he ordered this to be dug was moved by a love of magnificence and by
a desire to make a display of his power and to leave a memorial behind
him; for though they might have drawn the ships across the isthmus with
no great labour, he bade them dig a channel for the sea of such breadth
that two triremes might sail through, propelled side by side. To these
same men to whom the digging had been appointed, it was appointed also
to make a bridge over the river Strymon, yoking together the banks.
25. These things were being done by Xerxes thus; and meanwhile he caused
ropes also to be prepared for the bridges, made of papyrus and of white
flax, 26 appointing this to the Phenicians and Egyptians; and also he
was making preparations to store provisions for his army on the way,
that neither the army itself nor the baggage animals might suffer from
scarcity, as they made their march against Hellas. Accordingly, when he
had learnt by inquiry of the various places, he bade them make stores
where it was most convenient, carrying supplies to different parts by
merchant ships and ferry-boats from all the countries of Asia. So they
conveyed the greater part of the corn 27 to the place which is called
Leuke Acte in Thrace, while others conveyed stores to Tyrodiza of the
Perinthians, others to Doriscos, others to Eïon on the Strymon, and
others to Macedonia, the work being distributed between them.
26. During the time that these were working at the task which had been
proposed to them, the whole land-army had been assembled together and
was marching with Xerxes to Sardis, setting forth from Critalla in
Cappadokia; for there it had been ordered that the whole army should
assemble, which was to go with Xerxes himself by the land: but which of
the governors of provinces brought the best equipped force and received
from the king the gifts proposed, I am not able to say, for I do not
know that they even came to a competition in this matter. Then after
they had crossed the river Halys and had entered Phrygia, marching
through this land they came to Kelainai, where the springs of the river
Maiander come up, and also those of another river not less than the
Maiander, whose name is Catarractes; 28 this rises in the market-place
itself of Kelainai and runs into the Maiander: and here also is hanging
up in the city the skin of Marsyas the Silenos, which is said by the
Phrygians to have been flayed off and hung up by Apollo.
27. In this city Pythios the son of Atys, a Lydian, was waiting for the
king and entertained his whole army, as well as Xerxes himself, with
the most magnificent hospitality: moreover he professed himself ready
to supply money for the war. So when Pythios offered money, Xerxes asked
those of the Persians who were present, who Pythios was and how much
money he possessed, that he made this offer. They said: "O king, this is
he who presented thy father Dareios with the golden plane-tree and the
golden vine; and even now he is in wealth the first of all men of whom
we know, excepting thee only."
28. Marvelling at the conclusion of these words Xerxes himself asked of
Pythios then, how much money he had; and he said: "O king, I will not
conceal the truth from thee, nor will I allege as an excuse that I do
not know my own substance, but I will enumerate it to thee exactly,
since I know the truth: for as soon as I heard that thou wert coming
down to the Sea of Hellas, desiring to give thee money for the war I
ascertained the truth, and calculating I found that I had of silver two
thousand talents, and of gold four hundred myriads 29 of daric staters
30 all but seven thousand: and with this money I present thee. For
myself I have sufficient livelihood from my slaves and from my estates
of land."
29. Thus he said; and Xerxes was pleased by the things which he had
spoken, and replied: "Lydian host, ever since I went forth from the
Persian land I have encountered no man up to this time who was desirous
to entertain my army, or who came into my presence and made offer of his
own free will to contribute money to me for the war, except only thee:
and thou not only didst entertain my army magnificently, but also now
dost make offer of great sums of money. To thee therefore in return I
give these rewards,--I make thee my guest-friend, and I will complete
for thee the four hundred myriads of staters by giving from myself the
seven thousand, in order that thy four hundred myriads may not fall
short by seven thousand, but thou mayest have a full sum in thy
reckoning, completed thus by me. Keep possession of that which thou hast
got for thyself, and be sure to act always thus; for if thou doest so,
thou wilt have no cause to repent either at the time or afterwards."
30. Having thus said and having accomplished his promise, he continued
his march onwards; and passing by a city of the Phrygians called Anaua
and a lake whence salt is obtained, he came to Colossai, a great city
of Phrygia, where the river Lycos falls into an opening of the earth and
disappears from view, and then after an interval of about five furlongs
it comes up to view again, and this river also flows into the Maiander.
Setting forth from Colossai towards the boundaries of the Phrygians and
Lydians, the army arrived at the city of Kydrara, where a pillar 3001
is fixed, set up by Croesus, which declares by an inscription that the
boundaries are there.
