The Good Book (68 page)

28. The bravest man by far on that day was Aristodemus, the same who alone escaped from the slaughter of the three hundred at Thermopylae, and who on that account had endured disgrace and reproach:

29. Next to him were Posidonius, Philocyon, and Amompharetus the Spartan.

30. The Spartans, however, who took part in the fight, when the question of who had distinguished himself most came to be talked over,

31. Decided that Aristodemus, who, on account of the blame which attached to him, had manifestly courted death,

32. And had therefore left his place in the line and behaved like a madman, had done very notable deeds;

33. But that Posidonius, who, with no such desire to lose his life, had quitted himself no less gallantly, was by so much a braver man than he.

34. Perhaps, however,   it was envy that made them speak in this way.

 

Chapter 105

  1. These then were the most distinguished of those who fought at Plataea.

  2. As for Callicrates, the most beautiful man, not among the Spartans only, but in the whole Greek camp;

  3. He was not killed in the battle, but by an arrow fired by the harassing Persian cavalry beforehand.

  4. While his comrades advanced to the fight, he was carried out of the ranks, very unwilling to die, as he showed by the words he addressed to Arimnestus, one of the Plataeans:

  5. ‘I grieve,' said he, ‘not because I have to die for my country, but because I have not lifted my arm against the enemy,

  6. ‘Nor done any deed worthy of me, much as I have desired to achieve something.'

  7. The Athenian who is said to have distinguished himself most was Sophanes, son of Eutychides, of the Deceleian canton.

  8. Two stories are told about him: according to one, he wore an iron anchor, fastened by a bronze chain to the belt which secured his breastplate;

  9. And this, when he came near the enemy, he stuck in the ground so that, when they made their charge,

10. It would be impossible for him to be driven from his post; but as soon as the enemy fled, he would pluck up his anchor and pursue them.

11. The other story is contradictory to the first, relating that Sophanes, instead of having an anchor fastened to his breastplate,

12. Bore the device of an anchor upon his shield, which he never allowed to rest, but made to run round continually.

13. Another glorious deed was likewise performed by this same Sophanes:

14. At the time when the Athenians were laying siege to Egina, he took up the challenge of Eurybates the Argive, a winner of the Pentathlum, and slew him.

 

Chapter 106

  1. Pausanias made a proclamation that no one should take booty, instead ordering the Helots to collect it and bring it all to one place.

  2. So the Helots went through the Persian camp, where they found many tents richly adorned with furniture of gold and silver,

  3. Couches covered with plates of the same, and golden bowls, goblets and other drinking-vessels.

  4. On the carriages were bags containing silver and golden kettles;

  5. And on the bodies of the slain were bracelets and chains, and scymitars with golden ornaments;

  6. Not to mention embroidered apparel, of which no one made any account.

  7. The Helots at this time stole many things of much value, which they sold in after times to the Eginetans;

  8. However, they brought in no small quantity, chiefly things they could not hide.

  9. And this was the beginning of the great wealth of the Eginetans, who bought the gold of the Helots as if it had been mere brass.

10. When all the booty had been brought together it was divided among the soldiers, each of whom received less or more according to his deserts;

11. And in this way a distribution was made of the Persian concubines, gold, silver, beasts of burden, and all the other valuables.

12. As for Pausanias, the portion which was set apart for him consisted of ten specimens of each kind of thing: women, horses, talents, camels and whatever else there was in the spoil.

13. It is said that the following circumstance happened at this time.

14. Xerxes, when he fled from Greece, left his war tent with Mardonius. When Pausanias saw the tent with its adornments of gold and silver, and its hangings of divers colours,

15. He commanded the Persian bakers and cooks to make a banquet of the kind they had made for Mardonius.

16. Then Pausanius, beholding the couches of gold and silver daintily decked out with their rich covertures,

17. And the tables of gold and silver laid, and the feast itself prepared with all magnificence, was astonished at the good things which were set before him.

18. Then he commanded his own followers to make ready a Spartan supper.

19. When the suppers were both served, and it was apparent how vast a difference lay between the two, Pausanias laughed,

20. And sent his servants to call the Greek generals. On their coming, he pointed to the two boards, and said:

21. ‘I sent for you, O Greeks, to show you the folly of this Persian captain, who, when he enjoyed such fare as this, must needs come here to rob us of our penury.'

22. Such, it is said, were the words of Pausanias to the Grecian generals.

23. During many years afterwards, the Plataeans used often to find on the field of battle concealed treasures of gold, and silver, and other valuables.

24. More recently they discovered the following: the flesh having fallen away from the bodies of the dead, and their bones having been gathered together into one place,

25. The Plataeans were able to see a skull without any seam, made entirely of a single bone;

26. Likewise a jaw, both the upper bone and the under, wherein all the teeth, front and back, were joined together and made of one bone;

27. Also, the skeleton of a man not less than five cubits in height.

28. The Greeks, after sharing the booty on the field of Plataea, proceeded to bury their own dead, each nation apart from the rest.

29. The Lacedaemonians made three graves; in one they buried their youths, among whom were Posidonius, Amompharetus, Philocyon and Callicrates;

30. In another, the rest of the Spartans; and in the third, the Helots. Such was their mode of burial.

31. The Tegeans buried all their dead in a single grave; as likewise did the Athenians theirs, and the Megarians and Phliasians those who were slain by the Persian cavalry.

