Cities 149 but was formerly called the Six Cities, 150 take care not
to admit any of the neighbouring Dorians to the temple of Triopion, and
even exclude from sharing in it those of their own body who commit any
offence as regards the temple. For example, in the games of the Triopian
Apollo they used formerly to set bronze tripods as prizes for the
victors, and the rule was that those who received them should not carry
them out of the temple but dedicate them then and there to the god.
There was a man then of Halicarnassos, whose name was Agasicles, who
being a victor paid no regard to this rule, but carried away the tripod
to his own house and hung it up there upon a nail. On this ground
the other five cities, Lindos, Ialysos and Cameiros, Cos and Cnidos,
excluded the sixth city Halicarnassos from sharing in the temple.
145. Upon these they laid this penalty: but as for the Ionians, I think
that the reason why they made of themselves twelve cities and would
not receive any more into their body, was because when they dwelt in
Peloponnesus there were of them twelve divisions, just as now there are
twelve divisions of the Achaians who drove the Ionians out: for first,
(beginning from the side of Sikyon) comes Pellene, then Aigeira and
Aigai, in which last is the river Crathis with a perpetual flow (whence
the river of the same name in Italy received its name), and Bura and
Helike, to which the Ionians fled for refuge when they were worsted by
the Achaians in fight, and Aigion and Rhypes and Patreis and Phareis
and Olenos, where is the great river Peiros, and Dyme and Tritaieis, of
which the last alone has an inland position. 151 These form now twelve
divisions of the Achaians, and in former times they were divisions of
the Ionians.
146. For this reason then the Ionians also made for themselves twelve
cities; for at any rate to say that these are any more Ionians than
the other Ionians, or have at all a nobler descent, is mere folly,
considering that a large part of them are Abantians from Euboea, who
have no share even in the name of Ionia, and Minyai of Orchomenos have
been mingled with them, and Cadmeians and Dryopians and Phokians who
seceded from their native State and Molossians and Pelasgians of Arcadia
and Dorians of Epidauros and many other races have been mingled with
them; and those of them who set forth to their settlements from the City
Hall of Athens and who esteem themselves the most noble by descent
of the Ionians, these, I say, brought no women with them to their
settlement, but took Carian women, whose parents they slew: and on
account of this slaughter these women laid down for themselves a rule,
imposing oaths on one another, and handed it on to their daughters, that
they should never eat with their husbands, nor should a wife call her
own husband by name, for this reason, because the Ionians had slain
their fathers and husbands and children and then having done this had
them to wife. This happened at Miletos.
147. Moreover some of them set Lykian kings over them, descendants of
Glaucos and Hippolochos, while others were ruled by Cauconians of Pylos,
descendants of Codros the son of Melanthos, and others again by princes
of the two races combined. Since however these hold on to the name more
than the other Ionians, let them be called, if they will, the Ionians of
truly pure descent; but in fact all are Ionians who have their descent
from Athens and who keep the feast of Apaturia; and this all keep except
the men of Ephesos and Colophon: for these alone of all the Ionians do
not keep the Apaturia, and that on the ground of some murder committed.
148. Now the Panionion is a sacred place on the north side of Mycale,
set apart by common agreement of the Ionians for Poseidon of Helike 152;
and this Mycale is a promontory of the mainland running out Westwards
towards Samos, where the Ionians gathering together from their cities
used to hold a festival which they called the Panionia. (And not only
the feasts of the Ionians but also those of all the Hellenes equally are
subject to this rule, that their names all end in the same letter, just
like the names of the Persians.) 153
These then are the Ionian cities:
149, and those of Aiolia are as follows:—Kyme, which is called
Phriconis, Larisai, Neon-teichos, Temnos, Killa, Notion, Aigiroëssa,
Pitane, Aigaiai, Myrina, Gryneia; these are the ancient cities of the
Aiolians, eleven in number, since one, Smyrna, was severed from them by
the Ionians; for these cities, that is those on the mainland, used also
formerly to be twelve in number. And these Aiolians had the fortune to
settle in a land which is more fertile than that of the Ionians but in
respect of climate less favoured. 154
150. Now the Aiolians lost Smyrna in the following manner:—certain men
of Colophon, who had been worsted in party strife and had been driven
from their native city, were received there for refuge: and after this
the Colophonian exiles watched for a time when the men of Smyrna were
celebrating a festival to Dionysos outside the walls, and then they
closed the gates against them and got possession of the city. After
this, when the whole body of Aiolians came to the rescue, they made an
agreement that the Ionians should give up the movable goods, and that
on this condition the Aiolians should abandon Smyrna. When the men of
Smyrna had done this, the remaining eleven cities divided them amongst
themselves and made them their own citizens.