31. From Phrygia then he entered Lydia; and here the road parts into
two, and that which goes to the left leads towards Caria, while that
which goes to the right leads to Sardis; and travelling by this latter
road one must needs cross the river Maiander and pass by the city
of Callatebos, where men live whose trade it is to make honey of the
tamarisk-tree and of wheat-flour. By this road went Xerxes and found a
plane-tree, to which for its beauty he gave an adornment of gold, and
appointed that some one should have charge of it always in undying
succession; 31 and on the next day he came to the city of the Lydians.
32. Having come to Sardis he proceeded first to send heralds to Hellas,
to ask for earth and water, and also to give notice beforehand to
prepare meals for the king; except that he sent neither to Athens nor
Lacedemon to ask for earth, but to all the other States: and the reason
why he sent the second time to ask for earth and water was this,--as
many as had not given at the former time to Dareios when he sent, these
he thought would certainly give now by reason of their fear: this matter
it was about which he desired to have certain knowledge, and he sent
accordingly.
33. After this he made his preparations intending to march to Abydos:
and meanwhile they were bridging over the Hellespont from Asia to
Europe. Now there is in the Chersonese of the Hellespont between the
city of Sestos and Madytos, a broad foreland 32 running down into
the sea right opposite Abydos; this is the place where no long time
afterwards the Athenians under the command of Xanthippos the son of
Ariphron, having taken Artaÿctes a Persian, who was the governor of
Sestos, nailed him alive to a board with hands and feet extended (he was
the man who was wont to take women with him to the temple of Protesilaos
at Elaius and to do things there which are not lawful).
34. To this foreland they on whom this work was laid were making their
bridges, starting from Abydos, the Phenicians constructing the one with
ropes of white flax, and the Egyptians the other, which was made with
papyrus rope. Now from Abydos to the opposite shore is a distance of
seven furlongs. But when the strait had been bridged over, a great storm
came on and dashed together all the work that had been made and broke it
up. Then when Xerxes heard it he was exceedingly enraged, and bade them
scourge the Hellespont with three hundred strokes of the lash and let
down into the sea a pair of fetters. Nay, I have heard further that he
sent branders also with them to brand the Hellespont. However this
may be, he enjoined them, as they were beating, to say Barbarian and
presumptuous words as follows: "Thou bitter water, thy master lays upon
thee this penalty, because thou didst wrong him not having suffered any
wrong from him: and Xerxes the king will pass over thee whether thou be
willing or no; but with right, as it seems, no man doeth sacrifice to
thee, seeing that thou art a treacherous 33 and briny stream." The sea
he enjoined them to chastise thus, and also he bade them cut off the
heads of those who were appointed to have charge over the bridging of
the Hellespont.
36. Thus then the men did, to whom this ungracious office belonged; and
meanwhile other chief-constructors proceeded to make the bridges;
and thus they made them:--They put together fifty-oared galleys and
triremes, three hundred and sixty to be under the bridge towards the
Euxine Sea, and three hundred and fourteen to be under the other, the
vessels lying in the direction of the stream of the Hellespont (though
crosswise in respect to the Pontus), to support the tension of the
ropes. 34 They placed them together thus, and let down very large
anchors, those on the one side 35 towards the Pontus because of the
winds which blow from within outwards, and on the other side, towards
the West and the Egean, because of the South-East 36 and South Winds.
They left also an opening for a passage through, so that any who wished
might be able to sail into the Pontus with small vessels, 37 and also
from the Pontus outwards. Having thus done, they proceeded to stretch
tight the ropes, straining them with wooden windlasses, not now
appointing the two kinds of rope to be used apart from one another, but
assigning to each bridge two ropes of white flax and four of the papyrus
ropes. The thickness and beauty of make was the same for both, but the
flaxen ropes were heavier in proportion, 38 and of this rope a cubit
weighed one talent. When the passage was bridged over, they sawed up
logs of wood, and making them equal in length to the breadth of the
bridge they laid them above the stretched ropes, and having set them
thus in order they again fastened them above. 39 When this was done,
they carried on brushwood, and having set the brushwood also in place,
they carried on to it earth; and when they had stamped down the
earth firmly, they built a barrier along on each side, so that the
baggage-animals and horses might not be frightened by looking out over
the sea.
37. When the construction of the bridges had been finished, and the
works about Athos, both the embankments about the mouths of the channel,
which were made because of the breaking of the sea upon the beach, that
the mouths of it might not be filled up, and the channel itself, were
reported to be fully completed, then, after they had passed the winter
at Sardis, the army set forth from thence fully equipped, at the
beginning of spring, to march to Abydos; and when it had just set forth,
the Sun left his place in the heaven and was invisible, though there was
no gathering of clouds and the sky was perfectly clear; and instead of
day it became night. When Xerxes saw and perceived this, it became a
matter of concern to him; and he asked the Magians what the appearance
meant to portend. These declared that the god was foreshowing to the
Hellenes a leaving 40 of their cities, saying that the Sun was the
foreshower of events for the Hellenes, but the Moon for the Persians.
