of those on foot the Persians, and of the cavalry the Sacans, and for
a single man Mardonios it is said was the best. Of the Hellenes, though
both the Tegeans and the Athenians proved themselves good men, yet the
Lacedemonians surpassed them in valour. Of this I have no other proof
(for all these were victorious over their opposites), but only this,
that they fought against the strongest part of the enemy's force and
overcame it. And the man who proved himself in my opinion by much the
best was that Aristodemos who, having come back safe from Thermopylai
alone of the three hundred, had reproach and dishonour attached to him.
After him the best were Poseidonios and Philokyon and Amompharetos the
Spartan. 81 However, when there came to be conversation as to which of
them had proved himself the best, the Spartans who were present gave it
as their opinion that Aristodemos had evidently wished to be slain in
consequence of the charge which lay against him, and so, being as it
were in a frenzy and leaving his place in the ranks, he had displayed
great deeds, whereas Poseidonios had proved himself a good man although
he did not desire to be slain; and so far he was the better man of the
two. This however they perhaps said from ill-will; and all these whose
names I mentioned among the men who were killed in this battle, were
specially honoured, except Aristodemos; but Aristodemos, since he
desired to be slain on account of the before-mentioned charge, was not
honoured.
72. These obtained the most renown of those who fought at Plataia, for
as for Callicrates, the most beautiful who came to the camp, not of the
Lacedemonians alone, but also of all the Hellenes of his time, he
was not killed in the battle itself; but when Pausanias was offering
sacrifice, he was wounded by an arrow in the side, as he was sitting
down in his place in the ranks; and while the others were fighting, he
having been carried out of the ranks was dying a lingering death: and he
said to Arimnestos 82 a Plataian that it did not grieve him to die for
Hellas, but it grieved him only that he had not proved his strength of
hand, and that no deed of valour had been displayed by him worthy of the
spirit which he had in him to perform great deeds. 83
73. Of the Athenians the man who gained most glory is said to have been
Sophanes the son of Eutychides of the deme of Dekeleia,—a deme of which
the inhabitants formerly did a deed that was of service to them for all
time, as the Athenians themselves report. For when of old the sons of
Tyndareus invaded the Attic land with a great host, in order to bring
home Helen, and were laying waste the demes, not knowing to what
place of hiding Helen had been removed, then they say that the men
of Dekeleia, or as some say Dekelos himself, being aggrieved by the
insolence of Theseus and fearing for all the land of the Athenians, told
them the whole matter and led them to Aphidnai, which Titakos who was
sprung from the soil delivered up by treachery to the sons of Tyndareus.
In consequence of this deed the Dekeleians have had continually freedom
from dues in Sparta and front seats at the games, 84 privileges which
exist still to this day; insomuch that even in the war which many years
after these events arose between the Athenians and the Peloponnesians,
when the Lacedemonians laid waste all the rest of Attica, they abstained
from injury to Dekeleia..
74. To this deme belonged Sophanes, who showed himself the best of all
the Athenians in this battle; and of him there are two different stories
told: one that he carried an anchor of iron bound by chains of bronze
to the belt of his corslet; and this he threw whensoever he came up with
the enemy, in order, they say, that the enemy when they came forth out
of their ranks might not be able to move him from his place; and when a
flight of his opponents took place, his plan was to take up the anchor
first and then pursue after them. This story is reported thus; but the
other of the stories, disputing the truth of that which has been told
above, is reported as follows, namely that upon his shield, which was
ever moving about and never remaining still, he bore an anchor as a
device, and not one of iron bound to his corslet.
75. There was another illustrious deed done too by Sophanes; for when
the Athenians besieged Egina he challenged to a fight and slew Eurybates
the Argive, 85 one who had been victor in the five contests 86 at the
games. To Sophanes himself it happened after these events that when he
was general of the Athenians together with Leagros the son of Glaucon,
he was slain after proving himself a good man by the Edonians at Daton,
fighting for the gold mines.
76. When the Barbarians had been laid low by the Hellenes at Plataia,
there approached to these a woman, the concubine of Pharandates the son
of Teaspis a Persian, coming over of her own free will from the enemy,
who when she perceived that the Persians had been destroyed and that the
Hellenes were the victors, descended from her carriage and came up to
the Lacedemonians while they were yet engaged in the slaughter.
