .

on account of a grudge they bore the Samians ; f or f ormer

Samians when A m p h i c ra t e s reigned in Samos having made
, ,

war again st ZE g i n a did the ZE g i n e t ae much mischie f and

, ,

su ff ered in return This then w a s the cause

.
, , .

I have dwelt longer on the a ff airs o f the Samians because ,

they have three works the greatest that have been a e com
l i s h e d by all th e Greeks The first is of a mountain one hun
p .
,

dred and fifty o rg y ae in height ; in this is dug a tunnel b e ,

ginning from the base with an O pening at each side The , .

l ength of the excavation is s even stades and the height and ,

breadth eight feet each ; through the whol e length o f it is dug

another excavation twenty cubits deep and three feet broad , ,

through which the water conveyed by pipes reaches the city ,

drawn from a copious f ountain The architect o f this excava .

~

tion w as a M egarian E u p a l i n u s son of N a u s t ro p h u s This

, , .
,

then is one of the three The second is a mound in the sea

,
.

round the harbour in depth about one hundred o rgy ae ; and

,

the length of the mound is more than two stades The third .

work of theirs is a temple the largest o f all we have ever seen ; ,

of this the first architect w a s R h oecus son of P hil e u s a na

, , ,

tive O n account o f these things I have dwelt longer on the

.

a ff airs of the Samians .

While Cambyses son o f Cyrus tarried in Egypt and was

, , ,

acting madly t w o magi w h o were brothers revolted O n e

, , , .

o f thes e Cambyses had le f t steward of his palace H e a c .

c o r d i n g l y revolted having b een in f ormed of the death of

,

S m e r d i s and that it was kept secret and that there were f ew

, ,

of the Persians w h o were acquainted with it f or the gener ,

ality thought him still alive Therefore having formed the .

,

following design h e determined to make an attempt on the

,

throne He had a brother w h o I have said j oined him in

.
, , ,

the revolt in person very like S m e r d i s son of Cyrus whom

, , ,

Cambyses although he was his own brother had put to death

, ,
.

The magus Pa t i z i t h e s having persuaded this man that he ,

woul d man age everything for h i m set him on the throne ; ,

an d having don e t h is he sen t her al ds i n various directions

, ,
61—
64] REV O LT O F T HE MAG I 1 77

and p art icularly to Egypt to proclaim to the army that they ,

must in future obey S m e rd i s son of Cyrus and not Cambyses , ,

.

The other heralds therefore made this proclamation ; and he

, , ,

moreover w h o was appointed to Egypt finding Cambyses

, ,

and his army at Ecbatana in Syria standing in the midst , ,

proclaimed what had been ordered by the magus Cambyses .

having heard this from the heral d and believing that he spoke ,

the truth and that he had himself been b etrayed by P re x a s p e s

,

( for that he when sent to kill

, S m e rd i s had not done so ) , ,

looked toward P re x a s p es and sai d P r e x a s p es hast thou

, , ,

thus performed the business I enj oined thee ? B ut he a n

s w e re d : Sir it is not true that your b rother S m e rd i s has re
,

vo l t e d against you nor that you can have any quarrel

, great ,

or small with him For I myself put your order in execution

, .
,

and buried him with my o w n hands I f however the dead .

, ,

rise again expect that A s t y a g e s th e M ede will rise up against

,

you B ut i f it is now as f ormerly nothing new can spring

.
,

up to you from him I t appears to me however that w e .

, ,

should pursue the heral d and fi n d out by inquiry f rom whom ,

”
he comes to proclaim to us that w e are to obey King S m e rd i s .

When P re xa s p e s had spoken thus as the advice was a p ,

proved by Cambyses the h eral d w a s immediately pursued , ,

and brought back When h e arrived P re xa s p es questioned

.

him as f ollows : Friend since you say that you come as the ,

messenger o f S m e rd i s son of Cyrus now speak the truth , , ,

and depart in peace Whether did S m e rd i s himsel f appear in

.

person before you and give these orders or some one of his
, ,
”
ministers ? H e answered : I have not so much as seen
S m e r d i s son of Cyrus since King Cambys es marched f or
, ,

Egypt ; but the magus whom Cambyses appointed steward

o f his palace gave me thes e orders saying that S m e rd i s son , ,

o f Cyrus w a s the person w h o charged me to del iver this mes

,
”
sage to you Thus the man spoke without adding any u n
.

truth B ut Cambyses said : P re x a s p e s you like a faith f ul

.
, ,

man having executed your instructions have escaped all

, ,

blame : but what Persian can this be w h o has revolted against

me usurping the name of
,
S m e r d i s ? He replied : I think
I understand the whole matter O king : th e magi are the ,

persons w h o have revolted against you P a t i z i t h e s whom you , ,

”
left steward of the palace and his brother S m e rd i s When
, .

Cambyses heard the name o f S m e rd i s the truth of this account ,

and of th e dream struck him : for h e fanc ied in his sleep that
some one announced to him that S m e r d i s Se a t e d on the royal
‘

throne touched the heavens with his head Perceiving there

,
.
,

f ore that he had destroy ed his brother without a cause h e

, ,
1 78 H E R O D O T U S— B O O K I I I, T H A L IA 6 —
[ 4 65

wept f or S m e r d i s ; and after he had lamented him and bit ,

t e rl y deplored th e whol e calamity he leaped upon his horse , ,

resolving with all speed to march to Susa against the magus .

B ut as he was l eaping on his horse the chape of his sword s ,

’

scabbard fell O ff and the blade being laid bare struck the
, , ,

thigh ; being wounded in that part where he himself had for

merly smitten the Egyptian god Apis Cambyses when he .
,

thought that he was mortally wounded asked what was the ,

name of the city They said it w a s Ecbatana And it had

. .

b een before prophesied to him from the city of B uto that he

should end his life in Ecbatana H e therefore imagined he .

shoul d die an old man in Ecbatana o f Media where all his ,

treasures were ; but the oracle in truth meant in Ecbatana o f

Syria When he had thus been informed on inquiry of the
.
, ,

name of the city though smitten by his misfortune as well

, ,

that proceeding from the magus as from the wound he re ,

turned to his right mind ; and comprehending the oracle said ,

”
H ere it is fated that Cambyses son o f Cyrus should die , , .

So much he said at that time ; but about twenty days a fter ,

having summoned the principal men of the Persians w h o

were with him he addressed them as follows : I am con “
,

strained to disclose to you a matter which above all others

I desired to conceal When I was in Egypt I saw a vision
.

in my sleep which I wish I had never seen I thought that

, .

a messenger arrived from my palace an d announced to me

that S m e r d i s seated on the royal throne touched the heavens
, ,

with his head Fearing lest I should b e deprived of my k ing

.

dom by my brother I acted with more precipitation than ,

wisdom ; for in truth it belongs not to human nature to avert

what is destined to happen B ut I f oolishly sent P r ex a s p e s .

to Susa to put S m e rd i s to death ; since that crime was p e rp e

t ra t e d I have lived in security never considering whether , ,

now that S m e rd i s w a s removed some other mortal might not ,

rise up against me B ut utterly mistaking what was about to

.

happen I became a fratricide to no purpose and am n ev e rt h e

, ,

less deprived o f my kingdom For S m e rd i s the magus was the .

person whom the deity forewarned me in the vision would rise

up against me The deed then has been perpetrated by me ;
.
, ,

consider therefore that S m e r d i s son of Cyrus is no more ;

, , , ,

but the magi have possessed themselves of the throne he ,

whom I l eft steward of my palace and his brother S m e rd i s .

Now he w h o of right should have revenged the indignity

, ,

I su ff er from the magi has perished impiously by the hand ,

o f his nearest relation Since therefore he is no more in .

, , ,

t h e next place o f the oth e r inj unctions t ha t I have to lay upon

,
1 80 HE R O D O T U S— B OOK I I I , T HA L IA [ 68 69 -

dis the son of Cyrus but the person he really w a s forming

, ,

his conj ecture from this circumstance that he never went out ,

o f the citadel and that he never summoned any of the prin

,

c i p a l men of Persia to his presence Having conceived sus .

p i c i o n of him he contrived the following artifice : Cambyses

,

had married his daughter whose name was P h aed y m a ; the ,

magus therefore had her as his wife as well as with all the rest ,

o f the wives of Cambys es O tanes therefore sending to this .

, ,

daughter inquired with what man she lay whether with Smer
, ,

dis son of Cyrus or some other person : she sent back word
, ,

to him saying that s h e did not know for that she had never
, ,

seen S m e r d i s son of Cyrus nor knew who it was that c o

, ,

habited with her O tanes s ent a second time saying If you

.
, ,

do not yourself know S m e rd i s son of Cyrus then inquire , ,

of Atossa w h o this man is with whom sh e as well as you c o

”
habits for she must of necessity kno w her o w n brother To
“
1
.
,

this his daughter replied : I can neither have any conversa

tion with Atossa nor see any o f th e women who used to l ive
,

with me ; for as soon as this man whoever he is succeeded , ,

to the throne he dispersed us all assigning us separate apart

, ,

ments . When O tanes heard this the matter appeared much ,

more plain ; and he sent a third message to her in these words :

Daughter it becomes you being of noble birth to under
, , ,

take any peril that your father may require you to incur .

For i f this S m e rd i s is not the son o f Cyrus but the person ,

whom I suspect it is not fit that he lying with you and pos

, ,

sessing the empire of the Persians shoul d escape with i m ,

p u n i t y but ,su ff er the punishment due to his off ences Now .

,

therefore follow my directions : When he sleeps wit h you and

, ,

you know him to b e sound asl eep touch his ears ; and i f you ,

fin d he has ears b e assured that you cohabit with S m e rd i s

, ,
”
son of Cyrus ; but if he has none with S m e rd i s the magus ,
.

To this message P h aed y m a answered saying that she should ,

incur very great danger by doing so ; for if he had no

ears and she shoul d b e discovered touching him she well
, ,

knew that he woul d put her to death ; nevertheless she would

mak e the attempt She accordingly promised to accomplish .

this for her father Now Cyrus son of Cambyses during his.
, ,

reign had cut o ff the ears of this S m e rd i s the magus for some
, , ,

grave o ff ence This P h aed y m a daughter of O tanes there

.
, ,

fore determining to execute all that she had promised her

,

f ather when her turn came to approach the magus ( for in

,

Persia the wives visit their husbands in regular succession) ,

went and sl ept with him : and wh en the magus was sound
a sleep sh e felt for his ears and perceiving without a ny d i ffi
, ,
69 —72] D IS C O VE R Y O F S M E R D IS 18 1

culty that the man had no ears as soon as it w a s day sh e sent ,

and made known to her father what the case w a s .

Thereupon O tanes having taken with him A s p at h i n es and

,

Go b ry a s w h o were the noblest o f the Persians and persons

, ,

on whom he coul d best rely related to them the whole a ff air ,

they too had themselves suspected that the case w a s so ;

, ,

and when O tanes had adduced his reasons they admitted their ,

f orce ; and they agreed that each shoul d associate with himsel f
a Persian in whom he could place most reliance O tanes .

accordingl y introduced I n t ap h e rn es ; Go b ry a s M e g ab y z u s ; ,

and A s p a t h i n es Hydarnes Thes e six being associated

,
.
,

Darius son o f H y s t a s p e s arrived at Susa from Persia where

, , ,

his father was governor When there fore he arrived the six .
, , ,

Persians determined to admit Darius to the confederacy .

These seven having met exchanged pledges with each other ,

and con f erred together When it came to th e turn o f Darius

“
.

to declare his O pinion he addressed them as follows : I ,

thought that I w a s th e onl y person w h o knew that it was the

magus w h o reigns and that S m e rd i s son Of Cyrus is dead ;
, , ,

and for this very reason I hastened hither in order to con

t ri v e th e death o f the magus B ut since it proves that you .

also are acquainted with the fact an d not I only it appears , ,

to me that w e should act immediately and not p ut it o ff ; ,

”
for that woul d b e of no advantage O tanes said to this : .

Son o f H y s t a s p e s you are born of a noble father an d show

, ,

yoursel f not at all inferior to him ; do not however so i n c o n , ,

s i d e ra t e l y hasten this enterprise but set about it with more ,

caution : for we must increas e our numbers and then attempt ,

”
it
. Darius repl ied to this : B e assured ye men w h o are ,

here present if you adopt the plan proposed by O tanes you

, ,

will all miserably perish : for some one will discover it to the
magus consulting his own private advantage : and in deed
,

you ought to have carried out your proj ect immediately with ,

out communicating i t to any one els e ; but since you have

thought fit to refer it to others and ye have disclosed it to me , ,

let us carry it out this very day or b e assured that i f this day ,

passes over no on e shall be beforehand with me and b ecome

”
my accuser but I mysel f will denounce you to the magus
, .

O tanes seeing Darius so eager repli ed :

, Since you compel ,

us to precipitate our enterprise and will not permit us to ,

de f er come do you tell us in what w a y w e are to enter the

, ,

palace and attack them ; for you yours el f know i f not hav ,

ing seen them yet surely by report that guards are stationed
, ,

at intervals ; and how shall we pass them ? Darius answered

O tanes : There are many things that can not b e made clear
182 H E R O D O T U S— B O O K I II , T H A L IA [ 72
-

74

by words but may by action : and there are other things that
,

seem practicable in description but no signal e ff ect proceeds ,

f rom them B e assured that the guards stationed there will

.

not be at all di fficult to pass by : for in the first place seeing ,

our rank there is no one w h o will not allow us to pass partly

, ,

from respect and partl y from fear ; and in the next place I
, ,

have a most specious pretext by which w e shall gain admis

sion for I will say that I am j ust arrived from Persia and
, ,

wish to report a message to the king from my father For .

when a lie must be told let it be told : for we all aim at the ,

same ends both they w h o tell lies and they w h o keep to the
,

truth Some tell lies when by persuading with falsehoods

.
, ,

they are likely to gain some advantage ; while others speak

the truth in order that by th e truth they may acquire some
,

advantage and something further may b e intrusted to them :

,

thus by diff erent processes w e aim at the same end B ut i f .

nothing were likely to b e gained as well he w h o speaks truth ,

would lie and he w h o lies woul d speak truth Whoever o f

, .

the doorkeepers therefore shall willingly let us pass shall be

, , ,

rewarded in due time ; but whoever o ff ers to oppose us must

instantly b e treated as an en emy ; and when w e have f orced
”
our passage w e must accomplish our work
, After this Go .

bryas sai d : Friends shall w e ever have a better opportunity

,

to recover the sovereign power or if we shall b e unabl e to ,

do so to die ? seeing w e w h o are Persians are governed by

, ,

a Medic magus and one without ears Thos e among you , .

w h o were present with Cambyses when he lay sick well remem

ber the imprecations he uttered at the point of death against
the Persians if they shoul d not attempt to repossess them
selves o f th e sovereign power : w e did not then believe his
story but thought that Cambyses spoke from ill will I there
,
-
.

fore give my voice that w e yield to Darius and that on break ,

ing up this conference w e go nowhere else than direct to the

magus Thus spok e Go b ry a s and all assented to his pro
.
,

p osal .

Whil e they were deliberating on these things the f ollow ,

i n g events happened to tak e place : The magi on consulta ,

t ion determined to make Pr e x a s p es their friend ; both b e

,

cause he had su ff ered grievous wrongs from Cambyses who ,

shot his son dead with an arrow ; and because he alone o f

all the Persians knew of th e death of S m e rd i s son o f Cyrus , ,

having despatched him with his o w n hand ; and moreover , ,

becaus e P re x a s p e s w a s in high repute with the Persians For .

t hese reasons therefore having sent for P r e x a s p es they e n

, , ,

d e av o u r e d to wi n h i s f ri endship bi ndi n g him by pledges and ,

1 84 H E R O D O T U S—B O O K II I, T H A L IA

posed : f or the guards out o f respect for men o f highest rank,

among the Persians and not suspecting any such design on ,

.

their part l et them pass by moved as they were by divine

, ,

impuls e ; nor did any one question them B ut when they .

reached th e hall they f ell in with the eunuchs appointed to

,

carry in messages who inquired of them for what purpose

,
-

they had come ; and at the same time that they questioned
them they threatened the doorkeepers for permitting them to
pass and endeavoured to prevent the s even from proceeding
,

any farther B ut they having exhorted each other and drawn

.
, ,

their daggers stabbed all that opposed their passage on the

,
’
spot and then rushed to the men s apartment The magi
,
.

happened to b e both within at the time and were consulting ,

about the conduct of P re x a s p e s When therefore they saw .

, ,

the eunuchs in confusion and heard their outcry they both , ,

hurried out and when they perceived what w a s going on

, ,

put themselves on th e defensive O n e of them accordingly .

snatched up a bow and th e other had recours e to a j avelin ,

and thereupon the parties engaged with each other The one .

who had taken up the bow seeing his enemies were near and ,

pressing upon them found it of no use ; but the other made ,

resistance with his spear and first wounded A s p at h i n e s in the ,

thigh and next I n t a p h e rn e s in the eye and I n t a p h e rn es lost

,

his eye from the wound but did not die Thus one o f the , .

magi wounded those two ; but the other when h e f ound his ,

bow of no s ervice fl ed to a chamber adj oining the men s

,
’

apartment purposing to shut to th e door and two of the

, ,

seven Darius and Go b ry a s rushed in with him ; and as Go

, ,

bryas was grappling with the magus Darius standing by , , ,

was in perplexity fearing lest he shoul d strike Go b ry a s in

,

the dark ; but Go b ry a s seeing that he stood by inactive asked , ,

h im w h y he di d not use his hand he answered Fearing ,

f or you l est I shoul d strike you

, B ut Gob ry a s replied .
,

D rive your sword even thro u gh both o f us Darius obey .

,

ing made a thrust with his dagger and by good fortune hit
, ,

the magus .

Having slain the magi and cut o ff their heads they le ft , ,

the wounded of their o w n party there as well on account o f ,

their exhaustion as to guard the acropolis ; but the other fiv e

of them carrying the heads o f the magi ran out with shout
, ,

ing and clamour and then called upon the rest of the Per
,

sians relating what they had done and showing them the
, ,

heads ; and at th e same time they slew every one o f the magi
that came in their w ay The Pers ians in f ormed o f what had .
,

been done by the seven and o f th e fraud o f the magi deter , ,

79-
8 1 ] FALL OF T HE M AG I 185

mined thems elves also to do the lik e ; and having drawn their
daggers they slew every magus they could find ; and if night
,

coming on had not prevented they woul d not have left a single ,

magus alive This day the Persians observe in common more

.

than any other and in it they celebrate a great f estival which

, ,
”
they call Th e slaughter o f the magi O n that day no magus .

is allowed to be s een i n public but they S hut themselves up ,

in their own houses during the whol e of that day .

When the tumult had subsi ded and five days had elapsed , ,

those w h o had risen up against the magi deliberated on th e

state of a ff airs ; and speeches were made that are disbeli eved
by some of the Greeks however they were made O tanes , .

advised that they shoul d commit the government to the Per

sians at large sp eaking as follows : I t appears that no one
,

of us should henceforward b e a monarch f or it is neither ,

agreeable nor good For you know to what a pitch th e inso

.

lence of Cambyses reached an d you have experienced the ,

insolence o f the magus An d indeed how can a monarchy .

be a well constituted government where one man is allowed

-

to do whatever he pleases without control ? for if even the

best o f men were placed in such power he woul d depart f rom ,

his wonted thoughts For insol ence is engendered in him

.

by the advantages that surround him and envy is implanted ,

in man f rom his b irth and having these two he has every , ,

vice ; f or pu ff ed up by insolence he commits many nefarious

actions and others through envy O n e woul d think that a
,
.
.

man w h o holds sovereign power shoul d b e free f rom envy ,

since he possesses every advantage ; but th e contrary to this

takes place in h 1s conduct toward th e citizens f or h e envies ,

the best w h o continue to live and delights in the worst men ,

o f the nation ; h e very readily listens to calumny and is the ,

most inconsistent o f all men ; f or i f you show him respect in

moderation he is off ended because h e is not su fficiently hon
o u r e d ; and i f any on e honours him very much he is o ff ended

as with a fl a t t e re r B ut I proceed to relate what is most i m

.

porta nt H e changes the institutions of our ancestors vio

.
,

lates women and puts men to death without trial B ut a

, .

popular government b ears the fairest name o f all equality ,

o f rights ; an d s econdly is guilty of none o f thos e excesses

,

that a monarch is The magistrate obtains his o ffi ce by lot

.
,

and exercises it under responsibility and refers all plans to ,

the public I there f ore give my opinion that w e shoul d do

.

away with monarchy and exalt the peopl e for in the many
, ,
”
all things are found O tanes accordingly advanced this
.

opinion M e g ab y z u s advised them to intrust the government

.
I 86 H E R O D OT U S —B O O K I I I, T H A L IA [ 8 1 —82

to an oligarchy and spoke as f ollows : I concur with what

,

O tanes has said about abolishing tyranny ; but in bidding us

transfer the power to the people he has erred from the best ,

O pinion ; for nothing is more foolish and insolent than a use

less crowd therefore i t is on no account to be endured that

, ,

men who are endeavouring to avoid the insolence of a tyrant

, ,

shoul d fall under the insol ence of an unrestrained multitude .

The former when he does anything does it knowingly but

, , ,

th e latter have not the means of knowing for how should they ,

k now who have neither been taught nor are acquainted with
anything good or fitting ; they w h o rushing on without re ,

,
ff
fl ec t i o n precipitate a airs like a winter torrent ? Let those ,

then w h o desire the ruin o f the Persians adopt a democracy ;

,

but let us having chosen an association of the best men

, ,

commit the sovereign power to them for among them we our ,

s elves shall b e incl uded and it is reasonable to expect that ,

”
the best counsel s will proceed f rom the best men M ega .

b y z u s accordingly advanced this opinion Darius expressed .

his O pinion the third saying : I n what M e g ab y z u s has said

,

concerning the p eopl e he appears to m e to have spoken ,

rightly ; but concerning an oligarchy not so For if three ,

.

f orms are proposed and each of thes e which I allude to the

,

b est in its kind th e best democracy and oligarchy and mon

, , ,

archy I a ffirm that the last is far superior For nothing can
,
.

b e foun d better than one man w h o is the best ; since acting ,

upon equally wise plans h e would govern the peopl e without ,

blame and woul d keep his designs most secret from the ill
,

a ff ected B ut in an oligarchy while many are exerting their

. ,

energies f or th e public good strong privat e enmities com

'

m o n l y spring up ; for each wishing to be chief and to carry ,

his O w n opinions they come to deep animosities one against

,

another from wh ence seditions arise ; and f rom seditions

, ,

murder ; and from murder it results in monarchy : and thus

it is proved how much this f orm of government is th e best .

B ut when the people rule it is impossible but that e v 11 should ,

spring up ; when there f ore evil springs u p mutual e n m i t 1e s

, , ,

do not arise among th e bad but powerful c o m b I n a t IO n s for

o

, ,

they who inj ure the commonwealth act in concert ; and t h IS

lasts until some one of the p eople stands forward and puts
them down ; and on this account he is admired by the people ,

and being admired he becomes a monarch ; and in th 1s he

,

too shows that a monarchy is b est B ut to comprehend all .

in one word whence came our f reedom and who gave it ?

,
?

was it f rom th e peopl e or an oligarchy or a monarch ? My, ,

o p inion t h erefore i s t h at as w e wer e ma d e fr ee by o n e man

, , ,
188 H E RO D OT U S -
B OO K I I I, T H A L IA 8
[ 5 88
-

this whether you shall be king or not be confident on this

, ,

point and keep up your spirits ; for no one else shall b e king
,
”
before you ; I have a charm for the occasion Darius said : .

I f you have any such contrivance it is time to put it in pra e ,

”
tice an d not to delay ; for to morrow our trial is to be
,
-

CE b a r e s having heard this did as follows : As soon as it was ,

night he led the mare which Darius s horse w a s most f ond o f

,
’

to the suburbs t ied her up and led Darius s horse to her ;

, ,
’

and he l ed him several times round near the mare gradually ,

bringing him nearer and at last l et the horse cover her At , .

dawn of day the six as they had agreed met together on

, , ,

horseback ; and as they were ri ding round the suburbs when ,

they came to the spot where the mare had b een tied the pre
ceding night Darius s horse ran forward and neighed ; and
,
’

as the hors e did this lightning and thunder came from a clear,

sky These things happening to Darius consummated the

.
,

auspices as if done by appointment The others dismount

, .
,

ing from their horses did obeisance to Darius as king Some , .

say that ( E b a r e s had recourse to the foregoing artifice ; others ,

to the following ( for the story is tol d both ways by the Per
sians ) : That having rubbed his hand upon the genital part
of the mare he kept it conceal ed under his trousers and at
, ,

sunrise when the horses were about to start CE b a r e s drew

, ,
’
out his hand and put it to the nostrils of Darius s horse and ,

that he taking the scent began to snort and neigh

, , .

Accordingly Darius son of H y s t a s p e s w a s declared king , , ,

and all th e peopl e of Asia except the Arabians were subj ect , ,

to him Cyrus having first subdued them and afterward Cam

, ,

b ys es The Arabians never submitted to the Persian yoke

.
,

but were on friendly terms and gave Cambyses a free passage ,

into Egypt ; for without the consent of the Arabians the Per
sians coul d not have penetrated into Egypt Darius con .

tracted his first marriages with Persians ; h e married two

daughters o f Cyrus Atossa and Art y s t o n a : Atossa had been
,

before married to her brother Cambyses and afterward to ,

th e magus but Art y s t o n a w a s a virgin He married another

,
.

also daughter o f S m e r d i s son of Cyrus whose name was

, , ,

P a rm y s ; and h e had besides the daughter o f O tanes who de

t e c t e d the magus His power w a s fully established on all
.

sides Having then first of all made a stone statue he had

.
,

it erected ; and a figure w a s upon it representing a man on

horseback ; and he h a d e n g rav e d on it the following i n s c ri p
'

tion : D A R I U S S O N O F H Y S T A S P E S B Y T H E S A GA C I TY O F
, ,

H I S H O R S E ( here mentioning the name) A N D B Y T H E A D D R E S S ,

OF CE B A R E S , H I S G R O O M , O B TA I N E D T H E EM P I R E OF T H E PE R
3} n D A R IU S M A D E K I N G 1 89

S IA N S Having done this in Persia h e constituted twenty

. ,

governments which they call satrapi es ; and having const 1

,

t u t ed the governments and set governors ov er them h e a p ,

pointed tributes to be paid to him from each nation both ,

connecting the adj oining people with the sever a l nations and ,

omitting some neighbouring people h e a n nexed to some ,

others that were more remote H e distributed the govern .

ments and the annual payment of tribute in the following

, ,

manner : Such of them as contributed silver were required ,

to pay it according to the standard o f the B abylonian talent ;

and such as contributed gold according to th e Euboic tal ent ,
.

The B abylonian talent is equal to seventy Euboic min ae D ur .

ing the reign o f Cyrus and afterward o f Cambyses there was , ,

no fixed regulation with regard to tribute but they brought ,

in presents I n consequence o f this imposition of tribute

. ,

and other things o f a similar kind th e Persians say Darius ,

w a s a trader Cambyses a master and Cyrus a father

,
The ,
.

first becau se he made profit of everything ; the second b e

, ,

cause h e w a s se vere and arrogant ; the latter because h e w a s ,

mild and always aimed at the good of his p eople From the
,
.

I onians the M a g n e s i a n s in Asia the ZE o l i a n s Carians L y c i

, , , ,

ans M i l y e n s and P a m p h y l i a n s for one and the same tribute

, , ,

w a s imposed on them all there came in a revenue of f our ,

hundred talents in silver ; this then composed the first di

vision From the M ysians Lydians L a s o n i a n s C ab a l i a n s
.
, , , ,

and H y g e n n i a n s five hundred talents ; this w a s the second

,

division From the H ell e s p o n t i a n s w h o dwell on th e right

.
,

as one sails in the Phrygians the Thracians in Asia P a p hl a

, , ,

g o n i a n s M a r i a n d,y n i a n s and Syrians there w a s a

, tribute of ,

three hundred and sixty tal ents ; this w a s the third division .

From the Cilicians three hundred and sixty white horses one
, ,

for every day an d five hundred talents of silver ; o f these a

,

hundred and forty were expended on the cavalry that guarded

the Cilician territory and th e remaining three hundred and
,

sixty went to Darius ; this w a s the fourth division From the .

city of P o s e i d e i u m which Amphilochus son of Amphiaraus

, , ,

founded on the confines of the Cilicians and Syrians begin ,

ning from this down to Egypt except a district belonging ,

to Arabians which w a s exempt from t a xation w a s paid a

'

, ,

tribute of three hundred an d fifty talents ; and in this division

is included all Ph oenicia Syria which is call ed Palestine and , ,

Cyprus ; this w a s t h e fi ft h division From Egypt and the . .

,

Libyans bordering on Egypt and from Cyrene and Barce ,

( for these were annexed to the Egyptian division ) accru ed ,

seven hundred talents b esides the revenue arising f rom Lake ,

1 90 HER D TU
O O S —B OO K
‘

I I I, T H A LIA [ 91
-

95

M oeris which was derived f rom the fish : in addition then

, , ,

to this money and the fixed suppl y of corn there accrued

, ,

seven hundred talents ; for they furnish in addition one hun

dred and twenty thousand measures of corn for the Persians
who occupy the white fortress at M emphis and their allies : ,

this was the sixth division The S at t a g y d ae Ga n d ari a n s .

, ,

D a d i c ae and A p a ry t ae j oined together contributed one hun

, , ,

dred and seventy talents this w a s the seventh division From .

S usa and the rest of the country of the C i s s i a n s three hun

, ,

dred talents ; this was the eighth division From Babylon .

and the rest of Assyria there accrued to him a thousand tal ,

ents of silver and five hundred young eunuchs ; this was the
,

ninth division From Ecbatana and the rest of M edia and

.
,

the P a ri c a n i an s and O rt h o c o ry b a n t e s four hundred and fifty

, ,

talents ; this was the tenth division The Ca s p i a n s Pa u s i c ae .

, ,

P a n t i m a t h i a n s an d D a r i t ae contributing together paid two

, , ,

hundred talents ; this w a s th e eleventh division From the .

Bactrians as f ar as the ZE g l ae w a s a tribute o f three hundr ed ,

and sixty talents ; this was the twelfth division From Pac .

t y i c a and the Armenians and th e neighbouring peopl e as far

, ,

as the Euxin e Sea four hundred tal ents ; this was the thir
,

t e e nt h division From th e S a g a rt i a n s S aran g e an s Thama

.
, ,

n aea n s Ut i a n s M y c i a n s and those w h o inhabit the islands

, , ,

on the R ed Sea in which the king settles transported con

,

victs ; f rom all thes e came a tribute of six hundred talents ;

this w a s th e fourteenth division The Sac ae and Ca s p i a n s .

paid two hundred and fi fty talents ; this was the fifteenth di
vision The Parthians Chorasmians Sogdians and Arians
.
, , , ,

three hundred talents ; this was the sixteenth division The .

P a ri c a n i a n s and Asiatic Ethiopians paid four hundred talents ;

this w a s the seventeenth division The M at i e n i an s S a s p i re s .
, ,

and Alarodians were taxed at two hundred talents ; this was

the eighteenth division From the M o s ch i an s Ti b a re n i an s .
, ,

M a c ro n i a n s M o s y n oec i a n s and Marsians three hundred tal

, , ,

ents were demanded ; this was the nineteenth division O f .

the I ndians the population is by far the greatest o f all nations

whom we know o f and they paid a tribute proportionably ,

larger than all th e rest t h ree hundred and sixty tal ents of ,

gold dust ; this was th e twentieth division Now the Baby .

l o n i a n standard compared with the Euboic talent makes the

, ,

total nine thousand five hundred and forty talents ; and the
gold estimated at thirteen times the value of silver the gold ,

dust will b e found to amount to four thousand S i x hundred

and eighty Euboic tal ents Therefore i f th e total of all these .
,

are computed together fo u rteen thousand five hundred and ,

 H E R O D O T U S —B OO K I I I, T H A L IA

M oeris which w a s derived f rom th e fish : in addition th en

, , ,

to this I o n e y an d th e fixed suppl y o f corn there accrued

, ,

seven h n d r e d tal ents ; for they furnish in addition one hun

dred an twenty thousan d measures of corn for the Persians
w h o o c ap y the white f ortress at M emphis and their allies : ,

this w a the sixth division Th e S a t t a g y d ae Gan d arians .

, ,

D a d i cae a n d A p a r y t ae j oined together contributed one hun

, ,

dred a n t s ev e n t y talents ; this w a s the s eventh division From .

Susa a d th e rest o f the country of the C i s s i a n s three h u n

, ,

dred t a nts ; this w a s th e eighth division From Babyl on .

and t h e e s t o f Assyria there accrued to h im a thousand tal

‘

ents of dv e r a n d fi v e hundred young eunuchs this was the

,

ninth d i s i o n From Ecbatana and th e rest o f Media and

'
.
,

the P a n a n i a n s and O rt h o c o ry b a n t e s four hundred and fifty

, ,

talents ;t his w a s the tenth division The C a s p i a n s Pau s i cae .

, ,

P a n t i m zh i a n s an d D a r i t ae contributing together paid t wo

, , ,

h u n d re 1 tal ents ; this w a s th e el eventh division From the .

B a c t r i a s as f ar as the ZE g l ae w a s a tribute o f three hundred ,

and six; talents ; th is w a s the twelfth division From Pac .

t y i c a ad th e Armenians an d th e n eighbouring people as far

, ,

as the u x i n e Sea four hundre d tal ents ; this w a s the thir

.
,

t ee n t h i v i s i o n From th e S a g a rt i a n s S a ra n g ea n s Thama
.
, ,

n aea n s J t i a n s
,
M y c i a n s an d those w h o inhabit the islands
, ,

on the l e d Sea in which th e kin g settles transported con

,

victs ; fo m all th es e came a tribute of six hundred talents ;

this w e th e fourteenth division The Sac ae and Cas p ians .

paid t w hundred an d fifty tal ents ; this w a s the fifteenth di

vision Th e Parthians Chorasmians Sogdians and Arians
.
, , , ,

three h n d r e d tal ents ; th is w a s the sixteenth division The .

P a r i c a ra n s and Asiatic Ethiopians paid f our hundred talents ;

this w e the s evente enth division Th e M a t i e n i a n s Sas p i res .
, ,

and Alro d i an s were taxed at t w o hundred talents ; t h is was

the e i gt e e n t h division From th e M o s c h i a n s T i b areni ans
.
, ,

M a c rO Ia n s M o s y n oe c i a n s an d Marsians th ree hundred tal

, , ,

ents wre demanded ; this w a s th e ninete enth division O f .

th e I n ta n s th e population is by far th e greatest o f all nations

whom ve know o f an d they pai d a tribute proportionably ,

larger han all th e rest t h ree hundred and sixty talents of ,

gold d s t ; this w a s th e twentieth division Now the Baby .

lonian tan dard compared with th e Euboi c talent makes the

, ,

total me thousan d fi v e hundred an d

gol d eizi m a t e d at thirteen times th e v
dust vfl b e found to amount to four
and e i ht y Euboic tal ents Therefore .
,

are c mp u t e d togeth er f o u rteen tho u ,

95 9 ]
-
8 T R I B U T A RY N AT IO N S I9 I

s ixty E u boic tal ents were collected by Dari u s

tribute ; and passing over less sums than t h
mention them This tribute accrued to Dariu
.

and a small part o f Libya ; but in the cours e o f

tribute accrued from the islands and the i n h ab ,

rope as far as Thessaly This tribute the king .

in the following manner : Having melted it h e p ,

earthen j ars and having filled it he tak es away

,

mould ; and when he wants money h e cuts o ff so

has occasion for from time to time .

These then were the governments and th e

, ,

each The Persian territory alone has not been

.

as subj ect to tribute ; f or the Persians occupy the

f rom taxes They indeed were not ordered to pay
.

but brought gifts The Ethiopians bordering on E

.

Cambyses sub dued when h e marched against th e

Ethiopians and w h o dwell about the sacred city 0
,

celebrate f estivals o f B acchus — thes e Ethiopians

neighbours us e the same grain as the
,

year ,

of unmolten gol d two hund ,

’
opian boys and twenty large elephants
,

numbered themselves among thos e who

as the neighbouring nations a s f ar as M o ,

to t his mountain the dominions o f Persia

people to th e north side o f th e Caucasus
the Persians These then f or the gi fts they
.
, ,

selves furnished even to my time every fi

, , ,

dred boys an d on e hundred v

ni s h e d every year a thousand
then brought to the king the
,

The I n dians O btain th e great quantity

they supply the be f ore mentioned dust -

manner pres ently described That part .

rising sun is all sand ; f or o f th e peopl e with

acquainted an d o f whom anything certain is
,

dians live th e farthest toward the east and th e

’
the inhabitants o f Asia ; f or the I ndians count
east is a des ert by reason o f th e sands
,
There .

tions o f I n dians and they do not ,

as eac h other ; some o f them are nomads ,

Some inhabit the marshes of the river and ,

wh ich they take going out in boats made o f

of t h e reed makes a boat These I ndians .
1 92 HER D TU
O O S— BOOK I II, T H A L IA —
[9 1 0 3
8

made of rushes which when they have cut the reed f rom the
, ,

river and b eaten it they afterward plait l ike a mat and wear
,

it as a corselet O ther I ndians living to the east of these

.
, ,

are nomads and eat raw flesh they are called P a d aea n s They
, .

are said to use the following customs : When any one of the
community is sick whether it be a woman or a man if it be
, ,

a man the men w h o are his nearest connections put him to

‘
death alleging that if h e w a s t e d by disease his flesh would b e
,

sp oiled ; but if he denies that he is sick they not agreeing , ,

with him kill and f east upon him And if a woman b e sick
,
.
,

in l ike manner the women w h o are most intimate with her do

the same as the men And whoever reaches to old age they.
,

sacrifice and feast upon ; but few among them attain to this
state for before that they put to death every one that falls
,

into any distemper O ther I ndians have the following di ff er

.

ent custom : They neither kill anything that has l ife nor sow ,

anything nor are they wont to have houses but they live upon
, ,

herbs and they have a grain of the size of millet in a pod

, ,

which springs spontaneously from the earth this they gather , ,

and boil it and eat it with th e pod When any one of them .

f alls into any disorder he goes and l ies down in the desert
, ,

and no one takes any thought about him whether dead or ,

sick All have a complexion closely resembling the Ethiopians

. .

These I ndians are S ituated very far from the Persians toward ,

the south and were never subj ect to Darius

, .

There are other I ndians bordering on the city o f Caspa

tyrus and the country of P a c t y i c a settl ed northward of the ,

other I ndians whose mode of li f e resembl es that of the B ac

,

t ri a n s They are th e most warlike of the I ndians and these

.
,

are they w h o are sent to p rocure the gold ; for near this part
is a desert by reason o f t h e sand I n this desert then and in .
, ,

the sand there are ants in size som ewhat less indeed than dogs
, ,

but larger than foxes Som e o f them are in the possession of

.

the King o f the Persians which were taken there These ants , .
,

f orming their hab itations under ground heap up the sand , ,

as the ants in Greece do and in th e same manner ; an d they ,

are very like them in shape The sand that is heaped up is .

mixed with gol d The I ndians therefore go to the desert

.

to get this sand each man having three camels on either side
, ,

a mal e one harnessed to draw by th e side and a femal e in ,

the middle ; this last the man mounts himself having taken ,

care to yoke one that has been s eparated from her young as
recently born as possible for camels are not inferior to horses
in swiftness and are much better able to carry burdens What
,
.

k ind o f figure the camel has I shall not describe to the Greeks ,
“
1 94 H E R O D O T U S— B OO K I II , T H A LIA [ 1 0 7—1 1 0

Arab ians gather with di fficulty The frankincense they gather .

by burning styrax which th e Ph oenicians import into Greece ;

,

they take it by burning this ; for winged s erpents small in

‘

size and various in form guard the trees that bear frankin
, ,

cense a great number round each tree These are the same
, .

serpents that invade Egypt They are driven from the trees .

by nothing else but the smoke of the styrax The Arabians .

say this also that the whole land woul d b e filled by these ser
,

pents if some such thing did not take place with regard to
them as I know happens to vipers And the providence of
,
. .

God as w a s likely proves itsel f wise : whatever creatures are

, ,

timid and fit for food have been made very prolific l est the
, , ,

species shoul d be destroyed by constant consumption ; but

such as are savage and noxious u n p ro l ifi c For instance the , .
,

hare which is hunted by all beasts birds and men is so pro

, , , , ,

l i fi c that it alone of all b easts conceives to superfetation hav ,

ing in its womb some of its young covered with down others ,

bare others j ust formed and at the same time conceives again
, , .

Such then is the case Whereas a lioness which is the

, , .
,

strongest and fi ercest of beasts bears only one once in her ,

l i f e ; for in bringing forth she ej ects her matrix with the whelp ;
and this is the cause : when the whelp begins to move in the
womb he having claws much sharper than thos e o f any
, , ,

other b east lacerates the womb ; and as he increases in

,

strength he continues tearing it much more ; and when t h e

,

birth approaches not a single part of it remains sound So

,
.

also if vipers and the winged serpents o f Arabia multiplied

as f ast as their nature admits men coul d not possibly live , .

B ut now wh en they couple together and the male is in the ,

very act o f impregnating the female seizes him by the neck , ,

and cl inging to him never lets him go u ntil she has gnawed ,

through him I n this manner the male dies and the f emal e
.
,

pays the following retribution to the male : the o ff spring ,

whil e yet in the womb avenging their father eat through the , ,

matrix ; and having gnawed through her bowels thus make ,

their entrance into the worl d B ut other serpents which are .

,

not hurtful to men lay eggs and hatch a vast number o f , ,

young Now vipers are found in all parts of the worl d ; but
.

flying s erpents are abundant in Arabia and nowhere else : ,

there they appear to b e very numerous . .

The Arabians obtain the frankincense in the manner I

have described ; and th e cassia as follows : When they have
covered their whole body and face except the eyes with hides , ,

and other skins they go to the cassia ; it grows in a shallow

,

lake ; and around th e lak e and in it lodge winged animals

1 10 -
11 5] A R AB I A 195

very like bats and they screech fearfully and are exceed , ,

i n g l y fierce These they keep o ff from their eyes and so

.
,

gather the cassia The cinnamon they collect in a still more .

wonder f ul manner Where it grows and what land produces .

it they are unabl e to tell ; except that some giving a prob

, ,

able account say that it grows in those countries in which

,

Bacchus w a s nursed An d they say that large birds bring .

those rolls of bark which w e f rom th e Phoenicians call cin , , ,

namon the birds bring them for their nests which are built
, ,

with clay against precipitous mountains where there is no

, ,

access for man The Arabians to surmount this di fficulty .

, ,

have invented the following artifice : Having cut up into large

pieces the limbs o f dead oxen and asses an d other b easts , ,

o f burden they carry them to these spots and having laid

, ,

them near the nests they retire to a distance B ut the birds ,

.

flying down carry up the limbs of the b easts to their nests ,

which not being strong enough to support the weight break ,

and f all to th e ground Then the men coming up in this .

, ,

manner gather the cinnamon and b e i n g g a t h e re d by them ,

it reaches other countries B u t the l e d a n u m which the Ara .

,

bians call ladanum is still more wonder f ul than this ; for ,

though it comes from a most stinking place it is itsel f most ,

f ragrant For it is found sticking like gum to th e beards o f

.

h e goats which collect it from the wood

-

, I t is useful f or many .

ointments and the Arabians burn it very generally as a per

,

fume I t may su ffice to have sai d thus much of these p er

.

f umes ; and there breathes f rom Arabia as it were a divine , ,

odour They have two kinds of sheep worthy o f admiration

.
,

which are seen nowhere else O n e kind has large tails not .
,

less than three cubits in length which i f su ff ered to trail would , , ,

ulcerate by the tails rubbing on the ground B ut every shep

, .

herd knows enough o i the carpenter s art to prevent this for ’

they make littl e carts and fasten them under the tails b inding ,

the tail of each separate sheep to a s eparate c art The oth er .

kind of sheep have broad tails even to a cubit in breadth , .

Where the meridian declines toward the s etting sun the Ethi
1
,

O pian territory reaches being the extreme part of the habitable ,

world I t produces much gold huge el ephants wild trees o f

.
, ,

all kinds ebony and men of large stature very handsome an d

, , , ,

long lived -
.

These then are the extremities of Asia and Libya Con

, , .

cerning the western extremities o f Europe I am unable to

speak with certainty for I do not admit that there is a river , ,

called by barbarians Eridanus which discharges itself into ,

1
Th a t is , s ou th wes t .
1 96 H E R OD O T U S—B O O K III , T H A L IA [ 1 1 5—1 I 7

the sea toward the north f rom w hich amber is said to come ; ,

nor am I ac q uainted with th e Ca s s it e ri d e s I slands from whence ,

our tin comes For in the first place the name Eridanus
.
,

shows that it is Grecian and not barbarian and f eigned by , ,

some poet ; in the next place though I have diligently i n ,

quired I have never been abl e to hear f rom any man w h o

,

has himsel f seen it that there is a sea on that side o f Europe .

However both tin and amber come to us f rom the rem o test
,

parts Toward the north o f Europe there is evidently a very

.

great quantity o f gold but how procured I am unabl e to say ,

with certainty ; though it is said that the Arimaspians a one ,

eyed p eople steal it from the g riffi n s Neither do I believe

, .

this that men are born with one eye and yet in other respects
, ,

resemble the rest of mankind However the extremities o f .

,

the world seem to surround and inclose th e rest o f the earth ,

an d to possess those productions which we account most ex

c e ll e n t and rare .

There i s a plain i n Asia shut in on every side by a range

of mountains and there are five d e fil e s in the mountain This
, .

plain f ormerly belonged to the Chorasmians situated on the ,

confines o f these Chorasmians o f the Hyrcanians Parthians , , ,

S a ra n g aea n s and T h a m a n aea n s ; but since the Persians have

,

had the empire it belongs to the king F rom this range o f .

mo u ntains then that shuts in this plain there flows a great

, , ,

river the name o f which is Aces ; it formerly b eing divided

, ,

into five several channels used to irrigate the lands o f the ,

nations be f ore mentioned being conducted to each nation ,

through each s eparate defile B ut since they have become .

subj ect to the Persian they have su ff ered the following calam ,

ity : The king having caused the cl e f ts of the mountains to

,

be blocked up placed gat es at each cle ft an d the passage o f

, ,

th e water being stopped the plain within the mountains has ,

become a sea as th e river continued to pour in and had no

, ,

where any exit The people there fore who be fore were in
.
, ,

the habit o f using the water not being able to use it any longer , ,

were reduced to great extremities ; for thoug h in winter

heaven supplies them with rain as it does other men yet in , ,

summer when th ey sow millet and sesame they stood in need

, ,

o f water When there f ore no water was allowed them th ey

.
, , , ,

and their wives going to the Persians and standing before ,

the king s palace raise a great outcry B ut the king gave

’
,
.

order that the gates shoul d b e O pen toward th o se lands that

were most in need ; and when their land was satiated by i m
b ibing water these gates were shut and he ordered others
, ,

to be opened to those who were next in greatest need And .

 H E R O D O T U S—B O O K I II , T H A L IA
‘

98 [ 1 19 1 22
-

reason I spoke as I did The woman appeared to Darius to

.

have spoken well and he granted to her the one whom she
,

asked and her el dest son h e was so pl eased with her : all the
, ,

rest he put to death O f the seven there f ore one very soon
.
, ,

perished in the manner now mentioned .

Near about the time of Cambyses s illness th e following ’

events took place : Oroet e s a Persian had been appointed , ,

governor of Sardis by Cyrus ; this man conceived an imp i ous

proj ect ; f o r W 1 th out Hav m g sustained any inj ury or heard
I
5 w w r w w .

a hasty word from Polycrates the Samian and without h av ,

ing seen him before he conceived the design of seizing him

,

and putting him to death ; as most peopl e say for some such ,

cause as this O roet e s and a n other Persian whose name was

.
,

M i t ro b a t e s governor of the district of D a s c y l i u m were sit

, ,

ting together a t the palace gates and fell into a dispute As ,

.

they were quarrelling about valour M i t ro b a t e s said to O roet e s \ ,

tauntingly : Are you to b e reckoned a brave man w h o have I ,

not yet acquired for th e king the island of Samos that lies
near your government and is so easy to be subdued which ,
?
,

)
“one of its own inhabitants having made an insurrection with ,

fifteen armed men obtained possession of and now reigns

, ,

over ? Some say that he having heard this and being stung , ,

with the reproach conceived a desire not so much to r e

, ,

venge himself on the man w h o said it as of utterly d e stroy ,

ing Polycrates on whose account h e had been reproached

, .

A fewer number say that O r oet e s s ent a herald to Samos to

make some demand which is not mentioned and that Poly e ,

rates happened to be reclining in the men s apartment and ’

that Anacreon o f Teos w a s with him ; and somehow (whether

designedly disregarding the business of O roet e s or by chance ,

it so happened ) when the heral d o f O roet e s came forward and

,

delivered his message Polycrates as his face chanced to be

, ,

turned toward the wall neither turned about nor made any , ,

answer These two f old causes are assigned for the death of
.

Polycrates ; every man may give credit to whichever he

pl eases However O roet e s w h o resided in Magnesia situ
.
, , ,

ated on th e river M aeander being acquainted with the i n t en ,

tions of Polycrates sent M y rs u s a Lydian son of Gyges with

, , , ,

a message to Samos ; for Polycrates is the first of the Grecians

o f whom w e know who formed a design to make himsel f
master of th e sea except Minos the Cnossian or any other
, , ,

w h o before his time obtained the empire of the sea ; but within
what is called the historical age Polycrates is the fi rst w h o ,
M “

had entertained great expectat i ons Of ru li ng I h i a a nd th e

’
‘

isl ands O roet e s therefore having ascertained that he had

.
, ,
1 2 2 —1 2 5 ] DEATH OF P O L Y CRA T E S 1 99

f ormed this design sent a message to the following e ff ect :

“O roet e s to Polycrates says as follows : ,

understand that I
you are planning vast enterprises and that you have not ,

money answerable to your proj ects N o w i f you will do as .

,

I advise you will promote your o w n success and preserve

, ,

me ; for King Cambyses meditates my death and o f this I ,

have certain information Now do you convey me and my .

,

wealth out of the country and take part of it and suff er me , ,

to enj oy the rest : by means of th e wealth you will become ,

master o f all Greece I f you doubt what I say concerning .

my riches send to me the most trusty of your s ervants to

, ,

whom I will show them Polycrates having heard this w a s .

, ,

delighted and accepted the O f fer ; and as he w a s very eager

,

f or wealth he first s ent M aea n d ri u s son o f M ae a n d ri u s to

, , ,

view it a citizen w h o w a s his secretary : he not long after

,

dedicated to th e Templ e of Juno all the ornamental f urniture

f rom the men s apartment of Polycrates which was indeed
’

magnificent O roet e s having l earned that an insp ector might

.
,

be expected did as f ollows : having filled eight chests with

,

stones except a very small space round the brim h e put gol d
, ,

on the surface o f the stones and having made the chests fast ,

with cords h e kept them in readiness B ut M aea n d ri u s hav

, .
,

ing come and inspected the chests took back a report to

.

Polycrates He though earnestly dissuaded by the oracles

.
,

and by his f riends resolved to go in person ; and moreover , ,

though his daughter had seen in a dream this vision : sh e i m

a g i n e d she saw her father el evated in th e air washed by Jupi ,

ter and anointed by the sun Having s een this vision she
, .
,

endeavoured by all possibl e means to divert Polycrates f rom

going from home to O roet e s and as h e was going on board
a fift y oared galley sh e persisted in uttering words o f bad
-

omen B ut he threatened h er if h e should return sa f e that

.
, ,

she shoul d long continue unmarried ; and she prayed that so

it might b e brought to pass for she chose to continue a l onger
time unmarried than be deprived of her father Thus P o l y c .

rates disregarding all advice set sail to visit O roet e s taking

, , ,

with him many oth ers of his friends and among them D emo ,

cedes son o f Call i p h o n a C ro t o n i a n w h o w a s a physician

, , , ,

and the most skil f ul practitioner of his time B ut Polycrates .

,

on his arrival at Magnesia w a s put to death in a horrid man ,

ner unworthy of himsel f and his lofty thoughts : for with the
, ,

exception of those w h o have been tyrants of Syracuse not ,

one of all th e Grecian tyrants deserves to be compared with

Polycrates f or magnificence B ut O roet e s having put him .
,

to deat h i n a ma nner no t t o b e d es cri b ed caus ed hi m t o b e ,

 2 00 H E R O D O T U S— B O O K I I I, T H A L IA [ 1 2 5 —1 2 8

crucified : o f those that accompanied Polycrates as many as ,

were Samians he dismissed bidding them to feel thankful

, ,

to him for their liberty ; but as many a s were strangers and

servants he detained and treated as slaves Thus Polycrates .
,

being crucified f ulfilled the vision o f his daughter in every

,

particular : f or he was washed by Jupiter when it rained and , ,

was anointed by the sun himself emitting moisture from his ,

body Thus the constant good fortune o f Polycrates ended

.

as A m a s i s King o f Egypt had foretol d

, , .

Not long a fter vengeance on account o f Polycrates over

,

took O roet e s ; f or a fter the death of Cambyses and during ,

the reign o f the magi O roet e s continuing at Sardis gave no

, , ,

assistance to the Persians w h o had been deprived of the gov ,

e rn m e n t by th e M edes ; but he in this confusion put to death

M i t ro b a t e s governor o f D a s c yl i u m w h o had upbraided him

, ,

with his conduct to Polycrates together with M i t ro b at es s son ,

’

C ra n a s p es men of high repute among the Persians ; and he

,

committed various other atrocities ; and a certain courier o f

Darius w h o came to him because he brought him an u n w e l ,

come message he had assassinated o u h is return having set

, ,

men to waylay him ; and when he had caused him to b e slain ,

he had him an d his hors e put out of sight Darius there f ore .
, ,

when he got possession o f the throne was anxious to punish ,

O roet es f or all his iniquities and especially f or the death o f ,

M i t ro b a t e s and his son B ut he did not think it prudent to

.

send an army against him openly as his a ff airs were still in ,

a f erment and he had but j ust got possession o f the throne

, ,

and he heard that O roet e s had great strength ; f or he had a

body guard o f a thousand Persians and hel d the government
-
,

o f Phrygia Lydia and I onia U nder these circumstances

, ,
. ,

therefore Darius had recourse to the f ollowing plan : hav

,

ing called the most eminent o f the Persians together he a d

d re s s e d them as f ollows :
“ Which o f you O Persians will
,

,
i ,
l
l u n d e rt a k e to accomplish f or me this by address and not by ,

'
f orce and numbers ? f or where skill is

l n o avail . Which o f
alive or put him to death ?
,

any service but has brought great m 1 s c h 1e f s upon them I n

,
.

th e first place he destroyed two of us M i t ro b at e s and his

, ,

son ; and in th e next place he sl ew the messenger sent by ,

m e to recall him displaying intolerable insol ence H e must

,
.

therefore b e stopped by death before he has p erpetrated any ,

”
greater evils against the Persians Darius asked the ab ove .

questions ; and thirty men o ff ered to undertake it each be i ng ,

w ill ing to accom p lish th e p lan alon e B u t D arius p u t an end .

2 02 H E R O D O T U S— B OO K I II , T H A L IA [ 1 30 - 1 33

kn o wledge o f the art U pon which when Darius put himsel f

.
,

under his care by using Grecian medicines and applying leni

, ,

t i v e s after violent remedies he caused him to sleep and in a , ,

little time restored him to his health though he had before ,

despaired of ever recovering the use of his foot After this .

cure Darius presented him with two pair of golden fetters ;

,

but D e m o c e d e s asked him i f he purposely gave him a doubl e

evil because he had restored him to health Darius pleased .
,

with the speech sent him to his own wives ; and the eunuchs
, ,

introducing him said to the women that this was the man who
,
’
had saved the king s life ; whereupon each of them dipping ,

a goblet into a chest of gold presented D e m o c e d e s with such ,

a m u n ifi c e n t gift that a servant whose name w a s S c i t o n fol , ,

lowing behind picked up the staters that fell from the goblets
,

and collected a large quantity of gold .

This D e m o c e d es visited Polycrates after having le ft Cro ,

tona on the following account : H e w a s harshly treated at

C ro t o n a by his father w h o w a s of a severe temper and being
, ,

unable to endure this he left him and went to ZE g i n a ; hav

,

ing settled there in the first year though he was unprovided

, ,

with means and had none of th e instruments necessary for

,

the exercise o f his art he surpassed the most skilful of their,

phys icians ; and in the second year the ZE g i n e t ae engaged ,

him for a tal ent out of the public treasury ; and in the third
year the Athenians for a hundred min ae ; and in the fourth
,

year Polycrates for two tal ents ; thus h e came to Samos

,
.

From this man the C r o t o n i a n physicians obtained a great

reputation ; for at this period th e physicians of C ro t o n a were
said to b e th e first throughout Greece and the C y ren aea n s ,

the second At the same time the Argives were accounted

.

the most skilful of th e Greeks in the art of music At that .

time then D e m o c e d es having completely cured Darius at

, , ,
’
Susa had a very large house and had a seat at the king s
, ,

table ; and he had everything he could wish for except the ,

liberty of returning to Greece And in the first place h e o b .

'

t a i n e d from the king a pardon for the Egyptian physici a ns ,

who first attended the king and were about to be empaled , ,

b ecause they had been outdone by a Greek physician ; a n d

in the next place he procured the liberty of a prophet of Elis ,

who had attended Polycrates and lay neglected among the ,

slaves I n short D e m o c e d e s had great influence w i t h t h e

.
,
o

kin
f l ot long after these things the following events took ,

place : Atossa daughter of Cyrus and wife to D arius had ; a

, , ,

tumour on h e r breast ; a fter some time it burst and sprea d ,

 —1 DE MO C E D E S
1 33 3 5] 20 3

considerably As long as it w a s small she concealed it and

.
, ,

f rom delicacy informed no one o f it ; when it became danger

ous she sent for D e m o c e d e s and showed it to him H e say
,
.
,

ing that he could cure her exacted from her a sol emn promise ,

that she in return would perform for him whatever he should

require of her but added that h e woul d ask nothing which
,

might bring disgrace on her When there f ore he had healed .

her and restored her to health Atossa instructed by D emo

, , ,

cedes address ed Darius as he lay in bed in th e following

, , ,

words : O king you w h o possess so great power sit idle

, , ,

and do not add any nation or power to the Persians I t were .

right that a man w h o is both young and master o f such vast

treasures shoul d render himsel f considerable by h is actions ,

that the Persians may know that they are governed by a man .

Two motives sh oul d influence you to such a course : first that ,

the Persians may know that it is a man w h o rules over them ;

and secondly that they may b e worn in war and not tempted
, , ,

by too much ease to plot against you Y ou shoul d therefore .

per f orm some illustrious action while you are in the flower
o f your age ; f or the mind grows with the growth o f the body ,

and as it grows old grows ol d with it and dull for every

, ,
”
action She spoke thus according to her instructions and ;
“ ,
.

he answered : Lady you have mentioned th e very things

, .

that I mysel f purpose to do ; f or I have determi ned to make

a bridge an d march f rom this continent to the other against ,
”
the Scythians ; and this shall shortly be put in execution
“
.

‘
Atossa replied : Look you now give up the thought o f ,

marching first against the S cythians for they will be in your ,

power whenever you choose ; but take m y advice and l ead ,

an army into Greece ; f or f rom the account I have heard I am ,

anxious to have Laced aemonian Argive Athenian and Corin , , ,

thian attendants ; and you have the fittest man in the worl d
to show and inform you of everything concerning Greece ; I
”
mean the person w h o cured your foot Darius answered :
“Lady since you think I ought to make my first attempt .

against Greece I think it better first to send some Persians

,

thither as spies with the man you mention : they when they ,

are informed of and have seen every particular will make a ,

report to me ; and then being thoroughly in f ormed I will , ,

”
turn my arms against them Thus he spok e ; and no sooner .

said than done ; for as soon as day dawned having summoned ,

fifteen eminent Persians h e commanded them to accompany ,

D e m o c e d e s and pass along the maritime parts o f Greece ; and

,

to take care that D e m o c e d e s did not escape f rom them but ,

they must by all means bring him b ack a gai n Havin g give n .
2 04 H E R O D O T U S— B OO K III, T H A L IA [ 1 35 -
1 37

these commands to them he next summoned D e m o c e d e s ,

himself and requested him when he had conducted the Per

, ,

sians through all Greece and shown it to them to return , ,

again ; h e also commanded him to take with him all his mov
ables as presents to his father and brothers promising to give ,

him many t i mes as much instead Moreover he said that for .

,

the purpose of transporting the presents he woul d give a

merchant ship filled with all kinds o f precious things which
, ,

should accompany him on his voyage Now Darius in my .

,

opinion promised him these things without any deceitful i n

,

tention ; but D e m o c e d e s fearing lest Darius was making trial ,

of him received all that was given without eagerness but

, , ,

said that he woul d leave his o w n goods where they were ,

that he might have them on his return ; the merchant ship

which Darius promised him to convey the presents to his
brothers he said h e woul d accept of Darius having given
, .

him these instructions sent them down to the coast , .

Accordingly going down to Ph oenicia and S idon a city

, ,

o f Ph oenicia they manned t w o triremes and with them also

, ,

a large trading vessel laden with all kinds of precious things ;

,

and having prepared everything they set sail for Greece ; and ,

keeping to the shore they surveyed the coasts and made , ,

notes in writing ; at length having inspected the greatest ,

part of it and whatever was most remarkable they proceeded

, ,

to Tarentum in I taly There out of kindness toward D emo

.
,

cedes A ri s t o p h il i d e s King of the Tarentines first took o ff

, , ,

the rudders of the M edian ships and next shut up the Per ,
l

sians as spies While they were in this condition D e m o c e d es

.

went to C ro t o n a and when he had reached his own home

, ,

A r i s t o p h ili d es set the Persians at liberty and restored what ,

he had taken from their S hips The Persians sailing from .

,

thence and pursuing D e m o c e d e s arrived at C ro t o n a and

, , ,

having f ound him in the public market they laid hands on ,

him Some of the C ro t o n i an s dreading th e Persian power

.
, ,

were ready to deliver him up ; but others s eized the Persians

in turn and beat them with staves though they expostulated
, ,

in these terms : M en of Cro t o n a have a care what you do : ,

you are rescuing a man w h o is a runaway f rom the king ; how

will King Darius endure to be thus insulted ? How can what
you do end well i f you force this man from us ? What city
shall we sooner attack than this ? What sooner shall we e n
d ea v o u r to reduce to slavery ? Saying this they did not per ,

suade th e C ro t o n i a n s ; but being forcibly deprived of D emo

cedes an d having had the trading vessel which they brought
,

with them taken f rom t hem, t h ey sailed back to Asia ; nor ,

20 6 H E R O D OT U S—B O O K I I I, T HA L IA [ 1 40 —1 42

dom had devolved on the man to whom he had given his cloa k
in Egypt on his requesting it ; so having gone up to Susa ,

he seated himsel f at th e threshol d of the king s palace and ’

said he had b een a benefactor to Darius The porter having .

,

heard this reported it to the king ; but he wondering said

, , ,

to the man : What Grecian is my benefactor to whom I ,

owe a debt o f gratitude having so lately come to the throne ?

,

S carcely one of them has as yet come up hither ; nor can I

mention anything that I owe to a Greek Howeve r bring '
.

him in that I may know the meaning of what he says

, The .

porter introduced S y l o s o n and as he stood in the midst th e

, ,

interpreters asked him w h o h e was and what h e had done , ,

that he said he had been a benefactor to the king Then .

S y l o s o n related all that had passed respecting the cloak and ,

that he w a s th e p erson w h o gave it T 0 this the king a n .

s w e re d : M ost generous o f men ! art thou then the man who ,

when as yet I had no power made me a present small as it , ,

was ? yet the obligation is the same as if I were now to re

c e i v e a thing of great value I n return I will give thee abun
.

dance o f gol d and silver so that thou shalt never repent hav
,
”
ing conferred a favour on Darius son of H y s t a s p es To this , .

S y l o s o n replied : O king give me neither gold nor silver ;

,

but recover and give me back my country Samos which now , , ,

since my brother Polycrates died by the hands of O roet e s a ,

slave of ours has possessed himself of Give me this without .

”
b l o d s h e d and bondage When Darius heard this he sent
.
,

an army under the conduct of O tanes one of the seven with , ,

orders to accomplish whatever S y l o s o n should desire Where .

upon O tanes going down to the sea embarked his army

, , .

M aean d ri u s son of M aea n d r i u s held the government o f

, ,

Samos having had the administration intrusted to him by

,

Polycrates : though he wished to prove himself the most j ust

of men he was unabl e to e ff ect his purpose For when the
,
.

death of Polycrates w a s made known to him he did as fol ,

lows : First h e erected an altar to Jupiter Liberator and

, ,

marked round it the sacred inclosure which is now in the ,

suburbs Afterward when he had done this he summoned

.
, ,

an assembly of all th e citizens and spoke as follows : To me , ,

as you know the sceptre and all the power o f Polycrates has
,

b een intrusted and I am now able to retain the government

,
.

B ut what I condemn in another I will myself to the utmost o f ,

my ability abstain from doing For neither did Polycrates

,
.

pl eas e me in exercising despotic power over men e qu al to

himself nor would any other w h o should do the like N o w
,
.

Polycrates has accomplished his fate ; and I surrendering the ,

1 42 -
14 5 ] PE R S IA N S O CC U P Y S AM O S 20 7

government into your hands proclaim equality to all I re ,

.

quire however that the following remuneration sho u l d b e

, ,

granted to myself : that six talents should b e given m e out

o f the treasures o f Polycrates ; and in addition I claim for ,

mysel f and my descendants forever the priesthood of the Tem

ple o f Jupiter Liberator ; to whom I have erected an altar ,
”
and under whose auspices I restore to you your liberties .

He then made these demands of the Samians ; but one of them

rising up said : Y ou forsooth are not worthy to rule over
us being as you are a base and pestil ent f ellow ; rather think
,

how you will render an account o f the wealth that you have
”
had the management o f Thus spok e a man o f eminence
.

among the citizens whos e name was T el es a r c h u s B ut M acan

, .

drius perceiving that i f he shoul d lay down the power some

,

other woul d set himself up as tyrant in his place no longer ,

thought of laying it down To which end when he had with .

,

drawn to the citadel sending for each one severally as i f

, ,

about to give an account o f the treasures h e seized them and ,

put them in chains They then were kept in confinement ;

.

but after this diseas e attacked M aea n d ri u s ; and his brother ,

whose name was L y c a ret u s supposing that he woul d die in , ,

order that he might the more easily possess himsel f o f th e

government o f Samos put all the prisoners to deat h ; f or as
, ,

it seems they were not willing to b e free

, .

When the Persians arrived at Samos bringing Sy l o s o n ,

with them no one raised a hand against them and the parti
, ,

sans o f M aea n d r i u s and M aea n d ri u s himself said they were

, ,

ready to quit the island under a treaty ; an d when O tanes

had assented to this and had ratified the agreement the prin
, ,

c i p al men o f the Persians having had s eats placed f or them

, ,

sat down opposite the citadel The tyrant M aea n d ri u s had a .

brother somewhat out o f his s enses whose name was Chari ,

laus ; he f or some f ault he had committed was confined in a

, ,

dungeon ; and having at that time overheard what was doing ,

and having peeped through his dungeon when h e saw th e ,

Persians sitting quietly down he shouted and sai d that he , ,

wished to speak with M aea n d ri u s ; and M aea n d ri u s having ,

heard this commanded him to b e rel eased and brought into

, ,

his presence ; and as soon as he was brought there upbraid ,

ing and reviling his brother he urged him to attack the Per ,

sians saying : M e O vilest o f men w h o am your own

, , ,

brother and have done nothing worthy o f bonds you have

, ,

bound and adj udged to a dungeon ; but when you see th e

Persians driving you out and making you h ouseless you dare ,

not avenge yoursel f though they are so easy to b e su b du ed

, .
20 8 H E R O D O T U S— B O O K 1 1 1, T H A L IA [ 1 45 -
1 48

B ut if you are in dread of them lend me your auxil iaries and , ,

I will punish them f or coming here and I am ready also to ,

”
send you out of the island Thus spoke C h a ri l a u s and M aea n
.

drius accepted his o ff er as I think not that he had reache d

, ,

such a pitch of folly as to imagine that his own power coul d

overcome that of the king but rather out of envy to S y l o s o n , ,

i f without a struggle he shoul d possess himself of the city

uninj ured Having there f ore provoked the Persians he
.
,

wished to make the Samian power as weak as possible and ,

then to give it up : being well assured that the Persians i f ,

they su ff ered any ill treatment would b e exasperated against ,

the Samians ; and knowing also that he had for himself a

sa f e retreat from the island whenever he chose f or h e had , ,

had a secret passage dug l eading from the citadel to the sea .

Accordingly M aea n d ri u s himsel f sailed away from Sam os ;

,

but C h a ri l a u s having armed all the auxiliarie s and having

, ,

thrown open the gates sallied out upon the Persians who did
, ,

not expect anything o f the kind but thought everything had ,

b een agreed upon ; and th e auxiliari es falling on sl ew those , ,

of the Persians who were seated in chairs and w h o were the ,

principal men among them B ut the rest of the Persian army .

c ame to their assistance and the auxiliaries being hard , ,

pressed were shut up again within the citadel B ut O tanes

, .
,

t h e general when h e saw that the Persians had su ff ered great

,

loss purposely n eglected to obey the orders which Darius

,

had g i ven him at his departure that h e shoul d neither kill ,

nor take prisoner any of the Samians but deliver the island ,

to S yl o s o n witho u t damage ; on the contrary he commanded ,

his army to put to death every one they met with both man ,

and child alike Whereupon one part of the army besieged

.

th e citadel and the rest killed every one that c ame in their
,

way all they met as well within the temples as without

, , .

M aea n d ri u s having escaped from Samos sailed to La c e d ae

, ,

mon ; and having arrived there and carried with him all the ,

treasures that h e had when h e s et out he di d as f ollows : ,

When h e had set out his silver and golden cu ps his servants ,

began to clean them and he at the same t i me holding a, , ,

conversation with C l eo m e n e s son o f An a x an d ri d es then King , ,

of Sparta led him on to his house When the king saw the
,
.

cups he was struck with wonder and astonishmen t upon

, ,

which M aea n d ri u s bade him take away whatever he pleased ,

and when M aea n d ri u s had repeated his off er two or three

times Cl e o m e n e s showed himself a man o f the highest i n
,

t e g ri t y wh o refused to accept what was o ff ered ; and b eing

,

in f ormed that by giving to other citizens he wo u ld gain their

2 10 H E R O D O T U S—B OO K I II , T H A L IA [ 531 -
1 55

q u e n c e o f this omen he thought that Babylon coul d now be

,

taken ; for that the man had spoken under divine influence ,

and that his own mul e had brought f orth young When he .

thought that it was fated for Babylon to be now taken he ,

went to Darius and asked him whether he deemed the taking

,

of Babylon as of very great importance ; and having learned

that he valued it at a high price he next considered how he ,

might b e the person to take it and the work might be his ,

o w n ; for among the Persians great achievements are hon

o u r e d in the highest degree Now he concluded that he .
,

should not be able to reduce it in any other w a y than if he

S hould mutilate himself and desert to the enemy Thereupon
, .
,

considering that as a light matter he inflicted on himself an ,

irremediabl e mutilation for having cut o ff his nose and ears

, ,

and having c u t his hair in a disgraceful manner and having ,

scourged himself h e present ed himself before Darius Darius

,
.

w a s v e r y much grieved when he behel d a man o f high rank

so mutilated and having started from his throne he shouted
, ,

aloud and asked w h o had mutilated him and for what cause , .

H e answered : O king there is no man except yoursel f who ,

coul d have power to treat me thus ; no stranger has done

this O king but I have done it to myself deeming it a great
, , ,
”
indignity that the Assyrians should deride the Persians He .

replied : M ost wretched o f men you have given the f airest ,

name to the foulest deed in saying that you have inj ured your ,

sel f thus incurably on account o f those who are besieged .

How foolish man becaus e you are mutilated will the enemy
, , ,

sooner submit ? Have you lost your senses that you have
thus ruined yourself ? ” “
He sai d in answer : I f I had com
,

m u n i c a t e d to y o u what I was about to do you woul d not have ,

permitted me but now having del iberated with mysel f I

, , ,

have done it ; now there f ore if you are not wanting t o yo u r

, ,

own interests we shall take B abylon For I as I am will

, .
, ,

desert to the city and will tell them that I have been thus
,

treated by you ; and I think that when I have persuaded them

that such is the case I shall obtain the command o f their
,

army D o you then on the tenth day after I shall have e u

.
, ,

t e r e d th e city o f that part of your army whose loss you would

,

l east regret station a thousand men over against the gates

,

called after Semiramis ; again after that on the seventh day ,

a fter the tenth station two thousand more against the gate
,

called f rom Nineveh ; and from the seventh day let an interval
o f twenty days elapse and then place four thousand more ,

against the gate called f rom the Chald aeans ; but let neither
the first nor these carry any defensive arms except swords ,
 —
1 5 5 1 5 7] S IE G E O F BAB Y L O N 21 1

but let them have these After the twentieth day straight .
,

way command the rest o f the army to invest the wall on all
sides but station the Persians for m e at those call ed the B e
,

lidian and C i s s i an gates ; f or as I think when I have per ,

formed great exploits th e Babylonians will intrust everythin g

,

to me and moreover th e keys o f the gates and then it will

, , , ,
’
be mine and the Persians care to do what remains to b e
’
don ef
Having given these inj unctions he went to the gates turn , ,

ing round as if he were really a deserter B ut those w h o were .

stationed in that quarter seeing him from the turrets ran , ,

down and having opened one door of th e gate a little asked

, ,

him w h o h e w a s and f or what purpose he came H e told

,
.

them that he was Z o p y ru s and had deserted to them : th e ,

doorkeepers there f ore when they heard this conducted him

, , ,

to the assembly of the Babylonians and standing b efore them ,

he deplored his condition saying that he had su ff ered f rom ,

Darius the inj uries he had inflicted on himself and that he ,

was so treated because he had advised to raise the siege since ,

there appeared no means o f taking the city Now there .

,
”
fore he said
,
I come to you O Babylonians th e greatest
, , ,

blessing ; and to Darius his army and the Persians the great , , ,

est mischief ; f or he S hall not escape with impunity having ,

thus mutilated me ; and I am acquainted with all his designs .

Thus he spoke : and the Babylonians seeing a man of dis ,

tinction among the Persians deprived of his ears and nose ,

and covered with stripes and blood thoroughly believing that ,

he spok e th e truth and that h e had come as an ally to them

, ,

were ready to intrust him with whatever he should ask ; and

he asked the command of the forces B ut he having obtained .
,

this f rom them acted as he had preconcerted with Darius ;

,

for on the tenth day leading out the army of the B abylonians
, ,

and having surrounded the thousand whom he had instructed ,

Darius to station there first he cut them all in pieces Th e , .

Babylonians therefore perceiving that he p er f ormed deeds suit

able to his promises were exceedingly rej oiced and were
, ,

ready to obey him in everything H e therefore having .

, ,

su ff ered the appointed number of days to elapse and again ,

having selected a body of Babylonians led them out and

slaughtered the two thousand of Darius s soldiers B ut th e .

Babylonians witnessing this action also all had th e praises o f ,

Z o p y ru s on their tongues Then he again having su ff ered the .

,

appointed number of days to elapse l ed out h is troops accord ,

ing to the settled plan and having surrounded the four thou
,

sand he cut them in pieces And when he had accompl ished

, .
2 12 H E RO DOT US —B OO K II I, T H A L IA [ 1 5 7 1 60
-

this Z o p y ru s was everything to the B abylonians and h e was

, ,

—
appointed commander i n chief and guardian o f the walls -

,
.

B ut when Darius according to agreement invested the w all

, ,

all round then Z o p y ru s discovered his whol e treachery ; f or

,

the B abylonians mounting on the wall repell ed the army o f

, ,

Darius that was attacking them ; but Z o p y ru s having opened ,

the C i s s i a n and B el i d i a n gates led the Persians within the ,

wall Those of the Babylonians who saw what was done fled
.

into th e Temple of Jupiter B elus ; and those who did not see
it remained each at his post until they also discovered that ,

they had been betrayed .

Thus Babylon w a s taken a second time And when Darius .

had made himself master of the Babylonians first of all he ,

demolished the walls and bore away all the gates for when ,

Cyrus had taken B abylon before he did neither of these ,

things ; and secondly Darius impaled about three thousand

, ,

of the principal citizens and allowed the rest of the B aby ,

l o n i a n s to inhabit the city And that the Babylonians might .

have wives in order that o ff spring might grow up from them

, ,

Darius made the following provision ; for the B abylonians had

strangl ed their wives as already has been mentioned to pre , ,

vent the consumption o f their provisions ; and to that end

he enj oined th e neighbouring provinces to send women to
B abylon taxing each at a certain number so that a total o f
, ,

fifty thousand women came together ; an d from these the

B abylonians of our time are descended No Persian in the .
,

O pinion of Darius either o f those w h o came after or lived

, ,

b efore surpassed Z o p y ru s in great achievements Cyr us only

, ,

excepted ; for with him no Persian ever ventured to compare

himself I t is also reported that Darius frequently expressed
.

this opinion that h e would rather Z o p y r u s had not su ff ered

,

ignominious treatment than acquire twenty Babylons in a d

dition to that he had And b e honoured him exceedingly ; .

for h e every year presented him with those gifts which are
most prized by the Persians and b e assigned him B abylon ,

to hol d free from taxes during his life and gave him many ,

other things in addition From this Z o p y ru s sprung M ega .

b y z u s w h o commanded the army in Egypt against the At h e

,

mians and their allies ; and from this M e g a b y z u s sprung Zopy

rus who deserted to the Athenians from the Persians
,
.
2 14 HER D TU
O O S— B OO K IV, ME LP O ME N E [3—6

M edia And first they cut o ff the country by digging a wide

.

ditch stretching f rom M ount Taurus to the Lake M ae ot i s

, ,

which is o f great extent and afterward encamping opposite , ,

th ey came to an engagement with the Scythians w h o were ,

endeavouring to enter When several battles had been fought .

,

and the S cythians were unable to obtain any advantage one ,

of them said : M en of Scythia what are we doing ? by fi g h t ,

ing with our slaves both we ourselves by being slain become

,

fewer in number and by killing them we shall hereafter have

,

f ewer to rule over Now therefore it seems to me that we

.

shoul d lay aside our spears and bows and that every one , ,

taking a horsewhip shoul d go directly to them ; for so lo n g

,

as they saw us with arms they considered themselves equal ,

to us and born of e qual birth ; b u t when they shall see u s

'

with our whips instead o f arms they will soon learn that they ,

are our slaves and b eing conscious of that will no longer

, ,
”
resist . The Scythians having heard this adopted the a d , ,

vice ; and the slaves struck with astonishment at what was ,

done forgot to fight and fled Thus the Scythians both ruled
, , .

over Asia and being a fterward expelled by the M edes re

, ,

turned in this manner to their own country : and f or the

above mentioned reasons Darius desiring to t ake revenge
-

, ,

assembled an army to invade them .

As the Scythians say theirs is the most recent o f all na ,

tions ; and it arose in the following manner : The first man

that appeared in this country which w a s a wilderness was , ,

named Targitaus : they say that the parents of this Targitaus ,

—
in my O pinion relating what is incredible they say however , ,

that they were Jupiter and a daughter of the river B orys

t h e n e s ; that such w a s the origin o f Targitaus : and that he
had three sons who went by the names of Li p o x a i s Ap o xa i s
, , ,

and the youngest Colaxais ; that during their reign a plough

, ,

a yoke an axe and a bowl of golden workmanship dropping

, , ,

down f rom heaven f ell on the Scythian territory ; that the

,

el dest seeing them first approached intending to take them

, , ,

up but as h e came near the gold began to burn ; when he

,

had retired the second went up and it did the same again ,

accordingly the burning gold repulsed these ; but when the

,

youngest went up the third it became extinguished and he , ,

carried the things home with him ; and that the elder brothers
in consequence of this giving way surrendered the whol e a u
t h o r i t y to the youngest From Li p oxai s they say are de .
, ,

scended thos e Scythians who are called Au c h at ae ; f rom the

second Ap o x ai s those w h o are called Ca t i a ri and T ra s p i e s ;
, ,

and f rom the yo u ngest o f them the royal race who are called , ,
6—
9] O R IG I N OF THE S C Y T H IA N S 215

B ut all have the nam e o f S c o l o t i from the surname

Pa ra l a t ae , ,

o f their king ; b u t the Grecians call them Scythians The .

Scythians say that such w a s their origin ; and th ey reckon th e

whole number o f years from their first beginning f rom King ,

Targitaus to the time that Darius crossed over against them ,

to be not more than a thousand years but j ust that number , .

This sacred gold the kings watch with the greatest care and ,

annually approach it with magnificent sacrifices to render it

propitious If he who has the sacred gold happens to fall
.

asleep in th e open air on the f estival the Scythians say h e ,

can not survive the year and on this account they give him
,

as much land as he can ride round on horseback in one day .

T h e country being very extensive Colaxais established three ,

o f the kingdoms for his sons and made that one the largest ,

in which the gold is kept The parts beyond th e north o f the

.

in h abited districts the Scythians say can neither b e s een nor

passed th rough by reason o f th e feathers shed there ; f or that
,

the earth and air are f ull o f f eathers and that it is these whic h ,

intercept the view .

Such is the account the Scythians give o f themselves and ,

o f the country above them : but the Greeks who inhab it Pon
tus give the f ollowing account : they say that Hercules as he ,

was driving away the herds o f Geryon arrived in this coun ,

try that was then a desert and which the Scythians now i n
, ,

habit : that Geryon fixing his abode outside the Pontus i n

, ,

habited the island which the Greeks call E ry t h i a situated ,

near Gades b eyond the columns o f H ercules in the ocean

, .

The ocean th ey say beginning f rom the sunrise flows round

, , ,

the whol e earth b ut they do not prove it in fact ; that H er

,

cules thence came to the country now called Scythia and as ,

’
a storm and f rost overtook him he drew his l ion s skin over ,

him and went to sleep ; and in the meanwhile his mares which
, ,

were feeding apart f rom his chariot vanished by some divine ,

chance They add that when Hercules awoke he sought f or

.
,

them ; and that having gon e over the whol e country h e at ,

length came to th e land called H y l aea ; he found a monster ,

having two nat u res half virgin hal f viper o f which the upper
, , ,

parts from the buttocks resembled a woman and the lower ,

parts a serpent : when he saw her he was astonished but ,

asked her if she had anywhere seen his strayed mares She .

said that she hers el f had them an d would not restore th em ,

to him be f ore she had lain with him Hercul es accordin gly .

lay with her on these terms She however delayed giv i ng .

, ,

back the mares out o f a desire to enj oy the company of H er

,

cules as long as she coul d he was desirous of recovering ,

2 16 H E R D OT U
O S—B OO K IV , M E LP O ME N E [9 -
11

t h em and departing ; at last as she restored the mares she ,

said : These mares that strayed hither I preserved for you ,

and you have pai d me salvage for I have three sons by you ; ,

tell me therefore what must I do with them when th ey are

, ,

grown up ; whether shall I establish them h ere for I possess ,

”
the rule over this country or shall I send them to you ?
,

She asked this question and he replied they say : When , ,

you see the children arrived at the age of men you can not ,

err if you do this : whichever of them y o u see able thus to

b end this bow and thus girding himself with this girdle
, ,

mak e him an inhabitant o f this country ; and whichever fail s

in these tasks which I enj oin send out o f the country If ,
.

you do this you will please yoursel f and perform my inj un e

,
”
tions Then having drawn out one o f his bows f or Hercules
.
,

carried two at that time and having shown her the belt he , ,

gave h er both th e bow and t h e belt which had a golden cup ,

at the extremity of the clasp an d having given them he de , ,

parted B ut she when the sons w h o were born to her attained

.
,

to the age of men in the first place gave them names ; to the
,

first A ga t h y rs i s to t h e s e c o n d Gelonus and to the young

, , , ,

est Scythes ; and in the next place remembering the orders

, , , ,

she did what had b een enj oined ; and two o f her sons A gat h y r ,

s i s and Gelonus being unabl e to come up to the proposed

,

task left th e country bei n g expelled by their mother ; but

, ,

the youngest o f them Scythes having accomplished it r e , , ,

mained there From this S cythes son o f H ercul es are de

.
, ,

scended those who have been successively kings of the Scyth

ians ; and from the cup the S cythians e ven to this day wear -

cups from their belts This thing only the mother did f or .

Scythes Such is the account given by th e Greeks who i n

.

h abit Pontus .

There is another account to the f ollowi n g e ff ect to whic h , ,

I myself rather incl ine : I t is sai d that th e Scythian nomads

w h o dwelt in Asia being harassed in war by th e M as s a g e t ae
, ,

crossed the river Araxes and entered the Cimmerian territory :

f or the country which the S cythians now inhabit is said to
have f ormerly belonged to the Cimmerians The Cimmerians .
,

when the Scythians invaded them deliberated seeing a large , ,

army was coming against them ; however their opinions were ,

divided which both vehemently upheld though that o f the

, ,

kings was th e best ; f or the opinion of the peopl e was that it

was necessary t o retire and that there was no need to hazard ,

a battl e against superior numbers but the opinion o f the kings

w a s that they should fight to the last for their country against
t h e invaders When there fore neither the peopl e woul d sub
.
, ,
2 18 H E R O D O T U S— B O O K IV , ME LP O ME N E [ 14 -
17

report had spread through the city that Aristeas was dead , ,

a certain Cy z i c e n i a n arriving from Artace fell into a dispute

, ,

with thos e who made the report a ffirming that h e had met ,

and conversed with him on his way to Cyzicus ; and he veh e

m e n t l y disputed the truth of the report but the relative s o f ,
’
the deceased went to the f ull er s shop taking with them what ,

was necessary for the purpose of carrying the body away

, ,

b ut when the house was opened Aristeas w a s not to be seen ,

either dead or al ive They say that afterward in the seventh

.
,

year he appeared in P ro c o n n e s u s composed those verses

, , ,

which by the Greeks are now called Arimaspian and having ,

composed them disappeared a second time Such is the story

, .

current in these cities B ut these things I know happened .

to the M e t a p on t i n e s in I taly three hundred and forty years

,

after the second disappearance of Aristeas as I discovered ,

by computation in P ro c o n n es u s and M e t a p o n t i u m The Meta .

pontines say that Aristeas himself having appeared in their ,

country exhorted them to erect an altar to Apollo and to

, ,

place near it a statue bearing the name o f Aristeas the Pro

c o n n e s i a n ; f or he said that Apollo had visited their country

only o f all t h e I talians and that he himsel f who was n ow , ,

Aristeas accompanied him ; and that when he accompanied

,

th e god h e was a crow ; and a fter saying this he vanished ;

, ,

and the M e t a p o n t i n e s say they sent to Delphi to inquire o f

the god what th e apparition of the man meant ; but the Pythian
bade them obey th e apparition and if they obeyed it would , ,

conduce to their b enefit : they accordingly having received ,

this answer fulfilled the inj unctions And now a statue bear
,
.

ing the name of Aristeas is placed near the image of Apollo ,

and around it laurel s are planted : the image is placed in the

public square Thus much concerning Aristeas
. .

N 0 one knows with cert ainty what is beyond the country

about which this account proceeds to speak ; for I have not
b een able to hear of any one who says he has seen them with
his own eyes ; nor even did Aristeas o f whom I have j u st ,

now made mention say in his poems that he went f arther than
,

the I ssedones but of the parts beyond he spoke by hearsay

, ,

stating that the I ssedones gave him his information B ut as .

f ar as we have been abl e to arrive at th e truth with accuracy

f rom h earsay th e whol e shall b e related
, From t he port of .

the B o ry s t h e n i t ae for this is the most central part o f the sea

,

coast o f all Scythia the first peopl e are the Cal li p id ae being
, ,

Greek Scythians beyo nd t h ese is another nation called Ala

-

z ones . These and t h e Cal l i p i d ae in other respects f ollow the , ,

u sa es o f t h e Sc thians , b u t the bot h ow a n d feed o n wh eat ,

g y y s
1 7 22
-

] THE S C Y T H IA N S 2 19

onions garlic lentils and millet ; but beyond the Al a z o n e s

, , ,

dwell husbandmen w h o do not sow wheat for food but for , ,

sale B eyond these th e Neuri dwell ; and to th e north o f the

.

Neuri the country is utterly uninhabited as far as I know ,

.

These nations are by the si de of the river Hypanis to the ,

west o f th e B o ry s t h e n e s B ut if one crosses the B o ry s t h e n e s

.
,

the first country from the sea is H y l aea and f rom this higher
up live Scythian agriculturists where th e Greeks settled on ,

t h e river Hypanis call ed B o ry s t h e n i t ae but they call them

, ,

selves O l b i o p o l i t ae These Scythian husbandmen then o c

.
, ,
’
c u p y the country eastward for three days j ourney extend , ,

ing to the river whose name is P a n t i c a p e s ; and northward a

passage of eleven days up the B o ry s t h e n es B eyond this r e .

gion the country is desert f or a great distance ; and beyond

the desert An d ro p h a g i dwell w h o are a distinct peopl e and , ,

not in any respect S cythian B eyond this is really desert and .

,

no nation o f men is f ound there as f ar as we know The , .

country eastward o f these Scythian agriculturists wh en one ,

crosses the river P a n t i c a p e s nomads occupy w h o neither sow , ,

at all nor plough ; and all this country is destitute o f trees

, ,

except H yl aea These nomads occupy a tract eastward f or

.

’
fourteen days j ourney stretching to the river Ge rrh u s , Be .

yond the Ge rrh u s are the parts called th e R oyal and the most ,

val iant and numerous of the Scythians who deem all other ,

Scythians to be their slaves These extend southward to .

T a u r i ca and eastward to the trench which thos e sprung f rom

, ,

the blind men dug and to the port on the Lak e M aeot i s which
, ,

is called C r e m n i and some of them reach to th e river T a n a i s

, .

The parts above to the north of the R oyal Scythians the M e ,

l an c hl aen i inhabit a distinct race and not S cythian

, B ut above , .

the M el a n c hl aen i are lakes an d an uninhab ited desert as far , ,

as w e know .

After one crosses t h e river T a n a i s it is no longer Scythian , ,

but the first region belongs to the S a u ro m a t ae who begin , ,

ning from the recess of the Lak e M aeo t i s occupy the country ,
’
northward f or a fifteen days j ourney all destitute both o f
, ,

wild and cultivated trees Above these dwell the B udini o c .

,

cu p yin t h e second region and possessing a country thickly

g ,

covered with all sorts of trees Above the B udini toward the .
,

north there is first a desert o f seven days j ourney an d next

,
’

to the desert i f one turns somewhat toward th e east dwell

, ,

the T h y s s a g et ae a numerous and distinct race and t h ey live

, ,

by hunting Contiguous to th ese in the same regions dwell

.
, ,

those w h o are called I y rcae w h o also l ive by hunting in th e ,

following manner : The huntsman having climbed a t re e l i e s , , ,

2 20 HER D TU
O O S —BOO K IV , ME LP O ME N E [ 22 2 5 —

in ambush ( and the whol e country is thickly wooded) and ,

each man has a horse ready taught to lie on his belly that , ,

he may not b e much above the ground and a dog besides , .

When he sees any game from the tree having let fly an arrow , ,

and mounted his horse he goes in pursuit and the dog keeps
, ,

close to him Above these as one bends toward the east

.
, ,

dwell other Scythians who revolted from the R oyal Scythians

, ,

and so came to this country As far as the territory o f these .

Scythians the whole country that has been described is level

,

and deep soiled ; but a fter this it is stony and rugged When
-
.

one has passed through a considerable extent of the rugged

country a people are f ound living at the foot of lofty moun
,

tains who are said to be all bald from their birth both men
, ,

and women alike and they are flat nosed and have large
,
-

chins ; they speak a peculiar language wear the Scythian cos ,

tume and l ive on the f ruit of a tree : the name of the tree on
,

which they live is called p o n t i c o n about the size of a fig tree ; ,

it bears fruit like a bean an d has a stone When this is ripe

, .

they strain it through a cloth and a thick and black liquor ,

flows f rom it ; the name o f what flows from it is a s c h y ; this

they suck and drink mingled with milk : from the thick sedi
,

ment o f the p u lp they make cakes and f eed on them ; for they ,

have not many cattle in these parts as the pastures there are ,

not good Every man lives under a tree in the winter w h en

.
,

he has covered the tree with a thi ck white woollen cove ring ;
but in summer without the woollen covering No man does
, .

any inj ury to this peopl e for they are accounted sacred ; nor
,

do they possess any warlike weapon And in th e first place .

they determine th e di ff erences that arise among their neigh

bours ; and in the next place whoever takes re f uge among ,

them is inj ured by no one They are called A rg i p p aei . .

As far then as these bal d p eople our knowledge respect

, , ,

ing the country and th e nations before them is very good for ,

some S cythians frequently go there from whom it is not d iffi ,

cult to obtain in f ormation as also f rom Greeks belonging ,

to the port o f the B o ry s t h e n e s and other ports in Pontus ,

.

The Scythians who go to them transact business by means

o f seven inte rpreters and seven languages S O f ar t h en is .
, ,

known ; but beyond the bal d men no one can speak with cer
tainty for lo fty and impassabl e mountains f orm their bo u nd
,

ary and no one has ever crossed them ; but these bal d men
,
’
say what to me is incredibl e that men with goats f eet inhabit
, ,

these mountains ! and when one has passed beyond t h em other ,

men are found who sl eep six months at a time ; but this I do
,

not at all admit However the country eastward o f t h e b al d

.
,
'
2 22 H E R O D O T U S— B OO K IV , M E LP O ME N E [ 2 9- 33

either do not produce them at all or if th ey do produce them ,

they do so with di fficulty H ere then such are the e ff ects .

, ,

o f th e cold I am surprised ( for my narrative has from its

.

commencement sought for digressions ) that in the whole ter

r i t o r y of Elis no mules are abl e to breed though neither is ,

the climate cold nor is there any other visibl e cause The .

Eleans themselves say that mul es do not breed with them

in consequence o f a curse ; therefore when the time for the ,

mares breeding approaches they lead them to the neigh

’
,

b o u ri n g districts and there put the h e asses with them until

,
-

they are in foal ; then they drive them home again With .

respect to the feathers with which the Scythians say the ,

air is filled and that on account o f them it is not possible

,

either to see farther upon the continent or to pass through ,

it I entertain the following opinion : I n the upper parts o f

,

this country it continually snows less in summer than in ,

winter as is reasonable ; now whoever has seen snow fall

, ,

ing thick near him will know what I mean ; f or snow is like
f eathers : and on account of the winter being so severe the ,

northern parts of this continent are uninhabited I think .

,

then that the Scythians and their neighbours call the snow
,

f eathers comparing them together These regions there f ore

, .
, ,

which are said to be the most remote have been su ffi ciently ,

described .

Concerning the Hyperboreans neither the Scythians say ,

anything nor any peopl e of those parts except th e I ssedones ;

, ,

and as I think neither do they say anythin g for then the

, , ,

Scythians would mention it as they do the one eyed people ,

-
.

Hesiod however has made mention of the Hyperboreans

, , ,
”
and Homer in the Epigoni if in deed Homer was in reality
, ,

the author of that poem B ut th e D elians say very much .

more than any others about them a ffirming that sacred things , ,

wrapped in wheat straw were brought from the Hyperboreans

-

and came to the Scythians ; and f rom the Scythians each con
t i g u o u s nation receiving the m in succession carried them to ,

the extreme west as far as t h e Adriatic ; that b eing f orwarded

thence toward th e sout h the Dodon aeans the first o f the , ,

Greeks received them ; that from them they descended to the

,

M al i a c Gulf and passed over into Euboea and that one city
, ,

sent them on to another as far as Carystus ; that after this

Andros was passed by f or the C a ry s t i a n s conveyed them to
,

Tenos and th e T e n i a n s to Delos : in this manner they say

,

these sacred things reach D elos They add that the Hyper .

b o rea n s first sent two virgins whom they called by the na m es ,

o f H y p e ro c h e and Laodice to carry these sacred things ; and ,

 T HE H Y PE RB O RE A N S 223

with them for the sake o f safety th e Hyperboreans sent five

, ,

o f their citizens as attendants the same w h o are now called ,

P e rp h e re e s and are held in high honour at D elos

,
B ut when .

those who were sent out by the Hyperboreans did not return ,

they thinking it a grievous thing if it shoul d always happ en

,

to them not to receive back those whom they sent out there ,

fore carried their O ff erings wrapped in wheat straw to their -

borders and enj oined their neighbours to forward them to

,

the next nation ; and these being so forwarded they say , ,

reached Delos I mysel f know that the f ollowing practice

.

is obse rved resembling that o f thes e sacred things : The

,

Thracian and P aeonian women when they sacrifice to R oyal ,

Diana do not o ff er their sacrifices without wheat straw ; and

,
-

I know that they do this I n honour of these Hyperborean .

virgins who died in D elos both the virgins and youths o f the ,

Delians shear their hair : the f ormer having cut o ff a lock ,

before marriage and having wound it about a dista ff lay it

, ,

upon the sepulchre ; the sepulchre is within the Templ e o f

Diana on the l eft as one enters and on it grows an olive tree :
, ,

the youths o f the D elians having wound some o f their hair

round a plant place it also on the sepul chre These virgins
, .

receive such honour f rom the inhabitants o f Delos These .

same persons also a ffirm that Arge and O pis who were H y ,

p erb o rea n virgins passing through the same nations came

, ,

to Delos even b efore H y p e roc h e and Laodice : that thes e last

,

came to bring th e tribute they had agreed to pay to Il i t h y a

for a speedy delivery ; but they say that Arge and O pis ar
rived with the gods themselves and that di ff erent honou rs ,

are paid them by themselves for that the women coll ect con ,

t ri b u t i on s for them calling on their names in a hymn wh ic h

,

O len a Lycian composed for them ; and that the islanders

, ,

and I onians a fterward having learned it from them celebrate

, ,

O pis and Arge in song mentioning their names and collect , ,

ing contributions ( now th i s O len coming f rom Lycia com , ,

posed also the other anci ent hymns which are sung in D elos ) ;
and that the ashes o f the thighs burned on th e altar are th rown
and expended on the sepul chre of O pis and Arge : but their
sepulchre is b ehin d th e Templ e o f D iana facing the east very , ,

near the banqueting room of th e C e i an s And thus much may

-
.

be said concerning the Hyperboreans f or I do not relate th e ,

story concerning Abaris w h o was said to be an Hy p erborean , ,

to the e ff ect that h e carried an arrow round the whole earth

without eating anything I f however there are H y p e rb o .
, ,

reans there must also b e H y p e rn o t i a n s B ut I smil e when I

, .

see many persons describing the circum f erence o f the eart h ,

2 24 HER D TU
O O S —BOO K IV, ME LP O ME N E 6
[3 42
-

who have no sound reason to g u ide t h em ; t h ey describ e the ‘

ocean flowing round the earth which is made circular as i f ,

by a lathe and make Asia equal to Europe I will there f ore

, .

briefly show the dimensions o f each of them and what is the ,

figure o f each .

The Persian settlements extend to the southern sea called ,

the Erythraean ; above them to the north are the M edes ; above
the M edes the S a s p i re s ; and above the S a s p i re s the Col
, ,

chians who reach to the northern sea into which the river
, ,

Phasis discharges itself These f our nations occupy the space .

f rom sea to sea Thence westward two tracts stretch out to .

the sea which I shall describe O n one side the one tract
, .
, ,

beginning at the north from the Phasis extends along the ,

Euxine and the Hellespont as f ar as the Troj an S i g aeu m ,

and on the south this same tract beginning f rom the M y ri an , ,

drian Gulf which is adj acent to Ph oenicia stretches toward

, ,

the sea as far as the T ri o p i an promontory I n this tract dwell .

thirty di ff erent nations This then is one o f the tracts The .

, , .

other beginning at Persia reaches to the R ed Sea ; it com

, ,

prises Persia and after that Assyria and after Assyria Arabia ;
, , ,

it terminates ( terminating only by custom) at the Arabian

G u l f into w h ich Darius carried a canal f rom the Nile Now
, .
,

as far as Phoenicia f rom Persia the country is wide and open ,

b u t f rom Ph oenicia the same tract stretches along this sea

by Syrian Palestin e and Egypt where it terminates ; in it are ,

only three nations These then are the parts o f Asia that .
, ,

lie westward o f Persia B eyond the Persians Medes S a s p i re s .

, , ,

and Colchians toward th e east and rising s u n extends the, ,

R ed Sea and on the north the Caspian Sea and the river
,

Araxes which flows toward the rising sun Asia is inhabited

, .

as far as I ndia ; but beyond this it is all desert toward the

east nor is any one able to describe what it is Suc h and so
, .

great is Asia .

Libya is in the other tract ; for Libya commenc es f rom

Egypt Now in Egypt this tract is narrow ; f or f rom this sea
.

to the R ed Sea are a hundred tho u sand o rg yae which make ,

one thousand stades B ut from this narrow neck th e tract .

which is called Libya becomes very wide I wonder there .

fore at those who have described the limits o f and divided

Libya Asia and Europe f or the di ff erence between them is
, , ,

not trifling ; f or in length Europe extends along bot h o f them ,

but with respect to width it is evidently not to b e compared ,

.

Libya shows itself to be surrounded by water except so m u ch ,

of it as borders upon Asia Neco King o f Egypt was the first .

, ,

whom we know o f that proved this ; he when he had ceased ,

2 26 H E R OD T U
O S— B OO K IV , ME LP O ME N E [43 -

46

which a Samian detained though I know his name I pur ,

p o s e l y conceal it .

A great part of Asia was explored under the direction o f

Darius He b eing desirous to know in what part the I ndus
.
,

which is the second river that produces crocodiles discharges ,

itsel f into the sea sent in ships both others on whom he could
,

rely to make a true report and also S c y l a x o f Cary an d a They , .

accordingly setting out from the city of Ca s p a t y ru s and the

,

country of Pa c t y i c e sailed down the river toward the east

,

and sunrise to the sea : then sailing on the sea westward they ,

arrived in the thirtieth month at that place where the King

o f Egypt despatched the Ph oenicians whom I before men
'

t i o n e d to sail round Libya

, A fter these persons had sailed .

round Darius sub dued the I ndians and frequented this sea
, , .

Thus the other parts of Asia except toward the rising sun , ,

are found to exhibit things similar to Libya .

Whether Europe is surrounded by water either toward the

east or toward the north has not been fully discovered by
any man ; but in length it is known to extend beyond both
the other continents Nor can I conj ecture for what reason .

three di ff erent names have been given to the earth which is ,

but one and those derived from the names o f women ; nor
,

w h y the Egyptian river Nile and the Colchian Phasis have

been assigned as boundaries to it ( some say the M aeo t i a n river
T a n a i s and the Cimmerian P o rt h m e i a ) nor can I learn the
,

names of those who made this division nor whence they de ,

rived the appellations Libya is said by most of the Greeks .

to take its name from a native woman of the name o f Libya ;

and Asia from the wife o f Prometheus B ut the Lydians
,
.

claim this name saying that Asia was so called a fter Asius
, ,

son of Cotys son of Manes and not after Asia the wife of
, , ,

Prometheus ; from whom also a tribe in Sardis is called the

Asian tribe Whether Europe then is surrounded by water
.
, ,

is known by no man ; nor is it cl ear whence it received this

name nor who gave it unless we will say that the region re
, ,

c e i v e d the nam e from the Tyrian Europa but w a s before ,

without a name like the others ; yet she evidently belonged

,

to Asia and never came into that country which is now called
,

Europe by the Grecians ; but only passed f rom Ph oenicia to

Crete and from Crete to Lycia Thus much may su ffi ce for
,
.

this subj ect for we shall adopt the names in common u se

,
.

The Euxine Sea to which Darius led an army of all coun

,

tries except th e Scythians exhibits the most ignorant na

, ,

tions : for w e are unable to mention any one nation o f those

on this side the Pontus that has any pretensions to i nt el li
46 49 ]
-
T HE R I VE R S O F S C Y T H IA 2 27

gence ; nor h ave w e ever heard o f a n y learned men among

them except the Scythian nation and A n a c h a rs i s
,
B y the .

Scythian nation one o f the most important of human devices

has been contrived more wisely than by any others whom we
know ; their other customs however I do not admire This , , .

most important device has been so contrived that no one w h o

attacks them can escape ; and that if th ey do not c h oos e to ,

be found no one is abl e to overtake them For they who

, .
,

have neither cities nor fortifications but carry their houses ,

with them who are all equestrian archers living not f rom
, ,

the cultivation o f the earth but from cattle and whose dwell , ,

—
ings are wagons how must not such a people b e invincible ,

and di ficult to engage with

f ? This device has been contrived
by them as the country is fit f or it and th e rivers ai d them :
, ,

for the country being l evel abounds in herbage and is well

, ,

watered : and rivers flow through it almost as numerous as

the canals in Egypt Such o f them as are cel ebrated and
.

navigable from the sea I will mention : the I ster that has fi ve ,

mouths ; then the Tyres th e Hypanis th e B o ry s t h e n e s the , , ,

Pa nt i c a p e s the H y p a c y ri s the Ge rrh u s and the T a n a i s These

, , , .

flow as f ollows :
The I ster which is the greatest o f all th e rivers we know
, ,

flows always with an equal stream both in summer and winter .

Flowing the first o f thos e in Scythia f rom th e west it is on this ,

account the greatest b ecause other rivers discharge them

,

selves into it The following are those that make it great :

.

there are five that flow through Scythia ; one which the
Scythians call Po ra t a but the Grecians Pyretos another the
,

Ti a ra n t u s then the Aratus the N a p a ri s and th e O rd es s u s

, , , .

The first mentioned o f these rivers is large and flowing to ,

ward the east communicates its water with the I ster ; that
,

mentioned second th e T i a ra n t u s is more to the west and

, ,

less ; the Aratus the N a p ari s an d O rd e s s u s passing between

, , ,

these fall likewise into the I ster These indigenous S cythian

, .

rivers assist in filling it Th e river Maris flowing f rom the .

,

Agat h y rs i mi ngl es with th e I ster

,
From the summits o f .

Mount H aemus three other large rivers flowing toward the ,

north empty themselves into it th e Atlas the Auras and the

, , , ,

Ti b i s i s : the A t h re s th e Noes and the A t a r n e s

, flowing , ,

through Thrace and the Thracian C ro b y z i discharge them ,

selves into th e I ster ; and f rom the P ae onians and Mount

R hodope the river Scios dividing the H aemus in th e middle
, , ,

discharges itsel f into it And th e river A n g ru s flowing f rom

.
,

the Illyrians toward the north empties itself into the T r i b al l i c ,

plain and into the river B ro n g u s and the B ro n g u s into the ,

228 H E R O D O T U S—B OO K IV , M E LP O ME N E [49 5 2 -

I ster ; thus the I ster receive s both these which are consider ,

able From the country above the Um b ri c i the river Carpis

.
,

and another river Alpis flowing to w ard the north also d i s , , ,

charge themselves into it For the I ster flows through all .

Europe beginning from the Celts w h o next to the C y n et ae

, , , ,

inhabit the remotest parts of Europe toward the west ; and

flowing through all Europe enter the borders of Scythia By , .

these then that have been mentioned and many other rivers
, , ,

that contribute their waters the I ster becomes the greatest ,

o f all rivers For i f we compare one stream with another the

.
,

N il e surpasses in quantity ; f or into this no river or fountain

discharging itself contributes to its increase B ut the I ster .

always flows equal in summer and in winter for the following ,

reason as I think : during the winter it is about as large as

,

it usually is and perhaps a little larger ; for this country is

,

very little moistened by rain during the winter but is e n ,

t i r el y covered with snow : in the summer the snow that f ell ,

in the winter in vast qua ntities dissolving on all sides flows , ,

into the I ster ; and this snow flowing i nto it assists in filling
it and f requent and violent rains besides ; f or it rains much
,

in summer By how much there f ore the sun draws up to

.
, ,

h imsel f more water in summer than in winter by so muc h ,

the waters mingled with the I ster are greater in summer than
in winter ; and these things there f ore being opposed an equi ,

librium results so that it is always found to be equal , .

O n e o f the rivers then o f the Scythians is the I ster ; a fter , ,

this is th e Tyres which proceeds from the north and begins , ,

fl owing from a vast lake which separates S cythia and N e u ri s , .

At its mouth are settl ed Grecians w h o are called T y ri t ae The , .

third river the Hypanis proceeds f rom S cythia and flows

, ,

from a vast lake around which wild white horses graze This , .

lake is rightly called the mother o f the Hypanis T h e river .

