Book 6
After that, the captive Milesians were brought to Shush [48.333,32.2] (inhabited place), Khuzestan, Iran, AsiaSusa. King Darius did them no further harm, settling them by the sea called Red, in the city of Ampe, by which the river Tigris [47.416,31] (river), AsiaTigris flows as it issues into the sea. Of the Milesian land the Persians themselves held what was nearest to the city, and the plain, giving the hill country into the possession of Carians from Pedasa [27.3833,37.0333] (Perseus) Pedasa.
Now when the Milesians suffered all this at the hands of the Persians, the Sybarites (who had lost their city and dwelt in Laus and Scidrus) did not give them equal return for what they had done. When Sybaris [16.4833,39.75] (Perseus) Sybaris was taken by the Crotoniates, all the people of Miletus [27.3,37.5] (Perseus) Miletus, young and old, shaved their heads and made great public lamentation; no cities which we know were ever so closely joined in friendship as these.
The Athenians acted very differently. The Athenians made clear their deep grief for the taking of Miletus [27.3,37.5] (Perseus) Miletus in many ways, but especially in this: when Phrynichus wrote a play entitled “The Fall of Miletus [27.3,37.5] (Perseus) Miletus” and produced it, the whole theater fell to weeping; they fined Phrynichus a thousand drachmas for bringing to mind a calamity that affected them so personally, and forbade the performance of that play forever.
Miletus [27.3,37.5] (Perseus) Miletus then was left empty of Milesians. The men of property among the Samians were displeased by the dealings of their generals with the Medes, so after the sea-fight they took counsel immediately and resolved that before Aeaces the tyrant came to their country they would sail to a colony, rather than remain and be slaves of the Medes and Aeaces.
The people of Zancle [15.5667,38.1833] (Perseus)Zancle Zancle [15.5667,38.1833] (Perseus) Zancle is the later Messina [15.55,38.183] (inhabited place), Messina, Sicily, Italy, EuropeMessene, modern Messina [15.55,38.183] (inhabited place), Messina, Sicily, Italy, Europe Messina. in Sicily [14,37.5] (region), Italy, Europe Sicily about this time sent messengers to Ionia (region (general)), Europe Ionia inviting the Ionians to the Fair Coast, desiring there to found an Ionian city. This Fair Coast, as it is called, is in Sicily [14,37.5] (region), Italy, Europe Sicily, in that part which looks towards Etruria (region (general)), Italy, EuropeTyrrhenia. At this invitation, the Samians alone of the Ionians, with those Milesians who had escaped, set forth.
In their journey a thing happened to them such as I will show. As they voyaged to Sicily [14,37.5] (region), Italy, Europe Sicily, the Samians came to the country of the Epizephyrian “The epithet distinguishes the Italiot colony from the Locrians of the mother country” (How and Wells). Locrians at a time when the people of Zancle [15.5667,38.1833] (Perseus) Zancle and their king (whose name was Scythes) were besieging a Sicilian town desiring to take it.
Learning this, Anaxilaus the tyrant of Reggio di Calabria [15.65,38.1] (inhabited place), Reggio di Calabria, Calabria, Italy, Europe Rhegium, being then in a feud with the Zanclaeans, joined forces with the Samians and persuaded them to leave off their voyage to the Fair Coast and seize Zancle [15.5667,38.1833] (Perseus) Zancle while it was deserted by its men.
The Samians consented and seized Zancle [15.5667,38.1833] (Perseus) Zancle; when they learned that their city was taken, the Zanclaeans came to deliver it, calling to their aid Hippocrates the tyrant of Gela [14.25,37.0667] (Perseus)Gela, who was their ally.
But Hippocrates, when he came bringing his army to aid them, put Scythes the monarch of Zancle [15.5667,38.1833] (Perseus) Zancle and his brother Pythogenes in chains for losing the city, and sent them away to the city of Inyx. He betrayed the rest of the Zanclaeans to the Samians, with whom he had made an agreement and exchanged oaths.
The price which the Samians agreed to give him was that Hippocrates should take for his share half of the movable goods and slaves in the city, and all that was in the country.
Most of the Zanclaeans were kept in chains as slaves by Hippocrates himself; he gave three hundred chief men to the Samians to be put to death, but the Samians did not do so.