151. These then are the Aiolian cities upon the mainland, with the
exception of those situated on Mount Ida, for these are separate from
the rest. And of those which are in the islands, there are five in
Lesbos, for the sixth which was situated in Lesbos, namely Arisba, was
enslaved by the men of Methymna, though its citizens were of the same
race as they; and in Tenedos there is one city, and another in what are
called the "Hundred Isles." Now the Lesbians and the men of Tenedos,
like those Ionians who dwelt in the islands, had no cause for fear; but
the remaining cities came to a common agreement to follow the Ionians
whithersoever they should lead.
152. Now when the messengers from the Ionians and Aiolians came to
Sparta (for this business was carried out with speed), they chose before
all others to speak for them the Phocaian, whose name was Pythermos. He
then put upon him a purple cloak, in order that as many as possible
of the Spartans might hear of it and come together, and having been
introduced before the assembly 155 he spoke at length, asking the
Spartans to help them. The Lacedemonians however would not listen to
him, but resolved on the contrary not to help the Ionians. So they
departed, and the Lacedemonians, having dismissed the messengers of the
Ionians, sent men notwithstanding in a ship of fifty oars, to find out,
as I imagine, about the affairs of Cyrus and about Ionia. These when
they came to Phocaia sent to Sardis the man of most repute among
them, whose name was Lacrines, to report to Cyrus the saying of the
Lacedemonians, bidding him do hurt to no city of the Hellas, since they
would not permit it.
153. When the herald had spoken thus, Cyrus is said to have asked those
of the Hellenes whom he had with him, what men the Lacedemonians were
and how many in number, that they made this proclamation to him; and
hearing their answer he said to the Spartan herald: "Never yet did I
fear men such as these, who have a place appointed in the midst of their
city where they gather together and deceive one another by false oaths:
and if I continue in good health, not the misfortunes of the Ionians
will be for them a subject of talk, but rather their own." These words
Cyrus threw out scornfully with reference to the Hellenes in general,
because they have got for themselves 156 markets and practise buying and
selling there; for the Persians themselves are not wont to use markets
nor have they any market-place at all. After this he entrusted Sardis to
Tabalos a Persian, and the gold both of Croesus and of the other Lydians
he gave to Pactyas a Lydian to take charge of, and himself marched
away to Agbatana, taking with him Croesus and making for the present no
account of the Ionians. For Babylon stood in his way still, as also the
Bactrian nation and the Sacans and the Egyptians; and against these he
meant to make expeditions himself, while sending some other commander
about the Ionians.
154. But when Cyrus had marched away from Sardis, Pactyas caused the
Lydians to revolt from Tabalos and from Cyrus. This man went down to the
sea, and having in his possession all the gold that there had been in
Sardis, he hired for himself mercenaries and persuaded the men of the
sea-coast to join his expedition. So he marched on Sardis and besieged
Tabalos, having shut himself up in the citadel.
155. Hearing this on his way, Cyrus said to Croesus as follows:
"Croesus, what end shall I find of these things which are coming to
pass? The Lydians will not cease as it seems, from giving trouble to
me and from having it themselves. I doubt me if it were not best 157 to
sell them all as slaves; for as it is, I see that I have done in like
manner as if one should slay the father and then spare his sons: just so
I took prisoner and am carrying away thee, who wert much more than the
father of the Lydians, while to the Lydians themselves I delivered up
their city; and can I feel surprise after this that they have revolted
from me?" Thus he said what was in his mind, but Croesus answered him as
follows, fearing lest he should destroy Sardis: "O king, that which thou
hast said is not without reason; but do not thou altogether give vent
to thy wrath, nor destroy an ancient city which is guiltless both of the
former things and also of those which have come to pass now: for as
to the former things it was I who did them and I bear the consequences
heaped upon my head; 158 and as for what is now being done, since the
wrongdoer is Pactyas to whom thou didst entrust the charge of Sardis,
let him pay the penalty. But the Lydians I pray thee pardon, and lay
upon them commands as follows, in order that they may not revolt nor
be a cause of danger to thee:—send to them and forbid them to possess
weapons of war, but bid them on the other hand put on tunics under their
outer garments and be shod with buskins, and proclaim to them that they
train their sons to play the lyre and the harp and to be retail-dealers;
and soon thou shalt see, O king, that they have become women instead of
men, so that there will be no fear that they will revolt from thee."