Hypanis then rising from this is small and still sweet f or a

, ,
’
five days voyage but from th ence for a f our days voyage , ,
’

to the sea it is exceedingly bitter ; f or a bitter fountain dis

,

charges itsel f into it which is so very bitter though small in , ,

size that it taints the Hypanis which is a considerable river

, ,

among small ones This fountain is on the borders of the .

territory of the Scythian husbandmen and the Al a z o n e s ; the

name o f th e fountain and o f t h e district whence it flows is in , , ,

the S cythian language E x am p aeu s but in the language o f , ,

”
th e Greeks Th e sacred ways ,
The Tyres and Hypanis .

contract their boundaries in the country of the Al a z o n es ;

but after that each turning away flows on widening the inter
, ,

mediate space .
2 30 H E R O D O T U S—B O O K IV , ME LP O ME N E [57 -
62

another river the name of which is H y rg i s Thus t h e Scyth

, .

ians are provided with these cel ebrated rivers The grass .

that grows in Scythia is the most productive of bile for cattle

of any with which w e are acquainted ; and when the cattl e
are opened one may infer that such is the case .

Thus th e greatest commodities are furnished them in

abundan ce Their other customs are established as f ollows :
.

They propitiate the following gods only : V esta most of all ; ,

then Jupiter deeming th e Earth to be the wi f e o f Jupiter ;

,

after these Apollo and V enus U rania and Hercules and Mars
, , , .

All the Scythians acknowl edge these ; but those who are called
R oyal Scythians sacrifice also to Neptune V esta in the Scyth .
,

ian language is named T a b i t i ; Jupiter is in my opinion

, , ,

very rightly called Pa p aeu s ; the Earth Apia ; Apoll o ( Eto , ,

syrus ; V enus U rania A rt i m p a s a ; and Neptune T h a m i m a , ,

sadas They are not accustomed to erect images altars and

.
, ,

temples except to M ars ; to him they are accustomed The

, .

same mode of sacrificing is adopted by a ll w i t h respect to , ,

all kinds o f Victims al ik e being as follows : The victim itsel f

, ,

stands with its f ore feet tied together ; h e w h o sacrifices stand '

ing b ehind the beast having drawn the extremity o f the cord
.

, ,

throws it down ; and as the victim f alls h e invokes the god

to whom he is sacrificing ; then h e throws a halter round its
neck and having put in a stick he twists it round and stran
, ,

gles it without kindling any fire or per f orming any prepara

, ,

tory ceremoni es or making any libation but having strangled

, ,

and flayed it he applies himself to cook it As the Scythian .

country is wholly destitute of wood they have invented the ,

f ollowing method o f cooking flesh : When they have flayed

the victims they strip the fl esh from the bones then they put
, ,

it into cal drons made in t h e country if they happen to have ,

any which very much resembl e Lesbian bowls except that

,

they are much larger ; having put it into these they cook it ,

by burning underneath the bones of th e Victims If they have .

no cal dron at hand they put all the fl esh into the paunches ,

of the v i c t i m s a n d having poured in water burn the bones

,
‘
,

underneath : they burn very well and the paunches easily ,

contain the flesh stripped from the bones ; thus th e ox cooks

h imsel f and o f all other victims each cooks itself When the
,
.

flesh is cooked h e that sacrifices o ff ering the first fruits o f

, ,

the flesh an d entrails throws it be fore him They also sacri ,

.

fi c e other cattl e chiefly horses ,

.

I n this manner then and these Victims they sacrifice to

, , ,

th e other gods ; but to Mars as follows : I n each district in , ,

the place where th e magistrates assembl e is erected a str u e ,

62 64]
-
C U STO M S O F T HE SCY T H IA N S 31

ture sacred to Mars of the following kind : bundles o f fagots

,

are heaped up to the length and breadth o f three stades but ,

less in height ; on the top of this a square platform is formed ;

and three of the sides are perpendicular but on the f ourth it ,

is accessibl e Every year they heap on it one hundred and

.

fifty wagon loads of fagots for it is continually sinking by

-

reason of the weather O n this heap an ol d iron scimetar .

is placed by each tribe a n d this is the image of Mars ; and to ,

this scimetar they bring yearly sacrifices of cattle and horses ;

and to these scimetars they off er more sacrifices than to th e
rest of the gods Whatever enemies they tak e alive of these
.
,

they sacrifice one in a hundred not in the same manner as they ,

do the cattle but in a di ff erent manner ; f or after they have

,

poured a libation o f wine on their heads they cut t h e throats ,

o f the m en over a bowl ; then having carried th e bowl on the

heap of fagots they pour the blood over th e scimetar This
, .

then they carry up ; but below at the sacred precinct th ey do ,

as follows : having cut o ff all the right shoulders o f the men

t h a t h av e been killed with the arms they throw them into
.
, ,

the air ; and then having finished th e rest o f the sacrificial

,

rites they depart ; but the arm lies wherever it has f allen
, ,

and the body apart Such then are the sacrifices instituted
.
, ,

among them Swine they never use nor su ff er them to b e

.
,

reared in their country at all .

Their military a ff airs are ordered as f ollows : When a

Scythian overthrows his first enemy he drinks his blood ; and ,

presents the king with the heads o f the enemies he has killed
in battle : for i f he brings a head he shares the booty that ,

they take ; but not if he does not bring one H e skins it in the .

following manner : Having made a circular incision round

the ears and taking hold o f the skin h e shakes from it the ,

skull ; then having scraped o ff the fl esh with th e rib o f an

ox he softens the skin with h is hands ; and having made it
,

supple he uses it as a napk in ; each man hangs it on th e bridle

,

o f the horse which h e rides and prides himself on it ; for who ,

ever has the greatest number of these skin napkins is a c

counted the most val iant man Many of them make cloaks .

of these skins to throw over themselves sewing th em to

, ,
’
gether like shepherd s coats ; and many having flayed the ,

right hands o f their enemies that are dead together with the ,

nails mak e coverings f or their quivers : th e skin o f a man

,
,

which is both thick and shining surpasses almost all other ,

skins in th e brightness of its white Many having flayed men .

,

whole and stretched the skin on wood carry it about on

, ,

h orseback Such usages are received among them

. Th e .
2 32 H E ROD OT U S -
B OO K I V, ME LP O ME N E [ 65 68
-

heads themselves not indeed of all but of their greatest ene

, ,

mies they treat as follows : Each having sawn o ff all below

, ,

the eyebrows cleanses it and if the man is poor he covers

, , ,

only the outside with leather and so uses it : but if he is rich , ,

he covers it indeed with leather and having gilded the inside , ,

h e so uses it for a drinking cup And they do this to their -

.

relatives if they are at variance and one prevails over another ,

in the presence of the king When strangers of considera .

tion come to him he produces these heads and relates how

, , ,

though they were his relatives th ey made war against him , ,

and he overcame them considering this a proof o f bravery

, .

O nce in every year the governor o f a district each in his own ,

district mingl es a bowl of wine from which those Scythians

, ,

drink by whom enemies have been captured : but they who

have not achieved this do not taste of this wine but sit at a ,

distance in dishonour ; this is accounted the greatest dis

grace : such O f them as have killed very many men having ,

two c u ps at once drink them together , .

Soothsayers among the S cythians are numerous w h o di ,

vine by the help o f a number of willow rods in the f ollowing ,

manner : When they have brought with them large bundles

o f twigs they lay them on the ground and untie them ; and
,

having placed each rod apart they utter their predictions ; ,

an d whil e they are pronouncing them they gather up the rods ,

again and put them together again one by one This is their
, .

national mode of divination B ut the E n are e s or An d ro g y n i .

, ,

say that V enus gave them the power of divining They divine .

by means of the bark of a linden tree : when a man has split

the linden tree in three pieces twisting it round his own fi n
gers and then untwisting it he utters a response
,
h en the
King of th e Scythians is sick he sends for three of the most
,

,
,

. W
f amous of these prophets who prophesy in the manner above ,

mentioned ; and they generally say as follows that such or ,

such a citizen has sworn falsely by the royal hearth mention ,

ing the name of t h e citizen of whom they speak : f or it is a

custom with the Scythians in general to swear by the royal
hearth when they woul d use the most solemn oath The .

pe rson who they say has sworn falsely is immediately seized

, ,

and brought forward ; and when he is c o m e the prophets ,

charge him with being cl early proved by their prophetic art

to have sworn falsely by the royal hearth and for this reason ,

the king is ill H e denies it a ffi rming that he has not sworn
.
,

falsely and complains b itterly O n his denial the king sends

,
.
,

f or twice as many more prophets ; and i f they also examining ,

into the prophetic art condemn him with having sworn falsely
, ,
2 34 H E R O D O T U S— B O O K IV , M E LP O ME N E [ 71 -

74

and cover it over with mats I n th e remaining space o f the .

grave they bury one of the king s concubines having stran ’

gled her and his cup bearer a cook a groom a page a

,
-

, , , ,

courier and horses and fi rs t l i n g s of everything else an d

, , ,

gol den gobl ets ; they make no use of silver or brass Having .

done this they all heap up a large mound striving and vying
, ,

with each other to make it as large as possible When .

a ye ar has elapsed they then do as follows : Having taken ,

the most fitting of his remaining servants ; they are all native
Scythians ; for they serve him whomsoever the king may
order and they have no servants bought with money ; when
, ,

therefore they have strangled fifty of these servants and fi fty

, ,

of the finest horses having taken out their bowels and cleansed
,

them they fill them with cha ff and sew them up again Then
, , .

having placed the half o f a wheel with its concave side upper ,

most o n t w o pieces of wo od and the other hal f on two other

, ,

pieces o f wood and having fixe d many of these in the same

,

manner then having th rust thick pieces of wood through the

,

horses l engthwise up to the n eck they mount them on the

, ,

half wh eels and of these th e foremost part of t he hal f wheels

,

supports the shoulders of the horses and the hinder part ,

supports the belly near the thighs but the legs on both sides ,

are suspended in the air : then having put bridles and bits
on the horses they stretch them in front and f asten them to
, ,

a stake ; they then mount upon a horse each one o f t h e fi fty ,

young men that have been strangled mounting them in the ,

following manner : When they have driven a straight piece

o f wood along the spine as far as th e neck but a part o f this ,

wood proj ects f rom th e bottom they fix it into a hol e bored ,

in the other piece o f wood that passes through the horse Hav .

ing placed such hors emen round the monument they depart , .

Thus they bury their kings B ut the other Scythians w h en .

,

they die their nearest relatives carry about among their

,

friends laid in chariots ; and o f these each one receives and

,

entertains the attendants and sets the same things before the ,

dead body as be f ore th e rest I n this manner private p ersons

, .

are carried about f or f orty days and then buried The Scyth , .

ians having buried them purify themselves in the following

, ,

manner : Having wiped and thoroughly washed their heads ,

they do thus with regard to the body : when they have set up
three pieces of wood leaning against each other they extend ,

around them w oollen cloths ; and having j oined them together

as closely as possible they throw red —hot stones into a vessel ,

placed in the middle of the pieces of wood and the cloths .

They have a sort of hemp growing in this country very like

 —
74 76] C U STO M S O F T HE S C Y T H IA N S 2 35

flax except in th ickness and height ; in this respect the hemp

,

is far superior : it grows both spontaneously and from culti

vation and from it the Thracians make garments very like ,

linen nor would any one w h o is not well skill ed in such mat
,

ters distinguish whether they are made of flax or hemp but ,

a person w h o has never seen this hemp would think the gar
ment was made of flax When therefore the S cythians have .
, ,

taken some seed of this hemp they creep under the cloths , ,

and then put the seed on the red hot stones ; an d this b eing -

put on smokes and produces such a steam that no Grecian

, ,

vapour bath woul d surpass it The Scythians transported

-
.
,

with the vapour shout aloud ; and this serves them instead
,

o f washing f or they never bathe the body in water Their

,
.

women pouring on water pound on a rough stone pieces of

, ,

cyp ress cedar and incense tree ; and then this pounded mat
, ,

ter when it is thick they smear over the whol e body and
, ,

face : and this at the same time gives them an agreeabl e odour ,

and wh en they take o ff th e cataplasm on the following day

they become clean and shining .

They studiously avoid the us e of foreign customs ; not

only therefore will t h ey not adopt those of each other b ut
, , ,

least o f all Grecian usages as the exampl e o f A n ac h a rs i s and , ,

a fterward o f S c y l a s s u fficiently demonstrated ; for in the first

, ,

place An a c h a rs i s having Visited many countries and hav

, , ,

ing displayed great wisdom during his progress w a s return ,

ing to the abodes o f th e S cythians and sailin g through th e ,

Hell espont toward Cyzicus and as he f ound the Cy z i c e n i a n s ,

celebrating a f estival to the mother o f the gods with great

magnificence A n a c h a rs i s made a v o w to the goddess that i f
,

he should return sa f e and sou nd to his own country he would

sacrifice in the same manner as h e saw the inhabitants o f C y z i
cus doing and woul d also institute a Vigil Accordingly when
, .
,

he arrived in S cythia he returned into the country called ,

H yl aea ; it is near the Course of Achilles and is full of trees o f ,

all kinds ; to this An a c h a rs i s having retired p erformed all the ,

rites to th e goddess hol ding a timbrel in his hand an d fasten

, ,

ing images about his person B ut one o f th e Scythians hav .

,

ing observed him doing this gave information to th e king , ,

Sau l i u s ; and b e having come i n person when h e saw An a

, ,

c h a rs i s thus employed shot at him with an arrow and kill ed , ,

him And now if any one speaks about An a c h a rs i s the Sc yth

.
,

ians say they do not know him b ecause he travelled i nto ,

Greece an d adopted foreign customs However I heard from .

,

Timnes the guardian of A ri a p i t h e s that A n a c h a rs i s w a s

, ,

paternal uncle to I d an t h y rs u s King o f the Scythians and that , ,

2 36 H E R O D O T U S—B O O K IV , ME LP O ME N E 6—
[ 7 79

he was son of Gn u ru s son o f Lycus son o f S p a rg ap i t h e s ; i f

, , ,

then A n a c h a rs i s was of this family let him know he was kill ed

, ,

by his own brother ; for I d a n t h y rs u s was son of S a u l i u s and ,

it w a s S a u l i u s w h o killed An a c h a rs i s However I have heard .

,

another story told by the Peloponnesians that A n a c h a rs i s , ,

being sent abroad by the King of the Scythians became a dis ,

c i p l e of t h e Grecians and on his return home he said to the

king who sent him abroad that all the Greeks were employed
in acquiring all kinds of knowledge except the La c e d mm o n i ,

ans b ut that they only were able to give and receive a reason
,

with prudence : but this story is tol d in sport by the Greeks

themselves The man then was killed in the manner before
.
, ,

mentioned Thus therefore he fared because of f oreign cus

.
, ,

toms and intercourse with th e Grecians .

Many years afterward S c yl a s son of Ari ap i t h e s met with , , ,

a similar fate For A ri a p i t h e s King of the Scythians had

.
, , ,

among other chil dren S c y l as ; he was born of an I strian ,

woman who di d not in any w a y belong to the country : his

,

mother taught him the Grecian language and letters After .

ward in course of time A ri a p i t h e s met his death by treachery

, ,

at the hands of S p a rg a p i t h es King of the Ag a t h y rs i and , ,

S c y l a s succeeded to the kingdom and his fath er s wife whose

’

, ,

name was O p oea ; this O p oea was a native by whom A r i a p i t h e s ,

had a son O ri c u s S c y l a s though reigning over the Scyth

, .
,

ians was by no means pl eased with the Scythian mode o f li f e

, ,

b ut was much more inclined to the Grecian manners on a c

count o f th e education he had received ; he therefore acted , ,

thus : Whenever he led the S cythian army to the city of the

B o ry s t h e n i t ae ( now these B o ry s t h e n i t ae say they are M ilesians ) ,

as soon as S c y l a s reached them he used to leave his army in ,

the suburbs and when he himself had gone within the walls
, , ,

and had closed the gates having laid aside his Scythian dress , ,

he used to assume the Grecian habit and in this dress he ,

walked in public unattended by guards or any one els e ; and

,

they kept watch at the gates that no Scythian might see him ,

wearing this dress and in other respects he adopted the Grecian

mode of living and performed sacrifices to the gods according
,

to th e rites of the Grecians When he had stayed a month or .

more he used to depart resuming th e S cythian habit This

, ,
.

h e used f requently to do ; he also built a palace in the B orys

t h e n e s and married a native woman to inhabit it
,
Since ,
.
,

however it w a s fated that mis fortune should b e fall him it

, ,

happened on this occasion H e was very desirous to be i miti .

ated in th e mysteries of Bacchus ; and as he was j ust about

to begin the sacred rites a very great prodigy occurred ,
.
 H E R O D O T U S— B O O K IV , M E LP O ME N E [76 79 -

he wa ss on of Gn u ru s son o f Lycus son o f S p argap it h es ; i f

, , ,

then A a c h a rs i s w as of this family let him know he was killed

, ,

by h i s >w n brother ; for Id a n t h y rs u s w a s son o f S a u l i u s and ,

it w a s a u l i u s w h o kill ed A n a c h a rs i s H owever I have heard .

,

a n o t h e story told by th e Peloponnesians that An ach ars is , ,

being en t abroad by the King of the Scythians became a dis ,

c i p l e e t h e Grecians ; and on his return home he said to the

king Vi o sent him abroad that all th e Greeks were employed
in a c q i r i n g all kinds o f knowl edge except the La c e daemoni ,

ans b t that they only were abl e to give and receive a reas on
,

with pu d e n c e : but this story is tol d in sport by the Greeks

t h e m s we s The man then w a s killed in the manner before
.
, ,

m e n t i oe d Thus therefore h e fared b ecause o f foreign cus

.
, ,

toms ad intercourse with th e Grecians .

May years afterward S c yl a s son o f A ri a p i t h es met with

, , ,

a s i m ii r fate For A ri a p i t h es King of the Scythians had

.
, , ,

amon g other chil dren S c y l a s ; h e w a s born o f an Istrian

,

woma w h o di d not in any w a y b elong to the country : his

.

mothe taught him the Grecian language and letters After .

ward 1 cours e of time A ri a p i t h es met his death by treachery

, ,

at t h eh a n d s of S p a rg a p i t h e s King o f the A g at h y rs i and , ,

S c y l a s u c c e e d e d to the kingdom an d his father s wife wh os e

’

, ,

name as O p oea ; this O p oea w a s a native by whom Ariap it hes

'

had a on O r i c u s S c y l a s though reigning over the Scyth

‘
, .
,
~

ians a s by no m eans pl eased with th e Scythian mode of life

, ,

but ws much more inclined to th e Grecian manners on ac

c o u n t ) f th e education h e had received ; h e therefore acted , ,

t h u s zN h en e v e r he l ed the Scythian army to the city o f the

B o ry sne n i t ae ( n o w th ese B o ry s t h e n i t ae say th ey are Milesians) ,

as s o n as S c y l a s reach ed them he used to leave his army in ,

the s u u rb s and when h e h imself had gone within the walls

, , ,

and hd closed th e gates having laid aside his Scythian dress

, ,

he u sd to assume th e Grecian habit and in this dress he ,

walke in public unattended by guards or any one else ; and

,

th ey bp t watch at the gates that no Scythian might see him ,

w e a ri g this dress and in oth er respects he adopted the Grecian

m o d e ) f livin g and performed sacrifices to the gods a cco rdmg
,

to t h e i t e s of the Grecians When h e had stayed a month or

'

more ne used to depart ,

h e u s i f requently to do ;
79
—8 1 ] C U ST OM S OF T HE S C Y T H IA N S

He h ad in th e city o f the B o ry s t h e n i t ae a large

cent mansion o f which I have j ust now made me
,

it were placed sphinxes and g ri ffi n s of white

the god hurled a bolt and it w a s entirely bur ,

las nevertheless accomplished his initiation

, , .

ians reproached the Grecians on account o f

monies for they say it is not reasonabl e
,

god as this who drives men to madness

, .

been initiated in the B acchic mysteries ,

t h en i t ae carried the in f ormation to the

“You Scythians laugh at us because w
,

rites and the god takes possession of us ; n o w t h

,

has taken possession o f your king and h e c e l e b r ,

of Bacchus and is maddened by the god B u

, .

”
believe me follow and I will show you
, ,
The .

the Scythians followed hi

ing them in placed them s ,

went past with a t h y a s u s ,

the bacchanal they regarded it ,

having returned they a c q u a i n t e ,

had seen A fter this when Scy

.
,

the Scythians having set up h ,

of the daughter
being in f ormed
the reason for which it was done fled t ,

sades being informed of this marched

, ,

when he arrived on the I ster the Thracia ,

him As they were about to engage S i t a l c e s

“
.
,

sades saying as follows :

, Why need we
strength ? Y ou are the son of my sister an ,

my brother Do you restore him to me and

.
,

Sc y l as to you and so neither you nor I shall

,
”
to peril S i t a l c es sent this message to him
.

got his brother in his power drew o ,

sades beheaded S c yl a s on the same

maintain their own customs and i m ,

those who introduce foreign usages

2 38 H E R O D O T U S— B OO K I V, ME LP O ME N E [ 8 1 —84

real Scythians thus much however they exposed to my sight , , .

There is a spot b etween the river B o ry s t h en es and the Hypanis ,

called E x a m p aeu s which I mentioned a little before saying

, ,

that there w a s in it a fountain of bitter water from which ,

the water flowing made the Hypanis unfit to be drunk I n .

this spot lies a brass caldron i n size six times as large as ,

th e bowl at the mouth of the Pontus which Pausanias son , ,

of Cl e o m b ro t u s dedicated For the benefit of any one who

, .

has never seen this I will here describ e it : The brass caldron
,

among the S cythians easily contains six hundred amphorae ;

and this Scythian vessel is six fingers in thickness Now .
,

the inhabitants say it w a s made from the points o f arrows ,

for that their king whose name w a s A r i a n t a s wishing to

, ,

know the population of the Scythians commanded all the ,

S cythians to bring him each severally one point of an arrow ,

and he threatened death on whomsoever should fail to bring

it Accordingly a vast number of arrow points were brought
.
, ,

and he resolved to leave a monument made f rom the m ; he

therefore made this brass bowl and dedicated it at E x a m p aeu s , .

This I heard concerning the population of the Scythians .

Th eir country has nothing wonderful except the rivers which , ,

are very large and very many in number ; but what it a ff ords
also worthy o f admiration besides the rivers and the exten t ,

o f the plains shall be mentioned : they show the print o f the

,

f oot of Hercul es upon a rock ; it resembl es the f ootstep o f

a man is two cubits in length near the river Tyras Such
, ,
.
,

then is this ; but I will now return to the subj ect I at first
,

s et out to relate .

While Darius was making preparations against the Scy t h

ians and sending messengers to command some to contribute
,

land forces and others a fleet and others to bridge over the
, ,

Thracian B osphorus A rt a b a n u s the son of H y s t a s p e s and

, , ,

b rother of Darius entreated him on no account to make an

,

expedition against the Scythians representing the poverty o f ,

Scythia ; but when he found that although he gave him good

counsel he could not persuade him he desisted : Darius there , ,

fore when everything was prepared marched his army from

, ,

Susa At that tim e CE O b a z u s a Persian who had three sons

.
, ,

all serving in the army b esought Darius that one might be ,

left at home for him The king answered him as a friend .

, ,

and one w h o made a moderate request that he woul d leave ,

him all his sons ; he therefore w a s exceedingly delighted hop ,

ing that his sons would b e discharged from the army B ut .

Darius commanded the p roper o fficers to put all the sons o f

( E o b az u s to death and they being slain were left on the spot
, , ,
.
2 40 H E R O D O T U S— B O O K IV , ME LPO M E N E 8
[ 7 92
-

tium covered with Assyrian letters The spot o f the B os

, .

p h o r u s which King Darius caused the bridge to be laid over

w a s as I conj ecture midway between Byzantium and the
, ,

temple at the mouth Darius after this being pleased with .

,

the bridge presented its architect M a n d ro c l e s the Samian

, , ,

with ten of everything ; from these then M a n d ro cl e s having , , ,

painted a picture o f the whole j unction of the B osphorus with ,

King Darius seated on a throne and his army crossing over , ,

having painted this h e dedicated it as first fruits in the Temple

,

of Juno with this inscription : M a n d ro c l e s having thrown a

, ,

bridge across the fishy B osphorus dedicated to J u no a me ,

morial of the raft ; laying up f or himself a crown and for ,

the Samians glory having completed it to the satisfaction of,

King Darius This then was the memorial o f the man who
.
, ,

constructed th e bridge .

Darius having rewarded M a n d ro cl e s crossed over into

, ,

Europe having commanded the I onians to sail by the Pontus

,

as far as the river I ster and when they should have reached
the I ster to throw a bridge over the river and there wait his
,

arrival : for the I onians E olians and H e l l e s p o n t i n e s con , ,

ducted the naval armament The fleet accordingly having .

,

sail ed through the Cyanean I slands stood direct for the I ster ; ,

and having sailed up the river a two days voyage from the
“
’

s ea they j oined the neck o f the river with a bridge at the

, ,

point where the several mouths of the I ster are separated .

B ut Darius when he had passed over the B osphorus by the

,

b ridge of boats marched through Thrace and having ar

, , ,

rived a t th e sources of the river T ea ru s encamped there three ,

days The T e a ru s is said by the inhabitants of the country

.

to be the b est of all rivers both for its other heal ing qualities ,

and especially f or curing the itch in men and horses I t s .

springs are thirty eight flowing from the same rock and some
-

, ,

of them are cold others hot The distance to them is the same
, .

from H e raeop ol i s near Perinthus and f ro m Apollonia on the

, ,
’
Euxine Sea each a two days j ourney This T earu s empties
, .

itself into th e river C o n t a d e s d u s the Co n t a d e s d u s into the ,

A g ri a n e s the A g ri a n e s into the H e b r u s and this last into the

, ,

s ea near the city of ZE n u s Darius then having reached this .

, ,

river when he had encamp ed was so delighted with the river

, ,

that he erected a pillar here also with the following i n s c ri p

“
tion : The springs of the T ea ru s yield the best and finest
,

water of all rivers ; and a man the best and finest of all men , ,

cam e to them leading an army against the Scythians Darius

, , ,

son of H y s t a s p e s King of the Persians and of the whole con

, ,

t i n en t Darius having set o u t f rom thence came to another

.
, ,
 —9 5 ] Z A LM O X I S 24 1
9 2

river the name o f which is Art i s c u s which flows through the

, ,

O d ry s ae ; when he arrived at this river h e di d as f ollows

'

Having marked out a certain spot of ground to th e army he ,

commanded every man as he passed by to place a stone on

this spot that w a s marked out ; and when the army had exe
c u t e d his order having le ft vast heaps of stones there he
, ,

continued his march .

B ut before he reached the I ster he subdued the Get ae first ,

who think themselves immortal ; for the Thracians w h o o c

c u p y Salmydessus and thos e who dwell above the cities o f
,

Apollonia an d M es a m b ri a who are called S c y rm i a d ae an d ,

N yp s aei surrendered themselves to Darius without resistance ;

,

but the Get ae having recourse to obstinate resistance were

, ,

soon reduced to slavery though they are the most valiant ,

and the most j ust o f the Thracians They think themselves .

immortal in th is manner They imagine that they themselves .

do not die but that the deceased goes to the deity Z a l m o x i s

, ,

and some of them think that he is th e same with Geb e l e i z i s .

Every fi fth year they despatch one of themselves taken by lot , ,

to Z a l m o x i s with orders to let him know on each occasion

,

what they want Their mode o f sending him is this : Some o f

.

them who are appointed hol d three j avel ins ; while others ,

having taken up the man who is to be s ent to Z al m ox i s by

the hands and f eet swing him round and throw him into the
, ,

air upon the points If h e shoul d die being transfixed they

, .
, ,

think the god is propitious to them ; if h e should not die they ,

blame the messenger himsel f saying that he is a bad man ; ,

and having blamed him they despatch another and they give , ,

him his instructions while he is yet alive These same Thra .

c i an s in time o f thunder and l ightning let fly their arrows

, ,

toward heaven and th reaten the god thinking that there is

, ,

no other god b ut their own B ut as I am in f ormed by the .

,

Greeks w h o dwell about the Hellespont and the Pontus this ,

Z al m o x i s w a s a man and lived in slavery at Samos he was

,

slave to Pythagoras son o f M n es a rc h u s ; and after that hav

, ,

ing procured his liberty he acquired great riches and having , ,

acquired them h e returned to his own country ; but finding

,

the Thracians lived wretchedly and in a very uncivilized man

ner this Z a l m o x i s being acquainted with the I onian way o f
, ,

living and with manners more polite than those of Thrace

, ,

in that he had b een familiar with Greeks and with Pythagoras , ,

w h o was not the meanest sage in Greece had a hall built in , ,

which receiving and entertaining the principal persons o f th e

country he taught them that neither he nor any of his guests
, ,

nor their posterity f orever would die but wo u ld go into a , ,

24 2 HER D TU
O O S — B OO K IV , ME LP O ME N E [9 5 a

place w h ere they shoul d live eternally and have every kind of ,

blessing While he did and said as above described he in

.
, ,

the meantime had a subterranean habitation made and when

, ,

the buil ding was completed he disappeared from among the ,

Thracians ; an d having gone down to the subterranean hab

i t a t i o n he abode there three years
, B ut th ey both regretted .

him and lamented him as d ead ; but in th e fourth year he a p

,

p e a r e d to the Thracians : and thus what Z al m o x i s said became

credible to them Thus they say that he acted For my own
.
.

part I neither disbelieve nor entirely b elieve the account of

,

this person and the subterranean habitation ; but I am o f

opinion that this Z a l m o x i s lived many years before Py t h a g
oras Y et whether Z a l m o x i s were a man or a native deity
.

among the Get ae I take my leave o f him These people then

, .
, ,

w h o observe such a custom when they were subdued by the ,

Persians f ollowed the rest of the army

, .

When Darius and his land forces with him reached the
I ster all crossed over the river and Darius commanded the
, ,

I onians to loose the bridge and f ollow him on the continent,

with the forces f rom the ships B ut as they were about to .

loose the bridge and execute his orders Coes son o f E rx an , ,

drus general o f the M i t y l en i a n s spoke as f ollows to Darius

, , ,

having fi rst inquired whether it would b e agreeable to him to

hear an opinion f rom one w h o wished to give it : O king ,

since you are about to i nvade a country in which no cultivated

land will b e seen nor any inhabited city do you let this bridge
, ,

remain where it is leaving these men who constructed it as

,

its guard ; and if having met with the Scythians w e succeed

, ,

according to our wishes w e have a way to return ; but if we

,

shoul d not b e able to meet with them we shall at least have ,

a secure retreat For I am not at all afraid that we shall be

.

conquered in battle by the Scythians but rather that being ,

unable to find them we may su ff er somewhat in our wander

,

ings Perhaps some one may think I say this for my own
.

sake that I may remain here ; but O king I advanced the

, , ,

opinion which I think is best f or you ; nevertheless I will ,

follow you myself and would by no means b e left behind

,
.

Darius was much pleased with the advice and answered him ,

as f ollows : Lesbian friend when I am sa f e back in my own ,

palace fail not to present yourself to me that I may requite

, ,
”
you for good advice with good deeds Having spoken thus .

and tied sixty knots in a thong and having summoned the ,

I onian commanders to his presence he addressed them as ,

f ollows : M en of I onia I have changed my f ormer resolu

,

tion c once rning the bridge ; therefore take this thong and do
2 44 HE RO DOT U S— B OO K IV , M E LP O M E N E [ 10 1 -
105

to the lake M aeo t i s ten more ; from th e sea to

B o ry s t h e n e s
the interior as far as the M el a n c h l aen i who inhabit above the
, ,

Scythians is a j ourney of twenty days The day s j ourney

, .
’

has been computed by me at two hun dred stades Thus the .

extent of Scythia crossways would be four thousand stades

and the direct route leading to the interior woul d b e the
same numb er o f stades Such is the extent of this country . .

The Scythians considering with themselves that they were

,

not able alone to repel the army of Darius in a pitched battle ,

s ent messengers to the adj oining nations ; and the kings o f

those nations having met together consulted since so great
, , ,

an army was advancing against them The kings who met .

together were those of the Tauri the A g a t h y rs i the Neuri , , ,

the A n d ro p h a g i the M e l a n c h l aen i the Geloni the B udini

, , , ,

and the S a uro m a t ae O f these the Tauri observe the follow

.
,

ing customs : They sacrifi ce to the virgin all who su ff er S hip

wreck and any Greeks they meet with driven on their coasts
, ,

in th e following manner : having per formed the preparatory

ceremonies they strike the head with a club ; some say they
,

throw the body down from a precipice ( for their templ e is built
on a precipice) an d impal e the head ; b ut others agree with
,

respect to the head and say that the body is not thrown from
,

the precipice but buried in the earth The Tauri themselves

, .

say that this deity to whom they sacrifice is I phigenia d a u g h ,

ter of Agamemnon Enemies whom they subdue they treat .

as f ollows : Each having cut o ff a head carries it home with ,

him then having fixed it on a long pole he raises it far above

, ,

th e roof Of his house at all events above the chimney : they ,

say that these are suspended as guards over the whol e house
hol d This peopl e l ive by rapine and w a r The Ag at h y rs i are
. .

a most luxurious peopl e and wear a profusion of gold They ,

.

have promis cuous intercours e with women to the end that ,

they may be brethren one o f another and being all of one ,

f amily may not entertain hatred toward each other I n other

,
.

respects they approach the usages of the Thracians The .

Neuri observe Scythian customs O n e generation be f ore the .

expedition of Darius it happene d to them to be driven out

1

of their whole country by serpents ; f or their country p ro

d u c e d many s erpents and a much greater number came down
,

upon them from the deserts above ; until being hard pressed , ,

they abandoned their territory and settled among the B udini , .

These men seem to b e magicians for it is said of them by the ,

S cythians and the Greeks settled in Scythia that once every

year each N e u ri a n becomes a wolf for a few days and then is ,

restored again to the same state Though they a ffi rm this .

,
105 -
1 10 ] T H E B U D IN I 24 5

however they do not persuade me ; they a ffi rm it n ev e rt h e

,

less and support their assertion with an oath The Andro

,
.

phagi have the most savage customs of all men : they pay no
regard to j ustice nor make use of any established law They ,
.

are nomads and wear a dress like the Scythian ; they speak
,

a peculiar language ; and of these nations are the only peopl e

that eat human flesh The M el a n c hl aen i all wear black gar .

ments from which circumstance they take their name These

,
.

follow Scythian usages Th e B udini w h o are a great and .

,

populous nation paint th eir whole bodies with a deep blue ,

and red There is in their country a city b uilt o f wood : its

.

name is Gelonus ; each side o f the wall is thirty stades in

length it is lofty and made entirely o f wood Their houses
, ,
.

also and th ei r temples are o f wood : for they have there tem
ples of Grecian gods adorned after the Grecian manner with ,

images , altars and shrines o f wood Th ey celebrate the tri

,
.

e n n i a l f estivals of B acchus an d per f orm th e bacchanalian ,

ceremonies f or the Geloni were originally Grecians but being ,

expelled from the trading ports settl ed among the B udini : ,

and they use a language partly Scythian and partly Grecian .

The B udini however do not use the same language as the

, ,

Geloni nor the same mode o f living ; f or the B udini being

, ,

indigenous are nomads and are the only peopl e of these parts
, ,

who eat vermin ; whereas the Geloni are tillers of the soil ,

f eed upon corn cultivate gardens and are not at all like the
, ,

Budini in form or complexion B y the Greeks however the .

, ,

B udini are called Geloni though erroneo usly so call ed Their , .

country is thickly covered with trees o f all kinds ; and in the

thickest wood is a spacious and large lake and a morass and ,

reeds around it : in this otters are taken and b eavers and , ,

other square faced animals ; their skins are sewed as borders

-

to cloaks an d their testicles are use f ul f or the cure o f diseases

,

o f the womb .

Concerning th e S a u ro m at ae th e f ollowing account is given

When the Grecians had f ought with th e Amazons ( th e S cyth
ians called the Amazons A i o rp at a and this name in the Gre ,
”
eian language means manslayers f or they call a man A i o r , ,

and pata to kill ) the story goes that th e Greeks having , , ,

been victorious in the battl e at the T h e rm o d o n sailed away , ,

taking with them in three sh ips as many Amazons as they h ad

been able to take alive ; but th e Amazons attacking them out at
sea cut th e men to pieces However as they had no knowl
, .
,

edge o f navi gation nor any skill in the us e o f the rudder sails , , ,

or oars when they had cut the men to pieces they were car
, ,

ried by the waves and wind and arr i v ed at Cremn i on the , .

2 46 H E R O D O T U S —B OO K IV , M E LP O M E N E [ 1 10 —1 1 4

lake M aeo t i s but C re m n i belongs to the territory of the fre e

,

Scythians Here the Amazons landing from the vessels

.
, ,

marched to the inhabited parts and seized the first herd of

horses they happened to fall in with and mounting on them , ,

plundered the lands of the Scythians The Scythians knew .

n o t what to make of the matter ; for they were not acquainted

either with their language dress or nation but wondered , , ,

whence they had come They conj ectured that they were .

men of the same stature they therefore gave them battle ; ,

but after the battl e the Scythians got possession of the dead ,

and so discovered that they were women O n deliberation .

,

therefore they resolved on no account to kill them any more

, ,

but to send out to them the youngest of their o w n party ,

guessing a number equal to th eirs these were to encamp near

them and do the same as they did ; shoul d the Amazons pur
,

sue them they were not to fight but fly ; and when they halted
,

were to come and encamp near them The Scythians resolved .

on this out of a desire to have chil dren by these women The .

young men being despatched did as they were ordered :

, ,

when the Amazons found that they had not come to hurt
them they let them alone ; and they drew one camp nearer
,

to the other every day The youths as well as the Amazons .

, ,

had nothing except their arms and horses but obtained their ,

subsistence in the same w a y that the Amazons did by hunt ,

ing an d pillage The Amazons about midday were wont to

.

do as follows : They separated themselves into parties o f one

and t w o at a dista nce from each other being dispersed for
, ,

the purpose of e a s 1n g themselves The Scythians observing .

this did the same ; and one of them drew near one o f the
,

Amazons w h o was alone ; and she did not repel him but suf ,

f e re d him to enj oy her person She could not speak to him . ,

becaus e they did not un derstand each other but she made ,

signs to him by her hand to come the next day to the same
place and to bring anoth er with him signifying that they
, ,

should be two and sh e would bring another with her When

,
.

the youth departed he related this to the rest and on the next
, ,

day he himself went to the place and took another with him , ,

and found th e Amazon with a companion waiting f or him .

The rest o f the youths when they heard this conciliated the , ,

rest of the Amazons Afterward having j oined their camps

.
, ,

th ey lived together each having for his wife the person he

,

first attached himsel f to The men were not abl e to learn .

the language o f the women but th e women soon attained ,

that of the men When th erefore they understood one a n

.
, ,

other t h e men spoke to t h e Amazons as f ollows : We have

,
24 8 O —
H E R D OT U S B O O K IV . M E LP O M E N E [ 1 18 -
1 20

count sit aloo f and su ff er us to be destroyed but wit h one

, , ,

accord let us oppose the invader I f you will not do this we .

, ,

being pressed shall either abandon th e country or if w e stay

, , ,

shall submit to terms ; for what woul d be our condition if

you refuse to assist us ? Nor will it fall more lightly on you
on that account ; for the Persian is advancing not more against
us than against you ; nor will he be content to sub due us and
abstain from you : and we will give you a strong proof of
what we say for if the Persian had undertaken this expedition
,

against us only wishing to revenge his former subj ection

, ,

he woul d have abstained from all others and have marched ,

directly against our territories and woul d have made it clear ,

to all that he was marching against the Scythians and not ,

against others B ut now as soon as he crossed over to this

.
,

continent he subdued all that lay in his way ; and holds in

,

subj ection the rest of th e Thracians and more particularly ,

”
our neighbours the Getae When the Scythians had made .

this representation the kings w h o had come from the several

,

nations consulted together an d their opinions were divided , .

The Ge l o n i a n B u d i n i a n and Sauromatian agreeing together

, , , ,

romised to assist th e Scythians but the A t h i Neuri

’

; g a rs a n
p y ,

an An d ro p h a g i a n and the M e l a n c hl aen i an and Taurian princes

, ,

gave this answer to the Scythians : If you w h o make the ,

request that you now do had not been the first to inj ure the ,

Persians and b egin war you would have appeared to us to

, ,

speak rightly and we yielding to your wishes would have

, , ,

acted in concert with you B ut in f act you having invaded .

, ,

t h eir territory without us had the mastery o f the Persians ,

as long as th e god allowed you ; and they when the same god ,

instigates them repay you like for l ike We however neither

,
.
, ,

on that occasion inj ured these men at all nor will we now ,

b e the first to attempt to inj ure them Nevertheless shoul d .

,

h e invade our territory also and become the aggressor we , ,

will not submit to it B ut until w e see that we will remain.

quiet at home ; for we think that the Persians are not com
ing against us but against those w h o were the authors o f
,
”
wrong .

When the Scythians heard th is answer bro u ght bac k they

determined to fight no battle in the open field because these ,

all ies did not come to their assistance ; but to retreat and draw
o ff covertly and fill up the wells they passed by and the
, ,

springs and destroy the herbage of the ground having di

, ,

v i d e d their forces into two bodies and they resolved that to ,

one of the divisions which S c o p a s i s commanded the Sauro

, ,

mat ae should attach themselves and that they shoul d retire , ,

1 20 -
1 23 ] I N VA S IO N O F S C Y T H IA 24 9

if the Persian shoul d take that course retreating direct to the ,

river T a n a i s along the lake M aeo t i s ; and when the Persian

,

marched back they were to follow him and harass his rear ,
.

This w a s one division of the kingdom appointed to pursue

its march in th e way that has been described The two other .

divisions of the kingdom the greater one which I n d a t h y rs u s , ,

commanded and the third which T a x a c i s ruled over were

, , ,

directed to act in conj unction and with the addition o f the , ,

’
Geloni and B udini to keep a day s march before the Persians , ,

and gradually retreat retiring slowly and doing as had been , ,

determined : and first of all they were to withdraw direct

toward the territories of those w h o had renounced their alli
ance in order that they might bring the w a r upon them ; so
,

that though they woul d not will ingly take part in the w a r
,

against the Persians they might b e compelled to engage in ,

it against their will ; afterward they were to return to their

own country and attack the enemy i f on consultation it , , , ,

should s eem advisable The S cythians having come to this .

,

determination went out to meet Darius s army having sent ,

’

forward the best of their cavalry as an advanced guard ; but

the wagons in which all their chil dren and wives lived and
, ,

all the cattle except so many as were necessary f or their sub

,

—
sistence whic h they left behind the rest they sent f orward
,

with the wagons ordering them to march continually toward ,

the north These therefore were carried to a distance

.
, , .

When the advance guard of the Scythians f ell in with the

’
Persians about three days march from the I ster they hav
, , ,
’
ing f allen in with them kept a day s march in advance and , ,

encamped and destroyed all t h e p ro d u c e of th e ground but

,
‘

the Persians when they saw the Scythian cavalry b e f ore them
, ,

followed their track while they continually retired ; and then , ,

for they directed their march after one o f the divisions the ,

Persians pursued toward the east and the T an a i s ; and when

they had crossed the river T a n a i s the Persians also crossed ,

over and pursued them until having passed through the coun , ,

try o f th e S a u ro m a t ae th ey reached that o f the B udini As , .

long as the Persians were marching through the Scythian and

Sauromatian regions they had nothing to ravage as th e , ,

country w a s all barren ; but when they entered the territory

of the B udini there meeting with the wooden town the B udini
, ,

having abandoned it and the town being emptied of every ,

thing they set i t on fire Having done this they continued

, .
,

to follow in th e track of th e enemy until having traversed , ,

this region they reached the desert : this desert is destitute o f

,

inhabitants and is situated above the territory of the B udini

,
,
2 50 H E R O D O T U S— B O O K IV , ME LP O ME N E [ 1 23 -
1 26

’
and is a seven days march in extent B eyond the desert the .

T h y s s a g e t ae dwell ; and four large rivers flowing from them ,

through the M aeo t i a n s discharge themselves into the lake ,

called M aeo t i s ; their names are these : Lycus O a r u s T a n ai s , , ,

and S y rg i s When Darius came to the desert having ceased

.
,

his pursuit he encamped his army on the river O aru s And

, .

having done this he built eight large forts equally distant

, ,

from each other about sixty stades apart the ruins o f which
, ,

remain to this day While he was employed about these the

.
,

S cythians who were pursued having made a circuit of the ,

upper parts returned into Scythia : these having entirely v a n

,

i s h e d when they coul d no longer b e s een Darius le f t the forts

, ,

half finished and himself wheeling round marched westward

, , ,

supposing them to b e all the Scythians and that they had ,

fled to the west .

Advancing with his army as quickly as possible when he ,

reached Scythia he fell in with the t w o S cythian divisions

, ,

and having fallen in with them he pursued them but they , ,

’
kept a day s march b efore him The Scythians for Darius .
,

did not relax his pursuit fled as had been determined toward , , ,

those nations that had refused to assist them and first they ,

entered the territories of the M el a n c h l aen i ; and when the

S cythians and the Persians entering into their country had , ,

put all things into confusion the Scythians led the way into ,

the country of the A n d ro p h a g i ; and when they had been

thrown into confusion they retreated to N e u ri s ; and when ,

they were thrown into confusion the Scythians advanced in ,

their flight toward th e A g a t h y rs i B ut the A g a t h y rs i seeing .

,

their neighbours flying before the Scythians and thrown into ,

con f usion before th e S cythians entered despatched a herald , ,

and forbade th e S cythians to cross their borders warning ,

them that if they shoul d attempt to f orce their way they must
first fight with them The A g a t h y rs i having sent this mes
.
‘

sage beforehand advanced to protect their f rontiers deter

, ,

mined to repel the invaders Whereas the M e l a n c h l aen i An .

,

d ro p h a g i and Neuri when the Persians and Scythians to

, ,

gether invaded them o ff ered no resistance but forgetting , ,

their former menaces fl ed continually in great confusion north

,

ward toward the desert The Scythians no longer advanced

,
.

toward the A g at h y rs i when they warned them not to do so , ,

but departing from the N e u ri a n territory they led the Per ,

sians into their o w n .

When this had continued for a considerabl e time and did ,

not cease Darius sent a horseman to I n d at h y r s u s King of the

, ,

Scythians wit h t h e f ollowin g message : Most miserable o f

,
25 2 H E R O D O T U S— B O O K IV , ME LP O ME N E [ 1 29 -
1 33

ri t o rya single ass or mule by reason o f cold The asses then , .

, ,

growing wanton put the S cythian horse into confusion ; and

,

frequently as they were advancing upon the Persians when

, ,

the horses heard midway the braying of the asses they

, , ,

wheeled ro und in confusion and were greatly amazed prick , ,

ing up their c a rs as having never before heard such a sound

, ,

nor s een such a shape ; now this circumstance in some slight

degree a ff ected the fortune of the war .

The Scy thians when they saw the Persians in great com
’

motion in order that they might remain longer in Scythia

, ,

and by remaining might b e harassed through want of all things

necessary adopted the following expedient : When they had
,

l eft some of their own cattle in the care of the h erdsmen they ,

themselves withdrew to another spot ; and the Persians com

ing up took the cattl e and having taken them exulted in
, , , ,

what they had done When this had happened several times
.
,

at last Darius was in a great strait and the kings of the Scyth ,

ians having ascertained this sent a herald bearing as gi fts

, , ,

to Darius a bird a mouse a frog and five arrows The Per

, , , .

s ians asked the b earer o f the gifts the meaning of this present ;
but he answered that he had no other orders than to deliver
them and return immediately ; and h e advised the Persians ,

i f they were wise to discover what the gifts meant The Per
, .

’
sians having heard this consulted together Darius s opin
, ,
.

i o n was that the Scythians meant to give themselves up to

him as well as earth an d water f orming his conj ecture thus :
, ,

since a mouse is bred in the eart h and subsists on the same ,

food as a man ; a frog lives in the water ; a bird is very like

a horse ; and the arrows they deliver up as their whole strength '
.

This was the opinion given by Darius B ut the opinion o f .

Go b ry a s one of the seven who had deposed the magus did

, ,

not coincide with this ; he conj ectured that the presents i n

timated : U nl ess O Persians ye become birds and fly into
, ,

the air or become mice and hide yourselves beneath the earth
, ,

or b ecome frogs and leap into the lakes ye shall never return ,
”
home again but be stricken by these arrows
,
And thus the .

other Persians interpreted the gifts .

I n the meantime that division o f the Scythians that h a d

b een b e f ore appointed to keep guard about the lake M aeot i s ,

and then to con f er with the I onians at the I ster when they ,

arrived at the bridge spoke as f ollows : M en of I onia we

, ,

are come bringing freedom to you i f only you will listen to :

us We have heard that Darius commanded you to guard

.

the bridge sixty days only and if he did not come up within ,

that time then to return into your own country Now there .
,
1 33
-
1 36 ] R E T RE AT OF D A R IU S 253

f ore if you do this you will be free f rom all blame as regards
, ,

him and as regards us ; when you hav e waited the appointed

”
number o f days after that depart O n the I onians promising
,
.

to do so the Scythians hastened back with all expedition

,
.

The rest o f the Scythians after they had sent the presents ,

to Darius drew themselves opposite the Persians with their

,

foot and horse as if they intended to come to an engagement ;

,

and as the Scythians were standing in their ranks a hare ,

started in the midst o f them and each of them as they saw , ,

the hare went in pursuit o f it The Scythians being in great

,
.

con f usion and shouting loudly Darius asked the meaning

, ,
’
o f the uproar in the enemy s ranks ; but when he heard that
they were pursuing a hare he said to those he w a s accus ,

t o m e d to address on such occasions : These men treat us

with great contempt ; and I am convinced that Go b ry a s spok e
rightly concerning the Scythian presents Since then I am .
, ,

of opinion that the case is so we have need of th e best advice , ,

”
how our return home may be e f fected in sa f ety To this
“
.

Go b ry a s answered : O king I w a s in some measure a c ,

q u a i n t e d by report with the indigence o f these men ; but I

have learned much more since I came hither and seen how ,

they make sport of us M y opinion therefore is that as soon.

, ,

as night draws on we should light fires as w e are accustomed ,

to do and having deceived those soldiers w h o are least able

,

to bear hardships and having tethered all th e asses shoul d

, ,

depart before the S cythians direct their march to th e I ster ,

for the purpose o f destroying the b ridge or the I onians take ,

a n y resolution which may occasion our ruin Such was the .

advice of Go b ry a s A fterward night came on and Darius

.
,

acted on this opinion : the infirm among the sol diers and ,

those whos e l oss would be of the least consequence and all ,

the asses tethered h e left on the spot in the camp And he

, .

left the asses and th e sick o f his army for the f ollowing reason :
that the asses might mak e a noise ; and the men were left on
this pretext namely that he with the strength of his army
, ,

w as about to attack the S cythians and they during that time , , ,

w ould defend the camp Darius having laid these inj unctions .
,

on those he was preparing to abandon and having caused ,

the fires to b e lighted marched away with all speed toward ,

the I ster The asses being deserted by th e multitu de began

.
, ,

to bray much louder than usual ; so that t h e S cythians hear ,

ing the asses firmly believed that the Persians were still at
,

their station When day appeared the men that were aban
.
,

d o n e d discovering that they had been betrayed by Darius

, ,

extended their hands to the Scythians and told them what ,

2 54 H E R O D O T U S— B O O K IV , M E LP O M E N E [ 1 36 -
1 39

had occurred ; when they heard this the two divisions of the ,

Scythians and the singl e one the S a u ro m a t ae B udini and

, , , ,

Geloni having j oined their forces together as quickly as pos

,

sible pursued the Persians straight toward the I ster B ut as

, .

a great part of the Persian army consisted of infantry and ,

they did not know the way th ere being no roads cut and as , ,

the Scythian army consisted of cavalry and knew the short ,

est route they missed each other and the Scythians arrived
, ,

at the bridge much before the Persians And having learned .

that the Persians were not yet arrived they spoke to the I oni ,

ans who were o n board the ships in these terms : M en of

I onia the numb er o f days appointed for your stay is already
,

passed and you do not as you ought in continuing here ;

,

but if you remained before through fear now break up th e ,

passage and depart as quickly as poss ibl e rej oicing that you ,

are f ree and give thanks to the gods and the Scythians As
,
.

for the man w h o before was your master we will so deal with ,
”
him that he shall never hereafter make war on any people .

U pon t his the I onians held a consultation The opinion .

o f Miltiades th e Athenian w h o commanded and reigned over ,

the C h e rs o n e s i t e s on the Hellespont w a s that they shoul d ,

comply with the request o f the S cythians and restore liberty ,

to I onia B ut H i s t i aeu s the Milesian w a s of a contrary opin

.

ion and said that every one reigned over his own city through
,
’
Darius ; an d if Darius s power should b e destroyed neither ,

woul d h e himself continue master of M iletus nor any o f the ,

rest of other places ; because every one o f the cities would

choose to be governed rather by a democracy than a tyranny .

H i s t i aeu s had no sooner delivered this opinion than all went

over to his side w h o had before assented to that of Miltiades .

These were they w h o gave their votes and were in high esti
mation with Darius ; the tyrants of the H el l e s p o n t i n e s Daph ,

nis of Abydos H i p p o c l es o f Lampsacus H e ro p h a n t u s of

, ,

Parium M et ro d o ru s o f P ro c o n n es u s A r i s t a g o ra s o f C y z i c u m
, , ,

and Ariston of B yzantium ; these were from the Hell esp ont .

From I onia S t ra t t i s of Chios E a c e s o f Samos Laodamas of

, , ,

Phoc aea , and H i s t i aeu s of M iletus whose opinion was opposed ,

to that of M iltiades O f the ZE o li a n S the only person of con

.

sideration present was A ri s t a g o ra s of Cyme .

When th ese men had approved the opinion of H i s t i aeu s ,

they determined to add to it the following acts and words :

To break up the bridge on th e Scythian side as far as a bow
shot might reach that they might seem to do something when
, ,

i n eff ec t th ey did nothing ; and that the S cythians might not

'

attempt to use viol ence and purpose to cross the I ster by the
2 56 H E R O D O T U S— B O O K IV , M E LP O ME N E [ 1 43
-
1 46

soon as h e opened the first his brother Art ab an u s as k ed him , ,

O f what thing he woul d wish to possess a number equal to

the grains in the pomegranate Darius said that he would .

rather have as many M e g ab y z u s e s than Greece subj ect to him .

B y saying this he honoured him in the presence of the Per

sians and now he left him as general with eighty thousand
, ,

men of his own army This M e g a b y z u s by making the follow

.

ing remark left an everlasting memorial of himself among

the H el l e s p o n t i n es ; for when he was at Byzantium he w a s
informed that the Chalcedonians had settled in that country
seventeen years before the Byzantines ; but when he heard it
he said that the Chalcedonians must have been blind at that
time for if they had not been blind they woul d never have
,

chosen so bad a situation when they might have had so beau ,

tiful a spot to settle in This M e g a b y z u s then being left as

.
, ,

general in the country of the H el l e s p o n t i n e s subdued those ,

nations w h o were not in the interest of the M edes He a c .

c o r d i n g l y di d this .

About the same time another great expeditio n was under

taken against Libya o n what pretext I will relate when I
,
'

have first given the following account by w a y of pre face : The

descendants o f the Argonauts being expelled from Lemnos ,

b y t h e Pelasgians w h o carried o ff the Athenian women f rom

_

B ra u ro n set sail for Laced aemon and seating themselves on

, ,

Mount T a y g e t u s lighted fires The Laced aemonians having

, .
,

seen this despatched a messenger to demand who and whence

,

they were They said to the messenger who questioned them

.

that they were M iny ae descendants of those heroes who sailed

,

in the Argo and that they having touched at Lemnos begot

, , ,

them The Laced aemonians having heard this account o f the

. ,

extraction of the M iny ae sent a second time to inquire with ,

what design they had come to their territory and lighted fires ;
they said that b eing ej ected by the Pelasgians they had come
, ,

to their f athers f or that it was most proper for them so to do ;

,

and th ey requested leave to dwell with them participating in ,

their honours and b eing allotted a portion o f land The

,
.

Laced aemonians determined to receive th e M iny ae on the terms

they themselves proposed ; and the sailing of the Tyndarid ae
in the Argo especially induced them to do this : having there ,

fore received the M iny ae they assigned them a portion of

, ,

land and distributed them among their tribes and they i m

, ,

mediately contracted marriages an d gave to others the wives ,

they brought from Lemnos B ut when no long time had .

elapsed the M iny ae became insolent and demanded a share : ,

in the sovereignty and committed other crimes The Lace

,
.
1 46-
1 48 ] O R IG I N O F THE T H E R /E A N S
57

d ae m o n i a n sthere f ore determined to put them to deat h an d ,

having seized them they threw them into prison Now those ,
.

whom they kill the Laced aemonians kill by night but no one ,

by day When therefore they were about to put them to

.
, ,

death the wives of the M iny m w h o were citizens and d a u g h

, , ,

ters to the principal Spartans begged permission to enter the ,

prison and confer each with her husband

,
The La c e d ae .

m o n i a n s gave them p ermission not suspecting any f raud on ,

their part but they when th ey entered did as f ollows : hav

, , ,

ing given all the clothes they had on to their husbands them ,

selves took their husbands clothes U pon which the M iny ae ’

.
, ,
’
having put on the women s dress passed out as women and , ,

having thus escaped again seated themselves on M ount Tay ,

g et u s .

At the same time Theras son o f Au s t es i o n son to Tisa , ,

menus son of Thersander son of Polynices set out f rom Lace

, , ,

d aemon on a colonizing expedition This Theras w a s by birt h .

’
a Ca d m aea n brother to the moth er o f Aristodemus s sons
, ,

Eurysthenes an d P ro c l e s ; an d whil e these youths were yet i n

f a n t s Theras had the kingdom o f Sparta under his guardian
ship B ut when the youths were grown up and assumed the
.

government Theras not brooking to b e ruled by others after

, ,

he had tasted the pleasures of power declared that he woul d ,

not remain at Laced aemon b ut woul d sail away to his own ,

kindred I n the island now called Thera the same that was
.
,

formerly Callista l ived the descendants o f M e m b l i a re s the son

, ,

o f Paec i l e s a Ph oenician For Cadmus son o f Agenor when

, .
, ,

in quest of Europa touched at the islan d now called Thera ,

and whether when he touched at it the country pl eased him ,

or whether for some other reason h e chose t o do so he le ft in ,

this island both others of the Phoenicians and moreover his , , ,

o w n kinsman M e m b l i a res these men occupied the island then

, ,

called Callista during eight generations b efore Theras came

, ,

from Laced aemon To these people th en Theras went hav .

, , ,

ing with a multitude drawn out o f the tribes set out pur
, , ,

posing to dwell with them an d on no account to drive them ,

out but by all means to conciliate them B ut when the Miny ae

, .

w h o had escaped from the prison seated themselves on Moun t

Ta y g e t u s as the Laced aemonians determined to destroy them
, ,

Theras begged that they might not be put to death and prom ,

ised that h e woul d himself take them out o f the country .

The Laced aemonians acceding to his request h e s et sail wit h ,

three thirty oared galleys to the descendants of M e m b l i a re s

-

, ,

taking with him not all the Miny ae but some few o f them ; ,

for the greater numb er of them went over to P a ro re a t e s and

I 7
2 58 H E R O D O T U S—B O O K IV , ME LP O ME N E [ 1 48 -
1 51

Ca u c o n es ; and having driven them o u t f rom their country ,

distributed themselves into six divisions and then founded ,

the f ollowing cities there : L e p ri u m M a c i s t u s Ph ri x a s Pyr , , ,

gus E p i u m and N u d i u m ; most of these the Eleans have de

, ,

stroyed in my time The name of Thera was given to the .

island after the founder H is son refused to accompany him .

in his voyage therefore he said that he would leave him as a

,

sheep among wolves ; in consequence of this speech the name ,

of O i ol y c u s was given to this youth and this name chanced ,

to prevail To this O i o l y c u s was born ZE g e u s from whom

.
,

the ZE g i d ae a principal tribe in Sparta are named As the

, , .

children of the men of this trib e did not survive they erected ,

a temple in obedience to an oracle to the furies o f Laius a n d

, ,

( E d i p u s ; and after that the same thing happened in Thera

to those w h o were descended from these men .

To this part of the story the La c e d mm o n i a n s agree with

the Ther aeans ; but after this th e Ther aeans only say that what
follows took place : Gri n u s son of ZE s a n i u s w h o was a de , ,

s c e n d a n t o f this Theras and reigned over the island Thera , ,

came to D elphi bringing a hecatomb f rom the city ; and divers

,

o f the citizens attended him and among them Battus son to , ,

P o l y m n e s t u s w h o was of the f amily of Euphemus one o f the

, ,

M iny ae And as Gri n u s King o f the Theraeans was consult

.
, ,

ing the oracle concerning other a ff airs the Pythian admon ,

i s h e d him to build a city in Libya B ut he answered : I

’

.
,

O prince am n o w too ol d an d heavy to move myself ; there

,

fore command one of these young men to do this and as

he said these words he pointed to B attus At that time s o .

much passed B ut after their departure they paid no atten

.

tion to the oracle neither knowing in what part o f the world

,

Libya was nor daring to send out a colony on an uncertaint y

,
.

For s even years after this no rain fell in Thera ; during which
p eriod every tree in t h e island except one was withered up ; , ,

and when the Ther aeans cons u lted the oracl e the Pythian o b ,

j e c t e d to them the colonization o f Libya When they f ound .

no remedy for the evil they despatched messengers to Crete , ,

to inquire if any o f the Cretans or strangers settled among ,

them had ever gone to Libya These messengers wander

,
.
,

ing about the island arrived in the city of I t a n u s and here ,

—
they b ecame acquainted with a purple dyer whose name was ,

C o ro b i u s ; he said that being driven by the winds he had , ,

gone to Libya and to Platea an island of Libya : having per

, ,

s u a d e d this man by a promise of reward they took him to ,

Thera At first men sailed from Thera to explore not many

.
,

in number : and wh en C o ro b i u s had conducted them to this

2 60 H E RO DO T U S -
BOO K I V, M E LP O ME N E [ 1 54 -
1 56

him in anything he shoul d desire When he had bound him .

by oath he delivered his daughter to him and commanded him ,

to take her away and throw her into the sea B ut Themison
, .
,

grieved at the deceitfulness of the oath broke o ff the com ,

pact of friendship and did as follows : Having taken the dam

,

sel with him he set sail ; and when he was in the open sea for
, ,

the purpos e of absolving himself from the oath imposed by

E t e a r c h u s h e bound her round with ropes and l et her down
, ,

i nto the sea ; then having drawn her up again he departed ,

f or Thera . After that P o l y m n es t u s a man o f distinction ,

among the Ther aeans took Phronima f or his concubine and

, ,

a fter some time he had a son by her w h o had an impediment ,

in his speech and l isped to whom the name o f B attus w a s ,

given as both the Ther aeans and C y re n aea n s say ; but as I

, ,

am of opinion some other name and it w a s a fterward changed

,

to Battus when h e arrived in Libya deriving that name both ,

from the oracl e pronounced to him at D elphi and from the

rank to which he attained For t he Libyans call a king Battus .
,

and for this reason I think that the Pythian when delivering ,

the oracle addressed him in the Libyan tongue knowing that

, ,
’
h e would be a king in Libya For when he had reached man s .

estate he came to Delphi about his voice ; and to his i n

q u i r i es the Pythian gave the following answer : Battus you ,

are come about your voice ; King Ph oebus Apollo sends you
”
to found a colony in Libya abounding in sheep As i f she
“ , .

had said in the Grecian language O king you are come

about your voice ”
H e answered as follows : O king I“ , ,

,
.

came indeed to consult you about my voice but you give me ,

an answer as to other impossibl e things bidding me colonize ,

”
Libya : with what power ? with what force ? B y saying this
h e did not persuade the Pythian to give him any other an
swer ; and as she was repeating the same resp ons e as before ,

he in the meanwhil e le f t her an d returned to Thera Aft er .

this B attus himself and the other Ther aeans f ell anew into
troubles ; but the Ther aeans not knowing whence their mis ,

fortunes came sent to D elphi to inquire concerning their pres

,

ent suff erings The Pythian answered that it would fare better
.

with them when with B attus they had founded Cyrene in

Libya U pon this the Theraeans despatched B attus with two
.

fi ft y oared galleys
-
B ut these having sailed to Libya for they
.
,

had nothing else that they could do returned back to Thera ,

the Ther aeans however beat them o ff as they drew to s hore

, , ,

and woul d not su ff er them to approach the land but com ,

m a n d e d them to sail back again Thus compelled they sailed .

,
~

b ack again an d s ettled in an island that lies o ff Libya whos e

, ,
1 56
-
1 5 9] F O U N D IN G OF C Y RE N E 26 1

name as I before mentioned is Platea This island is said to

, , .

be equal in extent to the present city o f the C y re n aea n s .

Having inhabited t h I S island for t w o years as nothing ,

turned out prosperously for them they left one o f their com ,

pany behind and the rest set sail for D elphi ; and having come
,

to the oracle they consulted it saying that they had settled

, ,

in Libya and fared no better since they had settl ed there

“
.
,

But the Pythian gave them the f ollowing answer : I f you ,

w h o have never been there know Libya abounding in sheep , ,

better than I w h o have been there I very much admire your ,

”
wisdom When B attus and his companions heard this they
.
,

sailed b ack again ; f or the god did not rel ease them from
founding the colony until they had come to Libya itself Hav .

ing therefore arrived at th e island they took on board the

, , ,

man they had left there and settled in a place on Libya itself , ,

opposite th e island : its name was Aziris and most beautiful ,

hills inclose it on two sides and a river flows by it on the third , .

They inhabited this spot for six years but in the seventh the ,

Libyans having p romised to conduct them to a better place

, ,

persuaded them to l eave it B ut the Libyans having removed .

,

them conducted them f rom thence toward th e west ; an d in

,

order that th e Greeks might not see the most beautiful part
o f their country as they passed through they computed the ,

time of the day so as to lead them through it b y night : the ,

name o f this country is I rasa Having conducted them to a .

fountain accounted sacred to Apollo they said

, Grecians , , ,

here it is fitting f or you to dwell for here the heavens are ,

”
open Now during the li f e o f B attus the founder w h o
.
, ,

reigned f orty years an d o f his son Arces ilaus w h o reigned , ,

sixteen years the Cy r e n aea n s continued the same in number

,

as when they were first sent to settle the colony : but under
the third king Battus surnamed the Fortunate the Pythian , , ,

by an oracl e encouraged all Grecians to sail to Libya and

join the C y re n aea n s in colonizing it ; f or th e C y r e n aea n s i n
v i t e d them to a division of the country Th e words o f the .

oracle were these : H e w h o shall come too late to lovely

Libya when the land is divided shall hereafter one day re
, ,
”
pent .A great multitude having assembled a t Cyrene the ,

neighbouring Libyans and their king whose name was Adi ,

cran being curtailed of much of their land finding that they

, ,

w ef e deprived o f their territory and inj uriously treated b y the ,

Cy re n aea n s sent an embassy to Egypt and gave themselves up

, ,

to Ap ri e s King o f Egypt ; and h e having assembled a large

, ,

army of Egyptians sent it a ga inst Cyrene ; and the C y re n ae ,

ans having drawn out their forces to the district o f I rasa and
, ,
2 62
—
H E RO D O T U S BOO K IV , ME LP O ME N E —
[ 5 9 1 62
1

near the f ountain T h es t es came to an engagement with t h e

,

Egyptians and conquered them : for the Egyptians not h av

, ,

ing before made trial of the Greeks an d despising them were , ,

so thoroughly defeated that only a few of them returned to

Egypt I n consequence of this the Egyptians laying the blame
.
,

on A p ri e s revolted from him

, .

This Battus had a son Arcesilaus who having come to , , ,

th e throne first of all quarrelled with his own brothers so

, ,

that they left him and went to another part of Libya ; and
,

consulting among themselves they founded the city which ,

was then and is still called Barce ; and as they were building
it they persuaded the Libyans to revolt from the C y re n aean s
, .

B ut afterward Arcesilaus l ed an army against those Libyans

who had received them and against th e revolters themselves ;
,

but the Libyans through dread of him fled to the eastern

, ,

Libyans Arcesilaus pursued them in their flight until he

.
,

overtook them at Leucon in Libya and the Libyans resolved ,

to attack him ; and having come to an engagement they con ,

quered the Cy re n aea n s so completely that seven thousan d

h eavy armed of the Cy r en aea n s fell upon th e spot After this .

blow his brother Learchus strangled Arcesilaus who was sick ,

and under th e influence of some drug The wife of Arc e s i .

laus whose name was E ry x o p ut Learchus to death by strata

, ,

gem B attus the son of Arcesilaus a lame man and not per
.
, , ,

feet in his feet succeeded to th e kingdom The Cy re n aean s

, .
,

on account of the disaster that had befallen them sent to ,

Delphi to inquire of the D elphian oracle under what form o f

government they might live most happily ; the Pythian com
m a n d e d them to procure an arbitrator from Mantinea a city ,

o f the Arcadians The Cy r e n aea n s accordingly asked and the

.
,

Mantineans gave them a man highly esteemed among the ,

citizens whose name was D emonax This person there f ore

,
.
, ,

having arrived in Cyrene and become acquainted with the,

state o f a ff airs first o f all formed th em into three tribes di

, ,

v i d i n g them as follows : o f th e Ther aeans and their immediate

neighbours h e formed one division ; another o f Pe l o p on
,

n e s i a n s and Cr etans an d a third of all the i slanders : and in

the next place having reserved certain portions of land and
,

the o ffice of th e priesthood for King B attus he restored to ,

the people everything else that th e kings had before .

During the reign of this Battus matters continued in this

state ; but in the time of his son Arcesilaus great disorders
arose about the public o ffi ces For Arcesilaus son of the .
,

lame B attus and Ph e ret i m e declared he woul d not S ubmit to

,

the constitutions of D emonax but demanded back the pre ,

2 64 H E R O D O T U S—B O O K IV , M E LP O ME N E [ 1 64 1 68 —

some o f the exiles from Cyrene having discovered him in the ,

public place killed him and moreover his father i n law Al a z i r

, ,
- -
.

Thus Arcesilaus whether wilfully or otherwise disobeyi ng

, ,

the oracle accomplished his own destiny

, .

Whil e Arcesilaus was living at Barce working out his own ,

destruction his mother P h e r et i m e hel d the honours of her

,

son at Cyrene both exercising his other f unctions and taking

,

her seat in the council ; but when she heard that her son had
b een put to death at B arce she fled to Egypt ; for Arcesilaus
had performed some services for Cambys es son of Cyrus for , ,

it was this Arcesilaus w h o gave Cyrene to Cambyses and ,

imposed a tribute on himself P h e re t i m e having arrived in .

Egypt seated herself as a suppliant of A ry a n d e s entreating

, ,

him to avenge her alleging as a pretext that her son had died
,

in consequence of his attachment to the M edes A ry a n d es .

had been appointed governor of Egypt by Cambyses ; he in

succeeding time w a s put to death for attempting to make him
sel f equal with Darius For having been informed that Darius
.

desired to leave such a memorial of himself as had been a c

complished by no other king he imitated him until he re ,

c e i v e d the reward of his presumption For Darius having .

,

refined gol d to the utmost per f ection coined money ; and ,

A ry a n d e s governor of Egypt made the same in silver ; now

, ,

this A rya n d i a n silver is the purest B ut Darius when in .

,

f ormed that he had done this brought anot h er charge against ,

him that he designed to rebel a nd put him to death At that

, , .

time however this Ary a n d e s taking compassion on Ph e re

, , ,

time gave her all the forces of Egypt both army and navy ;
, ,

an d b e appointed A m a s i s a M a ra p h i a n commander o f the

, ,

army ; and o f the fleet B a d re s a P a s a rg a d i a n by birth B ut

, ,
.

before he despatched th e forces he s ent a heral d to Barce to

inquire w h o it w a s that had slain Arcesilaus All the B a rc aea n s .

took it upon themselves for that they had su ff ered many i n

,

j uries at his hands And when A ry a n d es received their a n

.

swer he despatched the army with P h e re t i m e Now this cause .

was only a pretext for his proceeding ; but in my O pinion , ,

the expedition was undertaken with the intention of subduing

th e Libyans For there are many and various nations of Lib
.

yans and some few of them were s ubj ect to the king but the
, ,

greater part pai d no regard to Darius .

The Libyans dwell as follows : B eginning from Egypt the ,

A d ry m a c h i d ae are th e first of the Libyans we meet with : they

f or the most part observe the usages of Egypt but they wear ,

the same dress as the other Libyans The women wear a .

chain of bras s on each leg ; they let their hair grow long and ,
1 68 —1 72] T H E L IB Y A N S 26 5

w hen they catch vermin each b ites thos e f rom her o w n per ,

son and then throws them away ; these alone o f the Libyans
,

do this : and they alone exhibit to the king their virgins w h o

are about to marry ; and should any one b e agreeabl e to the
king she is deflowered by him These A d ry m a c h i d ae reach
,
.

f rom Egypt to the harbour named Pl u n u s N ext to these are .

the Gili g a m m ae w h o occupy the country westward as far as

,

the island Aphrodisias M idway on this coast the island o f .

Platea is situated which th e C y re n aea n s colonized and on the

, ,

continent is th e port o f M enelaus with Aziris which the , ,

Cy r e n aea n s inhabited At this place the plant Silphium is first.

found and extends f rom the island of Platea to the mouth o f

,

the Syrtis These people use nearly the same customs as the
.

others The A s b y s t ae adj oin the Gi l i g a m m ae westward ; they

.

inhabit the country above Cyrene but the A s b y s t ae do not ,

reach to the sea ; for the Cy re n aea n s occupy th e s ea coast -

.

They drive four horsed chariots more than any of the Libyans
-

and endeavour to imitate most of the customs of th e C y re n ae

ans The A u s c h i s ae adj oin the A s b y s t ae westward ; these are
.

situated above B arc e extending to the sea near th e Eues ,

p e r i d e s I n the midst
. of the territory of the A u s c h i s ae the
Cabales a small nation dwell extending to Tauchira a city
, , , ,

o f Bare ma Th ey observe the same customs as thos e w h o

.

dwell above Cyrene The N a s a m o n es a very numerous peo .

,

ple adj oin these A u s c h i s ae westward I n summer they l eave

, .

their cattl e on the coast and go up to the region of Augila , ,

in order to gather the f ruit of the palm trees which grow in ,

great numbers an d of a large size and are all p roductive , .

When they have caught locusts they dry them in the sun re ,

duce them to powder and sprinkling them in milk drink , , ,

them Every man by th e custom of the country has several

.
, ,

wives and they have intercourse with them in common ; an d

,

much th e same as the M a s s a g e t ae they have intercourse when ,

they have set up a sta ff before them When a N a s a m o n i an .

marries it is th e custom for the bride on th e first night to

,

lie with all the guests in turn and each when he has had inter , ,

course with her gives her some present which h e has brought
,

from home I n their oaths and divinations they observe the

.

following custom : they swear laying their hands on the s e p u l ,

chres of those w h o are generally esteemed to have been th e

most j ust and excellent persons among them : an d th ey divine ,

going to the tombs of their ancestors and after having prayed , ,

they li e down to sleep and whatever dream they have this , ,

they avail themselves of I n pl edging their faith they observe .

the f ollowin g method : each party gives th e other to drink

1 8
2 66 H E R O D O T U S— B O O K IV , M E LP O ME N E [ 1 72- 1 79

’
out o f his hand and drinks in t u rn from t h e other s hand ;
,

and if they have no liquid they take up some dust f rom the ,

ground and lick it .

The P s y l l i border on the N a s a m o n i a n s ; these perished in

the following manner : The south wind blowing upon them
dried up all their water tanks and the whole country within ,

th e Syrtis was dry ; they therefore having consulted together , ,

with one consent determined to make w a r against that wind

( I only repeat what the Libyans say ) ; and when they arrived
at the sands t h e south wind blowing covered them over : and
,

when they had perishe d the N a s a m o n i a n s took possession of

their territory Above these to the north in a co u ntry abound
.
,

ing with wil d beasts l ive the Ga ra m a n t e s w h o avoid all men

, ,

and the society o f any others : they do not possess any war
l ike weapon nor do they know how to defend themselves
,
.

T h ese then live above the N a s a m o n i a n s ; and the M ac ae a d

, ,
.

j oin them o n the sea —coast westward these shave their heads
so as to leave a tuft and allowing the middle hair to grow , ,

they shave both sides close to the skin ; in war they wear the
skins of ostri ches for defensive armour The river C i n y p s .
,

flowing through thei r country f rom a hill called th e Graces ,

discharges itself into the sea This hill o f the Graces is thickly .

covered with trees though all the rest of Libya above men ,

t i o n e d is bare From the sea to this hill is a distance o f two

.

hundred stades The Gi n d a n es adj oin thes e Mac ae ; their

.

women wear bands of leather around th eir ankles each several ,

on the f ollowing account as is said : she b inds round a band ,

'

for every man that has intercours e with her ; and she who has
the most is most esteemed as b eing loved b y the greatest ,

number of men The Lotophagi occupy the coast that pro

.

j e c t s to the sea in front of these G i n d a n e s ; they subsist onl y

on the fruit of the lotus ; and th e fruit of the lotus is equal in
size to the mastic berry and in s w e e t n es s i t resembles the fruit
'

of the palm tree The Lotophagi make wine also from this
.

f ruit .

The M a c h l y es who also use th e lotus but in a l ess degre e

, ,

than those b efore mentioned adj oin the Lotophagi on the ,

sea coast Th ey extend as far as a large river called Triton ;

-
.

and this river discharges itself into the great lake Tritonis ’
°

and in it is an island named Phla They say that the Lace .

d aem o n i a n s were commanded by an oracl e to colonize this

island The f ollowing story is also tol d : That Jason when
.
,

the Argo was finished buil ding at the foot of Mount Pelion ,
having put a hecatomb on board and moreover a b razen tri ,

pod sailed roun d th e Peloponnesus purposing to go to D el

, ,
268 H E R O D O T U S—B O O K IV , ME LP O ME N E [ 1 8 1 —1 8 4

’
columns of Hercules At intervals of a ten days j ourney .

in this ridge there are pieces of salt in large lumps on hills ;

and at the top of each hill from t h e midst of the salt col d and , ,

sweet water gushes up ; and around it dwell peopl e the far

“
t h e s t t o w ar d t h e desert and beyond the wil d b east tract
, The .

first after a ten days j o u rney from Thebes are the Am m On i an s

’

w h o have a temple resembling that of Theban Jupi t er For .

,

as I said be f ore the image of Jupiter at Thebes has the head

'

of a ram They have also another kind of spring water which

.

in the morning is tepid b ecomes col der about the time of full,

forum and at midday is very cold ; then they water their

,

gardens As the day declines it gradually loses its coldness

.
,

till the sun sets then the water b ecomes tepid again and
, ,

continuing to increas e in heat till midnight it then boils and ,

bubbles up ; when midnight is passed it gets cooler until ,

morning This f ountain is call ed after the sun Next to the

. .

A m m o n i a n s along the ridge of sand at the end of another

, ,

ten days j ourney there is a hill o f salt like that o f the Am

’

, ,

m o n i a n s and water and men l ive r ou n d i t : the name o f this

'

, ,

region is Augila ; to this plac e the N a s a m o n i a n s go to gather

the dates From the A u g i l ae at the end of another ten days
.
’

j ourney is another hill of salt and w at e r a n d many fruit bear ,

~ -

ing palm trees as also in the other place s ; and men inhabit
,

it w h o are calle d Ga ra m a n t es a very powerful nation ; they ,

lay earth upon the salt and then sow their ground From ,
.

these to the Lotophagi the shortest route is a j ourney of thirty

days : among them the kine that feed backward are met with ;
they feed backward f or this reason : they have horns that are
b ent forward there f ore they draw back as they feed ; for they
,

are unabl e to go forward b ecause their horns would stick in ,

the groun d They di ff er f rom other kine in no ot h er respects

.

than this except that their hide is thicker and hard er These
,
.

Ga ra m a n t e s hunt the Ethiopian Troglodytes in f our horse -

chariots ; f or the Ethiopian Trogl odytes are the swiftest o f

foot of all men o f whom we have heard any account given .

The Troglodytes f eed upon s erpents and lizards and other ,

reptiles : they speak a language like no other b ut screech ,

l ike bats .

’
A t the distance o f another ten days j ourney from the
'

Ga ra m a n t e s is another hill of salt and water and men liv e ,

round it w h o are called Atarantes ; they are the only people

we know of who have not p ersonal names For the name .

Atarantes belongs to them coll ectively but to each one o f ,

them no name is given They curse the sun as he passes ove r

’

their heads and moreover u t t e r a gain s t h i m the foulest i n

, , ,
1 84
-
187 ] T H E L IB Y A N S 2 69

because he consumes them by his scorching heat

ve c t i v e s , ,

both the men themselves a n d their country Afterward at . ,

the end o f another ten days j ourney there is another hill o f ’

salt and water and men live round it ; an d near this salt is,

a mountain which is call ed Atlas ; it is narrow and circular

,

on all sides and is said to be so lofty that its top can never
,

be seen ; f or it is never free from clouds either in summer ,

or winter The inhabitants say that it is the Pillar of Heaven

.
.

From this mountain thes e men derive their appellation f or ,

they are called Atlantes They are sai d neither to eat the .

flesh o f any animal nor to see visions As far then as these .

, ,

Atlantes I am abl e to mention the names of the nations that

inhabit this ridge but not b eyon d them This ridge how ,
.
,

ever extends as f ar as the Pillars of H ercules and even b e

, ,

yond them ; and there is a mine of salt in it at intervals o f

ten days j ourney and men dwelling there Their houses
’
,
.

are all built of block s of salt f or in these parts of Libya ,

no rain falls ; f or walls being o f salt could not stand long i f , ,

rain did fall The salt dug out there is white and purpl e in
.

appearance Above this ridge to th e south and interior o f

.
,

Libya the country is desert without water without animal s

, , , ,

without rain and without wood ; and there is no kind o f

,

moisture in it .

Thus then as far as th e lake Tritonis f rom Egypt the

, , ,

Libyans are nomads eat flesh and drink milk but they do , , ,

not taste the flesh of cows for th e sam e reason as the E gy p ,

tians nor do th ey breed swine I ndeed not only do th e

, .
,

women o f th e C y r e n aea n s think it right to abstain from the

flesh o f cows out of respect to I sis in Egypt but they also
, ,

observe the fasts and festival s in honour of her : and th e

women of th e B a rcaea n s do not taste th e fl esh of swine in a d
dition to that o f cows These things then are so Westward .
, , .

o f the lake Tritonis the Libyans are no longer nomads nor ,

d o t h e y follow the same customs nor do they do with respect ,

to their children what th e nomads are accustomed to do : for

the nomadic Libyans whether all I am unable to say with ,

certainty but many o f them do as f ollows : When their chil

,

dren are f our years old they burn th e veins on th e crown

’
o f their heads with unclean sheep s wool ; and some o f them
do it on the veins in the temples ; to the end that humours
flowing down f rom th e head may not inj ure them as long
as they l ive : and f or this reason th ey say they are so very , ,

healthy for th e Libyans are in truth the most healthy o f all

,

men with whom w e are acquainted ; wh ether f rom this cause

I am unabl e to say with certainty : however they are the most ,
2 70 H E R OD OT U S— B O O K IV , M E LPO ME N E [ 1 8 7—1 9 1

healthy B ut if convulsions seize the children when they are

.

burning them they have a remedy discovered ; by s p 1 i n k l i n g

,

them with the urine of a h e goat they restore them I repeat -

, .

what the Libyans themselves say These Libyan nomads .

have the f ollowing sacrificial rites : When they hav e first cut
o ff the ear of the Victim they throw it over the house ; and
,

having done this they twist its neck They sacrifice only to
, .

the sun and moon ; to them indeed all th e Libyans o ff er sacri , ,

fi c e : but those who live about the lake Tritonis sacrifice prin
c i p a ll y to M inerva and next to Triton and Neptune, From .

the Libyan women the Grecians derived the attire and aegi s
’
of M inerva s statues ; for except that the dress o f the Libyan
women is leather and the f ringes that hang f rom the aegis
,

are not serpents but made of thongs in all other respects

, ,

they are equipped in the same way : and moreover the very , ,

name proves that the garb of the Palladia comes f rom Libya ;
for the Libyan women throw over their dress goats skins ’

without the hair fringed and dyed with red From these .

goats skins the Grecians have borrowed the name o f ZE g i s

’
.

And the howlings in the temples were I think first derived , ,

f rom thence ; f or th e Libyan women practise the same cus

tom and do it well The Grecians also learned from the Lib
, .

yans to yoke f our horses abreast All the nomads except the .
,

N a s a m o n i a n s inter their dead in th e same manner as the

,

Grecians : these bury them in a sitting posture watching when ,

one is about to expire that they may set him up a nd h e may

, ,
-

not die supine Their dwellings are compacted of the asphodel

.
'

shrub interwoven with rushes and are portable Such are

, ,
.

the customs of these people .

To the west o f the river Triton Libyans who are husband ,

men next adj oin the Auses ; they are accustomed to l ive in
houses and are call ed M a x y es They let the hair grow on
,
.

the right side of the h ead and shave the l eft ; and bedaub ,

the body with vermilion : they say that they are descended
f rom men w h o came from Troy This region and all the rest .
,

o f Libya westward is much more infested by wil d beasts and

,

more thickly wooded than the country o f t h e nomads f or ,

the easte rn country o f Lib ya which the n omads inhabit is , ,

low and sandy as f ar as th e r i ver Triton ; but the c oun try west
ward o f this which I s occupied by agriculturists is very moun
, ,

t a i n o u s woody and abounds with wild beasts

, ,
For among .

them there are enormous serpents and lions el ephants bears , , , ,

’
asps and asses with horns an d monsters with dogs heads and
, ,

without heads w h o have eyes in their breast s at least as the

, ,

Libyans say an d wil d men and wil d women and many other
, ,
2 72 H E R O D O T U S— B O O K IV , ME LP O ME N E [ 1 96 -
1 99

The Carthaginians further say that beyond the Pillars of Her

cules there is a region of L iby a and me n w h o inhabit it : ,

when they arrive among these people and have unloaded their
merchandis e they set it in order on the shore go on board
, ,

their ships and make a great smoke that the inhabitants

,
.
,

seein g the smoke come down to the sea and then depo sit
, ,

gol d 111 exchange for the merchandise and withdraw to Some ,

distance from the merchandise that the Carthaginians then , ,

going ashore exa m ine the gold and i f the quantity seems
, ,

su ffi cient for the merchandise t h e y t a k e it up and sail away, ’

,

but i f it is not su fficient they go on board their ship s again

,

and wait ; th e natives then approach and deposit more gold

'

:
,

until they have satisfie d them : neither party ever wrongs the
other ; for they d o not touch the gol d be f ore it is made ade
quate to the value Of t h e m e rc h a n d i s e nor do the natives touch ,

the merchandis e before the other party has taken the gol d .

Such are the Libyans whose names I have been able to

,

mentio n; and most of these neither now nor at that time

paid any regard to the King of the M edes B ut I have still .

this much to say about this country that f our distinct races ,

inhabit it and no more as far as we know : two of these races

, ,

are indigenous and t w o not The Libyans and Ethiopians

'
, .

a re i n d i g e n o u s the one inhabiting the northern the other the

, ,

southern parts o f Libya ; but the Ph oenicians and Greeks a re

f oreigners N 0 part of Libya appears to me so good in f er
.

t i l i t y as to be compared with Asia or Europ e except only the ,

district of C i n y p s ; for the land bears the same n ame as t h e

river and is equal to the best land in the production of corn :
,

nor is it at all like the rest of Libya ; for the soil is black and ,

well watered with springs ; and it is neither a ff ected at all

by drought nor is it inj ured by imbibing too much rain ; for
,

rain falls in this part of Libya The proportion of the produce .

of this land equals that of B abylon The land also which .

the E u e s p e ri d e s occupy is good ; for when it yields i t s b es t it

produces a hundredfold ; but that in C i n y p s three hundred
f old . The district of Cyrene which is the highest of that ,

part o f Libya which the nomads occupy has three seasons , ,

a circumstance worthy o f admiration ; for the first fruits near

the s ea swell so as to be ready for the harvest and Vintage ;
and when these are gath ered i n the fruits o f the middle r e ,

gion away f rom th e sea swell so as to b e gathered in : these

, ,

they call uplands ; and when this middl e harvest has been
gathere d In that m the highest part becomes ripe and swells
, .

So that when th e first crop has been drunk and eaten the last ,

comes in Thus harvest occupies the C y re n ma n s during eight

.
1 99 -
20 2 ] E X PE D IT I O N A G A I N S T B A RCE

months This may b e su fficient to say concerning these

.

things .

The Persians sent to avenge P h e re t i m e when having been , ,

despatched from Egypt by A ry a n d e s they arrived at Barce , ,

laid siege to the city demanding the surrender of the persons,

concerned in th e death of Arcesilaus ; but as the whole peopl e

were impl icated they did not listen to the proposal There
, .

upon they besieged Barce for nine months digging passages ,

under ground that reached to th e walls and making vigorous ,

assaults Now the excavations a worker of brass discovered

.

by means of a brazen shield having recourse to the f ollowing ,

expedient : Carrying it round within the wall he applied it ,

to th e ground within the city : in other places to which he a p

plied i t it made no noise b ut at the parts that were excavated
, ,

the brass of the shield sounded The B a r caea n s there f ore .

, ,

countermining them in that part slew the Persians w h o were ,

employed in the excavation ; thus then this w a s dis covered ; , ,

and the assaults the B a rc aea n s repulsed When much time had .

been spent and many had fallen on both sides and not the
, ,

f ewest on the side o f the Persians Am a s i s general o f the land , ,

forces had recourse to the following stratagem : F inding that

,

the B arc aean s could not b e taken by f orce but might be by ,

artifice he did thus : having dug a wide pit by night h e lai d

, ,

weak planks o f wood over it and on the sur f ace over the ,

planks he spread a heap o f earth making it level with th e rest ,

o f the ground At daybreak he invited the B a rc aea n s to a

.

conference and they gladly assented so that at last they were

, ,

pleased to come to terms : an d they made an agreement o f

the f ollowing nature concluding the treaty over the conceal ed
,

pit : That as long as this earth shall remain as it is the treaty ,

shoul d continue in force ; and that the B a rc aea n s shoul d pay

a reasonabl e tribute to the king and that the Persians should ,

form no new designs against th e B a r caea n s A fter the treaty .

the B a r c aea n s c o n fi d i n g in the Persians both themselves went

, ,

out o f the city and allowed any one of the Persians w h o chose
,

to pass within the wall having thrown open all the gates , .

But the Persians having b roken down the concealed bridge

, ,

rushed within the wall : and they broke down the bridge that
they had made for th e f ollowing reason that they might keep ,

their oath having made a compact with the B a rc aea n s that

,

the treaty shoul d continue so long as th e earth shoul d re

main as i t th en w a s ; but when they had broken down the
bridge the treaty no longer remained in force .

Those o f the B a rc aea n s w h o were most to blame P h e re t i m e

impaled round the walls when they had been delivered up to
2 74 H E R O D O T U S— B O O K I V , M E LP O ME N E [ 29 2 -
20 5

her by the Persians ; and having cut o ff the breasts of their

wives she studded the wall with them The rest of the
, .

B a r c ma n s she gave u p as booty to the Persians except such

'

of them as were B a t t i a d ae and had not participated in the ,

murder ; to these P h e re t i m e intrusted the city The Per .

sians therefore having reduced the rest of the B a rcaean s to

, ,

slavery took their departure ; and when they halted at the

,

city o f the C y re n ma n s the Cy re n aea n s to absolve themselves

, ,

f rom obedience to some oracle permitted them to pass through ,

the city B ut as th e army w a s going through B ares the com

.
, ,

mander of the naval forces urged them to take the city ; but ,

A m a s i s the commander o f the land forces woul d not allow

, ,

it f or that he w a s sent against no other Grecian city than

,

that o f B arce However when they had passed through

.
, ,

and encamped on the hill o f the L y c aea n Jupiter they began ,

to repent that they had not possessed themselves of Cyrene ,

and attempted to enter it a second time B ut the C y r e n ae an s .

would not su ff er them and a panic struck the Persians al , ,

though no one attack ed them ; and having run away f or a

distance o f sixty stades they pitched their camp When the , .

army was encamped here a messenger came from A ry a n d e s ,

to recall them The Persians having requested the Cy re n aea n s

.
,

to give them provisions for their march obtained their re ,

quest and having received them marched away toward Egypt

, , .

And from thence the Libyans laying wait for them put to , ,

death those that strayed and loitered behind for the sake o f ,

th eir dress and baggage until they reached Egypt The far ,
.

t h e s t point of Afri ca to which this Persian army penetrated

was the country of the E u e s p e ri d e s The B a rc aean s whom .
,

they had enslaved they transported from Egypt to the king ;

,

and King Darius gave them a village in the district of Bac

tria to dwell in They gave then the name of B arce to this
.

Village which was still inhabited in my time in the B actrian

, ,

territory Ph e re t i m e however did not clos e her li f e happily ;

.
, ,

f or immediately after she returned f rom Libya to Egypt hav ,

ing avenged herself on the B a r c aean s she died miserably ; for ,

even while alive she swarmed with maggots So odious to .

-

th e gods are the excesses o f human vengeance Such and so .

‘

great was the vengeance o f Ph e ret i m e wi f e o f B att u s on the , ,

B a rc aean s .
2 76 H E R O D O T U S— B O O K V , TE RP S I CH O RE [ —
3 8

names according to their respective regions but all observe

, ,

similar customs in every respect except the Get ae the T ra u s i , , ,

and those w h o dwell above th e C re s t o n aean s O f these what .

,

are the customs of the Get ae w h o pretend to be immortal I , ,

have already described The T ra u S i in all other respects o b.

, ,

se rve the same usages as the rest of the Thracians but with
regard to one born among them or that dies they do as f ol , ,

lows : The relatives seating themselves round one that is

,

newly born bewail him deploring the many evils he must

, ,

needs f ulfil since he has been born enumerating the various

,
‘

s u ff erings incident to mankind : but one that dies they bury

i n the earth making merry and re oicing recounting th e many
, j ,

evils from which being rel eased he i s now in p erfect bliss , .

Thos e above the C re s t o n ae a n s do as follows : Each man has

several wives ; when therefore a husband dies a great con
, , ,

test arises among the wives and Violent disputes among their ,

friends on this point which o f them was most loved by him

, , .

She w h o is adj udged to have b een so a n d is s o h onoured ,

‘

having been extolled both by men and women is slain on the ,

'

tomb by her o w n nearest re l a t i v e an d when S lain is b u ri e d w i t h ,

‘

her husband ; the others deem this a great misfo rtune f or this ,

is the utmost disgrace to them There is moreover this cus .

, ,

tom among the rest o f th e Thracians : th ey sell their children

f or exportation They keep no watch over their unm arried
.

d aughters but su ff er them to have intercourse with what m en

,

they choose B ut they keep a strict watch over their wives

.
‘

and purchase them from their parents at high prices To be .

marked with punctures is accounted a sign of noble birth ; t

b e without punctures ignoble To be idle is most h o n o u r
, .

able ; but to be a tiller of the soil most dishonourabl e to l ive ,

by war an d rapine is most glorious These are the m e st r e .

markabl e of their customs They worshi p th e f ollowing gods .

only Mars Bacchus and D iana B ut their kings to the ex

reverence M ercury most of all
.
, ,
.
,

c e p t i o n of th e oth er citizens ,

the gods ; they swear by him only and say that they are them ,

selves sprung from M ercury The f unerals of the wealthy .

amon g them are celebrated in this manner : They expose the

corpse during three days : and having slain all kinds of Vic
tims they feast having first made lamentation Then they
, ,
.

bury them having first burned them or at all events p l acing

, ,

them under ground ; then having thrown up a mound they ,

celebrate all kinds of games in which the greatest rewards ,

are adj udged to single combat according to the estimatio n ,

in which they are held Such are the f uneral rites o f the
'

Thracians .
 H IS T I/E US A N D C O E S RE WA R D E D 2 77

To the north o f this region no one is abl e to say with cer

tainty w h o are the people that inhab it it B ut b eyond the .

Ister appears to be a desert and interminabl e tract : the only

men that I am able to hear of as dwelling beyond the I ster
are those called S i g y n n ae who wear the M edic dress : th eir ,

horses are shaggy all over the body to five fingers in depth ,

o f hair ; they are small flat nosed and unabl e to carry men ; ,
-

but when yoked to chariots they are very fl eet there f ore the ,

natives drive chariots Their confines extend as far as the .

E n et i on the Adriatic : and they say that they are a colony

o f Medes How they can have b een a colony of the M edes I
.

can not comprehend ; but anything may happen in course of

time Now the L i g y e s who live above Massilia call traders
.
, , ,

S i gy n n ae and the Cyprians give that name to spears

, The .

Thracians say bees occupy the parts beyond th e I ster and ,

by reason of them it is imp ossibl e to penetrate farther ; to

me however in saying this they appear to say what is i m
, ,

probable for thes e creatures are known to be impatient of

,

cold ; but th e regions beneath the B ear see m to b e uninhab ited

by reason of the col d Such is the account given of this coun .

try M e g a b y z u s then subj ected its maritime parts to the

.
, ,

Persians .

Darius as soon as he had crossed the H ellespont an d

,

reached Sardis rememb ered the good o ffices of H i s t i aeu s the

,

Milesian and the advice of Coes th e M i t y l e n i a n Having

, .
,

there fore sent for them to Sardis he gave them their choice
, ,

o f a recompense H i s t i aeu s as being already tyrant of M iletus

.
, ,

desired no other government in addition ; but asked for Myr

c i n u s of E d o n i a wishing to build a city there
,
B ut Coes as .
,

not being a tyrant ; but a private citizen asked for the govern ,

ment of Mitylene When their requests were granted to both

.

of them they betook themselves to the places they had chosen

, .

It happened that Darius having witness ed a circumstance o f ,

the fo l l o w i n g k i n d was desirous of commanding M e g ab y z u s

'

to seize the P aeonians a nd transplant them out of Europe into

'

Asia Pigres and M a n t y e s were P aeonians w h o when Darius

.
, ,

had crossed over into Asia b eing desirous to rul e over the ,

Paeonians came to Sardis bringing with them their sister

, , ,

w h o w a s tall and beautiful : and having watched the O p p o r

t u n i t y when Darius w a s seated in public in the suburb of the
Lydians they did as follows : Having dressed their sister in
,

the best manner th ey coul d they sent her for water carrying , ,

a pitcher on her head leading a horse on her arm and spin , ,

ning flax As the woman passed by it attracted the attention

.
,

of Darius f or what s h e w as doin g w as n either a cc ordin g t o

,
2 76 H E R O D O T U S— B O O K V , TE RP S I CH O RE [ —
3 8

names accordin g to their respective regions but all observe

, ,

similar customs i n every respect except the Getae the T ra u s i , , ,

and those w h o dwell above the C re s t o n aea n s O f these what .

,

are the customs of the Get ae w h o pretend to be immortal I , ,

have already described The T ra u s i in all other respects o b

.
, ,

serve the same usages as the rest of the Thracians but with
regard to one born among them or that dies they do as fol , ,

lows : The relatives seating themselves round one that is

,

newly born bewail him deploring the many evils he must

, ,

needs fulfil since he has been born enumerating the various

,
‘

s u ff erings incident to mankind but one that dies they bury .

in the earth making merry and rej oicing recountin g th e many

, ,

evils from which being released he i s now in perfect bliss , .

Thos e above the C r e s t o n aea n s do as follows : Each man has

s everal wives ; when therefore a husband dies a great con
, , ,

test arises among the wives an d Violent disputes among their ,

friends on this point which of them was most loved by him

, , .

She w h o is adj udged to have been so and is s o h o n o u re d

i
,
’

having been extolled both by men and women is slain on the ,

tomb by her o w n nearest rel a t iv e an d when slain is b u ri e d w i t h ,

‘

her husband ; th e others deem this a great misfo rtune f or this ,

is the utmost disgrace to them There is moreover this cus .

, ,

tom among the rest o f th e Thracians : they sell their children

f or exportation They keep no watch over t heir u nm a rried
.

d aughters but su ff er them to have intercourse with what m en

‘

they choose B ut they keep a strict watch over their wives

.
,

and purchase them from their parents at high prices To be .

marked with punctures is accounted a S ign of noble birth ; to

b e without punctures ignoble To be idle is most honour, .

able ; but to be a tiller of the soil most dishonourable ; t o l i ve

'

by w a r an d rapine is most glorious These are the m 0st re .

markable of their customs They worshi p th e f ollowi ng g od s .

only : Mars Bacchus and D iana B ut their kings to the ex

, , .
,

c e p t i o n of the other citizens reverence M ercury most of all ,

the gods they swear by him only a n d say that they are them ,

selves sprung from M ercury The f unerals of the wealthy .

among them are celebrated in this manner : They expose the

corpse during three days : and having slain all kinds o f vic ‘

tims they feast having first made lamentation Then they

, ,
.

bury them having first burned them or at all events placing

, ,

them under ground then having thrown up a mound they

, ,

celebrate all kinds of games in which the greatest rewards ,

are adj udged to single combat according to the estimation ,

in whi ch they are held Such are the funeral rites o f the .

Thracians .
2 78 H E R O D O T U S—B OO K V , TE RP S ICH O RE [ 12 -
1 5

the Persian or Lydian customs nor o f any other p eople in ,

Asia ; when therefore it attracted his attention he sent som e

, , ,

of his body guard bidding them observe what th e woman

-

woul d do with the horse The guards accordingly f ollowed .

~

her and she when she came to the river watered the horse ;
, , ,

and having watered it and filled her pitcher returned by the , ,

same way carrying the water on her head leading the horse
, ,
,
.

on her arm and turning her spindle Darius surprised at

‘

, .
,

what he heard f rom the spies and at what he himsel f had ,

seen commanded them to bring her into h i s p res e n c e ; and

'

when she was brought h er brothers also made their appear ,

ance who were keeping a lookout somewhere not f ar o ff :

,

and when Darius asked o f what c ountry she was the young ,

men sai d that they were P aeonians and that she w a s their ,

sister H e then inquired

. Who are th e P aeonians in what , ,

part o f the world do they live and for what purpose have they
‘

come to Sardis ? They tol d him that they had come to de

liver themselves u p to him and that P aeonia was situated on ,

th e river Strymon and the Strymon w a s not f ar f rom the ,

H ellespont ; and that they were a colony o f Teucrians f rom

Troy They then mentioned these several particulars ; and he
.

asked i f all the women of that country were so industrious .

They readily answered that such was the case for they had ,

f ormed th eir plan f or this very purpose .

Thereupon Darius wrote letters to M e gab y z u s whom he ,

had l eft general in Thrace commanding him to remove the ,

P mo n i a n s from their abodes and to bring to him themselves , ,

their children and their wives A horseman immediately

, .

hastened to the H ellespont with th e message ; and having

crossed over delivered the letter to M e g a b y z u s but he having
, ,

read it and taking guides f rom Thrace marched a gainst

, ,

P aeonia The P aeonians having heard that the Persians were

.
,

coming against them assembl ed and drew out their forces , ,

toward the s ea thinking that the Persians would attempt to

,

enter and attack them in that direction : the Paeonians ac ,

c o rd i n gl y were prepared to repel the army o f M e g a b y z u s at

,

its first onset B ut th e Persians understanding that the Pae

.
,

o n i a n s had assembled and were guarding the approaches on

the coast having g uides went the upper road ; and having
, ,

escaped the notice o f the P aeonians came suddenly on their ,

towns which were destitute of inhab itants a nd as they f ell

, ,

upon them when empty they easily got possession of them , .

B ut the P aeonians as soon as they heard that thei r cities were

,

taken immediately dispersed t h e m s el v e s a n d repaired each

, ,
.

to his own home and gave themselves u p to the Persians ,

.
.
 —1 8 R EM O VA L OF THE P/E O N IA N S
1 5 ] 2 79

Thus the S i ro p aeo n i a n s and Paeo p l ae and those tribes o f P ae ,

o n i a n s as f ar as the lake P ra s i a s were removed from their ,

abodes and transported into Asia B ut those around M ount

, .

Pa n gaeu s and near the D o b e r e s the A g ri a n ae O d o m a n t i an d , , ,

those who inhab it Lake P ra s i a s itself were not at all subdued ,

by M e g a b y z u s Y et he attempted to conquer those w h o l ive

.

upon the lake in dwelli ngs contrived a fter this manner : planks
fitted on lofty piles are placed in the middle o f the lake with ,

a narrow entrance f rom the mainland by a singl e bridge .

Thes e piles that support the planks all th e citizens ancientl y

placed there at the common charge ; but afterward they estab
l i s h e d a l a w to the f ollowing e ff ect : whenever a man marries ,

for each wife he sinks three p iles b ringing wood f rom a moun ,

tain called O rb el u s : but every man has several wives They .

live in the f ollowing manner : every man has a hut on the

planks in which he dwells with a trap door closel y fitted in
, ,
-

the planks and leading down to the lake They tie the young
, .

children with a cord round th e f oot fearing lest th ey shoul d ,

fall into the lake beneath To their horses and beasts o f b ur

.

den they give fish for fodder ; o f which th ere is such an abun
dance that when a man has opened his trap door he lets down -

an empty basket by a cord into the lake and after waiting , ,

a short time draws it u p f ull o f fish They h ave two kinds o f

,
.

fish which they call p ap ra c e s and t i l o n e s Those o f the Pm

,
.

o n i a n s then w h o were sub dued were taken to Asia

, , .

When M e g ab y z u s had subdued the P aeonians he sent into ,

Macedonia seven Persians as ambassadors who next to him ,

sel f were the most illustrious in the army They were sent .

to A m y n t a s to deman d earth and water f or King Darius .

From the lake P ra s i a s the distance to M acedonia is very short .

For near adj oining the lake is a mine f rom which in later ,

times a talent of s ilver came in daily to Al exander : b eyond

the mine when on e has passed the mountain called D y s o ru m
, ,

one is in Macedonia When therefore the Persians who were

.
, ,

sent arrived a t the court of Am y n t a s on going into th e pres ,

ence o f A m y n t a s they demanded earth an d water f or King

,

Darius H e both promised to give these and invited th em

.
,

to partake o f his hospitality ; and having p repared a m a g n i fi

cent f east he entertained the Persians with great courtesy
, .

B u t a fter supper the Persians w h o were drinking freel y spoke , ,

as follows : Macedonian host it i s a custom with us Per ,

sians when we have given a great feast to introduce our con

, ,

c u b i n e s and law f ul wives to sit by our sides : since therefore , ,

you have received us kindly and have entertained us mag ,

n ifi c e n t l
y and promise to give earth and water to King Darius
, ,
2 80 H E R O D O T U S—B O O K V TE RP S I CH O R E , [ 18 —20

do you follow our custom To this Am y n t a s answered : O .

Persians we have no such custom but that the men shoul d be

, ,

separated from the women ; yet since you w h o are our mas , ,
”
ters require this also this shall also b e granted to you
, , .

A m y n t a s having spoken thus sent for the women ; and they

, , ,

when they had come being summoned sat down in order , ,

opposite to the Persians Thereupon th e Persians seeing the .

,

women were beautiful spoke to A m y n t a s saying that what , ,

had been done w a s not at all wise for that it were better that ,

the women shoul d not have come at all than that when they ,

had come they shoul d not b e placed beside them but sit
, ,

opposite to them as a torment to their eyes U pon this .

,

A m y n t a s compelled by necessity ordered them to sit down

, ,

by th e men ; an d when th e women ob eyed the Per s ians , ,

b eing very full o f wine b egan to feel their breasts ; and some ,

even atte mpted to kiss them A m y n t a s when h e behel d .

,

this though very indignant remained quiet through ex e c s

, , ,

sive f ear of th e Persians B ut Al exander son of A m y n t a s .

, ,

who w a s present and witnessed this behaviour being a young

, ,

man an d inexperienced in misfortune w a s no longer able to ,

restrain himself ; so that bearing it with di ff i culty he a d , ,

dressed A m y n t a s as follows : Father yield to your years ; ,

and retire to rest nor persist in drinking I will stay here

, .
,
”
and furnish the guests with all things necessary Am y nt as .
,

perceiving that Al exander was about to put some new design

in e xecution said : Son I p ret t y w el l discern by your words
, ,

that you are burning with rage and that you wish to dis ,

miss me that you may attempt some n ew design I charge .

you therefore to plan nothing new against these men lest

, , ,

you cause our ruin but endure to behold what is being done ;
,
”
with respect to my retiring I will comply with your wishes , .

When A m y n t a s having m ade this request had retired Alex

, , ,

an der said to the Persians : Friends these women are e n

“
,

t i r e l y at your service ; and whether you desire to have inter

course with them all o r with any of them on this point make , ,

known your o w n wishes ; but now as the time for retiring /

,

is fast approaching and I perceive that you have had abun ,

dance to drink l et these women if that is agreeable to you

, , ,

go and bathe and when they have bathed expect their re

,
”
turn . Having spoken thus as the Persians approved his pro ,

posal he sent away th e women as they came out to their

, , ,

own apartment ; and Al exander himself having dressed a l ike ,

number of smooth faced young me n in the dress of th e women

-

an d having furnished them with daggers led them in ; and ,

as he led them in he addressed the Persians as follows : Per

,
28 2 H E ROD OT US -
B OO K V , T E RP S I CH O RE [ 2 3—26

?
and s ilver mines A great multitude of Greeks and barbarians
dwell around who when they have obtained him as a l eader
, , ,

will do whatever he m a y command both by day and by night .