This woman had adorned herself with many ornaments of gold, and her
attendants likewise, and she had put on the fairest robe of those which
she had; and when she saw that Pausanias was directing everything there,
being well acquainted before with his name and with his lineage, because
she had heard it often, she recognised Pausanias and taking hold of his
knees she said these words: "O king of Sparta, deliver me thy suppliant
from the slavery of the captive: for thou hast also done me service
hitherto in destroying these, who have regard neither for demigods nor
yet for gods. 87 I am by race of Cos, the daughter of Hegetorides the
son of Antagoras; and the Persian took me by force in Cos and kept me
a prisoner." He made answer in these words: "Woman, be of good courage,
both because thou art a suppliant, and also if in addition to this
it chances that thou art speaking the truth and art the daughter of
Hegetorides the Coan, who is bound to me as a guest-friend more than any
other of the men who dwell in those parts." Having thus spoken, for
that time her gave her in charge to those Ephors who were present, and
afterwards he sent her away to Egina, whither she herself desired to go.
77. After the arrival of the woman, forthwith upon this arrived the
Mantineians, when all was over; and having learnt that they had come
too late for the battle, they were greatly grieved, and said that
they deserved to be punished: and being informed that the Medes with
Artabazos were in flight, they pursued after them as far as Thessaly,
though the Lacedemonians endeavoured to prevent them from pursuing after
fugitives. 88 Then returning back to their own country they sent the
leaders of their army into exile from the land. After the Mantineians
came the Eleians; and they, like the Mantineians, were greatly grieved
by it and so departed home; and these also when they had returned sent
their leaders into exile. So much of the Mantineians and Eleians.
78. At Plataia among the troops of the Eginetans was Lampon the son of
Pytheas, one of the leading men of the Eginetans, who was moved to go to
Pausanias with a most impious proposal, and when he had come with haste,
he said as follows: "Son of Cleombrotos, a deed has been done by
thee which is of marvellous greatness and glory, and to thee God has
permitted by rescuing Hellas to lay up for thyself the greatest renown
of all the Hellenes about whom we have any knowledge. Do thou then
perform also that which remains to do after these things, in order that
yet greater reputation may attach to thee, and also that in future every
one of the Barbarians may beware of being the beginner of presumptuous
deeds towards the Hellenes. For when Leonidas was slain at Thermopylai,
Mardonios and Xerxes cut off his head and crucified him: to him
therefore do thou repay like with like, and thou shalt have praise first
from all the Spartans and then secondly from the other Hellenes also;
for if thou impale the body of Mardonios, thou wilt then have taken
vengeance for Leonidas thy father's brother.".
79. He said this thinking to give pleasure; but the other made him
answer in these words: "Stranger of Egina, I admire thy friendly spirit
and thy forethought for me, but thou hast failed of a good opinion
nevertheless: for having exalted me on high and my family and my deed,
thou didst then cast me down to nought by advising me to do outrage to
a dead body, and by saying that if I do this I shall be better reported
of. These things it is more fitting for Barbarians to do than for
Hellenes; and even with them we find fault for doing so. However that
may be, I do not desire in any such manner as this to please either
Eginetans or others who like such things; but it is enough for me that
I should keep from unholy deeds, yea and from unholy speech also, and
so please the Spartans. As for Leonidas, whom thou biddest me avenge, I
declare that he has been greatly avenged already, and by the unnumbered
lives which have been taken of these men he has been honoured, and
not he only but also the rest who brought their lives to an end at
Thermopylai. As for thee however, come not again to me with such a
proposal, nor give me such advice; and be thankful moreover that thou
hast no punishment for it now."
80. He having heard this went his way; and Pausanias made a proclamation
that none should lay hands upon the spoil, and he ordered the Helots to
collect the things together. They accordingly dispersed themselves
about the camp and found tents furnished with gold and silver, and beds
overlaid with gold and overlaid with silver, and mixing-bowls of gold,
and cups and other drinking vessels. They found also sacks laid upon
waggons, in which there proved to be caldrons both of gold and of
silver; and from the dead bodies which lay there they stripped bracelets
and collars, and also their swords 89 if they were of gold, for as to
embroidered raiment, there was no account made of it. Then the Helots
stole many of the things and sold them to the Eginetans, but many things
also they delivered up, as many of them as they could not conceal; so
that the great wealth of the Eginetans first came from this, that they
bought the gold from the Helots making pretence that it was brass..
