Kitap 9
As the Samian stranger was pleading so earnestly, Leutychides asked him (whether it was that he desired to know for the sake of a presage, or through some happy chance of a god), “Samian stranger, what is your name?” “Hegesistratus,” Hegesistratus = Army-leader. he replied.
Then Leutychides cut short whatever else Hegesistratus had begun to say, and cried: “I accept the omen of your name, Samian stranger; now see to it that before you sail from here you and those who are with you pledge that the Samians will be our zealous allies.”
He said this and added deed to word. For straightway the Samians bound themselves by pledge and oath to alliance with the Greeks.
This done, the rest sailed away, but Leutychides bade Hegesistratus to sail with the Greeks because of the good omen of his name. The Greeks waited through that day, and on the next they sought and received favorable augury; their diviner was Deiphonus son of Evenius, a man of that +Apollonia [14.5833,38.0167] (Perseus) Apollonia which is in the Ionian gulf. This man's father Evenius had once fared as I will now relate.
There is at +Apollonia [14.5833,38.0167] (Perseus) Apollonia a certain flock sacred to the Sun, which in the daytime is pastured beside the river Chon, which flows from the mountain called Lacmon through the lands of +Apollonia [14.5833,38.0167] (Perseus) Apollonia and empties into the sea by the harbor of Oricum. By night, those townsmen who are most notable for wealth or lineage are chosen to watch it, each man serving for a year, for the people of +Apollonia [14.5833,38.0167] (Perseus) Apollonia set great store by this flock, being so taught by a certain oracle. It is kept in a cave far distant from the town.
Now at the time of which I speak, Evenius was the chosen watchman. But one night he fell asleep, and wolves, coming past his guard into the cave, killed about sixty of the flock. When Evenius was aware of it, he held his peace and told no man, intending to restore what was lost by buying others.
This matter was not, however, hidden from the people of +Apollonia [14.5833,38.0167] (Perseus) Apollonia, and when it came to their knowledge they brought him to judgment and condemned him to lose his eyesight for sleeping at his watch. So they blinded Evenius, but from the day of their so doing their flocks bore no offspring, nor did their land yield fruit as before.
Furthermore, a declaration was given to them at Dodona [20.8,39.55] (Perseus)Dodona and Delphi [22.5167,38.4917] (Perseus) Delphi, when they inquired of the prophets what might be the cause of their present ill: the gods told them by their prophets that they had done unjustly in blinding Evenius, the guardian of the sacred flock, “for we ourselves” (they said) “sent those wolves, and we will not cease from avenging him until you make him such restitution for what you did as he himself chooses and approves; when that is fully done, we ourselves will give Evenius such a gift as will make many men consider him happy.”
This was the oracle given to the people of +Apollonia [14.5833,38.0167] (Perseus) Apollonia. They kept it secret and charged certain of their townsmen to carry the business through; they acted as I will now show. Coming and sitting down by Evenius at the place where he sat, they spoke of other matters, till at last they fell to commiserating his misfortune. Guiding the conversation in this way, they asked him what compensation he would choose, if the people of +Apollonia [14.5833,38.0167] (Perseus) Apollonia should promise to requite him for what they had done.
He, knowing nothing of the oracle, said he would choose for a gift the lands of certain named townsmen whom he thought to have the two fairest estates in +Apollonia [14.5833,38.0167] (Perseus) Apollonia, and a house besides which he knew to be the fairest in the town; let him (he said) have possession of these, and he would lay aside his anger, and be satisfied with that by way of restitution.
So he said this, and those who were sitting beside him said in reply: “Evenius, the people of +Apollonia [14.5833,38.0167] (Perseus) Apollonia hereby make you that restitution for the loss of your sight, obeying the oracle given to them.” At that he was very angry, for he learned through this the whole story and saw that they had cheated him. They did, however, buy from the possessors and give him what he had chosen, and from that day he had a natural gift of divination, through which he won fame.
Deiphonus, the son of this Evenius, had been brought by the Corinthians, and was the army's prophet. But I have heard it said before now, that Deiphonus was not the son of Evenius, but made a wrongful use of that name and worked for wages up and down Greece [22,39] (nation), EuropeHellas.
Having won favorable omens, the Greeks put out to sea from Delos [25.2833,37.4] (Perseus)Delos for +Nisos Samos [26.8,37.75] (island), Samos, Aegean Islands, Greece, Europe Samos. When they were now near Calamisa in the Samian territory, they anchored there near the temple of Hera which is in those parts, and prepared for a sea-fight. The Persians, learning of their approach, also put out to sea and made for the mainland with all their ships save the Phoenicians, whom they sent sailing away. It was determined by them in council that they would not do battle by sea,
for they thought themselves overmatched; the reason of their making for the mainland was that they might be under the shelter of their army at Mykale [26.8667,38.1] (Perseus)Mykale, which had been left by Xerxes' command behind the rest of his host to hold Ionia (region (general)), Europe Ionia. There were sixty thousand men in it, and Tigranes, the noblest and tallest man in Iran [53,32] (nation), AsiaPersia, was their general.