Put a stop therefore to the proceedings of this man that you

, , ,

may not be harassed by a domestic war ; but having sent for ‘

h im in a gentle manner stop him : and when you have got

.

him in your power take care that h e never returns to the ,

Greeks M e g a b y z u s speaking thus easily persuaded Darius

.
, , ,

since he wisely foresaw what was l ikely to happen There .

upon Darius having sent a messenger to M y rc i n u s spoke

, ,

as follows : H i s t i aeu s King Darius says thus : I find on con ,

sideration that there is no man better a ff ected to me and my

a ff airs than thyself ; and this I have l earned not by words , ,

b ut actions ; now therefore since I have great designs to

, ,

put in execution come to me by all means that I may com

, ,
”
m u n i c a t e them to thee H i s t i aeu s giving credit to these .
,

words and at the same time considering it a great honour to

,

become a counsellor o f the king went to Sardis : when he ar ,

rived Darius addressed him as follows : H i s t i aeu s I have

, ,

sent f or you on th i s occasion As soon as I returned from .

Scythia and you were out o f my sight I have wished for

, ,

nothing so much as to see you and converse with you again ;

b eing persuaded that a friend w h o is both intelligent and well
a ff ected is the most valuabl e of all possessions both of which
,

I am abl e to testify from my own knowledge concur in you ,

as regards my a ff airs Now then for you have done well in

coming I make you this o ff er Think no more of M il etus
.
, ,

,
.
,

nor of the new founded city in Thrace ; but f ollow me to Susa

~

have the same that I have and be the partner of my table and ,
”
councils Darius having spoken thus and having appointed
.
,

A rt a p h e rn e s his brother by th e same father to be governor

, ,

o f Sardis departed for Susa taking H i s t i aeu s with him ; and

, ,

having nominated O tanes to be general of the f orces on the

coast whose f ather S i s a m n e s one of the royal j udges King
, , ,

Cambyses had put to death and flayed because he had given ,

an unj ust j udgment for a sum o f money And having had his .

skin torn o ff he had it cut into thongs and extended it on

, ,

the bench on which h e used to sit when he pronounced j udg

ment : and Cambyses having so extended it appointed as , ,

j udge in the room o f S i s a m n e s whom he had slain and flayed , ,

the son of S i s a m n e s admonishing him to remember on what ,

seat h e sat to administer j ustice This O tanes then who .

, ,

had b een placed on this s eat being now appointed successor ,

to M e g ab y z u s in the command o f the army subdued the ,

B yzantians an d C h alcedonians and t ook Ant a n dro s w h ich , ,

26-

30 ] N AX I A N E X I LE S A T M I LE T U S 28 3

belongs to the territory o f Troas and L a m p o n i u m ; and hav ,

ing obtained ships from the Lesbians he took Lemnos an d ,

I m b ru s both of which were then inhabited by Pelasgians

,
.

( Now the Lemnians fought valiantly and having defended ,

themselves f or some time were at length overcome ; an d over ,

those w h o survived the Persians set up L y ca re t u s as gov ,

e rn o r the brother o f M aea n d r i u s

,
who had reigned in Samos , .

This Ly c a re t u s died while governor o f Lemnos ) O tanes e n '

.

slaved and subdued t h e m a l l ; his reasons f or doing so were

as f ollows : some he charged of desertion to the Scythians ;
’
others O f having harassed Darius s army in their return home
,

f rom the Scythians Such was his conduct whil e general o f .

the f orces .

V A f t e rw a r d f or the intermission f rom misfortune was not

,

o f long duration evils arose a secon d time to the I onians f rom

,

Naxos and M iletus For on the one hand Naxos surpassed .

, ,

all th e islands in opulence ; and on the other hand M iletus , ,

at the same time had attained th e summit o f its prosp erity ,

and was accounted the ornament of I onia ; though be f ore

this period it had for two generations su ff ered excessively
from seditions until th e Parians reconciled them ; f or the
,

M ilesians had chosen them out o f all the Greeks to settle their
di ff erences The Parians reconciled them in the following
.

manner : When their most eminent men arrived at M iletus ,

as they saw their private a ff airs in a dreadful state they said ,

that they wished to go through their whol e country ; and i n ,

doing this and going through all M iles ia wheresoever they ,

saw in the devastated country any lan d well cultivated they ,

wrote down the name of th e proprietor And having traversed .

the whole country and found but f ew such as soon as they , ,

came down to the city they called an assembly and appointed ,

to govern the city those persons w h ose lands th ey had f ound

well cultivated ; for they said they thought they would a d
minister the public a ff airs as well as th ey had done thei r o w n .

The rest o f the Mil esians w h o before had been spl it into fac ,

tions they ordered to obey them Thus the Parians recon

, .

ciled the M ilesians From these two cities at that time mis.

f ortunes began to be fall I onia in the following manner : Some

of the opulent m e we re j xi l ed j r o m Naxo s
n /

and bein g e xil ed w e n t t o Mile tu s fl t h e g o v e rn o r of Miletus

S

t o b e Ari s t a g o ras s o n o f M o l p a go ra s son i h l aw

” m w w
“

h a p p efi
_
. -
_
, .
,
,
- -

and c ousin o f H i s t i aeu s son of L y s a g o ra s whom Darius de , ,

t a i n e d at Susa For H i s t i aeu s w as tyrant o f M iletus and h ap

.
,

pened to be at that time at Susa when the N a x i an s came , ,

w h o were before on terms o f f riendship with H i s t i ae u s The .

284 H E R O D O T U S— B O O K V T E RP S I CH O RE , [ —32
30

N ax l a n s then having arrived at M iletus entreated Ari s t a g o

, ,

ras if he coul d by any means give them some assistance that ,

so they might return to their own country B ut he having .

,

considered that if by his means they shoul d return to their

city he woul d get the dominion of Naxos used the f riend
, ,

ship o i H i s t i aeu s as a pretence and addressed the following ,

discours e to them : I am not able of myself to furnish you

with a force su fficient to reinstate you against the wishes of
the N a x i a n s w h o are in possession of the city f or I hear that ,

the N a x i a n s have eight thousand heavy armed men and a ,

considerabl e number of S hips of war Y et I will contrive .

some way and use my b est endeavours ; and I design it in

,

this way : A rt a p h e rn e s happens to be my f riend ; he is son of

H y s t a s p e s and brother o f King Darius and commands all the ,

maritime parts of Asia and has a large army and many ships ;
,

This man I am p ersuaded will do whatever we desire

, ,
The .

N a x i a n s having heard this urged A r i s t a g o ra s to bring it

, ,

about in the best way he could and bade h im promise pres ,

ents an d their expenses to the army for that they woul d repay
, ,
‘

it having great expectations that when they shoul d appear

,

at Naxos the N ax i a n s woul d do whatever they should order ,

as also woul d the other islanders for o f these Cyclades I slands

not one was as yet subj ect to Darius .

Accordingly A ri s t a g o ra s having gone to Sardis told

, , ,

A rt a p h e rn e s that Naxos w a s an island of no great extent but ,

otherwise beautiful and fertil e and near I onia and in it were , ,

much wealth and many slaves Do you therefore send an .

army against this country to reinstate those who have been

banished from thence ; and if you do this I have in the first , ,

place a large sum of money ready in addition t o the expenses

, ,

Of the expedition for it is j ust that we who lead you on shoul d

,

supply that ; an d in th e next you will acquire f or the king ,

Naxos itself and the islands dependent upon it Paros Andros

, , , ,

and th e rest that are called Cyclades Setting out from thence .
,

you will easily attack Eub oea a large and wealthy island not , ,

l ess than Cyprus and very easy to b e taken A hundred ships

,
.

”
are su ffi cient to subdue them all H e answered him as fol .

lows : Y ou propose things advantageo us to the king s house ’

,

and advise everything well except the numb er o f ships ; i n ,

stead o f one hundred t w o hundred shall be ready at the

,

b eginning o f spring B ut it is necessary that the king him

.

”
self shoul d approve o f the design Now A ri s t a g o ra s when .
,

he heard this b eing exceedingly rej oiced went back to

, ,

M iletus . B ut Art a p h e rn e s when on his sending to Susa

, ,

and communicat i ng what was sai d by A ri s t a go ra s Darius ,

286 H E R O D O T U S—B O O K V T E RPS I CH O RE , [ 35 -

36

A ri s t a g o ra s was unable to f ulfil his promise to Art ap h e r

nes ; and at the same time the expense of t he expedition ,

which was demanded pressed heavily on him ; he was alarmed

,

too on account of th e ill success of the army and at h aving ,

incurred the ill will of M e g a b at e s and thought that he shoul d ,

b e deprived of the government of M iletus ; dreading there f ore -

e a c h o f thes e things he meditated a revolt : for it happened

'

at the same time that a messenger with his head punctured

came f rom Susa f rom H i s t i aeu s urging A ri s t a g o ra s to revolt
,

f rom the king For H i s t i aeu s being desirous to signi f y to

.
,

A r i s t a g Ora s his wish for him to revolt had no other means ,

o f signi f ying it with safety because the roads were guarded, ,

there fore having shaved the h ead of the most trustworthy of

,

his slav es he marked it and waited till the hair was grown
, ,

again : as soon as it was grown again he sent him to M iletus ,

without any other instructions than that when he arrived at

M iletus he shoul d desire Ari s t a g o ra s to shave o ff his hair and
look upon his head : the punctures as I said before signified
a wish f or h i mto revolt H i s t i aeu s did this because h e looked
, ,

upon his detention at Susa as a great mis f ortune ; if then a , ,

revolt shoul d take place h e had great hopes that he should

be s ent down to th e coast ; but if Miletus made no new a t
tempt he thought that he shoul d never go t h ere again H is
, .

t i aeu s accordingly under these considerations sent o ff the

messenger All these things concurred at the same time
.

to A ri s t a g o ra s ; he there f ore consulted with his partisans ,

communicating to them his own opinion and the message that

had come from H i s t i aeu s : now all the rest concurred in the
same O pinion urging him to revolt ; but H ec at aeu s the his
torian at first endeavoured to d issuade h i mf rom u ndertaking
, ,

a war against the King o f the Persians enumerat i ng all the ,

nations whom Darius governed and his power ; but when he ,

coul d not prevail he in the next place advised that they shoul d
,

so contrive as to make themselves masters o f the s ea Now .

,

he continued he saw no other way o f e ff ecting this f or h e

, ,

was well aware that the power o f the M ilesians was weak ; but
if the treasures should be seized f rom the templ e of the B ran
chid ae wh ich Cr oesus the Lydian had dedicated he had great
, ,

hopes that they might acquire the dominion of the sea ; and
thus they woul d have money for their o w n use and the enemy ,

could not plunder that treasure B ut this treasure was very .

considerable as I have already related in the first part of my

,

history This opin ion however did not prevail N ev e rt h e

.
, , .

l ess i t was r e s o l y e d to revolt and that one of them having

, ,

sailed to M y u s to the f orce that h ad ret u rned f rom N axos ,

36—40 ] REV O LT OF M I LE T U S 28 7

which was then there shoul d endeavour to seize the cap ,

tains on board the ships I a t ra g o ra s having been despatched .

,

for this very purpose and having by stratagem seized O l i , , ,

at u s
,
son of I b a n ol i s of M y l a s s a H i s t i aeu s son o f T y m n e s o f , ,

T e rm e ra Coes son of E rx a n d ru s to whom D arius had given

, , ,

M itylene Ari s t a g o ra s son of H e ra c li d e s o f Cyme and many

, , , ,

others A r i s t a g o ra s thus openly revolted devising everything

, ,

he could against Darius And first in pretence having laid .

, ,

aside the sovereignty he established an equal ity in M iletus , ,

in order that the M ilesians might more readily j oin with him
in the revolt And afterward he e ff ected the same throughout
.

th e rest o f I onia expelling some of the tyrants ; and he d el i v

,

ered up those whom he had taken from on board the ships

that had sailed with him against Naxos to the cities in order ,

to g rati fy the peopl e giving them up generally to the respect

,

ive cities f rom which each came The M i t yl e n e a n s as soon

, .
,

as they received Coes led him out an d stoned h im to death ; , ,

but the C y m e a n s let their tyrant go ; and in like manner most

o f the others l et theirs go Accordingly there w a s a sup .
,

pression o f tyrants throughout the cities B ut A ri s t a g o ra s the .

Milesian when h e had suppressed the tyrants and enj oined

, ,

them all to appoint magistrates in each of the cities in th e ,

next place went himself in a trireme as ambassador to Sparta ,

f or it was necessary f or him to procure some powerful alliance .

An a x a n d r i d e s son of Leon no longer survived and reigned

, ,

over Sparta but was al ready dead ; Cl eo m e n e s son of Anax

, ,

a n d ri d e s held the sovereignty not having acquired it by his

, ,

Virtues but by his birth A n a x a n d ri d e s who had married his

, .
,

own sister s daughter though sh e w a s very much beloved

’
,

by him had no chil dren this being the case the Ephori hav
,
°

, ,

ing sent f or him said : I f you do not provide f or your own

,

interests yet we must not overlook this that the race of B urys
, ,

t h e n e s shoul d become extinct D o you therefore put away .

the wi f e whom you have since she bears no children and , ,

marry another and by so doing you will gratify the Spartans

, .

He answered saying that he would do neither o f these things

,

and that they did not advise him well in urging him to dis
miss the wife he had when she had committed no error an d , ,

to take another in h er place and th ere f ore h e would not ,

obey them U pon this th e Ephori and s enators having con

“
.
,

s u l t ed, made th e following proposal to A n a x a n d ri d es : As

w e see you strongly attached to th e wi f e whom you have ,

act as follows and do not oppose it lest the Spartans s h oul d

, ,

come to some unusual resolution respecting you We do not .

require of yo u the dismissal o f your present wi fe ; pay her the

28 8 H E R O D O T U S—B O O K V TE RP S I CH O R E , [ 40 —
43

same attention as you have always done an d marry another ,

”
besides her who may bear you children When they spoke to
, .

this e ff ect A n a x a n d ri d e s consented ; and a fterward having

,

two wives he i nhabited two houses doing what was not at

, ,

all in accordance with Spartan usages When no long time .

had elapsed the wife last married bore this Cl eo m e n es and

, ,

presented to the Spartans an heir apparent to the throne :

and the f ormer wife who had b e fore been barren by some , ,

strange fortune then proved to be with chil d ; and though

she was really so yet the relations of the second wi f e having
,

heard of it raised a disturbance saying that she boasted vainly , ,

purposing to bring forward a supposititious child As they .

made a great noise when the time approached the Ephori , ,

f rom distrust sat around and watched the woman in her ,

labour She however when she had borne D o ri e u s shortly

.
, , ,

a fterward had Leonidas an d after him in due course Cl eo m , , ,

b ro t u s ; though some say that Cl e o m b ro t u s and Leonidas

were twins B ut she w h o bore Cl eo m e n es and who was the
.
,

second wi f e and daughter to Pri n et a d e s son o f D e m a rm e n u s

, , ,

never bore a second time .

Cl e o m en e s as it is said was not o f sound mind but almost

, , ,

mad ; whereas D o ri e u s was the first of the young men of his

age and was fully convinced that by his Virtues he shoul d
,

obtain the sovereignty So that being o f this persuasion .

, ,

when A n a x a n d ri d e s died and the L a c e d aem o m a n s following , ,

the usual custom appointed the eldest Cl eo m e n es to be king

, , , ,

D o ri e u s being very indignant and disdaining to b e reigned

, ,

over by Cl eo m e n e s demanded a draught of men from the ,

Spartans and led them out to f ound a colony without hav

, ,

ing consulted the oracle at D elphi to what land he shoul d go

and settle nor doing any of those things that are usual on
,

such occasions B ut as he was very much grieved he direc t ed

.
,

his ships to Libya and some Ther aeans piloted him Having , .

arrived at C i n y p s he settled near the river in the most beau

, ,

ti f ul spot o f the Libyans B ut in the third year being driven .

,

out from thence by the Mac ae Libyans and Carthaginians , , ,

he returned to Peloponnesus There A n t i c h ar e s a citizen .

,

of El eon from the oracles delivered to Laius advised him to

, ,

found H eraclea in Sicily a ff i rming that all the country o f ,

Eryx belonged to the H eracl id ae H ercules himself having ,

possessed himsel f of it H e hearing this went to D elphi to .

, ,

inquire of th e oracl e whether he shoul d take the country to

which h e was preparing to go The Pythian answered that he .

S hould take; it D o ri e u s therefore taking with him the force

.
, ,

which he had led t o Li b y a sailed along the coast of I taly At .

, .
2 90 H E R O D O T U S— B O O K V , TE RPS I CH O RE 6—
[4 49

altar o f the Fo re n s i a n Jupiter Philippus son o f B u t a c i d e s .

, ,

a citizen o f C ro t o n a accompanied D o ri e u s and perished with

, ,

him H e having entered into a contract of marriage with the

.

daughter of T el y s the Sybarite fl ed from C ro t o n a but d i s ap , ,

pointed o f his marriage sailed to Cyrene ; and setting out ,

f rom thence b e accompanied D o ri e u s in a trireme of his own

, ,

with a crew maintained at his own expense ; for he had been

Victorious in th e O lympian games and was the handsomest ,

of th e Greeks o f his day ; and on account of his beauty he o b

t a i n e d f rom the E g e s t aea n s what no other person ever did ,

f or having erected a shrine on his sepul chre they propitiate ,

him with sacrifices D o ri e u s then met with his death in the

.
, ,

manner above described ; but if he had submitted to be gov

erned by Cl e o m e n es and had continued in Sparta he would
, ,

have b ecome King of Laced aemon For Cl e o m e n e s did not .

reign for any length of time but died without a son leaving , ,

a daughter only whose name was Gorgo ,

.

A ri s t a g o ra s then tyrant of M iletus arrived at Sparta

, , ,

when Cl eo m en es hel d the government ; and he went to con

f er with him as the Laced aemonians say having a brazen
, ,

tablet on which w a s engraved the circum f erence of the whol e

,

earth and the whol e sea and all rivers And A ri s t a g o ra s

, , .
,

having come to a conference addressed him as follows : ,

Wonder not Cl e o m e n e s at my eagerness in coming here

, , ,

f or the circumstances that urge are such as I will describe .

That the children of I onians shoul d be slaves instead o f f ree

is a great disgrace and sorrow to us and above all others to ,

you inasmuch as you are at the h ead of Greece Now there

, .
,

f ore I adj ure you by the Grecian gods rescue the I onians
, , , ,

who are o f your own blood from servitude I t is easy f or , .

you to e ff ect this for the barbarians are not valiant ; whereas
,

you in matters relating to war have attained to the utmost

, ,

height of glory : their mode o f fighting is this with bows and ,

a short spear ; an d they engage in battle wearing loose trou ,

sers and turbans on their heads so they are easy to be over ,

come B esides there are treasures b elonging to those who

.
,

inhabit that continent such a s are not possessed by all other ,

nations together ; beginning f rom gol d there are silver b rass , , ,

variegated garments beasts of burden and slaves ; all these , ,

you may have if you will They live adj oining one another .
,

as I will S how you Next these I onians are the Lydians who
.
,

inhabit a f ertile country and abound in silver As he said ,

.

this h e showed the circum f erence o f the earth which he ,

”
brought with him engraved on a tabl et ,
Next the Lydians .
,

proceeded Ari s t ag o ra s are thes e Phrygians to the eastward

, ,
 —
49 5 1 ] A R IS T A G O R A S AN D C LE O M E N E S 29 1

w ho are the richest in cattl e and in corn o f all wit h who m

I am acquainted Next to the Phrygians are the Cappa
.

d o c i a n s whom w e call Syrians ; and bordering on them the

, ,

Cilicians extending to this sea in which the island o f Cyprus

,

is situated ; they pay an annual tribute of five hundred talents

to th e king Next to the Cilicians are these Armenians who
.
,

also abound in cattle ; and next the Armenians are th e Mati

e n i a n s w h o occupy this country ; and next them this territory
,

o f C i s s i a in which Susa is situated on this river C h o a s p e s

, ,

here the great king resides and there are his treasures of ,

wealth I f you take this city you may boldly contend with
.
,

J upiter in wealth B ut now you must carry on war for a

.

country o f small extent and not very fertil e and o f narrow , ,

limits with the M essenians w h o are your equals in valour

, , ,

and with the Arcadians and Argives who have nothing akin ,

to gol d and silver the desire of which induces men to hazard

,

thei r lives in battle B ut when an opportunity is o ff ered to

.

”
conquer all Asia with ease will you p re f er anything els e ?
,

Ar i s t a g o ra s spoke thus and Cl e o m e n es answered h im as f ol

,

lows ,
M ilesian f riend I de f er to give you an answer until
,
”
the third day O n that day th ey got so far
. When th e day .

appointed f or the answer was come and they had met at the ,

appointed place Cl eo m e n es asked Ari s t a g o ra s how many

,
’
days j ourney it was f rom the sea of the I onians to the king .

B ut A ri s t a g o ra s though he was cunning in other th ings and

, ,

had deceived him with much address made a sl ip in this ; ,

f or h e shoul d not have tol d the real fact if he wished to draw

t h e Spartans into Asia ; whereas h e tol d him plainly that it
’
was a three months j ourney up there B ut he cutting short .
,

the rest o f the desc ription which Ar i s t a g o ra s was proceeding

to give of the j ourney said : Mil esian f rien d depart from , ,

Sparta be f ore sunset ; f or you speak no agreeable language to

’
the Laced aemonians in wishing to lead them a three months
”
j ou rn ey f rom the sea C l e o m e n e s having spoken thus went
.
,

home B ut A ri s t a g o ra s taking an olive branch in his hand

.
, ,

went to th e house o f C l eo m e n e s an d having entered in as a , ,

suppliant b esought Cl eo m e n e s to listen to him having first

, ,

sent away his little chil d f or his daughter whose name was ,

Gorgo stood by him ; sh e happened to b e his only child and

, ,

was about eight or nine years of age B ut Cl e o m e n e s bade him .

say what h e would and not re f rain for the sake of the child
, .

Thereupon Ari s t a g o ra s b egan promising ten tal ents i f he

wo u l d do as he desired ; an d when Cl eo m e n e s refused A ri s t a g ,

oras went on increasing in his o ff ers until h e promised fifty ,

talents ; t h en the girl cried out Father this stranger will , ,

29 2 HER D TU
O O S — B OO K V , TE RP S I CH O RE [ 51 -

53

corrupt you unless you quickly depart C l e o m e n e s pl eased .

,

with the advice of the child retired to another apartment ; and ,

A r i s t a g o ra s l eft Sparta altogether nor coul d b e get an o p

‘

,
'

p o rt u n i t y to give further particulars of the route to the king s ’

residence .

With respect to this road the case is a s f ollows : There are ,

royal stations all along and excellent inns an d t h e whole road , ,

is through an inhabited and safe country There are twenty .

stations extending through Lydia and Phrygia and the dis ,

tance is ninety f our parasangs and a half After Phrygia the

-
.
,

river H al y s is met with at which there are gates through , ,

which it is absolutely necessary to pass and thus to cross the ,

river : there is also a considerable f ort on it When you cross .

over into Cappadocia and traverse that country to th e bor ,

,
—
ders o f Cilicia there are eight and twenty stations and one -

hundred an d f our parasangs ; and on the borders of these

peopl e you go through two gates and pass by two forts , .

When you have gone through these and made the j ourney
through Cilicia there are three stations and fifteen parasangs
,

and a hal f The boundary o f Cilicia and Armenia is a river

.

that is cross ed in boats ; it is called the Euphrates I n Ar .

menia there are fi fteen stations for resting places and fi f t y six ,
-

parasan gs and a half ; there is also a fort in the stations .

Four rivers that are crossed in boats flow through this coun
try which it is absolutely necessary to ferry over First the
,
.
,

Tigris ; then the second and third have the same name
, ,

though they are not the same river nor flow from the same ,

source For the first mentioned of these flows from the Ar

.

m e n i a n s and the latter from the M a t i e n i a n s

,
The fourth river .

is called th e Gy n d e s which Cyrus once distributed into three

,

hundred and sixty channels As you enter f rom Armenia into .

the country of M a t i e n e there are f our stations ; and from ,

thence as you proceed to th e C i s s i a n territory th ere are eleven

stations and f orty t w o parasangs and a half to the river
,
-

C h o a s p e s which also must b e crossed in boats : on this Susa

,

is built . All these stations amount to one hundred and

eleven : accordingly the resting places at the stations are so
1
,

many as you go up from Sardis to Susa Now if th e royal .

road has been correctly measured in parasangs and if th e ,

parasang is equal to thirty stades as indeed it is from Sardis , ,

to the royal palace called M emnonia is a distance of thirteen

, ,

thousand five hundred stades the parasangs b eing f our hun ,

The d e t a il
of i a bov e m e n t i o n e d gi v e s o n ly e ig h t y o n e i n s t e a d
s t a t on s - -

o f o n e h u n d re d a n d e l e v e n T h e d i s c re p a n c y c a n o n ly b e a ccou n t e d f o r
.

b y a s u p p o s e d d e f e c t i n t h e m a n u s c ri p t s
t .
2 94 HER D TU
O O S — B OO K V . T E RP S I CH O RE —
[ 5 62
8

t i c u l a rl y
l etters which in my O pinion were not before known , ,

to the Grecians At first they used the characters which all

.

the Ph oenicians make use of ; but afterward in process of ,

time together with the sound they also changed the shap e
, ,

of the letters At that time I onian Greeks inhabited the great

.

est part of the country round about them ; they having learned
these letters f rom the Ph oenicians changed them in a slight ,

degree and made use of them ; and in making use o f them

, ,

they designated them Ph oenician as j ustice required they ,

shoul d be called since the Ph oenicians had introduced them

,

into Greece Moreover the I onians from ancient time call

.
, , ,

books made of papyrus parchments because formerly from , ,

the scarcity of papyrus they used the skins of goats and sheep ; ,

and even at the present day many of the barbarians write

on such skins And I myself have seen in the Temple o f I s
.

m e n i a n Apollo at Thebes in B oeotia C a d m i a n letters engraved , ,

on certain tripods for the most part resembling the I onian

“ , .

O n e of the tripods has this inscription Amphitryon ded i ,

c a t e d me on his return from the T e l e b o a n s These must b e .

about the age o f Laius son of Labdacus son of Polydorus , , ,

son o f Cadmus Another tripod has these words in hexameter

.

verse S c aeu s a boxer having been Victorious dedicated me

, , , , ,

—
a very beautiful o ff ering to thee far darting Apollo ”
S c aeu s , , .

must have been son of H i p p o c o o n if indeed it was he who ,

made the o f f ering and not another person bearing the same
,

name as the son of H i p p o c o o n ; and must have been about

the time of ( E d i p u s son of Laius A third tripod has these , .

words also in hexameters Laodamas being a monarch , , ,

dedicated this tripod a very beauti f ul off ering to thee far , , ,

seeing Apollo During the reign o f this Laodamas son o f

.
,

Eteocles the Ca d m e a n s were expelled by the Argives and

, ,

betook themselves to th e E n c h el eae B ut the Ge p h y raea n s .

,

who were then left were afterward compelled by the B oeotians

,

to retire to Attica ; and th ey built templ es in Athens in which ,

the rest of the Athenians do not participate but they are dis ,

tinct from the other temples ; more particularly the templ e and
mysteries of the Ach aean Ceres .

I have related the vision o f H i p p a rc h u s s dream and

’
,

whence were sprung the Ge p h y raea n s o f whom were the mur ,

d e r e rs of H ipparchus ; and it is now proper to resume the

account I originally set out to relate an d show how th e
Athenians were del ivered fro m t y ran t d
)
h il e Hippias was
tyrant and embittered against the Atgl e n i a n s on account o f
,
,

W
the death o f Hipparchus the Al c m aeo n i d ae who were At h e , ,

n i a n s by extraction and were then banished by the P i s i s t rat i

,
6 2—64] P I S I S T R A T I D /E AND A LC M /E O N I D /E 29 5

d ate when they with other Athenian exiles did not succeed in
,

their attempt to e ff ect their return by f orce but were signally ,

defeated in their endeavours to reinstate themselves and lib

e ra t e Athens having f ortified L i p s y d r i u m which is above
, ,

—
P aeonia thereupon the Al c m aeo n i d ae practising every scheme ,

against the Pisistratid ae contracted with th e Amphi ctyons to ,

build the templ e which is now at D elphi but then did not ,

exist ; and as they were wealthy and originally men o f dis ,

tinction they constructed th e temple in a more beauti f ul man

,

ner than the plan required both in other respects and also , , ,

though it was agreed they shoul d mak e it o f p o ri n e stone they ,

built its f ront of Parian marble Accordingly as the At h e .

,

nia ms state these men whil e staying at D elphi prevailed on

, , ,

the Pyth ian by money when any Spartans shoul d come thither ,

to consult the oracle either on their own account or that o f ,

the publ ic to propose to them to liberate Ath ens f rom servi

,

tude The Laced aemonians when the same warning was a l

.
,

ways given them s ent A n c h i m o l i u s son of Aster a citizen

, , ,

o f distinction with an army to expel the Pisistratid ae f rom

,

At h ens though they were particularly united to them by the

,

ties o f f riendship for they considered their duty to the god

,

more obligatory than their duty to men These f orces they .

sent by sea in ships and he having touched at P h al eru m dis

, ,

embarked his army : but the Pisistratid ae having had notice ,

o f this be f orehand called in assistance f rom Thessaly for they

, ,

had entered into an alliance with t hem I n accordance with .

their request the Thessalians with one consent despatched

,

a thousand horse to their assistance and their king C i n e a s a , ,

native o f Conium When the Pisistratid ae had these auxil

.

i a ri e s they had recours e to the f ollowing plan : Having cleared

,

the plains of the P h al e rea n s and made the country p racticable ,

f or cavalry they sent the cavalry against the enemy s camp ;

’

and it having fallen on killed many of the Laced aemonians , ,

and amon g them A n c h i m o l i u s and the survivors they drove ,

to their ships The first expedition f rom Laced aemon thus got
.

o ff ; and th e tomb o f A n c h i m o l i u s is at Al o p ecae o f Attica ,

near the Templ e o f Hercules in Cynosarges A fterward th e .

Laced aemonians having fitted out a larger armament sent it

, ,

f rom Sparta having appointed King C l eo m e n e s son of Anax

, ,

a n d ri d e s commander in chief ; th ey did not however send it

, , ,

again by sea but by land O n their entrance into the A t h e

,
.

nian territory the Thessalian cavalry first engaged with them ,

and w a s soon defeated and more than f orty of th eir number ,

f ell : the survivors immediately departed straight f or Thes

sal y C l eo m e n e s having reached the city accompanied by
.
,
29 6 H E R O D O T U S —B O O K V TE RP S I CH O RE , [64 —
67

those Athenians w h o wished to be free besieged the tyrants ,

w h o were shut up in the Pelasgian fort However the Lace .

,

d aem o n i a n s would not by any means have been able to expel

the Pisistratid ae ; f or they had no intention of forming a block
ade and the Pisistratid ae were well provided with meat and
,

drink ; and after they had b esieged them for a f e w days they ,

woul d have returned to Sparta ; but now an accident hap

pened unfortunate for one party and at the same time a d
, ,

v a n t a g eo u s to the other ; for the chil dren of the Pisistratid ae

were taken as they were being secretly removed f rom the coun
try ; when thi s occurred all their plans were thrown into con
fusion ; and to redeem their children they submitted to such
, ,

terms as the Athenians prescribed so as to quit Attica within ,

five days They afterward retired to S i g e u m on the Scaman

.
,

der having governed the Athenians for thirty six years They
,
-
.

were by extraction P y l i a n s an d N e l ei d ae being sprung from , ,

th e same ancestors as Codrus and M elanthus who though , ,

f ormerly foreigners became kings o f Athens For this reason ,

.

H ippocrates gave the same name to his son in token of re ,

’
m e m b ra n c e calling him Pisistratus after Nestor s son P i s i s
,

t ra t u s Thus the Athenians were del ivered f rom tyrants ; and

.

what things worthy of recital they either did or su ff ered before

I onia revolted from Darius and A r i s t a g o ra s the Milesian ,

came to Athens to desire their assistance I shall now relate , .

Athens although it was before powerful b eing now d el i v

, ,

ered f rom tyrants b ecame still more so Two men in it had , .

great influence Clisthenes one of the Al c m aeo n i d ae who is

, , ,

reported to have prevailed with the Pythian and I s a g o ra s , ,

son of T y s a n d e r w h o was o f an illustrious family though I

, ,

am not able to mention his extraction ; his kinsmen however , ,

sacrifice to Carian Jupiter These men disputed f or power ; .

and Clisthenes being worsted gained over the peopl e to his

, ,

s ide and afterward h e divided the Athenians who consisted

, ,

of f our tribes into ten ; changing the names derived from the
, ,

sons o f I o n Gel e o n ZE g i c o re s Argades and Hoples ; and i n

, , , ,

venting names from other heroes who were all natives except ,

Aj ax ; him though a stranger h e a d d e d a s a near neighbour

, ,
'

and ally Herein I think this Clisthenes imitated his ma

.
, ,

ternal grandfather Clisthenes tyrant of Sicyon For Clis , , .

t h e n e s when h e made war on th e Argives in the first place

, ,

put a stop to the rhapsodists in Sicyon contending for prizes

i n rec i ting the verses o f Homer because the Argives and ,

Argos are celebrated in almost every part ; and i n the next

place as there was and still 15 a shrine dedicated to Adrastus
, , , ,

son of T a l au s in the very forum o f the Sicyonians he was

, ,
29 8 H E R O D O T U S—B OO K V TE RP S I CH O RE , 6 —
[ 9 72

Cl isthenes For when he had brought over to his o w n S id e

.

the whol e of the Athenian people who before had b een alien ,

ated from him he changed the names of the tribes and aug
, ,

m e n t e d their number ; and established ten phylarchs instead

of four and distributed the people into ten tribes ; and having
,

gained over the people h e became much more powerful than ,

his opponents I s a g o ra s being overcome in his turn had re

.
, ,

course to the following counterplot : H e called in C l eo m en e s

the Laced aemonian w h o had been on terms of f riendship with ,

him from the time of the siege of th e Pisistratid ae ; and b e ,

sides Cl eo m e n e s was suspected of having had intercourse with

,

the wife of I s a g o ra s First of all therefore Cl e o m e n e s send.

, , ,

ing a heral d to Athens required the expulsion o f Clisthenes , ,

and with him of many other Athenians as b eing under a ,

”
curse . H e sent this message under the instruction of I s a g
oras : for the A l c m aeo n i d ae and those of their party were , ,

accused of the following murder ; but neither he himself had

any share in it nor had his friends Those of the Athenians
, .

”
w h o were accursed obtained the name on th e following
occasion : Cyl on an Athenian had been victorious in the , ,

O lympic games ; he through pride aspired to the tyranny ; , ,

and having associated with himself a band of young men about

his o w n age attempted to seize the Acropolis and not being
, , ,

abl e to make himself master of it he seated himself as a sup ,

pliant a t the statue of the goddess The prytanes of the Nau .

e rari ,
w h o then had the administration of a ff airs in Athens ,

removed them under promise that they should not be pun

,

i s h e d with death B ut the A l c m aeo n i d ae are accused o f hav

.

ing p ut them to death These things were done before the .

time of Pisistratus .

When Cl e o m e n e s sent a heral d to require the expulsion o f

Clisthenes and the accursed Clisthenes himself withdrew B ut ,
.
,

nevertheless Cl eo m e n e s came afterward to Athens with a

,

small force and on his arrival banished seven hundred At h e

, , ,

nian families whom I s a g o ra s pointed out to him Having .

done this he next attempted to dissolve the senate and placed

, ,

the magistracy in the hands of three hundred partisans of

I s a g o ra s B ut when the senate resisted and refused to obey
. ,

C l e o m e n e s and I s a g o ra s with his partisans seized the A c ro p o , ,

lis ; and the rest of the Athenians w h o S ided with the senate , ,

besieged them two days : on the third day as many o f them ,

as were Laced aemonians l eft the country under a truce And .

thus an omen addressed to C l e o m en es was accomplished ;

, ,

f or when he went up to th e Acropolis purposing to take pos ,

session of it he approached the sanctuary of the goddess to

,
 C L IST H E N E S OF ATHE NS 2 99

consult her ; but the priestess rising from her seat b e f ore he ,

had passed the door said : Laced aemonian stranger ! retire , ,

nor enter within the precincts f or it is not lawful for Dorians ,

”
to enter here H e answered
. Woman I am not a Dorian , , ,

but an Ach aean He however paying no attention to the

.
, ,

omen made the attempt and was again compelled to with

, ,

draw with the Laced aemonians The Athenians put the rest .

in bonds for execution ; and among them Ti m es i t h e u s of D el

phi of whos e deeds both o f prowess and courage I coul d say
, , ,

much These then died in bonds After this the Athenians

.
, ,
.
,

having recalled Clisthenes an d the seven hundred families ,

that had been banished by C l e o m e n e s sent ambassadors to ,

Sardis wishing to form an alliance with the Persians ; for they

,

were assured that the Laced aemonians and C l eo m e n e s woul d

make w a r upon them When the ambassadors arrived at .

Sardis and had spoken according to their instructions Arta

, ,

p h e r n e s son o f
,
H y s t a s p e s governor o f Sardis asked w h o they , ,

were and what part o f the worl d they inhabited that they
, ,

should desire to become allies of the Persians ? An d having

been in f ormed on these points by the ambassadors he a n ,

s w e re d in few words that if the Athenians woul d give earth

and water to King Darius h e woul d enter into an alliance ,

with th em ; but if they would not give them h e commanded ,

them to depart The ambassadors having conferred together

.
, ,

said that they woul d give them b eing anxious to concl ude the ,

alliance : they however on their return hom e were greatly

, ,

blamed .

C l e o m e n e s conceiving that he had been highly insulted

,

in words an d deeds by the Athenians assembled an army ,

f rom all parts of the Peloponnesus without mentioning for ,

what purpose he assembled it ; but he both purposed to re

venge himself upon the Athenians and desired to establish ,

I s a g o ra s as tyrant f or he had gone with him out of the

,

Acropolis Cl e o m e n e s accordingly invaded the territory o f

.

Eleusis with a large force and the B oeotians by agreement , , ,

took ZE n o e and H y s i ae the extreme divisions of Attica and , ,

the Chalcidians attacked and ravaged the lands of Attica on

the other side The Athenians though in a state of doubt
.
, ,

resolved to remember the B oeotians and Chalcidians on a

f uture occasion and took up their position against the Pe lo
,

p o n n e s i a n s w h o were at Eleusis
, Wh en the t w o armies were .

about to engage the Corinthians first considering that they

, ,

were not acting j ustly changed their purpose and withdrew : ,

and afterward D e m o ra t u s son of Ariston w h o w a s also King , ,

o f the Spartans and j oined in l eading out the army f rom Lace
,
300 H E R O D O T U S— B O O K V T E RP S I CH O RE ,
—
[ 75 77

d aemon and who had never before had any di ff erence with
,

Cl eo m e n e s did the same

,
I n consequence of this division a
.

law w a s made in Sparta that the t w o kings shoul d not a e com

pany the army when it went out on foreign service ; for until
that time both used to accompany it ; and that when one o f
them was released f rom military service one o f the Tyndarid ae 1

l ikewise shoul d be l eft at home ; for b efore that time both

these also used to accompany the army as auxiliaries At that .

time the rest of th e allies perceiving that the kings of the ,

Laced aemonians did not agree and that the Corinthians had ,

quitted their post likewise took their departure This then

, .
, ,

was the f ourth time that the D orians had come to Attica hav ,

ing twice entered to make w a r and twice for the good o f the ,

Athenian people First when they settled a colony in M e

.
,

gara when Codrus w a s King of Athens that may properly

, ,

b e call ed an expedition ; a s econd and third when they were ,

sent f rom Sparta f or the expulsion of the Pisistratid ae ; and a

f ourth time when Cl eo m e n e s at the head o f the P el o p o n
, ,

n e s ian s ,invaded Eleusis Thus the Dorians then invaded .

Athens f or the fourth time .

When this army was ingloriously dispersed the At h e ,

mians desirous to avenge themselves marched first against

, ,

the Chalcidians The B oeotians came out to assist the Chal

.

c i d i a n s at the Euripus ; and the Athenians seeing the auxil ,

i a ri e s resolved to attack the B oeotians before the Chalcidians

, .

Accordingly the Athenians came to an engagement with the

,

B oeotians and gained a complete victory ; and having killed

,

a great number took seven hundred of them prisoners O n

, .

the same day th e Athenians having crossed over to Euboea , ,

came to an engagement also with the Chalcidians ; and having

conquered them also left four thousand men settlers in pos
, , ,

session of the lands of th e H i p p o b o t ae ; for the most opul ent o f

2

the Chal cidians were called H i p p o b o t ae As many o f them .

as they took prisoners they kept in prison with the B oeotians

that were taken having bound them in f etters ; but in time
,

they s et them at liberty having fixed their ransom at two ,

min ae The fetters in which they had been bound they hung
.

up in the Acropolis where they remained to my time hang

,

ing on a wall that had been much s corched by fire b y the

M ede O pposite the temple that faces the west And they dedi
,
.

c a t e d a tithe of th e ransoms having made a b razen chariot ,

with f our horses and this stands on the le ft hand as you first
,

enter the portico in the Acropolis ; and it bears the f ollowing

1
C a s t o r a n d P o ll u x , t h e g u a rd i a n d eit ies of S p a rt a .

9
Fe e d e rs o f h o rs e s .
30 2 H E R O D O T U S—B O O K V ,
T E R PS I CH O RE [8 1 8 4-

to A t t ica the y rav a ged P h a l e ru m and many villages on the

,

rest of t h e co a st : a n d in doing this they did considerable dam

age to th e A t h e m a n s .

Th e enmity th a t w a s due of ol d from the zE g i n etae to the ’

A t heni a n s proceeded from this ori g in The land o f th e Ep i .

d a u r i a n s y iel ded no fruit : the E p i d a u r i a n s therefore sent to

cons u l t th e oracl e at D elphi concerni n g this calamity The .

Pythian bade them erect statues of Damia and A u x e s i a an d ,

w he n t hey had erected th em it w ould fare b etter with them .

Th e E p i d a u ri a n s th en asked w hether th e statues shoul d b e

made of brass or sto n e ; b u t th e P y thian di d not allow it to b e
of ei t her b ut of t h e w ood of a cultivated olive Th e E p i d a u
,
.

rians there u po n r e q u es t ed t h e Athenians to p erm it them to

c u t do w n a n o l ive tree thinking that they were the most ,

sacred : a n d it is said th a t there w ere olive trees in no other

part of the w orld at t hat time The Ath enians sai d that they .

w o u l d p erm i t them on co n di t ion t hat they shoul d annually

,

bri n g victims to M i n erva Polias an d E re c t h e u s The Epi .

d a u ri a n s havi n g a g re e d to these te rms obtained what they

, ,

asked for and h a vi n g made statues f rom these olive trees

, ,

erec t ed them ; a n d t heir l and b ecame f ru itful and they ful ,

filled their engag em ents to th e Athenians At that time and .

before t h e E gi n e t m obeyed the E p i d a u r i a n s b oth in other ,

respects a n d crossi n g over to Epid a u rus th e ZE g i n etae gave

, ,

and received j ustice from one another B ut after ward hav

1
.

ing bui l t ships and havin g recourse to foolish confidence they

, ,

revol t ed from the E p i d a u ri a n s a n d b eing at variance they , ,

di d th em much damage as the y w ere masters of th e s ea ; and , ,

moreover t h ey took a w a y from th em these statues of Damia

,

and A u x e s i a an d c a rri ed them o ff an d set them up in the

, ,

in t erior of their o w n territory th e name of which is ( E a and , ,

a bout t we n t y s t ades dista n t f rom th e city Having set them .

up in t his spot th ey propitiated them with sacrifices and

, ,

derisive dances of w omen ten men b eing assign ed to each ,

deit y as l eaders of th e chorus ; and the choru ses reviled not ,

any men but t h e women of th e country Th e E p i d a u r i a n s

, .

also had such reli g ious ceremonies but their reli gi ous cere ,

monies are kept s ecr et When th es e sta tues had been stolen .
,

t h e E p i d a u r i a n s c e a sed to fulfil their engagements to the

Athe n ians Th e Athenians sent to expostulate with the Epi
.

d a u r i a n s but th e y demonstrated that th ey were not in real ity

,

gu ilt y of inj ustice ; for as long as they had th e statues in their

cou n tr y th e y fulfil led their engagements but when they had
, ,

been deprived of them it w a s not j ust that they should still

1
Th a t is ,
b ro u g h t a nd d ef e nd ed a ct on s i t h e re .
8 4 8 7]
-
T H E A T H E N IA N S A N D ZE G IN E T / E 3 3
0

pay the tribute but the y bade them deman d it of th e ZE gi n e t ae

,

w h o possessed them U pon this th e Ath enians having sent

.
,

to ZE gi n a demanded back th e statu es ; b u t the n i n e t ae made

,

answer that they had nothing to do w ith th e Athenians Th e .

Athenians say that after this demand some of t h eir citize n s

w ere sent in a singl e tri reme w h o being s ent by th e common ,

w ealth and arriving at zE g i n a att empted to drag thes e statues

,
’
,

f rom o ff th e p edestals as made f rom th eir wood in order that

, ,

they might ca rry them away ; but not b ein g able to get pos
s ession o f them in that w a y th ey thre w cords ab out th e sta tu es
, ,

and haul ed them along an d as th ey w ere hauling them thun

, ,

der and with th e thunder an ea rthquake c am e on ; an d the

, ,

crew o f the tri reme w h o were hauling them were i n co u s e

q u e n c e dep rived o f their s enses an d in this con d ition sle w on e ,

another as enemies t i ll only one of th e whol e n umb er w a s left

,

and es ca p ed to P h al e ru m Thus th e Athenians sa y that it .

happ ened ; b ut th e E g i n e t ae sa y that th e Ath enians did not

come with a s ingl e s hip ; for that they coul d e a s ily have r e
pulsed one o r a f ew more than one even though th e y had
, ,

no ships of their o w n B ut they say that th ey sail ed against

.

their terri tory with many ships an d that th ey yiel ded an d did ,

not hazard a s ea fi g h t Th ey are ho w ever unabl e to explain

-
.
, ,

this cl early w h eth er the y yiel ded b e ca us e the y were conscious

,

that th ey woul d b e inferi or in a s ea fi g h t or with the p urpos e -

,

of doing w hat they di d They sa y however that th e A t h e .

, ,

nia ms w hen no one prepared to g ive th em battle dis embarked

, ,

from th e ships an d proceeded toward the statues ; an d that

not being abl e to w rench them from their p edestals th ey then ,

threw cords round th em an d haul ed th em until th e statues ,

being haul ed di d the sam e thing ; h erein relati ng w hat is not

credibl e to me but ma y b e s o to some on e els e ; for th e y sa y
,

that th ey f ell on their knees an d have ever since continued in ,

that posture Th e ZE gi n e t ae sa y that th e Ath enians did this ;

.

but conce rning themselves that b eing in f orm ed that the A t h e ,

n i a n s were about to make w a r upon them th ey prepared the ,

Ar gi ves to assist them ; an d a ccordingl y that th e Athe n ians . ,

landed on th e territor y o f E gi n a an d that th e Argives cam e ,

to their assistance ; and that th e y crossed over to th e islan d

from Epidau ru s unperceived an d f ell upon the Ath enians u n ,

expectedly cutting o ff their retreat to th e ships ; an d at this

,

moment the thunder an d ea rthqu a ke happened Such is th e .

account g iven b y th e Ar gi ves an d n i n et ae : a n d it is a d

m i tt e d by the Ath enians that onl y on e of their numb er w a s
saved an d escaped to Attica : but the Argi ves a ff i rm that this
,

one man su rvive d wh en they destroyed th e Atti c arm y ; t h e

3 4
0 H E R OD OT U S -
B OOK V . TE R P S I CH O RE [8 7 8 9 -

Athenians on the contrary say when the deity destroyed it ;

, ,

and that this one did not survive but perished in the follow
,

ing manner : O n his return to Athens he gave an account of

the disaster and the wives of the men who had gone on the
,

expedition against ZE g i n a when they heard it b eing enraged

, ,

that he alone of the whol e number should b e saved crowded ,

round this man and piercing him with the clasps of their
, ,

garments each asked him where her own husband was ; thus
,

he died This action o f the women seemed to the Athenians

.

more dreadful than the disaster itself ; however they had no ,

other way of punishing the women : they therefore compelled

them to change their dress for the I onian For be f ore that .

time the wives o f the Athenians wore the Dorian dress which ,

nearly res embles the Corinthian ; they changed it there f ore , ,

f or a linen tunic that they might not use clasps Y et if we

, .

f ollow the truth this garment is not originally I onian but

, ,

Carian ; f or the whole ancient Grecian dress o f th e women was

th e same as that which we now call D orian I n consequence .

of this event it b ecame a custom with both the Argives and

the PE g i n e t ae to do this : to make their clasps one half larger
than th e measure be fore establ ished and that the women ,

shoul d chiefly dedicate clasps in th e temple o f these deities ;

and to bring no other Attic articl e within the temple not even ,

a pitcher ; but a law was made that they should drink there in
f uture f rom vessels of their own country Accordingly from .
,

that time the wives of the Argives and ZE g i n et ae on account ,

o f their quarrel with the Athenians continued even to my ,

time to wear clasps larger than formerly .

The origin of the enmity entertained by the Athenians

against th e ZE g i n e t ae was such as has been described At .

that time therefore when the Thebans called upon them the
, , ,

JE g i n e t ae recalling to mind what had taken place respecting

,

the statues readily assisted the B oeotians

,
The ZE g i n e t m .

therefore laid waste the maritime places of Attica and when ,

the Athenians were preparing to march against the ZE g i n e t ae ,

an oracle came from D elphi enj oining them to wait for thirty
years from the period of the inj ury committed by the ZE g i n et ae ;
and in the thirty fi rs t year after buil ding a templ e to ZE a c u s
-

, ,

to begin the war against the ZE g i n e t ae : and then they woul d

succeed according to their wishes B ut if they should march .

against them immediately they should in the meanwhile e n

,

dure mu ch an d al so inflict much ; but in the end woul d sub

due them . When the Athenians heard this answer reported ,

they erected that temple to ZE a c u s which now stands in the

f orum ; yet they could not bear to wait thirty years when they
39 6 H E R O D O T U S— B O O K V , T E RP S ICH O RE [ 91
-

92

For on this very account w e sent for Hippias w h o is here ,

present and summoned you from your cities that by common

, ,

consent and combined forces we may take him back to Athens

”
and restore to him what w e took away .

Thus these spoke ; but the maj ority o f the confederates did
not approve o f their proposition The rest kept silence but .
,

S o s i c l e s the Corinthian spoke as follows : Surely the h eav

ens will sink beneath the earth and the earth ascend aloft ,

above the heavens ; men will live in the s ea and the fishes ,

where men did before now that you O Laced aemonians abol , , ,

ish equality dissolve a commonwealth and prepare to restore

, ,

tyrannies in the cities than which there is nothing more u n ,

j ust nor more cruel among men If in truth this appears to .

, ,

you a good thing that cities shoul d b e ruled by tyrants do

, ,

you first set up a tyrant over yourselves and then attempt to ,

set them up over others B ut now while ye yourselves are .

,

altogether unacquainted with tyrannical power and watch ,

with j ealousy that such a thing shoul d not happen in Sparta ,

ye behave contemptuously toward your allies B ut if ye had .

been taught by experience as we have ye would have a better , ,

proposal to make to us than you now do The constitution o f .

the Corinthians w a s f ormerly o f this kind : it was an oligarchy ,

and those w h o were called B a cc h i a d ae governed the city ; they

intermarried only within thei r own f amily Amphion one .
,

o f these men had a lame daughter ; her name was Labda As

,
.

no one o f th e B a c c h i a d ae woul d marry her Eetion son o f , ,

E c h e c ra t e s w h o was of the district of Petra though originally

, ,

one of th e Lapith ae and a descendant of C aeneus had her

, , .

H e had no children by this wife nor by any other ; he there ,

f ore went to D elphi to inquire about having o ff spring and ,

immediately as he entered the Pythian saluted him in the fol

lowing lines : Eetion no one honours thee though worthy , ,

o f much honour Labda is p regnant and will bring f orth

.
,

a round stone ; it will f all on monarchs and will vindicate ,

Corinth . This oracle pronounced to Eetion w a s by chance

’
, ,

reported to the B a c c h i a d ae to whom a former oracle concern ,

ing Corinth was unintelligibl e and which tended to the same ,

‘
end as that o f Eetion and was in these terms : An eagl e ,

broods on rocks ; and shall bring f orth a lion strong and

1
,

carnivorous ; and it shall loosen the knees of many Now .

ponder this well ye Corinthians w h o dwell aro und beauteous

, ,
’
Pirene and frowning Corinth N ow th is which had been .
,

a n e a gl e , ks bea r a n
”
enig ma t
'
1
T h e w o rd s i bs , a n d wer p nm ,
‘
,
a er ro c ,

i ca l m e a n i n g ; the f o rm e r i n t i m a t i n g Ee t i o n , a nd th e lat ter h l S b 1rt h

p la ce Pe t ra ”
.
,
9 2 ] S PE E CH O F S O S IC LE S
3 7
0

given be fore w a s unintelligibl e to the B a c c h i a d ae ; but now

, ,

when they heard that which w a s del ivered to Eetion th ey ,

presently understood the former one since it agreed with that ,

given to Eetion And though they comprehended they k ept

.
,

it secret purposing to destroy the o ff spring that should b e

,

born to Eetion As soon as the woman brought f orth th ey

.
,

sent ten of their o w n number to the district where Eetion

lived to put the child to death and when they arrived at Petra ,

and entered the court o f Eetion th ey asked f or the chil d ; ,

but Labda knowing nothing o f the purpose for which they

,

had come and supposing that they asked for it out o f a ff e c

,

tion f or the father brought the chil d and put it into the hands
, ,

o f one o f them Now it had b een determined by them on the

.
,

way t h a t w h i c h e v e r of them shoul d first receive the child shoul d

dash it on the ground When however Labda b rought and .
, ,

gave it to one of them the child by a divine providence , , ,

smiled on th e man w h o received it ; and when h e perceived

this a feeling o f pity restrained him from killing it ; and
, ,

moved by compassion he gave it to the second and he to the , ,

third ; thus the in fant b eing handed from one to another , ,

passed through th e hands o f all the ten and not one of them ,

was willing to destroy it Having there f ore delivered the .

chil d again to its mother an d gone out they stood at the door , , ,

and attacked each other with mutual recriminations ; and espe

c i a l l y the first w h o took th e child because he had not done ,

as had been determined : at last when some time had elapsed , ,

they determined to go in again and that every one Should ,

share in the murder B ut it was f ated that misfortunes should

.

spring up to Corinth from the progeny of Eetion For Labda .

,

standing at the very door heard all that had passed ; and f ear ,

ing that they might change their resolution and having o b ,

t a i n e d th e chil d a second time might kill it she took and hi d ,

it in a place which appeared least likely to be thought o f in

, ,

a chest ; being very certain that if they should return and

come back to search th ey woul d pry everywhere ; which in , ,

f act di d happen : but when having come and made a strict

, ,

search they coul d not find th e child they resolved to depart

, ,

and tell those w h o sent them that they had done all that they
’
had commanded After this Eetion s son grew up and hav
.
, ,

ing escaped this danger the name of Cypselus was given him , ,
’
from the ch est Whe n Cypselus reached man s estate and
.
,

consulted th e oracle an ambiguous answer was given h im at ,

D elphi ; relying on which he attacked an d got possession o f ,

Corinth The oracl e w a s this : Happy this man w h o is come

.
,

down to my dwelling ; Cypselus son of Eetion King of re , ,

30 8 H E R O D O T U S— B OO K V TE RP S I CH O RE , [9 2
’
n ow n ed Corinth ; he and his children but not his children s ,
’
children Such was the oracle And Cypselus having o h
. .
,

t a i n e d the tyranny behaved himself thus : he banished many,

of the Corinthians deprived many o f their property and many

, ,

more of their life When he had reigned thirty years and .

,

ended his life happily his son Periander b ecame his successor ,

in the tyranny Now Periander at first w a s more mil d than

.

his f ather ; but when he had communicated by ambassadors

with Thrasybulus tyrant of M iletus he became far more cruel
, ,

than Cypselus For having sent a nuncio to Thrasybulus he

.
,

asked in what w a y having ordered a ff airs most securely he , ,

might best govern th e city Thrasybulus conducted the per .

son who came from Periander out of the city and going into ,

a fiel d of corn and as he went through the standing corn

, ,

questioning him about and making him repeat over again , ,

the account o f his coming from Corinth he cut o ff any ear ,

that he saw taller than the rest and having cut it o ff he threw , ,

it away till in this manner he had destroyed the best and deep
,

est o f the corn Having gone through the piece of ground

.
,

and given no message at all he dismissed the nuncio When ,

.

the nuncio returned to Corinth Periander was anxious to ,

know th e answer of Thrasybulus ; but he sai d that T h ra s y

bulus had given him no answer and wondered he should have ,

s ent him to such a man f or that he was crazy and destroyed , ,

his own p roperty relating what he had seen done by T h ra s y

,

bulus . B ut Periander comprehending the meaning of the

action and understanding that Thrasybulus advised him to
,

put to death the most eminent of the citizens thereupon e x e r ,

c i s e d all manner of cruelties toward his subj ects ; for what

ever Cypselus had left undone by killing and banishing Peri , ,

ander compl eted O n e day h e stripped all the Corinthian

.

women on account of his own wife M elissa ; f or when he sent

,

messengers to the Thesprotians on the river Ach eron to con

sult the oracl e of the dead respecting a deposit made by a
stranger M elissa having appeared said that she woul d neither
, ,

make it known nor tell in what place the deposit lay because ,

she w a s col d and naked ; f or that there was no use in the gar
ments in which he had buri ed h er since they had not been ,

b urned : an d as a proo f that she spoke truth she added that ,

Periander had put his bread into a cold oven When this an .

swer was brought back to Periander for the token was con ,

v i n c i n g to him since he had lain with M elissa after her death

, ,

he immediatel y on receiving the message made proclama

, ,

tio n that all the women of Corinth should repair to the Temple
o f Juno They accordingly went as to a festival dressed in
.
, ,
3 1 0 H E R O D O T U S— B O O K V , TE RP S I CH O RE [9 5 9-
8

this in an ode sent it to Mitylene to inform his f riend M el a n i p

,

pus of his misfortune Periander son of Cypselus reconciled .

, ,

the M i t y l e n e a n s and Athenians for they referred to him as ,

arbitrator ; and he reconciled them on these terms that each ,

should retain what they had Thus then S i g e u m became .

, ,

subj ect to the Athenians When Hippias returned from Lace

‘

d aemon to Asia he set everything in motion accusing the

, ,

Athenians f alsely to A rt a p h e rn e s and contriving every means ,

by which Athens might be subj ected to himself and Darius .

Hippias accordingly busied himself about this and the At h e ,

n ian s having heard of it s ent ambassadors to Sardis warn

, , ,

ing the Persians not to give ear to the Athenian exiles B ut .

A rt a p h e rn e s bade them if they wished to continue safe r e , ,

c e i v e Hippias back again The Athenians how ever would .

, ,

not consent to th e proposed condition ; and when they did not

consent it w a s determined openly to declare themselves ene
,

mies to the Persians .

When they were taking this resolution and were being ,

f alsely accused to the Persians at that very time A r i s t a g o ra s ,

the M ilesian having b een expelled from Sparta by C l eo m e n e s

,

th e Laced aemonian arrived at Athens ; for this city was much

,

more powerful than the rest A ri s t a g o ra s presenting himsel f .

,

b efore th e people said the same he had done at Sparta re

, ,

specting the wealth o f Asia and the Persian mode of war fare ,

how they used neither shiel d nor spear and would be easily ,

conquered He said this and in addition that the M ilesians

.
, , ,

were a colony of th e Athenians and it w a s but reasonabl e that ,

they having such great power shoul d rescue them And

, , .

there was nothing h e did not promise as being very much in ,

earnest until at length he persuaded them For it appears to

,
.

b e more easy to impose upon a multitude than one man ; since

h e was not able to impos e upon Cl e o m e n es the Laced ae monian
s ingly but did so to thirty thousand Athenians The At h e
,
.

n i a n s accordingly b eing persuaded decreed to send twenty

, ,

ships to succour th e I onians having appointed M elanthius ,

comm ander over them a citizen who was universally esteemed ,

.

These ships were the source of calamities both to Greeks and

barbarians A ri s t a g o ra s having sailed first and arrived at
.
,

M iletus had rec o urs e to a proj ect from which no advantage

,

coul d result to the I onians ; nor did he employ it for that pur
pose but that he might v ex King Darius He sent a man into
,
.

t yg i a to the P ae onians who had been carried away captive ,

by M e gab y z u s f rom the river Strymon and occupied a tract ,

in Phrygia an d a village by themselves When he reached

,
.

t h e Paeonians he spoke as follows : ,

M en of P aeonia A ri s t a g ,
 —1 0 1 IO N IA N S BURN S A R D IS
9 8 ] 3 1 1

oras tyrant o f M iletus has sent me to suggest to you a mode

, ,

of deliverance if you will take his advice For all I onia has .

revolted from the king and o ff ers you an opportunity of re,

turning safe to your o w n country ; as far as the coast take

”
care o f yourselves and we will provide for the rest
,
The .

P aeonians when they heard these words consi dered it a very

, ,

j oy f ul event and having taken with them their chil dren and
,

wives fled to the coast ; but some of them through fear re

, , ,

mained where they were When the P aeonians reach ed the .

coast they thence crossed over to Chios ; and j ust as they

,

had reached Chios a large body of Persian cavalry came on

,

their heels pursuing the P aeonians ; and when they did not
,

overtak e them sent orders to Chios to the P aeonians com

, ,

manding them to return B ut th e P aeonians did not listen .

to the proposal ; but the Chians conveyed them to Lesbos ,

and th e Lesbians forwarded them to D o ri s c u s ; thence pro

c e e d i n g on foot they reached P aeonia .

B ut A ri s t a g o ra s when the Athenians arrived with twenty

,

ships bringing with them five triremes of the Eretrians who

, ,

engaged in this expedition not out o f good will to th e At h e ,

-

n ian s ,
but of the M ilesians themselves in order to repay a ,

f ormer obligation ; for the M ilesians had f ormerly j oined the

Eretrians in th e w a r against the Chalci dians at the time when ,

the Samians assisted the Chalcidians against the Eretrians

and Milesians When these then had arrived and th e rest
.
, , ,

o f the allies had come up A r i s t a g o ra s resolved to mak e an ,

expedition to Sardis H e himself did not march with th e

.

army but remained at M iletus and appointed others as gen

, ,

e ra l s of the M ilesians his own brother C h a r o p i n u s and of the

, ,

other citizens H e rm o p h a n t u s The I onians having arrived at .

,

E phesus with this force l eft their ships at C o r e s s u s in the

, ,

Ephesian territory and they advanced with a numerous army

, ,

taking Ephesians for their gui des ; and marching by th e side

o f the river C a y s t e r f rom thence they crossed Mount T m o l u s
, ,

and reach ed and took Sardis with out opposition ; an d they

took all except the citadel but Art a p h e rn e s with a strong gar,

rison defended the citadel Th e followin g a ccident prevented .

them after they had taken the city from plundering it : M ost
, ,

of th e houses in Sardis were built with reeds ; and such o f

them as were built with bri ck had roofs of reeds A sol dier .

happened to set fire to one o f these and immediately the flame ,

spread from h ouse to house and consumed the whol e city , .

While the city w a s being burned the Lydians and as many , ,

o f the Persians as were in the city b eing incl osed on every ,

side since the fire had got possession of the extreme parts
, ,
3 1 2 H E R O D O T U S— B OO K V TE RP S I CH O RE , [ 1 0 1 —1 04

and had no means of e s c ap m g f rom the city rushed together ,

to the market place and to the river Pactolus which bringing

-

, , ,

down grains of gol d from Mount T m o l u s flows through the ,

middl e of the market place and then discharges itself into the -

river Hermus and that into the sea The Lydians and Per
, .

sians there f ore being assembled on this Pactolus and at the

, ,

market place were constrained to defend themselves : and the

-

I onians seeing some of the enemy standing on their defence

, ,

and others coming up in great numbers retired through fear ,

to the mountain called T m o l u s and thence under f avour o f the ,

night retreated to their ships Thus Sardis was burned and .

,

in it the templ e of the native goddess Cybebe ; the Persians ,

making a pretext of this afterward burned in retaliation the ,

temples of Greece As soon as the Persians w h o had settl e

.

ments on this side the river H a l y s were informed of these

things they dre w together and marched to assist th e L y d i
, ,

ans ; and they happened to find that the I onians were no

longer at Sardis but following on their track they overtook
them at Ephesus ; and the I onians drew out in battle array
against them and coming to an engagement were sorely
, ,

beaten and the Persians sl ew many of them and among other ,

persons of distinction E u al c i s general of the Eretrians who , , ,

had gained th e prize in th e contests f or the crown and ,

had been much celebrated by Simonides the Cean Those .

w h o escaped f rom the battl e were dispers ed throughout the

cities .

At that time such was the result o f the encounter After .

ward the Athenians totally abandoning the I onians though , ,

A ri s t a g o ra s urgently soli cited them by ambassadors refused ,

to send them any assistance Th e I onians b eing deprived of .

,

the alliance o f the Athenians ( for they had conducted them

selves in such a manner toward Darius from the first) never ,

t h e l e s s prepared for war with the king And having sailed to .

the Hellespont they reduced B yzantium and all the other

,
‘

cities in that quarter to their obedience Then having sailed .

out of the Hellespont they gained over to their alliance the ,

greater part of Caria ; for the city of Caunus which before ,

would not j oin their alliance when they had burned Sardis ,

came over to their side And all the Cyprians except the .
,

A m a t h u s i a n s came over to them of their own accord ; for

,

th ey too had revolted f rom the M ede on the f ollowing occa

, ,

sion : O n e s i l u s w as younger brother of Gorgus King of the ,

Salaminians and son o f C h e rs i s son of S i ro m u s son of Euel

, , ,

thon ; this man had frequently before exhorted his brother to

revolt from the king ; but when he heard that the I onians had
3 4
1 H E R O D O T U S—B OO K V , TE RP S I CH O RE [ 1 06 -
1 09

I onians seem when I was out o f their sight to have done what
, ,

they long ago desired to do ; and had I been in I onia not

one city would have stirred S u ff er me therefore to go with .
, ,

all speed to I onia that I may restore all things there to their
,

f ormer condition and deliver into your hands this lieutenant

,

of M iletus who has plotted the whole When I have done this
, .

according to your mind I swear by the royal gods not to put ,

o ff the garments which I shall wear when I go down to I onia

”
be fore I have made the great island Sardinia tributary to you .

H i s t i aeu s speaking thus deceived the king Darius was p er

, , .

s u a d e d and l et him go ; having charged him to return to him

,

at Susa so soon as he shoul d have accomplished what he had

,

promised .

While the n ews concerning Sardis was going up to the

king and Darius having done what has b een described relat
, ,

ing to the bow hel d a con f erence with H i s t i aeu s and while
, ,

H i s t i aeu s having been dismissed by Darius was on his j our

, ,

ney to the sea ; during all this time the f ollowing events took
place : Tidings were brought to O n es il u s the Salaminian as ,

he was besieging the A m at h u s i a n s that A rt y b i u s a Persian , , ,

l eading a large Persian force on shipboard was to be ex ,

p ec t e d in Cyprus O n e s i l u s having been informed

. o f this , ,

sent heralds to the di ff erent parts of I onia inviting them to ,

assist him ; and the I onians without any protracted del ibera ,

tion came with a large armament The I onians accordingly

, .

arrived at Cyprus and th e Persians having crossed over i n , ,

ships f rom Cilicia marched by land against Salamis ; but the

,

Ph oenicians in their ships doubled the promontory which ,

is called th e key o f Cyprus This having taken place the .

,

tyrants o f Cyprus having called together the generals o f the

,

I onians said : M en of I onia we Cyprians give you the

, ,

choice to engage with whichever you wish the Persians or

, ,

the Ph oenicians If you choose to try your strength with th e

.

Persians draw up on land it is time f or you to disembark f rom ,

your ships and to draw up on land and for us to go on board

, ,

your ships in order to oppose the Ph oenicians : but if yo u

,

would rather try your strength with the Ph oenicians which ,

ever o f these you choose it behooves you so to behave your ,

selves that as far as depends on you both I onia and Cyprus

”
may b e f ree To this the I onians answered : The general
.

council of the I onians has sent us to guard the sea and not ,

that having del ivered our ships to th e Cyprians we ourselves

, ,

S houl d engage with the Persians by land We therefore shall .

endeavour to do our duty in that post to which w e have b een

appointed ; and it behooves you b earing in mind what you ,
1 09 —1 1 3] THE W
A R IN C Y PR U S 3 1 5

have su ff ered under the yoke o f the M edes to p rove your ,

”
selves to be brave men The I onians made answer in thes e
.

words Afterward when the Persians had reached the plain

.
,

o f the Salaminians the Kings of the Cyprians drew up their

,

f orces in line stationing the other Cyprians against th e other

,

soldiery of the enemy but having selected the b est of the Sala
,

m i n i a n s and S o l i a n s they stationed them against th e Persians

,
.

O n e s il u s voluntarily took up his position directly against Ar

t y b i u s the general of the Persians
,
A rt y b i u s used to ride on a .

horse that had been taught to rear up against an armed enemy .

O n e s i l u s therefore having heard o f this and having as a

, , ,

shiel d bearer a Carian well skilled in matters of war and other

“
-

wise full o f courage said to this man : I am informed that

,

the horse of A rt y b i u s rears up and with his feet and mouth ,

attacks whomsoever he is made to engage with ; do you there

fore determine at once and tell me which you will watch and , ,
”
strike whether the horse or A rt y b i u s himsel f
,
H is attendant .

answered : I am ready to do both or either of them and , ,

indeed whatever you may command B ut I will declare how .

it appears to me to be most conducive to your interest A .

king and a general ought I think to engage with a king , ,

and a general For if you vanquish one w h o is a gen

.

eral your glory is great ; and in the next place if he

, , ,

shoul d vanquish you which may the gods avert to fall by , ,

a nobl e hand is but hal f the calamity ; but we servants

shoul d engage with other servants and also against a horse , ,

whos e tricks do not you fear at all f or I promise you he ,

”
shall never herea fter rear up against any man Thus he .

spoke and forthwith the forces j oined battle by land and sea
, .

Now the I onians fighting valiantly on that day defeated the

, ,

Ph oenicians at sea ; and o f these the Samians most distin

g u i s h e d themselves but on land when the armies met they , ,

engaged in clos e combat ; and the f ollowing happened with

respect to the two generals : When A rt y b i u s s eated on his ,

horse bore down upon O n es il u s O n e s i l u s as h e had con

, , ,

c e rt e d with his shiel d bearer struck A rt y b i u s himsel f as he

-

was bearing down upon him ; and as the horse was throwing
h is feet against th e shiel d of O n e s i l u s the Carian thereupon ,

struck him with a scythe and cut o ff the hors e s feet So ,

’
.

that A rt y b i u s the general of the Persians fell together with

, ,

his horse on th e spot Whil e th e rest were fighting S t es e n o r

.
, ,

w h o w a s of Curium deserted with no inconsiderable body o f

,

men ; th ese C u ri a n s are said to b e a col ony o f Argives ; and

when the C u ria n s had deserted the chariots o f war belonging ,

to the Salaminians did the same as the C u ri a n s : in c o n s e

3 1 6 H E R O D O T U S— B O O K V . T E R PS I CHO RE [ 1 13 -
1 18

q u e n c e of this the Persians became superior to th e Cyprians

and th e army being put to flight many others fell and among , ,

them O n e s il u s son of Ch e rs i s w h o had contrived the revolt

, ,

of the Cyprians and the King o f the S o l i an s A r i s t o c y p ru s son

, , ,

of P h il o c y p ru s ; o f that P h i l o c y p ru s whom Solon the At h e ,

nian when he visited Cyprus celebrated in his verses above

, ,

all tyrants N o w the A m at h u s i a n s having cut o ff the head

.
,

of O n e s i l u s becaus e h e had besieged them took it to Ama

, ,

thus and susp ended it over the gates ; and when the head
,

was suspended and had become hollow a swarm of bees e n

, ,

t e re d it and filled it with honeycomb

, When this happened .
,

the A m a t h u s i a n s consulted the oracl e respecting it and an ,

answer was given them that they should take down the head
and bury it and sacrifice annually to O n e s il u s as to a hero ;
, ,
”
and if they did so it would turn out b etter for them
,
The .

A m a t h u s i a n s did accordingly and continued to do so until ,

my time The I onians w h o had fought by sea at Cyprus

.
, ,

when they heard that the a ff airs of O n e s i l u s were ruined and ,

that the rest o f the Cyprian cities were besieged except Sala ,

mis but this the Salaminians had restored to their f ormer

,

king Gorgus ; th e I onians as soon as they learned this sailed , ,

away to I onia O f the cities in Cyprus Sol i hel d out against

.
,

the siege for the longest time ; but the Persians having u m ,

d e rm i n e d the wall all round took it in the fi fth month , .

Thus the Cyprians having been free for one year were , ,

again reduced to servitude B ut D a u ri s e s w h o had married .

,

a daughter of Darius and H y m e es and O tanes and other, , ,

Persian generals w h o also had married daughters of Darius ,

having pursued those of the I onians who had attacked Sardis ,

and having driven them to their ships when they had con ,

quered them in battle next divided th e cities among them,

selves and proceeded to plunder them Dau ri s e s directing .

,

his march toward the cities on the Hellespont took Dardanus ,

he also took Abydos P e r c o t e Lampsacus and Paes u s these

, , ,

he took each in one day B ut as he was advancing f rom P aes u s

.

against Parium n ews was brought him that the Carians hav
, ,

ing conspired with the I onians had revolted from the Per ,

sians There fore turning back from the Hellespont he led

.
,

his army against Caria Somehow news o f this was brought .

to th e Carians be f ore D a u ri s e s arrived The Carians having .

,

heard o f it assembl ed at what are called the White Columns

, ,

on th e river Marsyas which flowing from the territory of , ,

I drias falls into th e M aeander

,
When the Carians were as .

sembl ed on this spot several other propositions were made

, ,

o f which th e b est appeared to b e that of P i x o d aru s son o f ,

3 8
1 H E R O D O T U S—B O O K V T E RP S I C H O R E , [ 1 22 -
1 26

g i t h ae the remaining descendants o f the ancient Teucrians ;

,

but H y m ees himself having subdued these nations died o f , ,

disease in the Troad Thus then he died : but A rt a p h e rn e s .

,

governor of Sardis and O tanes one of the three generals ,

1
, ,

were appointed to invade I onia an d the neighbouring terri

tory of ZE o l i a O f I onia accordingly th ey took Cl a z o m e n ae ;
.
, ,

and o f the ZEolians Cyme , .

_When thes e cities were taken A r i s t a g o ra s the

2
Milesian , ,

f or he was not as it proved a man o f strong courage who

, , ,

having thrown I onia into confusion and raised great disturb ,

an c es thought of flight when he saw these results ; and b e

, ,

sides it appeared to him impossible to overcome King Darius :

,

there f ore having called his partisans together h e conferred

, ,

with them saying that it woul d be better f or them to have

,
‘

some sure place o f re f uge in case they shoul d be expelled

f rom M il etus He asked therefore whether he should lead
.
, ,

them to Sardinia to found a colony or to M y rc i n u s o f the

, ,

E d o n i a n s which H i s t i aeu s had begun to fortify having re

, ,

c e i v e d it as a gift f rom Darius However th e opinion of .

,

H e ca t aeu s the historian son of H e g es a n d e r was that they , ,

should s et out for neither o f these places but that having , ,

built a f ortress in the island of Leros they should remain ,

quiet i f they were compelled to quit Miletus and that at some

future time proceeding from thence they might return to
, ,

M iletus This w a s the advice o f H ec a t ae u s B ut A ri s t a g o ra s

. .

himself was decidedly in f avour of proceeding to M y rc i n u s

he there f ore intrusted M il etus to Pythagoras a citizen o f dis ,

tinction and he himself taking with him all who were will
, ,

ing sailed to Thrace and took possession o f the region to

, ,

which he w a s bound B ut setting out from thence both .

,

A ri s t a g o ra s himsel f and all his army p erished by the hands o f

Thracians as he w a s laying siege to a city and the Thracians ,

were willing to depart on terms o f capitulation .

1
T h e t w o o t h e rs w e r e D a u r i s e s a n d H y m e e s .

T h e re a d e r w ill o b s e rv e t h a t t h e s e n t e n ce i s b ro k e n a nd i m p e rf e c t ; it
is s o i n t h e o r igi n a l .
 B O O K VI

E RA T O

R I S T A GO RAS having induced the I onians to revolt

, ,

thus died ; and H i s t i aeu s tyrant o f M iletus having , ,

been d i s m i s s e d b y Darius repaired to Sardis When , .

he arrived from Susa A rt a p h ern es governor o f , ,

Sardis asked h im for what reason he supposed th e I onians

,

had revolted H i s t i aeu s sai d h e did not know an d s eemed

.
,

surprised at what had happened as if he in truth knew noth ,

ing o f the present state of a ff airs B ut A rt a p h e rn e s p e rc e i v

.
,

ing that he w a s dissembling an d being aware of the exact ,

truth as to the revolt said : H i s t i aeu s the state o f th e case

, ,
”
is this : you made the shoe and A ri s t a g o ra s has put it on .

A rt a p h e rn es spoke thus concerning the revolt : but H i s t i aeu s ,

f earing A rt a p h e rn e s as being privy to the truth as soon as

, ,

night came on fled to the coast having deceived King Darius ; ,

f or having promised to reduce the great island o f Sardinia ,

he insinuated himsel f into the comman d o f th e I onians in the

war against Dari u s Having crossed over to Chios h e was
.
,

put in chains by the Chians b eing susp ected by them o f plan

,

n i ng some new design aga i nst them i n f avour o f Darius .

However the Chians having learned th e whole truth and

, , ,

that he was an enemy to the king released him At that time , .

H i s t i aeu s b eing questioned by th e I onians w h y he had so ear

n e s t l y pressed A r i s t a g o ra s to revolt from the king and had ,

wrought so much mischie f to the I onians he by no means ,

made known to them the true reason ; b ut tol d them that

King Darius had resolved to remove the Phoenicians and
settle them in I onia and the I onians in Phoenicia ; and for
,

this reason he had pressed him Although the king had .

f ormed no resolution of the kind he terrified the I onians , .

After this H i s t i aeu s corresponding by means of a messenger

, , ,

H e rm i p p u s an At a rn i a n sent l etters to certain Persians in

, ,

Sardis as if they had before conferred with him on the subj ect
,

of a revolt B ut H e rm i p p u s di d not del iver the letters to the

.

persons to whom he had been sent but put t h em into the ,

319
32 0 H E R O D O T U S— B O O K VI , E RAT O [4
-
8

hands o f Art a p h e rn e s ; h e having discovered all that was ,

going on commanded H e rm i p p u s to deliver the letters of His

,

t i aeu s to the persons for whom he brought them and to de ,

liver to him the answers that shoul d b e sent back to H i s t i aeu s

f rom th e Persians Thus they being discovered A rt a p h e rn e s
.
,

thereupon put many of the Persians to death ; and in c o n s e

q u e n c e there w a s a great commotion in Sardis H i s t i aeu s .

b eing disappointed o f these hopes the Chians conveyed him ,

to M il etus at his own request ; but the M ile si a ns delighted at ,

being ri d of A r i s t a g o ra s were by no means desirous to receive ,

another tyrant into their country as they had tasted of free ,

dom Thereupon H i s t i aeu s going down to M iletus by night

.
, ,

endeavoured to enter it by force but was wounded in the thigh ,

by one of the M ilesians When h e was repulsed from his own .

country he went back to Chios and from thence since he

, , ,

could not persuade the Chians to furnish him with ships h e ,

crossed over to Mitylene and prevailed with th e Lesbians to ,

furnish him with ships ; and they having manned eight tri ,

remes sailed with H i s t i aeu s to B yzantium There taking up

,
.

their station they took all t h e s h i p s that sailed out o f the Pon
, ,

tus except such of them as said they were ready to submit to

,

H i s t i aeu s .

H i s t i aeu sthen and the M i t yl e n i a n s acted as above de

, ,

scribed B ut a large naval and land force w a s expected against

.

M iletus itsel f For the Persian generals having united their

.
,

forces and form ed one camp marched against M iletus deem , ,

ing the other cities of less consequence O f the maritime .

f o r c es t h e Ph oenicians were the most z e a l o u s a n d the Cyprians

, , ,

w h o had been lately subdued served with them and the Cili , ,

c ian s and Egyptians They then advanced against M iletus

, .

and the rest of I onia but th e I onians having heard of this , ,

s ent their respective deputies to the P a n i o n i u m and when ,

they arrived at that place and consulted together it was de ,

t e rm i n e d not to ass embl e any lan d forces to oppose the Per

sians ; but that th e Milesians themselves shoul d defend the
walls ; and that they shoul d man their navy without leaving ,

a singl e s h i p b e h i n d ; and after they had manned them to

'

assemble as soon as possible at Lade to figh t in defence o f ,

M iletus Lade is a small island lying o ff the city of the Mile

. .

sians After this the I onians came up with their ships manned
.
,

an d with them the ZE o l i a n s w h o inhabit Lesbos ; and they

formed their line in the f ollowi ng order : The M il e s i an s t h e m
selves w h o furnish ed eighty ships occupied the east wing ;
, ,

and next to these the P ri e n i a n s with twelve ships and the ,

M y u s i a n s with three ; the Teians were next to the My u s i an s ,

3 2 2 H E R O D O T U S—B OO K V I, E RAT O [ 1 1 —1 3

away slaves : now then if you are willing to undergo hard

, ,

ships for the present you will have toil but will be enabl ed
, , ,

by overcoming your enemies to be free ; on the other hand , ,

i f you abandon yourselves to ease and disorder I have no ,

hope of you that you will escape punishment at the hands

of the king for your revolt B ut be persuaded by me and i n .
,

trust yourselves to my guidance and I promis e you if the , ,

gods are impartial either that our enemies will not fight us
,

at all or if they do fight with u s they shall b e completely

, ,
”
beaten The I onians having heard this intrusted themselve s
.
,

to the guidance of D ionysius ; and he daily l eading out the ,

ships into a l ine when he had exercised the rowers by pra e

, ,

t i s i n g the man oeuvre of cutting through one another s line

’
,

and had put the marines under arms kept the ships at anchor , .

f or the rest of the day : thus he subj ected the I onians to toil
throughout the day Accordingl y for seven days they con .
,

t i n u e d to obey and did what w a s ordered ; but on the follow

,

ing day the I onians unaccustomed to such toil and worn , ,

down by hardships and the heat of the sun spoke one to a n ,

other as follows : What deity having o ff ended do we fill up ,

this measure o f a ffliction w e w h o being beside ourselves and

?
,

having lost our senses have intrusted ourselves to the guid ,

ance of a presumptuous Phoc aean w h o has contributed three ,

ships ; but he having got us under his control a fflicts us with

, ,

intolerable hardships Many of us have already fallen into .

distempers an d many must expect to meet with the same fate

,
.

I nstead of th es e evils it were b etter for us to su ff er any ,

thing else and to endure the impending servitude be it what

, ,

it may than b e oppressed by the present Come then let us

,
.
, ,
”
no longer ob ey him Thus they spoke and from that mo
.
,

ment no one woul d ob ey ; b ut having pitched tents on the

island th ey continued under the shade and woul d not go
, ,

on board the ships or perform their exercise The generals .

of the Samians observin g what w a s passing among the I oni

ans and at the same time seeing great disorder among them
, ,

thereupon accept e d the proposal of ZE a c e s son o f S y l o s o n , ,

which he had before sent them at the desire of th e Persians ,

exhorting them to abandon the confederacy o f the I onians ;

and moreover it was cl early impossible f or them to overcome
, ,

the power of the king because they were convinced that if ,

th ey shoul d overcome Darius with his present fleet another

fi v e times as large woul d come against them There f ore lay .

ing hold of this pretext as soon as they saw the I onians re ,

fusing to behave well they deemed it for their advantage to

preserve their own buildings sacred and profane This ZE a c es ,
.
,
 —
1 3 1 7] IO N IA N F LE E T D E F E AT E D 23

f rom whom the Samians received the proposal was son o f ,

S y l o s o n son of ZE a c e s ; and being tyrant of Samos had been

, ,

deprived of his government by A ri s t a g o ra s the Milesian as the ,

other tyrants of I onia .

When therefore the Ph oenicians sailed against them t h e

, , ,

I onians also drew out their ships in line to oppos e them ; but
when they came near and engaged each other after that I am ,

unable to affi rm with certainty w h o of the I onians proved

themselves cowards or brave men in this sea fi g h t ; for they -

mutually accuse each other The Samians however are said .

, ,

at that momen t to have hoisted sail in pursuance of their ,

agreement with ZE a c es an d steered out of t h e l ine to Samos

, ,

with the exception of eleven ships the captains o f these stayed

and fought refusing to ob ey their commanders ; and f or this
,

action the commonwealth of the Samians conferred upon them

the honour of having their names and ancestry engraved on
a column as having proved themselves valiant men ; an d this
,

col umn now stands in the forum The Lesbians also s eeing .
,

those stationed next them fl ee did the same as the Samians ; ,

and in like manner most of the I onians followed their exam

ple O f those that persisted in the battl e th e Chians were
.
,

most roughly handled as they displaye d signal proo f s of ,

valour and woul d not act as cowards They contributed as

, .
,

has been before mentioned one hundred ships and on board , ,

each of them f orty chosen citizens serving as marines ; and

though they saw most o f the con f ederates abandoning the
common cause they disdained to f ollow the exampl e of their
,

treachery ; but choosing rather to remain with the few allies ,

they continued the fight cutting through th e enemies l ine ,

’

until after they had taken many o f the enemies ships they
,
’

lost most of their o w n The Chians then fl ed to their own .

country with the remainder of their fleet Thos e Chians whose .

ships were disabled in the fight when they were pursued took , ,

re f uge in M y c a l e ; and having run their ships aground le ft ,

them there an d marched overland through the continent ;

,

but when the Chians on their return entered the territory of

Ephesus and arrived near the city by night at a tim e when
, ,

the women there were celebrating th e Thesmophoria ; the

Ephesians thereupon not having before heard how it had ,

fared with th e Chians and seeing an army enter their terri,

tory thinking they were certainly robbers an d were come

, ,

to seize their women rushed out in a body and slew the ,

Chians Such w a s the fate they met with Dionysius the

. .

Phoc aean when h e perceived that the a ff airs of the I onians

,

were utterly ruined having taken three o f the enemies ship s

,
’

,
 2 HER D TU
O O S— B O O K V I, E RAT O [ 17 21
3 4
-

sailed away not indeed to Phoc aea well knowing that it woul d
, ,

b e enslaved with the rest of I onia but sailed directly as he , ,

was to Ph oenicia ; and there having disabled so me merchant

,
.

men and obtained great wealth he sailed to Sicily ; and sally

, ,

ing out from thence he established himself as a pirate a ttack

, ,

ing none of the Grecians but only th e Carthaginians and ,

Tyrrhenians .

The Persians when they had conquered the I onians in the

,

sea fi g h t besieging M iletus both by land and sea and under

-

, ,

mining the walls and bringing up all kinds of military engines

,

against it took it completely in the sixth year after the re

, ,

volt o f A r i s t a g o ra s and they reduced the city to slavery so ,

that the event coincided with the oracle del ivered concerning
M iletus For when the Argives consulted th e oracle at D elphi
.

respecting the preservation of their city a double answer was ,

given ; part concerning themselves and the addition the Py t h ,

ian uttered concerning the Mil esians The part re l at i n g t o .

'

the Argives I will mention when I come to that part o f the

history ; the words she uttered relative to the M ilesians who ,

were not present were as follows : Then M iletus contriver

, ,

of wicked deeds thou shalt b ecome a feast and a rich gift to

,

many : thy wives shall wash the feet of many long haired mas -

”
ters and our templ e at D i d y m i shall be tended by others
, .

Thes e things b efell the M ilesians at that time for most o f the ,

men were killed by the Persians w h o wear long hair ; and ,

their women and children were treated as slaves ; and th e

sacred inclosure at D i d y m i both th e temple and the shrine , ,

were pillaged an d burned O f th e riches in this temple I have

.

f requently made mention in other parts of my history Such .

o f the M il esians as were taken alive were afterward conveyed

to Susa ; and King Dariu s without having done them any ,

harm s ettled them on that which is called the R ed Sea in the

, ,

city of Ampe near which the Tigris flowing by f alls into

, , ,

the sea O f th e M ilesian territory the Persians themselves

.
,

retained the parts round the city and the plain ; the moun ,

t a i n o u s parts they gave to the Carians of Pedasus to occupy .

When the M ilesians su ff ered thus at the hands of the Per

s ians the Sybarites who inhabited Laos and S c y d ru s hav
, , ,

ing been deprived of their country did not show equal sym ,

pathy For when Sybaris was taken by the C ro t o n i a n s all

.
,

the M il esians of every age shaved their heads and displayed

marks o f deep mourning ; for these two cities had been more
strictly united in friendship than any others we are acquainted
with The Athenians b ehaved in a very di ff erent manner ; for
.

the Athenians made it evident t h at they were excessively

32 6 H E R O D O T U S—BO O K VI , E RAT O [ 2 3 27 -

death ; the Samians however woul d not do this Scythes

, , .
,

King of the Z a n c l aea n s made his escape from I n y c u m to ,

H imera and from thence passed over into Asia and went up
, ,

to King Darius Darius considered him th e most j ust of all

.

the men who had come up to him from Greece For having .

asked p ermission of the king he went to Sicily and returned , ,

back f rom Sicily to the king and at last being very rich died , , ,

among the Persians of old age Thus the Samians being .

,

f reed from the M edes gained without toil the very beautiful
,

city o f Zancle After the sea fi g h t which took place o ff M ile

.
-

tus the Ph oenicians by order of the Persians conveyed

, , ,

ZE a c e s son of S y l o s o n to Samos as one w h o had deserved

, , ,

much at their hands an d had per f ormed great services The .

Samians were the only peopl e o f those that revolted f rom

Darius whose city and sacred buildings were not burned on ,

account of the defection of th eir ships in the sea fi g h t Milet u s -

.

being taken the Persians immediately got possession of Caria ;

,

some of th e cities having submitted of their own accord and ,

others they reduced by f orce Now thes e things happened .

th u s .

Whil e H i s t i aeu s the M ilesian w a s n ear B yzantium inter ,

c e p t i n g the trading ships of the I onians that sailed out o f th e

Pontus news w a s brought him of what had taken place at

,

M iletus ; he therefore intrusted his a ff airs on the Hellespont

to B i s al t e s son of A p o l l o p h a n e s of Abydos and h e himself
, , ,

having taken the Lesbians with him sail ed to Chios and e n , ,

gaged with a garrison o f Chians that would not admit him at , ,

a place called C oeli in the Chian territory : and he killed great

numbers o f them ; and the rest of th e Chians as they had ,

—
been much shattered b y the sea fi g h t H i s t i aeu s with the Les , ,

b ians got the mastery o f setting out from P ol i c h n e of the

, ,

Chians The deity is wont to give some previous warning

.

when any great calamities are about to befall any city or na

tion an d b efore these misfortunes great warnings happened
,

to the Chians For in the first place when they sent to Delphi
.
, ,

a band of one hundred youths only two of them returned ,

home but the remaining ninety —eight a pestilence seized and

,

carried o ff : in the next place about the same time a little , ,

before the sea fi g h t a house in th e city fell in upon some boy s

’

as they were l earning to read so that of one hundred and ,

twenty boys only one escaped These warnings the deity .

showed them be f orehand After this the sea fi g h t f ollowing .

,
-

—
threw th e city prostrate ; and after the sea fi g h t H i s t i mu s
with the Lesbians came upon them ; and as the Chians had
been much shattered he easily reduced them to subj ection
, .
28 —31 ] D E AT H O F H I S T I/E US 27

From thence H i s t i ae u s proceeded to attack T h a s u s with a large

body of I onians and ZE o l i a n s ; and whil e he w a s b esieging
T h a s u s news came that the Ph oen icians were sailing from
M iletus against the rest of I onia When he heard this h e .
,

left T h a s u s untaken and himself hastened to Lesbos with all

,

his forces ; and from Lesbos b ecause his army w a s su ff ering ,

f rom want h e crossed to the opposite shore for the purpose

,

of reaping the corn of At a rn e u s an d the plain o f C a i c u s which ,

belonged to the Mysians B ut H a rp a g u s a Persian general .

, ,

o f a considerabl e army happ ened to b e in those parts ; h e

,

engaged with him a fter his landing took H i s t i aeu s himsel f ,

pr i soner and destroyed th e greater part of his army

,
.

H i s t i aeu s w a s thus taken prisoner Wh en the Greeks were .

fighting with the Persians at Mal ene in the district Of Atar ,

neus they maintained their ground for a long time b ut the

, ,

cavalry at length coming up fell upon the Greeks ; then it ,

w a s the work of th e cavalry ; and when the Greeks had b e

taken themselves to flight H i s t i aeu s hoping that h e shoul d , ,

not be put to death by the king for his present o ff ence con ,

c e i v e d such a desire o f preserving his l ife that when in his

flight he w a s overtaken by a Persian an d b eing overtaken w a s ,

on the point o f being stabb ed by him h e speaking in the Per ,

sian language discovered himself to b e H i s t i ae u s the M ilesian

, .

Now if when h e w a s taken prisoner h e had been conducted

, ,

to King Darius in my O pinion h e would have su ff ered no

, ,

punishment and the king would have f orgiven him his f ault
, .

B ut now f or this very reason an d lest by escaping he shoul d

, ,

again regain his influence with the king A rt a p h e rn e s gov , ,

e rn o r of Sardis and H a rp a g u s , w h o received him as soon as ,

h e was conducted to Sardis impaled his body on th e spot , ,

and having embalmed th e head sent it to Darius at Susa , .

Darius having heard o f this and having blamed thos e that ,

had done it because they had not brought him al ive into his
,

presence gave orders that having washed and adorned th e

, ,

head o f H i s t i aeu s they shoul d inter it honourably as the re

, ,

mains o f a man w h o had been a great bene f actor to himsel f

and th e Persians Such w a s th e fate of H i s t i aeu s
. .

The naval force of the Persians having wintered near M ile

tus when it set sail in the second year easily subdued th e
, ,

islands lying near the continent Chios Lesbos and Tenedos : , , ,

and when they took any one of these islands the barbarians , ,

as they possessed themselves o f each netted the inhabitants , .

They net them i n this manner : Taking one another by the

hand t h ey extend from the northern to th e southern sea an d
, ,

so march over t h e island h u nting o u t the inhabitants T h ey

, .
3 3
2 H E R O D O T U S —B O O K V I, E RAT O 1 31
-

35

also took the I onian cities on the continent with the same
c a s e ; but they did not net the inhabitants for that was i m ,

possible Then the Persian generals did not belie the threats
.

which they had uttered against the I onians when arra y ed

against them For when they had made themselves masters
.

of the cities they selected the handsomest youths and cas

, ,

t ra t e d them an d made them eunuchs instead o f men and th e

, ,

most beautiful virgins they carried away to the king ; this

they did and burned th e cities with the very temples Thus
, .

the I onians were for the third time reduced to slavery : first
by the Lydians then twice success ively by the Persians Th e
, . .

naval force departing from I onia reduced all the places on ,

the left of the Hell espont as one sails in ; for the places on
the right being on the continent had already b een subdued
, ,

by the Persians The f ollowing places on the Hell espont are

.

in Europe : th e Chersonese in which are many cities Perin , ,

thus and th e fortified towns toward Thrace and S el y b ri e and

, , ,

B yzantium The B yzantians however and the C h al c e d o n i

.
, ,

ans o n the opposite side did not wait the coming o f the Ph oe ,

n i c i a n fleet ; but having abandoned their country went i n ,

ward to the Euxine and there founded the city o f M esam ,

bria B ut the Ph oenicians having burned down the places

.
,

above mentioned bent thei r course to P ro c o n n e s u s and , ,

Artace and having devoted these also to flames sailed back

, ,

again to the Chersonese for the purpose of destroying the ,

rest o f the cities which when they passed near them before , , ,

they had not laid waste Against Cyzicus they did not sail at .

all for th e C y z i c e n i a n s had of their o w n accord submitted

,

to the king before the arrival of the Ph oenicians having c ap i t u ,

lated with CE b a re s son of M e g a b y z u s governor of D a s c y l i u m

, , .

All the other cities of the Chersonese except Cardia the Ph oe , ,

n i c i a n s subdued .

Till that time M iltiades son o f Cimon son of St e s a g o ra s , , ,

was tyrant of thes e cities M iltiades son o f Cyps elus having , , ,

f ormerly acquired this government in the follo wi ng manner :

The Thracian D o l o n c i possessed this Chersonese ; these Do
l onci then b eing pressed in war by the A p s y n t h i a n s sent
, , ,

their kings to D elphi to consult the oracle concerning the

w a r ; the Pythian answered them that they shoul d take that
man with th em to their country to found a colony who after ,

their departure from the temple should first o ff er them hos

p i t al i t y.Accordingly the D o l o n c i going by the sacred way , , ,

went through the territories of the Phocians and B oeotians ,

and when no one invited them turned out of the road toward ,

A t hens At that tim e Pi s is t ratu s had th e supreme p ower at

.
330 H E R O D O T U S— B O O K V I, E R A TO

his property to St e s a g o ra s son o f Cimon his brother by the , ,

same mother And when he was dead the C h e rs o n e s i a n s sacri

.

fi c e d to him as is usual to a f ounder and instituted eques

, ,

trian and gymnasti c exercises in which no L am p s a c e n i a n is ,

p ermitted to contend The war with the L am p s a c e n i a n s still

.

continuing it also befell S t e s a go ra s to die childless ; being

,

stricken on the head with an axe in the Prytaneum by a man ,

who in pretence was a deserter but was in fact an enemy and , ,

that a very vehement one .

St e s a g o ra s having died in that manner the Pisistratid ae ,

thereupon sent M iltiades son of Cimon , and brother o f Ste ,

s a g o ra s who had died with one ship to the Chersonese to as , ,

sume the government ; they had also treated him with kind
ness at Athens as i f they had not been parties to the death
,

of his father Cimon the particulars of which I will relate in

another place Miltiades having arrived in the Chersonese
.
,

kept himsel f at home under colour of honouring the memory

of his b rother S t es a g ora s ; but the Ch e rs o n e s i a n s having heard
o f this the principal persons o f all the cities assembled to
,

gether f rom every quarter and having come in a body with , ,

the intention o f condoling with him were all thrown into ,

chains by him Thus M iltiades got possession o f the Cher

.

s on es e maintaining five hundred auxiliaries and married

, ,

H e g e s i p y l e daughter o f O l o ru s King o f the Thracians This

, ,
.

Miltiades son of Cimon had latel y arrived in the Chersonese ;

, ,

and after his arrival other di f fi culties greater than th e present , ,

be f ell him For in the third year before these things he fl ed

.

f rom the Scythians ; f or the Scythian nomads having been ,

.

p rovoked by King Darius had assembled their f orces and ,

marched as far as this Chersonese : M iltiades not daring to ,

wait their approach fled from the Chersonese until the Scyth , ,

ians d eparted and the D o l o n c i brought him back again

,
.

Thes e things ha p pened in the third year b e f ore the present

a ff airs M iltiades having heard that the Ph oenicians were at
.
,

Tenedos loaded fiv e triremes with th e property h e had at

,

hand and sailed away f or Athens ; and when he had set out
,
.

f rom the city o f Cardia h e sailed through the Gul f o f M elas , ,

and as he was passing by the Chersonese the Phoenicians f ell ,

in with his ships Now Miltiades himself escaped with four

.

of the ships to I m b ru s b u t the fifth the Ph oenicians pursued ,

and took : o f this ship M et i o c h u s the eldest of the sons of , ,

M iltiades not by the da u ghter o f O l o ru s the Thracian but

, ,

by another woman happened to b e commander and him the , ,

Ph oenicians took together with the ship When they heard .

t h at h e was son of M iltiades they took him up to the king , ,

 41 -

44 ] F I R S T I N VA S I O N O F G RE E CE 33 1

thinking that t h ey shoul d obtain great favour f or t h emselves ,

because M iltiades had given an opinion to the I onians a d v i s

ing them to comply with the Scythians when th e Scythians ,

requested th em to loose the bridge and return to thei r own

country B ut Darius when the Ph oenicians had taken M etio
.
,

chus son o f M iltiades up to him did h im no inj ury but

, , , ,

many favours ; for he gave him a house an d estate and a Per ,

sian wi f e by whom he had children who were reckoned

, ,

among the Persians B ut M iltiades arrived at Athens f rom .

I mbros .

D uring t h is year nothing more was done by the Persians

relative to the war with the I onians ; on the contrary the f ol ,

lowing things were done in this year which were advantageous

to the I onians : A rt a p h e rn es governor o f Sardis having sent , ,

f or deputies from th e cities compelled the I onians to enter ,

into engagements among themselves that they would submit ,

to legal decisions and not commit depredations one u pon a n

,

other This h e compelled them to do and having meas u red

.
,

their lands by parasangs which name the Persians give to ,

thirty stades having measured them into these h e impose d ,

tributes on each which have continued th e same f rom that

,

time to th e present as they were imposed by A rt ap h e rn es and

,

they were imposed nearly at the same amount as they had been
b e f ore These . things then tended to p eace I n the begin .

ning o f the spring the other generals having been dismissed

,

by t h e king M a rd o n i u s son o f Go b ry a s went down to the

, , ,

coast taking with him a very large land army and a numer
,

ous naval f orce : he was young in years and had lately mar ,

ried King Darius s daughter A rt a z o s t ra M a r d o n i u s lead

’
.
,

ing this army when he arrived in Cilicia having gone in

'

, ,

person on board ship proceeded with the rest o f the fleet but , ,

the other generals led th e land army to the Hellespont When .

Asia reached I onia there h e did a , ,

n t i o n it will be a matter of very great ,

those Grecians w h o can not b elieve that

the seven Persians gave an O pinion that it ,

was right f or the Persians to b e governed by a democracy ; f or

M a rd o n i u s having deposed th e tyrants o f the I onians estab
, ,

l i s h e d democracies in the cities Having done this he hastened .

,

to the Hellespont And wh en a vast body o f ships and a n u

.
,

m e ro u s lan d army was assembled having crossed th e Helles ,

pont in ships they marched through Europ e and directed

,

their march against Eretria and Athens Thes e cities i n .

,

deed were the pretext of the expedition ; b ut purposing to

,

subdue as many Grecian cities as they co u ld i n t h e firs t p l ac e ,

332 HE R O D OT U S -
B OO K V I, E R AT O

t h ey e du c ed t h e Thas i a ns wit h t h e i r flee t wh o did not even

r ,

ra is e a h a n d to r es i s t t he m a nd i n t h e next place w ith t h eir

l a nd f o rc es the y en s lav ed t h e Ma c edonians in addition to those ,
‘

t h a t w e re b efore s u bj e ct to them ; for all the nations on this

s i d e of t h e M a cedo nia n s w er e already u nder t h eir power Then .

c ros s i ng ov er f ro m T h as u s they coasted along t h e c onti nent

,

as fa r as A ca nth u s : an d proceeding from Acanthus t h ey e n ,

d eavo u red t o d ou b le Mount Athos but a viol ent and irre ,

s i s t i b l e no rt h wind falling upon them as they were sailing

ro u nd very roughly dealt with a great number o f the ships by
,

d ri vi ng them against Athos : for it is said that as many as

t h ree hundred ships were destroyed and upward of twenty ,

thousand men ; for as this sea around Athos abounds in mon

,

s t e rs , some o f them were seized and destroyed by these mon

s t e r s ; and others were dashed against the rocks others knew ,

not how to swim and so perished and others from cold Such ,
.
,

then w as the f ate of the naval f orce M a rd o n i u s and the land

, .

f o rces while encamped in Macedonia the Thracian B ry g i

, ,

a ttacked in the night ; and the B r y g i sl ew many of them and ,

w ound e d M a rd o n i u s himself Nevertheless even they d i d not

.
,

e sca p e slavery at the hands of th e Persians ; for M a r d o n i u s

d i d n ot quit those parts before he had reduced them to subj e e

t ion . Having subdued them he led his army back again , ,

h aving su ff ered a disast er with his land forces f rom the B ryg i ,

and with his navy a greater one near Athos Accordingly .

,

this armament having met with such disgrace f ul reverses

, .

retreated into Asia .

I n the second year after t h ese events t h e T h asians havi ng ,

b een accused by their neighbours o f designing a rev olt Darius ,

sent a messenger and commanded them to demolish th eir

walls and to transport their ships to Abdera For the Tha
, .

sians having been besieged by H i s t i aeu s the M ilesian an d

, ,

having large revenues applied th eir wealth in building ship s

,

o f w a r and fo rtifying their city with a stronger wall Their .

revenues arose both from the continent and from their mines :
f rom the gol d mines of S c ap t e Hyl e proceeded in all eight y -

t alents yearly and from those in T h a s u s l ess indeed than that

,

a mount yet so much that as they were exempt f rom taxes

, ,

on the produce of the soil there came in to th e Thasians in all

, ,

from the continent a n d the mines a reve n ue of t w o hundred ,

t alents yearly ; and w h en the greatest qua n tity came in three ,

hundred tal ents 1I m yself have seen th es e mines ; and by

.

far th e most won derful o f them are those w h i ch the Ph oenicians

'

discovered who w i t h T h a s u s colonized t h i s island which on

, ,

that O ccasi on t ook it s name fro m th i s Thas u s the Ph oenician .

334 H E R O D O T U S—B O OK VI , E R AT O [ 5 1 -

53

but somehow the family o f Eurysthenes was more h onoured ,

on account of seniority .

For the Laced aemonians agreeing with none o f the poets , ,

a fli rm that Aristodemus himself son of Aristomachu s son , ,

of Cleod aeus son of Hyllus being king brought them to the

, , ,

country which they now inhabit and not the sons of Aris ,

t o d em u s And that after no long time Aristodemus s wife ’

.
,

whose name was Argia brought forth : they say that she w a s ,

daughter o f A u t e s i o n son of Ti s a m e n e s son of Thersander

, , ,

son o f Polynices ; and that sh e bore twins ; and that Aris

t o d em u s having looked on the children died of disease : that
, ,

th e Laced ae monians of that day resolved according to cus ,

tom to make th e eldest of the children king ; but they knew

,

not which to choose since they were alike an d of equal size

, .

B eing unabl e t o determine they then or perhaps be f ore asked , , ,

the mother ; she replied that she herself was unabl e to dis
t in gu is h She sai d this although she knew V ery well but
.
, ,

was desirous if it were possible that both shoul d b e made

, ,

kings That the Laced aemonians were consequently in doubt

.
,

and being in doubt sent to D elphi to inquire of the Oracl e

,

what they should do in the matter They add that the Pythian . .

bade them consider both th e chil dren as kings ; but to hon

our the eldest most : this answer th e Pythian gave them ; but
the Laced aemonians being still in doubt how they should
,

discover the el dest of them a M essenia n whose name was , ,

P a n i t e s made a suggestion to them : this P a n i t es made the

,

following suggestion to the Laced aemonians to observe which ,

of the t w o children th e mother would wash and feed first ; and

if she should be found constantly doing the same they would ,

then have all they were seeking f or and desired to know ; but
if she shoul d vary attending to them interchangeably it woul d
, ,

b e evident to them that sh e knew no more than they did ; and

then they must have recourse to some other expedient There .

upon the Spartans in pursuance of the suggestion of the M es

,
’
s e n i a n having watched the mother o f Aristodemus s children
, ,

discovered that she constantly gave one the pre f erence both
in f eeding and w ashing she not knowing w h y she was ,

watched Therefore considering that the child which was

.

honoured by its mother was the eldest th ey educated it in ,

the palace ; and to him the name of Eurysthenes was given ,

and to the younger P ro c l es They say that both these tho u gh

,
.
,

brothers when they had reached manhood were at variance

, ,

w ith each other throughout the whol e course of their lives ;

and that their descend ants continued to be so The La c e d ae .

m o n i a n s alone of the Greeks give this account : but I now

 T H E K IN G S O F S PA RT A

describe these things in the way they are told by the rest o f
the Grecians For they say that these kings of the Dorians
.

up to Perseus son of Danae the deity b eing omitted are

, , ,

rightly enumerated by the Greeks an d are proved to have ,

been Greeks ; for even at that time they were ranked among
the Greeks : I have said up to Perseus f or this reason and , ,

have not carried it any higher because no surname of any ,

mort al father is attributed to Perseus as Amphitryon to H er ,

cules I have there fore with good reason and correctly said
.
, ,

up to Perseus ; but i f we reckon their progenitors upward

f rom Danae daughter of Acrisius the l eaders o f the D orians
, ,

will prove to have been originally Egyptians Such is the .

genealogy according to the account o f the Greeks B ut as .

the account o f the Persians is given Perseus himsel f b eing an , ,

Assyrian becam e a Greek though the ancestors of Perseus

, ,

had not b een so ; but that the progenitors o f Acrisius being ,

in no w a y related to Perseus were Egyptians as the Greeks , ,

‘
also say Let this then s u fli c e for this subj ect B ut w h y
. .
,

being Egyptians and by what exploits they obtained the

, ,

sovereignty o f the D orians I will omit to mention as others , ,

have spoken of these matters B ut such particulars as ot h ers .

have not taken in hand o f these I will mak e mention ,

.