Having been thus informed, Xerxes proceeded on the march with very great
joy.
38. Then as he was leading forth his army on its march, Pythios the
Lydian, being alarmed by the appearance in the heavens and elated by
the gifts which he had received, came to Xerxes, and said as follows:
"Master, I would desire to receive from thee a certain thing at my
request, which, as it chances, is for thee an easy thing to grant, but
a great thing for me, if I obtain it." Then Xerxes, thinking that his
request would be for anything rather than that which he actually asked,
said that he would grant it, and bade him speak and say what he desired.
He then, when he heard this, was encouraged, and spoke these words:
"Master, I have, as it chances, five sons, and it is their fortune to
be all going together with thee on the march against Hellas. Do thou,
therefore, O king, have compassion upon me, who have come to so great
an age, and release from serving in the expedition one of my sons,
the eldest, in order that he may be caretaker both of myself and of
my wealth: but the other four take with thyself, and after thou hast
accomplished that which thou hast in thy mind, mayest thou have a safe
return home."
38. Then Xerxes was exceedingly angry and made answer with these words:
"Thou wretched man, dost thou dare, when I am going on a march myself
against Hellas, and am taking my sons and my brothers and my relations
and friends, dost thou dare to make any mention of a son of thine,
seeing that thou art my slave, who ought to have been accompanying me
thyself with thy whole household and thy wife as well? Now therefore
be assured of this, that the passionate spirit of man dwells within the
ears; and when it has heard good things, it fills the body with delight,
but when it has heard the opposite things to this, it swells up with
anger. As then thou canst not boast of having surpassed the king in
conferring benefits formerly, when thou didst to us good deeds and
madest offer to do more of the same kind, so now that thou hast turned
to shamelessness, thou shalt receive not thy desert but less than thou
deservest: for thy gifts of hospitality shall rescue from death thyself
and the four others of thy sons, but thou shalt pay the penalty with the
life of the one to whom thou dost cling most." Having answered thus, he
forthwith commanded those to whom it was appointed to do these things,
to find out the eldest of the sons of Pythios and to cut him in two in
the middle; and having cut him in two, to dispose the halves, one on
the right hand of the road and the other on the left, and that the army
should pass between them by this way.
40. When these had so done, the army proceeded to pass between; and
first the baggage-bearers led the way together with their horses, and
after these the host composed of all kinds of nations mingled together
without distinction: and when more than the half had gone by, an
interval was left and these were separated from the king. For before
him went first a thousand horsemen, chosen out of all the Persians; and
after them a thousand spearmen chosen also from all the Persians, having
the points of their spears turned down to the ground; and then ten
sacred horses, called "Nesaian," 41 with the fairest possible trappings.
Now the horses are called Nesaian for this reason:--there is a wide
plain in the land of Media which is called the Nesaian plain, and this
plain produces the great horses of which I speak. Behind these ten
horses the sacred chariot of Zeus was appointed to go, which was drawn
by eight white horses; and behind the horses again followed on foot a
charioteer holding the reins, for no human creature mounts upon the seat
of that chariot. Then behind this came Xerxes himself in a chariot drawn
by Nesaian horses, and by the side of him rode a charioteer, whose name
was Patiramphes, son of Otanes a Persian.
41. Thus did Xerxes march forth out of Sardis; and he used to change,
whenever he was so disposed, from the chariot to a carriage. And behind
him went spearmen, the best and most noble of the Persians, a thousand
in number, holding their spear-points in the customary way; 42 and after
them another thousand horsemen chosen out from the Persians; and after
the horsemen ten thousand men chosen out from the remainder of the
Persians. This body went on foot; and of these a thousand had upon their
spears pomegranates of gold instead of the spikes at the butt-end, and
these enclosed the others round, while the remaining nine thousand were
within these and had silver pomegranates. And those also had golden
pomegranates who had their spear-points turned towards the earth, while
those who followed next after Xerxes had golden apples. Then to follow
the ten thousand there was appointed a body of ten thousand Persian
cavalry; and after the cavalry there was an interval of as much as two
furlongs. Then the rest of the host came marching without distinction.