Scythes the monarch of Zancle [15.5667,38.1833] (Perseus) Zancle escaped from Inyx to Himera, and from there he came to Asia (continent)Asia and went up country to king Darius. Darius considered him the most honest man of all who had come up to him from Greece [22,39] (nation), EuropeHellas;
for he returned by the king's permission to Sicily [14,37.5] (region), Italy, Europe Sicily and from Sicily [14,37.5] (region), Italy, Europe Sicily back again to Darius, until in old age he ended his life in Iran [53,32] (nation), AsiaPersia in great wealth. Without trouble the Samians planted themselves in that most excellent city of Zancle [15.5667,38.1833] (Perseus) Zancle, after they had escaped from the Medes.
After the fight at sea for Miletus [27.3,37.5] (Perseus) Miletus, the Phoenicians at the Persians' bidding brought Aeaces son of Syloson back to Nisos Samos [26.8,37.75] (island), Samos, Aegean Islands, Greece, Europe Samos, for the high worth of his service to them and for his great achievements. Because of the desertion of their ships in the sea-fight, the Samians were the only rebel people whose city and temples were not burnt.
After Miletus [27.3,37.5] (Perseus) Miletus was captured, the Persians at once gained possession of Caria [28,37.5] (region (general)), Turkey, Asia Caria. Some of the towns submitted voluntarily; others were brought over by force.
All this happened so. Histiaeus the Milesian was at Byzantium [28.95,41.0333] (Perseus) Byzantium, seizing the Ionian merchant ships as they sailed out of the Black Sea [38,42] (sea) Euxine, when he had news of the business of Miletus [27.3,37.5] (Perseus) Miletus. Leaving all matters concerning the Canakkale Bogazi (strait), Canakkale, Marmara, Turkey, Asia Hellespont in charge of Bisaltes of Abydus [26.416,40.2] (deserted settlement), Canakkale, Marmara, Turkey, AsiaAbydos, son of Apollophanes, he himself sailed with the Lesbians to Chios [26,38.366] (island), Khios, Aegean Islands, Greece, EuropeChios and, when the Chian guardships would not receive him, fought in the Hollows of Chios [26,38.366] (island), Khios, Aegean Islands, Greece, EuropeChios (as they are called).
Many of their crews he killed; the rest of the people of the country, since they were crippled by the sea-fight, were mastered by Histiaeus with his Lesbians, setting out from Polichne in Chios [26,38.366] (island), Khios, Aegean Islands, Greece, EuropeChios.
It is common for some sign to be given when great ills threaten cities or nations; for before all this plain signs had been sent to the Chians.
Of a band of a hundred youths whom they had sent to Delphi [22.5167,38.4917] (Perseus) Delphi only two returned, ninety-eight being caught and carried off by pestilence; moreover, at about this same time, a little before the sea-fight, the roof fell in on boys learning their letters: of one hundred and twenty of them one alone escaped.
These signs a god showed to them; then the sea-fight broke upon them and beat the city to its knees; on top of the sea-fight came Histiaeus and the Lesbians. Since the Chians were in such a bad state, he easily subdued them.
Then Histiaeus brought a great force of Ionians and Aeolians against Thasos [24.716,40.783] (deserted settlement), Thasos, Kavalla, Macedonia, Greece, Europe Thasos. While he was besieging Thasos [24.716,40.783] (deserted settlement), Thasos, Kavalla, Macedonia, Greece, Europe Thasos a message came that the Phoenicians were putting out to sea from Miletus [27.3,37.5] (Perseus) Miletus to attack the rest of Ionia (region (general)), Europe Ionia. When he learned this, he left Thasos [24.716,40.783] (deserted settlement), Thasos, Kavalla, Macedonia, Greece, Europe Thasos unsacked, and hastened instead with all his army to Lesbos [26.333,39.166] (island), Lesvos, Aegean Islands, Greece, Europe Lesbos.
From there, since his army suffered from hunger, he crossed over to reap from Atarneus [26.95,39.05] (Perseus) Atarneus the corn there and the Mysian corn of the Bakir Cayi [27,38.916] (river), Turkey, AsiaCaicus plain. Now it chanced that in that region was Harpagus, a Persian, with no small force under him; when Histiaeus landed, Harpagus met him in battle and took Histiaeus himself alive and killed most of his army.