The Spartans have given the following privil eges to their

kings : two priesthoods that of the Laced aemonian Jupiter , ,

and that o f the Celestial Jupiter ; and to l evy w a r against what

ever country they please ; and no on e o f the Spartans may
impede this otherwise h e f alls under a curse : when they
,

march out to war the kings go first and retire last ; and a
, ,

hundred chosen men guard them in the fiel d : during the ex

p e d i t i o n s they
, sacrifice as many cattl e as th ey please and ,

take as their own share the skins and chines o f all th e victims .

These are their privil eges in time o f war The others those .
,

d uring peace have been given th em as f oll ows : If any one

,

make a publi c sacrifice the kings sit first at th e f east and , ,

are first served each receiving doubl e o f whatever is given

,

to the other guests They have the right o f b eginning the

.

libations and are entitl ed to the skins o f the cattle that are
,

sacrificed At every new moon and on the seventh day o f

.
,

the current month a per f ect victim is presented to each o f

,

them at the publ ic charge for th e Templ e of Apollo ; and a

, ,

medimnus of meal and a Laconian quart o f wine At all

, .

public games they have seats appointed by way o f distinction ;

and it is thei r prerogative to appoint such citizens as they
please to be P ro x e n i ; and also to choose each two Py t h ii
1
.

1
O ffi c e rs i
a p p o n t ed i
t o re ce v e a n d e n t e rt a n i f o re ig n am b a s s a d o rs .
336 H E R O D O T U S—B O O K VI , E R AT O —
[ 57 59

The P y t h ii are persons w h o are sent t o consult the oracle at

Delphi and are maintained with the kings at the publ ic
,

charge When the kings do not come to the banquet two

.
,

c h oe n i c es of flour and a cotyle o f wine are sent home to each

o f them ; but when they are present a double portion of ,

everything is given them ; and when invited to a b anquet by

private persons they are honoured in the same manner They
, .

have the keeping of the oracles that are pronounced but the ,

Py t h ii are also privy to them The kings alone have to de .

termine th e f ollowing matters only : With respect to a Virgin

heiress who is to marry her if her father has not betrothed
, ,

her ; and with respect to the public highways ; and i f any one
desires to adopt a son it must b e done in p res e n c e o f the
'

kings They assist at the deliberations of the senators who

.
,

are twenty eight in number and if they do not attend those , ,

o f the senators who are most nearly connected with them enj oy
th e privileges of the kings gi ving two votes and a third , , ,

their own Thes e privil eges are given to th e kings by the

.

commonwealth of the Spartans during li f e ; and when they

die the f ollowing : Hors emen announce thro u gh all Laconia
,

w h at has happ ened ; and women going t h rough the city beat , ,

a cal dron ; when this accordingly is done it is necessary ,

f or two f ree people of each house a man and a woman to , ,

make t h emselves squalid in token o f grie f ; and i f they n eg

lect to do so h eavy fines are imposed on them The Lace
,
.

d aem o n i a n s have the same c ustom with regard to the deaths

o f their kings as the barbarians in Asia ; for most of the bar
,

b a r i a n s observe the same custom with respect to the deaths

o f their kings For when a kin g o f th e Laced aemonians dies
.

it is required that from the whole territory o f Laced aemon ,

besides the Spartans a certain number o f the neighbouring ,

inhabitants should o f necessity attend the funeral when a c .

,

c o rd i n gl y many thousands of these and of the Helots a nd

, ,

W
o f the Spartans themselves have assembled togeth er in one ,

place they promiscuously wit h the omen strike their f ore

,

W
heads vehemently and give themselves up to unbounded
,

lamentation a ffi rming that the kin g who died last a s the
,

b est they ever had Shoul d one of their kings d i e in war

. ,

having prepared his e ffigy they expose it to public View on a ,

couch richly ornamented ; and when the y have buried him ,

no assembly takes place for ten days nor is a meeting held ,

f or the el ection o f magistrates but they mourn during those ,

1

days They also resembl e the Persians in this other respect :

.

when on the death of a king another king is appointed he , ,

on his accession releases w h atever debts may be d u e f rom any

,
33 3 H E R O D O T U S—B O O K V I, E RAT O [6 1 6 5-

the age for marriage A g et u s son of Alcides married her ; , , ,

this then w a s the friend of Ariston

, , Now love for this .

woman excited Ariston ; he therefore had recourse to the f ol

lowing stratagem : H e promised he woul d give his f riend ,

whose wife this woman was a present o f any one thing he ,

shoul d choos e out of all his possessions and required his ,

f riend in return to do the like to him He having no ap p re .

,

h e n s i o n on a ccount o f his wi f e seeing that Ariston already ,

had a wife assented to the proposal ; and they imposed oaths

,

on each other on these terms Accordingly Ariston himsel f .

,

gave the thing whatever it was which A g e t u s chose out o f

, ,

all his treasures ; and himsel f claiming to obtain the same

compliance from him thereupon attempted to carry o ff his ,

W i f e with him A g et u s sai d that he had assented to anything

.

but this only ; nevertheless being compelled by his oath and , ,

circumvented by deceit he suff ered him to take her away ,

with him Thus then Ariston took to himsel f a third wife

.
, , ,

having put away the second B ut in too short a time and .

,

before she had completed her ten months this woman bore ,

D emaratus ; and as he was sitting on the bench with the

Ephori one o f his servants announced to him that a son was
,

born to him ; but he knowing the time at which he married ,

th e woman and reckoning the months on his fingers said

, ,
”
with an oath I t can not be mine
,
This the Ephori heard . .

However at the time they took no notice The child grew

, , .

up and Ariston repented of what he had said f or he was f ully

, ,

p ersuaded that D emaratus was his son H e gave him the .

name o f D emaratus for this reason : before this the Spartans

had made public supplications that Ariston whom t h ey e s ,

teemed the most illustrious o f all the kings that had ever
reigned in Sparta might have a son For this reason the , .

name o f D emaratus was given to him I n process o f time

1
.

Ariston died and Demaratus obtained the sovereignty B ut

, .

it was fated as it appears that these things when made known

, , , ,

shoul d occasion the deposition o f D emaratus from the s ove r

e i g n t y for D emaratus had incurred the hatred of C l e o m e n e s
, ,

b ecause he had before l ed away the army from Eleusis and ,

now more particularly when Cl e o m e n e s had crossed over

against those ZE g i n et ae h o were inclined to M edism Cle , W .

o m e n e s then b eing eager to avenge himsel f made a compact

, , ,

with L e u t y c h i d e s son o f M e n a r e s son of Agis who was o f

, , ,

the same family with D emaratus on condition that i f he ,

should make h i m king instead o f Demaratus he should a c

company him against the ZE g i n e t ae L e u t y c h i d e s had become .

g ra n t e d t o t h e p ra y e rs p eop le
1
De m a ra t u s m e a n s of t he .
6 5 6 7]
-
DE MA R AT U S DE P O S E D 339

an enemy to Demaratus chiefly f or this reason When Leu , .

t y c h i d e s was a fli a n c e d to P e r ca l u s daughter o f Chilon son , ,

o f D e m a rm e n es Demaratus having plotted against him dis

, , ,

appointed L e u t y c h i d e s o f his marriage ; having himself a n

t i c i p a t e d him by se i zing P e rc a l u s and retain i ng h er as his
wi f e I n this manner the enmity o f L e u t y c h i d e s to D emaratus
.

originated and now at the instigation o f C l eo m e n e s Leu

, , ,

t y c h i d e s made oath against Demaratus a ffi rming that he did ,

not legitimately reign over the Spartans not b eing the son ,

o f Ariston ; and after making oath against him he prosecuted ,

h im recalling the words which Ariston spoke when the serv

,

ant announced that a son was born to him whereupon he , ,

reckoning the months denied with an oath saying that it , ,

was not his L e u t y c h i d e s insisting on this declaration main

.
, ,

t a i n ed that D emaratus was neither th e son of Ariston nor

right f ul King o f Sparta ; and h e adduced as witnesses those
Ephori who were then sitting by th e king and h eard these
, ,

words o f Ariston At length the matter coming to trial th e

.
, ,

Spartans determined to inquire o f the oracl e at D elphi whethe r

Demaratus was the son o f Ariston B ut the matter bein g .

referred to the Pyt h ian at the instance o f Cl e o m e n e s Cle ,

o m e n e s thereupon gained over on e Cobon son o f Aristo ,

p h a n t u s a man o
, f very great influence at D elphi : and Cob on
prevailed wit h Perialla the prop h etess to say w h at Cl eo m e n e s , ,

wished to be said The Pythian accordingly when the p er .

,

sons s ent to consult the oracle made the inquiry decided that ,

D emarat u s was not the son o f Ariston I n after time this .

came to b e known and Cobon fl ed f rom Delphi and Perialla , , ,

the prophetess was deposed from her o fli c e , .

Thus then it happened with respect to the deposition o f

, ,

Demaratus f rom the sovereignty B ut D emaratus fl ed from .

Sparta to the M edes on account o f th e f ollowing insult : A fter

his deposition f rom th e sovereignty he was chosen to and ,

held the o ffi ce o f magistrate The Gy m n o p aed i ae were being

1
.

celebrated ; and when D emaratus was looking on Leuty, ,

chides who had b een a ppointed king i n his place sent a serv
, ,

ant and ask ed him by way o f ri dicule and mockery what , ,

kind o f th ing it was to be a magistrate after having been a

king B ut he being vexed with th e question answered that
.
, ,

he indeed had tried both but L e u t y c hi d e s had not ; however , ,

that this question woul d be the beginnin g either o f infinite

calamity or infi nite prosperity to the La c e d mm o n i a n s Hav .

ing spoken t h us and covered his f ace he went out of the thea ,

An annu a l f e s t i va l at S p a rt a , at w h i ch bo y s d a nce d na ked a nd p e r

f o rm e d va r o u s i ath let ic e x e rc i s e s .
 HER D TU
O O S — BOO K VI E RAT O 6 —
[ 7 69
34 0 ,

tre to his own house ; and havin g immediately made prepara

tion h e sacrificed an ox to Jupiter and having sacrificed
, , , ,

called f or his mother When his mother came he placed .

,

part o f the entrails in her hands and supplicated h e r speak , ,

ing as follows : M other I beseech you calling to witness , ,

both the rest of the gods and this H e rc aea n Jupiter to tell me ,

the truth who is in reality my father

,
? For L e u t y c h i d e s a f
firmed a t the trial that you being pregnant by your former ,

husband so came to Ariston ; others tell even a more idle

,

story and say you kept company with one of the servants a
, ,

f eeder of ass es and that I am his son I adj ure you there
, .
,

fore by the gods to speak the truth : for even if you have done
,

anything of what is said you have not done it alone but , ,

with many others ; moreover the report is common in Sparta ,

that Ariston was incapable of begetting chil dren for that ,

”
otherwise his f ormer wives woul d have had o ff spring Thus .

h e spoke She answered as follows : Son since you implore

.
,

me with supplications to speak the truth the whol e truth shal l ,

b e told you When Ariston had taken me to his own house

.
,

on the third night f rom the first a spectre resembling Ariston ,

came to me ; and having lain with me put on me a crown ,

:

that it had : it departed and afterward Ariston came ; but ,

when he saw me with the crown he asked who it was t hat ,

gave it me I said h e did ; but he woul d not admit it ; where

.

upon I took a n oath and sai d that he did not well to deny ,

it f or that having come shortly before and lain with me he

,
,

had given me the crown Ariston seeing that I a ffirmed with .

,

an oath discovered that the event was superhuman : and in

,

the first place the crown proved to have come from the shrine
,
’
situated near the palace gates which they call Astrabacus s ; ,

and in the next place the seers pronounced that it w a s the

, ,

hero himself Thus then my son you have all that you
.
, , ,

wish to know : for you are sprung either from that hero and ,

the hero Astrabacus is your father or Ariston ; for I con ,

c e i v e d you in that night As to that with which your enemies .

most violently attack you a ffirming that Ariston himsel f , ,

when your birth was announced to him in the presence o f ,

many persons denied you were his f or that the t i m e t e n

, , ,
‘

months had not yet elapsed ; he threw out those words

,

through ignorance o f such matters ; f or women bring forth

at nine months and at seven and not all complete ten months ,
.

B ut I bore you my son at seven months : and Ariston him , ,

self knew not long a f ter that he had uttered thos e words
‘

, ,

thoughtlessly Do not listen to any other stories respecting

.
,

yo u r birth ; f or you have heard the whole truth And from . .

34 2 H E R O D O T U S—B O O K vi , E R AT O [ 73 76 -

s elected ten of the E g i n et ae the most eminent both in wealth ,

and birth and among them Crius son of P o l y c ri t u s and

, , ,

C a s a m b u s son of Aristocrates who had the chie f authority

, , ,

and having carried them away to Attica they delivered th em ,

as a pledge to the Athenians th e greatest enemies o f the ,

n i n e t ae After
. this fear o f the Spartans seized
, upon Cle
o m en es when discovered to have employed wicked a rt ifi c e s
,

against D emaratus and he withdrew secretly to Thessaly ; and

,

f rom thence passing into Arcadia he began to f orm new de ,

signs rousing the Arcadians against Sparta and engaging

, ,

them both by other oaths to follow him wherever he should

l ead them ; and moreover he was desirous o f leading the
, ,

chief men of the Arcadians to th e city of N o n a c ri s to make ,

them swear by the water o f the St y x for in that city the water ,

o f the Styx is by the Arcadians said to be And it is o f the .

f ollowing description : A small quantity o f water is seen and

drops from a rock into a h ollow and a fence of masonry sur ,

rounds the hollow N o n a c ri s in which this fountain happens

.
,

to b e is a city o f Arcadia near P h e n e u m The L a c e d aem o n i

, .

ans being i fi fo rm e d that Cl e o m e n e s was acting thus through

, ,

f ear restored him to Sparta on the same terms as those on

,

which he had reigned be f ore B ut as soon as he had returned .

madness seized him though he was be f ore somewhat crazed ;

,

f or whenever he met any one o f the Spartans he used to thrust ,

the sceptre into his f ace When he was found to do this .

,

and to b e clearly out o f his mind his relatives confined him ,

in wooden fetters : but he being so confined and seeing a ,

singl e guard left alone by the rest asked f or a kni f e ; and ,

when the guard at first refused to give it he threatened what ,

he would do to him hereafter ; till at last the guard f earing ,

his threats f or he was one o f his Helots gave h im a kni f e

, , .

Then Cl eo m e n e s having got hold of the blade began to

, ,

mutilate himsel f from the legs f or having cut the flesh length ,

wise he proceeded f rom the legs to the thighs ; and f rom

,

th e thighs to the hips and loins ; at last he came to the belly ,

and having gashed this in that manner he died : as most o f ,

the Grecians say because he persuaded the Pythian to say

,

what she did concerning D emaratus ; but as the Athenians

alone say because when he invaded Eleusis he cut down the
,

grove o f the goddesses ; but as the Argives say beca u se he

1
, ,

having called out those Argives who had fled f rom battl e ,

from t h eir sacred precincts o f Argus he massacred them , ,

and hol ding the grove itself in contempt set it on fire , .

F or w h en Cl eo m en e s consulted the oracle at D elp h i an ,

C e re s a nd P ro s e rp i ne .
 —
76 79] D E AT H o r C LE O M E NE S 34 3

answer was given him that he should take Argus W h en .

,

there fore leading the Spartans he arrived at the river Era

, ,

sinus which is said to flow from the Stymphal ian Lake f or

, ,

that this lake discharging itsel f into an unseen chasm re

, ,

appears in Argos and f rom that place this water is by the

, ,

Argives called E ra s i n u s : Cl e o m e n e s therefore having ar

, , ,

rived a t this river o ff ered sacrifice to it ; b u t as the victims

,

by no means gave a favourable omen for his passing over he ,

said that he admired the E ra s i n u s for not b etraying its p eople ,

yet the Argives shoul d not even thus escap e with impunity .

After this having retired h e marched h is f orces to T h y rea ;

, ,

and having sacrificed a bull to the sea h e conveyed them in ,

ships to the T i ry n t h i an territory and Nauplia The Argives .

,

being in formed of this went out to meet them on the coast : ,

and when they were near Tiryns at that place to which the ,

name o f Sepia is given they encamped opposite the L ac e d a ,

m o n i a n s leaving no great space between the two armies

, .

There then they were not a f raid o f coming to a pitched bat

, ,

tle but lest they shoul d be taken by stratagem ; for it was to

,

this event the oracl e had reference which the Pythian pro ,

n o u n ce d in common to them and the Milesians running thus : ,

When the f emal e having conquered the male shall drive

, ,

him out and obtain glory among th e Argives then shall she
, ,

make many o f the Argive women rend their garments ; so

that one o f f uture generations shall say a terribl e triple coiled -

”
serpent has perished overcome by the spear All these
, .

things concurring spread alarm among the Argives there fore

, ,

they resolved to avail themselves o f the heral d o f the enemy ;

and having so resolved they did as f ollows : When the Spar ,

tan herald gave any signal to the Laced aemonians the Argives ,

did the same Cl e o m e n e s having observed that the Argives

.
,

did whatever his heral d gave the signal f or ordered his tr 0 0 ps , ,

when the h erald should give the signal for going to dinner ,

then to seize thei r arms and advance against the Argives .

This accordingly was accomplished by the Laced aemonians

, , ,

f or they fell upon the Argives as they were taking their dinner ,
’
according to the heral d s signal ; and they killed many o f
them and a f ar greater number who had taken re f uge in
, ,

the grove o f Argus they surrounded and kept watch over , .

C l e o m e n e s then adopted the following course : Having some

deserters with him and having received in f ormation f rom
,

them he sent a heral d and called them out summoning by

, ,

name those Argives who were shut up in th e sacred p recinct ;

and he called them out sayin g that h e had received their ,

ransom ; but the ransom among the Peloponnesians is a fi x ed

344 H E R O D O T US w -
BOO K v1 , E R AT O —8
[ 9 3
7

sum o f two min ae to b e pa i d for e ach prisoner Cl eo m en e s .

,

there f ore having called them out severally put to death about
, ,
.

fi fty of the Argives ; and somehow this went on unknown to

the rest who were within the precinct ; for as the grove was
thick those within did not see those without or what they
, ,

were doing until at last one of them getting up into a tree

, , ,

saw what was being done They therefore no more went .

out when called f or Thereupon Cl e o m e n es ordered all the

.

Helots to heap up wood around the grove and when they ,

had executed his orders h e set fire to the grove When all , .

was in a flame he asked one o f the deserters to which o f the

,

gods the grove belonged ; h e said that it belonged to Argus .

C l e o m e n e s when he heard this utteri ng a deep g ro a n s a i d :

, , , ,

O prophetic Apollo ! thou hast indeed greatly deceived me ,

in saying that I shoul d take Argos I conj ecture thy prophecy .

.

”
is accomplished After this C l e o m e n e s sent away the greater
.

part of his army to Sparta ; and he himse l f taking a thou ,

sand chosen men with him went to o ff er sacrifice at the Tem ,

pl e of Juno B ut when he wished himsel f to o ff er sacrifice

.

on the altar the priest f orbade him sayin g that it was not
, ,

law f ul f or a stranger to o ff er sacrifice there ; upon which

C l eo m e n e s commanded the Helots to drag the priest f rom .

the altar and scourge him while he himself sacrificed ; and ,

having done this he went away to Sparta O n his return his

, .
,

enemies accused him before the Ephori alleging that h e had ,

been bribed not to take Argos when he might easily have , . .

taken it H e sai d to them whether speaking falsely or truly

.
, ,

I am unabl e to say f or certain ; he a ffirmed however that , ,

when he had taken th e sacred precinct of Ar gus he thought ,

that the oracle o f the god was accomplished and therefore ,

he did not think it right to attempt th e city b efore he had

h ad recourse to victims and ascertained whether the god ,

would favour or obstruct him ; and that while he was sacri

fi c i n g favourably in the Templ e o f Juno a flame o f fire shone ,

f orth f rom the breast o f the image ; and thus h e learned for
certain that he shoul d not take Argos : f or i f it had shone
f orth from the head o f the image he sh ould have taken the ,

city completely ; but as it shone f orth f rom the breast h e ,

thought that everything had been done by him which the

deity wished to happen I n saying this he appeared to the
.

Spartans to say what was credible and reasonable and was ,

acquitted by a large maj ority Argos however w a s le f t so .

, ,

destitute of men that their slaves had the management of

a ff airs ruling and administering them until the sons o f those
, ,

who had been killed grew up Then they having recovered .

,
34 6 HER D TU
O O S — B O O K V I, E R AT O 8
[ 5—8 6

to Athens and restore the men to the ZE g i n e t ae When Le u

, .

t y c h i d e s on his arrival at Athens demanded b a ck the pledges

, , ,

the Athenians had recourse to evasion not wishi n g to give ,

them up ; and said that two kings had deposited them and it ,

woul d not be right to deliver them up to one without the

other When the Athenians refused to give them up Leuty
.
,

chides addressed them as follows : 0 Athenians do which ,

ever you yourselves wish ; for if you deliver them up you ,

will do what is j ust and if you do not deliver them up the , ,

contrary I will however tell you what once happened in

.
, ,

Sparta respecting a deposit We Spartans say that about .

three generations before my time there lived in Laced aemon

one Glaucus son of E p i c y d e s : we relate that this man bot h
,

attained to the first rank in all other respects and also bore ,

the highest character f or j ustice of all who at that time dwelt

at Laced aemon We say that in due time the following events
.

b efell him : A certain M ilesian having come to Sparta wished , ,

to have a conference with him and made the f ollowing state ,

ment : I am a M il esian and am come Glaucus with the , , ,

desire of profiting by your j ustice For since throughout all .

the rest o f Greece and particularly in I onia there was great

, ,

talk o f your j ustice I considered wi t h myself that I onia is con

,

t i n u a l l y exposed to great dangers and that on the contrary , , ,

Peloponnesus is securely situated and consequently that with ,

us one can never see the same persons retaining property .

Having there f ore reflected and deliberated on these things

, , ,

I have determined to change half o f my whole substance into

silver and deposit it with you being well assured that being , ,

placed with you it will b e safe Do you then take this

, .
, ,

money and preserve these tokens ; and w hosoever possessing

,
’
these shall demand it back again restore it to him The , .

stranger who came f rom M iletus spoke thus And Glauc u s .

received the deposit on the condition mentioned A fter a , .

long time had elapsed the sons of this man who had deposited ,

the money came to Sparta and having addressed themselves ,

to Glaucus and shown the tokens demanded back the money

, , .

Glaucus repulsed them answering as f ollows : I neither re ,

member the matter nor does it occur to me that I know any ,

of the circumstances you mention ; but if I can recall it to my

mind I am willing to do everything that is j ust ; and if indeed
,

I have received it I wish to restore it correctly ; b u t if I have

,

not received it at all I shall have recourse to the laws o f the

,

Greeks against you I therefore defer settling this matter with

.

’
you for f our months f rom the present time The Milesians .
,

a ccordingly considering it a great calamity departed as

, , ,
8 6 8 9]
- AT H E N I A N S ATT A C K XE G I N A 34 7

being deprived o f their money B ut Glaucus went to D e lph i .

to consult the oracl e ; and when he asked the oracle whether

he should make a booty of the money by an oath the Pythian ,

assailed him in the f ollowing words : Glaucus son of Epi ,

c y d es thus to prevail by an oath and to make a booty o f

, ,

the money will b e a present gain : swear then ; for death

, ,

even awaits th e man w h o keeps his oath B ut there is a name .

less son of Perj ury who has neither hands nor feet ; he pur ,

sues swiftly until having seized he destroys th e whol e race

, , , ,

and all the house B ut the race o f a man who keeps his oath .

is a fterward more blessed Glaucus having heard this e m .

’
, ,

treated the god to pardon t h e words he had spoken B ut th e .

Pythian said that to tempt th e god an d to commit th e crime , ,

were the same thing Glaucus there f ore having sent f or the .
, ,

M ilesian strangers restored to them the money With what ,

.

design this story has been tol d you O Athenians shall now b e , ,

mentioned There is at present not a singl e descendant o f

.

Glaucus nor any house which is supposed to have belonged to

,

Glaucus ; but he is utterly extirpated from Sparta Thus it .

is right to have no other thought concerning a deposit than

to restore it when it is demanded L e u t y c h i d e s having said .

this but finding the Athenians did not even then listen to
,

him departed
,
.

B ut the E g i n e t ae b efore they received punishment f or t h e ,

inj uries they had don e to the Athenians to gratify the The ,

bans acted as follows : B eing o ff ended with the Athenians

, ,

and thinking themselves inj ured they prepared to revenge ,

themselves on the Athenians : an d as th e Athenians happened

to have a fiv e bench ed gall ey at S u n i u m they formed an a m
-

b u s ca d e and took the ship T h e o ri s filled with the principal ,

1

Athenians ; and having taken the men they put them in ,

chains The Athenians h aving been treated thus by th e

.
,

ZEg i n e t ae no longer delayed to devise all sorts o f plans against

,

them Now there was in ZE g i n a an eminent man named Nico

.

d ro m u s son o f C n oet h u s ; h e being incensed against the

,

ZE g i n e t ae on account of his former banishment from the island ,

and now hearing that the Athenians were p reparin g to do a

mischie f to the ZE g i n e t ae entered into an agreement with th e ,

Athenians f or the betrayal of ZE g i n a mentionin g on what day ,

h e would mak e the attempt and on what it would b e n e c e s ,

sary for them to come to his assistan ce After this Nico .

d ro m u s according to his agreement with the Athenians seized

, ,

that which is called the old town The Athenians however .

, ,

T h e T h e o ri s w a s a ves s e l w h ich w a s s e nt eve r y yea r to De l o s t o o ff e r

s ac r i fic e t o A p o ll o .
 3 H E R O D O T U S— B O O K vi , E RAT O 8 —
[ 9 9 2
34

did not arrive at the proper time for they happened not to ,

have a su ffi cient number of ships to engage with the ZE g i n et ae ;

and whil e they were entreating the Corinthians to furnish them
“
with ships their plan was ruined The Corinthians for they
, .
,

were then on very friendly terms with them a t their request ,

.

supplied the Athenians with twenty ships ; and they f urnished

them l etting them to hire for five drachm ae each ; becaus e
,

by their laws they were forbidden to give them f or nothing .

The Athenians therefore having taken these and their own

, , ,

manned s eventy ships in all and sailed to ZE g i n a and arrived , ,

one day a fter that agreed upon N i c o d ro m u s when the A t h e .

,

n i a n s did not arrive at the proper time embarked on ship ,

board and made his escape f rom ZE g i n a ; and others of the

E g i n e t ae accompanied him to whom the Athenians gave ,

S u n i u m for a habitation ; and they sallying from thence p l u n , ,

dered the ZE g i n e t ae in the island This however happened .

, ,

subsequently I n the meantime the most wealthy of the

.

ZE g i n e t ae overpowered the common peopl e who together , ,

with N i c o d ro m u s had revolted against them and afterward

, , ,

having subdued them they led them out to execution And , .

on this occasion they incurred a guilt which they were u m ,

abl e to exp iate b y a n y contrivance ; but they were ej ected

.

out o f t h e islan d be f ore th e goddess became propitious to

,

t h em F or having taken seven hundred o f the common peo

.

ple prisoners th ey led them out to execution ; and one o f

,

them having escaped f rom his bonds fl ed to the porch of

, ,

Ceres the lawgiver and seizing the door handle hel d it fast ;
, , , ,

but they when they were unable by dragging to tear him

,

away cut o ff his hands and so took him away ; and the h ands
, ,

were le ft sticking on th e door handles Thus then the .

, ,

ZE g i n et ae treate d their own p eopl e B ut when th e Athenians .

arrived with their seventy ships they came to an engagement , ,

and being conquered in th e sea fi g h t they called on the same -

—
persons as be f ore for assistance that is on the Argives They ,
.
,

however would not any longer succour them but complained

, ,

that th e s h ips o f the ZE gi n et ae having b een f orcibly seized ,

by Cl e o m e n es had touched on the territory of Argos and the

, ,

crews had disembarked wit h the Laced aemonians Some men .

had al so disembarked f rom Sicyonian ships in the same i n

v a s i o n ; and a penalty was imposed upon them by the Argives
to pay a thousand talents five hundred each The Sicyonians ,
.
,

accordingly acknowledging that they had acted unj ustly

, ,

made an agreement to pay one hundred talents and be f ree ,

f rom the rest ; but the ZE g i n et ae woul d not own themselves

in the wrong and were very obstinate O n this acco u nt
,
.
,
35 0 H E R O D O T U S—B O O K V I, E RAT O

o f them as they coul d lay hol d o f as slaves set fire to bot h ,

the sacred buildings and the city ; and having done this they ,

proceeded against the rest of th e islands .

While they were doing this the Delians also abandoning , ,

D elos fled to Tenos ; but as the fleet was sailing down to

,

ward i t Datis having sail ed forward woul d not permit the

, , ,

ships to anchor near the island b ut farther on o ff R henea ; ,

.

and he having ascertained where the D elians were sent a

,
“
herald and addressed them as f ollows : Sacred men why
,

have you fled forming an unfavourable opinion o f me ? For

,

both I mysel f have so much wisdom and am so ordered by ,

the king that in the region where the two deities were born
,
1

no harm shoul d be done either to the country itsel f or to its

inhabitants R eturn there f ore to your h ouses and resume
.
, , ,

possession o f the island This message he sent to the D elians .

by means of a herald ; and a fterward having heaped up three

hundred talents o f f rankincense upon the altar he burned ,

it Datis accordingly having done this sailed with the army

.
, , ,

first against Eretria taking with him b o t h I o n i a n s and ZE ol i

,

ans B ut after he had put out to sea f rom thence Delos was
.
,

shaken by an earth quake as the D elians say the first and , ,

last time that it w a s so a ff ected to my time And the deity .

assuredly by this portent intimated to men the evils that were

about to be f all them For during the reigns o f Darius son .
,

of H y s t a s p e s of X erxes son o f Darius and of Artaxerxes

, , , ,

son o f X erxes ; during these three successive generations ,

more disasters befell Greece than during the twenty genera

tions that preceded the time o f Darius ; partly brought upon
it by the Persians and partly by the chie f men among them
,

contending f or power So that it is nothing improbable that .

D elos shoul d be moved at that time having been until then ,

unmoved : and in an oracle respecting it it had been thus ,

written : I will move even D elos although hitherto u n ,

moved And in the Grecian language these names mean

“
.

” ”
Darius , one who restrains X erxes a warrior ; and °

Artaxerxes a mighty warrior , Thus then the Greeks may .

, ,

rightly designate thes e kings in their language .

The barbarians after they had parted f rom D elos touched

, ,

at the islands ; and from thence they took with them men to
s erve in the army and carried away the sons of t h e islanders
,

f or hostages And when having sailed round the islands

.
, ,

they touched at Carystus as the Cary s t i a n s would not give ,

hostages and re f used to bear arms against their neighbour

,

ing cities meaning Eretria and Athens they thereupon b e

, ,

1
A p o ll o a nd Di a n a .
99
-
1 03 ] PE R S IA N S SU B D U E E RE T R I A 35 1

sieged them and ravaged their country until at last t h e Carys

, ,

tians also submitted to the will o f the Persians The Ere .

t ri a n s being in f ormed that the Persian armament w as sail ing

,

against them entreated the Athenians to assist them ; an d

,

the Athenians did not refuse their aid but gave them as auxil ,

i a ri e s those four thousand men to whom had been allotted the

territory of the horse feeding Chalcidians B ut the councils -
.

of the Eretrians were not at all sound : they sent for the A t h e
n ian s indeed but held divided opinions ; for some of them
, ,

proposed to abandon the city and to retire to the fastnesses ,

o f Eub oea ; but others o f them h O p i n g that they shoul d de ,

rive gain to themselves from the Persians were planning to ,

betray their country B ut ZE s c h i n e s son o f N o t h o n a man

.
, ,

of rank among the Eretrians being informed of the views ,

o f both parties communicated to the Athenians w h o had

, ,

come the whol e state o f their a ff airs ; and entreated them to

,

return to their own country lest th ey too should perish The , .

Athenians f ollowed th is advice of ZE s c hi n e s and having

‘

crossed over to O ropus saved themselves I n the meantime ,

.

’
the Persians sailing on directed their ships cours e to T a m y
, ,

n ae C h oer e a and ZE g i li a of th e Eretrian territory ; and hav

, , ,

ing taken possession o f thes e places they immediately dis ,

embarked the horses and made preparations to attack the ,

enemy B ut the Eretrians had no thoughts o f going out

.

against them and fighting but since that opinion had pre ,

vailed that they should not abandon th e city their only care
, ,

now was i f by any means they coul d de f en d th e walls A

, .

violent attack on th e walls ensuing f or six days many f ell ,

on both sides ; but on the seventh Euphorbus son o f Alci , ,

m a c h u s and P h il a rg u s son o f C y n e u s men o f rank among

, , ,

the citizens betrayed the city to th e Persians And they

, .
,

having gained entrance into the city in th e first place pillaged ,

and s et fire to th e temples in revenge f or those that had been ,

burned at Sardis ; and in the next th ey enslaved the i n h a b ,

i t an t s in obedience to the commands o f Darius

, .

Having sub dued Eretria and rested a f e w days they sailed , ,

to Attica pressing them very close an d expecting to treat

, ,

the Athenians in th e same way as they had the Eretrians ;

Now as Marathon w a s the spot in Attica best adapted f or

cavalry and nearest to Eretria H ippias son o f Pisistratus
, , , ,

conducted them there B ut the Athenians wh en they heard .

,

o f this also sent their forces to Marathon ; and ten general s

,

led them of whom th e tenth was Miltiades whose father

, , ,

Cimon son of S t es a g o ra s had been banished from Athens

, ,

by Pisistratus son o f Hippocrates D uring his exile it was

, .
 —
H E R O D OT U S B OOK vi E R AT O [ 10 5
35 2 103 -

his good fortune to obtain the O lympic prize in th e four

horse chariot race and having gained this victory h e trans
, ,

f erred the honour to M iltiades his brother by the same ,

mother ; and afterward in the next O lympiad b eing v i c tori , ,

ous with the same mares he permitted Pisistratus to be pro ,

claimed victor ; and having conceded the victory to him he ,

returned home under terms And after he had gained a n .

other O lympic prize with these same mares it happened that ,

he died by the hands o f the sons o f Pisistratus when P i s i s t ra ,

tus himself was no longer alive : they sl ew him near the Pry
taneum having placed men to waylay him by night Cimon
, .

was buried in front of the city beyond that which is called ,

the road through Goela and opposite him these same mares ,

were buried which w o n the three O lymp ic p rizes O ther

, .

mares also had already don e the same thing belonging to ,

E va g o ra s the Laced aemonian ; b ut besides these none others ,

.

S t e s a g o ra s the elder of the sons of Cimon was at that time

, ,

being educated by his paternal uncl e M iltiades in the Cher ,

s o n e s e but the younger by Cimon himself at Athens and he

, ,

had the name of M iltiades from M iltiades the founder o f , ,

the Chersonese At that time then this Miltiades coming

.
, , ,

from the Chersonese and having escaped a twofold death , ,

becam e general of the Athenians : f or in the first place the , ,

P h oenicians having pursued him as far as I mbros were ex

, ,

c e e d i n g l y desirous of seizing him and carrying him up to the ,

king ; and in the next when he had escaped them and had , ,

returned to his o w n country and thought himself in safety , ,

his enemies thereupon having attacked him a n d b rought him , ,

b e f ore a court of j ustice prosecuted him for tyranny in the ,

Chersonese B ut having escaped these also h e was at length

.
,

appointed general o f the Athenians being chosen by the ,

people .

And first whil e the generals were yet in the city they
, ,

despatched a herald to Sparta one Phidippides an Athenian , , ,

who was a courier by profess ion one w h o attended to this ,

very business This man then as Phidippides himsel f said

.
, ,

an d reported to th e Athenians Pan met near Mount Par ,

t h e n i o n above Tegea ; an d Pan calling out the name of Phi

, ,

d i p p i d es bade him ask the Athenians why they paid no a t

,

tention to him who w a s well inclined to the Athenians and

, ,
.

had often been useful to them an d would b e so hereafter ,

.

The Athenians therefore as their a ff airs were then in a pros

, ,

p e r o u s condition believed that this was t,rue and erected a ,

temple to Pan beneath th e Acropolis and in consequence o f ,

that message they propitiate Pan with yearly sacrifices and

35 4 H E R O D O T U S—B OO K v1 , E RA T O [ 1 08 —1 0 9

present T h ey woul d not receive them but addressed t h em

.
,

as f ollows : We live at too great a distance and such assist ,

ance would be of l ittl e value to you ; for you woul d often b e

enslaved before any o f us coul d b e informed o f it We a d .

vise you there f ore to give yourselves up to the Athenians

, , ,
”
who are your neighbours and are not backward in assisting , .

The Laced aemonians gave this advice not so much from any ,

good will to the Plat aeans as from a desire that the Athenian s
-

might be subj ect to toil by being set at variance with the ,

B oeotians The Laced aemonians accordingly gave this ad

.
, ,

vice to the Plat aeans an d they did not disregard it but when
, ,

the Athenians were performing the sacred rites to the twelve

gods they sat down at the altar as suppliants and delivered
, ,

themselves up B ut the Thebans having heard of this

.
, ,

marched against the Plat aeans and the Athenians went to ,

assist ; and as they were about to engage in battle the Corin ,

t hi a n s interfered ; for happening to b e present and mediating ,

between them at the request of both parties they prescribe d

, ,

the limits to the country in the f ollowing manner : that the

Thebans should l eave alone those o f the B oeotians who did
not wish to be ranked among the B oeotians The Corinthians .
,

having made this decision returned home ; but the B oeotians ,

attacked the Athenians as they were departing and having ,

attacked them were worsted in the battle The Athenians .

,

therefore passing b eyond the l imits which the Corinthians

,

—
had fixed for the Plat aeans passing beyond these they made ,

the Asopus and H y s i ae to be th e boundary between the The

bans and Plat aeans The Plat aeans there f ore gave themselves
.
, ,

up to the Athenians in th e manner above described ; and at

that time came to assist them at Marathon .

The opinions o f the Athenian generals were divided one

party not consenting to engage “ because they were too f ew
,

to engage with the army of the M edes and the others ,

among whom was M iltiades urging them to give battle , .

When there f ore they were divided and the worst opinion
, , ,

was likely to prevail thereupon for there was an eleventh , ,

voter who was appointed minister of war among the At h e

nia ms f or the Athenia n s in ancient times gave the minister
,

o f war an equal vote with the generals and at that time Cal ,

l i m ac h u s of A p h i d n ae w a s minister of war ; to him therefore

“
M iltiades came and spok e as follows : I t now depends on
, ,

you Callimachus either to enslave Athens or by preserving

, , , ,

its l iberty to l eave a memorial of yourself to every age such

, ,

as not even H a rm o d i u s and A ri s t o g i t o n have left For the .

Athenians were never in so great danger from th e time they “

1 09 - 1 1 2 ] M A RA T H O N 35 5

were first a people And if they succ u mb to t h e M edes it .

,

has been determined what they are to su ff er when delivered

up to Hippias ; but i f the city survives it will become the first ,

of the Grecian cities How then this can b e b rought to pass .

, , ,

and how the power o f deciding this matter depends on yo u ,

I will now proceed to explain The opinions of us generals .

,

who are ten are divided : the one party urging that w e should
,

engage ; the other that we shoul d not engage Now i f we , .

do not engage I expect that some great diss ension arising

,

among us will shake the minds o f the Athenians so as to i n ,

duce them to a compliance with the M edes B ut if we engage .

before any dastardly thought aris es in the minds o f some of

the Athenians if the gods are impartial we shall b e abl e to
, ,

get th e better in the engagement All these things there .

,

f ore are now in your power and entirely depend on you

, ,
.

For i f you will support my opinion your country will be free , ,

and the city the first in Greece ; but i f you j oin with those
w h o woul d dissuade us from an engagement th e contrary o f ,
”
the advantages I have enumerated will fall to your lot M il .

t i a d e s by these words gained over Callimachus and the opin

, , ,

ion o f the minister o f war b eing added it was determined ,

to engage A f terward th e generals whos e O pinions had been

.

given to engage as th e command f or the day devolved upon

,

each o f them gave it up to Miltiades ; but h e having a c

, ,

cep t e d it would no t come to an engagement b e f ore his own

,

turn to command came .

When it came roun d to his turn then the Athenians were ,

drawn out in the following order for the purpose o f engaging

The war minister Callimachus commanded the right wing , , ,

f or the law at that time was so settl ed among the Athenians

that the war minister shoul d have th e right wing H e having .

this command th e tribes s ucceeded as they were usually reck

,

o n ed ,adj oining one anoth er ; but the Plat aeans were drawn
out last of all occupying the l e f t win g Now ever since t h at
, .
,

battle when the Athenians o ff er sacrifices and cel ebrate th e

,

public f estival s which take place every five years the At h e ,

nian heral d prays saying May blessings attend both the

, ,

Athenians and the Plat aeans ! At that time when th e At h e ,

n i a n s were drawn out at Marathon th e f ollowing was the ,

case : their l ine w a s equal in extent to the M edic line but ,

the middle of it w a s but few deep an d th ere the line was wea k ,

est ; but each wing was strong in numb ers When th ey were .

thus drawn out and the victims were favourable there u pon
, ,

the Athenians as soon as they were ordered to charge a d

, ,

va nc e d against t h e b a rb a ri a n s in double q u ick time and the -

,
35 6 H E R O D O T U S—B OO K V I, E RAT O [ 1 12 -
1 16

space between them was not less than eight stades B ut the .

Persians seeing them charging at full speed prepared to re

, ,

c e i v e them ; and they imputed madness to them and t h at ,

utterly destructive when they saw that they were few in n u m

,

b er and that they rushed on at f ull speed though they had

, ,

no cavalry nor archers So the barbarians surmised The . .

Ath enians however when they engaged in close ranks with

, ,

the barbarians f ought in a manner worthy o f record For

, .

they the first o f all the Greeks whom we know o f charged

, ,

the enemy at f ull speed and they first endured the sight of ,

the M edic garb and the men that wore it ; but until that time
,

the very name of the M edes w a s a terror to the Greeks The .

battl e at Marathon lasted a long time ; and in the middle of

the line where the Persians themselves and the Sac ae were
,

arrayed the barbarians were victorious ; in this part then

, , ,

the barbarians conquered an d having broken the line pur , ,

sued to the interior ; but in both wings the Athenians and

the Plat aeans were victorious ; and having gained the victory ,

they allowed th e de f ea t ed portion of the barbarians to fl ee ;

an d having united both wings they fought with those that ,

had broken their centre and the Athenians were victorious ,

.

They followed the Persians in their flight cutting them to ,

pieces till reaching the shore they called for fire and attacked
, , ,

the ships .

And in the first place in this battl e the war minister Cal , ,

l i m a c h u s was k illed having proved himsel f a brave man ;

, ,

and among the generals S t e s i l a u s son o f Th ra s y l a s perished ; , , ,

and in the next place Cy n aeg e i ru s son of Euphorion having , ,

’
lai d hol d of a ship s poop had his han d severed b y an axe ,

an d f ell : and besides many other distinguished Athenians

, ,

were slain I n this manner the Athenians made themselves

.

masters o f seven ships : but with the rest the barbarians ro w

ing rapidly back and a fter taking o ff the Eretrian slaves f rom
,

the islan d in which they had le ft them sailed round S u n i u m , ,

wishin g to anticipate the Athenians in reaching the city The .

charge prevailed among the Athenians that they f ormed this

design by the contrivance o f the Al c m aeo n i d ae ; f or that they ,

having agreed with th e Persians hel d up a shield to them ,

when they were on board their ships They then sailed round .

Su niu m B ut the Athenians marched with all speed to t h e

.

assistance o f the city and were beforehand in reaching it b e ,

f ore the barbarians arrived ; and having come from th e pre

cinct o f Hercules at Marathon they took up their station in ,

another precinct o f Hercules at Cynosarges : but the bar

b ari a n s having laid to with their fleet o ff P h al e ru m f or t h i s
, ,
35 8 H E R O D O T U S— B OO K V I, E RAT O [ 1 19 —1 2 3

sumes three di ff erent f orms : the asphalt and the salt i mm e d i

ately become solid but the oil th ey collect and the Persians
, ,

call it rh a d i n a c e ; it is black and emits a strong odour H er e .

King Darius settled the Eretrians ; w h o even to my time , ,

occupied this territory retaining thei r ancient language Such , .

things took place with regard to the Eretrians Two thousand .

o f the Laced aemonians came to Athens after the f ull moon ,

making such haste to be in time that they arrived in Attica

on the third day after leaving Sparta B ut having come too .

late for the battl e they nevertheless desired to s ee the M edes ;

, , ,

and having proceeded to Marathon they saw the slain ; and ,

a f t e rw a rd h av i n g commended the Athenians and their achieve

,

ment they returned home

, .

I t is a marvel to me and I can not credit the report that , ,

the A l c m aeo n i d ae ever h el d up a shiel d to the Persians by

agreement wishing that th e Athenians shoul d be subj ect to
,

th e barbarians and to H ippias ; f or they w ere evidently haters

o f tyrants more than or equally with C al l i a s son of P h oen i p
, , ,

pus and f ather of H i p p o n i c u s For Cal li a s was th e only one

, .

o f all the Athenians who when Pisistratus was driven from ,

Athens dared to purchas e h is goods when put up to sale by

,

the public crier an d he devised everything else that was most

,

hostil e to him This Ca l l i a s deserves to have f requent men

.

tion made o f him by every one : first o f all on account o f ,

what h as been already m e ntioned as b eing a man ardent in ,

asserting the freedom of his country ; and in the next place ,

on account of what he di d at O lympia having been victorious ,

in the horse race and second i n the chariot race and having
, ,

be f ore won the prize in th e Pythian games he was distin ,

g u i s h e d among all the Greeks for the greatest m u n i fic en ce :

moreover with regard to his da u ghters who were three in

, ,

numb er he behaved in the f ollowing manner : When they

,

were o f fit age f or marriage he gave them a most magnifi cent

present and gratified their wish es ; f or he gave each to that
,

man of all the Athenians whom she wished to select f or her

own husband And the Al c m aeo n i d ae were haters of tyrants
.
,

equally with or not at all less than him It is therefore a

,
.

marvel to me and I can not admit th e charge that they hel d

, ,

up a shield who at all times shunned the tyrants and by

,
.

whos e contrivance th e Pisistratid ae abandoned the tyranny .

Thus in my j udgment thes e were the p ersons w h o liberated

, ,

Athe ns much more than H a rm o d i u s and A r i s t o g i t o n for they , ,

by slaying Hipparchus exasperated the surv i vors of th e P i s i s ,

t ra t id ae but did not any the more put an end to th e tyranny

,

o f the rest ; whereas the Al c m aeo n i d ae mani f estly liberated

 —1 26] THE A LC M /E O N I D/E
1 23
359

their country i f indeed they were the persons w h o persuaded

,

the Pythian to enj oin the Laced aemonians to liberate Athens ,

a s I have already shown B ut perhaps having some grudge

'

.
,

against the Athenian people they betrayed their country ?

,

There were not however any other men w h o were more

, ,

highly esteemed among the Athenians than them or w h o ,

were more honoured : so that it is not consistent with reason

that a shiel d was hel d up by them f rom such a motive Still .

a shield was held up ; and this can not b e denied for so it ,

was ; but who it was that held it up I am not abl e to say

f urther than this .

The A l c m aeo n i d ae were even f rom a very early period dis

t i n g u i s h e d at Athens ; f or through Alcm aeon and again ,

through M e g a c l e s they became very distinguished For in

,
.
,

the first place Alcm aeon son o f M e g a c l e s was coadj utor to

, , ,

the Lydians f rom Sardis who came on the part o f Cr oesus to ,

consult the oracle at Delphi an d he assisted them zealously : ,

and Croesus being in f ormed by the Lydians who had gone ,

to consult the oracle that he had done him good s ervice sent ,

f or him from Sardis ; an d when he arrived presented him with ,

so much gold as he coul d carry away at once on his own per

son Alcm aeon for the purpos e of such a present had re
.
, ,

course to the f ollowing expedient : Having put on a large

cloak and having le f t a deep f ol d in the cloak and having
, ,

drawn on the widest boots he coul d find he went into th e ,

treasury t o which they conducted him ; an d meeting with a

heap of gold dust h e first stu ff ed around his legs as much
,

gol d as the boots woul d contain ; and then having fil l e d the ,

-

whole f ol d with gold and having sprinkled the gold dust over
,
-

the hair o f his head and put more into his mouth he went , ,

out of the treasury dragging his boots with di fficulty and

, ,

resembling anything rather than a man ; f or his mouth was

stu ff ed and he was all over swoll en Cr oesus when he saw
, .
,

him burst into laughter ; and he gave him all that and b e
, , ,

sides presented h im with other things not o f less value than

,

it Thus this family became extremely rich ; and this Alc

.

m aeon having by th ese means bred horses won the prize in

, ,

the O lympic games I n th e second generation a fter Clis .

,

the mes tyrant of Sicyon raised the family so that it became

, , ,

far more cel ebrated among the Greeks than it had been be f ore .

For Clisth enes son o f Ari s t o n y m u s son of Myron son o f

, , ,

Andreas had a daugh ter whose name was A g a ri s t a : her h e

,

resolved to give in marriage to th e man whom he should find

the most accomplished of all the Greeks When there f ore .
, ,

the O lympian games were bein g celebrated Clist h enes being , ,

 6
3 0 H E R O D O T U S— B OO K V I, E RAT O [ x2 6 1 2 8—

victorious in them in the chariot race made a proclamation ,

that whoever of the Greek s deemed himself worthy to become

the son i n law of Clisthenes should come to Sicyon on the
- -

sixtieth day or even before ; since Clisthenes had determined

,

on the marriage in a year reckoning f rom the sixtieth day , .

Thereupon such of the Greeks as were pu ff ed up with them

selves and their country came as suitors ; and Clisthenes hav ,

ing made a racecourse and pal aestra f or them kept it f or this ,

very purpose From I taly accordingly came S m i n d y ri d e s

.
, , ,

son o f Hippocrates a Sybarite w h o more than any other man , ,

reached the highest pitch o f luxury ( and Sybaris was at that

time in a most flourishing condition ) ; and D a m a s u s of Siris ,

son o f Amyris called the Wise : these came f rom I taly From
, .

the I onian Gulf A m p h i m n es t u s son of E p i s t ro p h u s an Epi

, , ,

d a m n i a n he came f rom the I onian Gul f An E t o l i a n came .

,

Males brother o f that T i t o rm u s w h o surpassed the Greek s in

,

strength and fl ed f rom the society of men to the extremity

,

of the ZE t o l i a n territory And f rom Peloponnesus L e o c e d e s .

, ,

son of P h e i d o n tyrant of the Argives a descendant of that

, ,

P h e i d o n who introduced measures among the Peloponnesians ,

and was th e most insolent o f all the Greeks who having re ,

moved the Elean empires h imsel f regulated th e games at ,

O lympia ; his son accordingly came And Amiantus son o f

Lycurgus an Arcadian from Trapezus ; and an Az e n i an f ro m
.
,

the city o f Paeo s La p h a n e s son of Euphorion w h o as the

, , , ,

s t o i y is tol d in Arcadia received the Dioscuri in his house

'

, ,

and after that entertain ed all men ; and an Elean O n o m a s t u s , ,

son of A g aeu s : these accordingly came from the P el o p o n

n es u s itself F rom Athens there came M e ga c l es son of Al c
.
,

m aeon the same w h o had visited Cr oesus and another Hippo

, , ,

clides son o f T i s a n d e r w h o surpassed the Athenians in wealth

, ,

and beauty From Eretria which was flourishing at that

.
,

time came Lysanias ; he was the only one f rom Eub oea And
,
.

f rom Thessaly there came of the S c 0 p a d e s D i a c t o ri d es a , , ,

C ra n o n i a n ; and f rom the Molossi Alcon So many were the , .

suitors When they had arrived on the appointed day Clis

.
,

t h e n e s made inquiries o f their country and the family o f each ;

then detaining them f or a year he made trial of their manly ,

qualities their dispositions learning and morals ; holding

, , ,

familiar intercourse with each separately an d with all to ,

gether and leading out to the gymnas i a such of them as were

,

younger ; but most o f all he made trial of them at the banquet ;

for as long as he detained them he did this throughout and , ,

at the same time entertained them magnificently And some .

how o f all the suitors those that had come f rom Athens pleased
36 2 H E R O D O T U S—B OO K V I, E RAT O [ 1 31 —1 34

M ega cl es and another A ga ri s t a who took her name f rom

, ,

A g a ri s t a daughter o f Clisthenes ; she having married Xan

,

t h i p p u s son of A r i p h ro n and being with child saw a vision

, , ,

in her sleep and fancied that sh e brought forth a lion ; and

,

after a few days sh e bore Pericles to X a n t h i p p u s .

After th e de f eat o f the Persians at Marathon M iltiades , ,

who was before highly esteemed among the Athenians then ,

still more increased his reputation Having there f ore asked .

of the Athenians seventy ships and troops and money with , ,

out telling them what country he purposed to invade but ,

saying that he woul d make them rich if they would follow

him for that he woul d take them to such a country from
,

whence they woul d easily bring abundance o f gol d ; speak

ing thus he asked for the ships ; and the Athenians elated by
, ,

these hopes granted them Miltiades accordingly having

, .
, ,

taken with him th e troops sailed against Paros all eging as , ,

a pretext that the Parians had first begun hostiliti es by send

ing a trireme with the Persians to M arathon This was his .

pretended reason ; but in fact h e had a grudge against the , ,

Parians on account o f L y s a g o ra s son o f Ti s i a s who was a , ,

Parian by birth and had calumniated h im to Hydarnes th e

,

Persian M iltiades having arrived with his f orces at the place

.
,

to which he was sailing besieged the Parians who were driven , ,

within their walls ; and sending a herald to them he demanded ,

a hundred talents saying that if they did not give him t hat
,

sum he woul d not draw o ff his army until he had destroyed

them The Parians n ever entertained the thought whether
.

they shoul d give Miltiades any money but devised means by ,

which they might defend th e city ; and in addition to ot h er

plans they also in the several parts where the wall was most
, ,

exposed to attack there raised it during the night to doubl e

, , ,

its f ormer height U p to this point of the story all the Greeks
.

agree ; but after this the Parians themselves say that it hap
pened as follows : That when M iltiades was in a state o f per
p l e x i t y a captive woman , who was by birth a Parian and her ,

name was Timo conferred with him ; she was an inferior

,

priestess of th e in f ernal goddesses When she came into th e .

presence of M iltiades she advised him if he deemed it o f , ,

great consequence to take Paros to act as sh e should sug ,

gest She then m ade some suggestion ; and he coming to

.
,
,

the mound that is before the city leaped over the f ence o f ,

Ceres Th e s m o p h o ra as h e was unable to open the door ; and

,

having leaped o ver he went to the temple for the purpose o f

,

doing something within either to move some of the things ,

t h at m a y not be moved or to do some hing or other And

.

t .
1 34
-
1 37 ] DE AT H or M I LT I A DE S 6
3 3

he was j ust at the door when suddenly a thrill o f h orror came

over him and he went back by the same way ; and in l eap
,

ing over the f ence his thigh was dislocated ; others say that
he hurt his knee M iltiades accordingly being in a bad plight
.
, ,

sailed back home neither bringing money to the Athenians ,

nor having reduced Paros but having besieged it f or six and ,

-

twenty days and ravaged the island The Parians b eing i n

, .
,

f ormed that Timo the priestess of the goddesses had directed

, ,

M iltiades and desiring to punish her for so doing sent depu

, ,

ties to the oracle at Delphi as soon as they were relieved f rom

the siege : they sent to inquire whether they should put to
death the priestess of the goddesses for having made known ,

to the enemy the means o f capturing her country and f or ,

having discovered to M iltiades sacred things which ought ,

not to b e revealed to the male sex B ut the Pythian did not .

allow them saying that Timo w a s not to blame for this

, ,

but that it w a s f ated M iltiades shoul d come to a miserable

end and she had appeared to him as a guide to misfortunes
, .

The Pythian gave this answer to the Parians When Miltiades .

returned f rom Paros the Athenians were loud in their com ,

plaints against him both all others and especially X a n t h i p, ,

pus son of A ri p h ro n w h o bringing a capital charge against

, , ,

M iltiades before th e peopl e prosecuted him on a charge of ,

deceiving th e Athenians M iltiades though present in p er .

,

son mad e no de f ence ; f or he w a s unable as his thigh had

, ,

begun to morti f y B ut whil e he lay on a couch his friends

.
,

made a de f ence for him dwelling much on the battl e that had ,

b een f ought at Marathon and on the capture o f Lemnos ; ,

since having taken Lemnos and inflicted vengeance on the

, ,

Pelasgians h e had given it up to th e Athenians The peopl e

, .

so far favouring him as to acquit him of the capital o ff ence ,

and having fined him fifty tal ents for the inj ury he had done ,

Miltiades soon afterward ended his l ife b y th e putrefaction

and m o rt ifi c at i o n o f his thigh H is son Cimon paid the fi fty .

talents .

M iltiades son o f Cimon had possessed himsel f o f Lemnos

, ,

in the f ollowing manner : The Pelasgians when th ey had been ,

driven out of Attica by the Athenians whether j ustly or u n ,

j ustly ( f or this I am unable to determine except so far as is ,

related ) H eca t aeu s however son of H e g e s a n d e r says i n his

.
, , ,

history that it w a s unj ustly for that when the Athenians , ,

saw the lands under Hymettus which th ey had given to th e ,

Pelasgians in payment for th e wall they had formerly built

about the Acropolis ; when the Ath enians saw this well culti
v a t e d w h ic h was be f ore barren and o f no value j ealousy an d
, ,
 6
3 4 H E R O D O T U S— B OO K v1 , E R AT O [ 1 37 1 39 -

a desire o f th e land took possession of them and so the At h e ,

n i a n s drove them out without alleging any other pretence ,

”
whatever B ut as the Athenians say they j ustly expelled
.
, ,

them ; f or that the Pelasgians whil e settled under M ount ,

Hymettus made incursions from thence and committed the

, ,

f ollowing inj uries : For that their daughters an d sons used

constantly to go f or water to the Nine Springs b ecause at ,

that time neither they nor the other Greeks had domestic
s ervants : and whenever the young women went there the ,

Pelasgians used out of insol ence and contempt to o ff er v i o

, ,

lence to them ; nor were they satisfied with doing this but at ,

last they were discovered in the very act of plotting to attack

the city They add that they themselves showed themselves
.

so much better men than them in that when it was in their ,

power to put the Pelasgians to death since they had f ound ,

them plotting against them they woul d not do so but warned , ,

them to depart the country ; and that they accordingly with , ,

drawing possessed themselves o f other places and among

, ,

them of Lemnos H ec a t aeu s has given the former account

.
,

and the Athenians give the latter B ut these Pelasgians who .

,

t h en inhabited Lemnos and desired to b e revenged on the ,

Athenians b eing well acquainted with the f estivals of the

,

Athenians stationed fi ft y oared galleys and laid an ambus

,
-

cade for the Athenian women as they celebrated the f estival ,

o f D iana in B ra u ro n and having carried many o f them away ,

f rom thence they sailed o ff and taking them to Lemnos kept

, , ,

them as concubines B ut when these women were f ully sup .

plied with children they instructed their sons in the Attic ,

language and the manners of the Athenians ; they therefore , ,

woul d not hol d any intercourse with the sons o f the Pelasgian
women but i f any one of their numb er was beaten by one o f
,

them they all immediately assisted and revenged one another ; ,

moreo ver these boys thought they had a right to govern the
,

other boys and proved far superior to them B ut the Pelas

,
.

gians observin g this consulted together and on considera

, , , ,

tion considerabl e alarm came over them as to what these boys

,

woul d do when they were grown up i f they already deter ,

mined to assist ea ch other against the sons of their law f ul

wives and even now endeavoured to rule over them There
,
.

upon t h ey resolved to murder the children they had by the

Attic women ; and accordingly they did so and moreover , , , , ,

put their mothers to death From this crime and that whic h .
,

the women perpetrated be f ore this who with the assistance ,

of Thoas killed th eir own husbands all enormous actions are

, ,

wont to be called Lemnian throughout Greece B u t w h en t h e .

 BOOK VII

P O LYM N I A

H EN the news of the battl e f ought at Marat h on

reached Darius son of H y s t a s p e s w h o was be f ore
, ,

much exasperated with the Athenians on account

o f the attack upon Sardis h e then became much ,

more incensed and was still more eager to prosecute th e war

,

against Greece Having therefore immediately sent messen

.

gers to the several cities he enj oined them to prepare an army

, ,

imposing on each a much greater number than th ey had f ur

n i s h e d before and ships horses corn and transports
, , , When , .

these orders were proclaimed round about Asia was thrown ,

into agitation during the space o f three years th e bravest men ,

being enrolled and prepared for th e purpose o f invading

Greece B ut in the f ourth year the Egyptians w h o had been
.
,

subdued by Cambyses revolted from the Persians ; where

W
,

upon Darius only became more eager to march against both .

hen Darius w a s preparing for his expeditions against Egypt

and Athens a viol ent dissension arose between his sons con
,
.

cerning the sovereignty ; f or by the customs o f the Persians

he was obliged to nominate his successor be f ore he marched
out on any expedition Now Darius even be f ore h e became
.
,

king had three sons born to him by his f ormer wife the
, ,

daughter o f Go b ry a s ; and a f ter his accession to th e throne ,

f our others by Atossa daughter o f Cyrus

, O f the former .
,

A rt a b a z a n e s w a s the eldest ; o f those born a fterward X erxes : ,

an d these two not b eing o f the same mother were at variance , .

A rt ab a z a n e s urged that he was th e el dest o f all the sons and ,

that it was the established usage among all men that the eldest
son should succeed to the sovereignty : on th e other hand ,

Xerxes alleged that h e was son of Atossa daughter o f Cyrus , ,

and that it w a s Cyrus w h o had acquired freedom f or the Per

sians When Darius had not yet declared his O pinion at t h is
.
,

very conj uncture D emaratus son of Ariston happened to , ,

come up to Susa having b een deprived of the kingly o ffi ce at

,

Sparta and having imposed on himself a voluntary exile f rom

,

3 66
34 ] D E AT H or D A R IU S 6
3 7

Laced aemon This man having heard o f t h e di ff erence b e

.
,

tween th e sons o f Darius went to X erxes as report says an d , , ,

advised him to say in addition to what he had already said , ,

that h e was born to Darius after h e had become king an d ‘

was possessed of the empire of th e Persians ; whereas Arta

b a z a n es was born to Darius while he was yet a private per
son ; where f ore i t was not reasonabl e or j ust that any other
should possess that dignity in pre f erence to himsel f since in ,

Sparta also D emaratus continued to suggest this custom pre

, ,

vailed that i f some children were born before their f ather

,

became king and one was born subsequently when he h ad

,

now come to the throne this last born son sho u l d succeed to ,
-

the kingdom X erxes having availed himsel f o f the sug

.

gestion o f D emaratus Darius acknowledgin g that h e said , ,

what was j ust declared him king B ut it app ears to me that

, .

even without this suggestion X erxes would have b een made

king ; f or Atossa had unbounded influence Darius having .
,

appointed X erxes to be king over th e Persians prepared to ,

march However after these things and in the year a fter

.
, ,

the revolt of Egypt it happened that Darius himself w h il e , ,

h e was making preparations died having reigned thirty six , ,

-

in all ; nor was he able to avenge himsel f either on the

ggy p t ian s who h ad revolted or on the Athenians When
! ears
, , .

Darius was dead the kingdo m devolved on his son X erxes , .

X erxes h owever was at first by no means inclined to make

, ,

war against Greece but h e levied f orces for the reduction o f ,

Egypt B ut M a rd o n i u s son o f Go b ry a s who was cousin to

.
, ,
’
X erxes and son o f Darius s sister b eing present and having
, , ,

the greatest influence with him o f all the Persians constantl y ,

held the f ollowing language saying : Sir it i s not right that , ,

the Athenians having already done much mischie f to the Per

,

sians should go unpunish ed f or what they have done How

, .

ever f or the present finish th e enterprise you have in hand ;

, ,

and when you have quelled the insol ence o f Egypt l ead your ,

army against Athens ; that you m a y acquire a good reputa

tion among men and any one for th e f uture may b e cautious
,

o f marching against your territory This language was used .

by him f or the purposes o f revenge but he frequently made ,

th e f ollowing addition to it that Europe w a s a very beauti ,

f ul country and produced all kinds of cultivated trees and

, ,

was very f ertil e and worthy to b e possessed by th e king alon e

,

o f all mortals H e spake thus b ecause h e w a s desirous o f

.
,

new enterprises and wish ed to be himself governor o f Greece :

,

in time h e e ff ected his purpose and persuaded X erxes to do ,

as he advised ; f or other things hap p enin g f avourably assisted

 6 HER D TU
O O S —B OO K V II PO L Y M N IA 6—
3 8 , [ 8

him in persuading X erxes I n the first place messengers .

,

coming from Thessaly on the part of the Al e u a d ae invited ,

the king with earnest importunity to invade Greece : these

, ,

A l eu a d ae were Kings of Thessaly And in the n ext place .

,

those of the Pisistratid ae who had gone up to Susa holding , ,

the same language as the A l e u a d ae still more eagerly pressed ,

him having with them O n o m a c ri t u s an Athenian a sooth

, , ,

sayer and dispenser of the oracles of M us ae us For they went .

up to Susa having first reconciled t h e i r f o rm e r enmity with

,
t

h im For O n o m a c r i t u s had been banished from Athens by

.

H ipparchus son o f Pisistratus having been detected by La s u s

, ,

the H e rm i o n i a n in the very act o f interpolating among the

oracles of Mus aeus one importing that the islands lying o ff
,

Lemnos would disappear beneath the sea : wherefore Hip

p a r c h u s banished him although he had before been very ,

familiar with him B ut at that time having gone up with

.

them whenever h e came into the presence of the king as the

, ,

Pisistratid ae spoke o f him in very high terms he recited some ,

of the oracl es ; if however there were among them any that

, ,

portended mis f ortune to the barbarians o f these he made no ,

mention ; but selecting such as were most f avourable he said ,

it w a s fated that the H ellespont shoul d be bridged over by a

Persian describing the march Thus he continually assailed
,
1
.

the king rehearsing oracles as did the Pisistratid ae and Al eu

, ,

a d ae,
by declaring their opinions When X erxes was per .

s u a d e d to make war against Greece he then in the second , ,

year after the death o f Darius first made an expedition against ,

those w h o had revolted ; and having subdued them and re ,

d u c e d all Egypt to a worse state o f servitude than it had been

under Darius h e committed the government to Ach aemenes
, ,

h is o w n brother and son of Darius Some time a fter I n aru s

,
.
, ,

son o f P s a m m i t i c h u s a Libyan slew Ach aemenes to whom , , ,

the government of Egypt was committed .

X erxes after the reduction o f Egypt when he was abo u t

, ,

to take in hand th e expedition against Athens convoked an ,

assembly of th e principal Persians that he might both hear ,

their opinions and h imself make known his intentions be f ore

them all When they were assembl ed X erxes addressed them
.

as follows : M en of Persia I shall not be the first to intro ,

duce this custom amon g you but shall adopt it having re , ,

c e i v e d it from my forefath ers For as I learn from older .

,

men we have never remained inactive since we wrested the

,

sovereign power f rom the M edes and Cyrus overthrew Asty ,

ages : but the deity thus leads the w a y and to us who f ollow ,

1
Or co n d u c t e d h i m s el f .
370 H E R O D O T U S — B OO K V I I, PO L Y M N IA 8
[ 94

not app ear to follow my o w n counsel only I lay the matter ,

b efore you bidding any one of you w h o wishes to declare his

,
”
O pinion Having sai d this he ceased
.
, .

After him M a rd o n i u s spoke : Sir not only are you t h e ,

most excellent O f all the Persians that have yet been but even ,

o f all that ever shall be you also in other respects have in , ,

speaking touched upon the most important topics and the

most exact truth and especially will not su ff er the I onians
, ,

who dwell in Europe to mock us worthless as they are For , , .

it woul d indeed be a great indignity if having subdued t h e ,

Sac ae I ndians Ethiopians and Assyrians and other nations

, , , , ,

many and powerful which n ever did the Persians any wrong , ,

but in order only to enlarge our dominions w e hold them in

, ,

servitude ; and yet shall not avenge ourselves on the Greeks ,

w h o were the first to commit inj ustice Having what to f ear ? .

what confluence o f numbers ? what power of wealth ? We

are acquainted with their manner O f fighting ; an d we are
acquainted with their power that it is weak We hol d , .

their children in subj ection those w h o dwell within our ter ,

r i t o ri e s,and are called I onians ZE O li an s and Dorians I , , .

mysel f have made trial o f these men already marching against ,

them at the command o f your f ather ; and when I advanced

as far as Macedonia and was within a short distance o f reach
,

ing Athens itsel f no one opposed me in battle And yet t h e

, .

Greeks are accustomed as I am in f ormed to underta k e wars , ,

without deliberation from O bstinacy and f olly For when

, .

they have declared w a r against on e another having f ound ,

out the fairest and most level spot they go down to it and ,

fight ; so that the conquerors depart with great loss and o f ,

th e conquered I say nothing at all for th ey are utterly de ,

stroyed Whereas being O f the same language they ought

.
, , ,

by the intervention O f heralds and ambassadors to adj ust ,

their di ff erences and in any w a y rather than by fighting B ut

,
.

i f they must needs go to war with each other they ought to ,

find out where they are each l east likely to be conquered and ,

there try the issue of a battle Th e Greeks accordingly .

, ,

adopting a disadvantageous method when I marched as far ,

as Macedonia never ventured so far as to come to a battl e

,
.

Will any one then O king have recourse to war and oppose
, , , ,

you when you l ead th e multitudes O f Asia and all her ships ?
, ,

I n my O pinion indeed the Grecians will never proceed to

, ,

such a degree of audacity B ut i f I shoul d happen to b e de .

c e i v e d in my opinion and they elated by f olly shoul d come

, , ,

to battle with us they will l earn that of all men we are the
,

most skilled in w a r Let nothing then b e untried ; f or not h

.
 A DV I CE O F A R T A B A N US

ing is accomplished of its own self but all things are achieved ,

M a r d o n i u s having thus
”
by men through endeavours .
,

smoothed over the opinion O f X erxes ceased to speak , .

The rest of the Persians remaining silent not daring to de ,

clare an O pinion contrary to the one proposed A rt a b a n u s son , ,

o f H y s t a s p e s being uncl e to Xerxes an d relying on this

, , ,

spoke as follows : O king unless O pinions opposite to each ,

other are spoken it is impossibl e to choos e th e better but it

, ,

becomes necessary to adopt that which has been advanced ;

whereas when various opinions have b een given it is pos
, ,

sibl e : j ust as with unalloyed gold we can not distinguish it ,

by itsel f but when we have rubb ed it by th e side of other gol d

, ,

we do distinguish the better I warned your father and my .

brother not to make war upon th e S cythians a p eopl e w h o ,

have no city in any part of their territory ; but he hoping to ,

subdue th e Scythian nomads heeded not my advice and hav , ,

ing led an army against them returned with th e loss of many ,

brave men o f his army B ut you O king are about to make

.
, ,

war on men f ar superior to the Scythians ; w h o are said to b e

most val iant both by sea an d land ; it is therefore right that , ,

I should in f orm you O f the danger we have to fear Y ou say .

that h aving thrown a bridge over th e Hellespont you will

, ,

m arc h an army through Europe into Greece ; now it may ,

h appen that we shall b e worsted either by land or by sea or ,

even b y both ; for the peopl e are sai d to b e val iant and th is ,

we may in f er since the Athenians alone destroyed s o great

,

an army that invaded the Attic territory under Datis and Arta ,

p h e r n es
. They were not however success f,ul in both ; but ,

i f they shoul d attack us with their fl eet and having O btained ,

a naval victory should sail to the H ellespont and destroy

, ,

the bridge this surely O king were a great danger Nor

, , , .

do I f ound this conj ecture on any wisdom O f my o w n but ,

f rom the calamity that once all but b e f ell us when your father ,

having j oined th e shores o f the Thracian B osphorus and ,

thrown a bridge over the I ster crossed over to attack the ,

Scythians ; then the Scythians used every means to induce

the I onians to whom the guard O f the passage over the I ster
,

had been intrusted to break up the bridge : and i f at that

, ,

time H i s t i aeu s tyrant O f M il etus had assented to th e O pin

, , ,

ion O f the other tyrants and had not O pposed it the power
, ,

o f th e Persians would have been utterly ruined I t is dread .

f ul even to hear it said that th e whole power O f the king de

pended o n a singl e man D O not therefore willingly expose
.
, ,

yourself to any such danger wh en there is no n ecessity ; but ,

be persuaded by me ; dismiss this assembly ; and herea fter ,

372 H E R O D O T U S—B O O K V I I, PO L Y M N I A [ IO

whenever it shall seem fit to you having considered wit h ,

yourself proclaim what appears to you to b e most a dv a n

,

t ag eo u s For to deliberate well I find is the greatest gain

.
,
.

For i f the result prove unfortunate the matter has n e v e rt h e , ,

l ess b een well deliberated O u but our deliberation is de

, ,

f eated by f ortune ; but he who has deliberated badly if for ,

tune attend him has met with a success he had no right to

,

expect but has nevertheless formed bad plans D O you see

, , ,
.

how the deity strikes with his thunder the tallest animals and ,

suff ers them not to be ostentatious but the smaller ones do ,

not at all O ff end him ? D O you see how he ever hurls his bolts
against the loftiest buildings and trees of the like kind ? For ,

the deity is wont to cut O ff everything that is too highly ex

alted Thus even a large army is O ften defeated by a small
.
,

one in such manner as this when the deity through j ealousy

, , ,

strikes them with terror or lightning whereby they perish in ,

a manner unworthy o f themselves ; for the deity will not suf

f er any one but himself to have high thoughts Again to .
,

hasten any matter produces f ailures from whence great losses ,

are wont to follow ; but in delay there are advantages which , ,

though not immediately apparent yet one may discover a fter ,

a time This then O king is the advice I give you B ut

.
, , ,
.

do you M a rd o n i u s son O f Go b ry a s cease to speak vain words

, , ,

O f the Grecians w h o do not deserve to be lightly spoken O f

, .

For by calumniating the Greeks you urge the king himsel f to

l ead an army against them ; and to this end you appear to me
to exert all your e ff orts B ut may it not so b e For cal u mny . .

is the worst O f evils : in it there are t w o w h o commit i nj u s

tice and one w h o is inj ured : f or he who calumniates another
, ,

acts unj ustly by accusing one that is n o t p re s e n t ; and h e a ct s l

unj ustly w h o is persuaded b e f ore h e has learned the exact

,

truth ; and h e that is absent when the c h arge is made is thus

doubly inj ured being calumniated by the one and by the
, ,

other deemed to be base B ut i f at all events it must needs .

, ,

b e that war must be made on these peopl e come let the king
, , ,

himsel f remain in th e abodes O f the Persians ; l et both O f us

risk our children and do you lead the expedition having se
, ,

l e c t e d what men you choose and taken with you as large a ,

f orce as you think fit ; and if matters succeed to the king

in the manner you say let my children b e put to death and , ,

m e also with them B ut i f the event prove such as I f oretell

.
,

then let your ch ildren su ff er the same and you also with them , ,

if ever you return I f however you are unwilling to submit

.
, ,

to these terms and will at all events lead an army against

,

Gr e ece I a ffirm that some O f those who are left in this country
,
374 H E R O D O T U S—B O O K V II , PO L Y M N I A [ 12 -
16

words flew away When day dawned he paid no attention

, .
,

to this dream but having assembled those Persians whom h e

,

had before convened he addressed them as follows : Pardon ,

me O Persians that I suddenly change my plans ; f or I have

, ,

not yet attained to the highest perfection O f j udgment and ,

they who persuade me to this enterprise are never absent

f rom me When there f ore I heard the opinion O f A rt a b an u s
.
, , ,

my youth immediately boiled with rage against him so that ,

I threw out words more unbecoming than I ought to a per

son O f his years B ut now conscious of my error I will f ollow
.
, ,

his advice : since therefore I have changed my resolution , , ,

and determined not to make war against Greece do you re ,

”
main quiet The Persians when they heard this being trans
.
, ,

ported with j oy di d him homage When night came the , .

,

same dream again standing by X erxes as he slept said : Son

, ,

o f Darius you have then openly renounced in the pres

, ,

ence of th e Persians the intended expedition ; and make no ,

account of my words as if you had not heard them f rom any ,

one B e well assured however o f this that unless you i m

.
, , ,

mediately undertak e this expedition this will b e the c o n s e ,

q u e n c e to you : as you have become great and power f ul in

a short time so you shall b ecome low again in an equally
,
”
short space X erxes being alarmed by this vision rushed
.
, ,

f rom his bed an d s ent a messenger to call Art ab an u s ; and

,

when he came X erxes spoke to him as f ollows : A rt ab a n u s

, ,

I on th e moment was not in my senses when I used hasty

words to you in return for your good advice ; however after ,

no long time I repented and acknowledged that those meas ,

ures which you suggested ought to be adopted by me I am .

not however able to per f orm them thou gh desirous O f doing

, , ,

so ; f or after I had altered my resolution and acknowledged ,

my error a dream frequently presents itsel f to me by no

, ,

means approving o f my so doing ; and it has j ust now va n

i s h e d after threatening me
,
I f then it is a deity who sends .
, ,

this dream and it is his pleasure that an expedition against

,

Greece shoul d at all events take place this same dream will ,

also fl it b efore you and give the same inj unction as to me ,

.

This I think will happen if you shoul d take all my apparel ,

and having put it on should afterward sit on my throne and , ,

”
then go to sl eep in my b ed X erxes thus addressed him ; .

but A rt a b a n u s not ob eying the first order as he did not

, ,

think himsel f worthy to sit on the royal throne when he was ,

at last compell ed did as he was desired after he had spoken

, ,

as follows : I deem it an equal merit O king to f orm good

W
, ,

plans and to b e illing to yiel d to one who gives good a d

,
 A RT A B A N US S E E S T H E V I S IO N 375

vice ; and though both of these qualities attach to you the ,

converse o f wicked men leads you astray ; j ust as blasts of

wind falling on the sea which of all things is the most useful ,

to mankind do not su ff er it to f ollow its p roper nature As

, .

f or me grie f did not so much v e x me at hearing your re

,

p ro a c h e s as that when two opinions were proposed by the

Persians one tending to increas e their arrogance the other
, ,

to check it and to show how hurt f ul it is to teach the mind

,

to be constantly seeking f or more than we already possess ;

that when these two opinions were proposed you shoul d
, ,

choose that which is more dangerous both to yourself and

the Persians Now however after you have changed to
.
, ,

the better resolution you say that since you have given up ,

the expedition against the Greeks a dream has come to you ,

sent by some god which f orb ids you to abandon the enter ,

prise B ut these things my son are not divine f or dreams

.
, , ,

which wander among men are such as I will explain to you ,

being many years O l der than you are Those visions O f dreams .

most commonly hover around men respecting things which ,

one has thought o f during the day ; and we during the pre ,

ceding days have been very much busied about this expedi
,

tion I f however this is not such as I j udge but has some

.
, , ,

thing divine i n it you have correctly summed up th e whole ,

in f ew words ; then l et it appear and give the same i n j u n c

tion to me as to you : and it ought not to appear to m e any
the more f or my having your apparel than my own ; nor the
more because I go to sleep on your b ed than on my own ;
i f indeed it will appear at all For that wh ich has appeared
, , .

to you in your sleep whatever it b e can never arrive to such , ,

a degree o f simplicity as to suppose that when it sees me it

is you conj ecturing f rom your apparel B ut if it shall hol d
, .

me in contempt and not deign to appear to me whether I , ,

be clothed in your robes or in my o w n ; an d if it shall visit

you again this indeed woul d deserve consideration : f or i f
,

it shoul d repeatedly visit you I shoul d myself confess it to ,

be divine I f however you have resolved that so it shoul d

.
, ,

be and it is not possibl e to avert this but I must needs sleep

, ,

in your bed well when this has been done l et it appear also
, , ,

to me B ut till that time I shall persist in my present opin

.

”
ion . A rt a b a n u s having spoken thus and hoping to show , ,

that X erxes had said nothing O f any moment did what was ,

ordered : and having put on the apparel O f X erxe s and sat in

the royal throne when he afterward went to bed the same , ,

dream which had appeared to Xerxes came to him when he

was asleep and standing over A rt a b a n u s spoke as follows
, , ,
376 H E R O D O T U S—B O O K V II , PO L Y M N I A [ —
1 7 2o

Art thou then the man who d i s s u a d e t h X erxes f rom i n

, ,

vading Greece as if thou wert very anxious for him ? B ut

,

neither h ereafter nor at present shalt thou escape unpunished

for endeavouring to avert what is fated to be What Xerxes .

must su ff er if h e continues disob edient has b een declared

to him himself A rt a b a n u s imagined that the dream u t
.

t e r e d these threats and w a s about to burn out his eyes with

,

hot irons H e therefore having uttered a loud shriek leaped

.
, ,

up and seating himself by X erxes when he had related all

, ,

the particulars O f the vision in the dream spok e to him in

’

this manner : I O king being a man who have seen already

, ,

many and great powers overthrown by inferior ones woul d ,

not su ff er you to yield entirely to youth ; knowing how mis

c h i e v o u s it is to desire much calling to mind the expedition ,

O f Cyrus against the M a s s a g e t ae how it fared and calling , ,

to mind also that o f Cambyses against the Ethiopi ans and ,

having accompanied Darius in the invasion O f Scythia know ,

ing all thes e things I was of O pinion that i f you remained ,

quiet you must be pronounced happy by all men B ut since .

some divin e impulse has sprung up and as it seems some , , ,

Heaven sent destruction impends over the Greeks I mysel f

-

am converted and change my opinion D O you then make

,
.
, ,

known to the Persians the intimation sent by the deity and ,

command them to follow the orders first given by y o u for

t h e preparations ; and act so that since the deity permits , ,
”
nothing on your part may be wanting When he had thus .

spoken both being carried away by th e vision as soon as it

, ,

was day X erx es acquainted the Persians with what had hap
pened ; and A rt a b a n u s who b efore was the only man who ,

greatly opposed the expedition now as openly promoted it ,

.

After this when X erxes was resolved to undertake the

,

expedition another vision appeared to him in his sleep which

, ,

the magi when they h eard it interpreted to relate to t h e

, ,

whol e worl d and to signi f y that all mankind shoul d serve

,

him The vision w a s as follows : X erxes imagined that he

.

was crowned with the sprig O f an O live tree and that branches ,

from this O live covered the whol e earth ; and that a fterward
the crown that w a s placed on his head disappeared The magi .

having given this interpretation every one of the Persians , ,

w h o were then assembled departed immediately to his own ,

government and used all diligence to execute what had been

,

ordered ; every man hoping to O btain the proposed reward :

X erxes thus levied his army searching out every region o f ,

the continent For f rom the reduction o f Egypt he was em

. ,

p loyed four whol e years in assembling his forces and pro ,

378 H E R O D O T U S— B O O K V I I, PO L Y M N IA [ 2 3 26
-

the trench was deep some standing at the bottom continued ,

to dig and others handed the soil that w a s dug out to men
,

w h o stood above on ladders ; they again in turn handed it

to others until they reached those that were at the top ; these
,

last carried it O ff and threw it away To all the rest except .

,

the Ph oenicians the brink of the excavation falling in gave

,

double labour for as they made the upper opening and the
,

lower O f equal dimensions this must necessarily happen B ut , .

the Ph oenicians show their skill in other works and especially ,

did so in this for having received the portion that fell to their
share they dug it making the upper opening o f the trench
, ,

twice as large as it was necessary for the trench itsel f to be ;

and as the work proceeded they contracted it gradually so ,

that when they came to th e bottom the work w a s equal in

width to the rest : near adj oining is a meadow where they ,

had a market and bazaar and great abundance O f meal was ,

brought to them from Asia According to my deliberate .

O pinion X erxes ordered this excavation to be made from

1
,

motives O f ostentation wishing to display his power and to ,

leave a memorial O f himself For though it w a s possible .

,

without any great labour to have drawn the ships over the ,

isthmus h e commanded them to dig a channel for the sea o f

,

such a wi dth that two triremes might pass through rowed

abreast And the same persons to whom the excavation was
.
,

committed were ordered also to throw a bridge over the river

,

Strymon Thes e things then he thus contrived : he also

.
, ,

caused cables of papyrus and O f white flax to b e prepared f or

th e bridges having ordered the Ph oenicians and Egyptians
,

also to lay up provisions for the army that neither the men ,

nor the beasts O f burden might su ff er from famine on their

march toward Greece ; an d having in f ormed himself of the
situations of the places h e ordered them to lay up the pro ,

visions where it w a s most convenient conveying them to ,

various quarters in merchant ships and transports f rom all

parts O f Asia O f these provisions th e largest quantity they
.

conveyed to a place called Leuce Acte in Thrace ; some were -

ordered to T y ro d i z a O f the P e ri n t h i a n s others to D o ri s c u s , ,

others to E i o n on the Strymon and others to M acedonia ,

.

Whil e these men were employed in their appointed task ,

the whole land f orce having been assembl ed marched with , ,

X erxes to Sardis having s et out f rom C ri t al l a in Cappadocia

, ,

for it w as ordered that all the troops throughout th e conti

nent that were to march with Xerxes himself shoul d b e as
'

, ,

sembl ed at that place Now which of the generals bringing . ,

1 Li t e ra lly ,
as I j
con ect u r n i g d i s c o ve r .
2 64 9] XE R X E S AN D PY T H IU S 379

the best appointed troops received the gi fts promised by th e ,

king I am unable to mention ; for I am not at all aware that

,

they came to any decision on this point They then when .

,

having crossed the river H a l y s they entered P h ry g 1a march ,

ing through that country arrived at Cel aen ae where u s e th e , ,

springs of the M aeander and O f another river not less than ,

the M aeander which is call ed the C at a rra c t e s which spring

, , ,

ing up in the very forum of the C e l aen i an s discharges itsel f ,

into the M aeander ; in this city also th e skin of Silenus Mar

syas is suspended which as the Phrygians report was stripped
, , ,

o ff and suspended by Apollo I n this city Pythius son of Atys . , ,

a Lydian being in waiting entertained the whol e army O f

, ,

the king and Xerxes himsel f with most sumptuous feasts ; ,

and he O ff ered money wishing to contribute toward the ex ,

pense o f th e war When Pythius O ff ered money X erxes asked

. ,

the Persians near him who this Pythius was and what riches ,

h e possessed that he made such an o ff er They answered :

,
.

O king this is the person who presented your f ather Darius

,

with the golden plane tree and the vine ; and h e is now the
”
richest man we know o f in the worl d next to yourself X e rx ,
.

es surprised with these last words next asked Pythius what

, ,

might be th e amount o f his wealth H e sai d : O king I .

,

w i ll n o t conceal it f rom you nor will I pretend to b e ignorant ,

of my own substance but as I know it per f ectly I will tell ,

you the exact truth As soon as I heard you were coming .

down to the Grecian sea wishing to present you with money ,

f or the war I made inquiry and found by computation that

, ,

I had two thousand talents o f S ilver and of gol d four millions ,

of Daric staters all but seven thousand These I f reely give

, .

you ; f or myself I have su fficient subsistence f rom my slaves

”
and lands Thus he spoke ; b ut X erxes delighted with his
.
,

O ff er replied : My Lydian f riend since I left the Persian

, ,

country I have met with no man to th e present moment who

was willing to entertain my army or who having come into , ,

my presence has vol u ntarily O ff ered to contribute money to

,

ward the war B ut you have entertained my army m a g n ifi

.

c ent l y an d have O ff ered me vast sums ; there f ore in return

, ,

f or this I con f er on you th e f ollowing rewards : I make you

,

my friend and will mak e up the sum O f f our millions of staters

,

f rom my o w n treasures by adding the seven thousand ; so ,

that the f our millions may not b e short o f seven thousand ,

but the f ull sum may b e compl eted by me D O you retain .

what you have required and be care f ul always to continue ,

such as you are ; for i f you do this you shall never repent , , ,

either now or hereafter .

3 8 0 H E R O D O T U S—B OO K V II, PO L Y M N I A [ 30 -

34

Having said this and per formed his promise he continued , ,

his m a rc h z a n d passing by a city of the Phrygians called

'

Anaua and a lake from which salt is obtained he arrived

, ,

a t Coloss ae a con s iderabl e city O f Phrygia in which the river

, ,

Lycus falling into a chasm O f the earth disappears ; then

, ,

reappearing after a distance O f about five stades it also dis ,

charges itself into the M aeander From Coloss ae the army .

,

advancing toward the boundaries of the Phrygians and Ly d i

ans arrived at the city of C y d rara where a pillar planted in
, , ,

the ground and erected by Cr oesus indicates the boundaries

, ,

by an inscription When from Phrygia he entered Lydia .

,

the way dividing into two that on the left l eading to Caria , ,

the other on the right to Sardis by which latter a traveller ,

is compelled to cross the river M aeander and to pass by the ,

city O f C a l l a t e b u s in which confectioners make honey with

,

tamarisk and wheat ; X erxes going by this way met with , ,

a plane tree which on account of its beauty h e presented

, , ,

with gol den ornaments and having committed it to the care ,

o f one O f the immortals on the next day he arrived at Sardis

1
, ,

the capital O f the Lydians O n his arrival at Sardis he first .

,

o f all sent heralds to Greece to demand earth and water and ,

to require them to provide entertainment for the king ; ex

cept that h e di d not send either to Athens or Laced aemon ,

but he did to every oth er place And he sent the second time .

for earth and water for the following reason : such as had ,

not given them before when Darius sent he thought wo u l d ,

then certainly do so through fear ; wishing therefore to know , ,

this f or certain he sent And a fter this he prepared to march

, .

to Abydos .

I n the meanwhile those who were appointed had j oined

the Hellespont f rom Asia to Europe There is in th e Cher .

s o n e s e on the H ellespont between the city of Sestos and ,

Madytus a craggy shore extending into the sea directly o p

, ,

p os i t e Abydos : there not long after these events under Xan , ,

t h i p p u s son of A ri p h r o n a general of th e Athenians having

, , ,

taken A rt a y c t es a Persian governor O f S estos they impaled

, , ,

him alive against a plank ; for he having brought women into ,

th e Templ e o f Protesilaus at E l aeu s committed atrocious ,

crimes To this shore then beginning at Abydos they on

.
, , , ,

whom this task was imposed constructed bridges the Ph oe , ,

n i c i a n s one with white flax an d the Egyptians the other with ,

papyrus The distance f rom Abydos to the O pposite shore is

.

seven stades When the strait was thus united a violent storm
.
,

1
O ne o f t h e t e n t h ou s a nd ch os e n m en ca ll e d i m m o rt a l s , of w h om w e
s h a ll h e a r m o re h e re a f t e r .
and horses might not b e f rightened by looking down upon
the s ea .

When the works at the bridges were completed and those ,

at M ount Athos as well as the mounds at the mouths O f the

,

canal which had been made on account O f the tide in order

, ,

that the mouths of the trench might not b e choked up and ,

news w a s brought that the canal w a s entirely completed ;

thereupon the army having wintered at Sardis and being f ully , ,

prepared set out at the beginning O f the spring from thence

, , ,

toward Abydos B ut as it w a s on the point O f setting out

.
,

th e sun quitting his seat in the heavens disappeared though

, , ,

there were no clouds an d the air w a s p er f ectly serene and , ,

night ensued in th e place o f day When X erxes saw an d per .

c e i v e d this it occasioned him much uneasiness ; h e there

, ,

f ore inquired O f the magi what the prodigy might portend

, .

They answered that the deity f oreshows to the Greeks th e

extinction o f their citi es “
adding that the sun is the por ,

tender o f the future to th e Greeks and the moon to the Per ,

”
sians . X erxes having heard this w a s much delighted and
, , ,

set out upon his march As he w a s leading his army away .

,

Pythius the Lydian terrified by the prodigy in the heavens , ,

and embol dened by the gifts went to X erxes the king and , , ,

spoke thus : Sire woul d you indulge me by granting a b oon ,

I shoul d wish to O btain which is easy f or you to grant and , .

,

O f great importance to m e ? X erxes exp ecting that he ,

woul d wish for anything rather than what h e did ask said ,

that he woul d grant his request and bade him declare what ,

he wanted ; whereupon he when he heard this spoke c o n fi , ,

d e n t l y as follows : S ire I have five sons ; and it happens ,

that th ey are all attending you in th e expedition against

Greece B ut do you O king pity me w h o am thus advanced
.
, , ,

in years and rel eas e one O f my sons from the s ervice that he
, ,

may tak e care O f m e and my property Tak e the other f our .

with you and having accompl ished your designs may you
, ,

return home X erxes w a s highly incensed and answered

.
,

as f ollows : B as e man ! hast thou dared when I am march ,

ing in p erson against Greece and taking with me my children , ,

an d b rothers an d kinsmen and friends to mak e mention o f

, , ,

thy son ? thou w h o art my slave an d w h o wert bound in duty

, ,

to follow m e with all thy f amily even with thy wi f e Now ,

.

l earn this well that the spirit O f man dwells in his ears ; which
,

wh en it hears pleasing things fills th e whol e body with de ,

l ight but when it h ears the contrary swells with indign ation
, ,
.

When therefore you did well and gave promise O f th e like

, , , ,

you can not boast o f havin g surpassed the king i n generosity .

 —
39 4 ]
1 T H E A RM Y L E AVE S S A R D IS 8
3 3

B ut now that you have adopted a more shameless cond u ct ,

you shall not receive your deserts but l ess than your des erts : ,

for your hospitality p reserves four of your chil dren but you ,

shall be punished with the loss O f the on e whom you cherish

most . When h e had given this answer he immediately com ,

m a n d e d thos e whos e O fli c e it w a s to execute s uch orders to ,

find out th e el dest O f the sons O f Pyth ius and to cut his body ,

in two ; and havin g so done to deposit the halves one on the , ,

right of the road th e other on the le ft ; and that th e army

,

should pass between them .

When they had done this th e army afterward passed b e ,

tween The baggage b earers and b easts O f burden first led

.
-

the w a y ; after them came a host O f all nations promis cuously ,

not distinguished : after more than one half O f the army had
passed an interval w a s l eft that th ey might not mix with
, ,
’
the king s troops B e f ore hi m a thousand horsemen led the
.

van chosen from among all the Persians ; and n ext to them
,

a thousand spearmen thes e also chosen f rom among all carry

, ,

ing their lances turned downward to the earth A fter thes e .

cam e ten sacred horses called Nis aean gorgeously caparisoned , .

These hors e are called N is aean on th e following account : there

is a large plain in th e M edic territory which i s call ed the ,

Nis ae an ; now this plain produces thes e large horses B ehind .

t h ese ten hors es w a s placed th e sacre d chariot O f j upiter ,

drawn by eight white horses ; behind the horses f ollowed a

charioteer on foot holding th e reins ; b ecaus e no mortal ever
,

ascends this seat B ehin d this came X erxes himself on a

.

chariot drawn by Nis aean horses ; an d a charioteer walked at

his side wh os e nam e w a s P a t i ra m p h e s son of O tanes a Per
, , .

sian I n this manner then X erxes march ed out o f Sardis

.
, , ,

and whenever he thought right h e us ed to pass f rom the ,

chariot to a covered carriage B eh ind him march ed a thou .

sand spearmen the bravest and most nobl e o f th e Persians

, ,

carrying their spears in th e usual manner ; and a fter them a n

other body o f a thousan d horse chosen f rom among the Per ,

S Ia n s : after th e cavalry came ten thousan d men chosen f rom

the rest o f the Persians ; thes e were infantry ; an d O f these ,

one thousan d had golden pomegranates on their spears i n

stead O f f erul es and they inclosed the others all round ; but
,

the nine thousan d b eing within th em had silver p o m e g ra n

, ,

ates Those also that carried their spears turned to the earth
.
,

had golden pomegranates and those that followed nearest ,

to X erxes had golden apples B ehin d the ten thousand foot .

were placed ten thousan d Persian caval ry ; and after the cav
al r w l eft an interv a l o f two stades ; and then the rest O f
y a s
3 8 2 H E R O D O T U S—B O O K V II, PO L Y M N I A 6
[ 3 39 -

and horses might not be f rightened by l ooking down upon

the sea .

When the works at the bridges were completed and those ,

at M ount Athos as well as the mounds at the mouths o f the ,

canal which had been made on account of the tide in order

, ,

that the mouths O f the trench might not b e choked up and ,

news was brought that the canal was entirely completed ;

thereupon the army having wintered at Sardis and being f ully , ,

prepared s et out at the b eginning O f the spring from thence

, , ,

toward Abydos B ut as it was on the point o f setting out

.
,

the sun quitting his seat in the heavens disappeared though

, , ,
’

there were no clouds and the air was p erfectly serene and , ,

night ensued in th e place o f day When X erxes saw and per .

c e i v e d this it occasioned him much uneasiness ; he there

, ,

f ore inquired O f the magi what the prodigy might portend

,
“ .

They answered that the deity foreshows to the Greeks the

extinction o f their cities adding that the sun is the por ,

tender o f the future to the Greeks and the moon to the Per ,
”
sians .X erxes having heard this was much delighte d and
, , ,

set out upon his march As he was leading his army away .
,

Pythius the Lydian terrified by the prodigy in the heavens , ,

and embol dened by the gifts went to X erxes the king and , , ,

spoke thus : Sire woul d you indulge me by granting a boon ,

I should wish to obtain which is easy f or you to grant and , ,

”
o f great importance to me ? X erxes exp ecting that he ,

would wish for anything rather than what he did ask said ,

that he woul d grant his request and bade him declare what ,

he wanted ; whereupon he when he heard this spoke c o n fi , ,

d e n t l y as follows : S ire I have five sons ; and it happens ,

that they are all attending you in the expedition against

Greece B ut do you O king pity me w h o am thus advanced
.
, , ,

in years and release one O f my sons from the service that he

, ,

may take care of me and my property Take the other f our .

with you and having accompl ished your designs may you
, ,

return home X erxes was highly incensed and answered

.
,

as f ollows : Base man ! hast thou dared when I am march ,

ing in person against Greece and taking with me my children , ,

and brothers and kinsmen and f riends to make mention o f

, , ,

thy son ? thou w h o art my slave and who wert bound in duty
, ,

to follow me with all thy family even with thy wife Now ,
.

learn this well that the spirit of man dwells in his ears ; which
,

when it hears pleasing things fills th e whol e body with de ,

l ight but when it hears the contrary swells with indi gn ation
, ,
.

When therefore you did well and gave promise o f th e like

, , , ,

you can not boast o f having surpassed the king in generosity .

 8 O O —
H E R D T U S B OO K V I I, P O L Y MN I A [ 41
—46
3 4

the throng f ollowed promiscuously T h e army directed its .

march from Lydia to th e river C a i c u s and the Mysian terri

tory ; and proceeding from the C a i c u s leaving M ount Can aa ,

on the l eft passed through At a rn e u s to the city Carina From

, .

thence it marched through the plain of Thebes and passing ,

by the city of Adramyttium and the Pelasgian A n t ra n d u s and ,

keeping M ount I d a on the left it entered the territory of I lium , .

B ut before this as the army halted during the night under

,

Mount I d a thunder and lightning fell upon them and de

, ,

stroyed a considerabl e number of the troops on the spot .

When the army arrived at the Scamander which was the first ,

river since they had set out on their march from Sardis whose ,

stream f ailed and did not a ff ord su fficient drink for the army
and beasts of burden ; when accordingly X erxes arrived at , ,

this river he went up to the Pergamus of Priam being de

,
1
,

s i ro u s of seeing it ; and having seen it and inquired into every ,

particular he sacrificed a thousand oxen to the I lian Minerva

, ,

and th e magi poured out libations in honour of the heroes .

After they had done th is a pan ic fell on the Camp during the ,

night and at the dawn O f day th ey marched f rom thence on

, ,

the le ft skirting the city of R h aet i u m and O p h ry n i u m and , ,

Dardanus which borders on Abydos ; and on the right the

,

Gerg i t h ae Teucrians .

When they were at Abydos X erxes wish ed to behold the ,

whol e army A lofty throne O f white marble had been pre

.

v i o u s l y erected on a hill at this place for his express use ; the

people O f Abydos had made it in obedience to a previous ,

order of the king When he w a s seated there looking down

.
,

toward the shore he behel d both the land army and the fleet ;
,

and when he beheld them h e desired to see a contest take ,

place between th e ships ; an d when it had taken place and ,

the Sidonian Ph oenicians were victorious he showed himsel f ,

exceedingly gratifi ed both with the contest and the army .

When he saw the whol e Hellespont covered with the ships and ,

all th e shores and the plains O f Abydos f ull o f men X erxes ,

thereupon pronounced himself happy ; but afterward shed

tears A rt a b a n u s his paternal uncle having O bserved him
.
, , ,

the same who had b efore freely declared his opinion and a d
vised X erxes not to invade Greece ; this man having per ,

c e i v e d X erxes shedding tears addressed him thus : O king , ,

how very di ff erent from each other are what you are now
doing and what you did a little while ago ! for having pro
,
”
n o u n c e d yourself happy now you weep He answered , .
,

Commiseration seized me when I considered how brie f all

1
Th a t is ,
“t h e c i t a d e l .
 6
4 4 9]
-
XE R X E S A T T HE H E L LE S P O N T 8
3 5

human li f e is since o f these numerous as they are not one

, , ,
”
shall survive to the hundredth year B ut A rt ab a n u s replied
“
. ,

saying : We su ff er during life other things more p itiable

than this ; for in this so brief li f e there is not one either o f ,

these or o f others born so happy that it will not occur to him

, ,

not o nly once but oftentimes to wish rather to die than to ,

live For calamities b e fa l l i n g h i m and diseases disturbing

.
‘

him make l ife though really short appear to be long ; so

, , ,

that death life being burdensome b ecomes the most desirabl e

, ,

refuge for man ; and the deity having given us to taste of ,

”
sweet existence is f ound to b e j ealous O f his gi ft
,
X erxes .

answered saying : A rt a b a n u s O f human life which is such

, , ,

as you have described it let us say no more nor let us call , ,

evils to mind now that we have good things before us B ut

,
.

tell me this I f th e vision of the dream had not appeared so

.

clearly woul d you have retained your former opinion and

, ,

dissuaded me f rom making war against Greece or would you ,

”
have changed your opinion ? Come tell me this expl icitly ,
.

H e answered saying : O king may the vision of the dream

, ,

that appeared terminate as we both desire : but I am still full

Of a larm and not master of myself when I consider many other ,

circumstances and moreover perceive two things of the

, , ,
”
greatest importance most hostile to you To this X erx es
“ , .

answered as f ollows : Strange man ! what are these two

things w h ich you say are most hostile to me whether do you
?

find fault with the lan d army on account of numbers and do ,

you think that the Grecian army will b e much more numerous
than ours ? or that our navy wil l fall short of theirs ? or both
thes e together ? For if you think our forces deficient in this
”
respect w e can quickly assembl e another army
, H e an .

s w e r e d saying :
, O king no man of common understanding ,

can find fault either with this army or the number of the
'

ships B ut even if you shoul d muster more the two things

.
,

which I mean woul d become still more hostile These two .

things are land and s ea For as I conj ecture there is nowhere .

, ,

any harbour o f the sea so large as to b e capable in case a ,

storm shoul d arise of receiving this your navy and shelter,

ing the ships And yet there is need not only that there be
.
,

one such harbour but others along the whol e continent by

, ,

which you are about to coast Since there are not harbours .

suffi ciently capacious remember that accidents rul e men not , , ,

men accidents O n e of the two things having thus been men

.

t i o n e d I now proceed to mention the other

, The land will .

be hostile to you in this way : if nothing else should stand in

yo u r way it will become more h ostil e to you the farther you
,

25
3 8 6 H E R O D O T U S— B O O K V II , P O L YM N I A

advance as you are continually drawn on unawares ; for men

,

are never satiated with success And even if I should grant .

that no one will oppose you I say that the country becoming , ,

more extens ive in process O f time will produce a famine A , .

man woul d therefore thus prove himself most wise if in de

lib eration he should be apprehensive and consider himself
likely to su ff er every misfortune but in action should be bold , .

X erxes answered in these words : A rt a b a n u s you have dis ,

cussed each O f these particulars plausibly ; but do not fear '

everything nor weigh every circumstance with equal strict

,

ness For if in every matter that is proposed yo u shoul d

.

weigh everything with equal care you woul d never do any ,

thing a t all ; it is b etter being confident on all occasions to , ,

su f fer half the evils than fearing everything beforehand never , ,

su ff er anything at all B ut if you oppose everything that is .

proposed and do not advance something certain you must fail

, ,

in your plans equally with the person w h o has given a con

t ra ry opinion This therefore comes to the same “ Can any
.
, ,

one w h o is a man know for a certainty what ought to be

done ? I think certainly not
1
.
To those however w h o are
, .
, ,
.

ready to act gain for the most part is wont to accrue ; but to
'

those that weigh everything and are timid it seldom does , .

Y ou see to what a degree O f power the emp i re o f the Persians

has advanced ; if then they w h o were kings before me had
, ,

entertained such O pinions as you do or not entertaining such ,

opinions had such counsellors you would never have seen

, ,

their power advanced to this pitch B ut now by hazarding .

,

dangers they carried it to this height For great u n d e rt a k

, .

ings are wont to b e accompl ished at great hazards We there .

,

fore emulating them set out at the most favourable s eason

, ,

of t h e year and having subdued all Europe will return home

, , ,

without having met with famine anywhere or su ff ered any ,

other reverses For in the first place w e march carrying with

.
, , ,

us abundant provisions and in the next place whatever land , , ,

an d nation w e invade w e shall have their corn ; and we are ,

making w a r on men who are husbandmen and not feeders ,

”
O f cattl e After this A rt a b a n u s said : O king since you
.
,

will not allo w us to fear anything yet hearken to my advice ; ,

for it i s necessary when speaking on many topics to extend

, ,
’
one s discours e Cyrus son of Cambyses subdued all I onia
.
, ,

except the Athenians so as to b e tributary to the Persians , .

I advise you therefore on no account to l ead these men

, ,

1
I h a v e f o ll o w e d t h e re a d i n g a n d p u n c t u a t i o n o f M a t t h i ae a n d B a e h r .

T h e l a t t e r , t h o u g h h e a p p ro v e s t h e m a r k o f i n t e rro g a t i o n , o m i t s i t i n h i s
v e rs i o n O f t h i s p a s s a g e .
38 8 H E R O D O T U S—B O O K V I I, PO L Y M N I A —
[ 54 5 8

can not determine wit h certainty whether he dropped these

things into the sea as an O ff ering to the sun or whether h e
repen t ed O f having scourged the H ellespont and presented ,

these gifts to the sea as a compensation When these cere .

monies were finished the infantry and all the cavalry crossed ,

over by that bridge which was toward the Pontus ; and the
beasts O f burden and attendants by that toward t h e EE g ea n .

First of all the ten thousand Persians led the v a n all wearing ,

crowns ; and after them the promiscuous host of all nations .

These crossed on that day O n the f ollowing first th e horse .

,

men and those who carried their lances downward these also
, ,

wore crowns ; next came the sacred horses and the sacred
chariot ; afterward X erxes himself and the spearmen and the , ,

thousand horsemen ; after them the rest of the army closed

the march ; and at the same time the ships got under way
to the O pposite shore I have also heard that X erxes crossed .

over last of all X erxes when h e had crossed over into Eu

.
,

rope saw the army crossing over under the lash : his army
,

crossed over in seven days and seven nights without halting

at all O n this occasion it is related that when Xerxes had
.

crossed over the Hellespont a certain H ellespontine said : O ,

Jupiter w h y assuming the f orm o f a Persian and taking the

, , ,

name o f X erxes do you wish to subvert Greece bringing

, ,

all mankind with you ? since without them it w a s in your

power to do this .

