Book 3
There is a foolish tale abroad that Polycrates bribed them to depart by making and giving them a great number of gilded lead coins, as a native currency. This was the first expedition to Asia (continent) Asia made by Dorians of Sparta [22.416,37.83] (inhabited place), Laconia, Peloponnese, Greece, Europe Lacedaemon .Not the first expedition, that is, made by any inhabitants of +Laconia [22.583,37] (department), Peloponnese, Greece, Europe Laconia , Achaeans from that country having taken part in the Trojan war.
When the Lacedaemonians were about to abandon them, the Samians who had brought an army against Polycrates sailed away too, and went to Siphnus;
for they were in need of money; and the Siphnians were at this time very prosperous and the richest of the islanders, because of the gold and silver mines on the island. They were so wealthy that the treasure dedicated by them at Delphi [22.5167,38.4917] (Perseus) Delphi , which is as rich as any there, was made from a tenth of their income; and they divided among themselves each year's income.
Now when they were putting together the treasure they inquired of the oracle if their present prosperity was likely to last long; whereupon the priestess gave them this answer:
“When the prytaneum on Siphnus becomes white And white-browed the market, then indeed a shrewd man is wanted Beware a wooden force and a red herald.” At this time the market-place and town-hall of Siphnus were adorned with Parian marble.
They could not understand this oracle either when it was spoken or at the time of the Samians' coming. As soon as the Samians put in at Siphnus, they sent ambassadors to the town in one of their ships;
now in ancient times all ships were painted with vermilion; μιλτοπάρῃοι is one of the Homeric epithets of ships. and this was what was meant by the warning given by the priestess to the Siphnians, to beware a wooden force and a red herald.
The messengers, then, demanded from the Siphnians a loan of ten talents; when the Siphnians refused them, the Samians set about ravaging their lands.
Hearing this the Siphnians came out at once to drive them off, but they were defeated in battle, and many of them were cut off from their town by the Samians; who presently exacted from them a hundred talents.
Then the Samians took from the men of +Hermione [23.2583,37.3833] (Perseus) Hermione , instead of money, the island Hydrea which is near to the +Peloponnese [22,37.5] (region), Greece, Europe Peloponnesus , and gave it to men of Troizen [23.375,37.5] (Perseus) Troezen for safekeeping; they themselves settled at +Khania [24.33,35.516] (inhabited place), Canea, Crete, Greece, Europe Cydonia in +Crete [25,35.166] (region), Greece, Europe Crete , though their voyage had been made with no such intent, but rather to drive Zacynthians out of the island.
Here they stayed and prospered for five years; indeed, the temples now at +Khania [24.33,35.516] (inhabited place), Canea, Crete, Greece, Europe Cydonia and the shrine of Dictyna are the Samians' work;
but in the sixth year Aeginetans and Cretans came and defeated them in a sea-fight and made slaves of them; moreover they cut off the ships' prows, that were shaped like boars' heads, and dedicated them in the temple of Athena in +Aegina [23.433,37.75] (inhabited place), Aegina, Attica, Central Greece and Euboea, Greece, Europe Aegina .
The Aeginetans did this out of a grudge against the Samians; for previously the Samians, in the days when Amphicrates was king of +Nisos Samos [26.8,37.75] (island), Samos, Aegean Islands, Greece, Europe Samos , sailing in force against +Aegina [23.433,37.75] (inhabited place), Aegina, Attica, Central Greece and Euboea, Greece, Europe Aegina , had hurt the Aeginetans and been hurt by them. This was the cause.
I have written at such length of the Samians, because the three greatest works of all the Greeks were engineered by them. The first of these is the tunnel with a mouth at either end driven through the base of a hill nine hundred feet high;
the whole tunnel is forty-two hundred feet long,Remains of this work show that the tunnel was only 1100 feet long. eight feet high and eight feet wide; and throughout the whole of its length there runs a channel thirty feet deep and three feet wide, through which the water coming from an abundant spring is carried by pipes to the city of +Nisos Samos [26.8,37.75] (island), Samos, Aegean Islands, Greece, Europe Samos .
The designer of this work was Eupalinus son of Naustrophus, a Megarian. This is one of the three works; the second is a breakwater in the sea enclosing the harbor, sunk one hundred and twenty feet, and more than twelve hundred feet in length.
The third Samian work is the temple, which is the greatest of all the temples of which we know; its first builder was Rhoecus son of Philes, a Samian. It is for this cause that I have expounded at more than ordinary length of +Nisos Samos [26.8,37.75] (island), Samos, Aegean Islands, Greece, Europe Samos .
Now after Cambyses, son of Cyrus, had lost his mind, while he was still in Egypt [30,27] (nation), Africa Egypt , two Magus brothers rebelled against him.The story dropped at Hdt. 3.38 is now taken up again. One of them had been left by Cambyses as steward of his house; this man now revolted from him, perceiving that the death of Smerdis was kept secret, and that few knew of it, most believing him to be still alive.
Therefore he plotted to gain the royal power: he had a brother, his partner, as I said, in rebellion; this brother was in appearance very like Cyrus' son Smerdis, whom Cambyses, his brother, had killed; nor was he like him in appearance only, but he bore the same name too, Smerdis.
Patizeithes the Magus persuaded this man that he would manage everything for him; he brought his brother and set him on the royal throne; then he sent heralds to all parts, one of whom was to go to Egypt [30,27] (nation), Africa Egypt and proclaim to the army that henceforth they must obey not Cambyses but Smerdis, the son of Cyrus.