81. Then having brought the things together, and having set apart a
tithe for the god of Delphi, with which the offering was dedicated of
the golden tripod which rests upon the three-headed serpent of bronze
and stands close by the altar, and also 90 for the god at Olympia, with
which they dedicated the offering of a bronze statue of Zeus ten cubits
high, and finally for the god at the Isthmus, with which was made a
bronze statue of Poseidon seven cubits high,—having set apart these
things, they divided the rest, and each took that which they ought to
have, including the concubines of the Persians and the gold and the
silver and the other things, and also the beasts of burden. How much was
set apart and given to those of them who had proved themselves the best
men at Plataia is not reported by any, though for my part I suppose that
gifts were made to these also; Pausanias however had ten of each thing
set apart and given to him, that is women, horses, talents, camels, and
so also of the other things.
82. It is said moreover that this was done which here follows, namely
that Xerxes in his flight from Hellas had left to Mardonios the
furniture of his own tent, and Pausanias accordingly seeing the
furniture of Mardonios furnished 91 with gold and silver and hangings of
different colours ordered the bakers and the cooks to prepare a meal as
they were used to do for Mardonios. Then when they did this as they had
been commanded, it is said that Pausanias seeing the couches of gold and
of silver with luxurious coverings, and the tables of gold and silver,
and the magnificent apparatus of the feast, was astonished at the good
things set before him, and for sport he ordered his own servants to
prepare a Laconian meal; and as, when the banquet was served, the
difference between the two was great, Pausanias laughed and sent for the
commanders of the Hellenes; and when these had come together, Pausanias
said, pointing to the preparation of the two meals severally: "Hellenes,
for this reason I assembled you together, because I desired to show you
the senselessness of this leader of the Medes, who having such fare as
this, came to us who have such sorry fare as ye see here, in order
to take it away from us." Thus it is said that Pausanias spoke to the
commanders of the Hellenes.
83. However, 92 in later time after these events many of the Plataians
also found chests of gold and of silver and of other treasures; and
moreover afterwards this which follows was seen in the case of the dead
bodies here, after the flesh had been stripped off from the bones; for
the Plataians brought together the bones all to one place:—there was
found, I say, a skull with no suture but all of one bone, and there was
seen also a jaw-bone, that is to say the upper part of the jaw, which
had teeth joined together and all of one bone, both the teeth that bite
and those that grind; and the bones were seen also of a man five cubits
high..
84. The body of Mardonios however had disappeared 93 on the day after
the battle, taken by whom I am not able with certainty to say, but I
have heard the names of many men of various cities who are said to have
buried Mardonios, and I know that many received gifts from Artontes the
son of Mardonios for having done this: who he was however who took up
and buried the body of Mardonios I am not able for certain to discover,
but Dionysophanes an Ephesian is reported with some show of reason to
have been he who buried Mardonios..
85. He then was buried in some such manner as this: and the Hellenes
when they had divided the spoil at Plataia proceeded to bury their dead,
each nation apart by themselves. The Spartans made for themselves three
several burial-places, one in which they buried the younger Spartans,
94 of whom also were Poseidonios, Amompharetos, Philokyon and
Callicrates,—in one of the graves, I say, were laid the younger men, in
the second the rest of the Spartans, and in the third the Helots. These
then thus buried their dead; but the Tegeans buried theirs all together
in a place apart from these, and the Athenians theirs together; and the
Megarians and Phliasians those who had been slain by the cavalry. Of
all these the burial-places had bodies laid in them, but as to the
burial-places of other States which are to be seen at Plataia, these, as
I am informed, are all mere mounds of earth without any bodies in them,
raised by the several peoples on account of posterity, because they were
ashamed of their absence from the fight; for among others there is one
there called the burial-place of the Eginetans, which I hear was raised
at the request of the Eginetans by Cleades the son of Autodicos, a man
of Plataia who was their public guest-friend, 95 no less than ten years
after these events.
