 Book 1, Part 5 of Herodotus' Histories This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org. Recording by Graham Redman Histories Volume 1 by Herodotus of Halecarnassus, translated by A. D. Godley Book 1, Part 5, Paragraphs 79-93 When Creesus marched away after the battle in the Pterian country, Cyrus, learning that Creesus had gone intending to disband his army, deliberated and perceived that it would be opportune for him to march quickly against Sardis before the power of the Lydians could be assembled again. This he decided and this he did immediately. He marched his army into Lydia and so came himself to bring the news of it to Creesus. All had turned out contrary to Creesus' expectation and he was in a great quandary. Nevertheless he led out the Lydians to battle. Now at this time there was no nation in Asia more valiant or warlike than the Lydian. It was their custom to fight on horseback carrying long spears and they were skillful at managing horses. So the armies met in the plain, wide and bare, that is before the city of Sardis. The hillus and other rivers flow across it and run violently together into the greatest of them, which is called Hermus. This flows from the mountain sacred to the mother Dindimini and empties into the sea near the city of Fossia. When Cyrus saw the Lydians manoeuvring their battle-lines here, he was afraid of their cavalry and therefore at the urging of one Harpagus, a mead, he did as I shall describe. Assembling all the camels that followed his army bearing food and baggage, he took off their burdens and mounted men upon them equipped like cavalrymen. Having equipped them, he ordered them to advance before his army against Creesus' cavalry. He directed the infantry to follow the camels and placed all his cavalry behind the infantry. When they were all in order, he commanded them to kill all the other Lydians who came in their way and spare none, but not to kill Creesus himself even if he should defend himself against capture. Such was his command. The reason for his posting the camels to face the cavalry was this. Horses fear camels and can endure neither the sight nor the smell of them. This then was the intention of his manoeuvre that Creesus' cavalry on which the Lydian relied to distinguish himself might be of no use. So when battle was joined, as soon as the horses smelled and saw the camels, they turned to flight and all Creesus' hope was lost. Nevertheless the Lydians were no cowards. When they saw what was happening, they leaped from their horses and fought the Persians on foot. Many of both armies fell. At length the Lydians were routed and driven within their city wall where they were besieged by the Persians. So then they were besieged. But Creesus, supposing that the siege would last a long time, again sent messengers from the city to his allies. Whereas the former envoys had been sent to summon them to muster at Sardis in five months time, these were to announce that Creesus was besieged and to plead for help as quickly as possible. So he sent to the Lassidemonians as well as to the rest of the allies. Now at this very time the Spartans themselves were feuding with the Argives over the country called Thyrie. For this was a part of the Argive territory which the Lassidemonians had cut off and occupied. All the land towards the west as far as Malia belonged then to the Argives and not only the mainland but the island of Scythia and the other islands. The Argives came out to save their territory from being cut off. Then after debate the two armies agreed that three hundred of each side should fight and whichever party one would possess the land. The rest of each army was to go away to its own country and not be present at the battle since if the armies remained on the field the men of either party might render assistance to their comrades if they saw them losing. Having agreed the armies drew off and picked men of each side remained and fought. Neither could gain advantage in the battle. At last only three out of the six hundred were left, Alcina and Cromius of the Argives, Othrides of the Lassidemonians. These three were left alive at nightfall. Then the two Argives, believing themselves victors, ran to Argos. But Othrides the Lassidemonian after stripping the Argive dead and taking the arms to his camp waited at his position. On the second day both armies came to learn the issue. For a while both claimed the victory. The Argives arguing that more of their men had survived. The Lassidemonians showing that the Argives had fled while their man had stood his ground and stripped the enemy dead. At last from arguing they fell to fighting. Many of both sides fell, but the Lassidemonians gained the victory. The Argives, who before had worn their hair long by fixed custom, shaved their heads ever after and made a law with a curse added to it, that no Argive grow his hair and no Argive woman wear gold until they recovered Thyrie. And the Lassidemonians made a contrary law that they wear their hair long ever after, for until now they had not worn it so. Othrides, the lone survivor of the 300, was ashamed, it is said, to return to Sparta after all the men of his company had been killed and killed himself on the spot at Thyrie. The Sardian herald came after this had happened to the Spartans to ask for their help for Cresus, now besieged. Nonetheless, when they heard the herald they prepared to send help, but when they were already equipped and their ships ready, a second message came that the fortification of the Lydians was taken and Cresus a prisoner. Then, though very sorry indeed, they ceased their efforts. This is how Sardis was taken. When Cresus had been besieged for fourteen days, Cyrus sent horsemen around in his army to promise to reward whoever first mounted the wall. After this the army made an assault, but with no success. Then, when all the others were stopped, a certain Mardian called Hyro-Eides attempted to mount via part of the Acropolis where no guard had been set, since no one feared that it could be taken by an attack made here, for here the height on which the Acropolis stood is sheer and unlikely to be assaulted. This was the only place where Meles, the former king of Sardis, had not carried the lion which his concubine had borne him, the Telmesians having declared that if this lion were carried around the walls, Sardis could never be taken. Meles then carried the lion around the rest of the wall of the Acropolis where it could be assaulted, but neglected this place because the height was sheer and defied attack. It is on the side of the city which faces towards to Molas. The day before then Hyro-Eides, this Mardian, had seen one of the Lydians come down by this part of the Acropolis after a helmet that had fallen down and fetched it. He took note of this and considered it, and now he climbed up himself and other Persians after him. Many ascended, and thus Sardis was taken, and all the city sacked. I will now relate what happened to Cresus himself. He had a son whom I have already mentioned, fine in other respects, but mute. Now in his days of prosperity past, Cresus had done all that he could for his son, and besides resorting to other devices, he had sent to Delphi to inquire of the oracle concerning him. The Pythian priestess answered him thus, Lydian king of many, greatly foolish Cresus, wish not to hear in the palace the voice often prayed for of your son speaking. It were better for you that he remain mute as before, for on an unlucky day shall he first speak. So at the taking of the fortification a certain Persian, not knowing who Cresus was, came at him meaning to kill him. Cresus saw him coming, but because of the imminent disaster he was past caring, and it made no difference to him whether he was struck and killed. But this mute son, when he saw the Persian coming on, in fear and distress broke into speech and cried, Ma'am, do not kill Cresus! This was the first word he uttered, and after that for all the rest of his life he had power of speech. The Persians gained Sardis and took Cresus prisoner. Cresus had ruled 14 years and been besieged 14 days. Fulfilling the oracle he had destroyed his own great empire. The Persians took him and brought him to Cyrus, who erected a pyre and mounted Cresus atop it, bound in chains with twice seven sons of the Lydians beside him. Cyrus may have intended to sacrifice him as a victory offering to some God, or he may have wished to fulfill a vow, or perhaps he had heard that Cresus was pious and put him atop the pyre to find out if some divinity would deliver him from being burned alive. So Cyrus did this. As Cresus stood on the pyre, even though he was in such a wretched position, it occurred to him that Solon had spoken with God's help when he had said that no one among the living is fortunate. When this occurred to him he heaved a deep sigh and groaned aloud after long silence, calling out three times the name Solon. Cyrus heard and ordered the interpreters to ask Cresus who he was invoking. They approached and asked, but Cresus kept quiet at their questioning until finally they forced him and he said, I would prefer to great wealth his coming into discourse with all despots. Since what he said was unintelligible, they again asked what he had said persistently harassing him. He explained that first Solon the Athenian had come and seen all his fortune and spoken as if he despised it. Now everything had turned out for him as Solon had said, speaking no more of him than of every human being, especially those who think themselves fortunate. While Cresus was relating all this, the pyre had been lit and the edges were on fire. When Cyrus heard from the interpreters what Cresus said, he relented and considered that he, a human being, was burning alive another human being, one his equal in good fortune. In addition he feared