It was the design of the Persian admirals to flee to the shelter of that army, and there to beach their ships and build a fence round them which should be a protection for the ship and a refuge for themselves.
With this design they put to sea. So when they came past the temple of the Goddesses Demeter and Persephone. at Mykale [26.8667,38.1] (Perseus)Mykale to the Gaeson and Scolopois,The Gaeson was probably a stream running south of the hill called Mykale [26.8667,38.1] (Perseus)Mykale; Scolopois, a place on its east bank (How and Wells). where there is a temple of Eleusinian Demeter (which was built by Philistus son of Pasicles when he went with Nileus son of Codrus to the founding of Miletus [27.3,37.5] (Perseus) Miletus), they beached their ships and fenced them round with stones and the trunks of orchard trees which they cut down; they drove in stakes around the fence and prepared for siege or victory, making ready, after consideration, for either event.
When the Greeks learned that the barbarians had gone off to the mainland, they were not all pleased that their enemy had escaped them, and did not know whether to return back or set sail for the Canakkale Bogazi (strait), Canakkale, Marmara, Turkey, Asia Hellespont. At last they resolved that they would do neither, but sail to the mainland.
Equipping themselves for this with gangways and everything else necessary for a sea-fight, they held their course for Mykale [26.8667,38.1] (Perseus)Mykale. When they approached the camp, no one put out to meet them. Seeing the ships beached within the wall and a great host of men drawn up in array along the strand, Leutychides first sailed along in his ship, keeping as near to the shore as he could, and made this proclamation to the Ionians by the voice of a herald:
“Men of Ionia (region (general)), Europe Ionia, you who hear us, understand what I say, for by no means will the Persians understand anything I charge you with when we join battle; first of all it is right for each man to remember his freedom and next the battle-cry ‘Hebe’: and let him who hears me tell him who has not heard it.”
The purpose of this act was the same as Themsitocles' purpose at +Artemisium [23.2417,39.0083] (Perseus) Artemisium;Cp. Hdt. 8.22. either the message would be unknown to the barbarians and would prevail with the Ionians, or if it were thereafter reported to the barbarians, it would cause them to mistrust their Greek allies.
After this counsel of Leutychides, the Greeks brought their ships to land and disembarked on the beach, where they formed a battle column. But the Persians, seeing the Greeks prepare for battle and exhort the Ionians, first of all took away the Samians' armor, suspecting that they would aid the Greeks;
for indeed when the barbarian's ships brought certain Athenian captives, who had been left in Attica [23.5,38.83] (department), Central Greece and Euboea, Greece, Europe Attica and taken by Xerxes' army, the Samians had set them all free and sent them away to Athens [23.7333,37.9667] (Perseus)Athens with provisions for the journey; for this reason in particular they were held suspect, as having set free five hundred souls of Xerxes' enemies.
Furthermore, they appointed the Milesians to guard the passes leading to the heights of Mykale [26.8667,38.1] (Perseus)Mykale, alleging that they were best acquainted with the country. Their true reason, however, for so doing was that the Milesians should be separate from the rest of their army. In such a manner the Persians safeguarded themselves from those Ionians who (they supposed) might turn against them if opportunity were given for themselves: they set their shields close to make a barricade.
The Greeks, having made all their preparations advanced their line against the barbarians. As they went, a rumor spread through the army, and a herald's wand was seen lying by the water-line. The rumor that ran was to the effect that the Greeks were victors over Mardonius' army at a battle in Boeotia (department), Central Greece and Euboea, Greece, Europe Boeotia.
Now there are many clear indications of the divine ordering of things, seeing that a message, which greatly heartened the army and made it ready to face danger, arrived amongst the Greeks the very day on which the Persians' disaster at Plataea [23.2667,38.2] (Perseus) Plataea and that other which was to befall them at Mykale [26.8667,38.1] (Perseus)Mykale took place.
Moreover, there was the additional coincidence, that there were precincts of Eleusinian Demeter on both battlefields; for at Plataea [23.2667,38.2] (Perseus) Plataea the fight was near the temple of Demeter, as I have already said, and so it was to be at Mykale [26.8667,38.1] (Perseus)Mykale also.
It happened that the rumor of a victory won by the Greeks with Pausanias was true, for the defeat at Plataea [23.2667,38.2] (Perseus) Plataea happened while it was yet early in the day, and the defeat of Mykale [26.8667,38.1] (Perseus)Mykale in the afternoon. That the two fell on the same day of the same month was proven to the Greeks when they examined the matter not long afterwards.