When all had crossed over and were proceeding on their ,

march a great prodigy appeared to them which Xerxes took

, ,

no account of although it w a s easy to be interpreted A mare

,
.

f oaled a hare : this then might easily have been interpreted

, ,

thus that X erxes was about to lead an army into Greece with
,

exceeding pomp and magnificence but would return to the ,

same place running for his life Another prodigy had also .

happened whil e he was at Sardis ; a mule brought forth a colt ,

with doubl e parts both those o f a mal e and those o f a femal e ;

,

those o f the male were uppermost B ut taking no account .

of either o f these he proceeded f orward and with him th e l and

, ,

forces B ut the fl eet sailing out of the Hellespont stood along

.
, ,

by the land taking a contrary course to that of the army For

,
.

it sailed toward the west steering for Cape Sarpedon where , , ,

on its arrival it was ordered to wait : but the army on the con
,

t i n e n t marched toward the east and the rising sun through ,

th e Chersonese having on th e right hand the sepulchre of

,

H elle daughter o f Athamas and on the left the city o f Cardia

, , ,

and going through the middle of a city the name o f whic h ,

happened to b e Agora : and from thence bending round a ,

5 3-
6 1 ] T HE T R O O P S R EV I E W E D 8
3 9

bay called M elas and having come to the river M elas whos e
, ,

—
stream did not s u fl t c e for the army but f ailed having crossed
c
,

this river from which the bay derives its name they marched
, ,

westward passing by ZE nos an ZE O l i a n city and the lake

,
-

, ,

S t e n t o ri s until they reached D o ri s c u s

,
D o ri s c u s is a shore .

and extensive plain o f Thrace Through it flows a large .

river the H e b ru s O n it a royal f ort had been b uilt the same

, .
,

that is now called D o ri s c u s and a Persian garrison had been ,

established in it by Darius f rom the time that he marched

against the Scythians This place there f ore appeared to .
, ,

X erxes to b e convenient f or reviewing and numbering his

army ; this he accordingly did All the ships th erefore hav .
, ,

ing arrived at D o ri s c u s the captains at the command o f , ,

X erxes brought them to th e shore adj oining D o ri s c u s O n

, .

this coast stood Sala a Samothracian city and Zona ; and at , ,

its extremity S e rrh i u m a celebrated promontory : this region ,

f ormerly belonged to the Ciconians Having steered to this .

shore they hauled up the S hips and repaired them ; and in

,

th e meantime X erxes numbered his army at D o ri s c u s How .

great a number o f men each contributed I am unabl e to say ,

with certainty ; for it is not mentioned by any one ; but th e

amount of the whole lan d forces w a s f ound to be s eventeen
hundred thousand They were computed in this manner : .

Having drawn together ten thousan d men in one place and ,

having crowded them as clos e together as it w a s possible ,

they traced a circle on the outside ; and having traced it and ,

removed the ten thousand they threw up a stone f ence on th e ,

circle reaching to th e height O f a man s navel Having done

,
’
.

this they made others enter within the incl osed space until
, ,

they had in this manner computed all ; an d having numb ered

them they drew out according to nations
, .

Those w h o served in this expedition were the f ollowing :

The Persians equipped as follows : on thei r h eads they wore
,

loose coverings called tiaras ; on the body various coloured

,

sl eeved breastplates with iron scales like those O f fish ; an d ,

on their legs loose trousers ; and instead O f shiel ds bucklers

, ,

made o f osiers ; and under them their quivers were hung .

They had short spears long bows and arrows made O f cane ; , ,

and besides daggers suspended f rom the girdl e on the right

, ,

thigh They had for their general O tanes father O f Am e s t ri s

.
, ,

wife of Xerxes They were formerly called C e p h e n e s by th e

.

Grecians but by themselves and neighbours A rt aea n s ; but

,

when Perseus son of Danae and Jupiter came to Cepheus

, , ,

son o f B elus and married his daughter Andromeda he had a

,

son to whom he gave the name O f Perses ; and h 1m h e l e ft

 O O —
H E R D T U S B O O K V I I, PO L Y M N IA 6
[ 6] —
39 0 1

in the country for Cepheus had no mal e O ff spring ; from him

,

therefore they derived their appellation The M edes marched .

equipped in the same manner as the Persians ; for the above

is a M edic and not a Persian costume The Medes had for .

their general Tigranes of the family of the Ach aemenid ae ; they ,

were formerly called Arians by all nations ; but when M edea

o f Colchis came from Athens to these Arians they also ,

changed their names : the M edes themselves give this account

of their nation The C i s s i a n s w h o served in the army were
.
, ,

in other respects accoutred like the Persians except that i n , ,

stead of turbans they wore mitres Anaphes son of O tanes , .

, ,

commanded the C i s s i a n s The Hyrcanians were also armed .

like the Persians and had for their general M e g a p an u s who , ,

was afterward governor of B abylon The Assyrians w h o .

served in the army had helmets of brass twisted in a bar ,

barous fashion not easy to b e described ; and they had shiel ds

,

and spears and daggers similar to thos e of the Egyptians ;

,

and besides wooden clubs knotted with iron and linen

, , ,

cuirasses B y the Greeks they were called Syrians but by

.
,

the barbarians Assyrians Among them were the Chaldeans .

and O t a s p es son O f A rt a c h ae u s commanded them The Bac

, , .

t ri a n s j oined the army having turbans on their heads very , ,

much like those of the M edes and bows made of cane p e c u l ,

iar to their country and short spears The Sac ae who are ,
.
,

Scythians had on their heads caps which came to a point and

, ,

stood erect : they also wore loos e trousers and carried bo w s ,

peculiar to their country and daggers and also battle axes , ,

-

called s a ga re s These though they are A m y rg i a n Scythians

.
, ,

they called Sac ae for the Persians call all the S cythians Sac m , .

H y s t a s p e s son o f Darius and Atossa daughter O f Cyrus com

, , ,

m a n d e d th e Bactrians and Sac ae The I ndians clad with gar .

,

ments made O f cotton had bows of cane and arrows O f cane , ,

tipped with iron Thus the I ndians were equipped ; and they .

were marshalled under the command O f P h a n a z at h res son of ,

A rt a b a t e s The Arians were furnished with M edic bows ; and

.

in other resp ects we re accoutred like the Bactrians S i s a m n e s .

,

son O f Hydarnes commanded the Arians The Parthians ,

.
,

Chorasmians Sogdians Ga n d ari an s and D a d i c ae j oined the

, , , ,

army having the same accoutrements as the B actrians The

,
.

following leaders commanded them : A rt a b a z u s son of Phar ,

naces commanded the Parthians and Ch orasmians ; A z a n e s

, ,

son of A rt ae u s the Sogdians ; and A rt y p h i u s son of Arta

, ,

banus the Ga n d a ri a n s and D a d i c ae The C a s p i a n s clothed

,
.
,

in goat S kin mantles and carrying bows made of cane peculiar

-

to their country and scimetars j oined the expedition T h ese

, , .
 H E R O D OT U S B OO K V II , PO L Y M N IA —
7 78
39 2 -

[ 2

These Syrians are called by the Persians Cappadocians Now .

D o t u s son of M e g a s i d ru s commanded the Paphlagonians and

, ,

M at i e n i a n s ; and Go b ry a s son of Darius and A rt y s t o n e the , ,

M a ri a n d y n i a n s L i g y e s and Syrians The Phrygians had

, , .

very nearly the same dress as that of Paphlagonia varying ,

it a littl e The Phrygians as the Macedonians say were called

.
, ,

E riges as long as they were Europeans and dwelt with the

, ,

Macedonians but having passed over into Asia they changed ,

their name with their country into that o f Phrygians The , .

Armenians being colonists of the Phrygians were equipped

, ,

like the Phrygians Art o c h m e s w h o had married a daughter.

,
’
o f Darius commanded both these The Lydians arms were
,
.

very like the Grecian The Lydians were formerly called .

M ei o n i a n s but took their appellation from L y d u s the son O f

, ,

Atys having changed their name The Mysians wore on their

,
.

heads a helmet peculiar to their country ; and small shields ;

and they used j avelins hardened by fire They are colonists .

o f the Lydians and from the mountain O lympus are called ,

O l y m p i en i A rt a p h e rn es son o f A rt a p h e rn e s who invaded

.
, ,

Marathon with Datis commanded the Lydians and Mysians , .

The Thracians j oined the expedition having fox skins on ,

-

t h ei r heads and tunics around their body and over them they ,

were clothed with various coloured cloaks and on their f eet ,

and legs they had buskins o f fawn skin and besides they had -

, , ,

j avelins light bucklers and small daggers These people

, , .

having crossed over into Asia were called B ithynians ; but ,

f ormerly as they themselves say were called S t ry m o n i a n s

, , ,

as they dwelt on the river Strymon : they say that they were
removed f rom their original settlements by the Teucrians an d
Mysians B a s s a c e s son of Art a b a n u s commanded the Thra
.
, ,

c i a n s O f Asia The had small shields made o f raw hides

1 -

,
. .

and eac h had two j avelins used f or hunting wolves and on ,

their heads brazen helmets ; and in addition to th e helmets

they wore the ears an d horns of an ox in brass And over .

these were crests ; and as to their legs they were enwrapped ,

in pieces o f purpl e cloth Among these peopl e there is an .

oracl e o f Mars The Cabalian M ei o n i a n s w h o are also called

.
,

L a s o n i a n s had the same dress as th e Cilicians which I shall

,

describe when I come to speak of the army O f the Cilicians .

The M i l y ae had short lances and their garments were fastened ,

by clasps Some O f them had Lycian bows and on their heads

.
,

helmets mad e of tanned skins B a d re s son o f H y s t a n es .

, ,

commanded all thes e The M o s c h i a n s had on their heads .

1
T h e re i s a n h i a t u s i n t h e m a n u s c ri p t s , w h i c h t h e i n ge n u i t y o f a n no
t a t o rs a n d e d i t o rs h a s b e e n u n a b l e t o s u p p ly .
78 8 3]
-
CAT A L O G U E OF T H E T R OO PS 39 3

wooden helmets and small buckl ers and spears ; but there
, ,

were large points on the spears The T i b a r e n i a n s M a c ro n e s .

, ,

and M o s y n oec i j oined the expedition equipped as th e M os

chians The f ollowing generals marshalled these : The M os
.

chians and T i b a re n i a n s A ri o m a rd u s son O f Darius and , ,

Pa rm y s daughter O f S m e r d i s son of Cyrus ; the M a c ro n e s

, ,

and M o s y n oec i Art ay c t e s son of Ch e ra s m i s w h o was i n

, , ,

trusted with the government O f Sestos on the H ellespont The .

Mares wore helmets on their heads painted a f ter the manner ,

of their cou ntry ; and carried small shiel ds made O f skin and ,

j avelins Th e Colchians had about their heads wooden hel

.

,
—
mets and small shiel ds of ra w hide and short lances ; and , ,

besides they had swords P h e r e n d at e s son o f T ea s p e s com

, .
, ,

m a n d e d the Mares and Colchians The A l a ro d i and th e Sas .

pires marched armed like the Colchians ; M a s i s t i u s son o f .

,
.

S i ro m i t r e s commanded them , The insular nations that came .

f rom the E ry t h rma n S ea and from the islands in which the ,

”
king makes those dwell w h o are called the banished had ,

clothing and arms very similar to th e M edic M a r d o n t e s .

,

son o f B a g mu s w h o when commanding the army at M y c a l e

, , ,

two years after this died in battl e commanded thes e islanders

, , .

These were the nations that march ed on the continent and ,

composed the in fantry They then who have been mentioned .

, ,

commanded this army and these were th ey w h o set in order , ,

and numbered them and appointed commanders O f thou ,

sands and of ten thousands B ut the commanders o f ten thou .

sands appointed the captains O f hundreds and captains of tens .

There were other subaltern O fficers over th e troops and na

tions but those w h o have been mentioned were th e com
,

manders O ver thes e an d the whol e infantry were appointed

.

as generals M a r d o n i u s son O f Go b ry a s T ri t a n t aec h m e s son , ,

of A rt ab a n u s w h o gave his opinion against the invasion o f

,

Greece ; S m e rd o m e n e s son of O tanes ( both thes e were sons ,

to brothers O f Darius and cousins to X erxes ) ; M a s i s t e s son

, ,

O f Darius an d Atossa ; Ge r g i s son of A ri z u s and M e g a b y z u s , ,

son of Z o p y ru s Th ese were generals o f th e whol e land forces

.
,

except the ten thousand ; of these ten thousan d chosen Per

sians Hydarnes son of Hydarnes w a s general These Per
, , , .

sians were called I mmortal for th e following reason : if any ,

one of them made a deficiency in the numb er compelled either ,

by death or disease another w a s ready chosen to supply his

,

place ; so that th ey were never either more or less than ten

thousand Th e Persians displayed the greatest splendour o f
.

all and were al so the b ravest ; their equipment was such as

,

has been described ; b u t besides this they were conspicuo u s , ,

26
39 4 H E R O D O T U S— B O O K V I I, PO L Y M N I A [ 8 3
—8 8

from having a great pro f usion o f gold They also brought .

with them covered chariots and concubines in them and a , ,

numerous and well equipped train of attendants Camels and

-
.

other beasts O f burden conveyed their provisions apart from ,

that of the rest of the soldiers .

All these nations have cavalry ; they did not however all , ,

furnish horse but only the following : First the Persians

, .
, ,

equipped in the same manner as t heir in f antry except that ,

on their heads some of them wore brazen and wrought steel -

ornaments There is a certain nomadic race called Sagar

.
,

tians O f Persian extraction and language : they wear a dress

,

f ashioned between the Persian and the P a c t y a n fashion ; they

furnished eight thousand horse but they are not accustomed ,

to carry arms either of brass or iron except daggers : they ,

use ropes made O f twisted thongs ; trusting to these they go ,

to war The mode of fighting of these men is as follows

.

When they engage with the enemy they t h row out the ropes , ,

which have nooses at the end and whatever any one catches , ,

whether hors e or man he drags toward himself ; and they that

,

are entangled in the coils are put to death This is their mode .

o f fighting ; and they were marshalled with the Persians The .

M edes had the same equipment as that used in the infantry ,

an d th e C i s s i a n s in like manner The I ndians were also .

e quipped like their in f antry but they used saddl e horses and ,

chariots : and in their chariots they yoked horses and wil d

asses The B actrians were equipped in the same manner as
.

their infantry and th e Ca s p i an s likewise The Libyans too

, .
, ,

were accoutred l ike their infantry ; but they all drove chariots .

I n l ike manner the Caspiri and P a r i c a n ii were equipped in the

same way as their infantry And the Arabians had the same .

dress as their infantry but all rode camels not inferior to ,

hors es in speed These nations only f urnished cavalry The

. .

number of the hors e amounted to eighty thousand besides ,

the camels and chariots All th e rest o f the cavalry were mar
.

s h al l e d in troops ; but the Arabians were stationed in the rear :

f or as horses can not endure camels they were stationed b e ,

h ind that th e horses might not be f rightened A rm a m i t h re s

,
.

and Ti t h aeu s sons of Datis were generals o f the cavalry

, ,
.

Their third colleague in command P h a rn u c h es had been le ft , ,

at Sardis sick For as they were setting out f rom Sardis he

.
-

met with a sad accident For when he was mounted a dog .

,

ran under the l egs o f his horse and the horse not being aware , ,

of it was f rightened and rearing up threw P h a rn u c h e s upon

, , ,

which he having fallen vomited blood and the disease turned

, , ,

into consumption With respect to the horse his servants

. ,
 6 —
H E R O D OT U S B OO K V I I, P O L Y MN I A
39

and daggers What these were f ormerly called I have men

.

t i o n e d in the first part O f my history The I onians contributed .

a hundred ships and were equipped as Greeks The I onians , .

,

a s long as they inhab ited that part of the Peloponnesus which

i s n o w called Achaia and before Danaus and Xuthus arrived ,

i n th e Peloponnesus as the Greeks say were called Pelasgian , ,

ZE g i a l e e s ; but I onians f rom I o n son of Xuthus The island , .

ers Contributed seventeen ships and were armed l ike the ,

Greeks This race is also Pelasgic but was afterward called

.
,

I onian for the same reason as the I onians o f the twelve cities
w h o came from Athens The ZE O l i a n s contributed sixty ships .
,

and were equipped like the Greeks they were anciently called
Pelasgians as the Grecians say The H e ll e s p o n t i n e s except
'

, .
,

those of Abydos f or the people O f Abydos were ordered by the ,

king to stay at home and guard the bridges the rest how — ,

ever w h o j oined the expedition from the Pontus contributed

, ,

a hundred ships ; they were equipped like the Gr e eks : these

are colonists of the I onians and Dorians .

Persians M edes and Sac ae served as marines on board all

, ,

the ships O f these the Ph oenicians furnished the best sail

.

ing ships and of the Ph oenicians the Sidonians O ver all

, .

these as well as over those that formed the land army native
, ,

O fli c e rs were appointed to each ; but I do not mention their

n am e s f o r I am not necessarily constrained to do so for the
,
.

purpose o f the history ; nor were the O ffi cers o f each nation
worthy o f mention ; and in each nation as many as the citi es ,

were so many were the l eaders They did not however fol
, .
, ,

low in the quality o f generals but like the other subj ects who ,

j oined the expedition M oreover the generals w h o had all .

, ,

the power and were th e commanders o f the s everal nations

, ,

such of them as were Persians have been already mentioned

by me The following were admirals O f the navy : A ri a b i g n e s
.
,

s o n O f Darius ; P re x a s p e s son of A s p a t h i n e s ; M a g a b y z u s , ,

s o n of M e g a b a t e s ; and Ach aemenes son O f Darius ; o f the ,

I onian and Carian force A ri a b i g n e s son of Darius and th e , ,

daughter of Go b ry a s Ach aemenes who was brother to Xerxes

(
,

o n both sides commanded the Egyptians ; and the other

,

two commanded t h e rest of the fleet T ri é c o n t e rs p en t e c o n .

,

ters light boats an d long hors e transports were found to as

, ,

semble t o the number O f three thousand O f those who served .

in the fleet the following next to the admirals were the most
, , ,

illustrious : T e t ra m n e s t u s son O f A n y s u s a S idonian ; Mapen , , ,

son of S i ro m u s a Tyrian ; M e rb a l u s son of A g b al u s an

, , ,

Ari dian ; S y e nn e s i s son of O ro m e d o n a Cilician ; Cyb e rn i s

, ,

c u s son O f S i cas , a Ly c ian ; Gorgu s s on o f Ch ers i s and

, , . ,
 8 —1 0 1 ] T HE R EV I E W C O M PLE TE D
9 39 7

T i m a g o ra s Cyprians ; and o f th e Carians ,

T i m o n a x , son of ,

H i s t i aeu s son
O f T y m n es ,
P y g re s , son O f S e l d o m u s , and
D a m a s it h y m u s
son of C a n d a u l e s O f th e other captains I
, .

make no mention , as I deem it unnecessary , except o f Arte

misia , whom I most admire , as having though a woman , ,

j oined this expedition against Greece ; w h o her husband ,

being dead herself holding the sovereignty whil e her son was
,

under age j oined the expedition from a feeling of courage and

,

manly spirit though there w a s no n ecessity for h er doing so

, .

H er name w a s Artemisia and she w a s the daughter of L y g ,

damis and by birth she was o f Halicarnassus on her father s

,
’

’
side and on her mother s a Cretan She commanded the Hali
, .

c a r n a s s i a n s the Coans the N i s y ri a n s an d the C a l y d n i a n s h av

, , , ,

ing contributed five ships : and O f the whole fleet next to the ,

Sidonians she furnished th e most renowned ships and of all

, ,

th e allies gave the b est advice to th e king The cities which

, .

I have mentioned as b eing under her command I pronounce

to be all of Doric origin ; the H al i c a rn a s s i a n s being T roez e
n ia n s an d th e rest E p i d a u ri a n s Thus far the naval arma
, .

ment has been spoken o f .

X erxes when he had numbered his f orces and th e army

, ,

was drawn up desired to pass through and inspect them in

,

person Accordingly he did so and driving through on a

.
, ,

chariot by each separate nation he made inquiries and h is

, , ,

secretaries wrote down the answers ; until he had gone f rom

one extremity to the other both O f the horse and foot When , .

he had finished this and the ships had been launched into the ,

sea X erxes thereupon removing from his chariot to a

,

Sidonian ship sat under a gilded canopy and then sailed by

, ,

th e prows of the ships asking questions o f each as he had , ,

done with th e land forces and having the answers written ,

down The captains O f the ships having drawn thei r vessels

.

about four p l e t h ra from th e beach lay to all having turned , ,

their ships frontwise to land and having armed the marines ,

as i f for a battle ; but X erxes sailing between th e prows and ,

the beach inspected them ,

.

When h e had sail ed through them and had landed f rom ,

the ship he sent for Demaratus son of Ariston w h o a c c o m

, , ,

p a n i e d him in his expedition against Greece ; and having

called him he addressed him thus : D emaratus it is now
, ,

my pleasure to ask of you certain questions that I wish Y ou .

are a Greek and as I am informed by you and other Greeks

, , ,

who have conversed with me O f a city neither the l east nor th e ,

weakest N o w therefore tell me this whether the Grecians

.
, , ,

will venture to li ft their hands against me : f or as I think , ,

 8 H E R O D OT U S — B OO K V II P O L Y M N IA [ 10 1 —1 0 3
39 ,

i f all th e Grecians and all the rest o f the nations that dwell
,

toward the west were collected together they would not be

, ,

able to withstand my attack unless they were united together , .

However I am desirous to know what you say on this sub

,
”
j e c t
. Such was the question he asked ; but Demaratus a n

s w e ri n g said O king whether shall I speak truth to yo u

, , ,
”
or what is pleasing ? H e bade him speak truth assuring ,

him that he woul d not b e at all l ess agreeable than he was

before When Demaratus heard this he spoke thus : O “
,
.

king since you positively require me to speak truth I will

, ,

say such things as whoever sho u l d utter them would not here ‘

after be convicted of falsehood Poverty has ever been famil .

iar to Greece but virtue has been acquired having been a c

, ,

complished by wisdom and firm laws ; by the aid of which

Greece has warded o ff poverty and tyranny I commend .
,

indeed all those Greeks w h o dwell round those Doric lands ;

,

but I shall now proceed to speak not of all but O f the Lace , ,

d aem o n i a n s only I n the first place I say it is not possibl e

.
,

that they should ever listen to your p roposals which bring ,

slavery on Greece ; secondly that they will meet you in battle , ,

even if all the rest of the Greeks should side with you With .

respect to their number you need not ask how many they ,

are that they are able to do this for whether a thousand men
, ,

or more or even l ess should have marched out they will

, , ,
”
certainly give you battle X erxes having heard this re .
, ,

plied : D emaratus what have you said that a thousand men

?
,

will fight with such an army as this ? Come tell me you say , ,

that you were yourself king of these men ? Are you then , ,

willing on the spot to fight with ten men ? And yet if all
your citizens are such as you represent you w h o are their , ,

king ought by your own institutions to b e matched against

,

twice that number ; f or i f each o f them is a match for ten

men in my army I expect that you shoul d be a match for
,

twenty so the O pinion you have given u tterance to would

,

prove correct B ut if being such as yourself and of the same

.
, ,

stature as you and other Greeks w h o have conversed with me ,

ye boast so much b eware that the opinion you have uttered

,

b e not an idle vaunt For come let us consider every prob .

,

ability : how could a thousand men or even ten thousand or , ,

even fifty thousand b eing all equally free and not subj ect to
, ,

the command of a single person resist such an army as this ? ,

f or if they are five thousand w e are more than a thousand ,

against one Were they indeed according to our custom

.
, , ,

subj ect to the command o f a single person they might , ,

through fear O f him prove superior to their nat u ral co u rage ;

,
400 H E R O D O T U S—B O O K V II , PO L Y M N IA [ 1 0 6—1 0 9

son o f X erxes to the descendants of M as ca m e s For even

, .

before this expedition governors had been appointed in

Thrace and throughout the Hellespont Now all these both
, .
,

in Thrace an d on the Hellespont except the one in D o ri s c u s , ,

were driven out by the Greeks after this invasion ; but none
were abl e to drive out M a s c a m e s w h o w a s in D o ri s c u s though
, ,

many made the attempt O n this account presents are sent .

to his family by the reigning King of Persia B ut o f all those .

who were driven out by the Greeks King X erxes thought no ,

one had behaved himself with courage except B o ges who ,

was governor of E i o n Him he never ceased pra i s i ng and

.
,

conferred the highest honours on his sons w h o survived in

Persia And indeed B oges des erved great praise ; for when
.

he was besieged by the Athenians under Cimon son of Mil ,

t i a d e s and might have marched out by capitulation and re

,

turned to Asia he would not do so lest the king should think

, ,

he saved his life through cowardice ; but he held out to the

last And when there was no longer any food in the f ort
.
,

having rais ed a great pile he sl ew his children and wife and , ,

concubines and s ervants and then threw their bodies into ,

the fire ; after this he cast all the gol d and silver that was in
the tower from th e fort into the Strymon and having done
this h e threw himsel f into the fire So that he is with j ustice
,
.

commended by the Persians even to this day .

X erxes s et out from D o ri s c u s toward Greece and com ,

p e ll e d such nations as he met with to j oin his army For as I .

,

b efore observed th e whol e country as far as Thessaly had

,

b een brought to subj ection and made tributary to the king , ,

M e g a b y z u s and afterw a rd M a rd o n i u s having sub dued it I n

, ,
.

his march from D o ri s c u s he first passed the Samothracian ,

f ortresses ; the last o f which is s ituated toward the west and ,

is a city called M e s a m b ri a ; near this is S t ry m e a city of the ,

Thasians B etween these two places the river L i s s u s flows ;

.

which did not supply su fficient water f or the army o f Xerxes ,

but failed This country was anciently called Gal l a i ca but now
.
,

B ri a n t i c a : in strict right however it belongs to the Ciconians

, , .

X erxes having crossed the dried u p channel of the river -

L i s s u s passed by the following Grecian cities : M a ro n ea

, ,

D i c aea and Abdera ; he accordingly went by these and near

, ,

them the f ollowing cel ebrated lakes : the I s m a ri s situated b e

, ,

tween M a ro n e a and St ry m e ; and B i s t o n i s near D i c aea into , ,

which t w o rivers empty their water the Travus and Comp ,

satus Near Ab dera X erxes passed by no celebrated lake

’

.
,

but the river N e s t u s which flows into th e sea After these

,
.

p laces he passed in h is mar c h by s ev e ral continental cities ;

1 09 -
1 1 5] T H E M A R CH OF XE R XE S 40 1

in one o f which is a lak e about thirty stades in circ u m f erence ;

it a bounds in fish and is very brackish The beasts of b u rden , .

alone being watered there dried this up The name of this

, , .

city is P i s t y r u s These cities then maritime and Grecian h e

passed by l eaving the m on th e left hand The nations o f
.
, , ,

.
,

Thrace through whose country he marched are these : th e

, ,

P aeti Ciconians B i s t o n i a n s S a p aei D e rs aei Edoni and Satrae

, , , , , , .

O f these such as dwelt near the sea attended him with their
,

ships ; and such as dwelt inland w h o have b een enumerated ,

by me all except th e Satr ae were compelled to f ollow by land

, , , .

The S a t raa as far as w e are informed were never subj ect to

, ,

any man but alone o f all the Thracians have continued f ree
, , ,

to this day For they inhabit lo fty mountains covered with

.
,

all kinds of wood and snow and are courageous in war Thes e ,
.

are the people that possess an oracle o f B acchus ; this oracl e

is on th e highest range o f their mountains Th e B ess i are .

those among the Satr ae who interpret the oracles O f the tem
ple a priestess delivers them as in D elphi and they are not , ,

at all more ambiguous X erxes having traversed th e coun .

,

try that has been mentioned after this passed by the f orts o f ,

the Pierians one of wh ich is called P h a g re s and th e other

, ,

Pergamus : here he marched close to th e very f orts keeping ,

on his right hand Mount P a n g aeu s which is vast and lofty , ,

and in it are gol d and silver mines which th e Pierians and ,

O d o m a n t i and especially the Satrae work

, Passing by the , .

P aeonians D o b e re s and P aeo p l ae w h o dwell above P a n g aeu s

, , ,

to th e north he went westward till he arrived at the river , ,

Strymon and the city o f E i o n o f which B oges whom I have

, , ,

lately mentioned being still alive was governor Th e land , , .

itself which is about M ount P a n gaeu s is called Phillis ex

, , ,

tending westward to the river A n g i t e s which falls into the ,

Strymon ; and on the south reaching to the Strymon its elf , ,

which the magi propitiated by sacrificing white horses to it .

Having used these enchantments to the river and many others ,

besides they marched by th e N ine Ways o f the E d o n i a n s to

,

the bridges and found the banks of th e Strymon united by

,

a bridge B ut being informed that this place w a s called the

.

Nine Ways they buried alive in it so many sons and daughters

,

of the in h abitan t s I t i s a Persian custom to bury people .

alive ; for I have h eard that Am e s t ri s wife of X erxes having , ,

grown O l d caused f ourteen children o f the best families in

,

Persia to be b uried al ive to show her gratitude to the god ,

wh o is said to be beneath th e earth .

When th e army marched from the Strymon there is a ,

shore toward the sunset on w h ich it passed by a Grecian city

40 2 H E R OD OT U S —B O O K V I I, P O L Y M N IA [ 1 15 —1 1 9

called Arg il u s ; this and the country above it is called B i s a l t ia ;

from thence keeping the bay near the Temple of Neptune on
the left hand it went through what i s called the plain o f
,

Syleus ; and passing by S t a g i r us a Grecian city arrived at , ,

Acanthus ; taking with them each O f the above nations and ,

those that dwell round Mount Pa n g aeu s as well as those which ,

I have before enumerated ; having those that dwelt near the

sea to serve on shipboard and those above the sea to follow ,

on f oot T his road along which King X erxes marched his

.
,

army th e Thracians neither disturb nor sow but regard it

, ,

with great veneration even to my time When he arrived .

a t Acanthus
-
the Persian enj oined the A c a n t h i a n s to show
,

them hospitality an d presented them with a M edic dress and

, ,

commended them seeing them ready f or the war and hearing

, ,

of the excavation at M ount Athos While X erxes was at .

Acanthus it h a p p e n e d t h a t Art a c h aee s who had superintended

,
‘

the canal died of disease ; he w a s much esteemed by X erxes

, ,

and was of the race o f th e Ach aemenid ae and in stature the ,

tallest of the Persians for he wanted only f our fingers o f five,

royal cubits ; and he had the loudest voice o f any man so ,

that X erxes considering his loss very great had him carried
, ,

to the grave and buried him with great pomp ; and the whole
army raised up a mound f or his sepulchre To this A rt a c h aee s .

the A ca n t hi a n s in obedience to an oracle o ff er sacrifice as

, ,

to a hero invoking him by name King X erxes there f ore

, .
, ,

when A rt a c h aee s died considered it a great loss Those o f, .

the Grecians w h o received the army and entertained X erxes

were reduced to extreme distress so that they were obliged ,

to abandon thei r homes ; since Antipater son o f O rges one , ,

of the most distinguished citizens b eing selected by the Tha i

,

sians w h o received and entertained the army o f X erxes on

,

behal f of the C ities on the continent showed that f our hun ,

dred talents of silver had been expended on the banquet I n .

l ike manner those w h o superintended in the other cities gave

in their accounts For the banquet was of the following kind
.
,

as b eing ordered long beforehand and considered O f great ,

importance : I n th e first place as soon as they heard the ,

heralds p roclaiming it all around the citizens having dis , ,

tributed the corn that was in the cities all made fl Ou r and ,

meal for many months ; and in th e next place they fatted ,

cattle finding the best they coul d for money and fed land
, ,

and water fowl in coops and ponds for th e entertainment o f ,

the army : moreover th ey made gold and S ilver cups and v e s

,

sels and all such things as are placed on a table B ut these

,
.

things were made f o r the king himsel f , and t h ose who sat at
4 04
H E R O D O T U S—B O O K V II , PO LY M N IA [ 1 2 3—1 2 7

t raeu m , which is th e most prominent point of a l l P a l l e n e ,

thence took ships and men from Potid aea Ap h y t i s Neapolis , , ,

ZE g a T h e ra m b u s S c i o n e M enda and Sana for these are the

, , , , ,
-

cities that belong to what is now P a l l e n e but was f o rm e rfy ,

called Phlegra Coasting along this country it sailed to the

.
,

appointed place taking with it troops also from the cities

,

near Pa ll e n e and bordering on the T h e rm aea n Gulf ; their

names are as follows : L i p a x u s C o m b re a Lis ee Gi g o n u s , , , ,

C a m p s a Smila and ZE n ea
,
The country in which these cities
, .

are situated is to the present time called by the name O f Cros

s aea From ZE n ea with which I ended my enumeration of
.
,

the cities the course of th e fleet was direct to the Th e rm aea n

,

Gulf and the M y g d o n i a n territory : and sailing on it reached ,

the appointed place Th erma an d S i n d u s and C h al e s t ra on , , ,

the river Ax i u s which divides the territories o f M y g d o n i a and

,
.

B o t t i aei s ; on a narrow tract of which near the sea stand the , ,

cities of I c h n ae and Pella .

The naval force encamped there near the river Ax i u s and ,

the city of Therma and th e intermediate places awaiting the , ,

arrival of the king B ut Xerxes and the land army marched .

f rom Acanthus taking the road through the interior wishing

, ,

to reach Therma And he marched through the P aeonian and . .

C r e s t o n i a n territories toward the river E c h i d o ru s which b e , ,

ginning from the C re s t o n i a n s flows through the M y g d o n i a n ,

territory and discharges itself into the marsh which is above

,

the river A x i u s While he w a s marching in this dire ction

.
,

l ions fell upon his camels that carried provisions for the lions ,

coming down by night and leaving their usual haunts ; seized

,
‘

nothing else whether b east of burden or man ; but th ey a t

,

tacked the camels only And I wonder what the reason could .
-

be that induced the lions t o abstain from all the rest and set
upon the camels ; a b east which they had never before seen
or made trial o f B ut in those parts l ions are numerous and
. .

wild bulls which have very large horns that are br ought into
,

Greece The boundaries O f the lions are the river N e s t u s

.
,

which flows through Abdera a n d the Ach elous which flows , ,

through A c a rn a n i a For no one w ould ever see a lion any .

where eastward O f the N e s t u s throughout th e fore part of ,

Europe nor to the west of the Achelous in the rest of the

, ,

continent but they breed in the tract between these two rivers
, .

When X erxes arrived at Therma he there ordered his army ,

to halt And his army when encamped occupied the f ol

.
, ,

lowing district along the coast : extending from th e city o f '

Therma and f rom M yg d o n i a to the rivers Lydias and H ali ac

, ,

mon which divide the territories of B o t t i aei s and Macedonia

, ,
1 27 1 29
-

] T HE M A R CH O F X E R XES 4 5
0

uniting their waters in the same channel I n these countries .

,

then the barbarians encamped O f the rivers above men

,
.

t i o n e d the E c h i d o ru s which flows from the C r e s t o n i a n s was

, , ,

the only one that w a s not su fficient for the army but f ailed , .

X erxes seeing from Therma the Thessalonian mountains

, ,

O lympus and O ssa which are of vast s ize and having learned , ,

that there w a s a narrow pass between them through whic h ,

the river Peneus runs and hearing that at that spot there was ,

a road l eading to Thessaly very much wished to sail and see ,

'

the mouth of the Peneus ; because he designed to march by

the upper road through th e country o f t h e Macedonians w h o ,

dwell higher up to the territory O f the P e rrh aeb i near the city
, ,

of Go n n u s ; for he w a s in formed that this was the safest way .

Accordingly as h e wished so he did Having gone on board

, , .

a Sidonian ship in which he always embarked whenever he

,

wished to do anything of this kind he made a signal for all ,

the rest of the fleet to get under way leaving th e land f orces ,

where they were When X erxes arrived and b ehel d the

.
,

mouth of the Peneus he was struck with great astonishment ; ,

and having called his guides asked if it woul d be possible ,

to turn the river and conduct it by another channel into the

sea I t is said that Thessaly w a s anciently a lake since it is
.
,

inclosed on all sides by lofty mountains For the side n ext the .

east M ount Pelion and O ssa shut in mingling their bases ,

with each other ; and the side toward the north O lympus shuts
in ; and the west Pindus ; an d th e side toward the midday
,

and the south wind O t h ry s : the space in the midst o f the ,

above mentioned mountains is Thessaly which is hollow

-

, .

S i n c e t h e n several other rivers flow into it and these five

'

, , ,

most noted ones the Peneus th e Ap i d a n u s the O n o c h o n u s

, , , ,

the E n i p e u s and the Pa m i s u s these that have been named

, ,

accordingly meeting together in this plain from th e moun

,

tains that inclose Th essaly discharge themselves into the sea ,

through one channel and that a narrow one having all b efore , ,

mingled their waters into the same stream but as soon as they
have mingl ed together from that spot the names of th e other ,

rivers merge in that o f the Peneus 1

I t is said that formerly .

when the pass and outlet did not yet exist thes e rivers and
besides them th e lake B oeb e i s were not called by the na mes
, ,

they now bear th ough they flowed not l ess than they do now ;
,

but that by their stream they made all Thess aly a lak e How .

ever the Thessalians themselves say that Neptune made the

,

pass through which the Peneus flows ; and their story is prob
1
Li t e ra lly , the i
r ver P e n eu s g a i n i n g the i
v ct o r
y as to t h e na m e ,
na m el es s
”
c a u s e s t h e o t h e rs t o be .
4 06 H E R O D O T U S— B O O K V II , PO L Y M N I A [ 1 2 9- 1 33

able For whoever thinks that Neptune shakes the earth and
.
,

that rents occasioned by earthquakes are the works of this

god on seeing this would say that N eptune formed it For it
, , .

appears evident to me that the separation o f these mountains

is the e ff ect of an earthquake The guides when Xerxes .
,

asked if there w as any other exit for the Peneus to the sea ,

being accurately acquainted with the country said : O king , ,

this river has no other outlet that extends to the sea except ,
”
this one ; for all Thessaly is surrounded by mountains .

X erxes is reported to have sai d to this : The Thessalians are

prudent men and therefore they long ago took precautions
, , ,

and altered their minds both on other accounts and because , ,

they possessed a country which might be easily subdued and ,

quickly taken For it woul d only be necessary to turn the

.

river on to their territory by forcing it back by a mound at ,

th e pass and diverting it f rom the channels through which

,

it now flows so that all Thessaly except the mountains would

, , ,
”
be inundated X erxes expressed himself thus in reference
.
,

to the sons o f Al e u a s because they being Thessalians were , , ,

th e first o f the Greeks w h o gave themselves up to the king ;

X erxes supposing that they promised alliance in behalf of the
whole nation Having thus spoken and viewed the spot he
.
, ,

sailed back to Therma .

H e remained several days about Pieria f or a third division ,

o f his army was employed in felling the trees on the Mace

d o n i a n range that th e whol e army might pass in that d i re c
,

tion to th e P e rrh aeb i I n the meantime the heralds who had

.
,

been s ent to Greece to demand e a rt h ret u rn e d to Xerxes ; some ,

empty and others bringing earth and water O f those who

,
.

gave them were th e f ollowing : the Thessalians the D ol o p e s , ,

the E n i e n e s th e P errh aeb i the Locrians the Magnetes the

, , , ,

~M elians the Ach aeans o f Pt h i o t i s and the Thebans and all

, , ,

the rest O f the B oeotians except the Thespians and P l atze a n s ,

.

Against these th e Greeks who engaged in war with the bar

b a r i a n s made a sol emn oath The oath ran as follows .

Whatever Greeks have given themselves up to the Persian ,

without compulsion so soon as their a ff airs are restored to

,

order these shall be compelled to pay a tithe to the god

,
”
at D elphi Such was the oath taken by the Greeks To
.
.

Athens and Sparta he d id not send h eral ds to demand earth ,

for the f ollowing reasons : O n a former occasion when Dar i us

sent for the same purpose the f ormer having thrown those ,
1
who made the demand into the barathrum and the latter ,

1
Th e b a ra t h r u m w as d e e p p i t a t At h e n s ,
a i n t o w h ich i
ce r t a n c r i minal s
w h o w e re s e n t e n ce d to d e a t h , w e r e t h ro w n .
40 8 H E R O D O T U S—B O O K V II, PO L Y M N IA [ 1 36—1 39

they were thrust by them on their heads ; for that it was not
their custom to worship a man nor had they come for that ,

purpose When they had fought O ff this and on their address

.
,

ing Xerxes in words to the following e ff ec t King of the ,

M edes the Laced aemonians have sent us in return f or the

,

heralds who were killed at Sparta to make satisfaction for ,

them on their saying this Xerxes answered with magna ,

n i m i t y that he would not be like the Laced aemonians for '

that they had violated the law of all nations by murdering

his heral ds ; but he would not do th e very thing which he
blamed in them ; nor by kill ing them in return would relieve ,

the Laced aemonians from guilt Thus the wrath of T al t h y b .

ius when the Spartans acted in this manner ceased for the
, ,

time although S p e rt h i e s and B ulis returned to Sparta B ut

, .

some time afterward it was again aroused during the war ,

between the Peloponnesians and Athenians as the L a c e d ae ,

m o n i a n s say ; and this appears t o me to have h a p p e n e d i n a

most extraordinary manner : for that the wrath of Talthybius
alighted on the messengers and di d not c ease until it was satis ,

fi e d j ustice allowed ; but that it should fall on the sons of the

,

men who went up to the king on account of that wrath on ‘

Nicolaus son of B ulis and on A n e ri s t u s son of S p e rt h i es

, , , ,

w h o sailing in a merchant vessel fully manned captured some

, ,

fishermen from Tiryns makes it clear to me that the occur ,

rence w a s extraordinar y in consequence of that wrath For .

they being sent by the Laced aemonians as ambassadors to

,

Asia an d being b etrayed by S i t al c e s son of Teres King o f

, , ,

the Thracians and by N y m p h o d o r u s son of Pytheas O f Ab

'

, ,

dera were taken near B isanthe on the H ellespont and b eing

, ,

carried to Attica were put to death by the Athenians ; and

,

with them Aristeas son of A d i m an t u s a Corinthian These

, ,
.

things however happened many years a fter the exp edition of

, ,

the king .

B ut I return to my former subj ect This expedition of the .

king w a s nominally directed against Athens but was really ,

sent against all Greece The Greeks however though they .

, ,

had heard of it long beforehand were not all a ff ected alike ,

.

For those who had given earth and water to the Persians felt
confident that they should su ff er no harm from the barbarians ;
but those who had refused to give them were in great con “

s t e r n at i o n since the ships in Greece were not su fficient in num

,

b er to resist the invader and many ere unwilling to engage

in the war and were much inclined to s i d e w i t h the Me des
, W ‘

.
,

And here I feel constrai n ed by necessity to declare my O pin

ion although i t may excite the envy of most men ; however
, ,
1 39 —1 4 1 ] PRE D I CT IO N S OF T H E P Y T H IA N 409

I will not re frain from expressing how th e truth appears to

me to be If the Athenians terrified with the impending dan
.
,

ger had abandoned their country ; or not having abandoned

,

it but remaining in it had given themselves up to X erxes

, , ,

no other peopl e woul d have attempted to resist the k ing at

sea If then no one had opposed X erxes by sea the f ollow
.
, , ,

ing things must have occurred on land : Although many l ines

o f walls had been built by the Peloponnesians across the isth
mus yet the Laced aemonians b eing abandoned by th e allies
, ,

( not willingly but by necessity they

, b eing taken by the bar ,

b a ri a n s city by city ) woul d have b een left alone ; and being,

le ft alone after having displayed noble deeds would have died

, ,

nobly They woul d eith er have su ff ered thus or before that

.
, ,

seeing the rest of th e Greeks siding with the M edes would ,

have made terms with X erxes ; and so in either case Greece , ,

woul d have become subj ect to th e Persians ; f or I am unable

to discover what would have b een th e advantage of the walls
built across the isthmus if the king had been master o f the
sea Any one therefore w h o should say that the Athenians
.
, ,

were the saviours o f Greece woul d not deviate f rom the truth ;
f or to whichever side they turned that must have p re p o n ,

derated B ut having chosen that Greece should continue free

.
,

they were the p eopl e w h o roused the rest o f th e Greeks who

did not side with the M edes and w h o next to the gods re , , ,

pulsed the king Neith er did alarming oracles that came f rom
.

Delphi and inspired them with terror induce them to abandon

, ,

Greece ; but standing their ground they had courage to await

, ,

the invader o f their country .

For the Athenians having sent deputies to D elphi were , ,

anxious to consult the oracle : an d after they had per f ormed

the us u al ceremonies about the temple when they entered ,

the sanctuary and sat down th e Pythian whose name was ,

Ari s t o n i ca uttered th e f ollowing warning :

,
O wretched men ,

w h y sit ye here ? fly to the ends O f th e earth l eaving your ,

houses an d th e lo f ty summits o f your wheel shaped city F or -

.

neither does the head remain firm nor the body nor the lowest ,

feet nor the hands nor is aught o f th e middle le ft but they , ,

are all fallen to ruin For fire an d fl eet Mars driving th e .

,

Syrian chariot destroys it And he will destroy many other

, .

turrets and not yours alone ; and he will del iver many tem
,

ples of the immortal s to devouring fire which now stan d drip ,

ping with sweat shaken with terror ; an d from the topmost

,

roofs trickles black blood pronouncing inevitable woe B ut , .

go f rom th e sanctuary and infuse your min d with courage to ,

”
meet mis f ort u nes The deputies o f the Athenians h aving
.
,
4 10 H E R O D O T U S— B O O K V II , P O L Y MN IA [ 141 -
1 43

heard this deemed it a very great calamity ; and when they

,

were dej ected at the predicted evil Timon son of A n d ro b u l u s , , ,

a man reputed at Delphi equally with the best advised them ,

to take supplicatory branches and go again and consult the

oracle as suppliants The Athenians yielding to this advice
.
,

and saying O king vouchsafe to give us a more favour

.
,

able answer concerning our country having regard to these ,

supplicatory branches which w e have brought with us ; other

wise w e will never depart from thy sanctuary but will remain ,
”
here till we die When they had said this the priestess gave
.
,

a second answer in these terms : Pallas is unable to pro

,

p i t i a t e O l ympian Jove entreating him with many a prayer

,

and prudent counsel B ut to you again I utter this speech

. .
,

making it like adamant ; for when all is taken that the limit
of Cecrops contains within it and the recesses o f divine C i t h ae ,

ron wi de seeing Jupiter gives a wooden wall to the Triton

,
-

born goddess to be alone impregnabl e which shall preserve

, ,

you and your children Nor do you quietly wait f or the cav .

a l ry and infa ntry advancing in multitudes from th e continent ,

W
but turn your back and withdraw Y ou will still be able to .

f ace them . O divine Salamis thou shalt cause the sons of ,

’
women to per is h hether Ceres is scattered or gathered in
, .

Having wr i tten this answer down for it appeared to them ,

to b e o f milder import than the former one they departed ,

for Athens : and when the deputies on their return reported , ,

it to the people many di ff erent opinions were given by per

,

sons endeavouring to discover the meaning of the oracle and ,

among them the t w o following most opposed each other .

Some of the ol d men said they thought the god f oretold that
the Acropolis shoul d b e saved ; for formerly t h e A c ro p o l i s .

w a s defended by a hedge ; they therefore on account o f the

hedge conj ectured that this was the wooden wall O thers on .
,

the other hand said that the god alluded to their ships and
, ,

therefore advised that abandoning everything else they shoul d

, ,

get th em ready However the last two lines uttered by the

.
,

Pythian perplexed those w h o said that the wooden wall meant

“
the ships : O divine Salamis thou shalt cause the sons o f ,
”
women to perish whether Ceres is scattered or gathered in
, .

B y thes e words the O pinions of those who said that the ships
were the wooden wall were disturbed : for the interpreters o f
oracles took them in this sense that they should be de f eated ,

o ff Salamis if they prepared for a sea fi g h t There was a cer -

.

tain Athenian who had lately risen to eminence whose name ,

was Themistocl es but he was commonly called the son o f

,

N e o c l e s ; this man maintained that the interpreters had not

 1 2 H E R O D O T U S— B O O K V I I, PO L Y M N I A [ 145 —1 48
4

o f Greece ; purposing if possible that Greece should b e , ,

united and that all shoul d combine in adopting the same plan
, ,

in dangers which threatened all the Greeks alike ; but the

power of Gelon was sai d to be very great being far superior ,

to that o f any other Grecian states When these things were .

determined on by them having reconciled their enmities they , ,

first of all sent three men as spies into Asia ; and they hav
ing arrived at Sardis and endeavoured to get intelligence o f ,
’
the king s f orces when they were d iscovered were examined
,

by the generals of the land army and led out to execution , ,

for sentence of death had been passed upon them B ut when .

X erxes heard of this disapproving o f the decision o f th e gen ,

e ra l s,he sent some of his guards with orders to bring the

spies to him if they shoul d find them still alive And when .

’
they found them yet living and brought them into the king s ,

presence he thereupon having inquired for what purpose

, ,

they came commanded the guards to conduct them round

, ,

and show them all the infantry and cavalry and when they ,

shoul d be satisfied with seeing them to send them away u n ,

harmed to whatever country they shoul d choose He issued

, .

these orders all eging the follo wing reason that i f the spies
, ,

were put to death the Greeks would neither b e in f ormed ,

beforehand of his power that it was greater than could b e ,

described ; nor woul d he do any great harm to his enemies

by putting three men to death ; whereas if they returned to
‘

Greece it w a s his opinion h e said that the Greeks having

, , , ,

heard of his power would of their own accord surrender , , ,

their liberty before the exp edition should take place and so
, ,

it would not b e necessary to have the troubl e of marching

against them This opinion o f his was like this other one
. .

When Xerxes was at Abydos he saw certain ships laden with ,

corn f rom the Pontus sailing through the Hellespont on their , ,

way to E g i n a and the Peloponnesus Those who sat near him .

,

having heard that the ships belonged to the enemy were ready ,

to capture them and fixin g their eyes on the king watched

, , ,

when he would give the order B ut Xerxes asked his attend .

ants where they were sailing ; they answered To your ene ,

”
mies sire carrying corn
, ,
He answering s aid : Are not .
,

w e also sailing to the same place to which these men are and ,

provi ded with other things and with corn ? What hurt then , , ,
”
can they do us by carrying corn thither for us ? The spies ,

accordingly having seen the army and being sent away re

, , ,

turned to Europe .

B ut the Greeks w h o had engaged in a confederacy against

the Persian after the despatch of the spies next sent ambas
, ,
1 43 -
1 50 ] A TT I T U D E O F T HE A R G IVE S

s a d o rs to Argos B ut the Argives say that what concerned

.

them occurred as follows : That they heard f rom the very

first o f th e design of the barbarian against Greece and having ,

heard of it and learned that the Greeks would endeavour to

,

obtain their assistance against the Persian they sent persons ,

to consult the oracle of D elphi and inquire of the god what ,

course it would be b est for them to adopt ; for six thousand

o f thei r number had recently been slain by the L a c e d ae m o
-

nia ms and by Cl eo m e n es son of A n a x a n d ri d e s : for this rea

, ,

son they sent and th e Pythian gave the following answer

,

to their inquiries : Hated by your neighbours beloved b y ,

the immortal gods holding your lance at rest keep on the

, ,
”
watch and guard your head ; the head shall save the body
, .

They say that the Pythian gave this answer first and after ,

ward when the ambassadors came to Argos they were intro

, ,

d u c e d to the council and delivered their message ; and they

,

answered to what was said that the Argives were ready to ,

comply having first made a thirty years truce with the Lace
,
’

d aem o n i a n s and provided they might have an equal share o f

,

the command of the allied forces ; though in j ustice th e whol e

command belonged to them yet they woul d b e content with ,

the command over hal f This they say w a s the answer of .

, ,

their senate although the oracl e had forbidden them to enter

,

into any alliance with th e Grecians ; and that they were a n x

’
ious to make a thirty years truce although they feared the ,

oracle in order that their children might become men during

,

that time ; but if a truce w a s not made they were a p p re h e n ,

sive lest if in addition to their present calamity another f ail

, ,

ure should befall them in the Persian war they might in ,

f uture become subj ect to the Laced aemonians Thos e of th e .

ambassadors w h o came from Sparta gave the following a n

swer to what w a s said by th e council : That with respect to a
truce it should b e referred to th e peopl e ; b ut with respect
,

to the command they were instructed to answer and say

, , ,

that they had two kings but the Argives only one ; and there ,

fore i t w a s not possible to deprive either of their kings O f his

comman d ; but that there was nothing to hinder the Argive
king from having an equal vote with thei r t w o Thus th e .

Argives say that they coul d not put up with the arrogance o f
the Spartans but that they rather chose to b e subj ect to th e
,

barbarians than to yiel d to the Laced aemonians ; and that

,

they ordered the ambassadors to quit the territories o f the

Argives be fore sunset otherwis e they woul d treat them as ,

enem i es .

Such is the account which the Argives themselves give o f

4 4
1 H E R O D O T U S—B O O K V I I, PO L Y M N IA [ 1 50 —
1 52

this a ff air B ut another report is prevalent throughout Greece

.

th at X erxes sent a heral d to Argos b efore he set out on his

exp edition against Greece ; and it is related that he on his ,

arrival sai d : M en of Argos King X erxes sp eaks thus to

, ,

you We are of opinion that Pers es from whom w e are

.
,

sprung w a s son o f Pers eus son o f Danae born of Andromeda

, , , ,

daughter of Cepheus Thus then w e must b e your descend

.
, ,

ants : i t is therefore neither right that w e s houl d l ead an

, ,

army against our progenitors nor that you shoul d assist ,

others and b e opposed to us ; but should remain quiet by

,

yours elves : and if I succeed according to my wish I shall ,

”
esteem none greater than y ou I t is said that the Argives .
,

when they heard this considered it a great thing and at once

, ,

determined neither to promis e anyt hing nor demand any

thing in return ; but when the Greeks wished to take them
into the confederacy they then knowing that th e La c e d ae
, ,

m o n i a n s would not share the command with them made the ,

demand in order that they might have a pretext for remain

ing quiet Some of th e Greeks also say that the following
.

circumstance which occurred many years after accords with

, ,

this : Cal l i a s son of H i p p o n i c u s and those w h o went up with

, ,

him as ambassadors of the Athenians happened to be at the ,

M emnonian Susa on some other business ; and the Argives

at the same time having s ent ambassadors to Susa asked ,

Arta xerxes son of X erxes whether the alliance which they

, ,

had form ed with X erxes still subsisted or whether they were ,

considered by him as enemies King Artaxerxes answered .

that it certa inly subsisted and that h e considered no city ,

more friendly than Argos N o w wh ether X erxes did send .

a heral d to Argos with such a message and whether am ,

b a s s a d o r s of the Ar gi ves having gone up to Susa asked Art a

, ,

xerxes about the alliance I can not a fli rm with certainty ; nor,

do I declare any other O pinion on th e Subj ect than what the

Argives themselves say B ut this much I know that if all .
,

m en were to b ri ng together their o w n faults into one place ,

for the pu rpose of making an exchange with their n eighbours ,

’
when they had loo ked closely into their neighbou rs f aults ,

each woul d gladly take back those which they brought with
them Thus the conduct of the Argives w a s not the most base
. .

B ut I am bound to relate what is said though I am not by any ,

means bound to b elieve everything : an d l et this remark apply

to the whole history For even this is reported that the .
,

Ar g ives were the people w h o invited the Persian to invade

Greece since their w a r with the Laced aemonians went on
,

badly wishing that anythin g might h appen to them rather

,
4 1 6 H E R O D OT U S -
B OO K V II , PO L Y M N I A [ 551 -
1 57

death be f ore Hybla while carrying on the war against the

,

Sicilians Gelon thereupon under colour of de f ending the

, ,

rights of Euclides and Cl ea n d e r sons of Hippocrates the

citizens refusing to b e any longer subj ect to them—i n fact
, ,

when he had defeated the Ge l oa n s in battle possessed himsel f ,

of the sovereignty and deposed the son of Hippocrates After

, .

this success Gelon l eading back those Syracusans who were

,

called Gamori and had b een expelled by th e people and

1
, ,

by their own slaves called C y l l y ri i leading them back f rom

, ,

the city o f C a s m e n e to Syracuse got possession o f this also , .

For the people of the Syracusans gave up the city and them
selves to Gelon on his first approach When he had made .

himself master of Syracuse he took l ess account of the gov ,

e rn m e n t of Gela and intrusted it to his brother Hiero ; but

,

he strengthened Syracuse and Syracuse was everything to ,

him ; and it grew up rapidly and flourished For first of all .

, ,

he removed all the Ca m a r i n aea n s to Syracuse and made them ,

citizens and destroyed th e city of Camarina ; and in the next

,

place he di d with more than half the Gel o a n s the same that he
had done with the Ca m a ri n aea n s M oreover the Megarians .
,

in Sicily when being besieged they came to terms the more

, ,

opulent o f them who had raised the war against h im and

, , ,

therefore expected to b e put to death he took to Syracuse

, ,

and made citizens ; but the populace of the M egarians who ,

had no part in promoting this war nor expected to su ff er ,

any harm he also took to Syracuse and sol d them f or e x

, ,

p o rt a t i o n f rom Sicily H e treated the Eub oe ans in

. Sicily in
the same manner and made the same distinction ; and h e
,
1

treated them both in this way f rom an opinion that a populace ,

is a most disagreeable neighbour B y such means Gelon b e .

came a powerful tyrant .

At this time when the ambassadors o f the Grecians ar

,

rived a t Syracuse having come to a conference with him they

, ,

spoke as follows : The Laced aemonians the Athenians and , ,

their allies have sent us to invite you to j oin with them against
the barba rian ; f or doubtless you have heard that he is march
ing against Greece and that a Persian having thrown a bridge
, ,

over the Hellespont and bringing with him all the eastern
,

host out of Asia is about to invade Greece hol ding out as a

, ,

pretence that he is advancing against Athens but really de ,

signing to reduce all Greece under his own power B ut yo u .

have attained to great power and possess not the least part ,

of Gree ce since you rule Sicily ; assist therefore those who

, , ,

are asserting the liberty O f Greece and j oin them in main ,

1
La n d h o l d e rs .
 —
1 5 7 1 60] G E L O N A N D TH E A MB A S S A D O R S 4 7
1

taining its liberty For i f all Greece is assembled a large

.
,

force is collected and we become abl e to resist the invaders

, .

B ut if some of us should betray the common cause and others ,

refuse to assist so that the sound part o f Greece should be

,

small then there is great danger that the whol e of Greece

,

will fall For you must not expect that i f the Persian should
.

subdue us having conquered in battl e he will not proceed

, ,

also against you but take precautions beforehand ; for by

,

assisting us you protect yoursel f A favourable result is gen

, .

”
e ra ll y wont to attend a well devised plan Thus they spoke
“
-
. .

Gelon was very vehement speaking as follows : M en of ,

Greece hol ding arrogant language you have dared to invite

, ,

me to come to your assistance against the barbarians And .

yet you yourselves when I formerly besought you to assist ,

me in attacking a barbarian army when a quarrel was on foot

between me and the Carthaginians an d when I exhorted you ,

to avenge the death O f D o ri e u s son of A n a x a n d ri d e s upon , ,

the E g e s t aea n s and promised that I woul d j oin in freeing

,

th e ports f rom whence great advantages and profits accrued

,

to you ; neither for my sake did you come to assist me nor ,

to avenge the death o f D o ri e u s So that as far as you are .

concerned all this country is subj ect to barbarians H o w

, .

ever matters turned out well with me and prospered ; an d

, ,

now when the war has come round and reached yo u at l en gth
, ,

you remember Gelon B ut though I met with disgrace f ul .

treatment from you I shall not imitate your exampl e but am , ,

ready to assist you f urnishing two hundred triremes twen t y , ,

thousand heavy armed troops two thousand horse two thou , ,

sand bowmen two thousand slingers and two thousand light

, ,

horse ; I l ikewis e undertake to supply corn for th e whole

Grecian army until we have finished the w a r B ut I promise .

these things on this condition that I S hall be general and ,

leader of the Greeks against the barbarians : on no other con

”
dition will I come myself or send others S y a g ru s when h e , .
,

heard this coul d not contain himsel f but spoke as f ollows

, ,

Agamemnon the descendant O f Pelops woul d indeed groan

, ,

aloud i f he heard that the Spartans had been deprived o f the

supreme command by a Gelon and by Syracusans Never .

mention this proposition again that w e should give up the ,

comman d to you ; but i f you are willing to succour Greece ,

know that you must b e commanded by Laced aemonian s or , ,

if you will not deign to b e commanded you need not assist ,

”
us. U pon this Gelon when he observed the indignant lan ,

guage o f S y a g ru s made this last proposal Spartan stranger

,
,

reproach es uttered against a man are wont to rouse his i n d i g

27
4 18 H E R O D O T U S —B O O K V II , PO L Y M N IA [ 1 60 —1 63

nation Y et though you have used insulting words in your

.
,

speech you have not provoked me to be unseemly in return

, .

Nevert hel ess since you are so exceedingly anxious for the
,

supreme command it is reasonable that I also should be more ,

anxious for it than you since I am l eader o f a far greater ,

army an d many more ships However since my proposal

, .
,

is so repugnant to you I will abate something of my first ,

demand I f then you choose to command th e army I will

.
, , ,

command the fl eet ; or if it please you rather to have the com

mand at sea I will lead the land forces And you must either
, .

”
b e content with th ese terms or return destitute of such allies , .

Gelon th en proposed th es e terms ; b ut the ambassador of the

, ,

Athenians anticipating that of th e Laced aemonians answered

, ,

him in thes e words : King of the Syracusans th e Grecians ,

sent us to you not to ask for a general but an army Y ou

, ,
.

declare that you will not send an army unless you have the
command o f Greece and you are anxious to b e made general ,

o f it : as long as you require to command all the forces of the

Grecians w e Athenians were contented to remain silent as
, ,

w e knew that the Spartan woul d b e suffi cient to answer f or us

both ; but since b eing excluded from the whole command , ,

you require to govern th e navy the matter stands thus Even , .

i f the Laced aemonians shoul d allow you to govern it w e shall ,

not allow it for that is ours unl ess th e Laced aemonians wish
, ,

to tak e it themselves If they indeed wish to have the com .

, ,

mand w e shall not O ppose them but w e will never cede to

, ,

any one else the comman d of the navy For in vain shoul d .

w e possess the greatest naval power o f th e Greeks i f w e being ,

Athenians should yiel d the command to th e Syracusans w e

, ,

w h o are the most ancient nation and the only p eopl e of the ,

Greeks w h o have never changed th eir country ; from whom

also Homer th e epic poet sai d the best man went to Troy
, , ,

b oth for arraying an d marshalling an army S O that it is no .

disgrace to us to speak as w e do To this Gelon answered : .

Athenian stranger you seem to have commanders but as i f , ,

you woul d not have men to be commanded Since therefore .

, ,

you are resolved to concede nothing but to retain the whole ,

power you can not b e too quick in returning back again an d

, ,

informing Greece that the spring of th e year has been taken

”
f rom her The m eaning of this saying is which he wished ,

to mt i m at e that as th e sprin g is evidently th e most valuable

.

season in th e year so of th e army of th e Grecians his was , ,

th e b est : Greece therefore deprived o f his alliance he com

, , ,

pared to a year f rom whi ch the spring should be taken away .

The ambassadors of the Greeks having thus negotiated ,

 2
4 0
H E R O D O T U S— B O O K V II , PO L Y M N IA [ 1 65 —1 68

Thus as Gelon was not able to assist the Greeks he sent the
, ,

treasures to D elphi I n addition to this they say that it hap

.
,

pened on the same day that Gelon and Theron conquered Amil
car the Carthaginian in Sicily and the Greeks conquered the ,

Persian at Salamis I am informed that Amilcar who was a

.
,

Carthaginian by his f ather and a Syracusan by his mother and , ,

chosen King of Carthage for his virtue when the engage ,

ment took place and he was de f eated in battle vanished out

, ,

o f sight ; for he was seen nowh ere on t h e e a rt h either alive ‘

or dead though Gelon had search made for him everywhere

,
.

The f ollowing story i s also related by the Carthaginians them

selves who endeavour to give a probabl e account that the
, ,

barbarians f ought with the Grecians in Sicily from the morn

ing till late in the evening f or it is said that the conflict last ed
,

so long ; and during this time Amilcar continuing in the ,

camp o ff ered sacrifices and observed the omens burning

, , ,

whole victims upon a large pile ; and when h e saw the de feat
o f his o w n army as he happened to be pouring l ibations on
,

the victims he threw himself into th e flames and thus being

, , ,

burned to ashes disappeared B ut whether Amilcar d i s a p

,
.

p e ar e d in such manner as the Phoenicians relate or in another ,

manner as the Syracusans the Carthaginians in the first place

, ,

o ff er sacrifices to him and in the next have erected monu

,

ments to his memory in all th e cities inhabited by colonists ,

and the most considerabl e one in Carthage itsel f So much .

f or the a ff airs of Sicily .

The Corcyraeans having given th e f ollowing answer to th e

,

ambassadors acted as I shall relate For the same ambassa

, .

dors who went to Sicily invited them to j oin the league using ,

the same language to them as they had done to Gelon They .

indeed immediately promised to send and g ive assistance ,

adding that they coul d not look on and see the ruin of Greece ,

f or i f it should be overthrown nothing else woul d remain

for them than to become slaves on the very first day ; there
f ore they woul d assist to the utmost of their power Thus .

speciously they answered ; but when they ought to have

assisted with di ff erent intentions they manned sixty ships
, , ,

and having put to sea after great delays drew near to the , ,

Peloponnesus and anchored about P y l u s and T aen a ru s o f the

, ,

Laced aemonian territory ; they also carefully watched the war ,

in what way it woul d terminate ; having no expectation that

the Grecians would get the better but thinking that the Per ,

sian b avin gained a decided superiority woul d become mas

, ,

ter of all reece They therefore acted thus purposely in

.
,

order that they might b e able to say to the Persian : 0 king ,

1 68 —1 70 ] T RE A CH E R Y OF THE CO R C Y R /E A N S

when the Greeks invited us to take part in th e w a r we w h o , ,

have a considerabl e f orce and were abl e to supply not th e ,

least number of ships but the greatest number next to the , ,

Athenians woul d not oppos e you nor do anything d i s p l e a s

, ,
”
ing to you B y saying this they hoped to get better terms
.

than the rest ; which would have been the case as appears ,

to me ; and toward the Greeks their excuse w a s ready pre

pared which indeed they did make use o f For when the
,
.

Greeks accused them o f not having sent assistance they said ,

that they had manned sixty ships b ut were unable to doubl e ,

Malea by reason of the Etesian winds ; and so they could

not reach Salamis and were absent from the sea fi gh t from
,
-

no bad motive I n this manner they attempted to elude th e

.

charge of the Greeks .

The Cretans when those Greeks w h o were appointed for

,

that purpose invited them to j oin the league acted as f ollows : ,

Having sent in the name of the commonwealth persons to

, ,

consult the oracl e at D elphi they inquired of the god whether ,

it would be to their advantage to assist Greece The Pythian .

answered : Fools you complain of all the woes which M inos

,

in his anger sent you for aiding M enelaus because they would , ,

not assist you in avenging his death at Ca m i c u s and yet yo u ,

assisted them in avenging a woman w h o was carried o ff f rom

”
Sparta by a barbarian When the Cretans heard this answer.

reported they re f rained f rom sending assistance For it is

, .

said that M inos having come to S i c an i a which is now called

, ,

Sicily in search of D aedalus met with a viol ent death : that

, ,

after some time the Cretans at the instigation of a deity all , ,

except the Po l i c h n i t ae and the Praesians went with a large ,

force to S i c a n i a and during five years besieged the city O f

,

C a m i c u s which in my time the A g r i g e n t i n e s possessed ; and

,

at last not being abl e either to take it or to continue the s iege

, ,

because they were O ppressed by f amine th ey abandoned it ,

and went away : and when they were sailing along the coast
o f Ia p y g i a a violent storm overtook them an d drove them
, ,

ashore And as their ships were broken to pieces and there

.
,

appeared no means o f their returning to Crete they thereupon ,

founded the city o f H y ri a and settled there changing their , ,

name f rom Cretans to M essapian I apygians and becoming , ,

instead of islanders inhabitants of the continent From the, .

city o f H y ri a they founded other cities which a long time a fter ,

ward the Tarentines endeavouring to destroy signally failed ; ,

so that this was the greatest Grecian slaughter O f all that we

know o f both o f the Tarentines themselves and o f the R he
,

gians who being compelled by M i c y t h u s son of Ch oeru s and

, , ,
 0 s 0 0 Q

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.

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.

;
L
4 2 2 HER D TU
O O S— B OO K VI I , PO L Y M N IA [ 1 70 —1 73

coming to assist the Tarentines thus perished to the numb er ,

of three thousand ; but O f the Tarentines themselves no num

ber w a s given This M i c y t h u s was a servant of An axil a u s
.

and had been le ft in charge of R hegium H e is the same per .

son that was expelled from R hegium and who having settled , ,

in Tegea a city of Arcadia dedicated the many statues in

, ,

O lympia These events relating to the Rh e g i a n s and Taren

.

t ines are a digression from my history To Crete then desti .

, ,

tute of inhabitants as the Praesians say other men and espe

, , ,

c i a ll y the Grecians went and settled there ; and in the third

, ,

generation after the death of M inos the Troj an war took place ,

i n which the Cretans proved themselves not the worst avengers

of M enelaus : as a punishment for this when they returned ,

f rom Troy famine an d pestilence fell both on themselves and

,

their cattle ; so that Crete being a second time depopulated ,

the Cretans are th e third people w h o with those that were ,

l e ft now inhabit it The Pythian therefore putting them in

, .
, ,

mind o f these things checked them in their de s ire to assist ,

the Grecians .

The Thessalians at first sided with the M ede f rom n e c e s

s i t y as they showed in that the intrigues of the Al e u a d ae did
,
.
,

not pl ease them For as soon as they were informed that the
.

Persian was about to cross over into Europe they sent ambas ,

s a d o rs to the isthmus ; and at the isthmus deputies from

Greece were assembled chosen from those cities that were
better disposed toward Greece Th e ambassadors o f the Thes .

salians having come to them said : M en O f Greece it is

, , ,

necessary to guard the pass of O lympus that Thessaly and ,

all Greece may be sheltered from the war Now we are ready .

to assist in guarding it but you also must send a large army ; ,

f or i f you will not send be assured we shall come to terms , ,

with th e Persian : f or it is not right that we w h o are situated ,

so far in advance O f the rest o f Greece should perish alone ,

in your de f ence If you will not assist 115 you can not impose
.
,

any O bligation upon us ; for obl igation was ever inferior to

inab ility ; an d we must ourselves endeavour to contrive some
”
means o f sa f ety Thus spok e th e Thessalians And the
. .

Grecians thereupon resolved to send an army by sea to Thes

saly to guard the pass ; and when the army was assembled
, ,

it sailed through the Euripus and having arrived at Alus of ,

Achaia debarked and marched to Thessaly having le ft the

, , ,

ships there ; and arrived at Tempe at the pass that leads f rom ,

the lower Macedonia into Thessaly by the river Peneus b e , ,

tween Mount O lympus and O ssa There heavy armed troops .

o f the Grecians being assembled together to the number of

,
1 73 -
1 76 ] T HE RE T RE AT F R O M T H E S S A L Y 2
4 3

ten thousand encamped and to them w a s added th e cavalry

, ,

o f the Thessalians The Laced aemonians were commanded.

by E u aen e t u s son o f C a re n u s chosen from among the Pole

, ,

marchs though not of the royal race an d the Athenians were

, ,

commanded by Themistocles son of N e o c l e s There they , .

remained but a f ew days f or messengers coming f rom Al ex ,

ander son o f A m y n t a s a Macedonian advised them to retire

, , , ,

and not to stay in the pass and b e trampled under f oot by the
invading army ; describing the numbers o f the army and the
ships When the messengers gave this advice as the Grecians
.
,

conceived the advice to be good and the Macedonian was ,

evidently well disposed to them they determined to f ollow ,

it ; but in my opinion it was f ear that persuaded them when

, ,

they heard that there was another pass into Thessaly and
U pper Macedonia through the country O f the P e rrh aeb i near
, ,

the city o f Go n n u s ; by which indeed the army o f X erxes , ,

did enter The Grecians there f ore going down to their ships
.
, , ,

went back again to the isthmus This expedition into Thes .

saly took place while th e king was about to cross over f rom
Asia into Europe and was still at Abydos B ut the Thes
, .

salians being abandoned by th eir allies then readily took part

, ,

with the M edes an d with no further hesitation so much s o

, ,

that in emergency they proved most use f ul to the king .

The Greeks when they arrived at the isthmus consulted

, ,

on the message they had received f rom Alexander in what ,

w a y and in what pl a ces th ey should prosecute the w a r The .

O pinion which prevailed w a s that they shoul d defend the pass

at Thermopyl ae ; f or it appeared to b e narrower than that

into Thessaly and at th e same time n earer to their o w n terri
,

tories For the path by which the Greeks w h o were taken

.

at Thermopyl ae were afterward surprised they knew nothing

of till on their arrival at Thermopyl ae they were informed
, , ,

of it by the T ra c h i n i a n s They accordingly resolved to guard

.

this pass and not su ff er the B arbarian to enter Greece ; and

,

that the naval f orce shoul d sail to Artemisium in the terri ,

tory of H i s t i aeo t i s f or these places are n ear one another so

, ,

that they could hear what happ ened to each other These .

spots are thus situated : I n the first place Artemisium is con ,

tracted f rom a wide space of the Thracian Sea into a narrow

f rith which lies between the island of S c i a t h u s and the con
,

t i n e n t of Magnesia From the narrow f rith b egins the coast

.

o f Eub oea called Artemisium and in it is a Templ e of Diana

, , .

B ut th e entrance into Greece through T ra c hi s in the narrow

est part i s no more than a hal f plethrum in width ; however ,

t h e narrowest p art of t h e country is not in this spot but b e f ore ,

 —
H E R O D O T U S B O O K V II PO L Y M N IA 1 76—1 79
2
4 4 , [

and behind Thermopyl ae ; for near Al p e n i which is behind , ,

there is only a singl e carriage road ; and be f ore by the river -

Ph oenix near the c i ty of Anthela is another single carriage

, ,

road O n the western side o f Thermopyl ae i s an inaccessible

.

and precipitous mountain stretching to Mount ( Eta : and on ,

the eastern side of the way is the sea and a morass I n this .

passage there are hot baths which the inhabitants call C h y t ri , ,

and above these is an altar to Hercules A wall had been .

built in this pass and f ormerly there were gates in it The

, .

Phoc aeans b uilt it through f ear when the Thessal ians came ,

from Thesprotia to s ettle in the ZE o l i a n territory which they

now possess : apprehending that the Thessalians would at
tempt to subdue them the Phoc aeans took this precaution : ,

at the same time they diverted the h ot water into the entrance ,

that the place might be broken into cle fts ; having recourse to
every contrivance to prevent the Thessalians f rom making
inroads into their country Now this old wall h ad been built .

a long time and the greater part of it had already f allen

,

through age ; but they determined to rebuild it and in that ,

place to repel the barbarians from Greece V ery nea r this road .

there is a village called A l p en i ; f rom this the Greeks expected

to O btain provisions Accordingly these situations appeared
.
,

suitable for the Greeks For they having weighed everything .

,

be f orehand and considered that t h e barbarians would neither

,

b e abl e to use their numbers nor their cavalry there resolved ,

to await the invader O f Greece As soon as they were informed .

that the Persian was in Pieria breaking up from t h e isthmus , ,

some of them proceeded by land to Thermopyl ae and others ,

by sea to Artemisium .

The Greeks there f ore being appointed in two divisions

, , ,

hastened to meet the enem y B ut at the same time the Del .

p hi a n s alarmed
,
f or themselves and f or Greece consulted the ,

oracle ; and th e answer given them was that the y shoul d

pray to the winds f or that they would be power f ul allies to
,

Greece The D el p h i a n s having received the oracl e first o f

.
,

all communicated the answer to those Greeks who were zeal

ous to b e free ; and as they very much dreaded the barbarians ,

b y giving that message they acquired a claim to everlasting

gratitude After that the D el p h i a n s erected an altar to the
.

winds at Th y i a where there is an inclosure consecrated to

,

T h y i a daughter o f C e p h i s u s f rom whom this district derives

, ,

its name and conciliated them with sacrifices And the D el

,
.

p hi a n s in obedience
,
to that oracle to this day propitiate the ,

winds .

The naval f orce o f X erx es setting out f rom the city o f ,

 2 6 H E R O D O T U S— B O O K V I I, PO L Y M N IA [ 1 84 —1 86
4

f e re dno loss and the numbers were at that time as I find by

, ,

calculations O f the following amount : O f those in ships f rom

,

Asia amounting to one thousand two hundred and seven

, ,

originally the whole number o f the several nations was two

hundred an d f orty one thousand f our hundred men allowing -

two hundred to each ship ; and on these ships t h irty Persians ,

Medes and Sac ae served as marines in addition to the native

, ,

crews of each : this f urther number amounts to thirty six -

thousan d two hundred and ten To this and the f ormer num .
—

ber I add thos e that were on the penteconters supposing ,

eighty men on the average to be on board of each : but as ,

I have be f ore sai d three thousand o f these vessels were assem

,

bled ; therefore the men on board them must have been two
hundred and forty thousand This then was the naval f orce .
, ,

f rom Asia the total being five hundred and seventeen thou
,

sand s i x h u n d re d and ten O f in fantry there were seventeen

, .

hundred thousand and o f cavalry eighty thousand ; to these

,

I add the Arabians who rode camels an d the Libyans who ,

drove chariots reckoning the number at twenty thousan d

,

men Accordingly the numbers on board the ships and on

.
,

the land added together make up two million three hundred

and seventeen thousand six hundred and ten This then .
, ,

is the force which as has been mentioned was assembled f rom

, ,

Asia itsel f exclusive o f the servants that f ollo w ed and t h e

, ,

p rovision ships and the men that were on board them B ut

, .

the f orce brought f rom Europe must still be added to this

whole numb er that has been summed up ; but it is necessary
to speak by guess Now the Grecians from Thrace and the .
,

islands contiguous to Thrace f urnished one hundred and ,

twenty ships ; these ships give an amount o f twenty f our t h ou -

sand men O f land forces which were furnished by Thracians

.
, ,

P ae onians the E Ord i the B o t t i aea n s the Chalcidian race

, , , ,

B ry g i Pierians Macedonians P errh aeb i ZE n i a n es D ol o p i a n s

W
, , , , ,

M a g n es i a n s and A c h ma n s together 1t h those who inhabit

, ,

the maritime parts o f Thrace ; of these nations I suppose that

t h ere were three hundred thousand men So that these myri
a d s added to those f rom Asia make a total o f two m
.

illion six
hundred and f orty one thousand six hu ndred and ten fighting
-

men I think that th e servants who followed them and with

.
,

those on board th e provision ships and other vessels that

sailed with the fleet wer e not fewer than the fighting men , ,

but more numerous ; but supposing the m to be equal in num

,

ber with the fighting men they make up th e f ormer number ,

o f myriads Thus X erxes son of Darius led five million two

.
, ,

h u ndred and eighty three thousand two hundred and twenty -

1 8 6—1 8 9 ] F LE E T D A M A G E D B Y S T O RM 4 7
2

men to Sepias and Thermopyl ae This then w a s t h e num .

, ,

ber o f the whole force of X erxes B ut of women w h o made .

b read and concubines an d eunuchs no one could mention

, , ,

the number with accuracy ; nor of draught cattle an d other

beasts o f burden ; nor of I ndian dogs that followed could ,

any one mention the number they were so many There , .

f ore I a m not astonished that th e streams of some rivers fail ed ;

but rather it is a wonder to m e how provisions held out f or
, ,

so many myriads For I find by calculation i f each man had

.
,

a ch oenix of wheat daily and no more one hundred an d ten , ,

thousand three hundred and forty medimni must have been

consumed every day ; and I have not reckoned the f ood for
the women eunuchs beasts of burden and dogs
,
B ut o f , , .

so many myriads of men not one o f them for beauty and , ,

stature was more entitl ed than X erxes himsel f to possess this

,

power .

When the fl eet having set out sailed and reached th e , ,

shore o f Magnesia that lies b etween the city of Ca s t h a n aea an d

the coast of Sepias the foremost o f the ships took up their ,

station close to land others behind rode at anchor ( the beach ,

not being extens ive enough ) with their prows toward the sea ,

and eight d eep Thus th ey pass ed th e night b ut at daybreak

.
, ,

a f ter serene and tranquil weather the sea b egan to swell an d , ,

a heavy storm with a viol ent gal e f rom t h e east which thos e ,

who inhabit these parts call a H ellespontine burst upon them ; ,

as many o f them then as perceived the gal e increasing and

, , ,

who w ere abl e to do so from their position anticipated th e ,

storm by haul ing their ships on shore and both they and their ,

ships escaped B ut such of the ships as th e storm caught at

.

sea it carried away some to th e parts call ed I p n i near Pelion

, , , ,

others to the beach ; some were dashed on Cape Sepias itsel f ; .

some were wrecked at M elib oea and others at C a s t h a n aea , .

The storm was indeed irresistible A story is told that the .

Athenians invoked B oreas in obedience to an oracl e a n , ,

other response having come to them that th ey should call ,

t h e m son i n law to their assistance

- -
B ut B oreas according .
,

to the account o f th e Greeks married a woman of Attica , ,

O rithyia daughter to E r e c t h e u s O n account o f this mar

’

, .

ri a e the Athenians as th e report goes conj ecturing that

g , , ,

B oreas was their son i n l a w and having stationed their fleet - -

at Chalcis o f Eub oea when they saw the storm increasing or , ,

even be f ore o ff ered sacrifices to and invoked B oreas and

,

O rithyia praying that they would assist them an d destroy

, ,

the Ships o f th e barbarians as t hey had don e b e fore at M ount ,

Athos Whether indeed t h e north wind in consequence o f

.
, ,
 O —
H E R O D T U S B OO K V I I, PO L Y M N IA 1 89 —1 93
4 8
2 [

this f ell upon the b a rb ar1a n s as they rode at anchor I can not ,

undertake to say ; however the Athenians say that B oreas

, ,

having assisted them before then also produced this e ff ect ;

,

and on their return they erected a temple to B oreas near the

river I lissus I n this disaster those who give the lowest a c
.

count say that not fewer than four hundred ships perished ,

and innumerable lives and an infinite quantity o f treasure ;

,

so that this wreck of the fleet proved a source o f great profit

to Am i n o c l e s son o f C r et i n u s a Magnesian who possessed
, , ,

land about S epias ; he some time afterward picked up many

golden cups that had been driven ashore and many silver ,

ones ; he also found treas ures b elonging to the Persians and ,

gained an unspeakable quantity o f other golden articles He .

then though in other respects unfortunate became very ric h

, ,

by what he f ound ; f or a sad calamity which occasioned the ,

death of his son gave him great a f fliction The provision

, .

ships and other vessels destroyed were beyond number ; so

that the commanders of the naval f orce fearing lest the Thes ,

salians shoul d attack them in their shattered condition threw ,

up a high rampart f rom the wrecks f or the storm lasted three

days B ut at l ength the magi having sacrificed victims and
.
, ,

endeavoured to charm the winds by incantations and more , ,

over h aving O ff ered sacrifices to Thetis and the Nereids laid

, ,

the storm on the fourth day ; or p erhaps it abated of its own

accord They sacrificed to Thetis having heard from the
.
,

I onians the story that she had been carried o ff from this coun
try by Peleus and that all the coast of Sepias belonged to
,

her an d the other N e re i d s Accordingly the wind was lulled

.
,

on the fourth day The scouts on the heights of Eub oea run
.
,

ning down on the second day a f ter the storm first began ,

acquainted the Greeks with all that had occurred with resp ect
to the wreck o f the fleet They when they heard it having
.
, ,

O ff ered up vows and poured out libations to Neptune the D el i v

erer immediately hastened back to Artemisium hoping that
, ,

there would b e only some few ships to oppose them Thus .

they coming there a second time took up their station at Arte

m i s i u m ; and from that time to the present have given to
Neptune the surname o f the D eliverer .

The barbarians when the wind had lulled and the a e s

, ,

had subsided having hauled down their ships sailed along

, ,

the continent ; and having doubled th e promontory o f Mag

mesia stood directly into the bay leading to Pa g a s ae
,
There .

is a spot in this bay of Magnesia where it is said Hercules

was abandoned by Jason and his companions when he h ad ,

been sent f rom the Argo f or water as they were sailing to ,

 H E R O D O T U S— B O O K V II PO L Y M N IA [ —
1 9 7 200
430 ,

cerning th e Temple o f L ap h y s t i an Jupiter ; how Athamas son ,

of ZE ol u s conspiring with I n o planned the death o f P h ry x u s ;

, ,

and then how the Achaians in obedience to an oracle i m

, , ,

posed the following penalty o n his descendants : whoever is

the eldest person of this race having ordered him to be ex ,

cluded from the Prytaneum they themselves keep watch ; the ,

Achaians call the Prytaneum L e i etu m ; and i f he shoul d enter ,

he can not possibly go out again except in order to be sacri

fi c e d : and how moreover many o f thos e who were on the
, ,

point of being sacrificed through fear went away and fled , ,

the country ; but in process o f time having returned b ack

again if they were taken entering the Prytaneum they re
, , ,

lated how such a one b eing covered with sacred fillets is , ,

sacrificed and how conducted with great pomp The de

, .

s c e n d a n t s o f Cytissorus son o f P h r y x u s are liabl e to this pun

, ,

i s h m e n t ; b ecause when th e Achaians in O bedience to an ,

oracl e were about to make an expiation for their country by

,

the sacrifice o f Athamas son of ZE O l u s Cytissorus arriving , , ,

f rom Aia of Colchis rescued him and having done so drew , , ,

down the anger of the gods upon his descendants X erxes .

having heard this when he came to the grove both abstained

, ,

f rom entering it himself and commanded all the army to do

t h e same ; and he showed the same respect to the dwelling
o f the descendants O f Athamas as he did to th e sacred pre
cinct .

These things occurred in Thessaly and in Ac h aia F rom .

these countries X erxes advanced to Malis near a bay o f the ,

sea in which an ebb and a flow take place every day About .

this bay lies a plain country in one part wide and in the other , ,

very narrow and around it high and impassable mountains

, ,

called the T ra c h i n i a n rocks inclose the whol e Mal ian terri ,

tory The first city in the bay as one comes from Achaia is
.
, ,

An t i c y ra by which the river S p e rc h i u s fl owing f rom the co u n

, ,

try O f th e ZE n i a n e s falls into the sea : and from thence about

,

twenty stades is another river to which the name of D y ra s ,

is given which it is said rose up to assist H ercules when

, , ,

h e w a s burning From this at a distance o f another twenty

.
,

stades is another river which is called M elas The c i ty o f

, , .

T ra c h i s is distant five stades from this river M elas ; and in

this part where T ra c h i s 1 5 built is th e wi dest space o f all this ,

country f rom the mountains to th e sea ; for there are twenty

,

two thousand p l e t h ra of plain I n this mountain which i n . .

,

closes the T ra c h i n i a n territory there is a ravine to the south ,

o f T ra c h i s and through th e ravine the river Asopus flows

, ,

by the base of the mountain To th e south o f the Asopus is .

zoo -
204 ] T H E R M OPY L/E 43 I

another river the Ph oenix not large w h ic h fl owing f rom

, , , ,

these mountains falls into the Asopus At the river Ph oeni x

, .

it is the narrowest ; f or only a single carriage road has been

constructed there From the river Ph oenix it is fi fteen stades
.

to Thermopyl ae ; and between the river Ph oenix and Ther

m o p y l ae is a village the name o f which is Anthela by which
, ,

the Asopus flowing f alls into th e sea : th e country about it,

is wide an d in it is situated a temple o f Ceres A m p h i c t y o n i s

, ,

and there are the seats o f the Amphictyons and a templ e o f ,

Amphictyon himself King X erxes then encamped in the .

, ,

T ra c h i n i a n territory of Malis an d the Greeks in the pass , .

This spot i s called by most o f the Greeks Thermopyl ae but ,

by th e inhabitants and neighbours Pyl ae B oth parties then

'
.
, ,

en camped in these places The one was in possession o f all .

the parts toward the north as f ar as T ra c h i s ; and the others , ,

o f the parts which stretch toward the south and meridian ,

on this continent .

The followin g were th e Greeks who awaited the Persian

in this position : o f Spartans three hundred heavy armed men ;
o f Tegeans and Mantineans one thousand hal f o f each ; f rom ,

O rc h o m e n u s in Arcadia one hundred and twenty ; a n d f rom

the rest o f Arcadia one thousand there were so many Arca ,

dians ; f rom Corinth f our hundred ; f rom P h l i u s two hundred

men and f rom M ycen ae eighty These came f rom Pe10 pon
,
.

n es u s F rom B oeo t ia o f Thespians seven hundred and o f

.
, ,

T h ebans f our hundred I n addition to these the O p u n t i a n .

,

Locrians b eing invited came with all their f orces and a

, , ,

thousan d Phocians For the Greeks themselves had invited .

them representing by their ambassadors that th ey had arrived

,

as f orerunners of the others and that th e rest o f the allies ,

mig h t b e daily expected ; that th e sea was protected by them ,

b eing guarded by th e Athenians the ZE g i n e t ae and others , , ,

w h o were appointed to the naval service ; and that they had

nothing to f ear f or that it was not a god w h o invaded Greece
, ,

but a man ; and that there never was and never woul d be , ,

any mortal who had not evil mixed with his p rosperity f rom
his very birth ; and to th e greatest o f them the greatest r e
verses happen That i t must there fore needs be that he
.
, , ,

who is marching against us being a mortal will b e d i s a p , ,

pointed i n his expectation They having heard this marched .

, ,

with assistance to T ra c h i s These nations had separate gen .

e ra l s f or their several cities ; but the one most admired and ,

who commanded the whole army w a s a Laced ae monian L e , ,

onidas son o f An a xa n d ri d e s son of Leon son of E u ry c ra t i d e s

, , , ,

son o f Anaxander son o f E u ry c ra t e s son of Polydorus son

, , ,
432 H E R O D O T U S— B O O K V II, PO L Y M N IA [ 204 20 8 —
i

o f Al c a m e n es son of T el e c l u s son of Arc h elaus son o f Agesi

, , ,
-

laus son of D o ry s s u s son of L eo b o t e s son O f E c h e s t rat u s son

, , , ,

of Agis son of Eurysthenes son of Aristodemus son o f Aris

, , ,

t o m a c h u s son of Cleod aeus son O f Hyllus son o f Hercules ;

, , ,

w h o had unexpectedly succeeded to the throne o f Sparta ;

F or as he had two el der brothers Cl e o m e n e s and D o ri e u s , ,

he was f ar from any thought o f the kingdom However .

,
'

Cl e o m e n e s having died without male issue and D o ri e u s being ,

no longer alive having ended his days in Sicily the kingdom

, ,

thus devolved upon Leonidas ; b oth becaus e he was O lder

than Cl e o m b ro t u s ( f or he was th e youngest son o f An ax an
d r i d e s ) and also because he had married the daughter o f
,

Cl eo m e n e s H e then marched to Thermopyl ae having chosen

.
,

the three hundred men allowed by law and such as had chil ,

dr en O n his march h e took with him the Thebans whose

.
,

numbers I have already reckoned an d whom L e o n t i a d e s son , ,

of Eurymachus commanded For this reason Leonidas w as

, .

anxious to take with him the Thebans alone o f all the Greeks ,

b ecause they were strongly accused of favouring the M edes :

h e there fore summoned them to the war wishing to know
, , ,

whether they woul d send their f orces with him or woul d ,

openly renounce the alliance of the Grecians B ut they .

,

though otherwise minded sent assistance The Spartans sent , .

these troops first with Leonidas in order that th e rest o f the ,

allies seeing them might take the field and might not go
, , ,

over to the M edes if they heard that they were delaying B ut

, .

afterward for the Ca rn ea n festival w a s then an obstacle to

,
'

them they purposed when they had kept the f east to leave a
, , ,

garrison in Sparta and to march immediately with their whole,

strength The rest o f th e con f ederates l ikewise intended to

.

act in the same manner ; f or the O lympic games occurred at

th e same period as these events As they did not therefore .
, ,

suppose that the engagement at Thermopyl ae woul d so soon

b e decided they despatched an advance guard Thus then
, .
, ,

they intended to do .

The Greeks at Thermopyl ae when the Persian came near ,

the pass b eing alarmed consulted about a retreat ; accord

, ,

i n g l y it seemed best to the other Peloponnesians to retire to

,

Peloponnesus and guard the isthmus ; but Leonidas per

, ,

c eivi n th e Phocians and Locrians very indignant at this

g
p roposition determined to stay th e re and to despatch mes
, ,

s e n g e r s to the cities desiring them to come to their assist ,

ance as being too few to repel the army of the M edes While
,
.

they were deliberating on these matters Xerxes sent a scout ,

horse ba ck t o s ee ho w man y the y w er e an d what they wer e

. ,
4 34 H E R O D O T U S —B OO K V II , PO L Y M N IA [ 210 2 13-

rashness he being enraged sent the M edes and C i s s i an s

, ,

against them with orders to take them alive and bring them
, ,

into his presence When the M edes bore down impetuously

.

upon the Greeks many O f them fell ; others followed to the

,

charge and were not repulsed though they su ff ered greatly

, , .

B ut they made it evident to every one and not l east o f all ,

to the king himsel f that they were indeed many men but f ew
, ,

soldiers The engagement lasted throughout the day When

. .

the M edes were roughly handled they thereupon retired ; and ,

”
the Persians whom the king called I mmortal and whom ,

Hydarnes commanded taking their place advanced to the , ,

attack ; thinking that they indeed should easily settle the busi
ness B ut when th ey enga g ed with the Grecians they suc
.
,

c e e d e d no b etter than th e M edic troops but j ust the same , ,

as they f ought in a narrow space and used shorter spears than ,

the Greeks an d were unabl e to avail themselves of their num

,

bers The Laced aemonians f ought memorably both in other

.

resp ects showing that they knew how to fight with men who
,

knew not and whenever they turned their backs they re

, ,

treated in close order : but the barbarians seeing them re

treat f ollowed with a shout and clamour ; then they being
, ,

overtaken wheeled round so as to front the barbarians and

, ,

having f aced about overthrew an inconceivabl e number o f

,

the Persians ; and then some f ew of th e Spartans thems elves

f ell So that when the Persians were unabl e to gain anyt h ing
.

in their attempt on the pass by attacking in troops and in ,

every possible manner they retired I t is said that during ,

.

these onsets of the battl e the king w h o witnessed them thrice , ,

sprang from his throne b eing alarmed for his army Thus ,
.

they strove at that time O n th e following day the barbarians .

fought with no better success f or considering that the Greeks

were f ew in number an d expecting that they were covered
,

with wounds and would not b e abl e to raise their heads agains t
,

them any more they renewed the contest B ut the Greeks

,
.

were marshalled in companies and according to their several .

nations and eac h fought in turn except only the Phocians :

, ,

they were stationed at the mountain to guard the pathway .

When therefore th e Persians found nothing di ff erent f rom

, ,

what they had seen on th e preceding day they retired ,

.

Whil e th e king w a s in doubt what course to take in the

present state o f aff airs Ep h ialtes son o f E u ry d e m u s a Malian
, , , ,

obtained an audience of him expecting that he shoul d re 1

,

c e i v e a great reward f rom the king and informed h im o f the ,

path which leads over the mountain to Thermopyl ae ; and by

1
Li t e ra lly ,
ca me t o s p ea k i
w th h im .
 — ] T H E R M O PY L/E
2 13 217
4 35

that means caused the destruction of those Greeks w h o were

stationed there B ut a fterward fearing th e Laced aemonians
.
, ,

he fled to Thessaly ; and when he had fl ed a price w a s s et ,

on his head by th e P y l a g o ri when the Amphictyons were as

s embled at Pyl ae B ut some time a fter h e went down to .
,

A n t i c y ra and w as killed by A t h e n a d es a T ra c h i n i a n
,
This , .

At h e n a d es killed him for another reason whi ch I shall men ,

tion in a subsequent part o f my history ; h e w a s however

1 '

, ,

rewarded none the less by the Laced aemonians Another a c .

count is given that O n e t e s son of Ph a n a g o ra s a C a ry s t i a n

, , , ,

and Co ry d a ll u s o f A n t i c y ra were th e persons w h o gave this ,

information to the king and conducted th e Persians round ,

the mountain B ut to me this is by no means credibl e : for

.

in the first place we may draw that inference from this circum
stance that the P y l a g o ri o f th e Grecians set a price on the
,

head not of O n et es and C o ry d a ll u s but of Eph ialtes the Tra ,

chinian having surely ascertained the exact truth ; and in the

,

n ext place we know that Ephialtes fl ed on that account .

O n e t e s indeed though h e was not a Malian might be a c

, , ,

q u a i n t e d with this path if h e had been much conversant with

the country ; but it was Ephialtes w h o conducted them round
the mountain by the path and I charge him as the guilty ,

person X erxes since he was pleased with what Ephialtes

.
,

promised to per form being exceedingly delighted i m m e di , ,

ately despatched Hydarnes and th e troops that Hydarnes com

m a n d e d ; and he start ed from the camp about the hour o f
lamp lighting The native Malians discovered this pathway ;
-
.

and having discovered it conducted the Thessalians by it ,

against th e Phocians at the time when the Phocians having , ,

f ortified the pass by a wall were under shelter f rom an a t ,

tack F rom that time i t appeared to have been of no service

.

to the Malians This path is situated as f ollows : it begins

.

f rom th e river Asopus which flows thr o ugh th e cle ft ; the ,

same name is given both to the mountain and to the path ,

An o p aea ; and this An o p aea extends along the ridge O f th e

mountain and ends near Al p e n u s which is the first city O f
, ,

the Locrians toward th e Malians and by the rock called M e ,

l a m p yg u s and by the seats of th e Cercopes ; an d there the

,

path is th e narrowest Along this path thus situated the .

, ,

Persians having crossed th e Asopus marched all night hav

, , ,

ing on their right the mountains o f the CE t aea n s and on their ,

l eft those o f the T ra c hi n i an s ; morning appeared and they ,

were on t h e summit o f the mountain At this part o f the .

1
T h e p ro m i s e d is gi v e n xtant w ri t i n g s
'

a cc o u n t n o w h e re in a ny e of the
0

h 1 s t o r1a n .
436 H E R O D O T U S—B O O K V I I, PO L Y M N IA [ 2 1 7 220 -

mountains as I have already mentioned a thousa nd heavy

, ,

armed Phocians kept guard to defend their own country and , ,

to secure the pathway For the lower pass was guarded by .

thos e before mentioned ; and the Phocians had voluntarily

p romised Leonidas to guard the path across the mountain .

The Phocians discovered them after they had ascended in ,

the following manner : for the Persians ascended without being

observed as the whole m ountain was covered with oaks ;
,

there was a perfect calm and as was likely a considerabl e , ,

rustling taking place f rom the leaves strewn under foot the ,

Phocians sprang up and put on their arms and immediately ,

the barbarians made their appearance B ut when they saw .

men clad in armour they were astonished for expecting to , ,

find nothing to oppose them they fell in with an army There , .

upon Hydarnes fearing lest the Phocians might be L a c e d ae

,

m o n i a n s asked Ephialtes o f what nation the troops were ; and

,

b eing accurately informed he drew up the Persians for battle , .

The Phocians when they were hit by many and thick f alling
,
-

arrows fled to the summit o f the mountain supposing that

, ,

they had come expressly to attack them and prepared to ,

perish . Such was their determination B ut the Persians .

,

with Ephialtes and Hydarnes took no notice o f the Phocians , ,

but marched down the mountain with all speed .

To those o f the Greeks w h o were at Thermopyl ae t h e ,

augur M e g i s t i a s having inspected the sacrifices first made

, ,

known the death that woul d befall them in the morning ; cer
tain deserters afterward came and brought intelligence o f the
circuit the Persians were taking ; these brought the news while
it w a s yet night and thirdly the scouts running down f rom
, , ,

the heights as soon as day dawned brought the same i n

, ,

t el l i g e n ce U pon this the Greeks hel d a consultation and

.
,

their O pinions were divided For some would not hear o f .

abandoning t h eir post and others opposed that view A fter

, .

this when th e assembly broke up some of them departed

, , ,

an d being dispersed betook themselves to their several cities ;

but others O f them prepared to remain there with Leonidas .

I t is said that Leonidas himsel f s ent them away being a n x ,

ious that they should not perish ; but that he and the Spar
tans who were there coul d not h o nourably desert the post
which t h ey originally came to de f end For my own part I am .
,

rather inclined to think that Leonidas when he perceived that ,

the allies were averse and unwilling to share the danger with
him bade them withdraw ; but that he considered it dishon
,

o u r a b l e for himsel f to depart : on th e ot h er hand by remain ,

ing there great renow n would b e l eft for him and the pros
, ,
43 8 H E R O D O T U S— B O O K V II , PO L Y M N IA [ —
2 2 3 2 26

preceding d a y s h a v i n g taken up their position in the narrow

,
'

part there fought B ut now engaging outside the narrows

, .
,

great numbers of the barbarians fell For the o ffi cers o f the .

companies from behind havi n g s courges flogged every man , , ,

constantly urging them forward ; in consequence many o f ,

them falling into the s ea perished and many more were tram , ,

pled alive under foot by one another ; and no regard was paid
to any that perished For the Greeks knowing that death .
,

awaited them at the hands of those w h o were going round the

mountain being desperate and regardless of their own lives
, , ,

displayed the utmost possibl e valour against the barbarians .

Al ready were most of their j avelins broken and they had ,

begun to despatch the Persians with their swords I n this '

.

part of the struggle fell L eo n i d a s fi g h t i n g valiantly and with , ,

him other eminent Spartans whos e names seeing they were , ,

deserving men I have ascertained ; indeed I have ascertained

, ,

the names of the whol e three hundred O n the side of the .

Persians also many other eminent men f ell on this occasion

, , ,

and among them t w o sons of Darius Abrocomes and Hyper ,

anthes born to Darius O f P h rat a g u n a daughter of A rt a n e s ;

, ,

but A rt a n e s was brother to King Darius and s on o f H y s t a s p es , ,

son of A rs a m e s H e when he gave his daughter to Darius

.
, ,

gave him also all his property as she was his only child , .

Accordingly two brothers of X erxes fell at this spot fighting

, ,

for the body o f Leonidas and there w a s a viol ent struggle ,

between the Persians and Laced aemonians until at last the ,

Greeks rescued it b y their valour and four times repulsed the ,

enemy Thus the contest continued until thos e with Ephialtes

.

came up When the Greeks heard that they were approach

.

ing from this time the battl e was altered For they retreated
, .

to the narrow part of the way and passing beyond the wall , ,

came and took up their position on th e rising ground all in ,

a compact body with th e exception O f th e Thebans : the ris

,

ing ground is at the entrance where th e stone lion now stand s

to th e memory o f Leonidas O n this spot wh il e they de .
,

f ended themselves with swords such as had them still re ,

maining and their hands an d teeth the barbarians over

, ,

whelmed them with missiles some of them attacking them ,

in front and having thrown down the wall ; and others sur
,

rounding an d attacking them on every side .

Though the Laced aemonians and Thespians behaved in

this manner yet D i e n e c e s a Spartan is sai d to have b een the
, , ,

bravest man They relate that he made the following remark

.
,

b efore they engaged with the M edes having heard a T ra

W
,

chi n i an s ay th at h en the barbarians l et fly their arrows they

2 2 6 2 29 ] T H E R M O PY L/E
4 39
-

woul d obscure the sun by th e multitude o f their sha fts so ,

great were their numbers : but he not at all alarmed at this , ,

said holding in contempt th e numbers of the M edes that

, ,

their T ra c h i n i a n f riend tol d them everything to their a d va n

tage since i f the M edes obscured the sun th ey woul d then
, ,

have to fight in the shade and not in th e sun This and other ,
.

sayings o f th e same kind they relate that D i e n e c e s th e Lace ,

d ae monian le ft as memorials ,
N ext to him two L a c e d ae .
,

monian brothers Alph eus and Maron sons of O ri s i p h a n t u s

, , ,

are said to have distin gu ished themselves most ; and O f the

Thesp ians he obtained the greatest glory whose name w a s
,

Dithyrambus son o f H a rm at i d e s I n honour of the slain who

,
.
,

were buried on th e spot where they fell and of those w h o ,

died before they w h o were dismissed by Leonidas w ent away ,

the following inscription has b een engraved over them : Four

thousand from Peloponnesus once fought on this spot with
”
three hundred myriads This inscription w a s made for all ;
.

and for the Spartans in particular : Stranger go tell th e ,

”
Laced aemonians that w e lie here ob edient to their commands , .

This was f or the Laced ae monians ; and for the prophet the ,

f ollowing : This is the monument o f the illustrious M egis

tias whom once the M edes having passed th e river S p e r c h i u s
, , ,

slew ; a prophet who at th e time well knowing the impen d

, ,
”
ing fate woul d not abandon th e leaders o f Sparta
, The .

Amp h i ctyons are the persons w h o honoured them wit h thes e

inscriptions and columns with the exception o f th e i n s c ri p ,

tion to t h e prophet that o f the prophet M e g i s t i a s Sim onides

, , ,

son o f L e o p rep e s caused to b e engraved f rom p ersonal friend

, ,

ship .

I t is said t h at two o f these three hundred Euryt u s and ,

Aristodemus when it w a s in the power of both i f they had

, ,

a g reed together either to return alike sa f e to Sparta since th ey

, ,

h ad been dismissed f rom the camp by Leonidas and were ,

lying at Al p e n i desperately a ffl icted with a disease o f the eyes ;

or i f th ey woul d not return to have died together with the
, ,

rest ; when it w a s in their power to do either of these th ey ,

coul d not agree ; and being divided in opinion Eurytus hav , ,

ing heard o f the circuit made by the Persians and having ,

cal l ed f or and put on his arms ordered his helot to l ead him ,

to the combatants ; and when he had led him the man w h o ,

l ed him ran away but he rushing into the midst of the throng
, , ,

perished ; but Aristodemus failing in courage was left b e , ,

hind Now i f it had happened that Aristodemus alone bein g

.
,

sick h ad returned to Spart a or if both had gone home to

, ,

gether in my opinion the Spartans woul d not have shown

,
440 H E R O D O T U S—B O O K V II , P O L Y M N IA [ 2 2 9 2 34 -

any anger against t h em B ut now since one o f them perished .

, ,

and the other who had only the same excuse refused to die
, , ,

it was necessary for them to be exceedingly angry with Aris

t o d em u s Some say that Aristodemus thus got sa f e to Sparta
.
,

and on such a pretext ; but others that b eing s ent as a mes ,

senger from the army though he might have arrived while ,

the battl e was going on he would not but having lingered , ,

on the road survived ; whil e his fellow messenger arriving

,
-

in time f or the battle died Aristodemus having returned to , .

Laced aemon met with insults and infamy H e w a s declared

, .

infamous by being treated as follows : not one of the Spartans

would either give him fire or converse with him ; and he met
with insult b eing called Aristodemus the coward However
, .
,

in the battle of Plat aea he removed all the disgrace that at ,

t a c h e d to him I t is also sai d that another of the three hun

.

dred whos e name was P a n t i t e s having been sent as a mes

, ,

senger to Thessaly survived ; and that he on his return to , ,

Sparta finding himsel f hel d in dishonour hung himself The

, ,
.

Thebans whom L e on t i a d e s commanded as long as they were

, ,

with th e Greeks being constrained by necessity fought , ,

against the king s army ; but when they saw the forces of
’

the Persians gaining the upper hand as the Greeks with Leon ,

idas were hastening to the hill having separated from them , ,

they held out their hands and went near the barbarians say ,

ing th e truest thing they could say that they were both on ,

the side o f the M edes and were among the first who gave ,

earth and water to the king and that they came to Ther ,

m o p y l ae from compulsion and were guiltless of the blow that ,

had been infl icted on the king So that by saying this they .
, ,

saved their l ives ; f or they had the Thessalians as witnesses

to what they said ; they were not however f ortunate in every , ,

respect ; f or when the barbarians seized them as they came

up some they slew and the greater number o f them by the
, , ,

command of X erxes they branded with the royal mark b e , ,

ginning with the general L e o n t i a d e s whose son Eury ,

m a c h u s some time afterward the Plat aeans slew when he was

, , ,

commanding f our hundred Thebans and had got possession ,

o f the citadel o f the Plat aeans Thus the Greeks fought at .

Thermopyl ae And X erxes having sent for D emaratus ques

.
, ,

t i o n e d him beginning as follows :

,
D emaratus you are an ,

honest man ; I j udge so from experience ; for whatever you

said has turned out accordingly Now tell me how many .

the rest of th e Laced aemonians may b e ; and how many o f

”
t hem or whether all are such as these in war ?
,
H e an ,

s w e re d : O king the number of all the Laced aemonians is

,
44 0 H E R O D T US —
B OO K V II , P O L Y M N IA [ —
2 2 9 2 34

any an ger against tem B ut now since one o f th em peris h ed .

, ,

an d the other w h ch a d only th e same excuse re f used to die

, , ,

it w a s necessary f o them to b e exceedingly angry with Aris

t o d em u s Som e s a that Aristodemus thus got safe to Sparta
.
,

and on s uch a p re i x t ; but oth ers that b eing s ent as a mes ,

s enger f rom the a n y though h e might have arrived while ,

th e battl e w a s g o i g on h e woul d not b ut having lingered , ,

on the road s u rw e d ; whil e his f ellow messenger arriving

,
-

in time for th e ba t e died Aristodemus having returned to , .