86. When the Hellenes had buried their dead at Plataia, forthwith they
determined in common council to march upon Thebes and to ask the Thebans
to surrender those who had taken the side of the Medes, and among the
first of them Timagenides and Attaginos, who were leaders equal to the
first; and if the Thebans did not give them up, they determined not to
retire from the city until they had taken it. Having thus resolved,
they came accordingly on the eleventh day after the battle and began to
besiege the Thebans, bidding them give the men up: and as the Thebans
refused to give them up, they began to lay waste their land and also to
attack their wall..
87. So then, as they did not cease their ravages, on the twentieth day
Timagenides spoke as follows to the Thebans: "Thebans, since it has been
resolved by the Hellenes not to retire from the siege until either they
have taken Thebes or ye have delivered us up to them, now therefore let
not the land of Boeotia suffer 96 any more for our sakes, but if they
desire to have money and are demanding our surrender as a colour for
this, let us give them money taken out of the treasury of the State;
for we took the side of the Medes together with the State and not by
ourselves alone: but if they are making the siege truly in order to get
us into their hands, then we will give ourselves up for trial." 97 In
this it was thought that he spoke very well and seasonably, and the
Thebans forthwith sent a herald to Pausanias offering to deliver up the
men..
88. After they had made an agreement on these terms, Attaginos escaped
out of the city; and when his sons were delivered up to Pausanias, he
released them from the charge, saying that the sons had no share in
the guilt of taking the side of the Medes. As to the other men whom the
Thebans delivered up, they supposed that they would get a trial, 98
and they trusted moreover to be able to repel the danger by payment of
money; but Pausanias, when he had received them, suspecting this very
thing, first dismissed the whole army of allies, and then took the men
to Corinth and put them to death there. These were the things which
happened at Plataia and at Thebes.
89. Artabazos meanwhile, the son of Pharnakes, in his flight
from Plataia was by this time getting forward on his way: and the
Thessalians, when he came to them, offered him hospitality and inquired
concerning the rest of the army, not knowing anything of that which had
happened at Plataia; and Artabazos knowing that if he should tell them
the whole truth about the fighting, he would run the risk of being
destroyed, both himself and the whole army which was with him, (for he
thought that they would all set upon him if they were informed of that
which had happened),—reflecting, I say, upon this he had told nothing of
it to the Phokians, and now to the Thessalians he spoke as follows:
"I, as you see, Thessalians, am earnest to march by the shortest way to
Thracia; and I am in great haste, having been sent with these men for a
certain business from the army; moreover Mardonios himself and his army
are shortly to be looked for here, marching close after me. To him give
entertainment and show yourselves serviceable, for ye will not in the
end repent of so doing." Having thus said he continued to march his army
with haste through Thessaly and Macedonia straight for Thracia, being
in truth earnest to proceed and going through the land by the shortest
possible way: 99 and so he came to Byzantion, having left behind him
great numbers of his army, who had either been cut down by the Thracians
on the way or had been overcome by hunger and fatigue; 100 and from
Byzantion he passed over in ships. He himself 101 then thus made his
return back to Asia.
90. Now on the same day on which the defeat took place at Plataia,
another took place also, as fortune would have it, at Mycale in Ionia.
For when the Hellenes who had come in the ships with Leotychides the
Lacedemonian, were lying at Delos, there came to them as envoys
from Samos Lampon the son of Thrasycles and Athenagoras the son of
Archestratides and Hegesistratos the son of Aristagoras, who had been
sent by the people of Samos without the knowledge either of the Persians
or of the despot Theomestor the son of Androdamas, whom the Persians had
set up to be despot of Samos. When these had been introduced before the
commanders, Hegesistratos spoke at great length using arguments of all
kinds, and saying that so soon as the Ionians should see them they would
at once revolt from the Persians, and that the Barbarians would not wait
for their attack; and if after all they did so, then the Hellenes
would take a prize such as they would never take again hereafter; and
appealing to the gods worshipped in common he endeavoured to persuade
them to rescue from slavery men who were Hellenes and to drive away the
Barbarian: and this he said was easy for them to do, for the ships of
the enemy sailed badly and were no match for them in fight. Moreover if
the Hellenes suspected that they were endeavouring to bring them on by
fraud, they were ready to be taken as hostages in their ships..