Now before this rumor came they had been faint-hearted, fearing less for themselves than for the Greeks with Pausanias, that Greece [22,39] (nation), EuropeHellas should stumble over Mardonius. But when the report sped among them, they grew stronger and swifter in their onset. So Greeks and barbarians alike were eager for battle, seeing that the islands and the Canakkale Bogazi (strait), Canakkale, Marmara, Turkey, Asia Hellespont were the prizes of victory.
As for the Athenians and those whose place was nearest them, that is, for about half of the line, their way lay over the beach and level ground; for the Lacedaemonians and those that were next to them, their way lay through a ravine and among hills. While the Lacedaemonians were making a circuit, those others on the other wing were already fighting.
As long as the Persians' shields stood upright, they defended themselves and held their own in the battle, but when the Athenians and their neighbors in the line passed the word and went more zealously to work, that they and not the Lacedaemonians might win the victory, immediately the face of the fight changed.
Breaking down the shields they charged all together into the midst of the Persians, who received the onset and stood their ground for a long time, but at last fled within their wall. The Athenians and Corinthians and Sicyonians and Troezenians, who were next to each other in the line, followed close after and rushed in together. But when the walled place had been razed, the barbarians made no further defense, but took to flight, all save the Persians,
who gathered into bands of a few men and fought with whatever Greeks came rushing within the walls. Of the Persian leaders two escaped by flight and two were killed; Artayntes and Ithanitres, who were admirals of the fleet, escaped; Mardontes and Tigranes, the general of the land army, were killed fighting.
While the Persians still fought, the Lacedaemonians and their comrades came up and finished what was left of the business. The Greeks too lost many men there, notably the men of Sikyon [22.725,37.9833] (Perseus)Sicyon and their general Perilaus.
As for the Samians who served in the Median army and had been disarmed, they, seeing from the first that victory hung in the balance, ἑτεραλκὴς here probably means “doubtful,” giving victory to one side or the other; cp. Hdt. 7.11; in Homer it means “decisive,” giving victory to one side as opposed to the other. did what they could in their desire to aid the Greeks. When the other Ionians saw the Samians set the example, they also abandoned the Persians and attacked the foreigners.
The Persians had for their own safety appointed the Milesians to watch the passes, so that if anything should happen to the Persian army such as did happen to it, they might have guides to bring them safely to the heights of Mykale [26.8667,38.1] (Perseus)Mykale. This was the task to which the Milesians were appointed for the reason mentioned above and so that they might not be present with the army and so turn against it. They acted wholly contrary to the charge laid upon them; they misguided the fleeing Persians by ways that led them among their enemies, and at last they themselves became their worst enemies and killed them. In this way Ionia (region (general)), Europe Ionia revolted for the second time from the Persians.
In that battle those of the Greeks who fought best were the Athenians, and the Athenian who fought best was one who practised the pancratium,The “pancratium” was a mixture of boxing and wrestling. Hermolycus son of Euthoenus. This Hermolycus on a later day met his death in a battle at Cyrnus in Carystus during a war between the Athenians and Carystians, and lay dead on Geraestus. Those who fought best after the Athenians were the men of Corinth [22.9083,37.9083] (Perseus) Corinth and Troizen [23.375,37.5] (Perseus)Troezen and Sikyon [22.725,37.9833] (Perseus)Sicyon.
When the Greeks had made an end of most of the barbarians, either in battle or in flight, they brought out their booty onto the beach, and found certain stores of wealth. Then after burning the ships and the whole of the wall, they sailed away.
When they had arrived at Nisos Samos [26.8,37.75] (island), Samos, Aegean Islands, Greece, EuropeSamos, they debated in council over the removal of all Greeks from Ionia (region (general)), Europe Ionia, and in what Greek lands under their dominion it would be best to plant the Ionians, leaving the country itself to the barbarians; for it seemed impossible to stand on guard between the Ionians and their enemies forever. If, however, they should not so stand, they had no hope that the Persians would permit the Ionians to go unpunished.
In this matter the Peloponnesians who were in charge were for removing the people from the lands of those Greek nations which had sided with the Persians and giving their land to the Ionians to dwell in. The Athenians disliked the whole plan of removing the Greeks from Ionia (region (general)), Europe Ionia, or allowing the Peloponnesians to determine the lot of Athenian colonies, and as they resisted vehemently, the Peloponnesians yielded.
It accordingly came about that they admitted to their alliance the Samians, Chians, Lesbians, and all other islanders who had served with their forces, and bound them by pledge and oaths to remain faithful and not desert their allies. When the oaths had been sworn, the Greeks set sail to break the bridges, supposing that these still held fast. So they laid their course for the Canakkale Bogazi (strait), Canakkale, Marmara, Turkey, Asia Hellespont.