So this proclamation was made everywhere. The herald appointed to go to Egypt [30,27] (nation), Africa Egypt , finding Cambyses and his army at +Hamadan [48.583,34.766] (inhabited place), Hamadan, Iran, Asia Ecbatana in +Syria [38,35] (nation), Asia Syria , came out before them all and proclaimed the message given him by the Magus.
When Cambyses heard what the herald said, he supposed that it was the truth, and that Prexaspes, when sent to kill Smerdis, had not done it but had played Cambyses false; and he said, fixing his eyes on Prexaspes, “Is it thus, Prexaspes, that you carried out my instructions?”
“No,” said Prexaspes, “this is not true, sire, that your brother Smerdis has rebelled against you; he cannot have any quarrel with you, small or great; I myself did as you instructed, and I buried him with my own hands.
If then the dead can rise, you may expect to see Astyages the Mede rise up against you; but if things are as usual, assuredly no harm to you will arise from Smerdis. Now then this is my opinion, that we pursue this herald and interrogate him, to learn from whom he comes with his proclamation that we must obey Smerdis as our king.”
Cambyses liked Prexaspes' advice; the herald was pursued at once and brought; and when he came, Prexaspes put this question to him: “Fellow, you say that your message is from Cyrus' son Smerdis; tell me this now, and you may go away unpunished: was it Smerdis who appeared to you and gave you this charge, or was it one of his servants?”
“Since King Cambyses marched to Egypt [30,27] (nation), Africa Egypt ,” answered the herald, “I have never seen Smerdis the son of Cyrus; the Magus whom Cambyses made overseer of his house gave me the message, saying that it was the will of Smerdis, son of Cyrus, that I should make it known to you.”
So spoke the herald, telling the whole truth; and Cambyses said, “Prexaspes, having done what you were told like a good man you are free of blame; but who can this Persian be who rebels against me and usurps the name of Smerdis?”
Prexaspes replied, “I think, sire, that I understand what has been done here; the rebels are the Magi, Patizeithes whom you left steward of your house, and his brother Smerdis.”
The truth of the words and of a dream struck Cambyses the moment he heard the name Smerdis; for he had dreamt that a message had come to him that Smerdis sitting on the royal throne touched heaven with his head;
and perceiving that he had killed his brother without cause, he wept bitterly for Smerdis. Having wept, and grieved by all his misfortune, he sprang upon his horse, with intent to march at once to Shush [48.333,32.2] (inhabited place), Khuzestan, Iran, Asia Susa against the Magus.
As he sprang upon his horse, the cap fell off the sheath of his sword, and the naked blade pierced his thigh, wounding him in the same place where he had once wounded the Egyptian god Apis; and believing the wound to be mortal, Cambyses asked what was the name of the town where he was.
They told him it was +Hamadan [48.583,34.766] (inhabited place), Hamadan, Iran, Asia Ecbatana . Now a prophecy had before this come to him from +Kawm al-Farain [30.733,31.2] (deserted settlement), Kafr ash-Shaykh, Lower Egypt, Egypt, Africa Buto , that he would end his life at +Hamadan [48.583,34.766] (inhabited place), Hamadan, Iran, Asia Ecbatana ; Cambyses supposed this to signify that he would die in old age at the Median +Hamadan [48.583,34.766] (inhabited place), Hamadan, Iran, Asia Ecbatana , his capital city; but as the event proved, the oracle prophesied his death at +Hamadan [48.583,34.766] (inhabited place), Hamadan, Iran, Asia Ecbatana of +Syria [38,35] (nation), Asia Syria .
So when he now inquired and learned the name of the town, the shock of his wound, and of the misfortune that came to him from the Magus, brought him to his senses; he understood the prophecy and said: “Here Cambyses son of Cyrus is to die.”
At this time he said no more. But about twenty days later, he sent for the most prominent of the Persians that were about him, and thus addressed them: “Persians, I have to make known to you something which I kept most strictly concealed.
When I was in Egypt [30,27] (nation), Africa Egypt I had a dream, which I wish I had not had; it seemed to me that a messenger came from home to tell me that Smerdis sitting on the royal throne touched heaven with his head.
Then I feared that my brother would take away my sovereignty from me, and I acted with more haste than wisdom; for it is not in the power of human nature to run away from what is to be; but I, blind as I was, sent Prexaspes to Shush [48.333,32.2] (inhabited place), Khuzestan, Iran, Asia Susa to kill Smerdis. When that great wrong was done I lived without fear, for I never thought that when Smerdis was removed another man might rise against me.
But I mistook altogether what was to be; I have killed my brother when there was no need, and I have lost my kingdom none the less; for it was the Magus Smerdis that the divinity forewarned in the dream would revolt.
Now he has been done for by me, and I would have you believe that Smerdis Cyrus' son no longer lives; the Magi rule the kingdom, the one that I left caretaker of my house, and his brother Smerdis. So then, the man is dead of an unholy destiny at the hands of his relations who ought to have been my avenger for the disgrace I have suffered from the Magi;
and as he is no longer alive, necessity constrains me to charge you, men of Iran [53,32] (nation), Asia Persia , in his place, with the last desire of my life. In the name of the gods of my royal house I charge all of you, but chiefly those Achaemenids that are here, not to let the sovereignty fall again into Median hands; if they have it after getting it by trickery, take it back through trickery of your own; if they have got it away by force, then by force all the stronger get it back.
And if you do this, may your land bring forth fruit, and your women and your flocks and herds be blessed with offspring, remaining free for all time; but if you do not get the kingdom back or attempt to get it back, then I pray things turn out the opposite for you, and on top of this, that every Persian meet an end such as mine.” With that Cambyses wept bitterly for all that had happened to him.