Laced aemon met i t h insults and infamy H e w a s declared

, .

infamous by b e i n g r e a t e d as f ollows : not one of th e Spartans

would either give i m fire or convers e with h im ; and h e met
with insult b ein g all e d Aristodemus th e coward H owever
, .
,

in the battle of P lt aea h e removed all the disgrace that a t ,

t a c h e d to him I t s also sai d that another O f the three hun

.

dred whos e n a m ewa s P a n t i t e s having b een s ent as a mes

, ,

s enger to T h e s s al survived ; an d that he on his return to ,

Sparta finding h i i s e l f hel d in dishonour hung himself The

, , .

Thebans whom Lon t i a d e s commanded a s long as they were

, ,

with th e Gr e e k s b e i n g constrained by n ecessity f ought

, ,
’
against th e king : army ; but when th ey s a w th e f orces o f
the Pers ians g a i n i g th e upper hand as th e Greeks with Leon ,

idas were h a s t e n i ig to the h ill having separated from them

r
, ,

they h eld out th ei hands an d went n ear th e barbarians say ,

ing the truest th i g they coul d say that th ey were both on , .

4

th e side o f th e Mdes an d were among the fi rst w h o gave ,

.

“
earth and water 1 th e king and that they came to Ther ,

m o p yl ae from c o m u l s i o n and were guiltl ess o f the blow that ,

11115
had b een i n fl i c t e cb n th e king So that by saying .
,

saved th eir l ives ;for th ey had th e Th essal ians as

to what th ey said th ey were not however f ortunat , ,

respect ; f or w h e r t h e barbarians s eized

up some th ey s l e and th e greater numb er o f them
, , ,

command of X eres th ey branded with th e royal ma ,

ginning with t h general L e o n t i a d e s ; whos e son ,

m a c h u s some tim afterward th e Plat aeans sl ew when

, , ,

comman ding f o u rh u n d r e d Th ebans and had got pos ,

o f th e citadel o f h e P l a t ma n s Thus t h .

Thermopyl ae A 11 X erxes having sent for D emaratus

.
,

t i o n e d h im b eginin g as follows :
,
D emaratus you ,

honest man ; I j tl g e so f rom experience ; f or w h a t e v

said has turned u t accordingly N o w tell me how .

th e rest of th e II c e d aem o n i a n s may b e ; a n d how m .

them or w h e t h e i a l l are such as thes e

, ,

s w e re d : O kin ; th e numb er o f all th e

 O O —
H E R D T U S B O O K V I I, P O L Y M N IA —
2 36 3 39
44 2 [

to you nor you to them Having therefore ordered your

, .
, ,

own matters well resolve to pay no attention to what your

,

enemies are doing how they will carry on the war what they , ,

wi ll do or how many their numbers are For they are able

,
.
.

to think about themselves and we in like manner about our ,

selves B ut the L a c e d mm o n i a n s if they venture a battl e

.
,
”
against the Persians will not cure this one present wound , .

To this X erxes answered : Ach aemenes you appear to me ,

to speak well and I will act accordingly B ut D emaratu s

, .

said what he thought w a s best for me though he is surpassed ,

by you in j udgment For that I will not admit that D emara .

tus is not well disposed to my interests f orming my conclu ,

sion from what w a s before said by him and from the fact that ,

a citizen envies a fellow citizen w h o is prosperous and hates -

him in silence ; nor when a citizen asks for advice will a , ,

fellow citizen suggest what seems to him to b e best unless

-

he has reached a high degree of virtue : such p ersons how ,

ever are rare B ut a friend bears the greatest regard for his
, .

friend in prosperity ; and when he asks his advice gives him , ,

the best advice h e can I therefore enj oin all men for the .

f uture to abstain from calumny concerning Demaratus since ,

”
he is my friend X erxes having spoken thus passed through
.
,

the dead ; and having heard that Leonidas was king and gen
eral o f the Laced aemonians he commanded them to cut o ff ,

his head and fix it upon a pole I t is clear to me f rom many .

other proofs and not least of all from this that King Xerxes
, ,

was more h ighly incensed against Leonidas during his l i f e

than against any other man ; for otherwise he woul d never
have violated the respect due to his dead body ; since the Per
sians most of all men with whom I am acquainted are wont
, ,

to honour men w h o are brave in war They however to .

, ,

whom th e order w a s given to do this did it .

B ut I return to that part o f my narration where I be f ore

left it incompl ete The Laced aemonians first had information
.

that the king was preparing to invade Greece ; and accord

i n gl y they sent to the oracl e at Delphi whereupon the answer ,

w a s given them which I lately mentioned B ut they O btained .

their information in a remarkabl e manner For D emaratus .

,

son of Ariston b eing in exile among the M edes as I con

, ,

j e c t u r e and appearances
,
support my op inion was not well ,

a ff ected to the Laced aemonians H owever it is a question .

,

whether h e acted as he did from a motive o f b enevol ence or

by way of exultation For when X erxes had d et e rm i n e d t o .

invade Greece D emaratus w h o was then at Susa and had

, , ,

h eard o f his intention communicated it to the Lac e d aemoni ans ,

.
 BOOK V II I

U RA N I A

H E Greeks w h o were assigned to the navy were these

the Athenians w h o furnished one hundred and twenty
,

seven ships ; but the Plat aeans from a spirit of valour ,

an d zeal though inexperienced in the sea service as

, ,

sisted the Athenians in manning the ships The Corinthians .

f urnished f orty ships ; the M e g u rea n s twenty ; the Chal cidians

manned twenty the Athenians having f urnished them with
,

ships ; the ZE g i n et ae eighteen ; the Sicyonians twelve ; the

, ,

Laced aemonians ten ; the E p i d a u ri an s eight ; the Eretrians

, , ,

seven ; the Tr oezenians five ; the S t y rea n s two ; and the, ,

C e i a n s two ships and two penteconters ; the O p u n t i a n Lo

,

c r i a n s also came to their assistance with seven penteconters .

These then were they who were engaged in the war at Arte
, ,

m i s i u m and I have mentioned how each contributed to t h e

,

number of the ships The total of the ships assembled at .

Artemisium b esi des the penteconters was two hundred and

, ,

seventy one -
Th e admiral who had the chief power the
.
, ,

Spartans supplied E u ryb i a d es son o f E u ry c l i d es f or the

, , ,

allies had refused i f the Laced aemonians did not command

, ,

to follow Athenian l eaders but said they would break up the ,

intended fleet For from the first there was a talk even b e
.
,

fore they sent to Sicily to sol icit an alliance that it would be ,

proper to intrust the navy to the Athenians B ut as the allies .

opposed the Athenians gave way deeming it o f high impor

, ,

tance that Greece should be saved and knowing that if they ,

should quarrel about the command Greec e would be lost ;

h erein thinking j ustly For intestine discord is as much worse
.

than war carried on in concert as war is than peace B eing , .

,

there f ore convinced of this they did not resist but yielded
, , ,

as long as they had need of their assistance as they clearly ,

showed For when having repulsed the Persian they were

.
, ,

now contending f or his country they put forward as a pre ,

text the arrogance o f P a u s a n i u s and deprived th e La c e d ae ,

m o n i a n s o f the chief command B ut these things occurred .

4 7]
-
W I T H T H E F LE E T 44 5

a fterward B ut at that time those Greeks w h o had arrived

.

at Artemis ium when they saw a vast number of ships drawn

,

up at A p h e t ae and all parts full of troops since the aff airs

, ,

o f the barbarians turned out contrary to their expectation in ,

great consternation deliberated about retiring f rom Arte

,

m i s i u m to the inner parts of Greece The Eub oeans knowing .

,

that they were deliberating on this matter entreated Eury ,

b i a d e s to remain a short time longer until they could remove ,

their children and domestics to a place o f safety B ut finding .

they coul d not persuade him they then went over to the ,

Athenian general and prevailed on Themistocles by a bribe

, ,

o f thi rty talents to promis e that they would stay and engage
,

the enemy by s ea be fo re E u b oea Themistocl es to retain the

. .
,

Greeks did as f ollows : o f this money h e gave five talents

,

to E u ry b i a d es as if indeed he gave it f rom himsel f ; and when

,

he had gained him over as A d i m a n t u s son o f O c y t u s the

, , ,

Corinthian commander was the only person who resisted , ,

a ffi rming that he woul d sail away f rom Artemisium and not
stay ; to him Themistocles said with an oath : Y ou S hall “ ,

not abandon us ; for I will make you a greater present than

the King of th e M edes would sen d yo u f or abandoning the
”
allies . He at the same time said this and sent three talents
o f silver on board the ship O f A d i m a n t u s They there f ore .
,

being swayed by the present were gained over and complied , ,

with the wishes of the Eub oeans ; but Themistocl es himsel f

was a considerable gainer as he secretly kept the rest ; but ,

those who took part o f this money thought it came f rom the
Athenians on that condition .

They accordingly remained i n Euboea and came to an ,

engagement by s ea I t happened in this manner : when the

.

barbarians arrived at Ap h e t ae in the a fternoon having been , ,

in formed that a few Grecian ships were stationed there and ,

then descrying them at Artemisium they were eager to a t ,

tack i n th e hope o f taking them However they did not think

, .
,

it advisabl e to sail directly upon them for the f ollowing rea ,

sons lest the Greeks seeing them sailing toward them shoul d
, , ,

betake thems elves to flight and the night shoul d cover thei r ,

retreat b y which means th ey would escape ; but according

, ,

to their saying they thought that not even the torch bearer
,
-

would escap e alive For this purpose then th ey had re

.
, ,

course to the following plan : having detached two hundred

ships from the whole fleet they sent them round outside Sci , ,

athus that they might not be seen by th e enemy sailing round

,

Eub oea by C a p h a re u s and round Ge raes t u s to the Euripus ;

,

t h at so they might surround them the one party arriving at ,

446 H E R O DO T U S—B O O K V I I I U RA N I A , .
[7
-
10

the place appointed in that way and intercepting their retreat , ,

and themselves attacking them in front Having determined .

on this they despatched the ships appointed for this service

,
,

themselves not intending to attack the Greeks that day nor ,

b efore the agreed signal shoul d be seen given by those who ,

sailed round announcing their arrival , These then they .

, ,

sent round and set about taking the number of the rest of
,

the ships at A p h et ae At this time while they were taking .

,

the number of their S hips there was in this camp S c yl l i a s o f ,

S c y o n e the best diver of his time ; he in the shipwreck that

, ,

happened o ff Pelion had saved much O f their treasure for the

,

Persians and had ac quired a good deal for himsel f This

, .

S c y ll i a s had long b efore entertained the design of deserting

to the Greeks but had had no opportunity of doing so until
,

that time I n what w a y he at l ength made his escape to the

.

Grecians I can not certainly a ffi rm and I wonder whether ,

the account given is true For it is said that having plunged .

,

into the sea at A p h e t ae he n ever rose until he reached Arte ,

m i s i u m having passed this distance through the sea as near

, ,

as can be eighty stadia Many other things are related of

, .

this man that are very like falsehood and some that are true ,
.

I f however I may give my O pinion o f this matter it is that

, , , ,

he came to Artemisium in a boat O n his arrival h e imme .

d i a t el y informed the commanders o f the shipwreck how it ,

had occurred and o f the ships that were sent round Eub oea
, .

The Greeks having heard this hel d a con f erence among

, ,

themselves ; and a fter m u ch debate it w a s resolved that re

, ,

maining there and continuing in their station during that day ,

then when midnight was passed they should proceed and

, ,

meet the ships that were sail ing round B ut after this when .
,

no sh i p sailed against them having waited for the evening ,

o f the day they sailed o f themselves against the barbarians

, ,

b eing desirous to make trial o f their manner of fighting and ,

o f breaking through the line The other soldiers of Xerxes .

,

and the commanders seeing them sailing toward them with ,

so few ships attributed their conduct to madness and on their

, ,

part got their ships under w a y expecting that they shoul d ,

easily take them ; and their expectations were very reason

abl e when they s a w that th e Grecian ships were few and their ,

o w n many more in numb er and better sailers : taking these ,

things into consideration they inclosed them in the middle ,

of a circl e Now such of the I onians as were well a ff ected

.
,

to the Greeks and j oin ed the expedition unwillingly regarded

, ,

it as a great calamity when they saw them surrounded feeling ,

convinced that not one of them woul d return ; so weak did

44 8 H E R O D O T U S—B O O K V III U RA N I A , [ 14 —1 8

ships at rest and were content a fter they had su ff ered so

, ,

much to remain quiet for the present B ut three and fi ft y

, .
- -

Attic ships came to re enforce the Greeks ; and both these -

by their arrival gave them additional courage as did the news ,

that came at the same time that those of the barbarians who
were sailing round Eub oea had all perished in the late storm ;
therefore having waited to the same hour they set sail and ,

attacked the Cilician ships and having destroyed them as , ,

soon as it was night they sailed back to Artemisium .

O n the third day th e commanders of the barbarians i n ,

d i g n a n t at being insulted by so f ew ships and f earing the ,

displeasure of X erxes no longer waited for the Greeks to ,

begin the battl e ; but encouraging one another got under ,

w a y about th e middl e of the day I t happened that these .

actions by sea and those by lan d at Thermopyl ae took place

on the same days and the whol e struggle for those at sea was
for the Euripus as for those with Leonidas to guard the,

pass The one party encouraging each other not to su ff er

.

the barbarians to enter Greece ; and the other to destroy ,

the Grecian forces and make themselves masters of the chan ,

nel When t h e b a rb a ri a n s having f ormed in line sail ed o n

.
~

, ,

ward the Grecians remained still at Artemisium ; but the

,

barbarians having drawn up their ships in the f orm o f a

,

crescent encircled them as if they would take them ; where

,

upon th e Greeks sailed out to meet them and engaged I n , .

this battl e they were nearly equal to one another ; for the fleet
of Xerxes by reason of its magnitude and number impeded
, ,

itself as th e ships incommoded and ran foul of one another

, ,

however they continued to fight and woul d n O t yield f or

, , ,

they were ashamed to be put to fl ight by a few ships Accord .

i n g l y many ships of the Grecians perished and many men ;

, ,

and of the barbarians a much greater number both o f ships ,

and men Having f ought in this manner they separated f rom

.
,

each other I n this engagement the Egyptians signalized

.

themselves among the forces of X erxes ; f or they both

achieved other great actions and took five Grecian ships with , ,

their crews O n th e part O f the Greeks the Athenians sig

.
,
e

n a l i z e d themselves on this day and among the Athenians , ,

Cli n i a s son of Al cibiades ; who at his own expense j oined the

,

fleet with two hundred men and a S hip of his own , .

When they had separated each gladly hastened to their ,

own stations : but the Grecians when having le ft the battle , , ,

they had withdrawn were in possession of the dead and o f ,

the wrecks ; yet having b een severely handled and especially ,

the Athenians the half o f whose S hips were disabled they

, ,
 ]
1 11 2 2
-
N E W S F R O M T H E R MO PY L/E 449

consulted about a retreat to t h e interior o f Greece B ut The .

m i s t o c l es having considered with himself that if the I onians

and Carians coul d b e detached from the Barbarian they woul d ,

b e abl e to overcome the rest ; as th e Eub oeans were driving

their cattle down to the shore he there assembled th e Grecian ,

commanders together and told them that he thought h e had ,

a contrivance by which he hoped to draw o ff the best o f the

king s allies This then h e so far discovered to them but
’
.
, , ,

in the present state o f a ff airs he tol d them what they ought

to do ; every one should kill as many of th e Euboean cattl e
as he thought fit ; f or it was better that their own army should
have them than th e enemy H e al so advis ed them each to .

direct their own men to kindl e fires ; and promised that h e

would choose such a time f or their departure that they shoul d ,

all arrive safe in Greece Thes e things they were pleased to .

do ; and f orthwith havin g kindl ed fires they f ell upon th e , ,

cattl e For the Euboeans disregarding the oracles o f B acis

.
,

as importing nothing had neither carried out anything to a ,

place o f sa f ety nor collected stores as i f war was approach

, ,

ing ; and so had brought their a ff airs into a precarious state .

The oracle o f Bacis respecting them w a s as f ollows : B eware

o f the barbarian tongued when he shall cast a b y b l u s yoke
-

,
-

”
across the sea remove th e bleating goats f rom Eub oea
, As .

they pai d no attention to these verses in th e calamities then ,

present and those that were impending they f ell into the ,

g reatest distress They then were acting thus

. an d in that , , ,

conj unct u re the scout arrived f rom T ra c h i s For there was a .

scout stationed O ff Artemisium P o l y a s o f An t i c y ra who had , ,

been ordered ( and h e had a well furnished boat ready) i f th e -

fleet should b e in di ffi culty to make it known to those that ,

were at Thermopyl ae ; an d in like manner A b ro n y c h u s son o f ,

L y s i c l es an Athenian was with Leonidas ready to carry the

, , ,

tidings to those at Artemisium in a t ri ec o n t e r i f any reverse

should happen to the land f orces This A b ro n y c h u s then ar .

riving informed them of what had befallen Leonidas and hi s

,

army ; but they when they h eard it no longer de f erred their

, ,

departure but retired each in the order in which they were

,

stationed th e Corinthians first an d th e Athenians last

, .

Themistocl es h aving sel ected th e b est sailing ships o f the

,

Athenians went to the places where th ere w a s water fit for

,

drinking an d engraved upon the stones inscriptions which

,

the I onians upon arriving next day at Artemisium read The

, , .

inscriptions were to this e ff ect : M en of I onia you do wrong ,

in fighting against your f athers and helping to enslave Greece : ,

rather there f ore come over to us ; or i f you can not do that

, , , ,

29
45 0 H E R O D O T U S— B O O K V II I U RA N I A , [ 11 2 -
25

withdraw your f orces f rom th e contest and entreat the Cari ,

ans to do th e same B ut if neither of these things is possible

.
,

and you are bound by too strong a necessity to revolt yet ,

in action when w e are engaged behave ill on purpose r e

, , ,

m e m b e r i n g that you are descended from us and that the ,

enmity of the barbarians against us originally sprang f rom

”
you . Themistocles in my opinion wrote this with two o b
, ,

j e c t s in view : that either if the inscriptions escaped the notice

,

of the king he might induce the I onians to change s ides and

,

come over to them ; or if they were reported to him and , ,

made a subj ect of accusation before X erxes they might make ,

the I onians susp ected and cause them to be excluded from ,

th e sea fi g h t s Themistocles l eft this inscription and imme

-
.
,

d i a t el y afterward a certain H i s t i ae a n came to the barbarians

in a boat announcing the flight of the Greeks from A rt e m i s i
,

um ; but they through distrust kept the man w h o brought

, ,

the news under guard and despatched some swift vessels to ,

reconnoitre When the y reported the truth as it was the

.
,
’
whol e fleet as soon as the sun s rays were spread saile d in
, ,

a body to Artemisium ; and having waited in that place until

midday they then sailed to H i s t i aea and on their arrival pos
, ,

sessed themselves o f the city of the H i s t i aean s and ravaged ,

all the maritime villages of the E ll o p i a n district in the terri ,

tory o f H i s t i aeo t i s .

While th ey were on this coast Xerxes having made prepa , ,

rations with respect to the dead sent a heral d to the fleet , .

And he made the f ollowing previous preparations : O f thos e o f

his own army w h o were slain at Thermopyl ae and they were
, ,

about twenty thousand of these having left about one thou ,

sand the remainder having caused pits to b e dug he buried

, , , ,

throwing leaves over them and heaping up earth that they ,

might not b e seen by those w h o shoul d come from the fleet .

When th e h eral d crossed over to H i s t i ae a having convened ,

a meeting of the whol e encampment he spoke as follows : ,

Allies King X erxes permits any of you who pl ease to leave

,

his post and come an d see how he fights against those sense
” ’
l ess men who hoped to overcome the king s power A fter ‘

he had made this announcement nothing was more scarce ,

than boats so many were a n x i o u s t o behol d the sight : and

, ’

having cross ed over they went through and viewed th e dead ;

,

and all thought that those that lay t here were all L a c e d ae
m o n i a n s and Thespians though they also saw the Helots : ,

however X erxes did not deceive those who had crossed over
,

by what he had don e with respect to his own dead for i n ,

deed it was ridiculous ; of the one party a thousand dead were

45 2 HER D TU
O O S — B OO K V I II U RA N I A
, [ —
3228

amp olis
'

having dug a large pit they put empty j ars in it and

, , ,

having heaped soil over and made it like the rest of the
ground they waited the attack of the Thessalians but they
, ,

hoping to overwhelm the Phocians being borne violently on , ,

f ell among the j ars whereupon the horses had their l egs
,

broken The Thessalians b earing a grudge against them f or

.
,

these two things sent a herald and made the following a n

,

n o u n c e m en t : O Phocians now at length learn better and , ,

ht n o w that you are not equal to us For both before among .

the Greeks as long as that party pleased us we always proved

, ,

superior to you ; and now w e have so great influence with

the Barbarian that it is in our power to deprive you o f your
,

country ; and moreover to reduce you to slavery We how

, , .
,

ever though possessing full power are not mindful of i n

, ,

j uries ; therefore l et fifty talents o f silver be given us by way

,

of reparation and w e promise you to avert the evil s that i m

,
”
pend over your country .

The Thessalians s ent them this message For the Phocians .

were the only peopl e o f those parts who did not s ide with the
M ede ; for no other reason as I conj ecture than their hatred , ,

o f the Thessalians ; but if the Thessalians had taken part

with the Greeks in my opinion the Phocians would have
,

sided with the M ede When the Thessalians sent this mes
;

sage th ey said they would not give money and that it was
, ,
‘

in their power to j oin the M edes as well as the Thessalians ,

if only they chos e to do so ; but that they woul d not will ingly
b e traitors to Greece When th is answer was brought back
.
,

the Thessalians thereupon b e i n g i n c e n s e d with the Phocians ,

‘

became guides to the barbarians ; and accordingly they e n , ,

t e re d from T r a c hi n i a into D oris For a narrow strip of Doric .

territory extends that w a y about thi rty stades in breadth and , ,

situated b etween the Malian and Phocian territory and which ,

was anciently Dryopis This region is the mother country .

o f the Dorians in Peloponnesus The barbarians in their .

,

passage through di d not ravage this Doric te rritory f or the

, ,

inhabitants sided with the M ede and the Thessalians wished ,

them not to do so When they entered from th e Doric to the

.

Phocian territory they did not take the Phocians themselves

, ,

f or some of the Phocians had ascended to the heights o f

Parn assus ; and the summit of Parnassus lying near the city
of Neon which stands apart is well adapted to receive a
, ,

multitude ; its name is Tithorea ; to this then they carried , ,

a

their property and ascended themselves but the greater num

,

ber of them had conveyed their e ff ects to the Locrian O z o l ae ,

to t h e city o f Amphissa w h ich is sit u ated on t h e Cri s ae an

,
 —37] IN PH O C I S A N D B CE O T IA
32
45 3

plain B ut th e barbarians overran th e whol e P h ocian terri

.

tory For marc h ing this w a y along the river C e p h i s s u s they

. ,

ravaged the whol e country and burned down the cities o f ,

D ry m u s Charadra E ro c h u s T e t h ro n i u m Am p h i c aea Neon

, , , , , ,

P e d i e ae T ri t e ae E l a t ea H y a m p o l i s Para p o t a m i i an d Ab ae ;
, , , , ,

where was a rich temple of Apollo adorned with many treas ,

ures and o ff erings and there was then and still is an oracl e
, , ,

there ; this temple they plundered and burned ; an d pursuing

some of the Phocians they took th em n ear the mountains ; ,

and they caused the death o f some women by having inter ,

course with them i n great numb ers The barbarians having .

passed by P a ra p o t am i i arrived at P an o p e ae and f rom thence , , ,

their army being divided proceeded in two bodies The , .

largest and most powerful part of the army marching with

X erxes himself toward Athens entered B oeotia at th e terri , ,

tory o f th e O rc h o m e n i a n s B ut the B oeotians sided w ith the .

M ede Macedonian soldiers there f ore posted in di ff erent

places having been sent b y Alexander saved their cities ; and
, ,

they saved them in order by this means to make it known

to X erxes that th e B oeotians favoured the cause o f the M edes .

These barbarians then took this route , , .

The rest of them having guides proceeded toward the , ,

Templ e o f D elphi keeping Parnassus on their right : and

,

whatever parts of Phocis they came to they pillaged ; for they ,

set fire to the city o f the Pa n o p i a n s and o f the D a u l i a n s and , ,

the ZE o l i d ae They march ed this way detached from the rest

.

o f th e army f or this reason that having plundered the Templ e ,

at Delphi th ey might present the treasures to King X erxes

, .

B ut X erxes as I am informed knew everything that was o f

, ,

value in the templ e better than what he had left at home many ,

persons continually telling him especially of the o ff erings ,

o f Cr oesus son o f Alyattes The D el p h i an s having heard o f

, .

this fell into a great consternation ; and being in a state o f

,

great terror consulted the oracle respecting the sacred treas

,

u res whether they shoul d hide them under ground or trans

,

port them to another country B ut the god woul d not su ff er .

them to b e moved saying that he was abl e to protect his ,

own Th e D el p h i an s having received this answer began to

.
,

think o f themselves : accordingly they sent their children and ,

wives across to Achaia ; and the greater part o f th e men

ascended to the tops o f Parnassus and carried their e ff ects ,

into the Corycian cavern ; while others withdrew to the Lo

e rian Amphissa Thus all t h e D e l p h i an s aban doned the city
.
,

except only sixty men and the prophet When the barbarians .

were advanced near and saw the templ e in th e distance t h en , ,

4 54 H E R O D O T U S—B O O K V I II , U RA N I A [ 37
-

40

the prophet whose name was A c e ra t u s saw the sacred arms

, , ,

which it was not lawful for any mortal to touch lying before ,

the templ e having been brought out from within the f ane
, .

H e therefore went to make known the prodigy to the D el

p h i a n s w h o were at hand B ut when the barbarians hasten .
,

ing their march were near the Templ e of M inerva P ro n ae ,

prodigies still greater than the f ormer succeeded And this .

is indeed a great wonder that warlike instruments should be ,

seen self moved lying be f ore the templ e yet the second prodi
,
-

, ,

gies which succeeded a fter this are worthy o f admiration b e

, ,

yond all other portents For when the barbarians had a d .

va n c e d near the Templ e of M inerva P r o n aea at that moment ,

thunder fell on them from h eaven and two crags b roken , ,

away from Parnassus bore down upon them with a loud crash , ,

and killed many of them and a lou d cry an d a war shout ,

-

issued from the temple of the P ro n aea All these things b eing .

commingled together a panic struck the barbarians ; and th e ,

D e l p h i a n s having l earned that they had fled came down

, ,

after them and slew a great numb er of them : the survivors

,

fled direct into B oeotia Those of the barbarians w h o r e .

turned as I am informed declared that b esides these they

, ,

saw other miracul ous things for that two heavy armed men , ,

of more than human stature followed them slaying and pur , ,

s uing them The D el p h i a n s say these t w o were heroes of

.

th e country P h yl a c u s and A u t o n o u s whose precincts are

, ,

near th e temple ; that of P h yl a c u s by the road side above the -

temple of the P ro n aea ; and that of A u t o n o u s near th e Cas ,

talian spring under the H y a m p e i a n summit The rocks that .

fell from Parnassus were still preserved in my time lying ,

in the inclosure o f M inerva P ro n aea where they fell when ,

borne among the barbarians Such then w a s the retreat o f .

, ,

these men from the temple .

The Grecian fl eet from Artemisium at the request of the ,

Athenians put in at Salamis For this reason th e Athenians

, .

requested them to direct their cours e to Salamis that they ,

might remove their children and wives Ou t o f Attica and , ,

moreover might consult of what m easures were to be taken

, .

For in the present posture of a ff airs they intended to hol d a

consultation as they had b een disappointed in their expecta
,

tion For whereas they expected to find the Pel oponnesi ans
.

with all their f orces wa i ting in B oeotia to receive the barbari a ns ,

they found nothing of the kind ; but were info rmed that they
were f ortifying the isthmus leading into the Peloponnesus ,

considering it of the greatest importance that it should be

saved and that keeping guard there they gave up all the rest
, , , .
 6 HER D TU
O O S — B OO K V III U R A N I A —
[44 48
45 ,

B oeotia set about carrying away their families : they there

, ,

f ore while saving them were left behind

, T h e Athenians , .
,

when the Pelasgians possessed that which is now called Greece ,

were Pelasgians and went by the name o f Cranai : under

,

the reign of Cecrops they were surnamed C e c ro p i d ae ; but

,

when E r e c t h e u s succeeded to the government they changed ,

their name for that o f Athenians ; and when I o n son o f ,

X uthus became their leader from him they were called

'

, ,

I onians The M e g a r e n es furnished the same complement as

.

at Artemisium ; the A m b ra c i o t s assisted with seven ships ; and

the Leucadians three these are of Doric extraction from
, , ,

Corinth O f the islanders the ZE g i n e t ae f urnished thirty ships ;

.
,

they had also other ships ready manned but with some they ,

guarded their own country and with thirty the b est sailing ,

vessels they fought at Salamis The ZE g i n e t ae are Dorians

, .
,

from Epidaurus and their island f ormerly had the name of

,

( Enone Next to the E g i n e t ae the Chalci dians furnished the

.
,

same twenty as at Artemisium and the Eretrians the same ,

seven : these are I onians Next the C e i a n s furnished the .

,

same ; they are of I onian extraction from Athens The Nax , .

ians f urnished four ; though they had been sent by their f ellow
citizens to j oin the M edes l ike the rest of the islanders ; but ,

disregarding their orders they went over to the Greeks at , ,

the instigation of D emocritus a man eminent among the citi ,

zens and then commander of a trireme The N a x i a n s also

,
.

are I onians sprung f rom Athens The S t y r e a n s f urnished

,
.

the same S hips as at Artemisium ; the C y t h n i a n s one and a ,

penteconter : both these p eople are Dryopians The Seriph .

ians the S i p h n i a n s and the Malians also j oined the fleet ;

, ,

f or they only of the islanders re f used to give earth and water

to the B arbarian All these nations , situated o n t h i s side the
. _

Thesprotians and th e river Acheron j oined the fl eet ; f or the ,

Thesprotians border on the Am p ra c i o t s and Leucadians who ,

j oined the fl eet from the most distant countri es O f those '
.

that dwell beyond them the Cro t o n i a t ae were the only people ,

who came to assist Greece in this time of danger with one ,

ship which P h a y l l u s who had thrice been victorious in the

, ,

Pythian ga mes commanded The Cro t o n i a t ae are Ach aeans

,
.

by extraction Now the rest j oined the fleet f urnishing tri

.
,

rem es ; but th e Malians S i p h n i a n s and S e ri p h i a n s pente , , ,

conters The Malians who are by extraction from L a c e d ae

.
,

mon f urnished two ; the S i p h n i a n s and th e S e ri p h i a n s who

, ,

are I on ians f rom Athens one each So that the whol e num ,
.

ber of ships besides the penteconters amo u nted to t h re e h u n

, ,

dred and s eventy eigh t -

 XE RXE S B U R N S AT H E N S 457

When t h e leaders f rom the above mentioned cities met -

together at Salamis they hel d a council in which E u ry b i a d e s

, ,

p roposed that any one w h o chose s hould del iver his O pinion ,

where he thought it would be most advantageous to com e to

an engagement by sea o f all the places o f which they were
,

still in poss ession : f or Attica w a s already given up and he ,

made this proposition concerning the rest Most o f t h e opin .

ions o f those w h o spoke coinci ded that they shoul d sail to the ,

isthmus and fight before Peloponnesus ; alleging this reason ,

that if they should be conquered by sea while they were at

Salamis they shoul d be besieged in the island where no suc
, ,

cour could reach them ; but i f at the isthmus th ey mi ght ,

escape to their own cities .

Whil e the commanders f rom Peloponnesus were debating

these matters an Athenian arrived with intelligence that th e
,

barbarian had entered Attica an d was devastating the whol e ,

o f it by fire For the army with X erxes having taken its

.
,

route through B oeotia a fter having burned the city o f th e

,

Thespians w h o had departed to Peloponnesus and l ikewise

, ,

the city o f the Plat aeans had arrived at Athens and was lay, ,

ing waste every part o f it They set fire to T h es p i a and .

Plat aea b eing informed by th e Thebans that they were not

,

on the side of th e M edes From the passage over the Helles .

pont thence th e barbarians b egan to march having spent one

, ,

month there including the time they were crossing over into
,

Europe ; in three months more they were in Attica when ,

Ca l l i a d e s was archon o f the Athenians Th ey took the city .

,

deserted o f inhabitants but found some f ew o f the Athenians

,

in the temple with the treasurers o f the templ e and some

, ,

poor peopl e ; w h o having fortified the Acropolis with planks

,

and stakes tried to keep o ff the invaders : they had not with
,

d rawn to Salamis partly through want of means and more

, ,

over they thought they had f ound out the meaning of the
oracl e which the Pythian delivered to them that the woode n ,

wall should be impregnable imagining that this was th e

refuge according to the oracl e and not the ships The Per , .

sians posting themselves on the hill opposite the Acropolis

,
,

wh ich the Athenians call the Areopagus besieged t hem in ,

the following manner : when they had wrapped tow round

their arrows and set fire to it they shot them at the fence
, , .

Thereupon those Athenians w h o were besieged still defended

themselves though driven to the last extremity and the f ence
, ,

h ad failed them ; nor when the Pisistratid ae proposed them

, ,

would they listen to terms of capitul a tion : but still defending

t h emselves they both contrived other means of de f ence and
,
,

30
458 H E R O D O T U S—B O O K V III U RA N I A , [ 5 5
2 —6

when t h e barbarians approached t h e gates they hurled down ,

large round stones ; so that X erxes w a s for a long time kept

in perplexity not b eing able to capture them At length in
, .
,

the midst of these di fficulties an entrance w a s discovered by ,

the b arbarians ; for it was necessary according to the oracl e , ,

that all Atti ca on the continent should be subdued by the

, ,

Persians I n front of the Acropolis then but behind the gates

.
, ,

and th e road up where neither any one kept guard nor woul d
, ,

ever have expected that any man woul d ascend that w a y ,

there some of them ascended near the templ e o f C e c ro p s s ’

daughter Aglauros although th e place was precipitous When

, .

the Athenians saw that they had ascended to the Acropolis ,

some threw themselves down f rom th e wall and p erished ,

and others took refuge in the recess of the templ e B ut the .

Persians w h o had ascended first turned to the gates and hav ,

ing opened them put the suppliants to death : an d when all

,

were thrown prostrate having pillaged the temple they set , ,

fi re to the whol e Acropolis .

X erxes having entire possession of Athens despatched a ,

messenger on horseback to S usa to announce to A rt a b a n u s ,

his present success And on the second day after the despatch
.

o f the herald having summoned the exiled Athenians who a t

,

tended him he ordered them to o ff er sacrifices after their own

,

manner having ascended to the Acropolis ; whether he gave

,

this order from having seen a vision in a dream or a religious ,

scruple came upon him for having set fire to the templ e Th e .

exiles of the Athenians performed what was commanded .

Why I have recorded these things I will now mention There .

is in this Acropolis a shrine o f E r ec t h e u s who is said to be ,

earth born : in this is an olive tree and a sea ; which as th e

-

story goes among the Athenians Neptune and M inerva when , ,

contending for the country placed there as testimonies Now ,

.

it happened that this O live tree was burned by th e barbarians

with the rest of th e templ e ; but on the second day a fter th e
burnin g the Athenians who were ordered by the king to sacri
,

fi c e when they went up to the temple saw a shoot f rom th e

, ,

stump sprung up to the height of a cubit This they a ffirmed

,
. .

The Greeks at Salamis wh en intelligence w a s brought ,

them how matters were with respect to the Acropolis o f the

Athenians were thrown into such consternation that some
,

of th e general s woul d not wait until the subj ect before them
w a s decided on but rushed to their ships and hoisted sail
, ,

as about to hurry away ; by such of them as remained it was

determined to come to an engagement before th e isthmus .

Nig h t came on an d they b eing dismissed f rom the council

, , ,
 6—60] C O N F E RE N CE A T S A L AM IS
5 4 59

went on board their ships Thereupon M n es i p h i l u s an At h e

.
,

nian inquired of Themistocles on his return to his ship what

, , ,

had been determined on by them And being in f ormed by .

him that it w a s resolved to conduct th e ships to the isthmus ,

an d to come to an engagement before th e Peloponnesus he

“
said : If they remove th e sh ips f rom Salamis you will no
,

longer fight for any country ; for they will each b etak e them
selves to their cities ; an d neither will E u ry b i a d e s nor any one
else b e abl e to detain them so that the fleet shoul d not b e ,

dispersed ; and Greece will perish through want o f co u ns el .

B ut if there is any possibl e contrivance go and endeavour

, ,

to annul the decree if by any means you can induce E u ry b i

,

ades to alter his determination so as to remain h ere Th e , .

suggestion pleased Themistocl es exceedingly ; an d without

g i ving any answer he went to th e ship of E u ry b i a d e s ; an d
on reaching it he said that he wished to confer with him on
public business H e desired him to come on board h is ship
.
,

and say what he wished Thereupon Themistocl es s eating .

,

himsel f by him rep eated all that he had heard from M me

,

s i p h il u s making it his own and adding much more until h e

, , ,

prevailed on him by entreaty to leave his ship and assembl e

, , ,

the commanders in council When they were assembled b e .

,

fore E u ry b i a d es brought forward the subj ect on account of

which he had convened the commanders Themistocles spok e ,

much as being very earnest ; and as he w a s speaking t h e

, ,

Corinthian general A d i m a n t u s son of O c y t u s sai d O The , , ,

m i s t o c l e s in the games those who start before the time are

,
”
b eaten with stripes B ut he excusing h imsel f answered
.
, , ,
”
B ut they w h o are left b ehind are not crowned .

At that time h e answered the Corinthian mildl y B ut to .

E u ry b i a d es h e said not a word o f what he had b efore men

t i o n e d that i f th ey should remove f rom Salamis th ey woul d
,

disperse themselves ; f or when the all ies were pres ent it woul d
b e by no m eans becomin g in him to accuse any on e ; h e
therefore made use of another argument speaking as f ollows :
“I t rests now with you to save Greece i f you will listen to ,

me and remaining h ere give battl e and not attend to thos e

, , , ,

w h o advis e you to remove the fl eet to the isthmu s For .

hear and compare each opinion I n engaging n ear th e isth .

mus you will fi ght in the O pen s ea wh ere i t is least a d va n ,

t a g eo u s to us w h o have heavier ships and fewer i n n umb er ;

,

B esides you will lose Salamis an d M egara and JE g i n a even

, , , ,

i f we succeed in other respects : f or th e lan d forces w il l fol

low close upon their navy ; thus you will yours el f l ea d them
to t h e Peloponnes u s and expose all Greece t o dan ger B u t
, .
4 60 H E R O D O T U S—B O O K V II I U R A N I A , [ 60 —
63

i f you should do what I advise you will find the f ollowing ,

advantage s in it : First of all by engaging in a narrow space ,

with few ships against many if th e probabl e results of war ,

happen we shall be much superior For to fight in a narrow

,
.

space is advantageous to us ; but in a wide space to them , .

Again : Salamis is preserved in which our children and wives ,

are deposited M oreover there is advantage in the plan I

.
,

advise for which too you are very anxious : by remaining

, , ,

h ere you wil l fight for the Peloponnesus j ust as much as at

,

th e isthmus ; nor if you are wise will you lead them to the
, ,

Peloponnesus B ut if what I hope should happen and we

.
,

conquer with our fleet neither will the barbarians come to ,

you at the isthmus nor will they advance farther than Attica ,

b ut will retreat in disorder and we shall gain by saving ,

M egara and ZE g i n a and Salamis where it is announced by

, , ,

an oracl e w e shall be superior to our enemies To men who .

dete rmine on what is reasonabl e corresponding results are ,

for the most part wont to follow ; but to thos e who do not
determine on what is reasonable the deity is not wont to ,
”
f urther human designs When Themistocles had spoken .

thus A d i m a n t u s th e Corinthian again attacked him bidding

, ,

him w h o had no country be silent and urging E u ry b i a d e s ,

not to go to the vote for a man w h o had no city ; for when

Themistocles showed a city then he would allow him to give ,

his su ff rage H e threw out this against him b ecause Athens

.
,

had been taken and was in the possession of the enemy Then .
,

at length Themistocl es spoke with much severity of A d i m a n

,

tus and the Corinth ians ; and showed by his speech that the
Athenians themselves had a city and a territory greater than
th ey so long as they had t w o hundred ships fully manned ;
,

for that none O f the Greeks coul d rep el their attack Having .

intimated this he transferred his discourse to E u ry b i a d e s say

“ ,

ing with greater earnestness : If you remain here by r e

,

maining you will S how yoursel f a brave man— i f not you will ,

s ubvert Greece : for th e whole success of the war depends

on our fleet ; therefore yiel d to my advice B ut if you will .

not do so we as we are will take our f amilies on board and

, , ,

remove to Siris in I taly which is an ancient possession o f ,

ours and oracles say it is fated to be founded by us And

, .

you when b ereft of such allies will remember my words

, ,
.

When Themistocles had spoken thus E u ry b i a d e s changed ,

his opinion : in my opinion he changed his opinion chiefly ,

from a dread of the Athenians lest they shoul d desert th em ,

if h e t o o k the fl eet to the isthmus For if the Athenians de

»
.

s e rt e d them t h e res t woul d n o longer b e a matc h f or th e

,
4 6 2 H E R O D O T U S— B O O K V I II U RA N IA , [66—68

viewed t h e Laced aemonian loss crossed over from T ra c h i s to ,

H i s t i aea they remained there three days and then sailed

, ,

through the Euripus an d in three days more arrived o ff Pha ,

l e ru s .I n my opinion they were not fewer in numb er when ,

they entered Athens as well those that came by the continent ,

as those in the ships than when they arrived at Sepias and at ,

Thermopyl ae For I set o ff against thos e that perished by

.

the storm an d at Thermopyl ae and at the sea fi g h t at Arte

, ,
-

m i s i u m the following w h o at that time did not attend the

,

kin g : the Malians Dorians Locrians and B oeotians w h o , , , ,

attended with all their forces except th e Thespians and Pl at ae ,

ans ; and besides the C a ry s t i a n s A n d ri an s T e n i a n s and all

, , , , ,

the rest of the islanders except the fiv e cities whose names I ,

have b e f ore mentioned : for the farther the Persian advanced

into the interior of Greece a gre ater number of nations at ,

tended him When therefore all these except th e Parians

.
, , , ,

arrived at Athens the Parians being left b ehind at Cy t h n u s

, , ,

watched the w a r in what w a y it woul d turn out ; when how

, ,

ever the rest arrived at P h a l e ru s then X erxes himsel f went

, ,

down to the ships wishing to mix with them and to l earn , ,

the O pinions of those on board When h e had arrived and .

taken the first seat the tyrants and admirals of the several ,

nations being summoned from their ships came and seated

, ,

themselves according as the king had given precedence to

each : first th e Sidonian king ; next the Tyrian ; and then
, ,

th e others When they had seated themselves in due order

.
,

X erxes having sent M a r d o n i u s asked in order to make trial

, , ,

o f the disposition of eac h whether h e shoul d come to an e m ,

g g
a e m e n t by sea When M a rd o n i u s going round. ask ed , ,

the question beginning f rom the S idonian all the others g ave
, ,

an opinion to the same e ff ect advising that battle should b e ,

given b ut Artemisia spoke as f ollows : Tell the king from

,

me M a r d o n i u s that I say this I t is right that I sire who

, ,
.
, ,

p roved myself by no means a coward in th e s ea fi g h t o ff Eu -

b oea an d p erformed achievements not inferior to others

, ,

should declare my real O pinion and state what I think best ,

for your interest Therefore I say this abstain from using

.
,

your ships nor risk a s ea fi g h t ; f or thes e men are as much

'

superior to your men by s ea as men are to women And why .

m u s t y o u run a r isk by a naval engagement ? Have you not

°

p ossession of Athens for th e sake of whic h you undertook ,

this expedition an d have you not the rest o f Greece ? No

,

one stands in your way ; and those w h o still hel d out against
you have f ared as they deserved I n what way the a ff airs o f .

your enemies will turn out I will now say I f you s h o u l d ,

.
 —
6 8 71 PE R S I A N S A PPR O AC H S A LA M I S 6
] 4 3

not hasten to engage in a sea fi g h t but keep your fl eet here -

, ,

remaining near land or even advancing to th e Peloponnesus , ,

you will easily e ff ect what you came purposing to do For .

the Greeks will not b e able to hold out long against y o u ; but
you will disperse them and they will respectively fly to their ,

cities For neither have they provisions in this island as I

.
,

am in f ormed nor is it probable if you march your land forces

, ,

against the Peloponnesus that those of them w h o came from ,

thence will remain quiet nor will they care to fight by sea ,

for the Athenians B ut i f you shoul d hasten forthwith to e n .

gage I fear l est the s ea forces being worsted shoul d at the

, , ,

same time bring ruin on th e lan d f orces B esides O king .

, ,

consider this that th e goo d among men commonly have bad

,

slaves and the bad ones good ; and you w h o are th e best
, , ,

o f all m en have bad slaves w h o are said to be in the number

, ,

o f allies such as the Egyptians Cyprians Cilicians and Pam

, , , ,
”
p yh l i a n s w h o,are of no use at all When sh e said this to .

M a rd o n i u s such as were well a ff ected to Artemisia were

,

grieved at her words thinking she woul d su ff er some harm ,

’
at the king s hand b ecause she dissuaded him f rom givin g ,

battle by sea : but thos e w h o hated and envied her as b eing ,

h onoured above all the allies were delighted with her de ,

c is io n , thinking she would b e ruined When however the .

, ,

opinions were reported to Xerxes h e was very much pleased ,

with the opinion o f Artemisia ; and having b e f ore thought

her an admirable woman h e then praised her much more , .

However he gave orders to follow the advice o f the ma j ority

,

in this matter thinking that they had behave d ill at Eub oea
,

on purpose because he w a s not present ; he now prepared in

,

person to behold them engaging by s ea .

When th ey gave the signal for putting to sea they got the ,

s h ips under way for Salamis and drew up near it taking , ,

thei r stations in silence : at that time however there was not , ,

day enough for them to enter on a naval en gagement ; for

night was coming on they therefore hel d the ms elves in rea di ,

ness f or the next day B ut f ear and dismay took possession .

o f the Greeks and not least those from Peloponnesus They

, .

were dismayed because b eing posted at Salamis they were , , ,

about to fight for th e territory of the Athenians ; and i f con

quered th ey woul d b e shut up and besieged in th e island
,
,

having le ft their own country defenceless The land forces .

o f the barbarians marched that same night against the Pelo

p o n n e s u s ; although every possibl e expedient had been con
t ri v e d to hinder the barbarians from entering by th e main
land F or as soon as the Peloponnesians h eard that those
.
 6
4 4 H E R O D O T U S— B O O K V I II U RA N I A , [ —
7 74
1

with Leonidas at Thermopyl ae had p erished they flocked to ,

gether f rom the cities and stationed themselves at the isthmu s ;

and Cl e o m b ro t u s son of A n a x a n d ri d e s and brother o f Leon
, ,

i das commanded them Having stationed themselves there

,
.
,

f ore a t the isthmus and having blocked up the S c i ro n i a n way

, , ,

they then as they determined on consultation built a wall

, ,

across the isthmus As they were many myriads in number .

,

and every man laboured the work progressed rapidly ; f or ,

stones bricks timber and baskets full of sand were brought

, , ,

to it and those who assisted flagged not a moment in their

,

work eith er by night or by day Thos e w h o assisted at the

, .

isthmus with all their forces were the following of the Greeks
the L a c e d mm o n i a n s and all th e Arcadians the Eleans Cor , , ,

i nt h ian s Si cyonians E p i d a u ri a n s P hl i a s i a n s Tr oezenians

, , , , ,

and H e rm i o n i a n s These were they w h o assisted and were .

,

very much alarmed at the dangerous s ituation of Greece ; but

the rest of the Peloponnesians did not concern themselves
about it ; however the O lympian and C a rn i a n festivals were ,

now past S even nations inhabit the Peloponnesus : of these

.
,

two being indigenous are now seated in the same country

, ,

in which they originally dwelt the Arcadians and Cy n u ri a n s , .

O n e nation the Ach aeans never removed from the P e l o p o n

, ,

n e s u s though they did from their own territory and now o c c u

, ,

py another The remaining four. nations of the s even are f or

e i g n Dorians ZE t o l i an s D ryopians and Lemnians
, ,
The Dori , , .

ans have many and cel ebrated cities ; th e ZE t o l i a n s only Elis ,

the D ryopians Hermione and Asine situated near C a rd a m y l e

, ,

o f Laconia ; th e Lemnians have all th e Pa ro re at ae The C y n u .

rians w h o are indigenous are the only p eople that appear to

, ,

b e I onians ; but they have become Dorians by being governed

by the Argives and through lapse of time being O rn e a t ae
,
1
,

and neighbouring inhabitants O f these seven nations the .

,

remaining cities except those I have enumerated remained , ,

neutral ; or i f I may speak f reely by remaining neutral

, , ,

f avoured the M ede .

Thos e at the isthmus then persevered with such zeal as , ,

h aving now to contend f or their all an d as they did not expect ,

to distinguish themselves by their fl eet ; meanwhile those ,

at Salamis having heard of thes e things were alarmed not

, , ,

f earing so much for themselves as f or the Peloponnesus For .

some time one man standing by another b egan to talk in

secret wondering at the imprudence o f E u ry b i a d es ; till at
,

1
Ba eh r t a kes O rn e a t ae t o d e s c r i b e p e o p l e w h o w e re t ra n s
t h e w o rd
p l a n t e d f ro m a d i s t a n ce , a n d m a d e t o d w e ll n e a r A r g o s O n e a d va n t a g e .

i n f o ll o w i n g h i s i n t e r p r e t a t i o n i s , t h a t i t o b v i a t e s t h e n ece s s i t y o f a l t e ri n g .
 66 HER D TU
O O S— B OO K V I II, U R A N IA [ 77 8 0
4
-

I am unable to speak against the oracles as not being true ,

nor wish to impugn the authority Of those that speak clearly ,

when I look on such occurrences as the following : When

they shall bridge with ships the sacred shore of Diana with
the golden sword and sea girt Cynosura havin g with mad
,
-

hope destroyed b eauti f ul Athens then divine V engeance shall ,

quench strong Presumpti o n son of I nsolence when thinking , ,

to subvert all thi ngs For brass shall engage with brass and
.
,

M ars shall redden the sea with blood Then the f ar thunder .
-

ing son of Saturn and benign victory shall bring a day o f

”
f reedom to Greece Looking on such occurrences and re
.
,

garding B acis w h o spoke thus clearly I neither dare mysel f

, ,

say anything in contradiction to oracles nor allow others to ,

do so .

There was great altercation between the generals at Sala

mis : and they did not yet know that the barbarians had sur
rounded th em with their ships ; but they supposed that they
were in th e same place as they had seen them stationed in
during the day While the generals were disputing Aristides
.
, ,

son of Lysimachus crossed over from ZE g i n a ; he was an

,

Athenian but had been banished by ostracism : having heard

,

of his manner of l ife I consider him to have been the best,

and most upright man in Athens Thi s person standing at .

,

the entrance of the council called Themistocles out who was , ,

not indeed h i s friend but his most bitter enemy ; yet from , ,

th e greatness o f th e impending danger h e forgot that and , ,

called him wishing to confer with him ; f or h e had already

,

heard that those from Peloponnesus were anxious to get the

ships under w a y for the isthmus When Themistocles came .

out to him Aristides spoke as f ollows : I t is right that we

,

should strive both on other occasions and particularly on

, ,

this which of us shall do the greatest service to our coun

,

try I assure you that to say little or much to the Pelo

.

o n n s i a n s about sailing h ence is the same thing ; for I an

p e ,

eye witness tell you now even if they would neither the
-

, , , ,

Corinthians nor E u ry b i a d e s himself will be abl e to sail away ;

, ,

f or we are on all sides inclosed by the enemy Go in there .

,

fore and acquaint them with this

,
H e answered as follows : .

Y ou both give very use f ul advice and have brought good ,

—
news ; for you are come yourself as an eye witness o f what I
wished shoul d happen Know then that what has been done .
, ,

by the M edes proceeds from me For it was necessary since .

,

the Greeks woul d not willingly come to an engagement that ,

they shoul d be compelled to it against their will B ut do you .

,

since you come bringing good news announce it to them ,

 —
8 0 8 4] B ATT LE O F S A LA M I S 6
4 7

yoursel f f or i f I tell them I shall appear to speak f rom my o w n

,

invention and shall not persuade them as i f th e barbarians

, ,

were doing no such thing B ut do you go in and inform .

,

them how the case is : and when you have informed them i f ,

they are p ersuaded so much the better ; but if they attac h ,

no credit to what you say it will be the same to us : for they ,

can no longer escap e by flight i f as you say w e are sur , , ,

rounded O n all sides Aristides going in gave this a c .

, ,

count saying that he came from ZE g i n a and with di ffi culty

, ,

sail ed through unperceived by those that were stationed round

f or that the whole Grecian fleet was surrounded by the ships
o f X erxes H e advise d them therefore to prepare thems elves
.
, ,

f or their de f ence And he having said this withdrew ; a

.
, ,

dispute however again arose f or the greater part of the

, , ,

generals gave no credit to the report Whil e they were still .

in doubt there arrived a trireme of T e n i a n s that had deserted ,

which P a n aet i u s son of S o c i m e n e s commanded and which

, , ,

brought an account o f the whol e truth For that action the .

name o f the T e n i a n s was engraved on the tripod at D elphi ,

among those w h o had defeated the barbarians With this ship .

that came over at Salamis and with the Lemnian before o ff , ,

Artemisium the Grecian fleet was made up to th e f ull num

,

ber o f three hundred and eighty ships ; f or be f ore it wanted

two o f that number .

When the account given by the T e n i a n s was credited by

the Greeks they prepared f or an engagement Day dawned
, .
,

an d when they had mustered the marines Themistocles above , ,

all the others harangued them most eloquently H is speech

, .

was entirely taken up in contrasting b etter th ings with wors e ,

exhorting them to choose the best of all thos e things which

depended on th e nature and condition of man Having fi n .

i s h e d his speech he ordered them to go on board their ships :

,

they accordingly were going on b oard when the trireme f rom ,

ZE g i n a which had gone to f etch the ZE a c i d ae returned There

, , .

upon the Greeks got all t h eir ships under w a y When they .

were under w a y the barbarians immediately fell upon them

, .

N o w all the other Greeks began to back water and made

f or the shore ; but Am i n i a s o f Pa l l e n e an Athenian b eing , ,

carried onward attack ed a ship ; and his ship b ecoming e n

,

tangled with the other an d the crew not bein g abl e to ,

clear the rest thereupon coming to the assistance of A m i n i a s

, ,

engaged Thus the Athenians say the battl e be g an ; but

.

the ZE g i n e t ae a ffirm that th e ship which went to ZE g i n a to

f etch the ZE a c i d ae was the first to begin This is also said that .
,

a phantom of a woman appeared to them and that on he r ,

 6 H E R O D O T U S— B O O K V I I I U RA N I A 8 —
[ 4 87
4 8 ,

appearance she cheered them on so that the whole fl eet o f ,

the Greeks heard her after she had first reproached them
,
”
in these words Dastards how long will you back water ?
, ,

O pposite the Athenians th e Ph oenicians were drawn up for ,

they occupied the wing toward Eleusis and westward ; oppo

site the Laced aemonians the I onians occupied the wing to,

ward the east and the Piraeus O f these some f ew behaved .

ill on purpose in compliance with th e inj unctions of The

,

m i s t o c l e s but most o f them not so

, I am able to mention , .

the names of several captains of triremes who took Grecian

ships ; but I shall mak e no use of them except of T h e o m e s t o r , ,

son of A n d ro d a m a s and P h y l a c u s son of H i s t i aeu s both

, , ,

Samians I mention these two only for this reason because

.
,

T h e o m e s t o r on account o f this exploit was made tyrant of

, ,

Samos by the appointment o f the Persians ; and P h y l a c u s

was inscribed as a benefactor of the king and a large tract o f ,

land was given him The benefactors of th e king are called

.

in the Persian language O ro s a n g ae Such was the case with .

regard to these men The greater part of the ships were run
.

down at Salamis ; some being destroyed by the Athenians ,

oth ers by the E g i n et ae For as the Greeks fought in good

.

order in line but the barbarians were neither properly formed

, ,

nor did anything with j udgment such an event as did happen ,

was likely to occur However they were and proved them

.
,

selves to b e f ar braver on this day than o ff Eub oea every one ,

exerting himself vigorously an d dreading X erxes ; for each ,

thought that he himsel f was observed by the king .

As regards the rest of some of them I am unable to say

,

with certainty how each of th e barbarians or Greeks fought ;

but with respect to Artemisia t h e f ollowing incident occurred , ,

by which sh e obtained still greater credit with the king : for

when the king s f orces were in great con f usion at that mo
’

ment the ship of Artemisia was chased by an Attic ship and ,

she not being able to escape f or before her were other f riendly ,

ships and her own happ ened to b e nearest the enemy she re
, ,

solved to do that which succeeded in the attempt For being .

pursued by the Athenian she bore down upon a f riendly ,

ship manned by Cal y n d i a n s and with D a m a s i t h y m u s himself

, , ,

King o f the Ca l y n d i a n s on board ; whether sh e had any quar

,

rel with him while they were a t the H ellespont I am unabl e

to say or whether sh e did it on purpo s e or whether the ship
, ,

o f the C al y n d i a n s happened by chance to b e in her way ; how

ever she ran it down and sunk it and by good fortune gained
, , ,

a double advantage to herself For the captain o f the Attic .

ship when he saw h er b earing down on a ship of the bar

,
 H E R O D O T U S— B OO K V I II U RA N I A [ 90 —
93
470 ,

struck o ff that th ey who had proved themselves cowards

,

might no more accuse those who were braver ( For when .

ever X erxes saw any one of his own men performing a gallant
action in the sea fi g h t b eing seated at the foot o f the moun
-

tain opposite Salamis which is called ZE g al eo s he inquired , ,

the name of the person w h o did it and his secretaries wrote ,

down the family and country of the captain o f th e trireme ) .

M oreover A ri a ra m n e s a Persian who was a friend to the

, , ,

I onians and happened to b e pres ent contributed to the ruin

, ,

of the Ph oenicians They accordingly betook themselves to .

the Ph oenicians .
1

The barbarians b eing turned to flight and sailing away ,

toward P h a l e ru s the ZE g i n e t ae waylaying them in the strait

, . ,

per f ormed actions worthy of record For the Athenians in .

the rout ran down both those ships that resisted and those
that fled ; and the ZE g i n e t ae those that sailed away from the ,

battl e : so that when any escap ed the Athenians b eing borne ,

violently on they fell into the hands o f the ZE g i n et ae At this

, .

time there happ ened to meet together the ship o f Themistocl es ,

giving chase to one of the enemy and that of P o l y c ri t u s son , ,

o f Crius an ZE g i n et a n b earing down upon a Sidonian ship

, , ,

t he same that had taken the ZE g i n et a n ship which was keep ,

ing watch o ff S c i a t h u s and on board of which sailed Pytheas , ,

son of I s c h e n o u s whom though covered with wounds the , , ,

Persians kept in the ship from admiration o f his valour Th e .

Sidonian ship that carried him about w a s taken with the Per
sians on board so that Pytheas by this means returned sa f e
, , ,

to ZE g i n a B ut wh en P o l y c ri t u s saw the Athenian ship he

.
,

knew it seeing the admiral s ensign ; and shouting to The

,
’

mi s t o c l es h e railed at him upbraiding him with the charge

, ,

o f M edism brought against the E g i n et ae P o l y c ri t u s accord .

,

i n g l y as he was attacking the ship threw out these reproaches

, ,

against Themistocles B ut the barba rians whose ships sur .

,

v ive d ,
fled and arrived at P h a l e ru s under the protection o f ,

the lan d f orces .

I n this engagement o f the Greeks th e ZE g i n et ae obtained ,

th e greatest renown ; and next the Athenians o f particular — ,

p ersons P o l y c ri t u s o f ZE g i n a and Athenians Eumenes the

, , ,

A n a g y ra s i a n with Am i n i a s a P a l l e n i a n who gave chase to

, , ,

Artemisia ; and if he had known that Artemisia sailed in that

ship he would not have given over the pursuit till he had
either taken her or been himsel f taken For such had been .

the order given to the Athenian captains ; and b esides a re , ,

ward o f ten thousand drachmas was o ff ered to whoever should

1 Th a t is , the e x e c u t i o n e rs p u t t h e m to deat h .
 6
93 9 ]
-
B ATT L E O F S A LAM IS 471

take her al ive ; f or they considered it a great indignity that a

woman shoul d make w a r against Athens She however as .
, ,

has been before mentioned made her escape ; and the others , ,

whose ships survived lay at P h a l e ru s The Athenians say ,

.

that A d i m a n t u s the Corinthian admiral immediately from

, ,

the b eginning when the ships engaged being dismayed an d

, ,

excessively frightened hoisted sail and fled ; and that th e , .

’
Corinthians seeing their admiral s ship flying likewise bore
, ,

away ; and when in their flight they arrived O ff the Templ e

, ,

o f Minerva S c i ra s on the coast o f Salamis a light bark fell

, ,

in with them by the gui dance o f heaven ; that no one appeared

to have sent it and that it came up to the Corinthians w h o
, ,

knew nothing relating to th e fl eet From this circumstance .

they conj ectured the circumstance to b e divine ; for that when

those on board the bark neared the ship th e y spoke as fol
“
lows : Ad i m a n t u s having drawn o ff your ships you have
,

, ,

hurried away in flight b etraying th e Greeks : they however , , ,

are victorious as far as they coul d have desired to conquer

,
”
thei r enemies Having said this as A d i m a n t u s did not credit
.
,

them they again spoke as follows : that they were ready to

,

b e taken as hostages and b e put to death i f the Greeks were

, ,

not f ound to b e victorious : upon which having put about ,

ship he and the rest returned to th e fleet when the work was
,

done Such a story is tol d o f them by the Athenians ; th e

.

Corinthians however do not admit its truth but a ffi rm that

, , ,

they were among the foremost in the engagement ; and the

rest o f Greece bears testimony in their f avour Aristides son .
,

of Lys imachus an Athenian o f whom I made mention a littl e

, ,

b efore as a most upright man in this confusion that took ,

place about Salamis did as follows : taking with him a con

,

s i d e ra b l e number of heavy armed men who were stationed ,

along the shore o f the Salaminian territory and were At h e ,

n i a n s by race he landed them on the island o f P s y t t a l e a and

, ,

they put to th e sword all the Persians who were on that little
island .

When the sea fi gh t was ended the Greeks having hauled

-

, ,

on shore at Salamis all t h e w re c k s that still happened to b e '

there hel d themselves ready for another battle expecting th e

, ,

king would still mak e use o f the ships that survived B ut a .

west wind carrying away many of the wrecks drove them on ,

t h e s h ore of Attica which is called Colias so as to f ulfil both

, ,

all the oth er oracles del ivered by Bacis and M us aeus concern
ing this sea fi g h t an d also that relat i n g to the wrecks which
-

were dri fted on th is shore which many years before had been ,

delivered by L y s i s t ra t u s an Athenian augur but had not been , ,

472 H E R O D O T U S —B O O K V I I I U RA N I A , 6—
[9 9 9

u nderstood by any the Gree k s Of

The Colian women shall ,

broil their meat with oars 1

This was to happen after the
departure of the king .

Xerxes when he saw the de f eat he had sustained f earing

, ,

lest some o f the I onians might suggest to the Greeks or lest ,

they themselves might resolve to sail to the Hellespont for ,

the purpose of breaking up the bridges and lest he being , ,

shut up i n Europe might be In dan ger of perishing meditated

, ,

flight B ut wishing t hat his intent i on should not be known

.

eithe r to the Greeks or his own p eople h e attempted to throw ,

a mound across to Salamis ; and he fastened together Ph oe

n i c i a n merchantmen that they might serve instead of a raft
,

and a wall ; and he made preparation for war as if about to ,

fight another battl e at sea All the others who saw him thus .

occupied were firmly convinced that he had seriously deter

mined to stay and continue the war ; but none of these things
escaped the notice of M a r d o n i u s w h o was well acquainted ,

with his design At the same time that X erxes was doing
.

this he despatched a messenger to the Persians to inform

them o f the misfortune that had be fallen him There is noth .

ing mortal that reaches its destination more rapidly than these
couriers : it has been thus planned by the Persians They .

say that as many days as are occupied in the whol e j ourney ,

so many horses and men are posted at regular intervals a ,

’
horse and a man being stationed at each day s j ourney : nei
ther snow nor rain nor h eat nor night prevents them f rom
, , , ,

performing their appointed stage as quickly as possible The .

first courier delivers his orders to the second the second to ,

the third and so it passes throughout being delivered from

, ,

one to the other j ust l ike the torch bearing among the Greeks
,
-

which they per form in honour of V ulc an This mode of trav .

elling by horses the Persians call a n g a re IO n The first mes .

sage that reached Susa with the news that X erxes was in ,

possession of Athens caused so great j oy among the Per

,

sians who had been left behind that they strewed all the roads
with myrtle burned perfumes and gave t hemselves up to
, ,

sacrifices an d f estivity B ut the second messenger arriving .

threw them into such consternation that they all rent their
garments and uttered unbounded shouts and lamentations
, ,

laying the blame on M a r d o n i u s The Persians acted thus .

,

not so much being gri eved for the ships as f earing for X erxes ,

himself And this continued with the Persians during all the
.

time that elapsed until Xerxes himsel f arrived and stopped

th em from doing so .

1
O r, sha ll s h u d d e r a t t h e o a rs .
4 74 H E R O D O T U S—B O O K V II I U R A N I A , [ 10 1 -
105

and the land army are not at all to blame for the de f eat I have
sustained and wish to give me proof of it H e therefore a d
,
.
, ,

vises me either to do this or wishes himself having selected , ,

three hundred thousand men from the army to deliver Greece ,

to m e reduced to slavery ; and advises me to return to my own

home with the rest of the army Do you therefore f or you .
, ,

gave me good advice respecting the sea fi g h t that has taken -

place in persuading me from engaging in it advis e me now

, . , ,

by adopting which m e a Sh r e I shall consult best for my inter

”
est. Thus he asked her advice She answered as f ollows : .

O king it is di fficult for me to say what is best f or you who

,

ask my advice However in the present state o f a ff airs it

.
, ,

appears to me that you shoul d return home and l eave Mar ,

d o n i u s here with th e troops he requires , if he wishes it and ,

promises to e ff ect what he says For on th e one hand i f he .

, ,

conquers what he says he will and h i s p l a n s shoul d succeed , ,

the achievement S ire will b e yours f o r your s ervants will

, , ,

have accomplished it B ut on the other hand i f things fall

.
, ,

out c o n t ra ry t o the expectation of M a rd o n i u s it will b e no ,

great misfortune so long as you survive and your own a ff airs

, ,

are safe at home For whil e you survive and your house the
.
, ,

Greeks will have to hazard frequent struggles for themselves .

B ut of M a rd o n i u s if he shoul d su ff er any reverse no account

, ,

will be taken ; nor i f the Greeks are victorious will they gain ,

any great victory in destroying your slave B ut you havin g .

,

burned Athens for which you undertook this expedition will

, ,
”
return home X erxes was pleased with her advice f o r she
.
,

happened to say the very things that he designed For even .

i f all the men and women of the world had advised him to
stay in my opinion he would not have stayed so great was
, , ,

his terror Having commended Artemisia he s ent her to con

.
,

duct his sons to Ephesus ; f or some o f his natural sons had

W
accompanied him .

ith the children h e sent H e rm o t i m u s as guardian who

was by birth a P e d a s i a n and among th e eunuchs second to
,
,

’
non e in the king s favour The P e d as i a n s dwell above Hali
.

c a rn a s s u s and among these P e d a s i a n s the following occur

rence takes place : when within a certain time any calamity is
about to fall on the di ff erent neighbours who dwell round their
city th en the priestess of Minerv a has a large beard Thi s
, .

has already happened twice to them H e rm o t i m u s then was .

, ,

sprung f r o m thes e P e d a s i a n s ; and of all the men we know ,

revenged himself in the severest manner for an inj ury he had

received For having been taken by an enemy and sold he
.
,

w a s purchased by one Pa n i o n i u s a Chian who gained a live , ,

‘
105 —1 0 7] R E T RE A T OF X E RXE S 4 75

l ih o o d by most infamous practices For w h enever h e pur .

chased boys remarkabl e for beauty having castrated them , ,

h e used to take and s ell them at Sardis and Ephesus for large
sums ; f or with th e barbarians eunuchs are more valued than
others on account of their perfect fidelity P a n i o n i u s there
,
.
,

f ore had castrated many others as he made his livelihood

, ,

by this means and among them this man : H e rm o t i m u s how

, ,

ever w a s not un f ortunate in every respect for he went to

, ,

Sardis with other presents to the ki ng ; and in process of time

w a s most esteemed by Xerxes of all his eunuchs When the .

king was preparing to march his Persian army against Athens ,

and was at Sardis at that time having gone down on some , ,

business or other to th e M ysian territory which the Chians ,

possess and is call ed A t a rn e u s he there met with P a n i o n i u s

, ,
.

Having recognised him he addressed many f riendly words to ,

him ; first recounting to him the many advantages he had a c

quired by his means and s econdly promising him h o w many , ,

benefits he would confer on him in requital i f he woul d b ring

his family and settl e there : s o that P a n i o n i u s j oy f ully accept
'

ing the proposal brought his children and wife B ut when ,

.

H e rm o t i m u s got him with his whole family in his power he ,

addressed him as f ollows : O thou who o f all mankind hast ,

gained thy l ivelihood by th e most in famous acts what h arm ,

had either I or any o f mine done to thee or any o f thine

, , , ,

that of a man thou hast made me nothing ? Thou didst i m

a gi ne surely that thy machinations w oul d pass unnoticed by
, ,

the gods ; w h o f ollowing righteous laws having enticed thee , ,

who hast committed unholy deeds into my hands so that , ,

thou canst not complain of the punishment I shall inflict on

”
thee . When he had thus upbrai ded him his sons being ,

brough t into his presence P a n i o n i u s w a s compelled to cas ,

trate his own sons w h o were f our in numb er ; and being com
,

p e l l e d he did it ; and a fter he h ad finished it his s ons b eing

, , , ,

compelled castrated him Thus the vengeance o f H e rm o t i

, .

mus overtook P a n i o n i u s
1
.

X erxes when h e had committed his sons to Artemisia to

,

convey to Ephesus having sent f or M a rd o n i u s bade him , ,

choose what forces h e woul d out of the army and endeavour ,

to make his actions correspon d with his words Thus much .

was done that day ; but in the night the admirals b y the , ,
’
king s order took back th e ships from Ph a l e r u s to th e H elles
,

pont as quickly as each w a s able in order to guard the bridges

, ,

for the king to pass over B ut when th e barbarians were sail .

ing near Zosta wh ere some small promontories j ut out from

,

1
Li t e ra lly , ve n ge a n c e a nd H e rm o t i m u s .
 6 H E R O D O T U S— B O O K V III U RA N I A [ —
1 0 7 1 09
47 ,

the mainland they fancied that they were ships and fled for
, ,

a considerable distance ; but after a while perceiving that they ,

were not ships but promontories they coll ected together and , ,

pursued their voyage When day came the Greeks seeing .

, ,

the land forces remaining in the same place supposed that ,

their ships also were at Ph al e ru s they expected also that they

would come to an engagement and prepared to defend them , ,

selves ; but when they were informed that the ships had de
parted they immediately determined to pursue them How
, .

ever they di d not get sight of X e rx e s s naval force although

,
’

they pursued them as far as Andros : on arriving at Andros ,

therefore they held a council Themistocl es accordingly gave

, .

his O pinion that shaping their course between the islands

.

, ,

and pursuing the ships they should sail directly to the Helles ,

pont and destroy the bridges B ut E u ry b i a d e s gave a con

, .

t ra ry opinion saying that if they destroyed the bridges they

,

would do the greatest pos s ible harm to Greece : for if the

Persian being shut in shoul d be compelled to remain in Eu
, ,

rope he would endeavour not to continue inactive ; for i f he

,

continued inactive h e could neither advance his a ff airs nor

,

find any means of returning home but his army must perish ,

by famine ; and if h e should attack them and apply himself

to action all Europe woul d probably go over to him by cities
, ,

and n at i o n s e i t h e r through being taken by force or c a p i t u l at

, .

ing beforehan d : and they would derive sustenance from the

annual produce o f the Greeks H e thought however that the .
, ,

Persian having been conquered in the sea fi g h t would not

,
-

remain in Europe and therefore should be permitted to fly

, ,

until in his flight he should reach his own country A fter .

that he advised that he shoul d be compelled to fight f or his

own territories This opinion the commanders of the other
.

Peloponnesians adhered to .

When Themistocl es p e rc e 1v e d that he coul d not persuade

th e maj ority to sail for the Hellespont changing his plan he , ,

thus addressed the Athenians ( f or they were exceedingly an

noyed at the escape of th e enemy and were desirous having , ,

consulted among themselves to sail to the Hellespont even , ,

i f the others would not) : I have mysel f ere this witnessed

many such instances and have heard o f many more ; that ,

men when driven to necessity after being conquered have

, ,

renewed the fight and repaired their former loss Since then .
, ,

we have met with unexpected success for ourselves and

Gr e ec e b y having repell ed such a cloud of m e n l et us no longer
, ,

pursue the fu gitives F or we have not wrought this del iver

.

ance but t h e gods and the heroes who were j ealo u s that one
, ,
4 78 H E R O D O T U S —B O O K V I I I U RA N I A , [ I I I —4 I 1

these deities would not give any money ; for that the power
,

of the A f h e n i a n s would never prove superior to their i n ab il

ity They then having made this answer and re f used to
‘

.
, ,

give money were besieged Themistocles f or he never ceased

, .
,

covetin g more wealth sending threatening messages to the

,

other islands demanded money by the same persons using

, ,

t h e same language he had used with the A n d ri a n s ; saying

that unl ess they gave what w a s demanded he would lead the
, ,

forces o f the Greeks against them and woul d b esiege and ,

destroy them B y saying this he collected large sums f rom the

.

C a ry s t i a n s and the Parians ; who being informed respecting

A n dros that it w a s besieged for siding with the M ede and ,

with regard to Themistocles that he was in th e greatest repu ,

t a t i o n o f the generals alarmed at t h es e things sent money

, , .

Whether any other o f the islanders gave it I am unable to

say ; but I am of opinion that some others did and not these ,

only However the C a ry s t i a n s did not by these means at all

.
,

de f er calamity ; though the Parians havin g conciliated The ,

m i s t o c l e s with money escaped a visit from the army

,
The .

m i s t o c l e s accordin gly setting out from Andros obtained

, ,

money from the islanders unknown to the other generals .

The army with X erxes having stayed a few d a y s a ft e r the

s ea fi g h t marched back into B oeotia by the same way f or it
-

, ,

appeared to M a rd o n i u s both that he shoul d escort the king

’

an d that the season of the year was unfit f or military opera

tions ; and that it would be better to winter in Thessaly and ,

to make an attempt on the Peloponnesus early in the spring .

When h e arrived in T h essal y M a r d o n i u s there sel ected first , , ,

all the Persians who are called I mmortals except Hydarnes , ,

thei r general for h e declared he would not leave the king ;

,

a f ter these out of the rest of th e Persians the cuirassiers an d

, , ,

the body o f a thousand horse and the M edes Sac ae B actrians , , , ,

and I ndians both in f antry and cavalry he c h ose these w h ole

, ,

nations ; but f rom the rest o f the allies he selected a f ew choos ,

ing suc h as were o f a good stature or by whom he knew some ,

gallant action had b een p erformed Among them he chos e .

,

the greatest part of the Persians who wore necklac es and ,

bracelets ; next to them th e M edes ; these were not l ess nu

,

m e ro u s than th e Persians but were in f erior in strength Thus

,
.

the w h ole together with th e cavalry made up the number o f

, ,

three hundred thousand At this time while M a r d o n i u s was

.
,

selecting his army and X erxes was in Thessaly an oracle

, ,

came to the L a c e d mm o n i a n s f rom D elphi admonishing them ,

to demand satisfaction o f X e rxes f or t h e death o f Leonidas ,

and to accept whatever sho u l d b e giv en by h i m Accordingly . ,

1 1 4—1 1 7 ] R ET RE A T OF XE RXE S 4 79

the Spartans immediately despatched a herald as q u ic k ly as

possibl e w h o when he overtook th e whole army still in Thes
,

saly having come into the presence of X erxes spok e as f ol

, ,

lows : King of the M edes the Laced aemonians and H e ra c l i ,

d ae o f Sparta demand of you satisfaction for blood b ecaus e

you have slain their king while protecting Greece B ut he .

laughing and having waited a considerable time as Mar

, ,

d o n i u s happened to be stan ding near him pointed to him and

said “ This M a r d o n i u s then shall give them such s at i s f a c
, ,

, , ,
”
tion as they deserve The herald having accepted th e omen
.
, ,

went away .

X erxes having l eft M a rd o n i u s in Thessaly h imsel f

, ,

marched in all haste to th e H ell espont ; an d arrived at the

place of crossing in forty fiv e days bringing back no part of -

his army so to speak Wherever and among whatever na

, .
,

tion they happened to b e marching they s eized and consumed

, ,

their corn ; but if th ey found no fruit overcome by hunger , ,

they ate up th e herbage that sprang up from th e ground and ,

stripped o ff the bark of trees and gathered leaves both f rom ,

the wild and cultivated and l eft nothing ; this they did from ,

hunger B ut a pestilence and dysentery f alling on the army

.
,

destroyed them on their march Such of th em as were si ck .

,

X erxes le f t behin d ordering the cities through which he hap

,

p ened t o b e passing to take care o f an d f eed them : some in

T h essaly others at Siris of P aeonia and in M acedonia H ere
, , .

having le f t the sacred chariot o f Jupiter wh en he marched ,

against Greece he did not receive it back as he returned ; f or

, ,

the P aeonians having given it to the Thracians wh en X erxes

demanded it back said that th e mares had been stolen as
, ,

they were f eeding by the upper Thracians w h o dwell roun d

, ,

the sources of the Strymon There th e King o f the B isaltae .

and of the C re s t o n i a n territory a Thracian p erpetrated a , ,

most unnatural deed : he declared that he woul d not willingly

be a slave to X erxes but went up to th e top of Mount ,

R hodop e an d enj oined his sons not to j oin the expedition

,

against Greece T h e y h o w e v e r disregarding his p ro h i b i

'

.
, ,

tion from a desire to see th e war served in the army with

, ,

the Persian : but wh en they all returned safe being six in ,

numb er their father had their eyes p ut out f or this d i s o b e di

,

ence ; and they met with this recompense .

The Persians when in their march from Thrace th ey ar

,

rived a t the passage in great haste crossed over th e Hell espont

,

to Abydos in thei r ships ; for th ey found the rafts no longer

stretched across but b roken up by a storm While detained
, .

there they got more f ood than on their march and having
, ,
4 8 0 H E R O D O T U S—B O O K V II I U R A N I A , [ 1 17 1 21—

filled t h emselves immoderately and c h anged their water a , ,

great part o f the army that survived died : th e rest with X erxes
reached Sardis This di ff erent account is also given that
.
,

w hen X erxes in his retreat from Athens arrived at E i o n on

the Strymon from thence he no longer continued his j ourney
,

by land but committed the army to Hydarnes to conduct to

,

the Hellespont and himself going on board a Ph oenician ship

, ,

passed over to Asia : that during his voyage a violent and

tempestuous wind f rom the Strymon overtook him ; and then ,

f or the storm increased in violence the ship being overloaded , ,

so that many o f the Persians who accompanied Xerxes were

on the deck thereupon the king becoming alarmed and call
, ,

ing aloud asked the pilot i f there were any h O p e of safety f or

,

them ; and he said There is none sire unless we get rid

, , ,
”
of some o f those many passengers I t is f urther related that .

X erxes having h eard this answer said

,
O Persians now , , ,

let some among you show his regard for the king f or on yo u ,
”
my safety seems to depend That he spok e thus ; and that .

they having done homage leaped into the sea ; and that the
, ,

ship b eing lightened thus got sa f e to Asia I t is added that

,
.

X erxes immediately a fter h e landed did as follows : h e pre

,
.
,

sented the pilot with a golden crown because he had saved ,

’
the king s li f e ; but ordered his head to be struck o ff because ,

he had occasioned the loss o f many Persians This latter .

-

story is told of the return o f X erxes but appears to me not at ,

all deserving of credit either in other respects nor as to this ,

loss of the Persians ; for if this speech had b een made by the
pilot of X erxes I shoul d not find one opinion in ten thousand
,

to deny that the king would have acted thus : that he would
have sent down into th e hold of the ship those who were on
deck since they were Persians and Persians of high rank
, , ,

and woul d have thrown into the sea a numb e r of rowers who ,

were Ph oenicians equal to that of the Persians He however

, .
, ,

as I have before related proceeding on th e march with the ,

rest o f the army returned to Asia This also 18 a strong proof :

, .

it is known that X erxes reached Ab dera on his way back and ,

mad e an alliance o f friendship with the peopl e and presented ,

them with a golden s cimetar and a gol d embroidered tiara ,

-
.

And as the Abderites themselves say saying what is by no ,

means credibl e to me he there f or the first time loosen ed his

,
‘

girdle in his fl ight from Athens as being at length in a place ,

of sa f ety Ab dera is situated nearer to the Hellespont than

.

the Strymon and E 1on whence they say he embarked on board ,

the ship .

M eanw h ile the Greeks finding t h ey were not able to re ,

4 3 2 HER D TU
O O S — B OO K V III : U R A N IA ,
[ 1 25 —1 2 8

Ti m o d em u s of was Ap h i dn ae w h o
T h em i s t o c l e s s ene , On e o f -

.
’

mies though otherwise a man of no distinction b ecoming mad

‘

, ,

through envy reproached T h e m i s t o c l es al l e g i n g against him

, ,
°

his j ourney to Laced aemon ; and that the honours he r eceived

f rom the Laced aemonians were conferred on account o f .

Athens and not f or his o w n sake B ut he as T i m o d e m u s did

, .
,

not cease to repeat the same thing said : The truth is nei , ,

ther shoul d I were I a B el b i n i t e have b ee n thus honoured by

, ,

the Spartans ; nor would you fellow were you an Athenian : , ,

So far then this occurred

, , .

I n th e meantime A rt a b a z u s son o f P h arn a c es a man even , ,

before of high repute among the Persians and much more ,

so after the battl e o f Plat aea having with him sixty thousand ,

men o f the army which M a r d o n i u s selected escorted the king ,

as far as the passage And when the ki n g a rri v e d in Asia .

,

h e marching back came into the neighbourhood of P all e n e ;

, ,

but as M a rd o n i u s was wintering in Thessaly and Macedonia ,

and there was nothing as yet to urge him to j oin the rest of
the army he did not think it right sinc e he happened to be
, ,

in the way o f the P o t i d aean s w h o had revolted to negl ect the ,

opportunity o f reducing them to slavery For the Po t i d aea n s .

,

as soon as the king had passed by and the Persian fleet had ,

fl ed f rom Salamis openly revolted from the barbarians ; as ,

also did th e other inhabitants of Pa l l e n e A rt a b a z u s there .

,

f ore besieged Potid aea And as he suspected that the O ly m

, .

t h i a n s intended to revolt f rom the king he also besieged their ,

city The B o t t i aea n s then held it who had been driven f rom
.
,

the bay of Therma by the Macedonians When he had b e .

sieged and taken them having taken them out to a marsh , ,

h e slaughtered them and gave th e city to C r i t o b u l u s o f Torone

,

to govern and to the Chal cidian race : thus the Chalcidians

,

became possessed of O lynthus A rt a b a z u s having taken this .

,

city applied himself vigorously to the siege o f Potid aea and

, ,

as he was earnestly engaged with it T i m o x e n u s general o f , ,

the S c i o n aea n s treated with him for the betrayal of the city :
,

in what way at first I am unabl e to say for it is not reported ; ,

at last however the f ollowing plan was adopted : when either

, ,

T i m o x e n u s had written a l etter and wish ed to send it to Arta

bazus or A rt a b a z u s to T i m o x e n u s having rolled it ro u nd the
, ,

butt end o f an arrow and put the feathers over the letter they
-

, , .

shot the arrow to a spot agreed upon B ut T i m o x e n u s was .

detected in attempting to betray Potid aea For A rt a b a z u s .

,

when endeavouring to shoot to the spot agreed upon missed ,

the right spot an d wounded one of the P o t i d ma n s on the

shoul der ; a crowd ran round the wounded man as is u sual ,
1 28 —t 3o] THE WN T E R
I CA M PA I G N 8
4 3

in time o f w a r ; they havi ng immediately drawn out the arrow ,

when they perceived the letter carried it to the generals ; a n d ,

an allied f orce of the other P a ll e n i a n s was also p resent When .

°

the generals had read the letter and discovered th e author ,

of th e treachery they determined not to impeach Ti m o x e n u s

,

o f tre ason f or the sake of the city of the S c i o n aea n s lest the
, ,

S c i o n aea n s shoul d eve r after be accounted traitors I n this .

manner then he was detected After three months had b een

, ,
.

spent by A rt a b a z u s in the si ege there happened a great ebb ,

of the sea which lasted f or a l ong time The barbarians see

,
.
,

ing a passage that might b e forded marched across toward ,

P a ll e n e ; and when they had performed two parts o f their

j ourney and three still remained which they must have passed ,

over to b e within Pa ll e n e a strong flood tide o f the sea came ,

-

on them such as never was seen b e f ore as the inhabitants

, ,
“
say though floods are f requent Those then that did not
, .
, ,

know how to swim perished and thos e that d i d know how ,

-

th e P o t i d aea n s sailing upon them in boats put to death The

, , .

P o t i d aea n s say that the caus e o f this flux and inundation and ,

of the Persian disaster w a s this that thes e very Persians w h o , ,

were destroyed by the sea had committed impieties at the ,

Temple o f Neptune an d the statue which stands in the ,

suburbs ; and in saying this w a s the cause they appear to me

to speak correctly The survivors A rt a b a z u s led to Thessaly
.
,

to j oin M a rd o n i u s Such then was the f ate o f those troops

.
, ,

that had escorted the king .

The naval f orce o f X erxes that survived wh en it reached

Asia in its flight from Salamis an d had transported the king ,

an d his army from the Chersonese to Abydos wintered at ,

Cyme And at the first appearance o f sprin g it assembled

.

early at Samos ; and some of the ships had wintered there .

M ost o f the marines were Persians an d M edes and their gen ,

e ra l s came on board M a r d o n t e s son of B a g aeu s and A rt a y n

, , ,

tes son of A rt a c h aeu s ; a n d I t h a m i t re s nephew o f the latter

, , ,

shared th e command with them A rt a y n t e s himself having ,

associated him with them As they had sustained a s evere .

blow they did not advance farther to th e westward nor did

,
,

any on e compel them ; but remaining they kept watch over ,

I onia lest it should revolt having three hundred ships includ , ,

ing those of I onia Neither di d they e xpect that th e Greeks

.

would come to I onia but thought they woul d be content to ,

guard their o w n territory ; inferring this because they had ,

not pursued them in their flight from Salamis but had readily ,

retired B y sea therefore they despaired of success but on

.
, , ,

land they imagined that M a rd o n i u s would be decidedly supe

4 34 H E R O D O T U S—B OO K V III U RA N I A , [ 1 34 1 33

rior . Whil e they were at Samos they at the same time con
s u l t e d together whether they could do the enemy any damage ,

and listened anxiously for news o f how the a ff airs of Mar

d o n i u s would succeed The approach o f spring and Mar .
,

d o n i u s b eing in Thessaly aroused the Grecians Their land , .

f orces were not yet assembled ; but their fleet arrived at

‘

ZE g i n a in number one hundred and ten ships

, Their l eader .

and admiral was L e o t y c hi d e s son o f M en are s son o f Agesi , ,

laus son of H i p p o c ra t i d es son o f L eo t y c h i d e s son o f Anax

, , ,

il a u s son o f Archidamus son of An a x an d ri d e s son o f Theo

, , ,

pompus son o f N i ca n d e r son of Ch a ri ll u s son o f Eunomus

, , , ,

son of P o l y d ec t e s son of Prytanis son O f E u ry p h o n son o f

, , ,

P ro c l e s son o f Aristodemus son o f Arist omachus son o f

, , ,

Cl e o d mu s son o f Hyllus son of Hercules : he was o f the second

, ,

branc h o f the royal f amily All these except the two men .
,

t i o n e d first after L eo t y c h i d e s were Kings of Sparta Xan , .

t h i p p u s son of A r i p h ro n commanded the Athenians

, When , .

all these ships were assembled at ZEg i n a ambassadors from ,

the I onians arrived at the encampment o f the Greeks ; who

a short time be f ore had gone to Sparta and entreated the Lace ,

d aem o n i a n s to liberate I onia and among them was H e ro d o

tus son o f B a s i l i d es These who were originally seven in
, .
,

number having conspired together f ormed a plan o f putting

, ,

S t ra t t i s the tyrant o f Chios to death ; but as they were de

, ,

t e c t e d in their plot one o f the accomplices having given i n

,

f ormation of the attempt thereupon the rest b eing six with , , ,

drew f rom Chios and went to Sparta and at the present time ,

to ZE g i n a b eseeching the Greeks to sail down to I onia ; they

,

with di ffi culty prevailed on them to advance as far as D elos .

For all beyond that was dreaded by the Greeks who were ,

unacquainted with those countries and thought all parts were ,

fu ll o f troops ; Samos they were convinced in their imagina ,

tions was as far distant as the Columns o f Hercul es Thus it

,
.

f ell out that at th e same time the barbarians durst not sail
farther westward than Samos ; nor the Greeks though the ,

Chians besought them farther eastward than D elos Thu s , .

f ear protected the midway between them .

Th e Greeks then sailed to D elos and M a rd o n i u s was in

, , ,

winter quarters about Thessaly When preparing to set out .

f rom thence he s ent a man a native o f E u ro p u s whose name

, , ,

was Mys to consult t h e oracl es with orders to go everywhere

, ,

and consult all that it was possible f or him to inquire o f .

What he wished to l earn from the oracles when he gave these

orders I am unabl e to say f or it is not related ; I am o f opin ,

ion however that h e sent to inquire about the a ff airs then

,
'

,
48 4 E R O D O T US —B OO K V I I I U R A N I A , [ 1 30 -
1 33

rior . Whil e were at Samos they at the same time con

I ey

s u l t e d t o g e t h t whether they coul d do the enemy any damage ,

and l istened n x i o u s l y f or n ews o f how the aff airs of Mar

d o n i u s w o u l t s ucceed Th e approach o f spring and Mar
.
,

d o n i u s b e i n g n Thessal y arouse d th e Grecians Their land ,

1 .

f orces were o f yet assembled ; but their fl eet arrived at

ZE g i n a in n t n b e r one hundred and ten ship s
, Their l eader .

and admiral a s L e o t y c h i d e s son o f M e n a re s son o f Agesi , ,

laus son of Ii p p o c ra t i d e s son o f L e o t y c h i d e s son o f Anax

, r
q , ,
'

i l a u s son o f r c h i d a m u s son of A n a x a n d ri d e s son o f Theo

,
-
, Q ,

pomp us son f N i c a n d e r son o f C h a ril l u s son o f Eunomus 2b,

, , , ,

son o f P o l y ds t e s son o f Prytanis son o f E u ry p h o n son o f $111,

, , ,

P ro c l e s son ) f Aristodemus s on o f Aristomachus son o f

, , ,

Cl eod aeus S O IO f H yllus son o f H e rcules : he w a s o f the second a 01

, , ,

b ranch o f t h royal f amil y All thes e except t h e two men l h,” .

,
-
.

t i o n e d first a e r L eo t y c h i d e s were Kings of Sparta Xan I auo , .

-

t h i p p u s son I A r i p h ro n commanded the Ath enians

, Whe n Ci rc
, . .

all thes e shi p were assembl ed at ZE g i n a ambassadors f ron ( hat ,

the I onians : rive d at the encampment o f the Greeks ; w h r Cam

e
a short time Mo re had gone to Sparta and entreated the La c e is C
a ll
,

d aem o n i a n s t l i berate I on i a an d among th em w a s H e ro d t ab

w
tus son o f h s i l i d e s Th ese w h o were originally seven
, .
,

0
numb er havig conspired togeth er f ormed a plan o f p u t t i i a tht
, ,
's

"
1
S t ra t t i s th e vra n t o f Chios to death but as the Y were c 1d
'
'

},l , 1
.
1

t e c t e d in t h e plot one o f th e accompl i ces h av 1 n g g 1v e n h

,
ala
f ormation o f h e attempt thereupon the rest b eing six w i ? i P

““
.
, , ,
n‘ 1 ft
drew from C i o s an d went to Sparta an d at th e present t i died ,

to ZE g i n a b ee e c h i n g the Greeks to sail down to I onia ; Cr

,
e
with di ffi cult Prevail ed on them to advance as f ar as D e a

“
.

n
F or all b e y o d that w a s dreaded by th e Greeks who
m
,

u n a c q u a i n t e owi t h thos e countries and thought all parts

md 1 aIy
‘
, ,

“
f ull of troop s Samos th ey were convinced in th eir i m a g” , d 1 .

aft e
tions w a s as ar distant as the Col umns o f Hercul es T f
,
r
h .

f ell out t h a t i t th e same time th e barbarians durst no

f arther w e s t a r d than Samos ; nor the Greeks though ha vi
Ia n ,
g
Chians b e s o gh t them f arther eas t ward than D elos ,
i n .

fear p ro t e c t e the midway b etween them I

.

Th e Gre e s then sail ed to D el os an d M a rd o n i u s L

, , ,
G
r
winter q u a rtr s about Th essaly When preparing to s d
4;13 g h,u
au .

f rom t h e n c e 1 e s ent a man a native o f E u rO p u s w h o s e .

h 4
, , ,

w a s M ys to o n s u l t t h e oracl es wit h orders to go ever , 13 8

5 4 3
, ,
d ‘
an d c o n s u l t i l l that it w a s possible f or him to
What h e wised to l earn f rom th e oracl es wh en h e ga s
i n q b g
t
“
"
h 1f
orders I am nabl e to say f or it is not related ; I am 1 or
“ ,

ion h o w ev e that h e sent to in quire about the a ff a be i b s

i
, ’
,
 —
1 33 1 36 ] 8
4 5

depending an d not about any ot h ers

, 3 clearl y a p .

pears to have arrived at L e b a d ea an d p ersuaded a ,

native o f th e place by a b rib e d e s c en th e cave o f

,

TrO p h o n i u s ; an d arrived also at

°
o f th e
Phoc h e first
o f all h e cus
tom ,
o i vic

tims ; and n ext hav in g p e r s u a d , a Th e

ban by mon ey h e caus ed him to sle ep i n th e
, , o f Am
p h i ara u s F o r non
. e o f th e Th eban s are p erm consult
there f o r th e f ollowing reason : Am ph iarau s
, ,

with them by m ean s of oracl es b ade th em ch ,

they woul d o f th es e t w o thin gs to h ave hi m ,

p rophet o r th ,
eir all y ab sta inin g f rom th e
,

t o have him f or th ei r ally : f or this reason ,

ban is allowed to sl eep th ere T h e f oll o .

s trange circum stan ce i s rel ated by th e T h

,

p e n ed : that th is M ys o f E u ro p u s ,in goin ,

oracles cam e al s o to t h e preci n ct o f the

,

t emple i s call ed P t o a n b u t b el on gs to th e ,

si t u ated above th e lak e C o p a i s at th e f oot o f ,

nea r the city o f A c r ae p h i a : that wh en this

m v ed at t h i s templ e th ree citiz e n s c h osen

’

, ,

comp a n ied h im f or t h e p u rpose

or cl e shoul d p ro n ou n ce : a n d
a

an answer in a f orei g n to n g u e ;

ac com p a n i ed h i m stoo d amaz ed

which t hey b rou ght ,

ij mp het ; an d sai d t hat

he

Mard o n i u s h avin g
y ard s en t Al e xan der ,

amb assador to Ath e n s

4 8 6 H E R O D O T U S—B O O K V III U RA N I A , [ 1 36 —1 38

b esides he k new that the Athenians had b een the principal

,

caus e o f the late disaster of th e Persians at sea I f these were .

won over he hoped that he should easily become master at

,

sea which indeed would have been the case ; and on land
,

h e imagined that he was much superior : thus he calculated

that his power woul d get the upper hand of the Grecian Per .

haps also the oracles had given him this warning advising ,

him to make Athens his ally ; accordingly relying on them , ,

he sent .

Th e seventh ancestor of this Al exander was P e rd i c c a s ,

who obtained the sovereignty of the Macedonians in th e fol

lowing manner : Ga u a n e s Ae ro p u s an d P e rd i c c a s th ree ,
‘

, ,

brothers of the descendants o f Temenus fled from Argos

,
.
,

to the I llyrians a n d crossing over f rom the I llyrians into

,

upp er Macedonia th e y arrived at the city o f L eb aea ; there

,

they entered into th e king s service for wages O n e of them ’

.

had the care O f his horses ; another o f his oxen ; and the ,

youngest of them P e r d i c c a s of the lesser cattle Formerly

, ,
.
,

even monarchs were poor in wealth and not only the peopl e ; ,

so that the wi f e of th e king w a s accustomed to cook t h e i r f o o d '

Whenever the bread o f the hireling lad P e r d i c c a s was baked ,

it became twice as large as at first : and when this always

happened sh e told it to her husband I t immediat ely o c
, .

c u rred to him when he heard it that it was a prodigy and

, , ,

boded something o f importance Having there f ore sum .

-

, ,

m o n e d the hirelings he commanded them to depart out of his ,

territories They answered that they were entitl ed to receive

.

their wages and th en they woul d go Thereupon th e king

, .
,

hearing about wages as the rays o f the sun reached into the ,

house down th e chimne y said being dep rived o f his senses , ,

by the deity I give you t h i s a s your wages equal to your

‘

, ,
”
services , pointing to the sun Ga u an e s and A e ro p u s the .
,

el der stood amazed when they heard this B ut the lad for
, .
,

h e happened to have a kni f e saying thu s We accept thy , ,

o ff er O king traced a circle on the floor o f th e house round

, ,
’
the sun s ra ys and having so traced th e circle and having
, ,

drawn the sun s rays three times on his bosom departed and
’

, ,

the others with him They accordingly went away ; but one .

o f those w h o were sitting by him in formed the king what the

lad had done and how the yo ungest of them accepted the
,

off er with some design He on hearing this b eing in a rage , .

, ,

despatched a fter them s ome horsemen to kill th em I n this .

country is a river to which the de s cendants of t h e s e men from

,

Argos sacrifice as their deliverer I t when the T e m e n i d ae had .

,

crossed over swelled to such a height that the h o re s m e n were

,
48 8 H E R O D O T U S—B O O K V I I I U RA N I A , [ 1 40 -
1 42

of the king is more than human and his arm exceeding long , .

I f then you do not immediately come to terms when they

, , ,

o ff er such f avourable conditions on which they are willing

to agree I greatly f ear f or you who of all the a ll i e s d w ell in
, ,

the most beaten road and who must continually be the only ,

people destroyed since ye possess a territory exposed as, ,

being between both armies B e persuaded then ; f or this is .

,

a high honour to you that the great king f orgiving your o f ,

f ences alone among all the Greeks is willing to become your ,

”
f riend . Thus spoke Alexander B ut the Laced aemonians .
,

having been informed that Alexander had arrived at Athens ,

in order to induce th e Athenians to an agreement with the

Barbarian ; and remembering the oracles how it was fated ,

that they with the rest o f the Dorians should be driven out
, ,

of Peloponnesus by the M edes and Athenians were very muc h ,

afraid lest the Athenians shoul d make terms with the Persian ,

and therefore resolved f orthwith to send ambassadors I t so .

happened that the introduction o f both took place at the same

time For the Athenians had purposely delayed the tim e well
.
,

knowing that the Laced aemonians would hear that an ambas

sador had come f rom the B arbarian to negotiate a treaty and ,

t h at when they did h ear o f it they would send ambassadors ,

with all speed They therefore designedly so contrived as to

.

show their intentions to the Laced aemonians When Alex .

ander had ceased speaking the ambassadors from Sparta , ,

sp eaking next sai d z The L a c e d ze m o n i a n s have sent us to

,
-

entreat you not to adopt any n ew measures with respect to

Greece nor to listen to proposal s f rom the barbarians ; f or
,

neith er woul d it be by any means j ust nor honourabl e either

in any others of the Greeks and least o f all in you f or many , ,

reasons For you raised this war against our wish and the
.
, ,

contest arose about your sovereignty ; but it now relates to

t h e whole o f Greece B esi des that the Athenians who are
.
, ,

the authors o f all thes e things S houl d prove the occasion o f ,

slavery to Greece is on no account to be borne ; you who, ,

always and f rom of old have been seen to assert the f reedom
, ,

of many nations We however sympathize with you in your

.
, ,

d i fli c u l t i e s and that you have already been deprived o f two

,

harvests and that your property has been so long involved in

,

ruin B ut in compensation f or this the Laced aemonians and

.
,

the allies promise to support your wives and all the rest o f
your families which are useless in war as long as the war shall
continue There f ore let not Alexander the Macedonian per
.
,

suade you by glossing over th e proposal of M a rd o n i u s ; f o r

,

t h is i s wh at h e woul d naturally do ; f or bein g h ims el f a t y rant ,

 —1 44 ]
1 42 A N SW E R OF T H E A T H E N IA N S 48 9

h e aids a tyrant s cause B ut yo u shoul d not so act i f indeed

’
. ,

you think rightly ; because you kno w that with barbarians

”
there is neither faith nor truth Thus spoke th e ambassadors .
.

The Athenians gave th e following answer to Alexander : We

ourselves are aware o f this that the power of the M edes is ,

f ar greater than ours ; so that there w a s no need to insult u s

with that B ut neverthel ess being ardent for l iberty w e will
.
, , ,

de f end ourselves in such manner as we are abl e B ut do not .

you attempt to persuade u S to come to terms with the B ar

barian f or we will not be persuaded Go th en an d tell Mar
,
.
, ,

d o n i u s that th e Athenians say so long as the sun shall con ,

tin n e in the same course as now we will never mak e terms ,

with X erxes : but we will go out to oppos e him trusting in ,

the gods who fight f or us and in the h eroes whose temples

, , ,

and images he hol ding them in no reverence has burned

, , .

And do you appear no more in th e presence o f th e Athenians ,

bringing such proposals ; nor im agining that you do us good ,

service urge us to do wicked deeds For we are unwilling

,
.

that you w h o are our guest and f rie nd shoul d meet with any
, ,
”
ungracious treatment at t h e hands o f the Athenians .

To Al exander they gave this answer ; an d to the ambassa

“
dors f rom Sparta th e following : That th e Laced aemonians
shoul d f ear lest we shoul d make terms wit h the B arbarian w a s
very natural ; yet knowing as you do the min d of t h e A t h e
,

n i an s yo u appear to entertain an u nworthy dread ; f or there

,

is neither so much gol d anywhere in the world nor a coun ,

try so pre eminent in beauty and f ertility by receiving whic h

-

we should be willing to side with the M ede an d enslave Greece .

F or there are many and power f ul considerations that f orbi d

us to do so even i f we were inclined F irst and chief the
, .
,

images and dwellings o f the gods burned an d lai d in ruins : ,

this we must needs avenge to the utmost o f our power rath er ,

than make terms with the man who has perpetrated suc h deeds .

Secondly the Grecian race being o f th e sam e blood and th e

,

same language and the temples o f th e gods and sacrifices

,

in common ; and our similar customs ; f or the Athenians to

become betrayers o f these woul d not b e well Know there .
,

f ore i i you did not know it be f ore that so long as one A t h e

, ,

nian is l e f t al ive w e will never make terms with X erxes Y o u r .

f oret h ought however which you manifest toward us w e a d

, , ,

mire in that you provide f or us whose property is thus ruined

, ,

so as to b e willing to support our families ; and you have f ul

filled th e duty o f b enevolence ; w e however will continue thus , ,

in the state we are without being burdenso me to you Now , .

,

since matters stand as t h ey do send out an army with all pos ,

32
490 H E RO DOT U S -
B O OK V I I I, U RA N I A [ 1 44

sible expedition ; for as we conj ecture the barbarian will in

, ,

no long time b e here to invade our t erritories as soon as he

.
,
-

shall h ear our message t h at w e will do none of the things

h e required O f us Therefore before h e has reached Attica
.
, ,
”
it is fitting that we go out to meet him in B oeotia When .

the Athenians had given this answer the ambassadors re

,

turned to Sparta.
49 2 H E R O D O T U S— B O O K IX , CA L L I O PE

Alexander the Macedonian had already conveyed to the At h e

n ian s. He sent this second time although before aware that ,

the disposition of the Athenians was not friendly to him but ,

expecting they woul d remit something o f their haughtiness ,

since th e whol e Attic territory was taken and now in his

power For these reasons he sent M u ry c h i d es to Salamis
. .

H e on coming before the council delivered the message o f

, ,

M ard o n i u s And Lycidas one of the councillors gave his

.
, ,

O pinion that it appeared to him to be best to entertain the

proposal which M u ry c h i d es brought to them and to report ,

it to the people H e delivered this O pinion either b ecause

.
,

he had received money from M a rd o n i u s or because such was

really his O pinion B ut the Athenians immediately being very
.
,

indignant both thos e belonging to the council and those

,

without as soon as they were in f ormed of it surrounded

,

Lycidas and stoned him to death ; but they dismissed Mury

,

chides the H ellespontine unharmed A tumult having taken

‘

place at Salamis respecting L y cidas the Athenian women o b ,

t a i n e d information of what had happened ; whereupon one

woman encouraging another and uniting togeth er they went , ,

of their own accord to the house o f Lycidas and stoned his

'
,

wi f e and children The Athenians had crossed over to Salamis

.

under the following circumstances : as long as they expected

that an army woul d come from the Peloponnesus to assist
them they remained in Attica ; but when they had recourse to
,

delay and extreme tardiness and M ard o n i u s was advancing ,

and reported to be in B oeotia they the n removed all their ,

e ff ects and themselves crossed over to Salamis : th ey also sent

,

ambassadors to Laced aemon partly to blam e th e L a c e d ae ,

m o n i a n s because they had allowed t h e barbarian to invade

,

Attica and had not gone out with them to meet him in B oe
,

otia ; and partly to remind them o f what the Persian had

promised to give them i f they woul d change sides ; and to
forewarn them that unless they assisted the Athenians they
, ,

woul d themselves find some means o f escape At that time .

the Lace daemonians were employed in celebrating a f estival ,

and it was the Hyacinthia with them ; and they deemed it o f

the greatest importance to attend to the service o f the deity .

At the same time they were busied in building the wall at the
isthmus and it had already received th e breastworks
, .

When the ambassadors from the Athenians arrived at Lace

d aemon bringing with them ambassadors from M egara and
,

Plat aea they went be fore the ephori an d spoke as follows :

, ,

The Athenians have sent us to tell you that the King o f the
M edes in the first place O ff ers to restore o u r co u ntry ; and ,
7 9]
-
D E L A Y A T S PA R T A 49 3

secondly is willing to ma k e us his allies on fair and eq u al

,

terms without f raud or deceit ; he is also will ing to give us

,

another territory in addition to our own whatever w e our, ,

selves may choose We however reverencing th e Grecian .

, ,

Jupiter and thinking it disgrace f ul to betray Greece have not

, ,

acceded to but rej ected his o ff ers ; though w e are unj ustly
,

treated and betrayed by the Greeks and know that it is more

, ,

f or o u r interest to come to terms with the Persian than to con

t i n u e the war ; still we will never willingly come to terms with
him Thus sincerely we have acted toward the Greeks B ut
. .

you who were then in th e u tmost consternation l est w e shoul d

,

come to terms with the Persian when you were cl early as ,

sured o f our resolution that we will never betray Greece an d ,

because your wall drawn across the isthmus is now nearl y

completed no longer S how any regard f or the Athenians For
, .

having agreed to advance with us to meet the Persian in

B oeotia you have b etrayed u s and have allowed the barbarian
, ,

to invade Attica Hitherto the Athenians are angry with you

.
,

f or you have not acted in a b ecoming manner ; and now they

ex h ort you to send out f orces with us with all expedition that ,

we may receive the barbarian in Attica ; f or since we have

missed B oeotia t h e T h ri a s i a n plain in our own territory is th e
,
”
most convenient place to give battl e in When the ephori .

had heard this message they put o ff their answer to the next ,

day and on the next day to th e morrow This they did for
, .

ten days putting th em O ff f rom day to day D uring this time

, .

they proceeded with th e wall at the isthmus all the Pe10 pon ,

n e s i a n s using the utmost diligence ; and it was nearly com

p l e t e d I can give
. no reason why when Al exander the Mace ,

d o n i a n went to Athens they took such pains to p revent th e ,

Athenians f rom siding with the M ede and then took no troubl e ,

about it except that th e isthmus was now f ortified and they

, ,

thought they had no further need o f the Athenians ; whereas ,

when Alexander arrived in Attica th e wall was not yet built , ,

but they were working at it being in great dread o f the Per ,

S i ans .

At len gth th e answer and march o f t h e Spartans happened

in the f ollowing manner : 1
O n th e day preceding that on
which the last audience was to take place C h i l e u s of Tegea , ,

wh o had the greatest influence in Laced ae mon of any stranger ,

was in f ormed by the ephori o f all that th e Athenians had said .

C h il e u s having heard it spoke to them as f ollows :

,
The case ,

is thus O ephori ; if the Athenians are not united with us but

, ,

1
Li t e ra lly the fo ll o w i n g ma nner of the ans wer a nd m a rc h t oo k
l a ce
" ,

p .
494 H E R O D O T U S— B O O K IX , CA LL IO PE —
[9 1 2

are allied to the barbarians although a strong wall has been ,

carried across th e isthmus wide doors leading into the Pelo ,

es u s are open to th e Persian

p o n n
; therefore give heed before ,

the Athenians come to any other determination whic h may

”
bring ruin on Greece H e then gave them this advice ; and
they taking his re mark into consideration forthwith without
.

, , ,

saying anything to the ambassadors who had come fr om the

cities while it w a s still night sent out five thousand Spartans
, , ,

appointing s even hel ots to attend each and committing the ,

conduct of them to Pausanias son of C l e o m b ro t u s The com , .

mand p roperly b elonged to P l e i s t a r c h u s son of Leonidas ; ,

but he was still a boy and the f ormer his guardian and cousin
, .

For C l e o m b ro t u s th e father of P ausanias and son to A n a x a n

, ,

d ri d e s w a s no longer l iving but having l ed back the army

, ,

that had built the wall f rom the isthmus he died S hortly a fter ,

ward Cl e o m b ro t u s l ed back the army from the isthmus for

.

this reason as h e was sacrificing against the Persians the sun ,

darkened in the heavens Pausanias chose as his colleague .

E u ry a n a x son of D orie n s , w h o was a man of the same f amily

, .

Th ese forces accordingly marched from Sparta with Pau

, ,

s a n i as Th e ambassadors when they came knowing nothing

.
, ,

o f the march of the troops went to the ephori being resolved , ,

themselves also to d epart severally to their own cities ; and

having come into their presence they spoke as follows : Y o u , ,

O Laced aemonians remaining here celebrate the Hyacinthia

, , ,

and divert yourselves whil e you are betraying th e allies B u t

, .

the Athenians b eing inj ured by you and destitute o f allies ,

, ,

will make peac e with the Persian on such terms as they can .

And having made peace it is evident that we shall be come the

W
,
’
king s allies and shall march with them against whatever
,
'

country they shall l ead us ; and then you ill learn what t h e '

”
consequence will be to yourselves When th e ambassadors .

had thus Spoken the ephori said with an Oath that those who
,

had set out against the foreigners were al ready a t O re s t e u m

‘ '

for they call t he barbarians foreigners The ambassadors .

-

asked what w a s meant ; and on inquiry l earned the whol e

truth so that b eing much sur p rised they f ollowed after them
, , ,

with all possibl e expedition ; and with them five thousand

chosen heavy armed troops of the neighbouring La c e d a
m o n i a ns did the same They then hastened toward the isth
.

mus B ut the Argives as soon as they heard th at the troops

.
,

with Pausanias h ad left S p a rt a s e n t a herald to Attic a having , .

,

looked out the best O f their couriers for they had be fore prom ,
1
-

ised M a r d o n i u s to prevent the Spartans f rom going out H e .

,

when he arrived at Athens spoke as follows : M a rd o n i u s , ,

49 6 H E R O D O T U S—B OO K IX , CA L L IO PE [ —17 15

While th e barbarians were employed in this task At ,

t a g i n u s son o f P h r y n o n a Theban having made great prep

, , ,

a ra t i o n s invited M a rd o n i u s himself and fifty of the most

,

eminent Persians to an entert ainment ; and they being in ,

v i t e d came
, The f east was held at Thebes The rest I heard
. .

f rom Thersander an O rc h o m e n i a n a man o f high repute at

, ,

O rc h o m e n u s Thersander said that he also was invited by

’

A t t a g i n u s to this f east and that fifty Thebans were also i n ,

v i t e d ; and that he did not place each person on a separate

couch but a Persian and a Theban on each couch When

, .

supper was over and they were drinking freely the Persian
, ,

who was on the same couch using the Grecian tongue asked , ,

him of what country he was ; he answered that he was an

O r c h o m e n i a n whereupon the other said :
, Since you are a
partaker of the same tabl e and of the same cups with me ,

I wish to leave with you a memorial o f my O pinion i n order

'

that being forewarned you may be able to consider what is

, ,

b est for your own interest D o you see these Persians feast .

ing here and the army that we left encamped near the river ?
,

O f all these you will s ee after th e lapse of a short time only , ,

”
some f ew surviving As the Persian said this he shed.
,

abundance o f tears and he himsel f being astonish ed at his °

words sai d to him Would it not b e right to tell this to Mar

, ,

d o n i u s and to those Persians w h o are next to him in author

,

ity ? To t h is he answered : My f riend that which is fated ,

by the deity to happen it is impossible f or man to avert ; f or

no one will listen to those who say what is worthy o f credit .

And though many o f the Persians are convinced of this we ,

f ollow being bound by necessity The bitterest grie f to which

,
.

men are liabl e is this w h en one knows much to have no power , ,

”
to act . This I heard f rom Thersander the O rc h o m e n i a n ;
and this b esides that he immediately tol d this to several per
, ,

sons before the battle was f ought at Plat aea .

While M a rd o n i u s encamped in B oeotia all the rest f ur ,

n i s h e d troops and j oined in the attack upon Athens such

, , ,

however of t h e Greeks w h o dwell ing in these parts sided

, , ,

with the M ede : but the Phocians only did not j oin in the at
tack ; f or they took part with the M ede very unwillingly and
by necessity B ut not many days after his arrival at Theb es
.

a thousand o f their heavy armed troops arrived ; H a rm o c y d e s ,

a man of high repute among the citizens commanded them ,

.

When they also arrived at Thebes M a rd o n i u s having sent , ,

some horsemen ordered them to encamp by themselves in the

,

plain ; and when they had done this the whole cavalry came ,

up . U p on this a r u mo u r s p read through the Grecian f orces ,

 ] A DVA N CE OF THE GRE E KS
1 7 20
49 7
-

who were with the M edes that they were going to despatch ,

them with their j avelins ; this same rumour also spread among
the Phocians themselves Whereupon their general H a rm o .

e ydes encouraged them addressin g them as follows, O Pho

c i an s , it i s plain that these men are about to deliver us up to
certain death we having been calumniated by the Thessal ians
, ,

as I conj ecture Now there fore it is fitting that every one

.
, ,

o f you shoul d prove himsel f valiant f or it is better to die ,

doing something and de f ending ourselves than expose our

, ,

selves to be destroyed by a most disgrace ful death Let some .

o f these men learn then that being barbarians they have

, , , ,
”
plotted death against men who are Greeks Thus he e n c o u r .

aged them B ut the cavalry when they had surrounded them

.
,

on all sides rode up as if to destroy them and brandished

, ,

their j avelins as i f about to hurl them ; and one h ere and there
,

did hurl his j avelin They however f aced them f orming

.
, , ,

themselves into a circle an d closing their ranks as much as

,

possibl e : whereupon the cavalry wheeled roun d and rode

away I am unabl e to say with certainty whether th ey came
.

to destroy the Phocians at the request o f the Thessalians and ,

when they saw them prepared to defend themselves were ,

a f rai d l est they might receive some wounds an d there f ore rode ,

o ff ( becaus e M a r d o n i u s had so ordered them ) or whether he ,

w ished to try whether they had any courage B ut when th e .

cavalry had ridden back M a r d o n i u s s ent a heral d and spoke

“
as follows : B e o f goo d heart O Phocians f or you have
,

, ,

proved yourselves to b e brave men contrary to what I heard , .

T h ere f ore sustain this war with resolution and you shall not ,
”
surpass me or the king in generosity Suc h were t h e events .

in regard to the Phocians .

The Laced aemonians w h en they arrived at t h e isthmus

, ,

t h ere encamped And the rest o f the Peloponnesians w h o

.
,

f avoured the better cause when they heard of this and others , ,

also w h o saw the Spa rtans marching out thought it would ,

be a disgrace to absent themselves f rom th e expedition o f the

Laced aemonians Accordingly the victims having proved
.
,

f avourabl e th ey all marched out f rom the isthmus and a d

, ,

van c e d to El eusis And having consulted the victims th ere

.

also when they were again favourable they continued their

, ,

march ; and the Athenians with them th ey having crossed ,

over from Salamis and j oined them at Eleusis When they .

reached E ry t h rm in B oeotia they learned that th e barbarians ,

were encamped on th e Asopus and having thereupon con ,

s u l t e d together they f ormed themselves opposite

, at the f oot ,

o f Mo u n t Ci t h aeron M ard o n i u s w h en t h e Gr e e k s d i d not

.
,
“

49 8 H E R O D O T U S — B OO K IX, CA L L IO PE

come down to the plain sent against them all his cavalry , ,

which M a s i s t i u s commanded a man highly esteemed among ,

the Persians ( and whom the Greeks call M a c i s t i u s ) : he was

mounted on a Nis aean horse that had a golden bit and was , ,

otherwis e gorgeously caparisoned Thereupon when the cav .

,

a l ry rode up to the Greeks they charged them in squadrons , ,

and in charging them did them much mischief and c alled ,

them women B y chance the M egarians happened to be sta

.

t i o n e d in that part which w a s most exposed and there the ,

cavalry chiefly made their attack When there f ore the cav .
, ,

a l ry charged the M egarians being hard pressed sent a herald

, , ,

to th e Grecian generals ; and the herald when he came into

“
their presence addressed them as follows : The M egarians
,

say : We O confederates are not able alone to sustain the

, ,

Persian cavalry retaining the post in which we were originally

,

stationed : hith erto w e have held out against them by o u r con

sta me y and courage though hard pressed ; but now u nless
, ,

you will send some others to rel ieve us know we must aban ,
”
don our post H e accordingl y del ivered this message Pau
. .

s a n i a s therefore made trial of the Greeks to see i f any others

, , ,

would volunteer to go to that position and to relieve the ,

M egarians When all the others refused the Athenians under

.
,

took to do it and O f the Athenians three hu ndred chosen

,

men whom O l y m p i o d o ru s son o f Lampon commanded

, , ,
.

Thes e were they w h o undertook that servi ce and w h o were ,

stationed in front of all the Greeks at E ry t h rae having taken ,

“
with them some archers A fter they had fough t f or some time
.
,

the result of the battl e w a s as f ollows : As the cavalry charged

in squadrons the horse of M a s i s t i u s being I n advance of the
, ,

others w a s wounded in the flank by an arrow ; and being in

,

pain h e reared and threw M a s i s t i u s As he f ell the At h e

, .
,

n i a ms immediately attacked him accordingly they seized his .

,

hors e and killed M a s i s t i u s as he endeavoure d to de f end him

,

self though a t first they were unable to do so : f or he was thus

,

armed ; underneath h e had a golden cuirass covered with

scales and over the cuirass he wore a purple cloak B y strik
, .

ing against the cuirass they did nothing ; until one of them ,

perceiving what w a s the matter pierced him in the eye so , ,

h e f ell and died B y some means this while it was going on

.
, ,

escaped the notice o f the other horsemen f or they neither s a w ,

him when h e f ell f rom his horse nor when he was k illed ; for
while a retreat and wheeling round was taking place they did ,

not notice what had happened B ut when they halted they .

,

immediately missed him as there w a s no one to marshal them

,
.

An d as soon as they l earned what had happened all cheer , ,

 HER D TU
O O S—BOOK IX CA LL IOP E [ —
2 6 27
900 ,

entitled t o t h is station by all the allies in whatever common ,

expeditions have been undertaken by the Peloponnesians ,

both anciently and recently from the time when the Hera ,

c l i d ae after the death of Eurystheus

, attempted to return to ,

Peloponnesus We then obtained this honour on the follo w

.

ing occasion : when w e in conj unction with the Ach aeans ,

and I onians w h o were then in Peloponnesus having marched

, ,

out to th e isthmus were posted opposite the invaders then

, ,

it is related that Hyllus made proclamation that it woul d b e

better not to run the hazard of engaging army with army ;
but that f rom the Peloponnesian camp the man among them ,

whom t h ey j udged to be the b est shoul d fight singly with him

on certain conditions The Peloponnesians d et e rm i n e d t h at
.

this shoul d b e done ; and they took oaths on the following

terms : that if Hyllus shoul d conquer the Peloponnesian
leader the H eracl id ae shoul d return to their paternal posses
,

sions ; but if h e shoul d be conquered the H eraclid ae should ,

depart and lead O ff their army and not s eek to return into ,

Peloponnesus du ring the spac e of a hundred years And .

Echemus son o f A e ro p u s son o f Phegeus who was our king

, , ,

and general having vol unteered was chosen out o f all the
, ,

allies and f ought singly and slew Hyllus From this expl oit
, .

we obtained among the Peloponnesians of that day both other

great privileges which we continue to enj oy and that we
, ,

should always command one wing whenever a common ex ,

p e d i t i o n is u ndertaken With you then O Laced

. aemonians , , ,

we do not contend but giving you the choice of whichever

,

wing you wish to command we concede it to you ; but we ,

say that it b elongs to us to l ead the other as in f ormer times ,

.

And besides this e xploit that has b een mentioned we are mor e ,

entitled to h ave that station than t h e Athenians f or many ,

an d well contested battles have been f o u g h t by u s wit h yo u

-
,

O men o f Sparta and many with others ,

I t is right there .
,

f ore that we shoul d have one win g rather than the At h e

, ,

n i a n s ; f or such exploits have not been achieved by them as

”
by us either in modern or ancient times
,
Thus they spoke . .

To this the Athenians answered as f ollows : We are aware

that this assemblage was made f or the purpose of fighting
with the barbarians and not for disputes but since the Tegean
,

has proposed to mention th e f ormer an d recent actions that

have been achieved by each nation in all times it is necessary ,

f or us to make known to you whence it is our hereditary right ,

having ever proved ourselves valiant to hol d the first rank , ,

rather than t h e Arcadians As to the H eraclid ae whose leade r . ,

t h ey a ffi rm they sl ew at t h e isthmus ; in the first place thes e ,

 — ]
2 7 28 BATT LE O F PLAT zE A
5 0 1

men f ormerly w h en rej ected by all the Greeks to w h om they

,

came when flying f rom slavery at the hands o f the Mycen ae

,

ans we alone received and put an end to th e insolence o f

, ,

Eurystheus by conquering in battl e in conj u nction with them

, , ,

the peopl e w h o then possessed Peloponnesus I n th e next .

place when the Argives who marched with Polynices against

,

Thebes were killed and lay unburied we having led an army , ,

against the Ca d m aean s a ffirm that we recovered the bodies ,

and buried them in our own territory at Eleusis We also .

per formed a valiant exploit against the Amazons who onc e ,

made an irruption into Attica f rom the river T h e rm o d o n ;

and in the Troj an war we were in f erior to none B ut it is o f .

no avail to call thes e things to mind ; f or those who were t h en

valiant the same may now be cowards ; and thos e who were
,

then cowards may now b e brave Enough then o f ancient

, .
, ,

exploits B ut if no other achievement had b een p er f ormed

.

by us though there were many and gallant ones i f by any

, ,

others o f t h e Greeks yet f rom our exploit at Marathon we ,

are worthy of this honour and more than this ; we who alone ,

of the Greeks having f ought single handed with the Persian

,
-

and having attempted such a f eat survived and conquered , ,

s ix and forty nations

-
D o we not then f rom this single
-
.
, ,

action deserve to hold this post ? B ut as it is not becoming

,

on such an occasion as this to be contending abo u t position ,

we are ready to submit to you O Laced aemonians wh erever , ,

it seems most convenient to place us an d against w h atsoever ,

nation F or wheresoever we are stationed we s h all endeavour

.
, ,

to prove ourselves brave Command us t h en as ready to .

, ,
”
ob ey Thus they answered ; and t h e w h ol e army o f t h e
.

Laced aemonians sho u ted out t h at t h e At h enians were more

worthy to occupy t h e wing t h an t h e Arcadians Accordingly .
,

the Athenians had it and got the better o f the Tegeans , .

A fter this thos e o f the Greeks who came up later and

, ,

those w h o arrived at first were drawn up in the f ollowing ,

manner : ten tho u sand of the Laced aemonians occupied th e

right wing ; five thousand o f these b eing Spartans were a t ,

tended by thi rty nv e thousand lightly armed Helots seven

-

being assigned to each man The Spartans chose th e Tegeans .

to stand next themselves both for honour an d valour ; o f ,

these there were fi fteen hundred heavy armed men : next to

th em stood five thousand o f the Corinthians ; and with them
they got permission f rom Pausanias for th ree hundred Po t i d ae
ans who came from Pa l l e n e to stand : n ext these stood six
, ,

h undred Arcadians o f O rc h o m e n u s ; next th em three thou

sand Sicyonians ; next them were eigh t h undred Ep i d a u
 H E R DOT US
O — B OO K IX , CA LL I O PE [ 28 —3 1
5 0 2

rians ; and by the s ide of thes e were stationed three t h ousand

o f the Tr oezenians ; and next the Tr oezenians two hundred
L e p re a t ae ; next these f our hundred o f the Mycen aeans and
T i ry n t hi a n s ; next them one thousand Phl i a s i a n s ; and by the
side o f them stood three hundred H e rm i o n i a n s next the Her
m i o n i a n s were stationed s i x h u n d r e d of the Eretrians an d
Styrians ; a n d n ex t them four hundred Chal cidians ; next
'

them five hundred Am b ra c i o t s after them stood eight hun

dred of the Leucadians and A n a c t o ri a n s ; next them two hun
d re d P al ea n s from C e p h a l l e n i a ; and after them five hundred
fi

of the ZE g i n et ae were stationed ; and by the side of them were

posted three thousand of the M egarians ; and next them six
hundred Plat aeans ; and last of all and at the same time first ,
.

eight thousand Athenians took their station occupying the ,

l eft wing Aristi des son of Lysimachus Commanding them

, , , .

These except the seven assigned to each of the Spartans were

, ,

heavy armed ; thei r total number amounting to thirty eight - -

thousand seven hundred All the heavy armed men assem

.

bled to oppose the barbarians were so many O f the light .

’
armed the number was as follows : in th e Spartans line thirty
fiv e thousand men there being seven to each man ; every one
,

of th ese was equipped as for w a r : and the light armed o f the

rest o f the Laced aemonians and other Greeks about one to ,

each man amounted to thirty four thousand fi v e hundred

,
-
.

So that the number of th e light armed fighting men was sixty -

nine thousand five hundred Thus then the whol e of the

.
, ,

Grecian army assembled at Plat aea reckoning heavy armed ,

-

and light armed fighting men amounting to one hundred and

-

, ,

ten thousand wanting one thousand eight hundred men : and

,

with the Th espians w h o came up the f ull number of one hun ,

dred and ten thousand was completed ; for the survivors o f

the Thespians j oined the army to the number of one thou ,

sand eight hundred but they had not heavy armour These
,
.
,

then being drawn up in line encamped on the Asopus

, ,
.

The b arbarians with M a rd o n i u s when they had ceased

,

to mourn for M a s i s t i u s having heard that th e Gre eks ere

,
,

W
at Plat aea themselves also marched to th e Asopus which
,
-

flows there ; and on their arrival they were thus drawn up by ,

M a r d o n i u s : opposite the Laced aemonians he stationed the

Persians ; and as the Persians far exceeded th em in numb er ,

they were both drawn up s everal ranks deep and extended ,

opposite th e Tegeans ; and he arrayed them thus : having se .

l e c t e d all the most powerful of his forces he stationed them ,

opposite the Laced aemonians an d the weaker he arrayed by

,

their side against t h e Te gea ns t hi s h e did by the advice and '

5 4
0 H E R O D O T U S—B O O K IX , CA L L IO PE [ 33 -

36

and having practised the pentathlon he missed winning the ,

O lympic prize by one wrestling match having contended with ,

H ieronymus o f Andros The Laced ae monians having learned .

,

that the oracl e delivered to Ti s a m en u s referred not to gym

nastic but to martial contests endeavoured by o ff ers o f money ,

to persuade T i s am e n u s to become the leader o f their wars in ,

conj unction with their Kings of the Heraclid ae B ut he see .

,

ing the Spartans very anxious to mak e him their friend hav ,

ing discovered this enhanced his price acquainting them that

, ,

if they would make h i m their own citizen granting him a f ull ,

participation of all privileges he woul d comply but not on , ,

any other terms The Spartans when they first heard this
.
, ,

were very indignant and altogether slighted his prophetic ,

skill ; but at last when great terror of this Persian army was
,

hanging over them they sent for him and assented B ut he

, .
,

perceiving they had changed their minds said h e would no ,

longer b e contented with these things only but that his ,

brother H e g i as must also be made a Spartan on the same ,

terms as himsel f I n saying this he imitated M elampus to

.
,

compare a kingdom with citizenship in his demands For .

M elampus also th e women at Argos being smitten with mad

,

ness when the Argives would have hired him from P y l u s to

,

cure their w o m e n o f the disease demanded one hal f o f the

.

k ingdom f or his recompense And the Argives not yiel ding .

to his terms but going away when many more of their women
, ,

b ecame mad at length submitted to what M elampus de

,

m an d e d and went to present it to him

, B ut h e thereupon .
,

seeing them changed coveted still more saying that unless , ,

they woul d give a third part of the kingdom to his brother

B ias he would not do what they wished The Argives there .
,

fore b eing driven to a strait grante d that also I n like man

, , .

ner the Spartans for they wanted T i s am e n u s exceedingly

, ,

yielded to him entirely : and when the Spartans had thus

yielded to him T i s am e n u s the Elean having become a Spar
, ,

tan accordingly assisted them by his art of divination in gain

,

ing five most important battles T h e s e t h e n were the only .

, , ,

persons o f all man k ind w h o were made Spartan citizens T h e .

five battl es were as f ollows : one an d the first this at Plat aea ; ,

next that which took place at Tegea against the Tegeans

, ,

and Argives ; afterward that at D i p aea against all the Arcadi , ,

ans except th e Mantineans ; next that o f th e M essenians near , ,

I t h o m ae ; an d the last that which took place at Tanagra , ,

against the At h en i a n s a n d Argives : this was the last achieved

'

of the five victories This T i s am en u s then the Spartans

.
, ,

bringing him o ffi ciated as diviner to the Greeks at Plataea

,
 B ATT LE OF PL AT /E A 5 5
0

now the sacrifices were f avourable to the Greeks i f they stood ,

on the de f ensive ; b ut i f they crossed the Asopus and began ,

the battle not so , .

To M a rd o n i u s w h o was very desirous to begin the battle

, ,

the sac rifices were not propitious ; but to him also i f he stood ,

on the de f ensive they were f avourable : for he too adopted

, , ,

the Grecian sacrifices having for his diviner H e g e s i s t ra t u s , ,

an Elean and the most renowned o f the T e ll i a d ae This man

,
.
,

be fore thes e events the Spartans had taken and bound for ,

death because th ey had su ff ered many an d atrocious things

,

f rom him H e being in this sad condition as being in p eril

.
,

o f his li f e and having to su ff er many tort u res be f ore death

, ,

per formed a deed beyond b elie f For as he was confined in .

stocks bound with iron he got possession of a knife which , ,

had been by some means carried in and immediately con ,

t ri v e d the most resolute deed of all men w e know of : for

having considered in what way the rest of his f oot would
get out he cut o ff the broad part o f th e foot ; and having
,

done this as h e was guarded by s entinels he dug a hole

, ,

through the wall and escaped to Tegea travelling by night , ,

and by day hiding himself in the woods and tarrying there .

T h us though the Laced aemonians searched f or him with their

,

whol e population on the third night he arrived at Tegea ; but

,

they were struck with great amazement at his daring when

they saw hal f his f oot lying on the ground and were not able ,

to find him Thus H e g e s i s t ra t u s having escape d f rom the

.
,

Lac ed aemonians fl ed to Tegea which was at that time not

, ,

on f riendly terms with the L a c e d mm o n i a n s : and having been

cured o f his wounds and procured a wooden foot h e became , ,

an avowed enemy to the L a c e d mm o n i a n s However at last .

,

his hatred conceived against the Laced aemonians did not bene
fit him ; f or he was taken by them when acting as diviner at
Zacynthus and put to death Now th e death o f H e g es i s t ra t u s
, .

took place after the battl e o f Plat aea : but at that time on the ,

Asopus being hired by M a rd o n i u s f or no small sum he sacri

, ,

fi c e d and was very zealous both from hatred to the Lace ,

d aem o n i a n s and from a love of gain .

As the victims were not favourable f or fighting either to ,

the Persians themselves or the Greeks w h o were wit h them

( f or they also had a diviner f or themselves H i pp o m ac h u s , ,

a Leucadian ) and as Greeks were flowing in an d th eir num

, ,

bers increasing T i m a g en i d e s son of H e rp y s a Theban a d

, , , ,

vised M a rd o n i u s to guard the passes o f Mount Cith aeron ;

saying that the Greeks were continually pouring in every day ,

and that h e would intercept g reat num b er s Eight days h ad .

5 0 6 H E R O D O T U S— B OO K IX , CA L L IO PE [ 39 41

al ready elapsed since they had been posted opposite each

o ther when he gave this advice to M a r d o n i u s
,
B ut he per .
,

c e i v i n g that the suggestion was good as soon as it was night , ,

sent s ome cavalry to the passes of Cith aeron that l ead to ,

Plat aea which the Boeotians call The Three H eads ; but the
,

Athenians Th e Heads of O a k The horsemen that were sent

,
.

did not arrive in vain ; f or issuing on the plain th ey took five

hundred beasts carrying provisions from Peloponnesus to the
army with th e men w h o attended the beasts of burden The
,
.

Persians having taken this booty killed them without mercy

, , ,

sparing neither beast nor man : and when they had had
enough o f slaughter they surrounded the rest o f them and , ,

drove them O ff to M a rd o n i u s and to the camp After this .

action they passed two more days neither being willing to ,

begin the battle ; for the barbarians advanced as far as the

Asopus to tempt th e Greeks but neither crossed over How
, ,
.

ever the cavalry o f M a rd o n i u s continually pressed on and

,

harassed the Greeks : for the Thebans being entirely in the ,

interest of the M edes carried on the w a r with vigour and , ,

constantly led on even to actual fighting ; but after that the

Persians and M edes coming up gave signal proo f s o f valour , , .

Accordingly during the ten days nothing more than this

,

took place ; but when th e eleventh day came a fter the two
armies had been encamped opposite each other in Plat aea and ,

the Greeks had become much more numerous and M a r d o n i u s ,

w a s exceedingl y vexed at the delay thereupon M a r d o n i u s , ,

son o f Go b ry a s and A rt a b a z u s son o f P h a rn a c e s who was

, , ,

one of the Persians esteemed by X erxes came to a conference , .

And on consulting th e following were their opinions : that

,

of A rt a b a z u s that it was expedient to remove th eir whole

,

army away as quickly as possibl e and march to the walls O f ,

Thebes where a large store of provisions had been laid up

,

for themselves and forage for their horses ; and that sitting
,

down quietly they might accomplish their enterprise by doing ,

as follows : for as they had much coined gold and much u n

,

coined and much silver and many goblets th ey sho ul d spare

, ,

none o f these but distribute them among the Greeks espe

, ,

c i a l l y among th e principal men o f the Greeks in the cities ;

an d they woul d quickly surrender their liberty nor run the

-

hazard of an engagement Thus his O pinion was the same .

as that of the Thebans since he had more foresight than the ,

other B ut th e opinion of M a r d o n i u s was more violent per

.
,

t inacio u s an d by no means inclined to yiel ding For he

, .

thought that their army w a s far superior to the Grecian and ,

that they should engage as quickly as possible and not su ff er ,

 H E R O D O T U S— B O O K IX CA L L I O PE —
[44 46
508 ,

more b u t naming the general s said he wished to con f er with

, ,

them When they heard this they immediatel y followed to

.

the outposts and on their arrival Al exander addressed them

,

as f ollows : O Athenians I leave these words with you as ,

a deposit entreating you to keep them secret and not tell

, ,

them to any other than Pausanias lest you shoul d even ruin ,

me For I shoul d not utter them were I not extremely con

.

cerned f or the safety of all Greece ; for I am both mysel f a

Grecian originally and woul d by no means wish to see Greece
,

enslaved instead o f f ree I tell you then that the victims .

, ,

h ave not been f avourabl e to M a r d o n i u s and h is army or el se ,

you woul d have fought long ago ; but now he has determined
to dismiss the victims and to come to an engagement at dawn ,

o f day ; f earing as I conj ecture lest you shoul d assemble

, ,

in greater numbers Therefore b e ready B ut i f M a r d o n i u s

. .

shoul d de f er the engagement and not undertake it do you , ,

persevere remaining wh ere you are f or in a f ew days pro ,

visions will f ail him And i f this war shoul d terminate accord
.

ing to yo u r wishes it is right that you should bear it in mind

,

to e ff ect my freedom who on behalf of the Greeks have under ,

taken so hazardous a task out o f zeal f or th em wishing t o , ,

acquaint you with the intention o f M a r d o n i u s in order that ,

the barbarians may not f all upon you unexpectedly I am .

Alexander the Macedonian He having spoken thus rode .

, ,

back to the camp and his own station .

The generals o f the Athenians havin g gone to th e right ,

wing tol d Pausanias what they h ad heard f rom Al exander ;

,

but he on receiving this intelligence being in dread of th e

, ,

Persian spoke thus : Seeing an engagement will take place

,

in the morning it is proper that you Athenians s h oul d b e

,

placed opposite to the Persians and we O pposite to the B oeo ,

tians and those Grecians who are now drawn up opposite to

you f or this reason : you are acquainted with the M edes and
, ,

t h eir manner o f fighting having f ought with th em at Mara ,

thon ; whereas w e are inexperienced in and unacquainted with

those men f or no Spartan has ever made trial of the M edes ;
,

but we have made trial o f the B oeotians and Thessalians I t .

W
is there f ore right t h at you shoul d tak e up your arms and come
”
to t h is wing and we go to the le ft ,
To this the Athenians .

answered as f ollows To us also from the very first . hen ,

we saw th e Persians drawn opposite to you i t occurred t o ,

mention the very thing which you have now been the first
to propose ; but we feared that the proposal might not b e
agreeable to you ; since however you yourselves have men , ,

t i o n e d i t t h e proposal is both agreeable to us and we a re

,
~
,
 6—
4 49] B ATT L E OF PL A T /E A 09

ready to act accordingly As this pleased both parties as .

,

soon as morning dawned they changed their stations : the

B oeotians having perceived what w a s done gave notice to ,

M a rd o n i u s ; and he when he had heard it immediately began

, ,

to alter his order of battle l eading the Persians opposite to the ,

Laced aemonians B ut when Pausanias observed that this w a s

.

being done perceiving that h e was dis covered he l ed the

, ,

Spartans back to the right wing ; and M a rd o n i u s in like man

ner toward t h e le f t .

When they were stationed in t h eir original positions Mar ,

d o n i u s having sent a h eral d to th e Spartans spoke as f ol

, ,

lows : O Laced aemonians you are said to b e the bravest , ,

by the peopl e in these parts w h o admire you exceedingly , ,

becaus e you neither fly f rom the fiel d of battl e nor quit your
ranks but contin u ing firm either kill your adversaries o r are
, ,

killed yours elves O f all this however nothing is true For

.
, , .

even be f ore we engaged and came to the decision o f blows , ,

we have seen you flying and quitting your ranks leaving ,

the first risk to the Athenians and ranging yourselves against ,

our slaves ; this is by no means th e conduct o f b rave men :

we th en have been very much deceived in you ; for whereas
, ,

we exp ected on account of your renown that you would

, ,

have sent a heral d to challenge us and that you would be ,

desirous o f fighting with the Persians al one though we were ,

ready to accept these terms we have foun d you proposing ,

nothing o f the kind but rather shrinking f rom us , Now .

,

there f ore since you have not begun this proposal we will
, ,

begin it ; why then shoul d not you on the part o f the Gree k s
, , , ,

since you are deemed to b e th e bravest and we on the part , ,

o f the barbarians engage with equal numbers on both sides ?

,

I f you think th e rest ought also to fight l et them fight a f ter ,

ward ; but i f you do not think so an d that we only are suf ,

fi c i e n t we will fight it out ; and whichever of us shall obtain

,
”
the victory l et them b e victorious f or the whole army
, He .

having spoken thus an d waited some time when no one gave

, ,

him any answer returned back again and on his arrival gave
, ,

M a rd o n i u s an account of what had happened B ut he b eing .

,

above measure rej oiced and elated by a col d victory sent his ,

cavalry to charge th e Greeks When th e horsemen rode up .

they harassed the whol e Grecian army hurling j avelins an d ,

shooting arrows since they were mounted archers and very

, ,

d ifli c u l t to b e brought to a close engagement ; an d they dis

t u r b e d and chok ed up the f ountain of Gargaphia from w h ic h ,

the whol e Grecian army obtained water N ear this f ountai n .

the La cedaemonians only were posted and the f ountain was ,

5 10 H E R O D O T U S—B O O K IX , CA L L I O PE [ —
49 5 2

f arther o ff f rom the rest of the Greeks according as they sev

e rall y happened to b e stationed ; but the Asopus was near .

However b eing repulsed from the Asopus they then had re

, ,

course to th e fountain ; for it was impossible f o r them to get

W
water from the river by reason o f the cavalry and the arrows
,

hen this happened the generals of the Greeks as the

army w a s deprived of water and harassed by the cavalry as
,

,
.

s embled together to deliberate on these and other matters ,

going to Pausanias on th e right wing For when these things .

were so other circumstances troubl ed them still more ; f or

,

they had no longer any provisions and thei r attendants , who ,

had been despatched to the Pel oponnesus to get provisions ,

were shut out by the cavalry and unable to reach the camp , .

O n consultation the generals resolved i f the Persians should ,

d efer making th e attack on that day to remove to the island , .

This island is ten stades distant f rom the Asopus and the f oun
tain of Gargaphia on which they were then encamped before
’

, ,

the city of the Plat aeans Thus it is an islan d in the mi dst of

.

the continent For th e river dividing itsel f higher up flows

.
, ,

down to the plain f rom Mount Cith aeron having its strea m s ,

about three stades separate f rom each other ; and then they
unite together and the name of it is O e ro e the inhabitants
' '

say that she is the daughter of Asopus To this place they .

determined to remove that th ey might have an abundant

,

supply O f water and the cavalry might not harass them as

, ,

when they were directly opposite They determined to remove .

when it should be the second watch of the night in order ,

that the Persians might not see them setting out and the cav ,

a l ry m i g h t not follow and annoy them They al s o re s o l v e d

'

that when they shoul d arrive at this spot which the A s o p i a n

O e ro e encompasses flowing f rom Cith aeron they would on ,

the same night send away one half of their forces to Cith aeron ,

in order to bring in the attendants w h o had gone for pro

visions ; f or they were shut up in Cith aeron Having taken .

these resolutions during the whol e o f that day they su ff ered

, ,

incessant labour by the cavalry pressing on them ; but when

the day ended and the cavalry had c eased to attack them
, ,

night having come and it b eing the hour at which they had
,

agreed to decamp th ereupon the greater part taking up their

,

arms marched away without any intention of goin g to the

,

place agreed upon : while others as soon as they were put in ,

motion gladly fl ed f rom the cavalry toward the city o f the

,

Plataeans ; and in their fl ight they arrived at the Temple o f

Juno : it stands b e f ore the city o f the Plat aeans twenty stades ,

distant from th e fountain o f Gar gap hia ; and having arrived

 H E ROD T U
O S — B OO K IX CA L L IO PE [ 5 5 53
5 12
-
,

come over to them a n d a c t in relation to the departure j ust

, , ,

as they should He accordingly went back to the Athenians

. .

B ut when morning found them still disputing with one a n

.

other Pausanias having stayed during all that time and s u p

, , ,

posing ( as indeed happened ) that A m o m p h a ret u s would not

stay behind when the rest o f the Laced aemonians we re gone ,

having given the signal led all the rest away along the hill s ;
'
,

and th e Tegeans followed B ut th e Athenians drawn up in .

,

order o f battle m a rched by a di ff erent way f rom the La c e dae

,

m o n i a n s ; for t h ey kept to th e rising ground a nd the base of

Cith aeron throug h f ear of th e cavalry ; but the Athenians took
,

their route toward the plain B ut A m o m p h a ret u s thinking .

,

that Pausanias woul d on no account dare to f orsake them ,

was very earnest that they should remain there and not aban
don their post ; but when those with Pausanias had advanced
some distance supposing that they were in real earnest de
,

serting him h e ordered his band to take up their arms and

, ,

led them slowly toward the mam body ; which having ,

marched about ten stades waited for t h e band of Amom ,

p h ar e t u s halting at ,
the river M o l o e i s at a plac e called Ar gi ,

o p iu s ,
where stands a temple o f Eleusinian Ceres : and they
waited there for this re ason that i f Am o m p h a ret u s and his ,

band shoul d not leave th e post in which they had been sta
t i o n e d but shoul d remain there they might go back to thei r
, ,

assistance However those with A m o m p h are t u s came up ;

.
,
’
and the whol e o f the barbarian s cavalry pressed upon them .

F or the horsemen did as they were always accustomed to do ;

b ut seeing the place empty in which th e Greeks had been
drawn up on the preceding days they pushed on continually ,

in advance and as soon as they overtook them they pressed

,

them closely .

M a rd o n i u s w h en he was in f ormed that the Grecians had

,

withdrawn under cov er o f night and saw the place deserted , ,

having summoned Thorax of Larissa and his brot h ers Eu ,

r y p il u s and Th ra s y d é i u s said : O sons o f Al eu a s what will , ,

you say now when you see this ground deserted ? For you
, ,

their neighbours said that the Laced aemonians never fled f rom
,

battle but were the first of men in matters of war ; these

, ,

whom you b efore saw changing their station and who now ,

we all see have fled away during the past night They have .

cl early shown wh en they had to come to the issue o f battle

,

with those who are truly th e most val iant in the world that ,

b eing themselves good for nothing they have gained d i s t i n c ,

tion among worthl ess Greeks And I readily f orgave you . ,

who are unacquainted with the Persians when you extolled ,

 B AT T LE O F P LAT f E A 5 3
1

them by w h om you knew somet h ing had been done : but I

wondered more at Art a b a z u s that he should dread the Lace ,

d aem o n i a n s and dreading them should have advanced a most

, , ,

cowardly O pinion that it was expedient to remove our camp

, ,

a n d retire to th e city o f the Thebans to b e besieged : o f this

th e king shall hereafter hear f rom me B ut th es e matters will .

be discussed elsewhere For the present w e must not su ff er .

,

them to do what they intend but they must b e pursued until ,

they shall be overtaken and have given us satisfaction for all ,

”
the mischief they have done to the Persians Having spoken .

thus he l ed the Persians at f ull speed crossing the Asopus in

, ,

the track o f the Greeks as i f they had betaken themselves to ,

flight ; he directed his course only against the Laced aem onians
and Tegeans ; f or on account o f the hills he did not d i scern
th e Athenians w h o h ad t u rned into the plain The rest o f
,
.

’
the commanders o f t h e B arbarian s brigades s eeing th e Per ,

sians advancing to pursue the Greeks all immediately took

'
,

up their standards an d pursued each as quick as he could

, , ,

without O bserving either rank or order : thus they advanced

with a shout and in a throng as i f they were about to over ,

whelm the Greek s .

Pausanias when the cavalry pressed on him having de

, ,

s p a t c h e d a horseman to the Athenians with this message ,

spoke as f ollows : M en o f Athens when th e mighty contest ,

l ies b e f ore us whether Greece shall be f ree o r enslaved we

, ,

are betrayed by the allies ( both we Laced aemonians and you

Athenians ) w h o have fled away during the past night I t is
,
.

now there f ore determined what we must henceforth do ; f or

, ,

defending ourselves in the best manner we can we must s u p ;

,

port each other N o w i f the cavalry h ad attacked yo u first

.
,

it woul d have b e h ooved us and the Tegeans w h o with u s have ,

not b etrayed Greece to assist you B ut now since the whol e

, .
,

body has advanced against us you ought in j ustice to come ,

to the succo u r o f that division which is most hardly pressed .

I f however any inability to assist h as b e f allen you you will

, , ,

con f er a favour on us b y sending your archers to us We .

are aware o f your being by far the most zealous in this present
”
war so as in this instance to listen to our request
, When .

the Athenians heard this they prepared to assist and to de ,

f end them to the utmost o f their power ; but as they were

al r eady on their way those O f the Greeks w h o sided with the
'

king that were arrayed against them attacked them so that

, , ,

t h ey were no longer able to render assistance ; for the divi

s ion that pressed upon them harassed them Thus the Lace .

d aem o n i an s and Tegeans being le ft alone the f ormer with the ,

33
5 14 H E R O D O T U S —B O O K IX , CA L L IO PE [ 6 1 —64

light armed men amounting in number to fi fty thousand

-

, ,

and the Tegeans to three thousand ( for t h ese last had never
separated from the Laced aemonians ) per formed sacrifices , ,

purposing to engage with M a rd o n i u s and the forces with him .

B ut as the victims were not favo urable to them many o f them ,

f ell during this interval and many more were wounded ; f or ,

the Persians having made a fence with their osier shields let
, ,

fly a number o f arrows so incessantly that the Spartans being ,

h ard pressed and the victims continuing un f avourable Pau

, ,

s an ia s looking toward the Temple of Juno o f the Plat ae ans

, ,

invok ed the goddess praying that they might not be d i s ap ,

pointed o i their hopes .

While he was yet making this invocation the Tegeans , ,

starting first advanced against the barbarians ; a n d i m m e d i

,

ately after the prayer of Pausanias the victims became f avour ,

abl e to the Laced aemonians when they sacrificed When some .

time had elapsed they also advanced against t h e Persians

, ,

and the Persians withstood them laying aside their bows , .

First of all a battl e took place about the fence o f bucklers and
when that was thrown down an obstinate fight ensued near ,

the Temple o f Ceres and f or a l ong time till at last t h ey came

, ,

to a close conflict : f or the barbarians laying hold of the

’
enemy s spears brok e t h em And indeed in courage and
, .
, ,

strength the Persians were not in f erior ; but being lightly

,

armed they were moreover ignorant o f military discipline

, , , ,

and not equal to their adversaries in skill ; b u t rushing for

ward singly or in tens or more or f ewer in a body they f ell
, , ,

upon the Spartans and perished I n that part where Mar .

d o n i u s happened to be fighting f rom a white h orse at the , ,

head o f a thousand chosen men the best o f the Persians there , ,

they pressed their adversaries most vigorously For as long .

as M a rd o n i u s survived th ey h el d out and defending them ,

selves overthrew many o f the Laced aemonians ; but when M a rf

d o n i u s had died and th e troops stationed ro u nd him which
, ,

were the strongest had fallen t h en the rest turned to flight, , ,

and gave way to the Laced aemonians Their dress too was .
, ,

p articularly disadvantageous to them being destitute of de ,

f ensive armour ; f or being light armed t hey had to co ntend ,

with heavy armed men Here satisfaction f or the death o f .

Le onidas accordin g to the oracle was pai d to the Spartans

, ,

by M a rd o n i u s ; and Pausanias son of Cl eo m b ro t u s son to , ,

A n a x a n d ri d e s obtained t h e most signal victory of all tha t

,

we kno w of (The names o f his earlier ancestors have been

.

mentioned in the genealogy o f Leonidas for they were the ,

s ame ) M a rd o n i u s died by the hand o f Ai m n e s t u s a man o f

.
,
5 16 H E R O D O T U S— B OO K ix , C AL L IO PE

c i al l y the B oeotians : they so far assisted th e fugitives keep ,

s

ing constantly close to them against the enemy and separating ,

their fri ends w h o were flying f rom the Greeks The v i c .

tors however f ollowed pursuing and slaying the sol diers of

, , ,

X erxes I n the midst o f this rout news came to the rest of the
.

Greeks who were drawn up about the H e raeu m and were ,

absent from the battle that a battle had been fought and
, ,
’
Pausanias s party were victorious When they heard this .
,

without observing any kind of order the Corinthians took ,

the road that leads by the base of the mountains and the hills
direct to the Temple of Ceres and the M egarians and the ,

P h l i a s i a n s the most level of the roads across the plain B ut .

when the M egarians and P h l i a s i a n s were near the enemy ,

the Theban cavalry seeing them hurrying on without any

order charging them with the horse which A s o p o d o ru s son , ,

o f T i in a n d e r commanded an d hav ing fallen on them they

,
°

, ,

threw down and killed six hundred O f them and pursuing the ,

rest drove them headlong to M ount Cith aeron Thus they

, .

perished ingloriously .

The Persians and the rest of the throng when they ar ,

rived i n their flight at the wooden wall mounted the towe rs ,

before the Laced aemonians came up and having mounted it , ,

defended the wall in the best way they could ; so that w hen
the Laced aemonians arrived a vigorous battle took place b e
,

f ore the walls For so long as the Athenians were absent the
.
,

barbarians defended themselves and had much the advantage ,

over the Laced aemonians as they were not skilled in attack

,

ing fortifications ; but when the Athenians came up then a ,

vehement fight at the walls took place and continued f or a ,

long time B ut at len gt h the Athenians by their valour and

.
,

constancy surmounted the wall and made a breach ; there

, ,

at l ength the Greeks poured in The Tegeans entered first .

within the wall ; and these were they who plundered the tent
o f M ard o n i u s and among other things took away the manger
,

f or the h orses all of brass and well worth seeing : this manger
, ,

o f M a r d o n i u s the Tegeans placed in the Templ e o f the Al ean

M inerva ; but all the other things they took they carried to
the same place as the rest o f the Greeks The barbarians .
,

when the wall had fallen no longer kept in close order nor
, ,

did any one th ink o f valour ; but they were in a state of con
s t e rn at i o n as so many myriads o f men were inclosed within
,

a small space ; and th e Greeks had such an easy opportunity

o f slaughtering them that o f an army of three hundred thou
,

san d men except the forty thousand with which A rt ab a z u s

,

fl ed not t h ree thousand survived O f Laced aemonians f rom

, .
 —73] B ATT LE OF PLA T /EA
70 5 17

Sparta all that died in the engagement were ninety one ; o f

,
-

Tegeans sixteen ; and of Athenians fift y t w o

, ,
-
.

O f the barbarians the infantry o f the Persians and the ,

cavalry of the Sac ae most distinguished themselves ; and Mar

d o n i u s is said to have shown himself the bravest man Of .

the Greeks though the Tegeans and Athenians showed great

,

bravery the Laced aemonians exceeded in valour I can prove

,
.

this in no other way ( for all these conquered those opposed

to them ) except that they were engaged with th e strongest
,

part of the enemy s army and conquered them An d in my ’

, .

O pinion Aristodemus proved himself by far the b ravest : h e

being the only one of the three hundred saved from Ther
m o p y l ze was hel d in disgrace and dishonour
,
After him .
,

Posidonius P h il o c y o n and A m o m p h a ret u s the Spartan most

, , , ,

distinguished themselves However when it w a s debated .

,

which of them had been the bravest the Spartans w h o were ,

present decided that Aristodemus evidently wishing to die ,

on account o f th e disgrace attached to him and acting like a ,

madman and leaving the ranks had per f ormed great deeds ;
, ,

but that Posidonius not wishing to die had shown himsel f , ,

a brave man ; and there fore that he was th e b etter Perhaps .

,

however they may have said this thro u gh envy All these
, .

that I have mentioned except Aristodemus o f thos e that died , ,

in this battle were honoured but Aristodemus wishing to

, , ,

die on account o f the be fore mentioned guilt was not hon -

o u re d .These then were they who acquired the greatest r e

, ,

nown at Plat aea For Callicrates died out o f the battle w h o

.
,

came to the army the handsomest man of th e Greeks o f

that day not only of th e Laced aemonians themselves but al so
, ,

o f the other Greeks ; he when Pausanias w a s sacrificing w a s , ,

wounded in th e side by an arrow ; and then they fought but ,

he being carried O ff regretted his death and said to Arim , ,

n e s t u s a Plat aean that he did not grieve at dying f or Greece

, , ,

but at not having used his arm and at not having per f ormed ,

any deed worthy O f himself though h e desired to perform ,

it O f the Athenians S O p h a n e s son of E u t y c h i d es of the

.
, , ,

borough o f D e c el e a is sai d to have acquired great renown ;

,

o f the D e c el e a n s w h o had once per formed an action that w a s

,

beneficial for all f uture time as the Athenians themselves say , .

For in ancient time when th e Tyndarid ae entered the Atti c ,

territory with a numerous army in s earch o f H el en and drove ,

out the people not knowing where H elen had been carried
,

to then they say that the D e c e l ea n s but some say that D e

, ,

c e l u s himself being indignant at the insolence o f Theseus

, ,

and alarmed f or the whol e country o f the Athenians d i s c o v ,

5 13 H E R O D O T U S—B O O K IX , CA L L IO PE [73

ered the whole matter to them and conducted them to Aphid ,

n ae which T i t a c u s
, a native of the place delivered up to the
, ,

T ynd arid ae I n consequence o f that action the D e c el e an s in

.
,

Sparta c o n tinue to enj oy immunity f rom tribute and prece

dence up to th e present time so that in the war that occurred ,

many years after these events between the Athenians and

Peloponnesians when t h e Laced ae monians ravaged the rest
,

of Attica they abstained f rom D e c el e a O f this borough was

, .

S o p h a n es and having at that time distinguished himself above

,

all the Athenians he has two di ff erent accounts given of him

, .

O n e that he carried an iron anchor f astened by a brass chain

,

f rom the girdle of his cuirass ; which when he approached ,

the enemy he used to throw out in order that the enemy

, , ,

rushing f rom their ranks might not b e abl e to move him f rom ,

his position ; and when the flight o f his adversaries took place ,

he determined to take up the anchor and so pursue Th u s .

this account is given B ut the other account v ary i n g f ro m .

,

that be f ore given relates that on his shiel d which constantly

, ,

turned round and was never at rest he wore an anchor as a ,

device and not one of iron fastened f rom his cuirass There
, .

is also another splendid feat done by S o p h a n es f or that when

‘

the Athenians invested ZE g i n a he chall enged and slew Eur y

bates o f Argos who had been victor in the pentathlum B ut
, .

some time after these events it befell this S o p h an es who ,

proved himsel f a brave man as he was commanding the At h e ,

n i a n s j ointly with L ea g r u s son o f Glaucon to die at the hands , ,

o f the Edoni at D a t u s as he was fighting f or the gold mines , .

When the barbarians were overthrown by the Greeks at

Pl at aea thereupon a woman came voluntarily over to them
,

w h o when she learned that the Persians had perished and

, ,

that the Greeks were victorious being a concubine o f Pharan ,

dates son of T h e a s p e s a Persian having decked herself and

, , ,

h er attendants in much gold and in the richest attire she had , ,

al ighted from her carriage and advanced toward the L ace d ae ,

m o n i a n s who were still employed in slaughter and when s h e

, ,

observed that Pa u sanias directed everything having be fore ,

b ecome acquainted with his name and country since she h ad ,

o ften heard o f them she knew it must be Pausanias and em , ,

b racing his knees spoke as f ollows : King o f Sparta de , ,

liver me your suppliant f rom captive servitude ; f or yo u hav e

, ,

thus f ar benefited me by destroying these men who pay no ,

regard either to gods or heroes I am by birth a Coan d a u g h .

,

ter to H e g et o ri d e s son of Antagoras The Persian having , .

”
taken me away by force at Cos kept me He answered as
“
.
,

follows : L ady b e of good heart both as a suppliant and

, , , ,
5 2 0 H E R O D O T U S—B OO K IX , CA L L IO PE

and speaking what is rig h t As f or Leonidas whose deat h .

,

you exhort me to avenge I a ffirm that h e has been amply ,

avenged ; both he and all the others who fell at Thermopyl ae

have been avenged by the countless deaths of these men .

H owever do not you herea fter come to me with such a pro

,

posal nor give such advice ; and be thankful that you escape
,
”
unpunished H e having received this answer went away
.
, .

Pausanias having made proclamation that no one should

,

touch the booty commanded the helots to bring togethe r ,

all the treasures They accordingly dispersing themselve s

.
,

through the camp f o u n d t e n t s decked with gold and silver

, ,

and couches gilt and plated an d golden bowls and cups and
, ,

other drinking vessels ; they also found sacks on the wagons

in which were discovered gol d and silver caldrons : and from
the bodies that lay dead they stripped bracelets necklaces and , ,

s cimetars of gol d ; but no account at all was taken o f the

variegated apparel H ere the helots stol e a great deal and .

sold it to the ZE g i n e t ae and they also produced a great deal , ,

such of it as they coul d not conceal : so t h at t h e great wealth

o f the E g i n et ae hence had its beginning f or that they pur ,

chased gold from th e helots as i f it had been brass Having .

collected the treasures together and taken f rom t h em a tithe ,

f or the god at D elphi f rom which the golden tripod was dedi ,

ca t e d whic h stands on the three headed brazen serpent close

, ,

to the altar ; and having taken out a tithe for the god at O lym
pia from which they dedicated the brazen Jupiter ten cubits
, ,

high ; an d a tithe to th e god at the isthmus f rom which was ,

made the brazen Neptune seven cubits high ; having taken ,

out these they divided the rest and each took the share they
, ,

were entitled to as well the concubines o f the Persians as t h e

, ,

gold silver and ot h er treasures an d beasts o f burden Now

, , , .

what choice presents were given to t h os e w h o most distin

g u i s h e d themselves at Plat ae a is mentioned by no one ; yet I
am of opinion that such presents were given to them B ut .

f or Pausanias ten o f everything was selected and given him ,

women horses tal ents camels and all other treasures in like
, , , ,

man ner I t is said also that the f ollowing occurred : t h at

.

X e rx es fl y i n g f rom Greece l e f t all his own equipage to Mar

*

, ,

d on i u s Pausanias f t h e re f o re seeing M a rd o n i u s s equipage

, ,
’

“
f urnished with gold silver and various coloured hangings , , ,

ordered the bakers and coo k s t o p r ep are a supper in the same 1

manner as f or M ard o n i u s : and w he n t hey being ordered , ,

had so done that Paus anias t her eupon seei n g gol d and silver
, ,

couches handsomely carved and gol d and silver tables and , ,

m agnificent p repa rat i ons f or t he s up per “ b eing as tonished a t ,

8 2—8 5] A F TE R T HE B AT T LE 5 2 1

the pro fusion set be fore him in derision ordered h is own at ,

t e n d a n t s to prepare a Laconian supper ; and that when th e

repast was spread the di ff erence was great an d Pausanias
, , ,

laughing sent f or the generals o f the Greeks ; and when they

,

had assembled Pausanias pointing to each preparation f or

, ,

supper said : Men o f Greece I have called you together f or

, ,

this reason to show you the f olly o f the leader o f the M edes ;
who having such f are as this has come to u s who have such
, , ,

poor fare to take it from us ,

I t is related that Pausanias .

said this to the generals o f the Greeks A considerabl e time .

a fter these events many of the Plat aeans f ound chests o f gol d
and silver an d other p reciou s things An d still later than this
,
.

the following also was discovered when the bodies were bared
o f flesh : for the Plataeans brought together the bones to one
place ; there was f ound a sk u ll without any s eam consisting ,

o f one bone ; there was also discovere d a j aw and the upper ,

j aw had teeth growing in a piec e all in one bone both the , ,

f ront teeth and the grinders ; there was l i kewise discovered

the skeleton o f a man fi v e cubits high .

The f ollowing day the body o f M ard o n i u s had d i s ap

p ea r e d ; by whom removed I am unabl e to say for certain I .

have indeed heard o f many men and o f various nations who

are said to have buried M a rd o n i u s and I know that several ,

h ave received large presents f rom A rt o n t e s son o f M a rd o n i u s , ,

f or so doing Y et w h o of them it was that carried o ff an d

.

buried the body o f M a rd o n i u s I am unabl e to asce rtain wit h ,

certainty However D i o n y s i o p h a n e s an Ephesian is com

.
, , ,

m o n l y reported to have buried M a r d o n i u s Thus t h en h e .

, ,

was buried B ut the Greeks when they had divided the booty
.
,

at Plat aea buried their own dead each nation separately Th e

, , .

Laced aemonians made three graves ; there then they buried , ,

the young o ffic e rs among whom were Posi donius Amom

1
, ,

p h a re t u s P h y l o c
,
i o n and Callicrates ; accordingly
, in one o f ,

the graves the young o fli c e rs were laid ; in another th e rest ,

o f the Spartans ; and in the third the helots : thus they buried ,

their dead The Tegeans buried all theirs together in a sepa

.
,

rate spot ; and th e Athenians th eirs in one place ; as also did ,

the M e g a rean s and Phl i as i a n s th ose that had been destroyed ,

by the cavalry O f all these therefore the sepulchres were

.
, ,

f ull B ut O f all the others whose sepulchres are seen in Plat aea
.
,

they as I am in f ormed being ashamed o f th eir absence f rom

, ,

th e battle severally threw up empty mounds f or the sake o f

, ,

1 ’ ’
Ip eve : w e re t h o s e w h o h a d a t t a n e d t h e r s e c o n d i i ye a r f ro m b o y h o o d ,
h e l d a com ma nd t h os e w h o h e l d
'
a nd n o w Th e m a n u s c r ip t s re a d i pea s ,
"
.

s acre d o ffices .
5 22 H E R O D O T U S— B O O K IX , CA LL IO PE 8 —
[ 5 9
8

f uture generations Fo r instance , t h ere is a sepulchre there

'

“
called that of the ZE g i n e t an s , which , I hear Cl e a d e s , son o f ,

A u t o d i c u s a Plat aean who was their f riend threw up ten years

, , ,

a fter thes e events at the request of the ZE g i n et a n s

, .

When the Greeks had buried their dead in Plataea they ,

immediately determined on consultation to march against , ,

Thebes and to demand the surrender of those who had sided

,

with the Medes and among the first o f them Ti m e g e n i d e s and

,

A t t a g i n u s who were the chief l eaders and i f they shoul d not

, ,

give them up they resolved not to depart from the city be f ore
,

they had taken it When they had determined on this they

.
,

thereupon in the el eventh day a fter the engagement ar rived

, ,

and besieged the Thebans requiring them to give up the men , .

And when the Thebans re f used to give them up they both ,

ravaged their country and attacked the walls As they did ,

.

not cease damaging them on the twentieth day Ti m e g e n i d es ,

spoke thus to the Thebans : M en o f Thebes since t h e Greeks ,

h ave so resolved that they will n o t give over besieging us until

either they have taken Thebes or you have delivered us up
to them let not the B oeotian territory su ff er any more on our
,

account B ut if being desirous of money they demand us

.
, ,

as a pretence let us give them money f rom the public treas

,

ury f or we sided with the M ede by general consent and n o t ,

o f ourselves alone I f however th ey carry on the siege really

.
, ,

b ecause they want us we will present ou rselves be f ore them ,

”
to plead ou r cause He appeared to speak well and to the
.

purpose ; and the Thebans immediately sent a he ral d to Pau

s an ias
,
expressing their willingness to surrender th e men .

When they had agreed on these terms At t a gi n u s escaped f rom ,

t h e city and his sons who were brought before him Pausanias
, , ,

acquitted from the charge saying that boys co u ld have no ,

part in the guilt of siding with the M ede As to the others .

whom the Thebans del ivered up they thought that they sh oul d ,

b e admitted to plead their cause and moreover t ru s t e d t o , , ,

‘

repel the charge by bribery ; but he as soon as he had them ,

in his power, suspecting this very thing dismissed the whole

.
,

army o f th e allies and con ducting the men to Corinth put

, , ,

them to death Suc h were the events at Plat aea and Thebes
. .

I n the meantime Art ab a z u s son o f P h a rn a c e s flying f rom , ,

Plat aea was already at a considerable distance And on his

, .

arrival among them th e Thessalians invited him to an enter ,

t a i n m e n t an d asked him news of the rest o f the army know

, ,

ing nothing o f what had happened in Plat aea B ut Art ab a z u s .

,

b eing aware that i f he should tell the whole truth respecting

the conflicts both he and his army would be in danger o f de
,
5 4
2 H E R O D O T U S—B OO K IX , CA LL I O PE [ 91
—94

you sail away both you yourself and those who are with you
”
pledge your faith that the Samians will be zealous allies to us .

H e at the same time said this and added the deed For the ,
.

Samians immediately pl edged their f aith and made oath o f

con f ederacy with the Greeks : and having done this the others ,

sailed home but h e ordered H e g e s i s t ra t u s to sail with the

,

fleet regarding his name as an omen The Greeks there f ore

,
.
, ,

having tarr ied that day on the next sacrificed auspiciously , ,

D e i p h o n u s son o f E v e n i u s o f Apollonia in the I onian Gul f

, , ,

acting as diviner .

The following incident befell his f ather E v e n i u s : There ,

are in this Apollonia sheep sacred to the sun which by day ,

f eed near the river that flows from M ount L a c m o n through

the Apollonian territory into the sea near the port of O ri c u s ; ,

but by night chosen men the most eminent of t h e citizens

, ,

f or wealth and birth keep wat c h over them each f or a year , ,

f or the A p o l l o n i a n s set a high value upon these sheep in con ,

sequence o f some oracle They are f ol ded in a cavern at a .

distance from the city There then on a time E v e n i u s being .

, , , ,

chosen kept watch and one night when h e had fallen asleep
, ,

during his watch wolves entered the cave and destroyed about
,

sixty o f the sheep H e when he discovered what h ad hap

.
,

pened kept silence and mentioned it to no one purposing

, , ,

to buy others and put them in their place This occurrence

, .
,

however did not escape the notice o f the Ap ol l o n i a n s ; b ut as

,

soon as they discovered it having brought him to trial they , ,

gave sentence that for having fallen asleep during his watch
, ,

he shoul d b e deprived o f sight Whe n they had blinded .

E v e n i u s from that time forward neither did their sh eep bring

,

f orth nor did th e land yiel d its usual fruit An admonition .

was given them at Dodona and D elphi when they inquired ,

o f the prophets the cause o f the present calamities ; they told

them that they had unj ustly deprived E v e n i u s the keeper ,

o f the sacred sheep of his sight ; for that they themselves had
,

sent the wolves an d would not cease avenging him until they
, ,

should give such satisfaction for what they had done as he

himself shoul d choos e and think su fficient : and when they
had done this the gods themselves would give such a present
to E v e n i u s that most men woul d pronounce h im happy from
possessing it This answer was delivered to them : and the
.

Ap o l l o n i a n s having kept it secret deputed some o f their citi

, ,

zens to negotiate th e matter ; and they negotiated it for them

in th e following manner : when E ve n i u s was seated on a
bench they went and sat down by him and conversed on di f
, ,

f e re n t subj ects till at l en gth t h e y be gan t o co mmi s erate h i s

,
 E V E N I US
5 5
2

mis fort u ne and having in this way art f ully led h im on they
, ,

asked what reparation he would choose i f the A p o l l o n i a n s

were willing to give him satisfaction for what they had done .

H e not having heard of the oracl e made his choice saying

, , ,

i f any one would give him the lands o f certain citizens nam ,

ing those w h o he k new had th e t w o best estates in Apollonia ;

and besides thes e a house which he knew w a s the hand ,

s o m e s t in the city ; i f put in possession of these he said he , ,

would thenceforth forego his anger and this reparation would ,

content him H e accordingly spoke thus ; and those w h o sat

.

by him immediately taking hol d of his answer said the Apol

, ,

lonians make you this reparation for th e loss of your eyes in ,

”
obedience to an oracle they have received H e th ereupon w a s .

very indignant on hearing the whole truth as having been

, ,

deceived ; but the Ap o l l o n i a n s having bought them f rom the

'

owners gave him what he chose ; and immediately after this

,

he had the gi ft o f divination implanted in him so that he b e ,

came celebrated .

D e i p h o n u s w h o was the son of this E v e n i u s the Co rm t h

, ,

ians having brought him o fficiated as diviner to the army , .

Y et I have heard this also that D e i p h o n u s having assumed , ,

’
the name o f E v e n i u s s son let out his services f or hire through
,

out Greece though he was not really the son of E ve n i u s

, .

When t h ere f ore the sacrifices were favourable to th e Greeks

, , ,

they got their ships under way f rom D elos f or Samos : and
when they were o ff Calami of th e I onian territory having ,

taken up their station there n ear th e Templ e o f Juno on that

coast they made ready f or an engagement B ut the Persians
, .
,

being informed that they were sailing toward them on t h eir ,

'
part also got the other ships under way f or the contin ent ,

and permitted those o f the Ph oenicians to sail home For on .

consultation they determined not to come to an engagement

by s ea b ecause they thought they were not equal They
, .
,

therefore sailed away to the continent that th ey might b e

, ,

under the protection o f their land f orces that were at M y c a l e ,

which by the order of X erxes had been left behind by the rest
o f the army and guarded I onia ; their number was sixty thou
,

sand ; Tigranes commanded them w h o surpassed th e Persians ,

in bea u ty and stature U nder the protection o f this army the

.

commanders o f the navy resolved h aving fled to dra w their , ,

s h ips on shore and to throw up a rampart as a de f ence f or

, ,

th e ships and a place o f re fuge for themselves Having taken

, .

this resolution they got under w a y : and having passed by

,

the Templ e of the Eumenides in M y c a l e they came to th e ,

Gms o n and S c o l o p o i s where is a templ e o f Eleusinian Ceres

, ,
 6 O O —
H E R D T U S B OO K IX , CA L L I O PE —
[97 99
5 2

which P h ili s t u s son of P a s i cl es b u ilt who accompanied

, , ,

Neleus son of Codrus for the purpose o f founding Miletus :

, ,

there they drew their ships on shore and threw up a rampart ,

of stone and wood having cut down the fruit trees and around
, ,

the rampart they drove in sharp stakes They made prepara .

tions to sustain a siege and to gain a victory both one and , ,

the other ; f or they made their preparations del iberately .

The Greeks when they learned that the barbarians h ad

,

gone to the continent were vexed that they had escaped ; and ,

were in doubt what to do whether they should return home ,

or sail to the Hellespont : at l ength they determined to do

neither of these but to sail to the continent : having there
, ,

, fi
f ore prepared for a sea g t both boarding ladders and all
h — -

, ,

other things that were necessary they sailed to M y c al e When , .

they were near the camp and no one was seen ready to meet ,

them but they b ehel d the ships drawn up within the f o rt ifi c a

,

tion and a numerous land force disposed along the beach

, ,

thereupon L e o t y c h i d e s advancing first in a ship and nearing

, ,

the b each as much as possible made proclamation by a herald ,

to the I onians saying : M en o f I onia as many o f you as

, ,

h ear me attend to what I say ; for the Persians will under

,

stand nothing o f th e advice I give you When we engage it .

,

behooves every one first o f all to remember Liberty ; and next

the watch word Heb e ; and let him who does not hear this
-

”
learn it f rom those w h o do hear The meaning o f this pro .

c ee d i n g was the same as that o f Themistocles at Artemisium ;

f or either thes e words being concealed from the barbarians , ,

woul d induce th e I onians to revolt or if they should b e re ,

ported to the barbarians would mak e them distrustful o f the ,

Greeks L eo t y c h i d e s having made this suggestion

. the ,

Grecians in the next place did as follows : putting their s h ips

to shore they landed on the beach and drew up in order o f
,

battl e B ut the Persians when they saw the Greeks prepar

.
,

ing themselves f or action and knew that they had admon ,

i s h e d th e I onians in the first place suspecting that the Samians

,

favoured the Greeks took away t h ei r arms ; f or when the ,

Athenian captives whom being le ft in Attica the f orces o f

, , ,

X erxes had taken arrived in the ships of the barbarians h av

, ,

ing ran s omed them all they sent them back to Athens f ur , ,

n i s h in
g them with provisions for the voyage ; on this account
they were under no slight suspicion having redeemed fi v e ,

hundr ed of the enemi es of X erxes I n the next place the .

,

passes t h at l e a d to the heights of M y c al e they appointed the

M ilesians to guard b ecause forsooth they were best acquainted
,

w ith the country but they did it for this p u rpose that they
, ,
5 28 H E R O D O T U S—B OO K IX , CA L L IO PE [ 10 2 —1 06

f or having b roke t h rough the bucklers they f ell in a body ,

on the Pers ians and they having sustained their attack and
,

de f ended themselves f or a considerable time at last fled to the ,

f ortification The Athenians Corinthians Sicyonians and

.
, , ,

Troezenians for thus they were drawn up in order f ollowing

, ,

close upon them rushed into the f ortification at the same time
, .

When there f ore the fortification was taken the barbarians

, , ,

no longer thought o f resisting but all except the Persians ,

betook themselves to flight ; they in small detachments , ,

fought with the Greeks who were continually rushing within

the f ortification And of the Persian generals two made their
.
,

escape and two died A rt a y n t e s and I t h ra m i t re s commanders

, .
,

of the naval f orces escaped ; but M a rd o n t e s and Tigranes , , ,

general of the land army died fighting While the Persians , .

were still fighting th e Laced aemonians and those with them,

came up and assisted in accomplishing the rest

, O f the .

Greeks themselves many fell on this occasion ; both others ,

an d especially the Sicyonians and their general Perilaus The , .

Samians w h o were in the camp o f the M edes and had been

, ,

deprived o f their arms as soon as they saw the battl e turn i ng , ,

did all they could wishing to help the Greeks ; and the rest
,

of the I onians seeing the Samians lead the way thereupon

, ,

revolted f rom the Persians and attacked the barbarians The .

M ilesians had been appointed to guard the passes f or th e

Persians in order f or their sa f ety to the end that i f that should
, ,

be fall them which did be fall them they might having guides , ,

get safe to the heights o f M y c al e The M ilesians accordingly .

had been appointed to this service f or this reason and in order ,

that by being present in the army they might not f orm any
, ,

new design They however did everything contrary to what

.
, ,

was ordered ; both guiding th em in their flight by other ways

which l ed to the enemy and at last themselves became most ,

hostil e in slaying th em Thus I onia revolted a second time .

f rom the Persians I n this battle o f the Greeks t h e Athenian s

.
,

most distinguished themselves ; and o f the Athenians Her ,

m o l y c u s son of E u t h y n u s who had practised in the pan

, ,

c ra t i u m : it befell this H e rm o l y c u s a fter these events when ,

there was war b etw een the Athenians and the Ca ry s t i a n s to ,

die fighting at Cy rn u s o f the Ca ry s t i a n territory and to be ,

b uried at Ge raes t u s A fter the Athenians the Corinthians .

, ,

Tr oezenians and Sicyonians distinguished themselves When

,
.

the Grecians h ad killed most o f the barbarians some fighting ,

and others flying they burned the ships and the whol e f orti
,

fi c a t i o n having first brought out all the booty on the beac h ;

,

and they f ound several c h ests o f money and having b u rned ,

1 06 - 1 0 8 ] V ICT O R Y A T M Y C A LE 5 9
2

t h e f ortification and the ships they sailed away T h e Greeks .

,

having arrived at Samos consulted about transplanting the ,

I onians and in what part o f Greece o f which they th emselves

, ,

were masters it would be best to settl e them intending to

, ,

leave I onia to the barbarians : f or it was clearly impossible f or

them to protect and guard the I onians forever ; and i f they
did not protect them they had no hope that the I onians woul d
,

escap e unpunished by the Persians U pon this it seemed ex .

p e d i e n t to the men o f rank among th e Peloponnesians to r e

move the marts o f the Grecian nations that had sided with the
M edes and give their territory to the I onians to inhabit ; b ut
,

it did not appear at all expedient to the Ath enians that th e

I onians shoul d be removed or that the Peloponnesians shoul d ,

g ive advice resp ecting their colonies However as they o p .

,

posed the Peloponnesians readily gave way : an d accordingly

,

they took into the alliance the Samians Chians Lesbians and , , ,

other islanders who were then s erving with the Greeks bind
, ,

ing them by pl edges and oaths that they woul d remain firm
and not revolt : when they had bound them by oaths they set ,

sail to destroy the bridges for they expected to find them still ,

stretched across : accordingly they sailed to the H ell espont .

The barbarians who fled and were shut up in the heights ,

o f M y c al e not many in number got sa f e to Sardis B ut as

, , .

th ey were marching on their way M a s i s t e s son o f Darius

, , ,

having b een present at the de f eat uttered many hard words ,

to the general A rt a y n t e s ; saying among other things that , ,

h e was more cowardly than a woman f or having commanded ,

th e army in such a manner an d that he deserved the most ,

’
extreme p unishment f or havin g brought mischie f on the king s
house N ow among the Persians to be call ed more cowardly
.

than a woman is the greatest a ff ront : he there fore when h e , ,

had heard a good deal being exceedingly indignant drew h is

, ,

scimetar upon M a s i s t es B ut X e n a g o ra s son o f P ra x i l a u s

.
, ,

a Halicarnassian w h o stood behin d A rt a y n t es perceiving him

, ,

rushing f orward seized him round the middl e and having

, , ,

l i fted him up threw him on the groun d ; and in the m ean

,

while th e guards o f M a s i s t e s came to his assistance X e n ag .

oras did this thereby laying an obligation both on M a s i s t es

,

himself and on Xerxes by saving his broth er ; and for this

, ,

action X e n a g o ra s received the government o f all Cilicia as ,

the gi ft o f the king Whil e they were marching on the road

.
,

nothing more than this occurred but they arrived at Sardis , .

At Sardis the king happened to be f rom the time when h e fl e d

thither f rom Athens after his f ailure in the sea fi gh t
,
-
.

Whil e he was at Sardis h e fell in love with th e wi f e o f

34
5 30 H E R O D OT U S—B O O K IX , CA L L IO PE [ 1 0 8 —1 I O

M a s i s t es who also was th ere ; but when she could not be

,

moved by sending to solicit her and he did not o ff er violence , ,

out o f regard f or his brother M a s i s t e s ( and this same circum

stance restrained the woman for she well knew that she woul d ,

not meet with violence ) ; thereupon X erxes being shut out ,

from any other resource b rought about the marriage o f his ,

son D arius with the daughter of this woman and M a s i s t e s ;

thinking that h e should get possession o f her if he did thus .

Having therefore concluded the marriage and performed the

, , ,

usual ceremonies h e departed for Susa When he arrived, .

there he introduced the wi f e of Darius into his own house ;

,

and then his passion for the wi f e o f M a s i s t e s ceased ; and

having changed his inclinations he fell in love and succeeded , , ,

with the wife o f Darius the daughter of M a s i s t e s : the name ,

o f this woman was A rt a y n t e I n course of time the matter .

was discovered in the following manner : A m e s t ri s the wife ,

of Xerxes having woven a large various coloured and b eau

, , ,

tiful mantle presented it to X erxes and he being delighted

, , , ,

put it on and went to A rt a y n t e B eing pleased also with her .

,

he bid her ask whatever she pleased as a reward f or the f avours

she had granted him for that she shoul d have whatever she ,

asked Thereupon for it was f ated that misfortune should

.
,

befall the whole family by her means she said to X erxes , ,

”
Will you give me whatever I shall ask of you ? H e im ,

a g i n i n g she woul d ask f or anything rather than what she did ,

promised and swore ; and she when he had sworn boldly , ,

asked for the mantle Xerxes used every expedient not wish .
,

ing to give it ; for no other reason than that he was afraid

o f Am e s t ri s l est having before suspected what was going
,

on he should thus be detected ; he there f ore o ff ered her cities

, ,

and a vast quantity of gol d and an army which no one but , ,

h ersel f shoul d command : but an army is a common Persian

gift However as he coul d not p ersuade her he gave h er
.
, ,

the mantle ; and she being overj oyed with the present wore , ,

it and prided hersel f in it : and A m e s t ri s was in f ormed that

,

she had it Having learned what had been done sh e was not
.
,

angry with the woman hersel f ; but b elieving that her mother
was the cause and that she had done this she planned the
, ,

destruction o f th e wi f e o f M a s i s t e s Having there f ore watched .

th e time when her husband X erxes shoul d give the royal f east
( this f east is prepared once a year on the day on which the ,

king w a s born ; and the name o f this feast is in the Persian ,

” ”
language t yct a,
and in the Grecian language
,
per f ect ; ,

and th en only th e king washes his head with soap and makes ,

p resents to the Persians ) A m e s t ri s then having watch ed that ,

53 2 H E R O D O T U S— B O O K IX , CA L L IO PE [ —1 1 6
1 13

up to the B actrians and Sac ae ; for they were attached to him ,

and he was governor of the B actrians B ut Xerxes being i n .

,

f ormed o f his intentions s ent an army after him and slew , ,

him an d his sons and his forces upon the way Such were
, , .

the circumstances respecting the amour of X erxes and the

death o f M a s i s t e s .

The Greeks having set out from M y c al e toward the Hel

l e s p o n t being overtaken by a storm anchored near L e c t i s
, , ,

and from thence they went to Abydos and f ound the bridges ,

broken in pieces which th ey expected to find stretched across ;

,

and for this reason chiefly they came to the Hellespont U pon .

this the Peloponnesians with L e o t y c h i d e s determined to sail

back to Greece ; but the Athenians and their commander Xan
t h i p p u s resolved to stay there and make an attempt on the
C h ers o n e s u s Th e former therefore sailed away ; but the
.
, ,

Athenians having crossed over f rom Abydos to C h ers o n e s u s

, ,

besieged Sestos To this Sestos as being the strongest fortress

.
,

in these parts when they heard that the Greeks were arrived
,

in the Hellespont there came together men from other neigh

,

b o u ri n g places and among others ( E o b a z u s a Persian f rom

, , , ,

Cardia who had had all the materials o f th e bridges conveyed

,

thither Native E olians occupied it and there were with

.
,
’
them Persians , an d a great body of other allies X e rx e s s .

viceroy A rt ay c t e s ruled over this district a Persian wicked ,

and impious w h o had even deceived the king on his march

, ,

to Athens by secretly taking away f rom B l aeus the treasures

,

of Protesilaus son of I p hi c l u s For in E l aeu s o f the Cher

,
.

s o n e s u s is a s ep ulchre of Protesilaus and a precinct around ,

it where were great treasures both gol d and silver vessels

, , ,

and brass and robes and ot h er o ff erings which A rt a y c t e s

, , ,

plundered by permission o f the king B y speaking as follows .

,

h e deceived X erxes : Sire there is here the habitation of a ,

certain Grecian who having carried arms in your territories

, ,

met with a j ust punishment and perished Give me this man s .

’

house that every one may learn not to carry arms against
,
”
your territory B y saying this he would easily persuade
.

X erxes to give h im th e man s house as he had no suspicion ’

of his intentions H e sai d that Protesilaus had carried arms

.

’
against the king s territory thinking thus : the Persians con ,

sider that all Asia belongs to them and the reigning monarch .

When however the treasures were granted he carried them

, , ,

away f rom E l aeu s to Sestos and sowed part o f the precinct , ,

and pastured it ; and whenever he went to E l aeu s he used to

lie with women in the sanctuary At this time he was besieged .

by the Ath enians neither being prepared for a siege nor ex

, ,
1 16-
1 20 ] F AT E or A R T AY C T E S 5 33

p e c t i n g th e Greeks ; s o that they fell upon him somew h at u n

a w a re s B ut when autumn came on as they were engaged
.
,
'

in the siege and the Athenians were impatient at b eing absent

,

f rom their own country and not able to take the fortifi cation , ,

they besought their leaders to take them back ; they however , ,

refused until either they shoul d tak e the place or the p eople
,

o f Athens shoul d recall them ; accordingly they acquiesced ,

in the present state o f things .

I n the meanwhil e thos e who were within th e f ortification

were reduced to the last extremity so that they boiled an d ate ,

the cords of their beds ; and when they had these no longer ,

then the Persians and A rt a y c t e s and CE o b a z u s made their

, ,

escape by night descending by th e back of the fortification

, ,

where it was most deserted by the enemy When it w a s day .

,

the C h e rs o n es i a n s f rom the towers made known to the At h e

n i a n s what had happened and opened the gates ; and the
greater part o f them went in purs uit but some took posses ,

sion of the city As CE o b a z u s was fleeing into Thrace th e

.
,

A p s i n t hi a n Thracians seized him and sacrificed him to Plis

torus a god of the country according to their custom ; but
, ,

those w h o were with him they slaughtered i n another man

ner Thos e with A rt a y c t e s w h o had taken to flight the last
.
, ,

when they were overtaken a little above ZE g o s Potami having -

de f ended themselves f or a consi derabl e time some were killed , ,

and others taken alive and the Greeks havin g put them in , ,

bonds conveyed them to S estos ; and with them they too k

,

Art a y c t es bound himsel f and his son I t is related by the

, .

C h e rs o n i t ae that the following prodigy occurred to one o f

the guards as h e was b roiling salt fish : the salt fish lying on
the fire leaped and quivered like fish j ust caught ; and the per
sons w h o stood around were amazed ; but A rt a y c t es when ,

he saw the prodigy having called the man w h o was broil ing
“
the salt fish said : Athenian f riend be not a fraid o f this
,

, ,

prodigy f or it has not appeared to you ; but Protesilaus who

, ,

is in B l aeus intimates to m e that thoug h dead and salted h e

, , ,

has power f rom th e gods to avenge himsel f on the person that

has inj ured him Now therefore I wish to make him repara
.
, ,

tion and instead of th e ri ches which I took out o f his templ e

, ,

to repay one hundred talents to the god ; and for myself and
my children I will pay two hundred talents to the Atheni ans
,
”
i f I survive B y off ering this h e did not persuade th e genera l
.

X a n t h i p p u s ; for the E l aea n s wishing to avenge Protesilaus , ,

begged that h e might b e put to death an d the mind o f the ,

general himsel f incl ined that way Having there fore con .
, ,

d ucted him to that part o f the shore where X e rx es bridged

5 34 HER D TU
O O S — B OO K IX , CA L L I O PE [ 1 20 —1 2 2

over th e pass or as others say to a hill above t h e city o f

, , ,

Madytus they nailed him to a plank and hoisted him alo ft

, ,

and his son they stoned b efore the eyes o f A rt a y c t e s Hav .

ing done thes e things they sailed back to Gr e ece taking with
, ,

them other treasures and the materials of the bridges in order ,

t o dedicate them in the temples ; and during this year nothing

more was done .

A rt e m b a re s the grand father o f this Art a y c t e s who was

,

h oisted alo ft was th e person who originated a remark which

,

the Persians adopted and conveyed to Cyrus in these terms :

Since Jupiter has given the sovereign power to the Persians ,

and among m e n to you O Cyrus by overthrowing A s t y ag e s ;

, , ,

as we possess a small territory and that rugged come let us , , ,

remove from t his and take possession of another better , .

There are many near our confines an d many at a distance , .

B y possessing one o f these we shall be more admired by most

,

m en ; and it is right that those who b ear rule shoul d do so ;

and when shall w e have a better opportunity than when we
have th e command of many nations and o f all Asia ? Cyrus ,

having heard these words and not admiring the proposal bade
, ,

them do so ; but when he bade them he warned them to pre

pare h ence f orward not to rule but to be ruled over ; for that
,

delicate men spring f rom delicate countries f or that it is not ,

given to the same land to produce excellent f ruits and men

valiant in war So that the Persians perceiving their error
.
, ,

withdre w and yielded to t h e opinion o f Cyrus ; and they chose

rather to live in a barren country and to command than to , ,

cultivate f ertile plains and be the slaves o f others .

 535 H E R O D OT U S

ZE g i a l e u s , S i c y o n i an t r ib e , 29 7 . A g a t h y r s i s , 2 1 6, 243 , 2 44 , 248 , 2 5 0 .

ZE g i c o r e s , 2 96 . A g b a l u s a n A r i d i a n 396
, , .

ZE g i d ae, S p a rt a n t r ib e , 258 . Ag e n o r , 2 5 7, 39 5 .

JE gili a , 3 5 1 , 3 5 3 . Ag e s i l a u s 432 , 48 4 , .

E g i n a , d au g h t e r of A s op u s , 30 1 , A g e t u s s o n o f Al c i d es , 338
, .

3 29 . Agi s , 3 38 432 , .

ZE g i n a , ZE g i n e t ae , 15 1, 1 76, 2 02 , Agl a u r o s , d a u gh t e r o f C e c ro p s ,
—305
s ol , 333, 337, 338 , 34 1 , 342, 45 8 .

—
345 349 , 4 1 1 , 4 1 2 , 42 5 , 43 1 , 444 , Ag l o m ac h u s 263 , .

45 5 4 5 6 45 9, 4
, 60 46 1 6 —
4 5 4 70 , , , ,
Ag o ra 388 , .

48 1 484 5 02 , 5 03 , 5 1 8 5 2 0, 5 2 2
, ,
-
. A g r i a n ae, t h e , 2 79 .

ZEg i r o e s s a 5 9 ,
. A g ri a n e s ,
2 40 .

E g iu m , 5 8 . A g r i g e n t i n e s 4 1 9 42 1 , , .

ZE g l ae , t h e , 1 90 . Ag ro n s o n o f N i nu s , 4
, .

E go s P o tam i
-

, 5 33 . A g y l l aea n s 65 ,
.

ZE gy ra 5 8 ,
. Aia , of Co l ch i s , 430 .

ZE n ea 404 ,
. Ai m n e s t u s 5 1 4 5 1 5 , , .

ZE n e s i d e m u s , s on o f Pat a i c u s , 4 1 5 , A i o rp a t a , t h e A m a z o n s , S c y th i a n
41 9 . n a m e , 2 45 .

ZE n i an e s , 426, 4 30 . Aj a x , 329 , 461 , 48 1

2 9 6, .

E n o e , 2 99 . A l a b a n d a , c i t y o f P h rygi a , 48 5 .

ZE n o s , E o li a n c i t y , 38 9 . A l a b a n d i a n s , a p e o p l e o f C a r i a,
ZE n u s , i
r v e r, 2 4 0 .
42 9
E n y ra , 3 33 . Al a l i a c i t y o f C o rs i ca 65
, , .

JE o l i a , ZE o l i a n s , 3 , 1 0, 5 6, 5 7, 5 9 ,
Al a ro d i a n s 1 90 393 , , .

A l a z i r K i n g o f B a rc a 263 264
, , , .

3 1 7, 3 1 8 , 32 0, 32 7, 3 5 0, 3 70, 38 9 , Al azo n e s S cyth ian nat io n,2 18 , ,

396, 424, 42 9 , 5 32 . 2 1 9 , 22 8 .

ZE o l i d ae , 4 5 3 . Al c aeu s ,
t h e p o et , 309 , 3 1 0 .

7E o
. lus , 430 . Al c aeu s , s on of H e rcu l e s ,

A é ro p u s , of P h ili p Al c a m e n e s s o n o f T e l e c l e s , 432
'

s on , 486, 48 7, , .

5 00 . Al c e n o r a n A r give 32 , , .

ZE s a n i u s , 25 8 . Al c e t e s s o n o f A é rO p u s fat h e r 0f
, ,

ZE s c h i n e s , s on of N o t h o n 35 1 , . A m y n t as 48 7 , .

E s ch i ri o n ians , S am i a n t r ib e ,
1 63 . Al c ibi a de s fat h er o f Cl i n i a s 44 8, ,
.

ZE s c h ru s , 44 7 . Al c i d e s fat h e r o f A g et u s 338
, , .

ZE s c h y l u s , s o n of E u p h o r i o n 1 43 , . Al c i m ac h u s , f a t h e r o f E u p h o rb u s ,

E s op ,
t h e w rit e r o f f a bl e s 1 34 ,
.
35 1
E t o l i a , JE t o l i a n s , 360, 464 . Al c m aeo n ,
fa t h e r M eg acl e s
of ,
21 .

A g aeu s , 360 . Al c m aeo n , s on o f M egacl es , 35 9 ,

Agam e m n o n 1 2 5 , 2 44 , 407, 4 1 7 360
—
. .
,

A g a r i s t a d au g h t e r ,
of H ip p o c ra t e s , Al c m aeo n i d ae t h e, ,
2 2 , 2 94 296, 298 ,

w i fe of X an t h i p p u s an d m o th er 305 , 3 5 6 362 -
.

of P e ri c l e s ,
—
3 5 9 362 . Al c m e n a, m o t h e r of H e rc u l e s ,
1 01 ,

Ag a s i c l e s o f H a l i c a rn as s u s
, , 58 . 1 38 .

A g at h o e rg i , t h e, 2 5 . Al co n , a M o ll o s i an , 360, 361 .
 INDEX
5 37

Al ea n M i ne rva S ee M i n e rva . . A m p h i a rau s o rac l e o f a t T h e b e s , , ,

Al c i a n Pl a i n 349 , . i n B oe o t i a 1 7— 1 9 38 48 5 , , , .

A l eu a d ze , 368 , 406, 42 2 , 5 1 2 , 5 1 3 . A m p h i a ra u s fa t h e r o f A mp h il o ,

Al e x a n d e r Ki n g , of M aced o n ,
2 8 0, ch u s , 1 89 .

28 1 , 42 3 , 8 8 —
45 3, 4 , 4 5 493 , 5 07,
1 A m p h i c aea , a P h o c i a n c i t y 45 3 ,
.

5 08 . A m p h i c ra t e s , K i n g o f S a m o s 1 76 , .

Al e x a n d e r s o n o f P r i a m 2 , , . Am p h ict yon s , s e a t a n d c o u n c il o f ,

Al i t t a Al i l a t S ee V e n u s
,
. . 1 5 1 , 29 5 , 4 3 1 , 4 35 , 439
Al o s i n A c h a i a 429 430
, , ,
. A m p h il o c h u s , son of A m p h i arau s ,

Al o p e c ae v ill a g e o f A t t i ca 2 9 5
, ,
. 1 89 ,
39 5 .

A l p e n i v ill a ge n e a r T h e r m o p yl ae
, , Am p h i ly t u s , a p rop h e t of A c ar
424, 43 5 , 439 n an a, i 23 .

Al p h eu s , s o n o f O ri s i p h an t u s , 439 . A m p h i m n e s t u s s o n o f E p i s t ro ,

Al p i s r i ve r 2 2 8
, ,
.
p h u s a n E p i d a m n i a n 360 361
, , ,
.

Al u s c i t y o f A c h a i a 42 2
, , . A m p h i o n t y ra n t o f C o r i n t h 306
, ,
.

Aly a t t e s s o n o f S a d y a t t e s K i n g o f A m p h i s s a c i t y o f t h e L o c r i a n s
, , , ,

S a rd i s 3 6 7 9 2 8 2 9 38 1 71
, , 45 2 4 5 3 , , , , , ,
.
,

A m a s i s Ki n g o f Egy p t 1 1 30
,
A m p h i t ry c n fa t h e r o f H e rc u l e s , , , , ,

1 34 , 1 38 , 1 42 , 1 45 -
1 5 4, 1 5 9, 1 68 1 01 , 1 02 , 1 39 , 2 9 4, 335
1 71 , 2 00 . A m y n t a s , Ki n g o f M a c e d o n i a 2 79 ,

Am a s i s ,
a P e rs ia n g e n e ra l in 2 8 1 309 42 3 48 5 48 7
, , , ,

Egy p t ,
2 64 , 2 73 , 2 74 . A m y n t a s s o n o f B u b a r e s 48 5
, ,
.

Am a t h u s A m a t h u s i a n s o f Cy p ru s
, , ,
A m y rg i a n S c y t h i a n s S e e S a c ae . ,

312 31 6 -
. A myris , 360 .

A m a z o n s 2 4 5 —2 47 5 0 1 , ,
. Am y rt aeu s , Ki n g of Egy pt , 1 36,

A m b r a c i o t s 4 5 6 5 02 5 03 , , , . 1 59 .

A m e s t ri s d a u g h t e r o f O t a n e s w i fe
, ,
An a c h a rs i s , 22 7, 2 35 , 2 36 .

of X e rx e s 38 9 40 1 5 30 5 32
, , ,
-
. A n a c re o n ,
of T eo s t h e , p o et , 1 98 .

A m iant u s , s on of Ly c u r g u s , an An a c t o ri a n s ,
o f E p i ru s 5 02 , 5 03 , .

A rc a d i a n fro m T ra p e z u s , 360, A n ap h e s , son o f O t a n e s , l ea d e r of

36 1 . the C i s s i a n s 390 , .

A m il c a r s o n o f H a n n o K i n g o f
, ,
A n a p h l y s t u s v ill a ge ,
of At t i c a ,
2 43

t h e C a rt h a gi n i a n s 4 1 9 42 0 A nau a c i t y , ,
.
,
of P h rygi a , 38 0 .

A m i n i a s a n A t h e n i a n c a p t a i n 467 A n a x a n d e r s on o f E u ry c ra t e s , 43 1
‘
.
, , , ,

470 An a xa n d ri d e s ,
Ki n g o f S p a rt a , 2 5 ,
Am i n o c l e s , M a g n e s i a n 428
a , . 2 08 , 2 8 7, 2 88 , 333, 3 5 3, 3 5 4, 43 1 ,
Ammon , o ra c l e of J u p it er , in 4 32 , 494, 5 1 4
L iby a . Se e J u p it er . An a x a n d ri d e s , s on of Theop o m
A m mo n A m m o n i a n s 1 7, 9 1 , 96
, , , p u s 48 4 ,

1 00 1 0 1,
1 60 1 63 1 68 , , , . An a x il a u s , t y ra n t of R h e gi u m ,

A m o m p h a re t u s s o n o f P o l i a d e s , , 32 5 , 4 1 9 , 42 0, 422 , 48 4 .

a S p a rt a n g e n e ra l 5 1 1 , 5 1 2 5 1 7 , , ,
An c h i m o l i u s , s o n o f A s t er ,
a

521 . L a c e d ae m o n i a n ,
295 .

A m o r g e s a P e rs i a n g e n e ra l , 3 1 7
, . A n d re a s , 35 9 .

A m p e c i t y 3 24, , . A n d ro b u l u s ,
fa t h er of T im o n, 4 1 0
Am p el u s , C a p e o f, 403 . Afl d l Q Ct Q tfi s g 49 9
’

~
5 38 H E RODOT U S

A n d ro d a m a s , fat h e r of Th eo mes Ap h y t i s , i t y o f P a ll e n e 404

c , .

t o r, 468 .
A p ia ( t h e E a rt h ) S c y t h i a n , go d
And ro gy n i 2 32 , . d es s , 2 30 .

A n d ro m e d a d a u g h t e r o f C e p h e u s , ,
Ap i d a n u s , i
r ve r o f T h e s s a ly , 405 .

w i fe o f P e r s eu s 38 9 390 4 1 4 , , , . Ap i s c i t y i n Egyp t 9 1
, , .

An d ro p h a g i 2 1 9 2 43— 2 4 5 24 8 2 5 0 , , , , . A p i s ( E p a p h u s ) a n Egy p t i a n , g o d,
A n d ro s A n d r i a n s , 2 8 4 462 476
, , ,
1 42 , 1 63 , 1 64 , 1 66, 1 78 .

4 78 48 1 5 04, ,
. A p o ll o ,
2 6, 35 , 15 1, 2 1 7, 2 1 8, 3 5 7,
A n d ro s p h i n x e s , 1 5 0 .
3 79 ; Egyp t i a n ( O ru s ) ,
1 1 3, 1 38 ,

A n e ri s t u s fa t h e r o f S p e rt h i e s , 407
,
. 1 43 , 261 P t oan , 48 5 ; S c y t h i a n
;
An e ri s t u s s o n o f S p e rt h i e s , 408
,
.
( CE t o s y ru s ) , 2 30 ; T ri o p i a n , 5 8 ;
A u gi t e s ,
i
r ve r, 40 1 . I s m en i a n, t em p l e o f, at Th eb e s ,

A n g ru s o f I lly r i a 22 7
,
river ,
. of B oeo t i a ,
1 9, 3 7, 48 5
2 94 , . See
An o p aea m o u n t a i n p a s s n ea r T h e r
,
Ab ae B ra n c h i d ae
, ,
D elp h i .

m O p y l ae 43 5 , . A p o ll o n i a c i t y o f t h e E u xi n e
, , 2 40,

An t a c aeu s a fi s h 229 , , . 24 1 .

A n t a g o ra s , 5 18 . A p o ll o n i a ,
c it y on t h e I o n i an Gu l f ,

A n t a n d ro s ,
28 2 .
5 24 , 5 2 5 °

A n t h e l a v ill a g e ,
n ea r T h e rm op yl ae ,
A p o l l o p h a n e s , fa t h er of B i s al t e s ,
424, 43 1 326 .

An t h emu s , i n M a c e d o n i a 309 , . Ap o x a i s , an c e s t o r o f the S c y t h ia n s ,

An t h y l l a c i t y o f Egy p t 1 1 8
,
'

, . 2 14 .

A n t i ch a r e s a n Eli an 2 88 , , . A p ri e s , K i ng of Egyp t , 1 45 -
1 48 ,

A n t i c y ra c i t y o f T h e s s a ly 430
, , , 43 5 , 1 5 3, 1 5 4 , 2 6 1 , 2 62 .

44 9 . Ap s y n t h i a n s p e o p l e , of T h rac e ,

A n t i d o ru s , a L e m n ian d e s e rt s 32 8 329 5 33
—
.
, , ,

f r o m X e rx e s
’
fl e e t 44 7
s ,
. A ra bi a A ra b i a n s
, , 8 8
5 4, 7 , 7 9 0 9 5 , ,

A nt i o c h u s ,
fa t h e r o f T i s a m e n u s ,
1 1 1, 1 3 7, 1 44 , 1 5 4— 1 5 6, 1 88 19 1, ,

5 03 . 1 93 —1 9 5 ,
2 2 4, 39 1 , 394 , 42 6 .

A nt i p at e r , a T ha s ian , s on of Or A ra b i a n G u l f 1 1 9 1 44 2 24 2 2 5 ; , , , ,

g e s , 402 . m o u n t a i n 1 30 , .

An t i p h e m u s f o u n d e r o f G e l a, 4 1 5 ,
. A ra t u s r i ve r o f S cy t h i a 22 7
, ,
.

A n t ra n d u s P e l a s g i a n 38 4 , ,
. A ra x e s r i ve r 78 —
, 8 2 8 4 2 1 6 2 24 , , , ,
.

A n y s i s K i n g o f Egy p t 1 3 5 1 36
, , , ,
A rca d i a A rc a d i a n s 2 4 2 5 5 8 1 48
, , , , , ,

1 47 . 29 1 , 342 , 360, 39 5 , 42 2 , 43 1 , 4 5 1 ,
Any s u s ,
f at h e r of T e t ra m n e s t u s , 464 , 5 0 1 , 5 04 .

396 . A rc e s il a u s s o n o f B a t t u s f o u n d e r
, ,

Ap a ry t ae a p e o p l e o f A s i a 1 90
, , . o f Cy re n e 2 6 1 ,
.

Ap a t ur i a n fe s t i va l 5 9 , . A r c e s il au s s o n o f B at t u s,
Th e
”
A p h e t ae p o rt o f M a g n es i a 42 9
, , ,
F o rt u n a t e ,
2 62 .

44 5 44 7 -
A r c e s il au s s o n o f B at t u s,
The
Ap h i d n ae, t o w n i n Att ica , 3 5 4 48 2 , ,
L a m e 1 5 1 2 62 2 64 2 73
”
, ,
-

,
.

5 18 . A r c h a n d e r, s o n o f P h t h i u s 1 1 8 ,
.

A p h ro d i s i as i s l a n d , o ff the c oa s t of Arc h a n d ro p o l i s , 1 1 8 .

L ibya 2 65 , . A r c h e l a i S i c y o n i an t r ib e , 2 97
,
.

Ap h t h i s d i s t ri c t i n
,
E gy p t , 14
7 .
A r c h e l au s , o f Sp a rta, 432 . .
540 H E R OD OT U S

Ar s a m e s ,
g ra n d fat h e r of D a ri u s , A rt e m i s u m , a p o rt of E u b oea , 42 3
8 1 , 3 73 , 438 .
42 5 , 42 8 , 42 9 , —
444 4 5 0 , 4 5 4 4 5 6.
-

Ar s am e s , s on o f D a ri u s a nd A rt y 462 , 465 , 467, 4 75 , 5 2 6 .

s t o ne, 39 1 . Art i m p a s a S ee V e nu s . .

A rt a b a n u s s o n o f H y s t a s p e s 2 38
, , , A rt i s c u s r i v e r o f S c y t h i a 2 4 1
, , .

2 5 6 3 71 —
, 376 3 8 4 3 8 7 390 ) 3 9 2 ,
-

’ , A rt o c h m e s , s o n i n l a w o f D a r i u s , - -

39 3 4 5 8
,
.
392
A rt a b a t e s a P e rs i a n , 390
,
. A rt o n t es , f a t h e r of B a g ae u s , 2 01 .

A rt a b a z a n e s e l d e s t s o n o f D a r i u s ,
,
A rt o n t e s , s on of M a rd o n i u s 5 2 1 , .

366 367,
. A rt y b i u s 3 1 4 3 1 5 , ,
.

A r t ab az u s s o n o f P h a rn ac e s , P e r
,
Ar t y n t e s , s o n o f I t h am at re s , 39 1 ,
s i a n g e n e ra l 390 48 2 48 3 5 06 , , , , , 48 3 .

5 07 5 1 3 5 1 5 5 1 6 5 1 9 5 22 , 5 2 3
, , , , ,
. Art y p h i u s s o n o f A rt ab an u s 390,
, ,

A rt a c e , c it y o f t h e P ro p o n t i s , 328 .
39 1 .

A rt a c h aee s , a P e r s i a n g e n e ra l , 402 . A rt y s t o n a d a u g h t e r ,
of Cy ru s ,
1 88,

A r t a c h aeu s ,
s on of A r t aeu s 3 77 , .
39 1 , 39 2
A rt a c h aeu s , f at h e r o f O t as p e s 377 , A ry a n d e s ,
2 64 , 2 73 .

390 A ry e n i s , dau ght e r

Alya tt e s 2 9 of ,
.

A rt a c h aeu s , fat h e r of A rt a y n t e s , A s b y s t ae a L iby an n at i o n 2 65

, ,
.

48 3 A s c a l o n c i t y o f P a l e s t i n e 42 43
, , ,
.

A rt aea n s , an c e nt n a m e o f i t he Per A s i a w i fe o f P r o m e t h e u s 2 2 6
, ,
.

i
s an s , 38 9 . A s i a g e o g ra p h y a n d na m i n g o f
, ,

A rt aeu s f a t h e r o f A rt a c h aeu s 3 77
, ,
. 2 26 .

A rt aeu s f a t h e r o f A z a n e s , 390
,
. A s ia , s u rn a m e o f At h en e ,
i n Co l
A rt a n e s , b ro t h e r o f D a r i u s 438 ,
. ch s , i 42 9 .

A r t a p h e r n e s b ro t h e r o f D a r i u s
, , A s i an tr ib e ,
at S a rd i s ,
226 .

s on o f H y s tas p es 2 —
84 2 8 6 2 99 , , , A s iu s , s on o f Co t ys ,
226 .

3 1 0, 31 1 . 318
—
32 0 , 3 7,
2 33 1 A s ine , 464 .

A rt ap h e rn e s , s on of A rt a p h e r n e s , As mak . S e e Au t o m o l i .

—
349 3 5 7 , 369 , 3 71 , 39 2 . A s o n i d es , 42 5 .

A rt a x e rx e s ,
s on of X e rx e s , 3 5 0, A s o p i a n s , a p e o p l e o f B oeo t i a , 49 5 .

399 , 4 1 4 . As o p o d o r u s a T h e b a n c o m m a n d ,

A rt a y c t e s ,
s on of C h e ra s m i s 393 ,
. e r, 5 16 .

A rt ay c t e s , a P e r s i a n g e n e r a l , 3 8 0, As op u s ,
i
r ve r in B oeo t i a , 30 1 , 3 5 4,
39 3, 5 32 , 5 34 430, 43 1 , 43 5 , 49 5 1 49 7, 5 02 , 5 05
A rt a y n t e , d a u gh t e r of Mas i s t e s , 5 07, 5 1 0, 5 1 3
5 30 —
5 32 A s p a t h i n e s , a P e rs i a n p r i n ce, 1 8 1
A r t a y n t e s P e r s i a n a d m i ra l , s o n o f
, 1 88 , 396 .

A rt a c h aeu s 48 3 5 2 8 5 29 , , ,
. A s s a , c i t y o f M o u n t A t h o s , 403 .

A rt a z o s t ra d a u gh t e r o f D a r i u s ,
, As s e s i an M i n e r va 7, 8
,
.

w i f e o f M a r d o n i u s 33 1 , . As s es u s t own ,
o f t h e M il e s i a n s , 7 .

A rt e m b a re s a M e d e 46 4 7 , , , . A s s y r i a A s s y ri an s
, , 39 , 42 , 43, 5 4,
A rt e m b a re s a P e r s i a n , 5 34
, . 69 , 90, 1 37, 141 , 1 90, 2 24, 33 5 ,
A rt e m i s i a d a u gh t e r o f L y g d a m i s
, , 3 70, 390
Q u ee n of H a l i ca rn a s s u s 39 7, A s tacu s tal;t Qt M e l an i p p u s
—
, , ,

462, 463, 468 471 , 473 , 4 74 .

 IN D E X
54 1

A s t e r fat h er o f Ac h i m o l i u s 29 5
, , . Au t e s i o n , s on of T i s a men u s ,
2 5 7,

A s t ra b a c u s a h e ro o f S p a rt a 340 , ,
.
3 34 .

A s t y a g es Ki n g o f t h e M e d e s 1 7
, ,
.
,
A u t o m o l i 9 5 96 , ,
.

28 , 29 , —
43 5 3 ,
63 368 , 5 34
,
. Au t o n u s , 45 4 .

As y ch i s , K ing o f Egy p t , 1 34 , 1 35 . Au x e s i a 302— 304 , .

A t a ra n t e s L iby a n ,
nat o n , i 2 68 , A x i u s r i v e r, 404
, .

269 . Ax u s , c ity of C re t e ,
259 .

At a rb ec h i s c i t y o f Egy p t 1 00 , ,
. Az a n e s , s on o f A rt ze u s 390 , .

Ata r n e s , r i v e r o f T h ra c e 2 2 7 , ,
. Az e n i an ,360 .

At a r n e u s c ity an d t e rr i t o ry i n
,
Azi r i s , c it y i n A f r i c a 2 6 1 —2 65 , .

My s i a 63 3 1 9 327 384 475, , , , ,

. Az o t u s ,
c i ty i n Sy ria 1 44 , .

A t h a m a s s o n o f ZE o l u s , 388 430
, ,
.

At h e n a d e s a T ra c h i n i an k ill s t h e
, , B a byl o n B a byl o n i an s
, , 3 0 , 38 , 6 1 ,
t ra i t o r Ep h ia lt es , 43 5 . 69 —
78 ,
1 90, 2 09 2 1 3 , 2 72 , — 390 .

A t h e n a g o ra s , s on o f A r c h e s t ra t i B a c c h u s A ra b i a n , ( O ro t a l ) , 155 ;
d e s , 5 23, 5 2 4 . Egy p t i a n ( O s i r i s ) ,
1 00, 1 03 , 1 05 ,

A t h en s , A t h e n i an s , p as s i m . 1 1 3 , 1 30, 1 38 , 1 39 , 1 43 , 1 9 1 ; Et h i
At h o s M ou nt , , 332 , 349 , 3 77, 3 78 , i
o p an , 95 ; G re c i a n ,
1 03 , 1 38 , 1 39 ,

38 2 , 402 , 403 , 4 2 7 1 9 1 , 2 36, 2 3 7, 2 4 5 , 2 76, 2 9 7, 401 ;

At h r e s ,
i
r ver T h ra c e 22 7
of , . T emp l e o f, a t Byz a n t i u m 2 39 , .

A t h r ibi s , d i s t r i c t i n Egy p t 1 47 , . B a c c h i a d ae, t h e , o f C o ri n t h 306 , ,

A t l ant e s ,
o r A t a ra n t e s p eop l e o f , 307 .

L iby a 2 69 , . B ac i s ,
o ra c e s o f , l 449, 466, 4 71 , 4 72 ,

A t l a nt i c O c ea n 79 ,
.
5 07 .

A t l a s r i v e r o f M o u n t H mm u s
, ,
22 7 . B a c t ra , 32 1 .

A t l a s Mo u n t 2 69
, , . B a ct ria , B a c t r i an s , 61 ,
1 90, 1 92,

A t o s s a d a u gh t e r o f Cy ru s
, ,
1 8 0, 2 74 , 390, 394 , 4 78 , 5 03 , 5 3 1 , 5 32 .

1 88 , 2 02 , 2 03, 366, 367, 390, 39 3 B a d re s , a P ers i an a d m ra i l ,

2 64,

A t r i d ae e x p e d i t i o n
, of t h e, a a g inst 39 2 .

I li u m 3 77 ,
. E a ga ns , s on o f A rt o n t e s ,
2 01 .

At t a g i n u s , s on o f P h ry n o n , a Th e B a g aeu s , fa t h e r of M a rd o nt e s , 48 3 .

b a n , 496 5 22 , .
B a rc e ,
B a rc ae a n s , 1 5 7, 1 8 9 , 2 62 2 65 , -

At t i ca At t i c p e o p e, l 2 43 , 2 94 2 96, -
2 69 , 2 73 , 2 74
—
, .

2 99 39 5 342 , 3 5 1 , 3 5 7, 363 , 365 ,

, B a s i l id es , an Io n ian , 48 4 .

4 08 , 42 7, 448 4 5 4 , 4 5 7, 4 5 8 , 46 1 , , B as s a c es , s on of A rt a b a n u s , 39 2 .

471 , 4 77, 49 0, 5 01 49 2 -

B at t u s , s on o f P o l y mn e s t u s fo u n d ,

A t y s Ki n g
, o f S a r d i s , 4 , 38 , 3 79 , er o f Cy re n e ,
1 5 1 , 258 —2 61 .

39 2 B att u s ,
T he F o rt u n a t e ,
”
26 1 .

Aty s s on o f C r oes u s 1 3—16 B at t u s L a m e 2 62 ”

, , .
,
The , .

A u c h a t ze ,
2 14 .
B a t t i a d ae, t h e , 2 74

A u gil a Au g i l ae t o w n a n d p e o p l e
, , B e l b i n it e , 48 2 .

o f L iby a 2 65 2 68 , , . B e l id i a nG at e B abyl o n 2 1 1 2 1 2 , , , .

A u gi t e s 40 1 , .
B e l u s fa t h e r o f N i n u s 4
, , .

A u ra s r i ve r 22 7
, , .
B e l u s fa t h e r o f C e p h e u s 38 9
, , .

Au s c h i s ze L iby a n n a t i o n 2 65
, . . B e l u s See J u p it e r
. .

A u s e s L iby a n na t i o n 2 67 2 70
, , , . B e rm i o n M o u n t 48 7 , , .
 54 2 H E RO D OT US

B e s s i p ri e s t es s e s o f t h e o rac l e
, of B u d in i , t h e, t r ib e of the S c yt h i an s ,

B a c c h u s 40 1 ,
. 2 1 9 , 2 44 , 2 4 5 , 2 48 , 2 49 , 2
5 4:
B i a s o f P r i e n e 1 0 66
, , , . B u l is , s on o f N i c o l au s ,
a S p a rt a n ,

B i a s b ro t h e r o f M e l a m p u s 5 04
, ,
.

B i s al t es , s on o f A p o l l o p h a n e s 3 26 ,
. B u ra c i t y o f A c h a i a 1 5 8
, , .

B i s al t i a, B i s al t a , 402 , 479 . B u s ac t r ib e o f t h e M e d e s 4 1
, , .

B i s ant h e , on H e ll e s p o n t
the , 408 . B u s i r i s c i t y o f Egyp t 1 06 1 07 1 46
, , , , .

B i s t o n ia n s , T h ra c i a n n a t i o n , 40 1 . B u t a c i d e s fa t h e r o f P h ili p o f C ro
,

B is t on i s l a k e 400 , , . t o n a , 2 90 .

B i t h y n i a B it h y n i an s , ,
1 0, 39 2 . Buto , c it y of Egy p t , w it h a n o ra c e l
B i t o n Cl e o b i s a n d
, , s tor y of 11 of L at o n a ,
1 06, 1 07, 1 09 , 1 1 1 , 1 1 3
,

12 . 1 22 , 1 33, 1 42 , 1 43 , 1 78 .

B oeb e i s , a l a k e i n T h e s s a ly , 405 .
B y b a s s u s , 68 .

B oeo t i a , B oeo t i a n s 3 7 1 04 , , ,
2 93 , Byz a n t i u m , Byz a n t i n e s ,
2 39 , 2 40,

2 94 . 29 7, 2 99 , 300 -
305 , 32 8 , 3 5 4 , 2 5 4 , 2 5 6, 28 2, 3 1 2 , 32 0, 32 6, 328 ,
406. 43 1 , 4 5 3, 4 5 4 , 4 5 6, 4 5 7, 462 , 5 23
4 78 . 490 49 7, 499 5 22 , 5 2 7 - -
.

B o g es P e r s i an g o ve rn o r o f Ei o n ,
, C a b a l e s L iby a n n a t i o n 2 65
, , .

400, 40 1 . C a b a l i a n M ei o n i a n s 39 2 , .

B o lbi t i n e m o u t h o f t h e N il e 9 1 , . C ab a l i a n s , 1 89 .

B o re a s 42 7 42 8 , , . Cab e i ri ,
1 04, 1 68 .

B o ry s t h e n e s r i v e r o f S c y t h i a 2 1 4 , , ,
Ca d m ma n s ,
2 0, 5 8 , 65 , 2 5 7, 2 9 3, 2 94 ,

2 1 9, 22 0, 22 7, 229 , 2 3 3, 2 3 8 , 2 43 , 5 01 .

2 44 . Cad m u s , s on of Ag e n o r ,
1 04, 1 38 ,

B o ry s t h e n i t m ,
2 18, 2 1 9, 229 , 2 36, 2 5 7, 2 9 3 , 2 94 .

2 37 . Cad mu s ,
s on of S c yt h e s , a Co an ,

B o s p h o ru s ,
T h ra c i a n ,
2 38 —
2 40 , 419 .

2 4 7, 3 71 ; Ci mm e r i a n ,
2 1 7, 22 1 , Ca d y t i s , c ity i n Sy r ia , 1 44 , 1 5 4, 1 5 5 .

2 43 . C aen e u s , 306 .

B o t t i aea , B o t t i wa n s , 404 42 6, 48 2 ,
. Ca i c u s i
, My s i a 38 4 ; p l a i n
r ver o f ,

B ran c h i d ae , 1 7, 62 1 44 2 86 , , . o f My s i a 32 7 , .

B ra n c h i s , c i ty of the M il e s i a n s 37 ,
. Cal a m i i n I o n i a 5 25
, , .

B ra u r o n , to w n in A t t i c a 2 5 6 364 , , . Ca l a n t i a n s S e e I n d ia n s . .

B r i a n t i ca , 400 . Ca l a s i r i e s Egy p t i a n w a r t ri b e 1 46
, , ,

E r ig e s , a n c i e n t nam e o f t h e P h ry I 4 7, 5 03 .

gi a n s , 3 92 . C a l c h a s 39 5 ,
.

B ro n g u s , i
r ve r , 22 7 . C a l e A c t e 32 5 , .

B ru n d u s i u m , c ity of I t a ly , 2 43 . Ca l l a t e b u s c i t y , of Ly d ia , 38 0 .

B ry g i , T h ra c i a n s , 332 , 426 . C a l l at i a n s , 1 68 .

B u b are s , s on of M e g ab y z u s ,
28 1 , Ca ll i a d e s a rc h o n a t A t h e n s a t t h e
,

3 77, 48 5 t i m e o f t h e i n vas i o n 4 5 7 , .

B u b as t is , c it y of E gy p t ,
1 06, 1 07, Ca l l i a s o f El i s a d i v i n e r 2 89 , ,
.

1 09 , 1 42 , 1 44 , 1 47 . Ca l li a s ,
s on of H ip p o n i cu s 4 1 4 ,
.

Bubas tis . See D iana . Ca l l i a s , s on of P h oen i p p u s , f at h e r

B u col ic m outh of the N il e , 91 . of H i p p oni cu s , 35 8 .

B a d i i t r ib e
, of the M edes , 41 . C a lli c rat e s , 5 1 7, 5 2 1 .
5 44 HE R ODOT U S

2 9 4, 348 , 362, 363, 4 1 0, 43 1 , 461 , 29 1 , 2 92 , 3 20, 33 1 , 349, 392, 395 ,

1 2 1 —
5 , 5 4 5 1 6’ 5 2 5 5 2 7
-
°
396, 448 , 463, 4 73 , 5 29 .

C h a l c e d o n , C h a l c e d o n i an s , 239 , Cil ix , s on o f Ag e n o r , a P h oen i c i a n ,

2 5 6, 2 8 2 , 32 8 .
39 5 ~

C hal c i s ,
C h al c i d i an s , of E u b oea , Cill a an ZE o l i a n c i t y 5 9
, , .

2 99 -

30 1 , 305 , 3 1 1 , 3 5 1 , 3 5 7, 42 5 Ci m m e r i a Ci mm e r i a n s 3 , , , 6, 42 ,
4 2 7, 444 , 44 5 , 4 5 6, 48 2 , 5 02 , 5 03 . 2 1 3, 2 1 6, 2 1 7, 22 1 , 2 2 6, 2 40, 3 71 ,
C h a l d aea n s , 70, 71 , 2 1 0, 390 .
3 77 .

C h a l e s t ra, 404 . Ci m m e r i an B o s p h o ru s ,
22 1 , 240,

Ch a ly b ia n s 1 0 ,
.
3 71 .

C h a ra d ra P h o c i a n c i t y 4 5 3
, , . Ci m o n , fa t h e r of M il t i a d e s , 3 28 ,
C h a ra x u s o f M i t yl e n e b ro t h e r
, ,
of

Sap p h o ,
1 34 . Ci m o n , s on of M il t i a d e s 363 400 , , .

Ch a ri la u s , 24 ( no t e ) ,
207 2 09 — . Ci neas , K i n g o f T h e s s a ly 29 5 , .

C h a r il l u s ,
s on of E u n o m u s 48 4 ,
. C i ny p s , d i s t r i c t o f L iby a 2 72 , .

C h a ro p i n u s a ,
M il e s i a n b ro t h e r ,
of Ci ny p s , r i v e r 2 66 2 88 , , .

A r i s t a g o ra s 3 1 1 , . C i s s i a Ci s s i a n s ,
,
1 90, 2 9 1 , 2 92 , 3 5 7,
C h e m m i s , fl o at i n g
i s l a n d 1 43 1 44 , ,
.
390, 394, 4 34 .

C h e m m i s c i t y i n Egy p t 1 1 5 1 46
, , , . C i s s i an Ga t e B a byl o n 2 1 1 2 1 2 , , , .

C h e o p s Ki n g o f Egy p t 1 30 1 32
, ,
-
. Ci t h ae ro n M o u nt 4 1 0 49 7 499
, , , , ,

C h ep h re n K i n g o f Egy p t 1 3 1, , , 5 05 , 5 06, 5 1 0, 5 1 2 , 5 1 6 .

1 32 . Ci u s , o f M y s i a , 3 1 7 .

C h e r a s m i s 39 3 ,
. C l a z o m e n ae, 7, 1 8 , 5 7, 1 5 1 , 3 1 8 .

C h e r s i s 3 1 2 , 396 44 7
, , . C l e a d e s , s o n o f Au t o d i c u s , a P l a
C h e r s o n e s u s C h e r s o n i t ae , ,
2 43 , 2 5 4, t aea n , 5 22 .

25 5 , 32 8
—
3 30 , 3 5 2 , 365 , 3 77, 38 0, C l ea n d e r ,
a p ro p h e t , 345 .

388 , 48 3, 5 32 , 5 33 . C l e a n d er , s on o f H i p p o c rat e s ,
ty
C h i l eu s , o f T e g ea , 493 , 494 . ra n t o f S y ra c u s e 4 1 6 ,
.

C h il o n , a L a c e d aem o n i a n ,
21, 339 , Cl e a n d e r ,
P a n t a r es , 4 1 5
s on of .

44 1 . Cl e o bi s a n d B i t o n , s t o ry o f , 1 1 , 12 .

C h i o s C h i an s
, , 7, 5 7, 63 , 64, 1 34 , Cl e o d aeu s , 334, 432 , 484 .

15 1, 2 5 4, 28 5 , 31 1, 319
—
32 1 , 32 3 , Cl e o m b ro t u s , s on of A n a x an
3 2 6, 32 7, 4 75 , 48 4 , 5 29 . d r i d e s , 2 38 , 28 5 , 2 88 , 432 , 464,
Ch o a s p e s ,
i
r v e r n ea r S u s a 73, , 29 1 , 494 , 5 1 4
2 92 . Cl e o m e n e s , Ki n g of S p art a , 208 ,

C h oe r ea c i t y o f E u b oea 3 5 1
, , . 2 09 , 28 7 -

300 , 305 . 3 1 0, 333, 337

C h oere a t ae S i c y o n i a n t r ib e
, ,
297 .
345 , 3 5 3, 4 1 3, 432
C h oeru s 42 1 , . C l e o n ae, c i t y o f M o u n t Ath os , 377 .

C h o ra s m i a n s ,
1 90, 1 96, 390 . C l i n i a s , s o n o f Al c ibi a d e s , 448 .

C h r o m i u s a n A r gi ve 32 , , . Cl i s t h e n e s , t y ran t o f S i cy o n, 2 96,

C h y t r i , h o t b at h s a t T h e r m o p yl ae 2 9 7, 3 5 9 362
-

—
,

424 Cli s t h e n e s , o f Ath en s ,

2 96 2 99 , 361 ,
Ci c i l ia n s , 31 7 .
362 .

Ci c o n i a n s ,
T h ra c i a n n at o n, i 3 8 9, Cl y t i a d ae, anEli a n fa m ily , 5 03 .

400, 40 1 . Cn i du s ,
C n i d i a n s 5 8 68 , , ,
1 5 1 , 205 ,

Cil i c i a Cil i c i a n s
, , 1 0, 2 7, 90, 9 7, 1 8 9, 2 63 .
 I N DE X
S4 5

C n oet h u s , 34 7 . C ra s t i s ,
r v e r,i ca ll e d t he d ry ,
C o b o n s o n o f Ar i s t o p h a n t u s a
, , 28 9 .

D e l p h i a n 339 ,
. C ra t h i s ,
i
r ve r o f Achaia , 58 .

C o d ru s s o n o f M e l an t h u s 5 9 2 96
, , , , C re m n i, 2 1 9 , 2 4 5 , 2 46 .

300, 5 2 6 . Cre s t o n a , C r e s t o n aea n s , 2 0, 2 76,

C oe n y ra t o w n i n ,
Th a s o s , 333 .

Coes , s on of E rx a n d ru s , a M it y C re t e C re t a n s
, ,
2 , 24, 67 1 70 1 75 , , ,

l e n i an , 2 42 , 2 77, 2 8 7 . 1 76, 2 2 6, 2 5 8 , 2 5 9 , 2 62 , 39 5 39 7, ,

C oel a , 3 5 2 44 7 ,
.
4 1 1 , 42 1 , 42 2 .

C oe l i d i s t r i c t o f
,
Ch i o s , 32 6 . C re t i n u s , fat h e r of A m i n o c l e s 42 8 , .

C o l aeu s , a Sa m i an s ea c a p t a n , 2 5 9 i . Cr i n i p p u s f a t h e r ,
o f T e r il l u s 4 1 9 ,
.

C o l ax a i s an c e s t o r ,
of the S cyt h C r i s aea n p l a i n o f L o c r i 4 5 2 4 5 3 , , ,
.

ian s 2 1 4 2 1 5
, , . C r i t a l l a c i t y i n C a p p a d o c i a 378
, , .

C o l c h i s C o l ch ians , ,
2, 42 , 1 2 0, 1 2 1 , C r i t i n e s f a t h e r o f A n a x i l au s o f
, ,

1 9 1 , 2 2 4 , 22 6, 390, 39 3, 4 30 . R h e gi u m 4 1 9 ,
.

C o l i a s i n A t t i c a 471 4 72
, , , . Cri t o b u l u s , 151 .

Co l op h o n C o l o p h o n ian s 6 , , , 7, 5 7, Cri t o b u l u s , of T o ro n e , 48 2 .

59 C ri u s ,
fa t h e r of
P o l y c r i t u s , 4 70 .

C o l o s s ae , 38 0 . C ri u s son o f P o l y c r i t u s , o f ZE g i n a ,

C o m b r ea 4 04 , .
333, 342
C o m p s a t u s r i v e r, 400 , . C ro b y z i , r i ve r i n T h ra c e ,
227 .

Co n iu m c it y 295 , ,
. C ro c o d il e s ,
c it y o f, in Egy p t ,

C o n t ad e s d u s ,
r v e r,i 2 40 . 1 39 .

C o p ai s l a k e 48 5 , ,
. C roes u s Ki n g , of Ly d i a 3, 1 0, 2 4 ,
—
,

C o r c y ra C o rc y raea n s , , 1 71 —1 74 , 41 1 , 26 —
39 , 5 3 5 7, 6 1 ,
62 8 0 82, 1 5 8,
, ,

4 1 5 , 420, 42 1 . 1 66, 1 67, 1 71 , 2 86, 3 2 9 3 5 9 , 38 0, ,

C o re s s u s , E p h e s i a n c it y , 31 1 .
4 5 3 , 48 1 .

C o ri nt h C o ri n t h i an s , , 6 8 , , 9, 18, C r o p h i , m o u n t a i n i n U p p e r E gy p t ,
1 4 7, 1 71 —1 74 ,
2 03 , 2 63 , 2 67, 2 99 , 94 .

3 00 , 304, 306
—
309 , 348 , 3 5 4, 36 1 , C r o s s aea , d i s t r i ct of M ac e d o n i a ,

4 08 , 4 1 5 , 429 , 4 3 1 , 444 , 44 5 , 44 9 , 404 .

4 5 5 , 4 5 6, 4 5 9 , 464 , 466, 4 71 , 5 0 1 . C r o t o na Cr o t o n i a n s , ,
1 99 , 20 1 ,

5 1 6 5 22 , 5 2 5 5 2 8
, , . 2 04 , 2 05 , 2 8 9 , 2 90, 32 4 , 4 5 6
C o r o b i u s a C re t a n , p u rp e l -
d y e r, C u p h a g o ra s , an A t h e n i an , 35 7 .

Cu ri u m , Cu r i a n s 3 1 5 ,
.

C o r o n aea n s 30 1 ,
.
Cy a n e a n I s l an d s i n t h e , E u xi n e ,

C o ry c i a n c a v e rn , of P a rn a s s u s ,
2 39 , 2 40 .

45 3 . Cy a x a re s , K in g of the M edes ,
6 ,

C o ry d a l l u s , of A n t i c y ra , 43 5 . I 7, 2 8 , 4 2 , 43 .

C o ry s r i v e r o f A ra b i a 1 5 6
, ,
.
Cyb eb e T e m p l e o f a t S a r d i s
, , , 31 2 .

C o s C o an s 5 8
, 5 18 , , . Cyb e l e m o u n t a i n o f 3 1
, , .

C o t y s s o n o f M a n e s 2 26
, . . Cy b e rn i s c u s , s on of Sicas , a Ly
C ra n a i a n c i e n t n a m e o f t h e At h e
, c ian 396 , .

n i a ms 45 6 , . Cy c l a d e s I s l an d s ,
28 4 .

C ra n a s p e s , s on o f M i t ro b at e s ,
z oo l Cy d i p p e , dau ght er of T e ri l l u s , w i fe
C ra n o n i an s 360 i
, . of A n a x il a u s , 4 1 9 .

35
54 6 H E R OD OT U S

Cy d o n i a ,
c ity in C re t e ,
1 70, 1 75 , Da ian s , P e rs ia n tr ib e , 51 .

1 76 . Da ma s it h y m u s Ki n g of th e Ca ~
,

C y d ra ra , i t y i n P h rygi a 38 0
c , . l y n d ian s , 468 .

Cy l l y r i i S i c ili a n s l a v e s 4 1 6
, ,
. Da m a s t hy m u s , s on of Ca n d au l es ,
Cyl o n a n A t h e n i a n 2 98
, , .
39 7
Cy m e C y m aea n s 5 9 62 63
, , , , ,
2 5 4, D ama s u s , s on o f A m y ri s ,
of S i ri s ,

2 8 7,
3 1 8 , 42 9 , 48 3 . ca ll e d t h e W i s e 360 361 , ,
.

Cy n aeg e i ru s , s o n of Eu p h o ri o n , D a m i a 302 —304, .

35 6 .
D a n ae m o t h e r o f P e r s e u s 1 1 5
, , , 3 35 ,
C y n et ae Cy n e s i a n s 9 7, 22 8
, ,
.

Cy n e u s , a n E ret r i a n , 3 5 1 . D a n au s , 1 1 5 , 1 18, 1 48 , 1 5 2, 39 6 .

Cy n i s c u s , s on o f L e u t y c h i d e s , 34 1 . D a p h n ae, P e l u s i a n ,
of Egy p t , 95 ,
Cy n o , or S p a c o , n u r s e o f Cy ru s , 121 .

44 5 0 D a p h n i s o f Aby d o s , ,
25 4 .

Cy n o s a r g e s i n A t t i c a 2 9 5 3 5 6, , ,
. D a r d a n i a n s 73 , .

Cy n o s u ra a n i s l a n d n e a r S a l a m i s
, , D a r d a n u s 3 1 6 38 4 , , .

465 , 466 . D a r i t ae ,
1 90 .

Cy n u r i a n s , 464 . D ari u s s o n o f H y s t as p e s K in g o f
, ,

Cy p ri a n v e r s e s 1 2 5 , . P e rs i a 5 3 71 73 8 1 8 2 1 2 2 1 44
, , , , , , , ,

Cy p ru s Cy p r i a n s 28
, , , 42 , 78 , 1 1 2, 1 68 , 18 1—2 1 5 ,
2 24—22 6, 2 38 —2 5 6,

1 5 2, 1 60, 2 63 , 2 77, 2 8 4 , 2 9 1 , 312 2 64 , 2 74—28 6 , 31 3

—3 1 9 , 32 1
—333 ,

3 1 6, 32 0, 39 5 39 7, 463 4 73
, ,
.
34 1 , 34 5 , 349 3 5 8 , 366, 367, 369 ,
-

Cy p s e li d ae ,
o f C o r i n t h 36 1 , , 3 71 , 3 73 , 376, 3 77, 3 79 , 38 7, 38 9 ,
Cy p s e l u s s o n o f E e t i o n t y ra n t o f
, ,
—
390 393 , 396, 399 ,
—
406 408 , 42 9 ,
C o r i n t h 6 8 1 71 307 308 , , , , ,
.
438 , 469 .

Cy p s e l u s f at h e r o f M il t i a d e s 328
, ,
. D ariu s , s on of X e rx e s , 5 30 .

C y ra u n i s i s l a n d n ea r L iby a 2 71
, ,
. Da s cy l i u m ,
1 98 , 200, 3 28 .

Cy r e n e Cy re n aea n s 96 9 7 1 45 D a s c yl u s fa t h e r o f Gyg e s 4
—
, , , , , , ,
.

15 1, 1 5 2, 1 5 7, 1 89, 2 02 , 2 5 9 2 65 , D a t i s P e r s i a n g e n e ra l a t M a ra
,

2 69 , 2 72 —2 74 , 2 90 . t h o n , 349 —
3 5 7, 369 , 371 , 39 2 , 394 .

Cy rn u s , i s l an d 65 66 4 1 9
, , ,
. Dat u s ,
c i ty of t h e E d o n ian s , 5 1 8 .

C y rn u s ,
a h e r o , 65 66 ,
. D au l i an s , 45 3 .

Cy r nu s , i t y o f Ca ry s t i a 5 2 8
a c D a u ri s e s , s o n i n l aw - -
of D a ri u s
K i n g o f P e r s i a 1 7 2 7—
.
, ,

Cy ru s ,
83 , , , 31 7 .

85 ,
1 5 3, 1 5 4, 1 65 —1 67 ,
1 8 0, 1 8 3, D e c e l ea, 349 , 49 5 5 1 7, 5 1 8 , .

1 88, 1 89, 1 98 , 2 1 2 , 292 , 366, 368 , D e c el u s 5 1 7 , .

369 , 3 76 386, 5 34 . D e i o c es , 6 ,
28 , —
39 4 1 .

Cy t h e ra , 1 s l a n d o ff t h e P el o p o n D e ip h o n u s , s on of E ve n i u s , a di
nesu s , 32 , 4 3, 44 1 . i
v n e r,5 24 5 2 5 ,
.

Cy t h n u s , Cy t h n i a n s 39 5 , 4 5 6 462 , ,
. D e li u m o f t h e T h e b an s 3 5 7 , .

Cy t i s s o ru s , s o n o f Ph ry x u s 430 ,
. D e l o s D e l i a n s 2 3 1 48 2 22
, , , , ,
2 2 3,

Cyzi c u s , Cy z i c e n i an s , 2 1 7, 2 1 8 , 2 3 5 ,

2 5 4, 32 8 . D elp h i ,
D el p h i a n s , 6—
9 ,
—
1 7 1 9 , 24 ,

25 , 6 —
34 3 38 65 68 , 1 34
, , , ,
1 5 1 , 1 75 ,

D a d i c ae t h e , ,
1 90, 390 . 2 1 8, 25 8, 2 —
60 2 63 , 2 66 ,
2 88 , 295 ,

D ae d a l u s 42 1 ,
. 2 9 7, 2 99, 302 , 304 , 306, 307, 324.
5 4 8 H E RODOT U S

B ion ,
c ity on the S t ry m o n , 3 78 , E ra s m u s ,
r 1v e r , 343 .

4 00, 40 1 , 4 8 0 . E r e c t h e u s , 302 , 4 2 7, 45 6, 4 5 8 .

E l ae u s , c ity in the C h e rs o n e s u s , E re t r i a , E re t r i a n s ,
22 , 2 93 , 31 1 ,
365 , 3 77, 38 0 5 32 , 5 33 , .
3 1 2, 33 1 , —
349 3 5 1 , 3 5 3, 3 5 6 35 8 , -

E l a t e a P h o c i a n c i t y , 45 3
, .
360, 444 , 4 5 6, 5 02 , 5 03 .

Elb o ,
i s l an d of th e bl i n d k i n g E ri d anu s ,
r v e r,i 1 95 , 1 96 .

An y s i s ,
1 36 . E r i n eu m , 45 5 .

El e a n s ,
1 45 , 2 5 8 , 3 60, 4 5 1 , 464 , 5 03 , E ro c h u s , P h o c ian c ity , 45 3 .

5 19 . E rx a n d ru s , 2 42 , 2 8 7 .

El e o n 2 8 8 , . E ry t h i a , i s l a n d n ea r Ga d e s 2 1 5 ,
‘
.

El e p h a n t i n e , c ity of U p p e r Egy p t ,
E ry t h r ae ,
E ry t h raea n s 7 5 7 32 1 , , , ,

88 9 1 , 94—
, 9 6, 1 1 0, 1 5 0, 1 60 .
4 9 5 , 49 7 499
-

El eu s i n i a n C e re s 5 1 2 5 2 5 —5 2 7 , ,
. E ry t h r e b o l u s , c ity of Egyp t ,
1 23 .

El e u s i s 1 1 2 99 300 338 342 46 1

, , , , , , ,
E ryx ,
i n S i c ily , 2 88 , 2 8 9 .

468 , 49 7, 5 0 1 . E ry x o , 2 62 .

Eli s ,
2 02 , 222 , 28 9, 34 1 , 464 . Et e a rc h u s , Ki n g of Ax u s i n C ret e ,

E l i s y c ian s , 419 . 2 5 9, 2 60 .

Ell o p i a , 45 0 . Et ea rch u s , K ing of th e Amm oni

E l o ru s , r v e r,i 41 5 .
96, 9 7 .

E n a r e e s , 43 2 32 ,
. E t e o c l e s 2 94 , .

E n c h e l e ae , 2 9 4 , 5 07 . E t e s i a n w i n d s 92 365 , , , 42 1 .

E n i e n e s , 406 . Et h i o p i a Et h i o p i a n s
, , 9 4, 9 5 , 1 1 9,

E n i p e u s , ri ve r of T h e s s a ly , 405 . 1 20, 1 22 , 1 35 , 1 36, 1 39 , 1 45 , 1 60

Enit i , t h e , 2 77 . 1 63 , 1 9 0, 1 9 1 , 2 68 , 2 72 , 39 1 , 39 5 ,
B o rd i , a p eo p l e of M a ced o n ia , 426 .
5 03 .

E p a p h u s 99 1 42 1 63 1 64 , , , ,
. E u ae n et u s , s on o f Ca r e n u s 42 3 , .

Ep h e s u s Ep h e s i an s I O 37 , , , , 57 59 , ,
E u al c is ,
an E r e t r i a n g e n e ra l 3 1 2 ,
.

88 ,
12 1, 1 39 , 2 9 3, 3 1 1 , 3 1 2 , 32 3, E u b oea ,
E u b oean s 5 8 2 2 2 2 8 4 300 , , , , ,

34 5 , 4 74, 4 75 , 5 2 1 3 5 1 , 360, 4 1 6, 42 3, 42 5 , 4 2 7, 42 8 ,
Ep h i al t e s , s on of E u ry d e m u s , a 14 5 449 ) 462 ) 463, 468
4 -
°

M a l i a n 434—438 ,
. E u c l i d e s , s o n o f H i p p o c ra t e s , t y
E p h o r i t h e 2 09 2 8 7, , , ,
2 88 , 338 , 339 ,
ra n t S y ra c u s e 4 1 6
of , .

344 ,
—
49 49 4
2 E u e l t h o n , Ki n g o f S a l a m i s , 2 63 ,

E p i c y d e s , fa t h e r of Gl au c u s 346 ,
.
312 .

Ep i d am n u s , on t h e I o n i an G u l f ,
E u e s p e ri d e s , i s lan d s ,
2 65 .

360 . E u e s p e ri d e s , a p eop l e of L ibya ,

Ep id anu s , i
r ver o f T h e s s a ly , 429 . 2 72 .

E p i d au ru s ,
E p i d au ri a n s , 58 ,
1 72 , E u m e n e s a n An a g y ra s i a n 470
, ,
.

1 74 , 302 , 303 , 39 7, 444 , 4 5 5 , 4 5 6, Eu m en i d e s t em p l e o f t h e at M y

, ,

6
4 4, 5 0 11—5 03 . cal e 258 , 525 ,
.

E p ig o n i t h e , ,
222 . E u n o m u s 48 4 ,
.

E p i s t ro p h u s , fa t h e r of A mp h i m E u p al i n u s , s on of N au s t ro p u s , a

nes tu s , 360 . M e ga r i an a rc h i t ec t ,
1 76 .

Ep iu m ,
258 . Eu p h em u s ,
258 .

Ep iz el u s , s on o f C u p h a g o ra s , 3 5 7 . E u p h o rb u s , s on of Al c i m ac h u s ,
E p i z e p h y ri a n L o c r ia n s , 32 5 .
35 1
 I N DE X
5 49

E u p h o ri o n ,
fa t h e r o f ZE s c h y l u s , G ae s o n ,
i
r v e r, 5 25 .

1 43 , 35 6 Ga l e p s u s ,
c ity of M a ce d o n ia , 403 .

E u p h o ri o n ,
fa t h e r of La p h a n e s ,
Ga l l a i c a , 400 .

360 . Ga m o ri , tr ib e of S y ra c u s a n s , 416 .

E u p h ra t e s 70 71 75 2 9 2 , , , , . Ga n d a r i a n s , a p eop l e of As ia ,
1 90,

E u r i p u s t h e 300 42 2 42 5 44 5
, , , , , , 44 8 , 390
462 . Ga r a m a n t e s , a L ibya n i
n a t o n , 2 66,

E u ro p a , of Ty re ,
2, 67, 1 02 , 2 2 6, 2 68 .

25 7 . Ga r ga p h ia , fou nt a i n o f, 499 , 5 09 ,
E u ro p e , 42 , 90, 9 7, 1 20, 1 95 , 1 96, 5 10 .

2 24 , 2 2 6, 2 2 8 , 2 40, 25 5 , 3 2 8 , 33 1 , Ga u a n e s 486, 48 7 , .

3 77, 38 8 , 49 5 . Ge b e l e i z i s ( Z a l m o x i s ) , 24 1 .

E u ro p u s , 48 4 . Gela , Ge l o a n s
32 5 , 4 1 5 , 4 1 6 ,
.

E u ry a n a x , s on of D o ri eu s , 494 , G e l e o n , s o n o f I o n , 2 96 .

511 . G e l o n , t y ra n t o f S y ra c u s e , 4 1 1 —42 0 .

E u ryb a t e s , of A rgo s 349 , 5 1 8

,
. Gel o nu s ,
c ity of S cy t h ia ,
2 44 , 2 45 ,

E u ry b i a d e s , s on of E u ry c l i d e s , 2 48 , 2 49 , 254 .

c om m ander o f t h e fl e e t , 44 4 , 44 5 , Gel o nu s , s on o f H e rc u l e s ,
216 .

4 5 5 , 4 5 7, 4 5 9 , 460, 46 1 , 464, 466, G e p h y r ae a n s ,

2 93 , 2 94 .

4 76, 48 1 . G e r ae s t u s ,
t own of E u b oea ,

E u ry c ra t e s , s on of P o ly d o ru s 4 3 1 , .
5 28 .

E u ry c ra t i d e s , s on o f Anaxa n d e r ,
Ge r g i s , s on o f A ri z u s , 39 3 .

43 1 G e r g i t h ae, 3 1 8 38 4 ,
.

E u ry d a m e , d a u g h t e r of D ia ct o ri Ge r m a n i a n s , P e r s i a n t r ib e , 51 .

de s , w i fe of Z e u x i d e m u s , 34 1 . Ge r rh u s ,
i
r ver an d re gi o n of

E u ry d e m u s , 434 . Scyth ia ,
2 1 9, 2 2 7, 2 29 , 2 33 .

E u ry l e o n , 2 8 9 2 90 ,
. Ge r s i s ,
a P e rs i a n c o m m a n d e r, 403 .

E u ry m a c h u s ,
fa t h e r of Leo nt i a d e s ,
G e ry o n ,
215 .

432 . G e t ae a , p eop l e of T h ra c e ,
2 4 1 , 2 42 .

E u ry m a c h u s ,
s on of Leo n t ia d es , Gi g o n u s , 404 .

44 0 . Gil i g a m m ae ,
L iby an n at o n , i 2 65 .

E u ry p h o n , s on of P ro c l e s , 48 4 . G i l l u s 2 05,
.

E u ry p il u s , one of th e A l e u a d ae 5 1 2 , . Gi n d a n e s ,
t h e, L iby a n n a t o n , 2 66i .

E u ry s t h e n e s , s on o f Aris t o demu s ,
Gl a u c o n , 5 1 8 .

2 5 7, 2 8 7, 334 , 4 32 . Gl a u c u s , a C h i a n i n ve n t o r o f ,
the
E u ry s t h e u s K i n g ,
of A rgo s , 5 00, a rt of i n l a yi n g i ro n 1 0 , .

5 01 . Gl a u c u s , s on o f H ip p ol o ch u s , 59 .

E u ry t u s , 439 . Gl a u c u s , s on of E p i cy d e s , 346 ,

Eu thy nu s 5 28 ,
.
347 .

E u t y c h id e s , f a t h e r of So p hanes ,
Gl i s a s , 5 07 .

5 17 . Gn u ru s ,
2 36 .

E u xi n e S ea , 3, 28 , 29, 44 , 90, 9 7, G o b ry a s ,
a P e rs i a n no bl e m a n ,
fa
224 , 2 2 6, 2 39 , 2 4 0, 32 8 , 38 1 . t h er o f M a rd o n i u s ,
18 1 -
1 88 , 2 5 2 ,

E v a g o ra s , a L a c e d ae m o n i a n , 35 2 . 2 5 3, 3 3 1 , 366 3 67, 393 ,

.

E ve n i u s , 5 24 , 5 25 . G o b ry a s , s on of D a ri u s and A rt y
E x a m p ae u s , 2 2 8 , 2 38 . s t o n e, 392 .
 55 0 H E ROD OT U S

Go n n u s , c ity of T h e s s a ly 405 423 , ,

. H eg es ic le s Ki n g o f S p a rt a 2 4 , , .

Go rd i a s , f at h e r o f M i da s 6 48 7 , ,
. H e g es ip y l e d a u g h t e r o f O l o ru s
, ,

Go r d i a s , s on o f M i das 1 4 ,
. w i f e o f M il t i a d e s 330 ,
.

Go rgo ,
dau gh t er of Cl e o m e n e s ,
H e g e s i s t ra t u s s o n o f H i p p i a s 309 , , .

—
2 90 2 9 2 , 443 . H e g e s i s t ra t u s , s on o f A r i s t a g o ra s ,

G o rgu s K i n g ,
of the Sa l a m i n ian s , 5 2 3, 5 2 4
H e g e s i s t ra t u s , a d i v i n e r, 5 07 .

G ra c e s ,
t h e , 1 04 , 2 66 . H e g et o ri d e s 5 1 8 5 1 9 , , .

G re e k s , p as s i m . H e g i a s b r o t h e r o f T i s a m e n u s 5 04
, ,
.

Gr i n u s , Ki n g T h e ra 2 5 8 of ,
. H e l en , w i fe of M e n e l au s ,
2, 1 23

Gry n i a , a n ZE o l i a n c i t y 5 9 ,
. 1 2 7, 309 , 337, 5 1 7
Gygaea ,
d au gh t e r o f A m y nt a s ,
28 1 , H el i ce 5 8 , .

48 5 . H e li o p o l i s 8 6—88 1 06 1 07 , , , ,
1 10 .

Gy g e a n L a k e 38 ,
. H e ll a s 1 06 ,
.

Gyg e s ,
Ki n g o f S a rd i s , 4, 3 7, 1 98 , H e ll e d a u g h t e r o f A t h a m a s
, , 388 .

317 H e ll e n fa t h e r o f D o ru s 2 0
, ,
.

Gy m n o p ae d i ae t h e p u bli c , , ga m e s at H e ll en i u m , t h e, s a cred p re c i n c t at

S p a rt a 339 ,
. N a u c ra t i s ,
15 1 .

Gy n d e s , i
r v er o f A rm en ia , 73 , 74 , H e ll e s p o n t ,
2 0, 1 8 9 , 2 2 4 , 2 3 5 , 2 39

79 , 292 ° 24 1 , 2 5 4, 2 5 6, 2 75 , 2 77, 2 78 , 28 1 ,

Gy z a n t e s , a p eop l e of L ibya ,
2 71 . 28 5 , 305 , 3 1 2 , 3 1 6, 3 1 7, 326, 3 2 8 ,
3 3 1 , 349 , 365 , 368 , 369 , 371 . 38 0,
H a d e s 1 29 ,
.
38 1 , 38 4, 38 7, 388 , 400, 408 , 4 1 2 ,
H aem u s M o u n t 22 7 , , .
4 1 6, 4 1 9, 42 7, 4 5 7, —
475 477 , 4 79 ,
H a l i a c m o n r i v e r 404 , , .
48 0, 5 1 5 , 5 2 6, 5 2 7, 5 2 9 , 5 32
H a l i c a rn a s s u s c i t y o f A s i a M i n o r , ,
H elot s ,
of S p a rt a , 336, 342 , 344,
1, 5 8 , 68 , 15 1, 1 5 4, 155, 39 7, 4 74, 45 1 , 5 0 1 .

5 29 . H e p h ae s t ra 365 , .

H al y s , i
r ve r o f A s ia M i n o r , 3, 1 0, H e p h ae s t o p o l i s f a t h e r ,
of Iad m on,
—
2 7 29, 42 , 5 3, 2 92 , 3 1 2 , 3 79 1 34 .

H anno ,
fa t h e r of A m il c a r , 41 9 . H e ra c l e a ,
i n S i c ily , 288 .

H a rm at i d e s , 439 . H e r ae o p o l i s ,
2 40 .

H a rm o c y d e s , a P h o c i a n g e n e ra l ,
H e r ae u m 5 1 1 5 1 6 , ,
.

496, 49 7 . H e ra c li d ae , 3 , 37, 2 88 , 479 , 5 00 .

H a rm o d i u s , 2 9 3, 3 5 4, 3 5 8 . H e ra c l i d e s ,
2 8 7, 317 .

H a rp a g u s ,
a M edic p i
r n ce , 31 —
53 ,
H e rc u l e s , 4, 1 00 —1 02 ,
1 1 3, 1 23, 1 38 ,

63—
66 68 , 69 ,
. 1 39 , 215, 2 1 6, 2 30 , 2 38 , 2 88 , 295 ,

H a rp a g u s , P e r s i a n g e n e ra l , 32 7 .
, 6
33 5 3 5 3 3 5 , 4 4 4 2 2 8 —
430 432 ,
, , ,

H ea d s o f O a k t h e p a s s , ,
of M o u nt 433 4 3 7, 4 5 5 , 48 4
,
.

Ci t h aer o n 5 06 ,
. H e r c u l e s Pill a rs o f 9 7, 2 1 5 , 22 5 ,
, ,

H e b e 5 26
,
. 2 5 9 2 68 2 69 2 72 48 4
, , , ,
.

H e b r u s r i v e r 2 40 38 9
, , ,
. H e rm i o n e ,
H e rm i o n i an s ,
1 75 , 368 ,
H e c a t aeu s t h e h i s t o r i a n, , 1 37, 1 38 , 4 5 5 , 464 , 5 02 , 5 03 .

31 8, 363 364 ,
. H e r m i p p u s a n A t a r n i a n 3 1 9 32 0
, , ,
.

H e ct o r 1 26 ,
. H e rm o l y c u s s o n o f E u t h y n u s , 5 28 . .

H e ge s a n d e r 3 1 8 , . H e rm o p h a n t u s , 3 1 1 .
55 2 H E R O D OT U S

t h er o f D a ri u s ,
8 1 , 82, 18 1, 1 88, 1 43 , 1 46, 15 1, 1 5 3, 1 68 , 1 89 , 1 98 .

2 38 , 2 99 , 3 73 . 2 00, 22 3 , 2 4 0, 2 42 , 25 1 —2 5 5 ,
28 3,

Hy s ta s p es , s on of D ariu s and 2 90, 29 1 , 2 94 , 2 9 6, 304 , 310 —32 8 ,

At o s s a , 39 0 .
33 1 , 346, 349 , 3 5 0, 3 70, 3 71 , 38 6,
38 7, 396, 42 8 , 44 6, 449 , 4 5 0, 4 5 6,
I a c c h u s , 46 1 . 6
4 4, 4 68 — 470, 4 77 48 3, 48 4, 5 00, ,

Ia d m o n s o n , of H e p h ae s t op o l i s , 5 2 3, 5 2 5 5 28 5 2 9 , , .

m a s t er of E s op , 1 34 . I o n i a n G u l f, 360, 5 24 .

I aly s s u s , a D o ri c c i ty , 58 . I o n i a n S ea , 3 77 .

I a m i d ae , 289, 5 03 . I p h i c l u s , 5 32 .

Ia p y g ia ( J a p y g i a) , A p u li a , 2 05 , I p h ig e n i a , d a u gh t e r of Ag a m e m
24 3 , 42 1 n on, 2 44 .

I a t r a g o ra s , 28 7 . Ip n i , 42 7 .

Ib ano l is ,
2 8 7, 317 . I ra s a , 2 61 .

I b e r i a , 64 4 1 9 , . Is , c ity of A s s y ria 70 ,
.

I c a r i a n S e a , 349 . I s a g o ra s , s on o f T y s a n d e r, 2 96,

I c h n ae , 404 . 2 98 , 2 99 .

I c h t h y o p h a gi , 1 60 1 62 , — 1 64 . Is ch en o u s , 42 5 .

I d a, M o u nt , 60, 38 4 . Is is , of the Egy p t i a n s ,

1 00, 1 06,

I d a nt hy rs u s , K ing of S c yth ia ,
2 35 , 1 07, 1 29 , 1 30 , 1 4 3, 1 5 0, 2 69 .

2 36, 2 49 2 5 1 — . I s la n d B l e s s e d S e e O as i s
of the . .

Id rias , a re gi o n of Ca ria , 316 . I s m a r i s l a k e o f T h ra c e 400

, , .

I li a d ,
”
t h e, 1 25 . I s m e n i a n A p o ll o S e e A p o ll o . .

I li s s u s , r ve r, i 4 28 . Is s ed o ne s , 78 , 2 1 7, 2 1 8 , 2 2 1 , 2 22 .

I l it h y a, 2 23 . I s t e r, i
r ve r o f S c y t h i a , 79 , 9 7, 22 7

I li u m , 88 , 1 25 , 3 09 , 3 77, 38 4
3 1 7, . 2 29, 2 3 7, 2 40 2 43 , — 2 4 7, 2 49 , 25 1 ,

I l ly r i a , I lly r i a n s , 76, 2 2 7, 4 86, 5 07 . 2 5 3 2 5 5 , 2 77,

-

3 71
I m b ro s , 28 3 330, 33 1 , 3 5 2 . I s t ria, M il e s i a n co on l y , 9 7, 2 36 .

I m m o rt a l s o f t h e P e r s i an a rm y ,
I t a ly , 9 ,
2 04 , 2 05 , 2 18, 288 , 360 .

38 0, 39 3 , 394, 434 4 78 ,
. It an u s , c ity of C r et e ,
258 .

I n a c h u s , Ki n g o f A r g o s , 2 . I t h a m at r e s , 39 1 .

I n a ru s , Ki n g of L iby a ,
1 5 7, 1 5 9, I t h a m i t re s , P e r s i a n a d m ra i l , 48 3,
368 .
5 28 .

In d ia ,
Ind ians , 1 68 , 1 90 —1 9 3 ,
2 24 , I t h o m m 5 04 ,
.

22 6, 2 75 , 3 70, 390, 394, 4 78 , 5 03 . I y r c ae, t h e , 2 1 9 .

Indu s , i
r ve r, 22 6 .

Ino , 430 .
J a rd a n u s , 4 .

I n t a p h e rn e s , a P e rs i a n p i
r n c e, 1 8 1 Jas o n ,
2 66, 2 67, 428 , 42 9 .

1 88, 1 9 7, 1 98 .
J e ny s u s ,
c ity ,
155 .

I ny c u m , c ity of S i c ily 32 5 336 , ,

. Ju no ,
1 1, 2 7, 1 04, 15 1, 1 5 2, 1 99 ,

I o , d a u gh t e r o f In ach u s 2 1 00 , ,
. 2 40, 2 5 9 , 308 , 309 , 344 , 5 1 0, 5 1 1 ,
Io lcu s , t own of M a gn e s ia , 309 .
5 1 4, 5 2 5 .

I on , s on of Xuthu s , an ces to r of J u p it er , S c y t h i a n ( P a p aeu s ) ,

2 1 4,

t h e Io n i an s ,
2 96, 396, 4 5 6 . 2 3 0, 25 1 ; o f the P ers ian s , 54 ,

I o n ia ,
I o n i an s , 3 , 7, 1 0, 30, 3 7, 5 6 3 1 3 , 38 3 , 4 79 ; B a byl o n i a n (Be
5 9, 66, 67, 8 5 . 90, 1 1 0, 121, 1 42 , l u s ) , 70, 71 , 2 1 2 ; Egy p t i a n ( A m
 I N DE X
553

m on and T h e b a n) ,
1 7, 71 , 9 1 ,
Egy p t ,
1 06, 1 07, 1 09 , 1 1 1, 1 1 3,

1 00, 1 01 , 1 05 , 1 06, 1 1 1, 1 1 3 , 1 62 , 1 22, 1 33 , 1 42, 1 43 , 1 78 .

2 68 ; Et h i op ian , 95 , 1 62 ; Gr e L au r eu m , m i n e s at , 41 1 .

c i an , 67, 8 7, 1 39
1 6, ,
15 1, 1 99 , L e a g ru s , s on o f Gl a u c o n , 5 18 .

200, 2 06 2 07, 2 67, 2 74, ,

2 90, 29 1 , L e a rc h u s ,
2 62 .

2 96, 3 1 7, 3 35 , 340, 388 , 38 9 , 4 1 0, L e b ae a , 48 6 .

4 30, 49 3 , 5 2 0, S34 L e b a d e a , 48 5 .

L eb e d u s , 5 7 .

L ab da ,
d au gh t er of A mp h i o n ,
L e c t i s , 5 32 .

306, 307 . L e i e t u m , A c h aea n P ry t a n e u m 430 ,

.

L ab da cu s , s on of P o ly d o ru s ,
2 94 . L el e g e s , a nc ent i n am e of the
La b ra n d a , 3 1 7 . Ca r i a n s ,
66 .

L a b y n e t u s , 2 9 , 30, 73 . L e m n o s L e m n i an , ,
2 5 6, 2 8 3, 363
L a by r i n t h o f t h e T w e l v e K i n gs , 365 , 368 , 44 7, 464 , 467
1 39 , 1 40 . L e o , K i n g o f S p a rt a , 2 4 .

L a c e d aem o n L a c e d ae m o n i a n s , , p as Leob otas , Ki n g of S p a rt a ,

2 4,

s im .
4 32
La c m o n , M o u nt , 5 24 . Leo ced e s , s on o f Ph ei do n , an Ar
L a c r i n e s , 60 . gi v e , 360, 361 .

L ade , i s l an d n ea r M il e t u s , 3 2 0, L e o n Ki n g o f S p a rt a 42 5 43 1
, , , .

32 1 . L e o n i d a s Ki n g o f S p a rt a 2 88
, , ,

L a d i c e w i fe o f A m a s i s
, ,
1 5 1, 1 52 .
—
4 3 44 3,
1 44 8 , 449 , 464 , 4 78 , 4 79 ,
L a i u s 2 5 8 2 88 2 94
, , , .
494 , 5 1 4 , 5 1 9 .

La m p i t o d au gh t e r o f , Z eu xi d e Leo n t i a d e s , s o n of E u ry m a c h u s ,

m u s 34 1 ,
.
432 , 44 0 .

L amp o n s o n , of Py t h eu s , 5 1 9 5 20 ,
. L e o n t i n es , a p eo p l e of S i c ily 4 1 5 ,
.

L am p o n , s on o f T h ra s y c l e u s , 5 2 3 , L e 0 p re p e s ,
f at h e r of T h ea s i d e s ,

5 24 .
34 5
La m p o n i u m ,
283 . L e o p re p e s , fa t h e r of S i m on id es ,

Lamp s acu s ,
Lam p s a c en i an s , 2 5 4, 4 39
3 1 6 32 9 , 330
, . Leo t y c h i d e s , s on of M e n a re s ,

L a o da m a s , s o n of Et eoc l e s ,
2 94 . K in g of S p a rt a ,
8 —
33 34 2 , 34 5
L a o da m a s , of P h o c aea ,
254 .
, 8
347 4 4 5 3 5 2 2 6— 5 29 5 32
, , , .

La o d a m u s ,
of E g i na , 25 9 L e o t y c h i d e s f a t h e r o f H i p p o c ra t i ,

L a o d i c e H y p e rb o r ea n v i r gi n
, ,
2 22 , d es , 48 4 .

223 .
L e p ri u m , L e p re a t ae ,
258, 5 02 5 03 ,
.

L ao s , 3 24 .
L e ro s i s l a n d
, n ea r M il e t u s , 318 .

Lap h an e s , s on of E u p h o ri o n , an L e s b o s 9 60 , , , 63 79 , ,
1 69 , 2 30, 2 8 3,

Az e n i an , 3 60, 36 1 .

L ap i t h ae , 306 .
L e u c a d i a n s 4 5 6 5 02 5 03 , , ,
.

L a ri s s a , 49 1 .
L e u c e A c t e 3 78
-

, .

L a r i s s ae, 5 9 .
L e u c o n i n L iby a 2 62
L ibya L iby a n s 1 7 8 7 8 9—
, , .

La s o n i a n s a p e o p l e of As ia 1 89 ,
, , , 97 , , , ,
1 05 ,

39 2 1 06, 1 2 6, 1 5 7, 1 60 , 1 89 , 191, 1 95 ,
La s u s , the H e r m i o n i a n 368 , . 22 1 , 22 4 2 2 6, -
2 5 6, 258 —2 74 ,
2 88 ,

L a t o na , o rac e l o f, at B uto ,
in 39 1 , 394, 4 1 9 , 42 6 .
5 54 H E RO DOT U S

L iby a n m o u nta in, 1 1 8, 1 30 . Ly s i m a c h u s ,

fa t h e r of A r i s t i d es ,

L i c has ,
25 , 26 .
5 02 .

Li g y e s ,
a p eop l e of Gau l ,
2 77, 419 . L y s i s t r at u s , an At h en i an au gu r ,

Li g y es , a p eop le of A s ia , 39 1 , 392 .
4 71 , 4 72 .

L i m en i o n , 7 .

Li n d u s , a D o ri c c ity , 58, 1 5 2, 1 71 , M a c ae L iby a n ,

n at o n , i 2 66, 2 88 .

41 5 . Macednu m ,
20 .

L i nu s , a s on g ,
1 12 . M a c e do n ia M a c edo n ians , ,
2 79 2 8 1 , -

Li p a x u s , 404 .
309 , 332 , 3 70, 3 78 , 39 2 , 404, 405 ,
Li p o x a i s ,
2 14 .
42 3 , 42 6, 4 5 3, 4 5 5 , 4 79 , 48 2 , 48 5
Li p s y d r i u m , 29 5 .
48 7, 5 03, 5 2 3 .

L i s ae 404,
. M a c h l y e s L iby a n n a t i o n 2 66
, , ,
2 67 .

Li s s u s a r i v e r , 400 of T h ra c e ,
. M aci s t iu s S ee M a s i s t iu s . .

L o c r i a n s 406, 432 , 43 5 , 462 , 5 03 ;

,
M ac is tu s 2 5 8 ,
.

E p i z e p h y r i a n , 32 5 O p u n t ian , M a c ro bi a n E t h i o p i a n s . See Et h i
43 1 , 444 . o p ia n s .

L o t o p h a gi L iby a n n a t i o n 2 66 2 68 , , ,
. M a c ro n e s t h e 1 2 0 1 9 0 393 , , , , .

L y c a r e t u s b r o t h e r o f M aea n d r i
,
M a c t o ri u m c i t y 4 1 5 , ,
.

u s , 2 07, 2 8 3 . M a dy e s K i n g o f t h e S cyt h i an s
, ,

Ly c i a Ly c i a n s
, ,
1 0, 66—
69 ,
1 5 4, 1 8 9 , s on of P r o t o t h y a s , 42 .

22 3 , 22 6, 3 9 2 , 3 9 5 , 39 6 . M a d yt u s , 38 0 5 34 ,
.

Ly c i d a s 49 2 ,
. M aea n d e r ,
i
r ver o f A s ia M ino r , 7,
Ly c o m e d e s s o n ,
of ZE s c h re u s , 44 7 . 63 88 , 9 4
, ,
1 98 , 3 1 6, 3 1 7, 3 79 , 38 6
Ly c o p a s ,
1 74 . M aea n d r i u s , a Sa m i a n ,
1 99 , 2 06

Ly c o p h ro n , s on o f P erian d er ,
1 72 209 , 28 3 .

1 74 . M ael i a n s 42 9 ,
.

Ly c u r gu s ,
s on of Ari s t o l a i d e s ,
2 1, M ae o n i a n s Ly d i a n , , 4 .

24 . M aeo t i a n s 2 5 0 ,
.

Ly c u s r i v e r o f S c yt h i a 2 5 0
, ,
. M ae o t i s l a k e 42 , , ,
2 1 4 , 2 1 9 , 2 2 6, 22 9 ,

Ly c u s r i v e r o f P h rygi a 38 0
, ,
. 2 39 , 2 43 , 2 44 , 2 49 , 2 5 0, 25 2 .

Ly c u s s o n o f S p a rg a p i t h e s 2 36
, ,
. M a g ab a z u s s o n o f M e g a b at e s , , 396 .

Ly c u s s o n o f P a n d i o n 68 39 5
, , , . M a g a c r e o n o f Ab d e ra 403 ,
.

Ly d a m o u n t a i n 69
, ,
. M a g d o l u s 1 44 ,
.

Ly d i a Ly d i a n s 6 0 7 2 9 3 1
,
1 2 — , , , , ,
M a gi ,
tr ib e of the M edes , 4 1 , 4 3,
33,
—
3 7 39 , 42 , 5 6 5 7 6 1 62 , 67,
, , , 49 , 5 2, 5 4 5 6; ,
s l a u gh t e r of t he,

1 4 7, 1 8 9, 2 00, 2 2 6 2 78 2 90 29 2
, , , ,
1 85 .

31 1 , 3 1 2, 328 , 3 5 9 38 0, 38 4 , 39 2
,
. M a gn e s i a ,
M a g n es ian s , 63 ,
1 89,

Ly d i a s ,
i
r ve r, 404 . 1 98 , 1 99 , 42 3 , 42 5 , 42 6, 428 .

Ly d u s , s on o f A t y s 4 67 392 , , ,
. M a g n e t e s 406 ,
.

Ly g d a m i s ,
o f N a x o s 22 2 3 , ,
. M a l ea 32 2 66 , , , 42 1 .

Ly g d am i s , fa t h e r o f A rt e m i s i a , 39 7 . M a l e n e 32 7 ,
.

Ly n c e u s ,
115 .
M a l e s b ro t h e r
,
of Ti t o rm u s , 360,
Ly s a g o ra s , s on o f Ti s ia s , a P a ri a n , 36 1 .

362 . M a l iac Gu l f 2 22 ,
.

Ly s a g o ra s f a t h e r ,
of H i s t i aeu s . 283 . M al i s ,
M a l i a n s 430 , , 43 1 , 434, 435 ,

Ly s an i a s , an E r et r i a n , 360 , 36 1 .
4 5 2 , 4 5 5 , 4 5 6, 462 .
55 6
'

H E RODOT U S

M e l a s G u l f o f 330 38 9
, , , . M il e t u s M il e s i a n s
, , 6—8 5 7, 66 1 44, , ,

M e l e s Ki n g o f S a rd i s 33
, , . 15 1, 1 69 2 36, 2 54 2 77, 2 8 2 —
, 28 7 , ,

M e li a n s 406 5 03 , , . 2 96, 308 3 I 4r 3 1 7 32 71 346: 347,

_ fl

M e l ib oea 42 7 , .
5 2 6, 5 2 8 .

M e l i s s a w i fe o f P e r i a n d e r
, ,
1 72 , M il o a w re s t l e r 2 05
, , .

308 , 309 . M il t i ad e s s o n o f Cy p s e l u s
, , 32 8
M e m b li a r e s , s on o f P ae c il es , 257 .
330, 3 5 2 .

M em n o n 1 2 1 , . M il t i a d e s , s on of Ci m o n ,
t y ra n t of

M e m n o n i a 2 92 , . Ch e rs o n e s u s ,
2 5 4, 32 8 —
33 1 , 35 1
M em n o n i a n S u s a 4 1 4 ,
.
35 5 , 362
—365 , 400 .

M e m p h i s 8 6—89 1 1 8 1 19 , , , ,
1 2 3 , 1 2 4, M ily a s M il y a n s, ,
67, 392 .

1 2 6, 1 41 , 1 42 , 1 44 , 1 5 0, 155, 157 M i ly en s ,
1 89 .

1 5 9, 1 63 , 1 67, 1 90 , 2 05 . M i n e r va , 7, 8, 2 3, 25 , 63, 9 4, 1 06,

M e n a re s ,
fa t h e r of Leoty c h i d es , 1 1 3, 1 48 —1 5 0 ,
1 5 2, 1 71 , 1 76, 2 67,

338 , 48 4 . 2 70, 28 9, 301 , 302 , 309 , 38 4, 4 1 0,

M en da, a c it y of P a l l e n e , 404 .
4 5 4, 4 5 8 . 471 , 4 74, 5 1 6 .

M en d e s ,
Pa n ( Egy p t i a n ) ,
1 00, 1 02 . M i n o a, 28 9 .

M e n d e s i a n d i s t r i c t i n Egy p t , ,
1 00 , M inos , the C n o s s i an 1 98 , .

1 02 , 147 . M ino s , s on o f E u r o p a 66 , , 67, 42 1 ,

M e n d e s ia n m o u t h of the N il e 9 1 ,
.
42 2 .

M e n e l a u s 1 2 3—1 2 7 309 42 1 , , , , 4 22 . M i n y ae ,
2 5 6 25 8 — .

M e n e l a u s p o rt o f i n L iby a, , ,
2 65 . M i nyan -
O rc h o m e n i an s , 58 .

M e n e s Ki n g o f Egy p t 8 6
, , ,
1 18, M i t ra . S ee V enu s .

1 19 . M i t ra d a t e s 44—
47 ,
.

M en i u s b ro t h e r
, of E u ry d a m e , 34 1 . M i t ro b at e s a P e r s i a n , p ri n c e, 1 98

M e rb a l u s s o n ,
of Ag b al u s ,
an 2 00 .

A r i d i an , 396 . M i t yl ene M i t y l e n e a n s, ,
1 0, 63 ,
1 34,

M e r c u ry ,
1 04 , 1 36, 1 38 ; T h ra c i a n , 15 1, 1 5 7, 1 5 8, 2 42 , 2 77, 2 8 7, 309 ,
2 76 .
3 1 0, 3 20 .

M e r m n a d ae k i n g s o f S a rd i s 4 , ,
. M n e s a r c h u s f at h e r ,
of Py t h a go ra s ,

M e ro e c i t y a n d c a p i t a l o f E t h i
,
24 1 .

0p ia, 95 . M n e s i p h il u s , an At h en i an 45 9 , .

M e s a m b r i a, c it y of T h ra c e ,
241 , M oer i s Ki n g o f
,
Egy p t 8 9 1 1 9 , ,
.

32 8 , 400 . M oer i s l a k e 8 9 , ,
1 1 0 1 1 9 1 39 —
,
1 41 , ,

M e s s a n a c i t y o f S i c ily 4 1 9
, ,
. 1 89 .

M es s e n ian s o f P el o p o n ne s u s ,
1 71 , M o l oe i s ,
i
r ve r o f B oeo t i a 5 1 2 ,
.

29 1 , 334 , 5 04 , 5 1 5 M olos s i ,
a p e o p l e o f Ep i ru s , 5 8,
M e t a p o n t i u m , i n I t a ly , 218 .
360 .

M e t h y m n a M e t h y m n aea n s 8 60 , , ,
. M o l p a g o r a s f a t h e r o f A r i s t a g o ra s
, ,

M e t i o c h u s s o n o f M il t i a d e s 330
, , , 28 3 .

33 1 M o m emp h i s , c it y of Egyp t ,
1 46,

M e t r o d o ru s o f P ro c o n n e s u s 2 5 4 ,
. 1 47 .

M i c y t h u s s o n o f C h oer u s s e rva n t
, , M 0 p h i m o u nta in in
,
U p p e r Egy p t ,

of An a x il a u s , 42 1 , 4 2 2 .
94
M i d a s s o n o f Go r d i a s
, , K in g of M o s c h ian s a p eo p l e of A s ia ,
1 90,

P h rygi a 6 1 4 48 7 , , ,
.
 IN D E X
5 57

M o s y n oec i ,
a p eo p l e of A s ia ,
1 90 , N au p l ia , 343 .

393 N a u s t ro p h u s , fa t h e r of E u p al i nu s ,

M ou th s o f the N il e , 91 . 1 76 .

M u n yc h ia , a p o rt A t t i c a 465
of ,
. Naxos , N ax ian s , 22 , 2 3, 283, 2 86,

M u ry c h i d e s , a H e ll e s p o n t i n e 49 1 , , 349 , 3 5 0, 4 1 5 , 4 5 6 .

49 2 N e a p o l i s c i t y o f Egy p t 1 1 5
, ,
.

M u s aeu s ,
o ra c e s l o f, 368 , 4 71 , 4 72 . N ea p o l i s t o w n o f P a l l e n e 404
, ,
.

M y cal e ,
op p os ite S a m o s , 32 3 39 3 , ,
N e c o Ki n g o f Egy p t 1 4 1 1 44
, , , ,

5 23, 5 2 35
—5 2 9 5 32 ,
2 24 , 225 .

My c e n ae M y ,
c e n aea n s , —5 03 . N e l e i d ae , 2 96 .

M y c e p h o ri s ,
a d i s t ri ct of Egy p t , N el eu s , s on C o d ru s 5 2 6
of , .

1 47 . Neo cles ,
fa t h e r o f T h e m i s t o c l e s ,

My c e r i n u s ,
Ki n g of Egy p t ,
1 32 , 4 1 0, 42 3 .

1 33 . N eon, t ow n of Phoc is , 45 2 , 45 3 .

M y c ian s , 1 9 0, 39 1 . N eo n -
t e i ch o s , ZE o l i a n t o wn, 5 9 .

M y c o n u s i s l a n d n e ar D el o s 35 7
, ,
. N ep t u ne , 5 9, 1 0 1 , 1 04 , 2 30, 2 67, 2 70 ,

M y g d o n ian a d i s t ri ct o f M ac e , 402 , 405 , 406, 42 8 , 4 5 8 , 48 1 , 48 3 ,

d o n i a , 404 .
5 20 .

M yl as a ,
t ow n in Ca ri a , 67, 2 8 7, 317 . N e re i d s ,
t h e, 1 04 , 42 8 .

M yli t t a . Se e Venu s . N es t or ,
fa t h e r of P i s i s t rat u s ,
2 96 .

M y n d ian s ,
28 5 . Nes tu s , r v e r,i 400 , 404 .

M y rc i n u s , c ity of E d o n i a, 2 77, 2 8 1 , N eu ri ,
a p eop le of S cy t h i a ,
2 1 9,

28 2 , 31 8 . 228 , 2 43 , 2 44 , 2 48 , 250 .

M y r i an d ri an Gu l f ,
22 4 . N i ca n d e r ,
K i n g o f S p a rt a 48 4 , .

My r i n a , 59 . N i c a n d ra , p r i e s t e s s o f J u p i t e r 1 05 ,
.

M y r i n ae a n s o f L e m n o s , 365 . N i c o d ro m u s , s on o f C n oet h u s 347 , ,

My ri s L a k e 8 6
, , .
348 .

M y rm e x 4 2 5 ,
. N i c o l a u s fa t h e r o f B u l i s 407
, ,
.

My ro n ,
fat h e r of Ar i s t o n y m u s ,
N i c o l au s s o n o f B u l i s 408
, ,
.

s on of A n d r ea s , 35 9 . N il e t h e r i ve r 8 7—
, 97 1 10 1 15 1 1 7 , , , ,

M y rs i l u s S e e Ca n d a u l e s. . 1 19, 1 2 3, 1 30, 1 32 , 1 36, 1 40 —1 42 ,

M y r s u s fa t h e r o f Ca n d au l e s 4
, ,
. 1 44 , 15 1, 1 5 6, 2 2 4 22 9 — .

M y r s u s s o n o f Gyg e s 1 98 3 1 7
, , ,
. N i n e S p r i n g s t h e 364 , ,
.

W
M y s c o n s u l t s t h e o ra c l e s i n b e
,
N i n e v e h 42 69 71 75 1 4 1 2 1 0
, , , , , ,
.

h a l f o f M a r d o n i u s 48 4 4 8 5 , , . N i n e a y s o f t h e E d o n i a n s 40 1 , , .

M ys ia M ys ians
, ,
1 0, 1 4, 67, 1 89 , N in u s s on o f B el u s 4
, ,
.

3 1 7, 32 7, 3 77, 39 2 , 5 03 N i s ae a ,
N i s ma n ,
21, 1 93 , 38 3 498 .

M y s u s 67 ,
. N i s y ri an s , 39 7 .

M y u s M y u s ian s 5 7
, , ,
2 86, 2 8 7, 32 0 . N i t e t i s , d au g h t e r of Ap r i e s ,
1 5 3,

1 54 .

N ap ari s ,
r ve r i of S cyth i a ,
22 7 . N i t o c ri s , Q u een of B a byl o n , 71
Na s am o nia n s , a nat o n i of L iby a , 74 1 1 9
, .

96 9 7, 2 65 , 2 66, 2 68 2 70
, , . N i t o c ri s , Q u e en of Egy p t , 1 19 .

N a t h o a n i s l a n d o f t h e N il e ,
,
1 46 . N o es ,
i
r ve r, 22 7 .

N a u c ra t i s ,
1 18, 1 34 , 15 1 . N o n a c ri s ,
c ity of A rc a d i a , 342 .

N au c ra r i ,
th e, 2 98 . N o t h o n , fat h e r of ZE s c h i n e s , 35 1 .
5 5 3 H E RO D OT U S

N o t iu m ,
an ZE o l i a n t o w n , 5 9 . O l y m p i o d o ru s , s on of L amp o n ,

N u d iu m , 258 .
498 .

N y m p h o d o ru s , s on of Py t h e a s O ly m p u s M o u n t i n T h e s s a ly 405
, , , ,

Ab d e ra , 408 .
42 2 ; i n M y s i a 1 4 2 0 39 2 , , ,
.

N y p s ae i ,
24 1 . O ly n t h u s O ly n t h i a n s 403 48 2
, , ,
.

Ny s s a ,
1 39 , 191 . O n e a t ae S i c y o n i a n t r ib e 2 9 7
, ,
.

O nes ilu s , s on of Ch e r s u s 3 1 2— 31 6 , .

O a ri z u s , 39 1 . O n et e s , s on of P h a n a g o ra s a ,

O a ru s i,
S cyt h i a 2 5 0
a r ve r o f ,
. Ca ry s t i a n , 43 5 .

O a s i s c i t y o f L iby a 1 63
, ,
. O no ch o nu s ,
i
r ve r o f T h e s s a ly , 4 05 ,
O c e a n t h e r i v e r 9 3 2 1 5 2 2 3 22 4
, , , , ,
.
42 9 .

O c t a m a s a d e s b ro t h e r o f S c y l a s , , O n o m a c ri t u s , an At h e n ian s ooth

237 . sa y er , 368 .

O c y t u s 44 5 ,
. O n o m as tu s ,
s on of A g ae u s ,
an

O d o m a n t i 2 79 40 1 , ,
. El e a n , 360, 361 .

O d ry s ae 24 1 , . O nu p h is ,
1 47 .

O d y s s ey,
”
t h e , 1 2 5 , 22 1 . O p h ry n i u m , 38 4 .

( E a , 302 . O p is Hy p e rb o r e a n v i r gi n 2 23
, ,
.

CE b a r e s , g ro o m of D ariu s ,
1 8 7, O p i s c i t y at t h e m o u t h o f t h e
,

1 88 . Tig r i s 73 ,
.

CE b a re s , s on of M e g ab a s u s , 32 8 . O p oea w i f e o f S c y l a s 2 36
, ,
.

( E d ip u s , s on of Laiu s ,
25 8, 2 94 . O p u n t i a n L o c r i a n s 4 3 1 444 , ,
.

(E noe , v, 74 . O r a c l e s 6 1 7 91 ,
2 —
3 2 5 30 34 3 7 , , , , , , ,

( E none , 45 6 . 63 68 9 1
, , ,
1 0 5 , 1 22 , 1 33 , 1 34 , 1 36,

CE n o t r i a 65 ,
. 1 39 —1 42 ,
1 44 , 1 49 , 1 75 , 2 09 , 2 18,

( E n y s s ae I s l a n d s 64 65 , ,
. 258, 2 60, 2 61 , 2 63 , 2 9 7, 2 99 , 30 1 ,
( E o b a r u s , 2 38 39 1 5 32 5 33 , , ,
.
306, 307, 3 1 6, 324, 3 2 8 , 343 , 347,
O er o e d a u g h t e r o f A s o p u s , 5 1 0
,
.
3 5 0, 363, 4 09 , 4 1 0, 4 1 3 , 42 1 , 42 7,
( E ta, M ou nt , 42 4 .
437 449 ,,4 5 3 , 4 66, 4 72 , 5 07 .

( E t aea n s , 43 5 O rb e l u s , M o u n t , 2 79
'

. .

( E t o s y r u s ( A p o ll o ) , S c y t h i a n g o d , O rc h o m e nu s ,
O rc h o m e n i an s , 58 ,

2 30 .
43 1 , 4 5 3 496, 5 0 1 ,
.

O ioly cu s ,
25 8 . O rd e s s u s , r i ve r o f S c yt h ia , 22 7 .

O l b i o p o l i t ae, 219 . O re s t e s , s o n of A gam e m n o n ,

2 5 , 26 .

O l en , a Ly c i a n p o et , 22 3 . O re s t e u m 494 ,
.

O lenu s ,
town of A ch aia , 58 . O r g e s fat h e r o f A n t ip at e r, 402
,
.

O l iat u s ,
s on o f I b a n o l i s , t y ra n t of O r i c u s p o rt o f 5 2 4
, ,
.

M y las s a ,
28 7 . O r i c u s s o n o f S c y l a s 2 36
, ,
.

O lo p hy xu s ,
t o wn o f M o u n t At h o s , O ri s i p h a n t u s , 4 39 .

3 77 O r i t h yi a ,
d a u gh t e r of E re c t h eu s ,
O l o ru s Ki n g o f t h e T h ra c i a n s
, , 330 .
42 7 .

O l y m p i a O ly m p i c g a m e s 2 1
, , ,
1 45 , O r n e a t ae 464 ,
.

2 8 1 , 2 90 , 2 9 8 , 32 9 , 34 1 , 35 2 , 35 8 O roet e s , g o v e rn o r of Sa rd i s , 1 98

360 4 22 , , 43 2 , 45 1, 464, 48 5 , 5 04, 20 1 , 206 .

5 20 . O ro m e d o n , 396 .

O l y m p i e n i , 39 2 . O ro p u s 35 1 ,
.
 6
5 0 H E R O D OT U S

P a s i c l e s , 5 26 . P e r g a m u s a f o r t i n T h ra c e 4 0 1
, , .

P a t a i c i 1 68 , . P e r i a ll a p r o p h e t e s s a t D e l p h i c o r
, ,

Pat a i c u s , 4 1 5 . r u p t e d by C l e o m e n e s 3 39 , .

P at a r ae, i n Ly c i a , 71 . P e r i a n d e r Ki n g o f C o r i n t h 8 9
, , , ,

P a t a rb e m i s , 1 46 . 1 71 —1 74 , 308
—3 1 0 .

Pa t i ra m p h e s ,
s on O t a n e s , 38 3
of . P e r i c l e s 362 , .

Pat iz it h e s , the M a g u s 1 76 1 77 , , , P e r il a u s g e n e ra l, of the S i cy o n i

1 84 .
5 28
an s , .

Pa t r e e s , 58 . Pe rinth u s , P er i n t h i a n s , 2 40, 2 75 ,

Pat u m o s ,
an A ra b i a n c it y ,
1 44 .
32 8 , 3 78 .

Pa u s a n ia s ,
s on of Cl e o m b ro t u s , P e rp h e r e e s , 223 .

2 38 , 28 5 , 444 , 494, 49 5 , 498 , 5 0 1 , P e r rh aeb i , t h e , 405 406, 423, 426 , .

5 08
—5 2 2 , 5 27 . P e r s e s s o n o f P e r s e u s a n d An
,

Pa u s i c ae , 1 90 . d r o m e d a , 389 , 390, 4 1 4 .

P a u s i ri s , s on of A m y rt aeu s ,
1 59 . P e r s e u s , s o n o f D a n ae, 90, 1 15,

P eda s u s ,
P e d as i an s , 68 , 69 , 3 1 7, 3 3 5 , 38 9 , 39 0, 4 1 4, 437 .

32 4, 4 74 P e rs ia n s p a s s i m , .

P e d i e ae , t o w n i n P ho c is , 45 3 . P e t ra 306 307
, ,
.

P e l a s gi a n s , 5 8 , 1 04 , 1 05 ,
2 0, 1 48 , P h ae d y ma d a u gh t e r o f, O t an e s
2 5 6, 28 3, —
363 365 , 39 6, 4 5 6 . w i f e o f C a m by s e s 1 8 0 , ,
1 8 1 , 1 83 .

P e l e u s 42 8 ,
. Ph a g re s , 40 1 .

P e li o n M o u n t
, ,
2 66, 405 , 42 7, 446, P h a l e ru s , 2 9 5 , 3 02 , 303, 3 5 6, 462 ,
44 7 4 70, 4 71 , 4 75 , 4 76, 5 03 .

P e ll a , 404 . Ph a n a g o ra s fa t h e r , of O n e t e s 43 5 ,
.

P ell en e, 5 8 . Ph a n a z a t h r e s , s on of A r t ab a t e s ,
P e l o p o n n e s u s P e l o p o n n e s i an s , ,
2 0, 390
2 2 , 2 6, 58, 1 48 , 1 75 , 2 09 , 2 36, 2 62 , Ph ane s , a H a li c a rn a s s i an ,
1 5 4—1 56 .

2 66, 2 88 , 299, 360, 39 5 , 39 6, 408 , P h a ra n d a t e s , s on of T heas p es , 5 1 8 .

409 , 4 1 2, 4 1 9, 42 0, 43 1 , 43 2 , 4 3 9 , Ph a rb aet h i s , d i s t r i c t o f Egy p t , 1 47 .

44 1 , 4 5 2 , 4 5 4 , 4 5 5 , 4 5 7, 4 5 9 , 460, P h a re e s , t o w n of A ch a ia , 58 .

6 —
4 3 466 4 73 , , 4 76 4 78 , 49 2 , 49 7,
,
P h a rn a c e s , 390, 48 2 .

5 00, 5 0 1 5 2 9 5 32 , , . P h a r n a s p e s , 8 5 , 1 5 4, 1 79 .

P e l o p s a P h r ygi a n , 369 4 1 7
, , . P h a r n u c h e s , 394, 39 5 .

P e l u s i a c m o u t h o f t h e N il e , 9 1 , P h a s e li s a D o r i c t o w n 1 5 1
, ,
.

1 42 ,
1 56 . P h a s i s a r iver o f C o l c h i s
, ,
2, 42,
P e l u s i u m , 90 ,
1 37 . 1 20, 2 2 4 , 2 26, 2 39 , 345 .

P e n e l o p e 1 38 , ,
1 39 .
P h ay l l u s , of C r o t o na , 45 6 .

P e n eu s , a r ve r i of T h e s s a ly , 3 77, P h e ge u s , 5 00 .

405 , 406, 422 , 42 5 .

P h e i d o n, t y ra n t of the A r gi ve s ,

P e nt ap o l i s , 58 . 360 .

Pent hy l u s , D e m o n o u s , 42 9
s on of .
Ph e n e u m , t o w n of A rc a d i a , 342 .

P e rc a l u s , d a u g h t e r o f C h il o n , 339 .
P h e re n d a t e s , s on of M e g ab y z u s ,

P e rc o t e 3 1 6 , . 39 1
Perd i c ca s an ce s t o r of Amy n t a s P h e r e n d at e s , s on of T ea s p e s 39 3 .
, ,

28 1 , 486, 48 7 .
P h e ret i m e, w i fe of A r c e s fl au s ,
P e r ga m u s i ta de l T ro y 2 62 —264
,
c of , 38 4 . ,
2 73, 2 74 .
 I N DE X

P h e ro n , K i ng of E gy p t 1 22 , 1 23 P h rygi a P h rygi a n s 6 1 0, 1 4, 28 ,
—
,
.
, , ,

P h i d ip p i d e s , 35 2, 35 3 . 86, 1 89 , 2 00, zoo 2 9 2 , 3 1 0, 379 ,

P h i g a l e a , 345 .
38 0, 39 2 , 48 5 , 5 03 .

P hi l aeu s , s o n of Aj ax , 329 . P h ry n i c h u s , 32 5 .

P h ilao n, son of C h e rs i s , 44 7 . P h ry n o n , 496 .

P h i l a r gu s , s on of Cy n e u s , 3 5 1 . P h ry x u s , 430 .

P h i l eu s , 1 76 . P h t h i o t i s , 20, 406 .

P h ili p s o n o f Arg aeu s

, , 48 7 . P h t h i u s , s o n o f A c h aeu s , 1 18 .

P h ili p p u s o f Cr o t o n a , , s on of Eu P hy a ,
22 .

t ac i d es , 2 90 . P h y l ac u s , 4 5 4 .

P h il i s t i n s ,
s on P a s i c l e s , 5 26
of . P h y l ac u s , s o n of H i s t i aeu s , a Sa
Ph i l i t i o n , a s h e p h e rd , 1 32 . m i an 468 ,
.

P h illi s , 40 1 . Ph y l o c i o n 5 2 1 ,
.

P hil o c y o n , 5 1 7 . P i e r i a P i e r i an s 40 1 406 424 426

, ,
.
, , , .

P h il o c y p r u s , 3 1 6 . Pi g r e s 2 77 , .

P h l a i s l a n d i n L ak e T r i t o n i s
, ,
2 66 . Pill a r o f H eave n S e e A t l a s . .

P h l e g ra 404 , . P ill a r s o f H e rc u l e s S ee H e rc u l e s . .

Ph l i a s i a n s , 464, 5 02 , 5 03, 5 1 6, 5 2 1 . P i l o ru s t o w n o f M o u n t At h o s 4o3

, , .

Ph l i u s , 43 1 . P i n d a r t h e p o et 1 68
, ,
.

P h o c ae a P h o c aean s , , 3 1 , 5 7, 64 , 65 , P i n d u s M o u nt 405 45 5 , .

—
, ,

121 15 1, 2 5 4, 32 1 32 3 , 4 24 . P i rze u s , 468 .

P h o c i s P h o c i an s
, , 5 8 32 8 4 3 1 436
, ,
-
, Pi re n e , 306 .

45 1 —
45 3 , 496, 49 7, 5 03 , 5 1 5 , 5 2 3 . Pi ro m i s , 1 38 .

P h oeb u s T e m p l e ,
o f, a t T h e ra p n e , Pi ru s r ive r o f A c h a i a 5 8
, , .

3 37 . P i s a t o w n o f Eli s 8 7
, , .

P h oen i c i a P h oen i c i an s , ,
1 3, 4 3, 5 7, P i s i s t rat i d ae 294—
296 2 98 , , , 300, 305 ,
96 ,
1 04 1 06, -
1 1 2, 1 2 0, 1 23, 1 25 , 309 , 330, 349 , 3 5 8 , 368 , 45 7 .

1 5 4, 155, 1 60, 1 68 , 1 89 , 1 94 , 1 95 , P i s i s t rat u s , s on of H i p p o c ra t e s ,

2 04, 2 2 4 22 6, — 2 5 7, 2 71 , 2 72 , 2 89 , 21

2 93, 2 94 , 3 1 4 , 3 1 9 , 32 0, 323 , 32 4, 3 5 1 , 3 5 2 , 3 5 8 , 368 .

326
-

328 , 3 30, 333, 35 2 , 3 5 7, 3 78 , Pi s i s t ra t u s , s on o f N es t o r ,

29 6 .

38 0, 384 39 5 , 396, 4 1 9 , 468 4 70, ,

-
P i s t y ru s , t o w n of T h ra c e , 401 .

4 73 , 48 0 , 5 2 5 . P i t a n e , 5 9 , 1 74 .

Ph oen i p p u s , 3 5 8 . P i t a n e t ae, 5 1 1 .

P h oen ix ,
r v e r,i 424, 43 1 . P i t t ac u s , of M i t yl e n e ,
10 .

P h o rm u s , an A t h en i an c o m m an d Pi x o d a ru s , s on of M au s ol u s 3 1 6 , ,

e r, 42 5 317 .

Ph rao rt es , fa t h e r of D eioces , 28, Pl a c i a ,

20 .

39 Pl at aea , Pl a t aea n s
3 5 3 3 5 6, 406, ,
-

P h rao rt es , s on o f D e i o c e s 4 1 42 , ,
. 0 —
42 3 , 44 , 444 , 4 5 5 4 5 7, 462 , 48 2 ,
P h ra t a g u n a ,
d au g h t e r o f Ar t a n e s , 2
49 , 49 5 4 96, 5 2 7 ; b a t t l e o f,, 499

438 .
5 22 .

P h ri c o n i s . S ee Cy m e . Pl a t e a i s l a n d ,
o ff L iby a ,
2 58 , 25 9,

Ph r i x a s ,
258 . 26 1 , 2 65 .

P h ro n i m a , d au g h t e r of E t ea rc h u s , P l e i s t a rc h u s , s on o f L e o n i d as , 494 .

Pl i s t o ru s , 5 33 .
 5 5 2 H E R O D OT U S

P l i n t h i n e t i c B ay , 8 7 . P ro c l e s , s on o f A r i s t o d e mu s ,
1 73,

P l u n u s , h a rb o u r i n L iby a , 2 65 . 2 5 7, 334 , 484 .

P o g o n, h a rb o u r o f t h e T roez e n i P r o c l e s , t y ra n t of Ep i d au ru s , 1 72 .

ans , 45 5 P ro c o n n e s u s , 2 1 7, 2 1 8 , 2 5 4, 32 8 .

P o l e m a rc h s , 423 . P ro d igi e s , 3 5 7, 388 , 45 4, 5 33

P o l i a d e s , fa t h e r of A m o mp h are P r o m e n i a, p r i e s t e s s o f J u p i t e r, 1 05 .

tu s , 5 1 1 . P ro m et h eu s 2 2 6 , .

P o li a s S e e M i n e rva, 302
. . P ro n aea M i n e rva 3 7 45 4 , , , .

P o l i c h n e , o f t h e C h i a n s , 3 26 . P ro p o n t i s 2 39 3 1 7 , , .

P ol i c h n i t ae, 42 1 . P r o s e r p i n e 46 1 ,
.

Fo ly a s o f A n t i c y ra, 449 . P r 0 s 0 p i t i s i s l a n d o f t h e N il e
, ,
1 00,

P o lyb u s 29 7 , . 1 46 .

P o ly c ra t e s s o n , of ZE a c e s , t y ra n t P ro t e s il a u s , s on of Ip h i c h i s , 38 0,
of Sa m o s ,
1 5 2, —1 71 ,
1 74 , 1 75 , 5 32 , 5 33 .

—
1 98 2 02 , 2 05 , 206 . P ro t e u s Ki n g ,
Egyp t 1 23—
of 1 27 , .

P o l y c ri t u s , s on of Criu s , an E gi Pro t o t h y a s , a S c y t h i an 42 , .

n etan, 3 33, 4 70 P ro x e n i , S p a rt a n o ffi c e r, 33 5 .

Po ly da mn a, 1 25 . P ry t a n e u m , t h e , o f t h e A t h e n i a n s ,
P o l y l e ct e s , 484 .
3 5 2 , 365 , 430 ; of S i p h n us ,
1 75 .

P o ly d o ru s , s on of Ca d m u s ,
2 94 , P ryt a n i s Ki n g o f S p a rt a 484
,
-

, .

43 1 P s a m m e n i t u s K i n g o f Egy p t s o n
—
.
, ,

P o l y m n e s t u s , fa t h e r of B at t u s ,
25 8, of Am a s i s , 1 56 1 59 .

2 60 . P s a mm i s , Ki n g Egy p t 1 44
of , ,
1 45 .

P o ly n i ce s ,
fat h e r of T h e rs an d er ,
P s am m it i ch u s , Ki n g o f E g y p t , 42,
2 5 7, 334, 5 01 8 5 , 86, 9 4 9 5 1 45 114 1 -

—
. .
, ,

Pontu s ,
2 1 5 , 2 1 6, 22 0, 22 6, 2 38 24
3 ,
P s y l l i L iby a n n at i o n , 2 66
, .

32 0, 32 6, 38 1 , 388 , 396, 4 1 2 . P s y t t a l ea , a s ma ll i s l a n d near Sa l a

Fo ra t a ( Py re t o s ) , r ive r o f S c y t h i a, m i s , 465 , 4 71 .

22 7 . Pt e ria ,
i t y i n Cap p ad o c i a
c ,
29 —
31 .

Po s ei d e i u m t o w n , of Cili c i a ,
1 89 . Pt o a n A p o ll o 48 5 , .

P o s i d o n i a n s , 65 . P y g re s , s on of S e l d o m u s , 39 7 .

P o s i d o n i u s a S p a rt a n 5 1 7 5 2 1 , , .
,
. Pyl ae ( T h e rm op yl ae) , 43 1 , 435 .

P o t i d aea P o t id aean s 404 48 2 48 3

, , , , ,
Py l a g o r i , 43 5 .

5 01 . P y l i a n s , 2 96 .

P raes i an s , 42 1 . P y l u s , 42 0, 5 04 .

P ra s i a s , L ak e ,
2 79 . Py ra m i d s , C h e o p s , 1 30, 1 31 ; Ch e
P ra xil au s , 5 29 .
p h re n , 1 32 ; M y c e r i n u s 1 33 ; A s y ,

P ra x i n u s , 42 5 . ch s ,i 1 35 ; T w e l ve Ki n g s 1 40 ,
.

P rexa s p e s , 1 64 1 67, — 1 77 1 79 , -
1 82 Py re n e , 97 .

Py ret o s . S ee Fo rat a .

P re x a s p e s , A s p a t h i n e s 39 6
s on o f ,
. P y rg u s , 25 8 .

P r i a m Ki n g o f T ro y 2 1 2 6 38 4
, , , ,
. Py t h a g o ra s , c i t iz en of 31 8M il et u s ,
.

P ri e n e , P r i e n i an s 6, 1 0 5 7, 63 , , , Py t h a g o ra s ,
s on o f M n e s a rc h u s ,

32 0 . 24 1 .

P ri n e t a d e s , s on of D e m a rm e n u s , Py t h a g o ra s t y ra n t ,
of S e l i nu s ,
2 88 . Py t h a g o r ea n s 1 1 3 ,
.
 6
5 4 H E RO D OT U S

S c i ro n i an , 464 . S e s o s t ri s , Ki n g of E gyp t ,
1 1 9 - 1 2 2,

S c i t o n , s e r va n t of D e mo c ed e s , 1 35 .

2 02 . Se s t o s , 25 5 , 38 0, 393 5 32 5 34 ,
-

S c o l o p o i s r i v e r, 5 2 5 , . S et h o n , K i n g o f E g y p t , 1 36, 1 37,

Sc ol ot i , 2 1 5 . 1 39 .

S c o l u s , 49 5 . S i c an i a, a n c e nt i n am e of S i c il y,
S c 0 p a d e s , 360 .
42 1 .

S c o p a s i s Ki n g o f t h e S c y t h i an s ,
, S i c a s , fa t h er of
Cy b e rn i s c u s , 396 .

248 ,
25 1 . S i c ily , S i c ili a n s 9 2 88 2 8 9 , 324 , , ,

S c y d r u s 3 24 ,
.
3 2 6 :
1 1 4 —
4 ) 1 5 42 1 432 : 444
1 )

S c y l a c e, 20 . S i c i n n u s p r e c e p t o r t o t h e c h il
,

S cy l a s s o n
,
of Ar i a p i t h e s , Ki n g of d r e n o f T h e m i s t o c l e s , 465 477 , .

t h e S cyt h ia ns , 235 —2 37 . S i c y o n , S i c y o n i a n s , 5 8 2 96 2 9 7, , ,

S c y l ax of Ca ry a n d a 2 2 6 ,
.
34 8 ,
—
3 5 9 361 , 444 45 5 , 464, 5 0 1 . ,

S cy l ax , a M y n d i a n c ap t a i n , 28 5 .
5 28 .

S c y ll i a s o f S c y o n e ,
, a d i ve r, 446 . S i d o n , S i d o n i a n s , 1 2 5 1 45 , 204, ,

S c y o n e 44 6 ,
.
38 4 396 39 7, 405 , 462 470
, , ,

S c y r i a n , 42 5 . S i g aeu m , 2 2 4 .

S c y r m i a d ae, 24 1 . S i g e u m 2 96 305 , 309 3 1 0

, , ,
.

S c y t h es , s o n o f H e r cu l e s 2 1 6 , . S i g y n n ae 2 77 , .

S c y t h e s , a C o a n t y ra n t 4 1 9 ,
. S il e n u s M a r s y a s , 379 , 48 7
,
.

S cy t h e s , Ki n g of th e Z a n c l aea n s , S i m o n i d e s , t h e p o e t , 3 1 2 , 439 .

3 2 5 , 32 6 . S i n d u s 404,
.

S c y t h i a S c y t h i a n s 6, 2 8 42 43 78
, , , , , , S i n g u s 403,
.

8 3 9 2 1 2 0 1 2 2 1 47 2 03 2 1 3
, , , , , , S i n o p e, on t he E u xi n e ,
2 9, 9 7, 2 1 7,

2 5 6 2 8 2 3 30 33 1
. 34 5 3 71 , 3 76,
. , , ,
2 39 .

377, 38 7, 38 9 , 390 . S i p h n u s , S i p h n i a n s , 1 75 4 5 6 , .

S eb e n n y s , d i s t r i c t o f Egy p t ,
1 47 . S i r i s , t o w n i n I t a ly 460 ,
.

S eb e nny t i c m o u t h of t he N il e 9 1 , , S i r i s , o f P aeo n i a, 360 479 , .

1 43 . S i ro m i t re s , s o n o f CE o b az u s , 39 1 ,
S el d o m u s fa t h e r o f ,
Pig re s , 39 7 .
393 .

S el i n u s , S el i n u nt i an s ,
28 9 . S i ro m u s s o n o f E u e l t h o n 3 1 2
, , .

S e l y b ri e , 328 . S i ro m u s , fa t h e r o f M ap e n , 396 .

S e m e l e, d a u g h t e r o f Ca dm u s , 1 38 , S i ro p aeo n i a n s , 2 79 .

1 39 . S i s amaces , 31 7 .

S e m i ra m i s , Q u e e n of B abyl o n , 71 , S i s amne s , s on of H y d a rn e s , 390 .

S i s am n e s ,
fat h e r O t anes , 282
of .

S e n n ac h e r ib , Ki n g of A s s y ria ,
1 37 . S i t al c e s ,
s on o f T e re s , K i ng o f
S e p i a 343
,
. T h ra c i a n s ,
2 37, 408 .

S e p i a s , 4 2 5 42 7—
429 , , S i t h o n i a 403 ,
.

S e rb o n i s L a k e 8 7, , ,
155 . Siu p h , a c ity o f Egyp t 1 48 , .

S e ri p h i a n s 4 5 6 , . S m erd i s ,
s on o f Cy ru s 1 64 , ,
1 65 ,
—
.

S e rm y l a a G ree k t o w n of S it h o 1 76 1 8 3, 1 88 , 39 3 .

—
,

ni a, 403 . S m e rd i s ,
the M a gu s ,
1 76 1 84 .

S e rrh i u
m , a p ro m o nt o r y o f Th rac e , S m e r d o m e n es , s on of O t a n es , 393,
38 9 .
 I N DE X 6
5 5

S m il a , 404 . S u m m e r a n d W i nt er ( s ta t u e s at

S m i n d y r i d e s s o n o f H i p p o c ra t e s , ,
M em p h i s ) 1 2 7 , .

a S yb a r i t e 360 361 , , . S u n iu m, p r o m o n t o ry of Attica ,

S m y rn a, S m y rn ean s 6, 39 , 5 8 — 60 , ,
2 43 , 34 7, 348 , 3 5 6, 48 1 .

121 . Su s a 73 , 1 78 , 1 8 1 ,
, 1 90, 2 01 , 2 02 ,

S o c i m e n e s 467 ,
. 2 06, 2 38 ; 2 39 , 2 8 2 , 2 8 3 , 2 86, 2 9 1

S o gd i a n s , 1 90 390 ,
. 2 9 3, 3 1 4, 3 1 9 , 324 , 32 7. 3 5 7, 366
S o li , S o l i a n s , 3 1 5 , 3 1 6 .
368 , 38 7, 407, 4 1 4 , 442 , 4 5 8 , 4 72 ,
Soloi s w e s t e rn p ro m o n t o ry
,
of 5 30
L ibya 96 2 2 5 , ,
. S y a g ru s , L a c e d ae m o n i a n a m b a s s a
.

S o l o n 1 1 34 1 5 0
, , , , 316 . d o r t o G e l o n i n S i c ily 4 1 5 — 41 9 , , .

S o ly m i 67 , . Sy b a r i s S yb a r i t e s 2 8 9 324 360
, , , , .

S O p h a n es o f D e c e l ea , 349 , 5
1 —
7 5 18 . S y e n e c i t y i n Th e b a i s 94
, , .

S o s i cl es , t h e C o r i n t h i a n , 306— 309 . Sy e n n e s i s K i n g o f t h e Cil i c i an s

, ,

S o s t rat u s , s o n of La o d a m u s , of 29 , 3 1 7, 396 .

ZE g i n a 2 5 9 ,
. S yl eu s p l a i n , o f, 402 .

S o u t h S ea , 1 60 Sy l o s o n s o n o f i Ea c e s , b ro t h e r of

P o ly c ra t e s 1 68 205 —
.
,

S p a c o n u rs e o f
, Cy ru s 44 , . 2 09 , , , 3 22 .

S p a rg a p i s e s s o n o f T o my r i s 8 2, S y m e 68
‘

, , , .

83 . S y ra c u s e S y ra c u s a n s , ,
-

420 .

S p a rg a p i t h es , K ing of the Ag a S y r g i s r i ve r 2 5 0
, , .

th y rs i ,
2 36 . S y r i a S y r i a n s 3 2 7 30 42
, , , , , , 8 9 92 , ,

S p a rt a S p a rt a n s
, S e e La c e d ae .
95 , 1 2 0, 155, 1 89 , 2 24 ,

m on . 29 1 , 390 -
39 2 , 39 5 . 409 .

S p erc h i u s r i ve r o f T h e s s a ly , 430
, , S y rt i s , t h e, 96, 1 4 1 , 2 65 , 2 66 .

439
Sp e rt h i e s s o n o f An e ri s t u s 407
, , , T a b al u s , a P e rs i a n go vern o r of

408 . Sa rd i s , 60 63 -
.

S p h e n d a l e 49 5 ,
. Ta b i t i ( V e s t a) S c y t h i a n , g o d d es s ,
S t a g i ru s c i t y 402 , ,
.
2 30 .

S t e n t o r i s a l a k e o f T h ra c e , 389
,
. T a ch o m p s o , i s land i n t h e N il e, 94 .

S t e n y c l e ru s 5 1 5 ,
. T aen a r u s , 9 420 , .

S t e s a g o r a s 32 8 3 5 1 3 5 2 , , , . T a l a u s , fa t h e r o f A d ra s t u s 2 96 , .

S t e s a g o ra s s o n o f Ci m o n 330 , , . T a l t h y b i u s h e ra l d o f Ag a m e m n o n
, ,

S t e s e n o r t y ra n t o f C u r i u m 3 1 5
, , . h e ro w o rs h i p p e d a t Sp art a 407 , ,

S t e s il au s s o n o f T h ra s y l u s 3 5 6
, , .
408 .

S t rat t i s t y ra n t o f C h i o s 2 5 4 484
, , , . T a m y n ae, 3 5 1 .

S t ru c h a t e s t r ib e o f t h e M e d es 4 1
, , .
T a n a g ra ,
t o wn o f B oeo t i a ,
29 3, 30 1 ,
S t ry m e c i t y o f t h e T h a s i an s 400
, ,
.

S t ry m o n t h e r i ve r 2 3 2 75 2 78
, , , , , Tana i s ,
r ve r i of Scyt h i a ,
2 1 9 , 2 26,
28 1 3 1 0 3 78 392 400 40 1 , 4 79
, , , , , , 22 7, 2 29 , 243 , 24 7, 2 49 , 2 5 0 .

48 0 .
Ta n i s a d i s t r i c t
, of Egy p t , 1 47 .

S t ry m o n i a n s , 39 2
'

.
T a r e nt u m c i t y , of I t a ly , 9, 204,
S t y m p h a l i s L a k e 343 , , .
20 5 , 42 1 , 4 2 2 .

S t y re a n s 3 5 3 444 45 6 5 02 , 5 03
, . , , .
Ta rgi t au s , a n ce s t o r of the S cy t h
S t yx t h e 342
, , . ia ns 2 1 4 , , 2 15 .
 5 66 H E RO D OT U S

T a r i c h ae a , c ity of Pel u s iu m, in T e t ra m n e s t u s , s on of An y s u s , a

Egyp t 90, 1 2 3 ,
. S i d o n i a n 396 , .

T a rt e s s u s , T a rt e s s i a n s , 64, 2 5 9 , 2 71 . T e u c r i a , T e u c ri a n s , 1 25 , 2 78 , 3 18,
T a u c h i ra, c i t y o f B a rc aea , 2 65 .
3 77, 39 2
Tau rica, Ta u r i , 2 1 9, 2 43, 2 44 , 2 48 . T e u c r i an s Ge r g i t h ae, 38 4
, .

T a u ru s ,
M o u nt ,
214 . T e u t h ra n i a , 88 .

T axa c i s , 2 49 . Th a l es , a M il e s i a n ,
2 8 , 29 , 66 .

Ta y g e t u s , M o u nt ,
2 5 6, 2 5 7 . T h a m a n aea n s , 1 90 , 1 96 .

T e a ru s , i
r v e r, 2 40 . T h am i m a s a d as ( N e p t u n e) , Sc yt h
Teas p es , 225 , 39 3 . i an g o d , 2 30 .

T e g e a T e g ea n s
, ,
24 26, -

34 1 , 35 2, T h a n n y ra s , s o n of I n a ru s , 1 59 .

422 , 43 1 , 8 1 —
4 , 494 , 499 5 02 , 5 04, T has o s ,
Th a s ian s ,
1 01 , 1 02 , 32 7,
5 05 , 5 1 1 , 5 1 3 , 5 1 4, 5 1 6, 5 1 7, 5 2 1 .
332 , 333 , 400, 402
T e i a n s , 66, 32 0, 32 1 . T h au m a s i u s 429 ,
.

T e i s p e s , 3 73 . T h e a s id e s s o n o f Le 0 p re p e s , 345
,
.

Te l am o n , 46 1 . Th e a s p e s 5 1 8 ,
.

T el eb o a n s , 294 . T h e b a i s 94 ,
.

T el ec l e s , 1 69 . T h e b e d a u gh t e r
,
of A s o p u s 301 , .

T e l e c l u s , 432 . Th eb e s p l a i n o f, ,
i n A s ia M i no r ,

Tel em a c h u s , 1 25 .
38 4 .

T e l e s a rc h u s , 2 07 . T h e b e s Th eb an s , , of B oeo t i a ,
18,

Tel ines , 4 1 5 . 2 2, 3 7, 2 94 , 2 9 7, 30 1 , 304, 347,

T e ll i a d w , 5 05 .
3 5 3, 3 5 4, 3 5 7, 406, 43 1 , 4 32 , 437,
Tel l ia s , an El ea n p r o p h e t 4 5 1 ,
.
438 , 440, 48 5 , 49 1 , 49 5 , 496, 5 0 1 ,
T e ll u s t h e , A t h e n i a n s t o ry o f , ,
11 .
5 03 5 06, 5 1 3 , 5 1 5 5 1 6, 5 22 ; o f
, ,

T e l m es s u s T e l m e s s i a n s 30 , , , 33 . Egy p t , 71 , 86, 8 8 , 90, 1 00, 1 0 1 ,

Te lu s i s lan d 4 1 5
, ,
. 1 05 , 1 06, 1 1 0, 1 1 1 , 1 47, 1 5 6, 1 63,

T e l y s Ki n g o f t h e S yb a r i t e s
, ,
28 9, 2 67, 2 68 .

2 90 . T h e m i s 1 04 ,
.

T e m e n i d ae, 486 . T h e m i s c y r a 2 39 ,
.

Te m enu s ,
ances t o r of the M ace T h e m i s o n a T h e rae a n ,
m e rc h a n t ,

d o n i a n k i n g s , 48 6 . 2 5 9 , 2 60 .

Te mn o s , 5 9 . T h e m i s to cl es N e o c l e s , 4 1 0, ,
s on o f

T e m p e 405 , , 42 2 .
4 1 1 , 42 3 , 44 5 , 449 , 4 5 0, 4 5 9 , 460,
T e n ed o s 60 , , 32 7, 330 .
— 0 —
4 5 47 , 4 7 4 78 , 48 1 , 48 2 , 5 26
6 6 .

Te n o s , T e n i a n s , 2 22 , 35 0, 462 , 467 . Th e o c y d e s , 461 .

Teo s , 5 7, 66, 1 5 1, 1 98 . T h e o d o ru s , a S a m i an e n gi n e e r, 1 8 .

T e re s , 408 . T h e o m e s t o r, s o n o f An d r o d a m a s ,

T e ri l l u s , s on o f C r i n i p p u s , t y ra n t S a m i a n , 468 5 2 3
'

a ,
.

of H i m e ra , 4 1 9 , 42 0 . T h e o p h a n i a n f e s t i va l , 18 .

T e r m e ra , 28 7 . T h e o p o m p u s , 48 4 .

T e r m i l ae, a n c e nt n a i me of t he Ly Th e o ri s , 347 .

c i an s , 68 , 39 5 . T h e ra T h e rae an s
, ,
—
2 5 7 264, 2 88 .

T er eu s ,
2 37 . T h e ra m b u s , 404 .

"
T e t h ro n i u m , P h o c ian c i t y b u rn e d T h e ra p n e 3 3 7 ,
.

by X e rx e s , 45 3 . T h e ra s , s on o f Au t e s i o n ,
2 5 7, 2 5 8
-

.
5 68 H E R OD OT U S

T o ro n e , 3 77, 403, 48 2 . U m b ri c i , t h e, 39 , 228 .

T ra c h ea ,
2 43 . U ra n i a . S ee V e nu s .

T rac h i s , T rac h i n i an s 42 3, 430, 43 1 , , Ut i a n s , 1 90, 39 1 .

435 43 , 8 4 39 44 9 4 5 2 , 462
, , ,

T ra p e z u s V en et i ans o f I lly r i a 76
360
, , .
.
,

T ra s p i e s , 2 14 .
V e n u s 1 5 2 2 32 ; A s s y r i a n ( M y l i t
, ,

t a) 5 4 78 ; A ra b i a n ( Ali t t a) 5 4
T ra n s i ,
2 76 .
, , , ,

T ra v u s i
r ve r o f T h ra c e 155 P e rs i an ( M i t ra) 5 4 ; S c y t h
, , 400 .
,

i an ( Art i m p a s a) 2 30 : t e mp l e s
Tri b a l l i c Pl a i n ,
22 7 .
,

o f a t A s c a l o n 42 ; i n E g y p t 1 00
T ri o p i u m , 5 8 , 224 , 41 5 .
, , , ,

1 23
T r i t ac a , t ow n of A cha ia , 58 .
.

T r i t a n t aec h m e s , s on o f A rt ab anu s , Ve s t a ,
1 04 ; S c y t h i an ( T a b i t i) , 2 30,

25 1
75 , 39 3, 403 , 45 1
.

T r i t eae, P h o c i a n c i t y , 4 5 3 .
V u l c an , 86, 1 1 9, 121 —1 2 3 ,
1 2 7, 1 34,

1 36, 1 3 7, 1 39 , 1 41 , 1 42 , 1 5 0, 1 67,
T r i t o n , r i ve r o f L ibya , 266, 267,
1 68 , 4 72
2 70
.

T r i t o n a d i vi n i t y 2 67 2 70 W i nt e r Su mm e r
an d ( s t at u es at
.
, , ,

T r i t o n i s l a k e i n L ibya 266
, , , 267,
M e mp h i s ) 1 2 7 .
,
2 69 , 2 70
W h i t e C o l u mn s 3 1 6
.

.
,
T roez e n e , T r oez e n i a n s , 1 75 , 39 7,
42 5 , 444 . 45 5 , 464, 5 02 , 5 03, X a nt h i p p u s , s on of Ar i ph o n , fa
5 28 .
ther P eri cl e s of ,
—
36 363, 38 0,
1
T ro gl o dy t e s ,
2 68 .
8
4 4 5 3 5 34
2 —
,
.

T ro p h o n i u s , o ra c e , 1 7, l 48 5 .
X an t h u s a S a m i a n , ,
1 34 .

T r o y T ro j a n s
, , 3, 1 24 -
1 2 6, 1 38 , 2 70, X a nt h u s X a nt h i a n s , , 69 .

2 78 , 377, 39 5 , 4 1 8 , 422 , 5 0 1 .
X e n a g o ra s , s on of P ra x i l a u s , a
T w e l ve k i n g s Egy p t u nder t h e, H a l i c a rn a s s i a n 5 2 9
—4
, .
,

1 39 1 2 .
X e rx e s s o n o f D a r i u s
, , 71 , 22 5 ,
Ty d eu s ,
29 7 .

35 0 3 66,
— 490 5 03 5 1 9 , , , 5 2 5 , 5 26,
T y mn e s , fat h er of H i s t i aeu s , 28 7,
5 29 5 32 -

39 7 .
X u t h u s , f at h e r of I o n , 396 .

Ty n d a r i d ae , 2 5 6, 300, 5 1 7, 5 1 8 .

T y n d a ru s , 1 25 . Z ac y nt h u s , Z acy nt h i an s , 1 76, 2 71 ,

Ty p h o n 1 38 , ,
1 43, 155 .
34 1 , 5 05
Ty ra s ( Ty re s ) , i
r v e r, 2 1 7, 22 7, 22 8 , Z al m o x i s , 24 1 , 2 42 .

2 38 . Z a n c l e , Z a n cl aea n s , of S i c ily , 325 ,

Ty re Ty ri a n s
, ,
1 01 , 1 23 , 1 45 , 396, 326, 4 1 5 , 4 1 9 .

462 . Z av ec e s , 2 71 .

T y ri t ae, 2 28 . Z e u x i d e m u s , 34 1 .

T y r o d i z a , 378 Z o n a a t o w n o f S a m o t h ra c i a, 389
’

. .
,

Ty r rh e n i a, Ty rrh e n i an s , 20, 38 , 39, Z o p y ru s , s o n o f M e g ab y z u s , a

6s 324 32 5
, , . P e r s i an
p i r n c e, —
2 09 2 1 2 ,
22 5 .

Ty rrh e n i an S e a , 64 '
. Z o p y ru s a P e r s i a n ,
d e s e rt e r, 2 12 .

Ty rrh e n u s , 39 . Z o s t a p ro m o nt o ry
, , 475 .

T HE END