retribution, reflecting how there is nothing stable in human affairs. He ordered that the blazing fire be extinguished as quickly as possible and that Cresus and those with him be taken down. But despite their efforts they could not master the fire. Then the Lydians say that Cresus understood Cyrus' change of heart and when he saw everyone trying to extinguish the fire but unable to check it, he invoked Apollo, crying out that if Apollo had ever been given any pleasing gift by him, let him offer help and deliver him from the present evil. Thus he in tears invoked the God and suddenly out of a clear and windless sky clouds gathered, a storm broke and it rained violently extinguishing the pyre. Thus Cyrus perceived that Cresus was dear to God and a good man. He had him brought down from the pyre and asked, Cresus, what man persuaded you to wage war against my land and become my enemy instead of my friend? He replied, Oh King, I acted thus for your good fortune but for my own ill fortune. The God of the Hellenes is responsible for these things inciting me to wage war. No one is so foolish as to choose war over peace. In peace, sons bury their fathers. In war, fathers bury their sons. But I suppose it was dear to the divinity that this be so. Cresus said this and Cyrus freed him and made him sit near and was very considerate to him and both he and all that were with him were astonished when they looked at Cresus. He for his part was silent, deep in thought. Presently he turned and said, for he saw the Persians sacking the city of the Lydians, Oh King, am I to say to you what is in my mind now or keep silent? When Cyrus urged him to speak up boldly, Cresus asked, The multitude there, what is it at which they are so busily engaged? They are plundering your city, said Cyrus, and carrying off your possessions. No, Cresus answered, not my city and not my possessions, for I no longer have any share of all this. It is your wealth that they are pillaging. Cyrus thought about what Cresus had said and, telling the rest to withdraw, asked Cresus what fault he saw in what was being done. Since the gods have made me your slave, replied the Lydian, It is right that if I have any further insight I should point it out to you. The Persians, being by nature violent men, are poor, so if you let them seize and hold great possessions, you may expect that he who has got most will revolt against you. Therefore do this, if you like what I say. Have men of your guard watch all the gates. Let them take the spoil from those who are carrying it out, and say that it must be paid as a tithe to Zeus. Thus you shall not be hated by them for taking their wealth by force, and they, recognizing that you act justly, will give up the spoil willingly. When Cyrus heard this, he was exceedingly pleased, for he believed the advice good, and praising him greatly, and telling his guard to act as Cresus had advised, he said, Cresus, now that you, a king, are determined to act and to speak with integrity, ask me directly for whatever favor you like. Master, said Cresus, you will most gratify me if you will let me send these chains of mine to that god of the Greeks whom I especially honored, and to ask him if it is his way to deceive those who serve him well. When Cyrus asked him what grudge against the god led him to make this request, Cresus repeated to him the story of all his own aspirations and the answers of the oracles, and more particularly his offerings and how the oracle had encouraged him to attack the Persians, and so saying he once more insistently pled that he be allowed to reproach the god for this. At this, Cyrus smiled and replied, this I will grant you, Cresus, and for whatever other favor you may ever ask me. When Cresus heard this, he sent Lydians to Delphi, telling them to lay his chains on the doorstep of the temple and to ask the god if he were not ashamed to have persuaded Cresus to attack the Persians, telling him that he would destroy Cyrus's power, of which power, they were to say, showing the chains, these were the first fruits. They should ask this, and further, if it were the way of the Greek gods to be ungrateful. When the Lydians came and spoke as they had been instructed, the priestess, it is said, made the following reply, No one may escape his lot, not even a god. Cresus has paid for the sin of his ancestor of the fifth generation before, who was led by the guile of a woman to kill his master, though he was one of the guard of the Heraclidae, and who took to himself the royal state of that master, to which he had no right. And it was the wish of Loxias that the evil lot of Sardis fall in the lifetime of Cresus' sons, not in his own, but he could not deflect the fates. Yet, as far as they gave in, he did accomplish his wish and favor Cresus, for he delayed the taking of Sardis for three years, and let Cresus know this, that although he is now taken, it is by so many years later than the destined hour. And further, Loxias saved Cresus from burning. But as to the oracle that was given to him, Cresus is wrong to complain concerning it, for Loxias declared to him that if he led an army against the Persians, he would destroy a great empire. Therefore he ought, if he had wanted to plan well, to have sent and asked whether the God spoke of Cresus or of Cyrus' empire. But he did not understand what was spoken or make further inquiry, for which now let him blame himself. When he asked that last question of the oracle and Loxias gave him that answer concerning the mule, even that, Cresus did not understand. For that mule was, in fact, Cyrus, who was the son of two parents, not of the same people, of whom the mother was better and the father inferior, for she was a mead and the daughter of Astioges king of the meads, but he was a Persian and a subject of the meads, and although in all respects her inferior, he married this lady of his. This was the answer of the priestess to the Lydians. They carried it to Sardis and told Cresus, and when he heard it he confessed that the sin was not the God's, but his. And this is the story of Cresus' rule and of the first overthrow of Ionia. There are many offerings of Cresus in Hellas, and not only those of which I have spoken. There is a golden tripod at Thebes in Biosha, which he dedicated to Apollo of his menace. At Ephesus there are the oxen of gold and the greater part of the pillars, and in the temple of Prania at Delphi a golden shield. All these survived to my lifetime, but other of the offerings were destroyed, and the offerings of Cresus at Brankidi of the Mylesians, as I learn by inquiry, are equal in weight and like those at Delphi. Those which he dedicated at Delphi and the shrine of Ampiarius were his own, the first fruits of the wealth inherited from his father. The rest came from the estate of an enemy who had headed a faction against Cresus before he became king, and conspired to win the throne of Lydia for Pantaleon. This Pantaleon was a son of Alietes and half-brother of Cresus. Cresus was Alietes' son by Acherion, and Pantaleon by an Ionian mother. So when Cresus gained the sovereignty by his father's gift, he put the man who had conspired against him to death by drawing him across a carding-comb, and first confiscated his estate, then dedicated it as and where I have said. This is all that I shall say of Cresus' offerings. There are not many marvellous things in Lydia to record in comparison with other countries, except the gold dust that comes down from Tmolus. But there is one building to be seen there which is much the greatest of all, except those of Egypt and Babylon. In Lydia is the tomb of Alietes, the father of Cresus, the base of which is made of great stones, and the rest of it of mounted earth. It was built by the men of the market, and the craftsmen, and the prostitutes. There survived until my time five cornerstones set on the top of the tomb, and in these was cut the record of the work done by each group, and measurement showed that the prostitutes' share of the work was the greatest. All the daughters of the common people of Lydia apply the trade of prostitutes to collect dowries until they can get themselves husbands, and they themselves offer themselves in marriage. Now this tomb has a circumference of thirteen hundred and ninety yards, and its breadth is above four hundred and forty yards, and there is a great lake hard by the tomb which, the Lydians say, is fed by ever-flowing springs. It is called the Gaijean Lake. Such then is this tomb. End of Book 1, Part 5 Recording by Graeme Redman Book 1, Part 6 of Herodotus' Histories This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org Recording by Shaleefa Malikim Histories, Volume 1 by Herodotus of Heliconassus Translated by A. D. Godley Book 1, Part 6, Paragraph 94, 213 Herodotus, Book 1, Part 6 The customs of the Lydians are like those of the Greeks, except that they make prostitutes of their female children. They were the first men whom we know who coined and used gold and silver currency, and they were the first to sell by retail. And according to what they themselves say, the games now and used among them and the Greeks were invented by the Lydians. These, they say, were invented among them at a time when they colonised the Terenea. This is their story. In the reign of Attis, son of Manes, there was great scarcity of food in all Lydia. For a while the Lydians bore this with what patients as they could. Presently, when the famine did not abate, they looked for remedies and different plans were devised by different men. Then it was that they invented the games of dice and knuckle-bones and ball and all other forms of game except dice which the Lydians do not claim to have discovered. Then, using their discovery to lighten the famine, every other day they would play for the whole day so that they would not have to look for food