Histiaeus was taken prisoner in this way: the Greeks fought with the Persians at Malene in the country of Atarneus [26.95,39.05] (Perseus) Atarneus; the armies fought for a long time, until the Persian cavalry charged and fell upon the Greeks. So this was the accomplishment of the cavalry; when the Greeks were routed, Histiaeus, supposing that the king would not put him to death for his present transgression, did what showed that he loved his life too well.
He was overtaken in his flight by a Persian, and when he was caught and about to be stabbed, he cried out in the Persian language and revealed himself to be Histiaeus the Milesian.
Now if he had been taken prisoner and brought to king Darius, he would have suffered no harm (to my thinking) and the king would have forgiven his guilt; but as it was, when Histiaeus was brought to Sardis [28.0167,38.475] (Perseus) Sardis, both because of what he had done, and for fear that he might escape and again win power at the court, Artaphrenes, governor of Sardis [28.0167,38.475] (Perseus) Sardis, and Harpagus, who had captured him, impaled his body on the spot, and sent his head embalmed to king Darius at Shush [48.333,32.2] (inhabited place), Khuzestan, Iran, AsiaSusa.
When Darius learned of this, he blamed those who had done it because they had not brought Histiaeus before him alive, and he commanded that the head should be washed and buried with due ceremony, as of a man who had done great good to Darius himself and to Iran [53,32] (nation), AsiaPersia.
Thus it fared with Histiaeus. The Persian fleet wintered at Miletus [27.3,37.5] (Perseus) Miletus, and putting out to sea in the next year easily subdued the islands that lie off the mainland, Chios [26,38.366] (island), Khios, Aegean Islands, Greece, EuropeChios and Lesbos [26.333,39.166] (island), Lesvos, Aegean Islands, Greece, Europe Lesbos and Tenedos [26.05,39.8167] (Perseus)Tenedos. Whenever they took an island, the foreigners would (net) the people.
This is the manner of their doing it: the men link hands and make a line reaching from the northern sea to the southern, and then advance over the whole island hunting the people down. They also captured the Ionian cities of the mainland in the same way, but not by netting the people; for that was not possible.
Then the Persian generals were not false to the threats they had made against the Ionians when they were encamped opposite them. When they had gained mastery over the cities, they chose out the most handsome boys and castrated them, making them eunuchs instead of men, and they carried the fairest maidens away to the king; they did all this, and they burnt the cities with their temples. Thus three times had the Ionians been enslaved, first by the Lydians and now twice in a row by the Persians.
Then the fleet departed from Ionia (region (general)), Europe Ionia and captured everything which lies to the left of one sailing up the Canakkale Bogazi (strait), Canakkale, Marmara, Turkey, Asia Hellespont; the right side had been subdued by the Persians themselves from the mainland. These are the regions of Europe (continent)Europe that belong to the Canakkale Bogazi (strait), Canakkale, Marmara, Turkey, Asia Hellespont: the Gelibolu Yarimadasi (peninsula), Canakkale, Marmara, Turkey, AsiaChersonese, in which there are many cities; Perinthus, and the forts that lie towards Thrace (region (general)), EuropeThrace, and Selymbria [28.25,41.0833] (Perseus)Selymbria and Byzantium [28.95,41.0333] (Perseus) Byzantium.
The Byzantines and the Calchedonians beyond them did not even wait for the attack of the Phoenicians, but left their own land and fled away into the Black Sea [38,42] (sea) Euxine, and there settled in the city of Mesambria. The Phoenicians burnt the aforementioned places and turned against Marmara Adasi [27.616,40.633] (island), Balikesir, Marmara, Turkey, Asia Proconnesus and Artace; after giving these also to the flames they sailed back to the Gelibolu Yarimadasi (peninsula), Canakkale, Marmara, Turkey, AsiaChersonese to finish off the remaining cities, as many as they had not destroyed at their former landing.
But they did not sail against Cyzicus [27.9,40.4167] (Perseus) Cyzicus at all; the Cyzicenes had already made themselves the king's subjects before the Phoenician expedition, by an agreement with the governor at Dascyleum, Oebares son of Megabazus.