156. Croesus, I say, suggested to him this, perceiving that this was
better for the Lydians than to be reduced to slavery and sold; for he
knew that if he did not offer a sufficient reason, he would not persuade
Cyrus to change his mind, and he feared lest at some future time, if
they should escape the present danger, the Lydians might revolt from
the Persians and be destroyed. And Cyrus was greatly pleased with the
suggestion made and slackened from his wrath, saying that he agreed with
his advice. Then he called Mazares a Mede, and laid charge upon him to
proclaim to the Lydians that which Croesus suggested, and moreover to
sell into slavery all the rest who had joined with the Lydians in the
expedition to Sardis, and finally by all means to bring Pactyas himself
alive to Cyrus.
157. Having given this charge upon the road, he continued his march to
the native land of the Persians; but Pactyas hearing that an army was
approaching to fight against him was struck with fear and fled away
forthwith to Kyme. Then Mazares the Mede marched upon Sardis with a
certain portion of the army of Cyrus, and as he did not find Pactyas or
his followers any longer at Sardis, he first compelled the Lydians to
perform the commands of Cyrus, and by his commands the Lydians changed
the whole manner of their life. After this Mazares proceeded to send
messengers to Kyme bidding them give up Pactyas: and the men of Kyme
resolved to refer to the god at Branchidai the question what counsel
they should follow. For there was there an Oracle established of old
time, which all the Ionians and Aiolians were wont to consult; and this
place is in the territory of Miletos above the port of Panormos.
158. So the men of Kyme sent messengers to the Branchidai 159 to inquire
of the god, and they asked what course they should take about Pactyas so
as to do that which was pleasing to the gods. When they thus inquired,
the answer was given them that they should deliver up Pactyas to the
Persians: and the men of Kyme, having heard this answer reported, were
disposed to give him up. Then when the mass of the people were thus
disposed, Aristodicos the son of Heracleides, a man of repute among the
citizens, stopped the men of Kyme from doing so, having distrust of the
answer and thinking that those sent to inquire were not speaking the
truth; until at last other messengers were sent to the Oracle to ask a
second time about Pactyas, and of them Aristodicos was one.
159. When these came to Branchidai, Aristodicos stood forth from the
rest and consulted the Oracle, asking as follows: Lord, 160 there came
to us a suppliant for protection Pactyas the Lydian, flying from a
violent death at the hands of the Persians, and they demand him from us,
bidding the men of Kyme give him up. But we, though we fear the power of
the Persians, yet have not ventured up to this time to deliver to them
the suppliant, until thy counsel shall be clearly manifested to us,
saying which of the two things we ought to do." He thus inquired, but
the god again declared to them the same answer, bidding them deliver up
Pactyas to the Persians. Upon this Aristodicos with deliberate purpose
did as follows:—he went all round the temple destroying the nests of the
sparrows 161 and of all the other kinds of birds which had been hatched
on the temple: and while he was doing this, it is said that a voice came
from the inner shrine directed to Aristodicos and speaking thus: "Thou
most impious of men, why dost thou dare to do this? Dost thou carry
away by force from my temple the suppliants for my protection?" And
Aristodicos, it is said, not being at all at a loss replied to this:
"Lord, dost thou thus come to the assistance of thy suppliants, and yet
biddest the men of Kyme deliver up theirs?" and the god answered him
again thus: "Yea, I bid you do so, that ye may perish the more quickly
for your impiety; so that ye may not at any future time come to the
Oracle to ask about delivering up of suppliants."