42. So the army proceeded on its march from Lydia to the river Caïcos
and the land of Mysia; and then setting forth from the Caïcos and
keeping the mountain of Cane on the left hand, it marched through the
region of Atarneus to the city of Carene. From this it went through the
plain of Thebe, passing by the cities of Adramytteion and Antandros of
the Pelasgians; and taking mount Ida on the left hand, it came on to the
land of Ilion. And first, when it had stopped for the night close under
mount Ida, thunder and bolts of lightning fell upon it, and destroyed
here in this place a very large number of men. 43
43. Then when the army had come to the river Scamander,--which of all
rivers to which they had come, since they set forth from Sardis and
undertook their march, was the first of which the stream failed and
was not sufficient for the drinking of the army and of the animals
with it,--when, I say, Xerxes had come to this river, he went up to the
Citadel of Priam, 44 having a desire to see it; and having seen it
and learnt by inquiry of all those matters severally, he sacrificed a
thousand heifers to Athene of Ilion, and the Magians poured libations in
honour of the heroes: and after they had done this, a fear fell upon
the army in the night. Then at break of day he set forth from thence,
keeping on his left hand the cities of Rhoition and Ophryneion and
Dardanos, which last borders upon Abydos, and having on the right hand
the Gergith Teucrians.
44. When Xerxes had come into the midst of Abydos, 45 he had a desire to
see all the army; and there had been made purposely for him beforehand
upon a hill in this place a raised seat of white stone, 46 which the
people of Abydos had built at the command of the king given beforehand.
There he took his seat, and looking down upon the shore he gazed both
upon the land-army and the ships; and gazing upon them he had a longing
to see a contest take place between the ships; and when it had taken
place and the Phenicians of Sidon were victorious, he was delighted both
with the contest and with the whole armament.
45. And seeing all the Hellespont covered over with the ships, and all
the shores and the plains of Abydos full of men, then Xerxes pronounced
himself a happy man, and after that he fell to weeping.
46. Artabanos his uncle therefore perceiving him,--the same who at
first boldly declared his opinion advising Xerxes not to march against
Hellas,--this man, I say, having observed that Xerxes wept, asked as
follows: "O king, how far different from one another are the things
which thou hast done now and a short while before now! for having
pronounced thyself a happy man, thou art now shedding tears." He said:
"Yea, for after I had reckoned up, it came into my mind to feel pity at
the thought how brief was the whole life of man, seeing that of these
multitudes not one will be alive when a hundred years have gone by." He
then made answer and said: "To another evil more pitiful than this we
are made subject in the course of our life; for in the period of life,
short as it is, no man, either of these here or of others, is made by
nature so happy, that there will not come to him many times, and not
once only, the desire to be dead rather than to live; for misfortunes
falling upon us and diseases disturbing our happiness make the time
of life, though short indeed, seem long: thus, since life is full of
trouble, death has become the most acceptable refuge for man; and God,
having given him to taste of the sweetness of life, is discovered in
this matter to be full of jealousy."
47. Xerxes made answer saying: "Artabanos, of human life, which is such
as thou dost define it to be, let us cease to speak, and do not remember
evils when we have good things in hand: but do thou declare to me
this:--If the vision of the dream had not appeared with so much
evidence, wouldest thou still be holding thy former opinion,
endeavouring to prevent me from marching against Hellas, or wouldest
thou have changed from it? Come, tell me this exactly." He answered
saying: "O king, may the vision of the dream which appeared have such
fulfilment as we both desire! but I am even to this moment full of
apprehension and cannot contain myself, taking into account many things
besides, and also seeing that two things, which are the greatest things
of all, are utterly hostile to thee."
48. To this Xerxes made answer in these words: "Thou strangest of men,
47 of what nature are these two things which thou sayest are utterly
hostile to me? Is it that the land-army is to be found fault with in
the matter of numbers, and that the army of the Hellenes appears to thee
likely to be many times as large as ours? or dost thou think that our
fleet will fall short of theirs? or even that both of these things
together will prove true? For if thou thinkest that in these respects
our power is deficient, one might make gathering at once of another
force."
49. Then he made answer and said: "O king, neither with this army would
any one who has understanding find fault, nor with the number of the
ships; and indeed if thou shalt assemble more, the two things of which
I speak will be made thereby yet more hostile: and these two things
are--the land and the sea. For neither in the sea is there, as I
suppose, a harbour anywhere large enough to receive this fleet of thine,
if a storm should arise, and to ensure the safety of the ships till it
be over; and yet not one alone 48 ought this harbour to be, but there
should be such harbours along the whole coast of the continent by which
thou sailest; and if there are not harbours to receive thy ships, know
that accidents will rule men and not men the accidents. Now having told
thee of one of the two things, I am about to tell thee of the other. The
land, I say, becomes hostile to thee in this way:--if nothing shall
come to oppose thee, the land is hostile to thee by so much the more
in proportion as thou shalt advance more, ever stealing on further and
further, 49 for there is no satiety of good fortune felt by men:
and this I say, that with no one to stand against thee the country
traversed, growing more and more as time goes on, will produce for
thee famine. Man, however, will be in the best condition, if when he is
taking counsel he feels fear, reckoning to suffer everything that can
possibly come, but in doing the deed he is bold."