The Phoenicians subdued all the cities in the Gelibolu Yarimadasi (peninsula), Canakkale, Marmara, Turkey, AsiaChersonese except Cardia. Miltiades son of Cimon son of Stesagoras was tyrant there. Miltiades son of Cypselus had gained the rule earlier in the following manner: the Thracian Dolonci held possession of this Gelibolu Yarimadasi (peninsula), Canakkale, Marmara, Turkey, AsiaChersonese. They were crushed in war by the Apsinthians, so they sent their kings to Delphi [22.5167,38.4917] (Perseus) Delphi to inquire about the war.
The Pythia answered that they should bring to their land as founder the first man who offered them hospitality after they left the sacred precinct. But as the Dolonci passed through +Phocis (department), Central Greece and Euboea, Greece, Europe Phocis and Boeotia (department), Central Greece and Euboea, Greece, Europe Boeotia, going along the Sacred Way,“The Sacred Way seems to have led E. by +Daulis [22.75,38.5167] (Perseus) Daulis, Panopeus, and +Chaironeia (inhabited place), Boeotia, Central Greece and Euboea, Greece, Europe Chaeronea, then S.E. by +Koroneia (deserted settlement), Boeotia, Central Greece and Euboea, Greece, Europe Coronea, Haliartus, and Thebes [23.3333,38.325] (Perseus) Thebes, then S. over Cithaeron to +Eleusis [23.5583,38.0417] (Perseus) Eleusis, whence it was continued to Athens [23.7333,37.9667] (Perseus)Athens by the best-known ὁδὸς ἱερά.” (How and Wells.) no one invited them, so they turned toward Athens [23.7333,37.9667] (Perseus)Athens.
At that time in Athens [23.7333,37.9667] (Perseus)Athens, Pisistratus held all power, but Miltiades son of Cypselus also had great influence. His household was rich enough to maintain a four-horse chariot, and he traced his earliest descent to Aeacus and +Aegina [23.433,37.75] (inhabited place), Aegina, Attica, Central Greece and Euboea, Greece, Europe Aegina, though his later ancestry was Athenian. Philaeus son of Ajax was the first of that house to be an Athenian.
Miltiades was sitting on his porch when he saw the Dolonci go by with their foreign clothing and spears, so he called out to them, and when they came over, he invited them in for lodging and hospitality. They accepted, and after he entertained them, they revealed the whole story of the oracle to him and asked him to obey the god.
He was persuaded as soon as he heard their speech, for he was tired of Pisistratus' rule and wanted to be away from it. He immediately set out for Delphi [22.5167,38.4917] (Perseus) Delphi to ask the oracle if he should do what the Dolonci asked of him.
The Pythia also bade him do so. Then Miltiades son of Cypselus, previously an Olympic victor in the four-horse chariot, recruited any Athenian who wanted to take part in the expedition, sailed off with the Dolonci, and took possession of their land. Those who brought him appointed him tyrant.
His first act was to wall off the isthmus of the Gelibolu Yarimadasi (peninsula), Canakkale, Marmara, Turkey, AsiaChersonese from the city of Cardia across to Pactye,Across the isthmus of the peninsula of Gallipoli [26.6833,40.4167] (Perseus)Gallipoli, near Bulair; a distance of about four and a half miles. so that the Apsinthians would not be able to harm them by invading their land. The isthmus is thirty-six stadia across, and to the south of the isthmus the Gelibolu Yarimadasi (peninsula), Canakkale, Marmara, Turkey, AsiaChersonese is four hundred and twenty stadia in length.
After Miltiades had pushed away the Apsinthians by walling off the neck of the Gelibolu Yarimadasi (peninsula), Canakkale, Marmara, Turkey, AsiaChersonese, he made war first on the people of +Lapseki [26.7,40.366] (inhabited place), Canakkale, Marmara, Turkey, Asia Lampsacus, but the Lampsacenes laid an ambush and took him prisoner. However, Miltiades stood high in the opinion of Croesus the Lydian, and when Croesus heard what had happened, he sent to the Lampsacenes and commanded them to release Miltiades. If they did not do so, he threatened to cut them down like a pine tree.