91. Then as the stranger of Samos was urgent in his prayer, Leotychides
inquired thus, either desiring to hear for the sake of the omen or
perhaps by a chance which Providence brought about: "Stranger of Samos,
what is thy name?" He said "Hegesistratos." 102 The other cut short the
rest of the speech, stopping all that Hegesistratos had intended to say
further, and said: "I accept the augury given in Hegesistratos, stranger
of Samos. Do thou on thy part see that thou give us assurance, thou and
the men who are with thee, that the Samians will without fail be our
zealous allies, and after that sail away home.".
92. Thus he spoke and to the words he added the deed; for forthwith the
Samians gave assurance and made oaths of alliance with the Hellenes, and
having so done the others sailed away home, but Hegesistratos he bade
sail with the Hellenes, considering the name to be an augury of good
success. Then the Hellenes after staying still that day made sacrifices
for success on the next day, their diviner being Deïphonos the son of
Euenios an Apolloniate, of that Apollonia which lies in the Ionian gulf.
10201.
93. To this man's father Euenios it happened as follows:—There are at
this place Apollonia sheep sacred to the Sun, which during the day feed
by a river 103 running from Mount Lacmon through the land of Apollonia
to the sea by the haven of Oricos; and by night they are watched by
men chosen for this purpose, who are the most highly considered of the
citizens for wealth and noble birth, each man having charge of them for
a year; for the people of Apollonia set great store on these sheep by
reason of an oracle: and they are folded in a cave at some distance from
the city. Here at the time of which I speak this man Euenios was keeping
watch over them, having been chosen for that purpose; and it happened
one night that he fell asleep during his watch, and wolves came by into
the cave and killed about sixty of the sheep. When he perceived this,
he kept it secret and told no one, meaning to buy others and substitute
them in the place of those that were killed. It was discovered however
by the people of Apollonia that this had happened; and when they were
informed of it, they brought him up before a court and condemned him to
be deprived of his eyesight for having fallen asleep during his watch.
But when they had blinded Euenios, forthwith after this their flocks
ceased to bring forth young and their land to bear crops as before. Then
prophesyings were uttered to them both at Dodona and also at Delphi,
when they asked the prophets the cause of the evil which they were
suffering, and they told them 104 that they had done unjustly in
depriving of his sight Euenios the watcher of the sacred sheep; for the
gods of whom they inquired had themselves sent the wolves to attack the
sheep; and they would not cease to take vengeance for him till the men
of Apollonia should have paid to Euenios such satisfaction as he himself
should choose and deem sufficient; and this being fulfilled, the gods
would give to Euenios a gift of such a kind that many men would think
him happy in that he possessed it..
94. These oracles then were uttered to them, and the people of
Apollonia, making a secret of it, proposed to certain men of the
citizens to manage the affair; and they managed it for them thus:—when
Euenios was sitting on a seat in public, they came and sat by him, and
conversed about other matters, and at last they came to sympathising
with him in his misfortune; and thus leading him on they asked what
satisfaction he should choose, if the people of Apollonia should
undertake to give him satisfaction for that which they had done. He
then, not having heard the oracle, made choice and said that if there
should be given him the lands belonging to certain citizens, naming
those whom he knew to possess the two best lots of land in Apollonia,
and a dwelling-house also with these, which he knew to be the best house
in the city,—if he became the possessor of these, he said, he would have
no anger against them for the future, and this satisfaction would be
sufficient for him if it should be given. Then as he was thus
speaking, the men who sat by him said interrupting him: "Euenios, this
satisfaction the Apolloniates pay to thee for thy blinding in accordance
with the oracles which have been given to them." Upon this he was angry,
being thus informed of the whole matter and considering that he had been
deceived; and they bought the property from those who possessed it and
gave him that which he had chosen. And forthwith after this he had a
natural gift of divination, 105 so that he became very famous..
95. Of this Euenios, I say, Deïphonos was the son, and he was acting
as diviner for the army, being brought by the Corinthians. I have heard
however also that Deïphonos wrongly made use of the name of Euenios, and
undertook work of this kind about Hellas, not being really the son of
Euenios.