and the next day they quit their play and ate. This was their way of life for eighteen years but the famine did not cease to trouble them and instead afflicted them even more. At last their king divided people into two groups and made them draw lots so that one group should remain and the other leave the country. He himself was to be the head of those who drew the lot to remain there and his son, whose name was Tyrannus, Tyrannus of those who departed. Then the one group, having drawn the lot, left the country and came down to Smyrna and built ships in which they loaded all their goods that could be transported aboard ship and sailed away to seek livelihood and country until at last, after sojourning with one people after another, they came to Theomrishi where they founded cities and have lived ever since. They no longer called themselves Lydians but Tyrannians after the name of the king's son who had led them there. The Lydians then were enslaved by the Persians. But the next business of my history assumed quite who this serious was who took down the power of Croesus and how the Persians came to be the rulers of Asia. I mean then to be guided in what I write by some of the Persians who desire not to magnify the story of Ceres but to tell the truth, though there are no less than three other accounts of Ceres which I could give. After the Assyrians had ruled Upper Asia for five hundred and twenty years the Medes where the first to begin to revolt from them, these it would seem, proved to their bravery in fighting for freedom against the Assyrians. They cast off their slavery and want freedom. Afterwards the other subject nations too did the same as the Medes. All of those on the mainland were now free men but they came to be ruled by monarchs again as I will now relate. There was among the Medes a clever man called Deosis. He was the son of Friorites. Deosis was infatuated with sovereignty as though he set about gaining it. Already a notable man in his own town, one of the many towns into which Medea was divided he began to profess and practice justice more constantly and zealously than ever and he did this even though there was much lawlessness throughout the land of Medea and though he knew that injustice is always the enemy of justice. Then the Medes of the same town seeing his behaviour chose him to be their judge and he, for he coveted sovereign power, was honest and just. By acting so he won no small praise from his fellow townsmen to such an extent that when the men of the other towns learned that Deosis alone gave fair judgements, having before suffered from unjust decisions, they came often and gladly to plead before Deosis and at last they would submit to no arbitration but his. The number of those who came grew ever greater for they heard that each case turned out in accord with the truth. Then Deosis, seeing that everything now dependent on him, would not sit in his former seat of judgement and said he would give no more decisions for it was of no advantage to him, he said, to leave his own business and spent all day judging the cases of his neighbours. This caused robbery and lawlessness to increase greatly in the towns and gathering together the Medes conferred about their present affairs and said, here as I suppose, the main speakers were Deosis friends. Since we cannot go on living in the present way in the land, come, let us set up a king over us, in this way the land will be well governed and we ourselves shall attend to our business and not be routed by lawlessness. Was it such a word they persuaded themselves to be ruled by king? The question was at once propounded, whom should they make king? Then every man was loud in putting Deosis forward and raising Deosis until they agreed that he should be their king. He ordered of them to build him houses worthy of his royal power and strengthen him with a bodyguard. The Medes did so. They built him a big and strong house wherever in the land he indicated to them and let him choose a bodyguard out of all the Medes. And having obtained power, he forced the Medes to build him one city and to fortify and care for this more strongly than all the rest. The Medes did this for him too. So he built the big and strong walls, one standing inside the next in circles, which are now called Agbatana. This fortress is so designed that each circle of walls is higher than the next outer circle by no more than the height of its battlements, to which plan the side itself on a hill in the plain contributes somewhat, but chiefly it was accomplished by skill. There are seven circles in all. Within the innermost circle are the palace and the treasuries. And the longest wall is about the length of the wall that surrounds the city of Athens. The battlements of the first circle are white of the second black of the third circle purple of the fourth blue and of the fifth orange. Thus the battlements of five circles are painted with colours and the battlements of the last two circles are coated, the one with silver and the other with gold. Doses built these walls for himself and around his own quarters and he ordered the people to dwell outside the wall. And when it was all built, Doses was first to establish the rule that no one should come into the presence of the king, but everything should be done by means of messengers, that the king should be seen by no one and, moreover, that it should be a disgrace for anyone to laugh or to spit in his resins. He was careful to hatch himself with all this, so that the men of his own age who had been brought up with him and were as nobly born as he and his equals in courage, instead of seeing him and being upset and perhaps moved to plot against him, might by reason of not seeing him believe him to be different. When he had made these arrangements and strengthened himself with sovereign power, he was a hard man in the protection of justice. They would write down their pleas and send them into him. Then he would pass judgement on what was brought to him and send his decisions out. This was his manner of deciding cases at law, and he had other arrangements too, for when he heard that a man was doing violence, he would send for him and punish him, as each offense deserved, and he had spies and eavesdroppers everywhere in his domain. Doses then united the Medea nation by itself and ruled it. The Median tribes are these, the Buse, the Peritesinai, the Strocartis, the Arizentai, the Boudyai, the Magi. They're tribes of this many. Doses had a son, Frautus, who inherited the throne when Doses died after a reign of fifty-three years. Having inherited it, he was not content to rule the Medes alone. Marching against the Persians, he attacked them first, and they were the first whom he made subject to the Medes. Then, with these two strong nations at his back, he subjugated one nation of Asia after another, until he marched against the Assyrians, that is, against those of the Assyrians who held Niners. These had formerly been rulers of all, but now their allies had deserted them, and they were left alone, so well of themselves. Marching against these Assyrians, then, Frautus and most of his army perished after he had reigned twenty-two years. At his death, he was succeeded by his son Siaxerys. He is said to have been a much greater soldier than his ancestors. It was he who first organised the men of Asian companies and posted each arm apart, the spearmen and archers and cavalry. Before this, they were all mingled together in confusion. This was a king who fought against the Lydians when the day was turned to night in the battle, and who united under his dominion all of Asia, that is, beyond the river Haley's. Collecting all his subjects, he marched against Niners, wanting to avenge his father and to destroy the city. He defeated the Assyrians in battle, but while he was besieging their city, a great army of Scythians came down upon him, led by their king Maedys, son of Pratotheys. They had invaded Asia after they had driven the Symrians out of Europe, pursuing them in their flight. The Scythians came to the Median country. It is a thirty-day's journey for an unencumbered man from the Mayation Lake to the river Phasus and the land of the Kolkai. From the Kolkai it is an easy matter to cross into Medea. There is only one nation between the Cesperies. To pass with ease is to be in Medea. Nevertheless, it was not by this way that the Scythians entered. They turned aside and came by the upper and much longer way, keeping the Caucasian mountains on their right. There the Medes met the Scythians, who defeated them in battle, deprived them of their rule and made themselves masters of all Asia. From there they marched against Egypt, and when they were in the part of Syria called Palestine, Sematicus, king of Egypt, met them and persuaded them with gifts and prayers to come no further. So they turned back, and when they came on their way to the city of Ascalon in Syria, most of the Scythians passed by and did no harm. But a few remained behind and plundered the temple of heavily Aphrodite. This temple, I discover from making inquiry, is the oldest of all the temples of the goddess, for the temple in Cyprus was founded from it, as the Cyprians themselves say, and the temple on Satira was founded by Phoenicians from this same land of Syria. But the Scythians who pillaged in the temple and all their descendants after them were reflected by the goddess with the female sickness, and so the Scythians say that they are reflected as a consequence of this, and also that those who visit Scythian territory see among them the condition of those whom the Scythians call hermaphrodite. The Scythians then ruled Asia for twenty-eight years, and the whole land was ruined because of their violence and their pride, for besides exacting from each of the tribute which was assessed, they rode above the land carrying off everyone's possessions, most of them were entertained, and made drunk and then slain by Scyxerys and the Medes. So thus the Medes took back their empire and all that they had formerly possessed, and they took Nainis, how, I will describe in a later part of my history, and wrought all of Syria except the province of Babylon under their rule. Afterwards, Scyxerys died after a reign of forty years among which I calmed the years of the Scythian domination, and his son Asiagis inherited the sovereignty. Asiagis had a daughter whom he called Vendaini. He dreamt that she urinated so much that she filled his city and flooded all of Asia. He communicated this vision to those of the Magi who interpreted dreams, and when he heard what they taught him, he was terrified, and presently when Vendaini was of marriageable age, he feared the vision too much to give her to any Mede worthy to marry into his family, but married her to a Persian called Cambyses, a man whom he knew to be well-born and of a quiet temper. For Asiagis held Cambyses to be much lower than a Mede of middle rank. But during the first year that Vendaini was married to Cambyses, Asiagis saw a second vision. He dreamt that divine grew out of the genitals of his daughter and that divine coveted the whole of Asia. Having seen this vision and communicated it to the interpreters of dreams, he sent to the Persians for his daughter, who was about to give birth, and when she arrived kept her guarded, meaning to kill whatever child she bore, for the interpreters declared that the meaning of his dream was that his daughter's offspring would rule in his place. Anxious to prevent this, Asiagis, when Ceres was born, summoned Harpegas, a man of his household who was his most faithful servant among the Medes, and was administrator of all that was his, and he said, Harpegas, whatever business I turn over to you, do not mishandle it, and do not leave me out of account, and, giving others reference, drip over your own feet afterwards. Take the child that Medeini bore, and carry him to your house, and kill him, and then bury him however you like. O king, Harpegas answered, never yet have you noticed anything displeading in your man, and I shall be careful in the future too, not to err in what concerns you. If it is your will that this be done, then my concern ought to be attend to it scrupulously. Harpegas answered this. The child was then given to him, consigned to its death, and he went to his house weeping. When he came in he told his wife the entire speech uttered by Asiagis. Now, then, she said to him, what do you propose to do? Not to obey Asiagis' instructions, he answered, not even if he should lose his mind and be more frantic than he is now. I will not lend myself to his plan, or be an accessory to such a murder. There are many reasons why I will not kill him, because the child is related to me, and because Asiagis is old and has no male children. Now, if the sovereignty passes through this daughter of his after his death, whose son he is now killing by means of me, what is left for me but the graves of all dangers? For the sake of my safety this child has to die, but one of Asiagis own people has to be the murderer, and not one of mine. So, saying, he sent a messenger at once to one of Asiagis' cowherds, who he knew pastures heard him the likely spots, and where the mountains were most infested with wild beasts. The man's name was Metrodates, and his wife was a slave like him. Her name was in the Greek language Sino, the Median Spaker, for Spax is a medium word for dog. The foothills of the mountains where this cowherd pastures his cattle are north of Egbetana, towards the Uxon Sea. For the rest of media is everywhere a level plain, but here on the side of the Caspais the land is very high a mountain is and covered with woods. So, when the cowherd came in hay said the summons, Hapegis said, Asiagis wants you to take this child and leave it in the most desolate part of the mountains, so that it will perish as quickly as possible. And he wants me to tell you that if you do not kill it, but preserve it somehow, you will undergo the most harrowing death and I am ordered to see it exposed. Hearing this, the cowherd took the child and went back the same way and came to his dwelling. Now, as it happened his wife too, had been on the verge of delivering every day, and as the divinity would have it, she did in fact give birth while the cowherd was away in this city. Each of them was anxious for the other, the husband being afraid about his wife's labour, and the wife because she did not know why Hapegis had so unexpectedly sent for her husband. So, when he returned and stood before her, she was startled by the unexpected sight and asked him before he could speak why Hapegis had so insistently summoned him. Wife, he said, When I came to the city I saw and heard what I ought never to have seen and what ought never to have happened to our masters. Hapegis' whole house was full of weeping. Astonished I went in, and immediately I saw a child lying there, struggling and crying, adorning gold and embroidered clothing. And when Hapegis saw me, he told me to take the child and haste and bring it away and leave it with the amount of salt the most invested was a wild beast. It was Astiagis, he said, who had enjoined this on me and Hapegis threatened me grievously if I did not do it. So I took him and brought him away, supposing him to be the child of one of the servants, for I could never have guessed who he was. But I was amazed at seeing him adorned with gold and clothing, and at hearing, too, the evident sound of weeping in the house of Hapegis. Very soon, on the way, I learned the whole story from the servant who brought me out of the city and gave the child unto my custody, namely, that it was the son of Mandani, the king's daughter, and Kanbisi, the son of Saris, and that Astiagis gave the command to kill him, and now here he is. And as he said this, the cow had uncovered it and showed it. But when the woman saw how fine and fair the child was, she began to cry and lay to hold of the man's knees and begged him by no means to expose him. But the husband said he could not do otherwise, for he said spite would be coming from Hapegis to see what was done, and he would have to die a terrible death if he did not obey. Being unable to move her husband, the woman then said, Since I cannot convince you not to expose it, then, if a child has to be seen exposed, do this. I, too, have borne a child, but I bore it dead. Take this one and put it out, that the child of the daughter of Astiagis let us raise it, as if it were our own. Today you won't be caught disobeying our masters, and we will not have plotted badly. For the dead child will have royal burial, and the living will not lose his wife. Thinking that his wife advised him excellently in his present straight, the coward immediately did, as she said. He gave his wife the child whom he had brought to kill, and his own dead child he put into the chest in which he carried the other, and dressed it with all the oddest child's finery in the most desolate part of the mountains. Then, on the third day after leaving the child out, the coward left one of his herdsmen to watch it, and went to the city where he went to Harpega's house, and said he was ready to show the child's dead body. Harpega sent the most trusted of his bodyguard, and these saw for him and buried the coward's child. So it was buried, and the coward's wife, Captain Razedaboy, was afterwards named Tharis, but she did not give him that name, but another. End of Book 1, Part 6 Now, when the boy was ten years old, the truth about him was revealed in some such way as this. He was playing in the village where these herdsmen's quarters were, playing in the road with others of his age. The boy's while playing chose to be their king, this one who was supposed to be the son of the cowherd. Then, he assigned some of the herdsmen to be their king, this one who was supposed to be the son of the cowherd. Then, he assigned some of them to the building of houses, some to be his bodyguard, one doubtless to be the king's eye, to another he gave the right of bringing him messages, to each he gave his proper work. Now, one of these boys playing with him was the son of Artem Barys, a notable mead. When he did not perform his assignment from Cyrus, Cyrus told the other boys to seize him, and so he handled the boy very roughly and whipped him. As soon as he was let go, very upset about the indignity he had suffered, he went down to his father in the city and complained of what he had received at the hands of the son of Astyages Cowherd, not calling him Cyrus, for that name had not yet been given. Artem Barys, going just as angry as he was to Astyages and bringing his son along, announced that an impropriety had been committed, saying, O king, by your slave the son of a Cowherd, we have been outraged thus, and with that he bared his son's shoulders. When Astyages heard and saw, he was ready to avenge the boy in view of Artem Barys' rank, so he sent for the Cowherd and his son. When they were both present, Astyages said, fixing his eyes on Cyrus, is it you then, the child of one such as this, who have dared to lay hands on the son of the greatest of my courtiers? Cyrus answered, Master, what I did to him I did with justice. The boys of the village, of whom he was one, chose me while playing to be their king, for they thought me the most fit for this. The other boys then did as assigned, but this one was disobedient and cared nothing for me, for which he got what he deserved. Now if I deserve punishment for this, here I am to take it. While the boy spoke, it seemed to Astyages that he recognized him. The character of his face was like his own, he thought, and his manner of answering was freer than customary, and the date of the exposure seemed to agree with the boy's age. Astonished at this, he sat a while silent, but when at last with difficulty he could collect his wits, he said, for he wanted to be rid of Artem Barys to question the cowherd with no one present, I shall act in such a way, Artem Barys, that you and your son shall have no cause of complaint. So he sent Artem Barys away, and the attendance led Cyrus inside at Astyages' bidding. When the cowherd was left quite alone, Astyages asked him where he had got the boy and who had been the giver. The cowherd answered that Cyrus was his own son and that the mother was still with him. Astyages said that he was not well advised if he wished to find himself in a desperate situation, and as he said this made a sign to the spear bearers to seize him. Then, under stress of necessity, the cowherd disclosed to him the whole story, telling everything exactly as it had happened from the beginning, and at the end fell to entreaty and urged the king to pardon him. When the cowherd had discovered the true story, Astyages took less interest in him, but he was very angry with Harpigus and asked the guards to summon him. Harpigus came and Astyages asked him, Harpigus, how did you kill the boy, my daughter's son, whom I gave you? Harpigus, when he saw the cowherd was there, did not take the way of falsehood, lest he be caught and confuted. O king, he said, when I took the boy, I thought and considered how to do what you wanted and not be held a murderer by your daughter or by you, even though I was blameless toward you. So I did this. I summoned this cowherd here and gave the child to him, telling him that it was you who gave the command to kill it, and that was the truth, for such was your command. But I gave the child with the instructions that the cowherd was to lay it on a desolate mountainside and wait there and watch until it was dead, and I threatened all sorts of things if he did not accomplish this. Then, when he had done what he was told and the child was dead, I sent the most trusted of my eunuchs and had the body viewed and buried. This, O king, is the story, and such was the end of the boy. Harpigus told the story straight, while Astyages, hiding the anger that he felt against him for what had been done, first repeated the story again to Harpigus exactly as he had heard it from the cowherd. Then, after repeating it, ended by saying that the boy was alive and that the matter had turned out well. For, he said, I was greatly afflicted by what had been done to this boy, and it weighed heavily on me that I was estranged from my daughter. Now then, in this good turn of fortune, send your own son to this boy newly come, and since I am about to sacrifice for the boy's safety to the gods, to whom this honor is due, come here to dine with me. When Harpigus heard this, he bowed and went to his home, very pleased to find that his offense had turned out for the best, and that he was invited to dinner in honor of his fortunate day. Coming in, he told his only son, a boy of about thirteen years of age, to go to Astyages' palace and do whatever the king commanded, and in his great joy, he told his wife everything that had happened. But when Harpigus' son came, Astyages cut his throat and tore him limb from limb, roasted some of the flesh and boiled some, and kept it ready after he had prepared it. So when the hour for dinner came, and the rest of the guests and Harpigus were present, Astyages and the others were served dishes of lamb's meat, but Harpigus, that of his own son, all but the head and hands and feet which lay apart covered up in a wicked basket. And when Harpigus seemed to have eaten his fill, Astyages asked him, did you like your meal, Harpigus? Exceedingly, Harpigus answered, then those whose job it was brought him the head of his son and hands and feet concealed in the basket, and they stood before Harpigus and told him to open and take what he liked. Harpigus did. He opened and saw what was left of his son. He saw this, but mastered himself, and did not lose his composure. Astyages asked him, do you know what beasts meet you have eaten? I know, he said, and all that the king does is pleasing. With that answer he took the remains of the meat and went home. There he meant, I suppose, after collecting everything to bury it. Thus Astyages punished Harpigus. But to help him decide about Cyrus, he summoned the same magi who had interpreted his dream as I have said. And when they came, Astyages asked them how they had interpreted his dream. They answered as before and said that the boy must have been made king had he lived and not died first. Then Astyages said, the boy is safe and alive, and when he was living in the country, the boys of his village made him king, and he duly did all that is done by true kings, for he assigned to each individually the roles of bodyguards and sentinels and messengers and everything else, and so ruled. And what do you think is the significance of this? If the boy is alive, said the magi, and has been made king without premeditation, then be confident on this score and keep an untroubled heart. He will not be made king a second time. Even in our prophecies, it is often but a small thing that has been foretold and the consequences of dreams come to nothing in the end. I too, magi, said Astyages, am very much of your opinion that the dream came true when the boy was called king, and that I have no more to fear from him. Nevertheless, consider well and advise me what will be safest both for my house and for you. The magi said, O king, we too are very anxious that your sovereignty prosper, for otherwise it passes from your nation to this boy who is a persian, and so we meads are enslaved and held of no account by the persians as we are of another blood. But while you, our countrymen, are established king, we have our share of power, and great honor is shown us by you. Thus, then, we ought, by all means, to watch out for you and for your sovereignty. And if at the present time we saw any danger, we would declare everything to you, but now the dream has had a trifling conclusion and we ourselves are confident and advise you to be so also. As for this boy, send him out of your sight to the persians and to his parents. Hearing this, a styagies was glad, and calling Cyrus said, My boy, I did you wrong because of a vision I had in a dream that meant nothing, but by your own destiny you still live. Now therefore, go to the persians and good luck go with you. I will send guides with you. When you get there you will find a father and a mother unlike the cowherd, Mitridates and his wife. After saying this, a styagies sent Cyrus away. When he returned to Cambyssey's house, his parents received him there and learning who he was, they welcomed him enthusiastically for they had supposed that long ago he had been killed, and they asked him how his life had been saved. Then he told them and said that until now he had been very deceived, but that on the way he had heard the whole story of his misfortune. For he had thought, he said, that a styagies cowherd was his father, but in his journey from the city his escort had told him the whole story. And he had been raised, he said, by the cowherd's wife, and he was full of her praises, and in his tale he was constantly speaking of Sino. Hearing this name, his parents circulated a story that Cyrus was suckled by a dog when exposed, thinking in this way to make the story of his salvation seem more marvelous to the Persians. This then was the beginning of that legend, but as Cyrus grew up to be the manliest and best loved of his peers, Harpegas courted him and sent him gifts wishing to be avenged on a styagies, for he saw no hope for a private man like himself of punishing a styagies, but as he saw Cyrus growing up as an ally, for he likened Cyrus' misfortune to his own. Even before this, the following had been done by him, since a styagies was harsh toward the Medes, he associated with each of the chief Medes and persuaded them to make Cyrus their leader and depose a styagies. So much being ready and done, Harpegas wanted to reveal his intent to Cyrus, who then lived among the Persians. But the Rhodes were guarded, and he had no plan for sending a message but this. He carefully slit the belly of a hare, and then leaving it as it was without further harm, he put into it a paper on which he wrote what he thought best. Then he sewed up the hare's belly and sent it to Persia by the most trusted of his servants, giving him nets to carry as if he were a huntsman. The messenger was instructed to give Cyrus the hare and tell him by word of God to cut it open with his own hands, with no one else present. All this was done. Cyrus took the hare and slid it, and read the paper which was in it. The writing was as follows, son of Cambyses, since the gods watch over you, otherwise you would not have prospered so, avenge yourself now on a styagies, your murderer, for thanks to his intention you are dead, while thanks to the gods and me you live. I expect that long ago you heard the story of what was done concerning you and how a styagies treated me because I did not kill you, but gave you to the cowherd. If then you will listen to me, you shall rule all the country which is now ruled by a styagies. Persuade the Persians to rebel, and lead their army against the needs. Then you have your wish, whether I am ordered to command the army against you or some other notable man among the Meads, for they will of themselves revolt from a styagies and join you and try to pull him down. Seeing then that all is ready here, do as I say and do it quickly. When Cyrus read this, he deliberated as to what was the shrewdest way to persuade the Persians to revolt and what he thought to be most effective he did. Seeing what he liked on a paper, he assembled the Persians and then unfolded the paper and declared that in it a styagies appointed him leader of the Persian armies. Now, he said in this speech, I command you men of Persia to come, each provided with a sickle. This is what Cyrus said. Now there are many tribes in Persia, those of them that Cyrus assembled and persuaded to revolt from the Meads were the Pasargaday, the Marafiai and the Maspiai. On these, all other Persians depended. The chief tribe is that of the Pasargaday, to them belongs the clan of the Achaemenidae, the royal house of Persia. The other Persian tribes are the Pantalei, the Derusiai and the Germaniai, all tillers of the soil and the Dei, the Mardai, the Dropishai, the Sagartii, all wandering herdsmen. So, when they all came with sickles as ordered, Cyrus commanded them to reclaim in one day a thorny tract of Persia, of two and one quarter or two and one half miles each way in extent. The Persians accomplished the task appointed. Cyrus then commanded them to wash themselves and come the next day. Meanwhile, collecting his father's goats and sheep and oxen in one place, he slaughtered and prepared them as a feast for the Persian host, providing also wine and all the foods that were most suitable. When the Persians came on the next day, he had them sit and feast in a meadow. After dinner, he asked them which they liked more, their task of yesterday or their present pastime. All yesterday they had had nothing but evil, today nothing but good. Then, taking up their word, Cyrus laid bare his whole purpose and said, this is your situation, men of Persia, obey me and you shall have these good things and ten thousand others besides with no toil and slavery, but if you will not obey me, you will have labors unnumbered like your toil of yesterday. So then, do as I tell you and win your freedom, for I think that I myself was born by a divine chance to undertake this work, and I hold you fully as good men as the Meads in war and in everything else. All this is true, therefore revolt from Astyages quickly now. The Persians had long been discontent that the Meads ruled them, and now, having got a champion, they were in their freedom. But when Astyages heard that Cyrus was about this business, he sent a messenger to summon him. Cyrus told the messenger to take back word that Astyages would see him sooner than he liked. Hearing this, Astyages armed all his Meads and was distracted by Providence so that he forgot what he had done to Harpigus and appointed him to command the army. So, when the Meads marched out and the Persians, those who were not in on the plan fought while others deserted to the enemy, and most were deliberate cowards and ran. Thus the Median army was shamefully scattered. As soon as Astyages heard, he sent a threatening message to Cyrus. Nevertheless, Cyrus shall not rejoice. And with that, he took the Magi who interpreted dreams who had persuaded him to let free and impaled them. Then he armed the Meads who were left in the city, the very young and very old men. Leading these out and engaging the Persians, he was beaten. Astyages himself was taken prisoner and lost the Median army which he led. When Astyages was a captive, Harpigus came and exalted over him and taunted him, and besides much other bitter mockery, he banquet when Astyages had fed Harpigus his son's flesh and asked Astyages what it was like to be a slave after having been a king. Fixing his gaze on Harpigus, Astyages asked, Do you imagine that this which Cyrus has done is your work? It was I, said the other, who wrote the letter. The accomplishment of the work is rightly mine. Then, said Astyages, you stand confessed the most foolish and most unjust man on earth, most foolish in giving another the throne which you might have had yourself if the present business is indeed your doing, most unjust in enslaving the Medes because of that banquet, for if in any event another and not you had to possess the royal power, then in justice some Medes should have had it, not a Persian, but now you have made the Medes, who did you slaves instead of masters, and the Persians who were the slaves are now the masters of the Medes. Thus Astyages was deposed from his sovereignty after a reign of thirty-five years, and the Medes had to bow down before the Persians because of Astyages' cruelty. They had ruled all Asia beyond the Hallis for one hundred and twenty-eight years, from which must be subtracted the time when the Scythians held sway. Over time they repented of what they now did and rebelled against Darius, but they were defeated in battle and brought back into subjection. But now, in Astyages' time, Cyrus and the Persians rose in revolt against the Medes, and from this time ruled Asia. As for Astyages, Cyrus did him no further harm, and kept him in his own house until Astyages died. This is the story of the birth of Cyrus, and of how he became king, and afterwards, as I have already related, he subjugated Priess in punishment for the unprovoked wrong done him, and after this victory he became sovereign of all Asia. As to the customs of the Persians, I know them to be these. It is not their custom to make and set up statues and temples and altars, but those who do such things they think foolish, because I suppose they have never believed the gods to be like men, as the Greeks do. But they call the whole circuit of heaven Zeus, and to him they sacrifice on the highest peaks of the mountains. They sacrifice also to the sun and moon and earth and fire and water and winds. From the beginning, these are the only gods to whom they have ever sacrificed. They learned later to sacrifice to the heavenly Aphrodite from the Arabians. She is called by the Assyrians, Milita, by the Arabians, Alilat, by the Persians, Mitra. And this is their method of sacrifice to the aforesaid gods. When about to sacrifice, they do not build altars or kindle fire, employ libations or music or fillets or barley meal. When a man wishes to sacrifice to one of the gods, he leads a beast to an open space and then, wearing a wreath on his tiara of Myrtle, usually, calls on the god to pray for blessings of himself alone is not lawful for the Sacrificer. Rather, he prays that the king and all the Persians be well, for he reckons himself among them. He then cuts the victim limb from limb into portions, and, after boiling the flesh, spreads the softest grass, tree-foil, usually, and places all of it on this. When he has so arranged it, a magus comes near and chants over it the song of the birth of the gods, as the Persian tradition relates it, for no sacrifice can be offered without a magus. Then, after a little while, the Sacrificer carries away the flesh and uses it as he pleases. The day which every man values most is their birth day. On this day he thinks it right to serve a more abundant meal than on other days. Oxen or horses or camels or asses, roasted whole in ovens, are set before the rich. The poorer serve the lesser kinds of cattle. Their horses are few, the dainties that follow many, and not all serve together. This is why the Persians say of Greeks that they rise from tables still hungry, because their fresh dessert is set before them. Were this too given to Greeks, the Persians say, they would never stop eating. They are very partial to wine. No one may vomit or urinate in another's presence. This is prohibited among them. Moreover it is their custom to deliberate about the gravest matters when they are drunk, and what they approve in their deliberations is proposed to them the next time they deliberate, and if being sober they still approve it, they act on it, but if not they drop it, and if they have deliberated about a matter when sober, they decide upon it when they are drunk. When one man meets another on the road, it is easy to see if the two are equals, for if they are, they kiss each other on the lips without speaking. If the difference in rank is small, the cheek is kissed. If it is too late, the humbler bows and does obeisance to the other. They honour most of all those who live nearest them, next those who are next nearest, and so going ever onwards they assign honour by this rule. Those who dwell farthest off they hold least honourable of all, for they think that they are themselves in all regards by far the best of all men, that the rest have only a proportionate claim to merit and all those who live farthest away have least merit of all. Under the rule of the Meads, one tribe would even govern another. The Meads held sway over all alike, and especially over those who lived nearest to them. These ruled their neighbours, and the neighbours in turn, those who came next to them, on the same scheme by which the Persians assign honour, for the nation kept advancing its rule and dominion. The Persians, more than all men, welcome forum customs. They wear the median dress, thinking it more beautiful than their own, and the Egyptian Kiras in war. Their luxurious practices are of all kinds, and all borrowed, the Greeks taught them pedorasty. Every Persian marries many lawful wives and keeps still more concubines. After valor in battle, a great number of sons. The king sends gifts yearly to him who gets most. Strength, they believe, is in numbers. They educate their boys from five to twenty years old and teach them only three things. Writing, and archery, and honesty. A boy is not seen by his father before he is five years old, but lives with the women. The point of this is that, if the boy should die in the interval of his rearing, the father would suffer no grief. This is a law which I praise, and it is a praiseworthy law too, which does not allow the king himself to slay anyone for a single offense, or any other Persian to do incurable harm to one of his servants for one offense. Not until an accounting shows that an offender's wrongful acts are more and greater than his services may a man give reign to his anger. They say that no one has ever yet killed his father or mother when such a thing has been done. It always turns out on inquest that the dover is shown to be a changeling for the fruit of adultery, for it is not to be believed, say they, that a son should kill his true parent. Furthermore, of what they may not do, they may not speak either. They hold lying to be the most disgraceful and next to that debt for which they have many other reasons but this in particular. It is inevitable, so they say, that the debtor also speaks some falsehood. This citizen who has leprosy or the white sickness may not come into town or mingle with other Persians. They say that he is so afflicted because he has sinned in some way against the sun. Every stranger who gets such a disease, many people do not know what is going on in the country and they do the same to white doves for the reason given. Rivers they especially revere. They will neither urinate nor spit nor wash their hands in them nor let anyone else do so. There is another thing that always happens among them. We have noted it although the Persians have not. Their names which agree with the nature of their persons and their nobility are called San and the Ionians Sigma. You will find if you search that not some but all Persian names alike end in this letter. So much I can say of them from my own certain knowledge but there are other matters concerning the dead which are secretly and obscurely told how the dead bodies of Persians are not buried before they have been mangled by birds or dogs and magi I know for certain for they do not conceal the practice but this is certain that before the Persians bury the body in the earth they embalm it in wax. These magi are as unlike the priests of Egypt as they are unlike all other men for the priests consider it sacrilege to kill anything that lives except what they sacrifice but the magi kill with their own hands every creature except men they kill all alike ants and snakes creeping and flying things and take great pride in it leaving this custom to be such as it has been from the first I return now to my former story. End of Book 1 Part 7 Recording by Eric Franklin San Jose California Book 1 part 8 of Herodotus Histories This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org Recording by Graham Redman Histories Volume 1 by Herodotus of Helicon Assas translated by A.D. Godly Book 1 Part 8 Paragraphs 141 to 163 As soon as the Lydians had been subjugated by the Persians the Ionians and Iolians sent messengers to Cyrus offering to be his subjects on the same terms as those which they had under Creses. After hearing what they proposed Cyrus told them a story. Once he said there was a flute player who saw fish in the sea and played upon his flute thinking that they would come out onto the land. Disappointed of his hope he cast a net and gathered it in and took out a great multitude of fish and seeing them leaping you had best, he said stop your dancing now you would not come out and dance before when I played to you. The reason why Cyrus told the story to the Ionians and Iolians was that the Ionians who were ready to obey him when the victory was won had before refused when he sent a message asking them to revolt from Creses. So he answered them in anger. But when the message came to the Ionians in their cities they fortified themselves with walls and assembled in the Pan-Ionian all except the Milesians with whom alone Cyrus made a treaty in the same terms as that which they had with the Lydians. The rest of the Ionians resolved to send envoys in the name of them all to Sparta to ask help for the Ionians. Now these Ionians possessed the Pan-Ionian and of all men whom we know they happened to found their cities in places with the loveliest of climate and seasons for neither to the north of them nor to the south nor to the land effect the same thing as in Ionia nor to the east nor to the west affected here by the cold and wet, there by the heat and drought. They do not all have the same speech but four different dialects. My litus lies farthest south among them and next to it come Myos and Praini. These are settlements in Caria and they have a common language. Ephesus, Colophon, Lebedos, Tios, Cladzomini, Fersia all of them in Lydia have a language in common which is wholly different from the speech of the three former cities. There are yet three Ionian cities two of them situated on the islands of Samos and Chios and one Erythry on the mainland. The Chians and Erythrians speak alike but the Samians have a language which is their own and no one else's. It is thus seen that there are four modes of speech. Among these Ionians the Mylesians were safe from the danger for they had made a treaty and the islanders among them had nothing to fear for the Phoenicians were not yet subjects of the Persians nor were the Persians themselves mariners. But those of Asia were cut off by the Ionians only in the way that I shall show. The whole Hellenic stock was then small and the last of all its branches and the least regarded was the Ionian for it had no considerable city except Athens. Now the Athenians and the rest would not be called Ionians but spurned the name. Even now the greater number of them seemed to me to be ashamed of it but the twelve cities worried in this name and founded a holy place for themselves which they called the Pan-Ionian and agreed among themselves to allow no other Ionians to use it nor in fact did any except the men of Smyrna ask to be admitted. Just as the Dorians of what is now the country of the five cities, formerly the country of the six cities forbid admitting any of the neighbouring Dorians to the temple and even barred from using it those of their own group who had broken the temple law. For long ago in the games in honour of Triopian Apollo they offered certain bronze tripods to the victors and those who won these were not to carry them away from the temple but dedicate them there to the god. Now when a man of Halicarnassus called Agassiocles one he disregarded this law and carrying the tripod away nailed it to the wall of his own house. For this offence the five cities Lindus, Ielisus, Camirus, Coss and Cnidus forbid the sixth city Halicarnassus to share in the use of the temple. Such was the penalty imposed on the Halicarnassians. As for the Ionians the reason why they made twelve cities and would admit more was in my judgment this. There were twelve divisions of them when they dwelt in the Peloponnes just as there are twelve divisions of the Achaeans who drove the Ionians out. Pelini nearest Sicun then Egyra and Egi where is the never-failing river Crathus from which the river in Italy took its name. Biora and Helici where the Ionians fled in battle by the Achaeans Aegean, Ripee, Pantry, Fariee and Olinus where is the great river Pyrus Dimee and Tritie the only inland city of all these. These were the twelve divisions of the Ionians as they are now of the Achaeans. For this reason and for no other the Ionians too made twelve cities. For it would be foolishness to say that these are more truly Ionian or better born than the other Ionians since not the least part of them are Abantes from Euboea who are not Ionians even in name and there are mingled with them Minions of Orcominus Cadmians, Draopians Phosian renegades from their nation Melossians Pelasdian Arcadians Dorians of Epidorus and many other tribes and as for those who came from the very town hall of Athens and think they are the best born of the Ionians these did not bring wives with them to their settlements but married carion women whose parents they had put to death. For this slaughter these women made a custom and bound themselves by oath and enjoined it on their daughters that no one would sit at table with her husband or call him by his name because the men had married them after slaying their fathers and husbands and sons this happened at Miletus and as kings some of them chose Lycean descendants of Glaucus son of Hippolycus and some Corkonis of Pylus descendants of Codrus son of Melanthus and some both yet since they set more store by the name than the rest of the Ionians let it be granted that those of pure birth are Ionians and all are Ionians who are of Athenian descent and keep the feast apaturia all do keep it except the men of Ephesus and Colophon these are the only Ionians who do not keep it and these because they say of a certain pretext of murder. The Pan-Ionian is a sacred ground in Mycaly facing north it was set apart for Poseidon of Helicon by the joint will of the Ionians Mycaly is a western promontory of the mainland opposite Samos the Ionians used to assemble there from their cities and keep the festival to which they gave the name of Pan-Ionia not only the Ionian festivals but all those of all the Greeks alike end in the same letter just as do the names of the Persians. Those are the Ionian cities and these are the Iolian Simea called Freconian Larisi Neontychos, Temnos Scylla, Noshan Egeroessa Pitani, Ege Myriner, Grinaya These are the ancient Iolian cities 11 in number but one of them Smyrna was taken away by the Ionians for these two were once 12 on the mainland these Iolians had settled where the land was better than the Ionian territory but the climate was not so good now this is how the Iolians lost Smyrna some men of Colophon the losers in civil strife and exiles from their country had been received by them into the town these Colophonian exiles waited for the time when the men of Smyrna were holding a festival to Dionysus outside the walls then they shut the gates and so got the city then all the Iolians came to recover it and an agreement was made whereby the Iolians would receive back their movable goods from the Ionians and leave the city after this was done the other 11 cities were the Iolians among themselves and made them citizens of their own these then are the Iolian cities on the mainland besides those that are situated on Ida and are separate among those on the islands five divide Lesbos among them there was a sixth on Lesbos, Arisba but its people were enslaved by their kinfolk of Mithymna there is one on Tenedos and one again in the Hundred Isles as they are called the men of Lesbos and Tenedos then like the Ionian islanders had nothing to fear the rest of the cities deliberated together and decided to follow the Ionians lead so when the envoys of the Ionians and Iolians came to Sparta for they set about this in haste they chose a focian was Pythyrmus to speak for all he then put on a purple cloak so that as many Spartans as possible might assemble to hear him and stood up and made a long speech asking aid for his people but the Lesodemonians would not listen to him and refused to help the Ionians so the Ionians departed but the Lesodemonians though they had rejected their envoys did nevertheless send men in a ship of fifty oars to see, as I suppose the situation with Cyrus and Ionia these after coming to Phocere sent Lachranes who was the most esteemed among them to Sardis to repeat there to Cyrus a proclamation of the Lesodemonians that he was to harm no city on Greek territory or else the Lesodemonians would punish him when the Herald had proclaimed this Cyrus is said to have asked the Greeks who were present who and how many in number these Lesodemonians were who made this declaration when he was told he said to the Spartan Herald I never yet feared men who set apart a place in the middle of their city where they purger themselves and deceive each other they, if I keep my health shall talk of their own misfortunes not those of the Ionians he uttered this threat against all the Greeks because they have markets and buy and sell there for the Persians themselves were not used to resorting to markets at all nor do they even have a market of any kind presently entrusting Sardis to a Persian called Tabulus and instructing Pachys a Lydian to take charge of Cresus and the Lydians he himself marched away to Ecbertana taking Cresus with him and at first taking no notice of the Ionians for he had Babylon on his hands and the Bactrian nation and the Sacee and Egyptians he meant to lead the army against these himself and to send another commander against the Ionians but no sooner had Tabulus marched away from Sardis than Pachys made the Lydians revolt from Tabulus and Cyrus and he went down to the sea where as he had all the gold of Sardis he hired soldiers and persuaded the men of the coast to join his undertaking then marching to Sardis he penned Tabulus in the Acropolis and besieged him there when Cyrus heard of this on his journey he said to Cresus what end to this business Cresus? it seems that the Lydians will never stop making trouble for me and for themselves it occurs to me that it may be best to make slaves of them for it seems I have acted like one who slays the father and spares the children so likewise I have taken with me you who were more than a father to the Lydians and handed the city over to the Lydians themselves and then indeed I marvel that they revolt so Cyrus uttered his thought but Cresus feared that he would destroy Sardis and answered him thus oh king what you say is reasonable but do not ever yield to anger or destroy an ancient city that is innocent both and of the present offence for for the former I am responsible and bear the punishment on my head while Pachy's in whose charge you left Sardis does this present wrong let him then pay the penalty but pardon the Lydians and give them this command so that they not revolt or pose a danger to you send and forbid them to possess weapons of war and order them to wear tunics under their cloaks and knee boots on their feet and to teach their sons lyre playing and song and dance and shopkeeping and quickly oh king you shall see them become women instead of men so that you need not fear them that they might revolt Cresus proposed this to him because he thought this was better for the Lydians to be sold as slaves he knew that without some reasonable plea he could not change the king's mind and fear that even if the Lydians should escape this time they might later revolt and be destroyed by the Persians Cyrus was pleased by this council he relented in his anger and said he would follow Cresus's advice then calling Mazarese a mead he told him to give the Lydians the commands that Cresus advised further to enslave all the others who had joined the Lydians in attacking Sardis and as for Pachy's himself by all means to bring him into his presence alive after giving these commands on his journey he marched away into the Persian country but Pachy's learning that an army sent against him was approaching was frightened and fled to Symi Mazarese the mead when he came to Sardis with the part that he had of Cyrus' host and found Pachy's followers no longer there first of all compelled the Lydians to carry out Cyrus' commands and by his order they changed their whole way of life after this he sent messengers to Symi demanding that Pachy's be surrendered the Symians resolved to make the god at Brankidi their judge as to what course they should take for there was an ancient place of divination there which all the Ionians and Iolians used to consult the place is in the land of Miletus above the harbour of Panormas the men of Symi then sent to Brankidi to inquire of the shrine what they should do in the matter of Pachy's that would be most pleasing to the gods and the oracle replied that they must surrender Pachy's to the Persians when this answer came back to them they set about surrendering him but while the greater part were in favour of doing this Aristodocus son of Heraclides a notable man among the citizens stopped the men of Symi from doing it for he did not believe the oracle and thought that those who had inquired of the god spoke falsely until at last a second band of inquirers was sent to inquire concerning Pachy's among whom was Aristodocus when they came to Brankidi Aristodocus speaking for all put this question to the oracle Lord Pachy's the Lydian has come to us a suppliant fleeing a violent death at the hands of the Persians and they demand him of us telling the men of Symi to surrender him but we as much as we fear the Persian power have not dared give up this suppliant of ours until it is clearly made known to us by you whether we are to do this or not thus Aristodocus inquired and the god again gave the same answer that Pachy's should be surrendered to the Persians with that Aristodocus did as he had already decided he went around the temple and took away the sparrows and all the families of nesting birds that were in it but while he was doing so a voice they say came out of the inner shrine calling to Aristodocus and saying violinist of men how dare you do this will you rob my temple of those that take refuge with me then Aristodocus had his answer ready lord he said will you save your own suppliants yet tell the men of Symi to deliver up theirs but the god replied yes I do command them so that you may perish all the sooner for your impiety and never again come to inquire of my oracle about giving up those that seek refuge with you when the Symians heard this answer they sent Pachy's away to Mitellini for they were anxious not to perish for delivering him up or to be besieged for keeping him with them then Mazarese sent a message to Mitellini demanding the surrender of Pachy's and the Mitellinians prepared to give him for a price I cannot say exactly how much it was but the bargain was never fulfilled for when the Symians learned what the Mitellinians were about they sent a ship to Lesbos and took Pachy's away to Chios from there he was dragged out of the temple of city guarding Athena and delivered up by the Chions who received in return Atarnius which is a district in Misia opposite Lesbos the Persians thus received Pachy's and kept him guarded so that they might show him to Cyrus and for a long time no one would use Bali meal from this land of Atarnius in sacrifices to any god or make sacrificial cakes of what grew there everything that came from that country was kept away from any sacred right the Chions then surrendered Pachy's and afterwards he has led his army against those who had helped to besiege Tabulus and he enslaved the people of Prayini and overran the plain of the Miandrus giving it to his army to pillage and Magnesia likewise immediately after this he died of an illness after his death Harpigus, a mead like Mazarese came down to succeed him in his command as the Harpigus who was entertained by Astyoges the king of the Meads at that unnatural feast and who helped win the kingship for Cyrus this man was now made general by Cyrus when he came to Ionia he took the cities by means of earthworks he would drive the men within their walls and then build earthworks against the walls and so take the cities Pachyia was the first Ionian town that he attacked these Phoecians were the earliest of the Greeks to make long sea voyages and it was they who discovered the Adriatic sea and Tyrenia and Iberia and Tartesis not sailing in round freight ships but in 50-odd vessels when they came to Tartesis they made friends with the king of the Tartesians Ion-Thonius he ruled Tartesis for 80 years and lived 120 the Phoecians won this man's friendship to such a degree that he invited them to leave Ionia and settle in his country wherever they liked and then when he could not persuade them to and learned from them how the median power was increasing he gave them money to build a wall around their city he gave it generously for the circuit of the wall is of not a few states and all this is made of great stones well fitted together End of book 1 part 8 Recording by Graham Redman