160. When the men of Kyme heard this saying reported, not wishing either
to be destroyed by giving him up or to be besieged by keeping him with
them, they sent him away to Mytilene. Those of Mytilene however, when
Mazares sent messages to them, were preparing to deliver up Pactyas
for a price, but what the price was I cannot say for certain, since the
bargain was never completed; for the men of Kyme, when they learnt that
this was being done by the Mytilenians, sent a vessel to Lesbos and
conveyed away Pactyas to Chios. After this he was dragged forcibly from
the temple of Athene Poliuchos by the Chians and delivered up: and the
Chians delivered him up receiving Atarneus in , (now this Atarneus is a
region of Mysia 162 opposition Lesbos). So the Persians having received
Pactyas kept him under guard, meaning to produce him before Cyrus. And
a long time elapsed during which none of the Chians either used
barley-meal grown in this region of Atarneus, for pouring out in
sacrifice to any god, or baked cakes for offering of the corn which grew
there, but all the produce of this land was excluded from every kind of
sacred service.
161. The men of Chios had then delivered up Pactyas; and after this
Mazares made expedition against those who had joined in besieging
Tabalos: and first he reduced to slavery those of Priene, then he
overran the whole plain of the Maiander making spoil of it for his army,
and Magnesia in the same manner: and straightway after this he fell sick
and died.
162. After he was dead, Harpagos came down to take his place in command,
being also a Mede by race (this was the man whom the king of the Medes
Astyages feasted with the unlawful banquet, and who helped to give the
kingdom to Cyrus). This man, being appointed commander then by Cyrus,
came to Ionia and proceeded to take the cities by throwing up mounds
against them: for when he had enclosed any people within their walls,
then he threw up mounds against the walls and took their city by storm;
and the first city of Ionia upon which he made an attempt was Phocaia.
163. Now these Phocaians were the first of the Hellenes who made long
voyages, and these are they who discovered the Adriatic and Tyrsenia and
Iberia and Tartessos: and they made voyages not in round ships, but in
vessels of fifty oars. These came to Tartessos and became friends with
the king of the Tartessians whose name was Arganthonios: he was ruler
of the Tartessians for eighty years and lived in all one hundred and
twenty. With this man, I say, the Phocaians became so exceedingly
friendly, that first he bade them leave Ionia and dwell wherever they
desired in his own land; and as he did not prevail upon the Phocaians
to do this, afterwards, hearing from them of the Mede how his power was
increasing, he gave them money to build a wall about their city: and he
did this without sparing, for the circuit of the wall is many furlongs
163 in extent, and it is built all of large stones closely fitted
together.
164. The wall of the Phocaians was made in this manner: and Harpagos
having marched his army against them began to besiege them, at the same
time holding forth to them proposals and saying that it was enough to
satisfy him if the Phocaians were willing to throw down one battlement
of their wall and dedicate one single house. 164 But the Phocaians,
being very greatly grieved at the thought of subjection, said that they
wished to deliberate about the matter for one day and after that they
would give their answer; and they asked him to withdraw his army from
the wall while they were deliberating. Harpagos said that he knew very
well what they were meaning to do, nevertheless he was willing to allow
them to deliberate. So in the time that followed, when Harpagos
had withdrawn his army from the wall, the Phocaians drew down their
fifty-oared galleys to the sea, put into them their children and women
and all their movable goods, and besides them the images out of the
temples and the other votive offerings except such as were made of
bronze or stone or consisted of paintings, all the rest, I say, they
put into the ships, and having embarked themselves they sailed towards
Chios; and the Persians obtained possession of Phocaia, the city being
deserted of the inhabitants.
165. But as for the Phocaians, since the men of Chios would not sell
them at their request the islands called Oinussai, from the fear lest
these islands might be made a seat of trade and their island might be
shut out, therefore they set out for Kyrnos: 165 for in Kyrnos
twenty years before this they had established a city named Alalia, in
accordance with an oracle, (now Arganthonios by that time was dead). And
when they were setting out for Kyrnos they first sailed to Phocaia and
slaughtered the Persian garrison, to whose charge Harpagos had
delivered the city; then after they had achieved this they made solemn
imprecations on any one of them who should be left behind from their
voyage, and moreover they sank a mass of iron in the sea and swore that
not until that mass should appear again on the surface 166 would they to
Phocaia. However as they were setting forth to Kyrnos, more than half of
the citizens were seized with yearning and regret for their city and for
their native land, and they proved false to their oath and sailed back
to Phocaia. But those of them who kept the oath still, weighed anchor
from the islands of Oinussai and sailed.