 

Chapter 107

  1. After the Greeks had buried their dead at Plataea they held a council, at which it was resolved to attack Thebes, and to require that those who had joined the Persians should be delivered into their hands.

  2. Two Thebans who had been chief in making alliance with Persia were especially named, Timagenidas and Attaginus.

  3. If the Thebans should refuse to give these men up, it was determined to besiege the city, and never cease till it should surrender.

  4. After this resolve, the army marched on Thebes; and having demanded the men, and been refused, began the siege,

  5. Laying waste the country all around, and making assaults upon the wall in divers places.

  6. When twenty days were gone by, and the violence of the Greeks did not slacken, Timagenidas said to his countrymen,

  7. ‘Men of Thebes, since the Greeks have stated that they will never desist till either they take Thebes or we are delivered to them, we do not wish the land of Boeotia to suffer any longer on our behalf.

  8. ‘If it be money that they desire, and their demand of us be no more than a pretext,

  9. ‘Let money from the treasury of the state be given them; for the state, and not we alone, embraced the cause of Xerxes.

10. ‘If, however, they really want our persons, we are ready to be delivered to them and to stand trial.'

11. The Thebans thought this offer very right and reasonable; so they dispatched a herald to Pausanias, and told him they were willing to deliver up the men.

12. As soon as an agreement had been concluded upon, Attaginus made his escape from the city; his sons, however, were surrendered in his place;

13. But Pausanias refused to hold them guilty, since children, he said, could have had no part in such an offence.

14. The rest of those whom the Thebans gave up had expected to obtain a trial, and in that case their trust was to escape by means of bribery;

15. But Pausanias, afraid of this, dismissed at once the whole army of allies, and took the men with him to Corinth, where he killed them all.

16. Such were the events which happened at Plataea and at Thebes.

Chapter 108

  1. The Persian general Artabazus son of Pharnaces, who had fled from Plataea with his forty thousand troops, soon reached Thessaly.

  2. The inhabitants received him hospitably, and enquired about the rest of the army, since they were still ignorant of what had taken place at Plataea.

  3. Knowing that if he told the truth, he would risk perishing with his whole army,

  4. For if the facts were once known, all who learnt them would be sure to attack him,

  5. Artabazus kept everything secret, and said, ‘I am hastening into Thrace, as I am sent with this force on special business from the main army.

  6. ‘Mardonius and his host are close behind me, and may be looked for shortly. When he comes, receive him as you have received me;

  7. ‘Show him every kindness. Be sure you will never hereafter regret it, if you so do.'

  8. Then he took his departure, and marched his troops at their best speed through Thessaly and Macedon to Thrace, following the inland route, which was the shortest.

  9. He himself succeeded in reaching Byzantium; but a great part of his army perished on the road,

10. Many being cut to pieces by the Thracians, and others dying from hunger and excess of toil.

11. From Byzantium Artabazus set sail, and crossed the strait to Asia.

12. On the same day that the blow was struck at Plataea, another defeat befell the Persians at Mycale in Ionia.

13. While the Greek fleet under Leotychides was still lying inactive at Delos, there arrived an embassy from Samos,

14. Consisting of three men, Lampon, son of Thrasycles, Athenagoras, son of Archestratidas, and Hegesistratus, son of Aristagoras.

15. The Samians had sent them secretly, concealing their departure both from the Persians and from their own tyrant, Theomestor, son of Androdamas, whom the Persians had made ruler of Samos.

16. When the ambassadors came before the Greek captains, Hegesistratus spoke to them,

17. Saying that the Ionians only needed to see them arrive in order to revolt from the Persians, and that the Persians would not stay to fight;

18. ‘Or if they did, it would be to offer them the finest booty that they could anywhere expect to gain';

19. And at the same time he urged them to deliver from bondage a Grecian race, and to drive back the barbarians.

20. ‘This,' he said, ‘might very easily be done, for the Persian ships are poor craft, no match for yours';

21. Adding, moreover, that ‘if there was any suspicion that the Samians intended treachery, we are ourselves ready to be hostages, and to return on board the ships of the Greeks to Asia.'

22. Leotychides accepted, the Samians pledged their faith, and a treaty of alliance was made.

23. This done, two of the ambassadors immediately sailed away, Hegesistratus remaining with Leotychides and the fleet.

24. The Greeks put to sea and sailed across from Delos to Samos. Arriving off Calami on the Samian coast, they dropped anchor and prepared for battle.

25. The Persians, however, no sooner heard of the Greeks' arrival than they sailed away to the mainland after dismissing the Phoenician ships.

26. For it had been resolved in council not to risk a battle, since the Persian fleet was no match for the Greeks.

27. They fled to the mainland to be under the protection of their land army, which now lay at Mycale, and consisted of the troops left behind by Xerxes to keep guard over Ionia.

28. This was an army of sixty thousand men, under the command of Tigranes, a Persian of more than common beauty and stature.

29. The Persian captains sailed for Gaeson and Scolopoeis, which are in the territory of Mycale.

30. Here they drew the ships up on the beach, and surrounded them with a rampart of stones and tree trunks,

31. Cutting down for this purpose all the fruit trees which grew near, to the chagrin of the local people,

32. And defending the barrier by means of stakes firmly planted in the ground.

33. They were prepared either to fight a battle, or undergo a siege.