166. When these came to Kyrnos, for five years they dwelt together with
those who had come thither before, and they founded temples there.
Then, since they plundered the property of all their neighbours,
the Tyrsenians and Carthaginians 167 made expedition against them by
agreement with one another, each with sixty ships. And the Phocaians
also manned their vessels, sixty in number, and came to meet the enemy
in that which is called the Sardinian sea: and when they encountered one
another in the sea-fight the Phocaians won a kind of Cadmean victory,
for forty of their ships were destroyed and the remaining twenty were
disabled, having had their prows bent aside. So they sailed in to Alalia
and took up their children and their women and their other possessions
as much as their ships proved capable of carrying, and then they left
Kyrnos behind them and sailed to Rhegion.
167. But as for the crews of the ships that were destroyed, the
Carthaginians and Tyrsenians obtained much the greater number of them,
168 and these they brought to land and killed by stoning. After this the
men of Agylla found that everything which passed by the spot where the
Phocaians were laid after being stoned, became either distorted, or
crippled, or paralysed, both small cattle and beasts of burden and
human creatures: so the men of Agylla sent to Delphi desiring to purge
themselves of the offence; and the Pythian prophetess bade them do that
which the men of Agylla still continue to perform, that is to say, they
make great sacrifices in honour of the dead, and hold at the place a
contest of athletics and horse-racing. These then of the Phocaians had
the fate which I have said; but those of them who took refuge at Rhegion
started from thence and took possession of that city in the land of
Oinotria which now is called Hyele. This they founded having learnt from
a man of Poseidonia that the Pythian prophetess by her answer meant
them to found a temple to Kyrnos, who was a hero, and not to found a
settlement in the island of Kyrnos. 169
168. About Phocaia in Ionia it happened thus, and nearly the same thing
also was done by the men of Teos: for as soon as Harpagos took their
wall with a mound, they embarked in their ships and sailed straightway
for Thrace; and there they founded the city of Abdera, which before
them Timesios of Clazomenai founded and had no profit therefrom, but
was driven out by the Thracians; and now he is honoured as a hero by the
Teïans in Abdera.
169. These alone of all the Ionians left their native cities because
they would not endure subjection: but the other Ionians except the
Milesians did indeed contend in arms with Harpagos like those who left
their homes, and proved themselves brave men, fighting each for his own
native city; but when they were defeated and captured they remained all
in their own place and performed that which was laid upon them: but the
Milesians, as I have also said before, had made a sworn agreement with
Cyrus himself and kept still. Thus for the second time Ionia had been
reduced to subjection. And when Harpagos had conquered the Ionians on
the mainland, then the Ionians who dwelt in the islands, being struck
with fear by these things, gave themselves over to Cyrus.
170. When the Ionians had been thus evilly entreated but were continuing
still to hold their gatherings as before at the Panionion, Bias a man
of Priene set forth to the Ionians, as I am informed, a most profitable
counsel, by following which they might have been the most prosperous
of all the Hellenes. He urged that the Ionians should set forth in one
common expedition and sail to Sardinia, and after that found a single
city for all the Ionians: and thus they would escape subjection and
would be prosperous, inhabiting the largest of all islands and being
rulers over others; whereas, if they remained in Ionia, he did not
perceive, he said, that freedom would any longer exist for them. This
was the counsel given by Bias of Priene after the Ionians had been
ruined; but a good counsel too was given before the ruin of Ionia
by Thales a man of Miletos, who was by descent of Phenician race. He
advised the Ionians to have one single seat of government, 170 and that
this should be at Teos (for Teos, he said, was in the centre of Ionia),
and that the other cities should be inhabited as before, but accounted
just as if they were demes.
These men 171 set forth to them counsels of the kind which I have said: