CHAP. 147-149.

6

ORIGIN OF THE ÆGIDÆ.

121

and Caucons, whom they drove out, themselves occupying the region in six bodies, by which were afterwards built the towns of Lepreum, Macistus, Phryxæ, Pyrgus, Epium, and Nudium; whereof the greater part were in my day demolished by the Eleans.8

149. The island was called Thera after the name of its founder. This same Theras had a son, who refused to cross the sea with him; Theras therefore left him behind, "a sheep," as he said, "among wolves." From this speech his son came to be called Eolycus, a name which afterwards grew to be the only one by which he was known. This Eolycus was the father of Egeus, from whom sprang the Egidæ, a great tribe in Sparta. The men of this tribe lost at one time all their children, whereupon they were bidden by an oracle to build a temple to the furies of Laïus and Edipus; they complied, and the mortality ceased. The same thing happened in Thera to the descendants of these men.2

land intended seems to have been the mountainous district between the Neda and the Alpheus, called by Strabo (viii. p. 504) Triphylia, which is sometimes reckoned to Elis, but improperly, as is evident from Herod. viii. 73, and again from Thucyd. v. 34, where Lepreum appears as an independent city. (See Müller's Dorians, ii. p. 465, E. T.)

6 The Caucons (Kaúкwves) appear to have been among the most ancient inhabitants of Greece. They are placed upon a par with the Pelasgi and Leleges (vide supra, Bk. i. ch. 147, note 8), from whom they probably did not much differ. The district here mentioned was always looked upon as one of their earliest seats. (Strabo, viii. pp. 496502.)

7 The site of these places can only be fixed conjecturally. Lepreum is probably the Paleokastro near Strovitzi, Macistus Mostizza, Pyrgus the acropolis near the sea, a little to the north of the Neda. (Cf. Müller, 1. s. c. and Leake's Morea, vol. i. p. 56.)

8 Lepreum is the only one of the six which can be shown to have maintained its independence. (Thucyd. 1. s. c.)

Probably it was always the chief town; whence its position at the head of the list. Two hundred Lepreans are named among the confederates at Platea (infra, ix. 28). Dahlmann correctly observes that the war of the Eleans and Minyans is fixed by Herodotus to his own day. (Life, p. 43, E. T.)

9 Herodotus uses the word "tribe" (puan), but it seems impossible that the Ægidæ can have been more than a family. (Cf. Müller's Orchomen. p. 329.) There was another account of their origin entirely unlike that given by Herodotus. They were said to have been Thebans, who accompanied Aristodemus in his last expedition (Ephor. Fr. 13). This seems to be the view of Pindar (Pyth. v. 102; Isth. vii. 21), who claims connection with the Cyrenæans through the Ægidæ, calling them his own ancestors.

Herodotus here employs the less usual form Edipodes; in v. 60 he has the commoner Edipus.

2 That is, of the Minyans who accompanied Theras. The cause in both instances may have been their intermarrying only with one another.

122

8

COLONIZATION OF LIBYA.

BOOK IV.

150. Thus far the history is delivered without variation both by the Thermans and the Lacedæmonians; but from this point we have only the Theraan narrative. Grinus (they say), the son of Esanius, a descendant of Theras, and king of the island of Thera, went to Delphi to offer a hecatomb on behalf of his native city. He was accompanied by a large number of the citizens, and among the rest by Battus, the son of Polymnestus, who belonged to the Minyan family of the Euphemidæ. On Grinus consulting the oracle about sundry matters, the Pythoness gave him for answer, "that he should found a city in Libya." Grinus replied to this: "I, O king! am too far advanced in years, and too inactive, for such a work. Bid one of these youngsters undertake it." As he spoke, he pointed towards Battus; and thus the matter rested for that time. When the embassy returned to Thera, small account was taken of the oracle by the Thermans, as they were quite ignorant where Libya was, and were not so venturesome as to send out a colony in the dark.

151. Seven years passed from the utterance of the oracle, and not a drop of rain fell in Thera: all the trees in the island, except one, were killed with the drought. The Theræans upon this sent to Delphi, and were reminded reproachfully, that they had never colonised Libya. So, as there was no help for it, they sent messengers to Crete, to inquire whether any of the Cretans, or of the strangers sojourning among them, had ever travelled as far as Libya: and these messengers of theirs, in their wanderings about the island, among other places visited Itanus, where they fell in

3 This is a conjectural reading. The MSS. have Εὐθυμίδης or Εὐθυμήδης. Euphemus, son of Neptune, is reckoned among the companions of Jason. (Apollod. i. 9, 16; Apollon. Rhod. i. 179.) The royal family of the Battiada traced their descent to him. Hence Pindar calls them γένος Εὐφάμου (Pyth. iv. 256, ed. Dissen.). Compare the passage of Apollonius Rhodius,

where the island of Callisté or Thera is styled παίδων ἱερὴ τροφὸς Εὐφήμοιο (iv. 1758).

4 Itanus lay at the eastern extremity of Crete, near the promontory of the same name (mentioned by Scylax, Peripl. p. 42), which is now Cape Salamone or Cape Xacro. It was a place of some importance, as appears from the coins, which are numerous. The Paleo.

СНАР. 150-152. FIRST SETTLEMENT, AT PLATEA.

123

with a man, whose name was Corôbius, a dealer in purple. In answer to their inquiries, he told them that contrary winds had once carried him to Libya, where he had gone ashore on a certain island which was named Platea.5 So they hired this man's services, and took him back with them to Thera. A few persons then sailed from Thera to reconnoitre. Guided by Corôbius to the island of Platea, they left him there with provisions for a certain number of months, and returned home with all speed to give their countrymen an account of the island.

152. During their absence, which was prolonged beyond the time that had been agreed upon, Corôbius' provisions failed him. He was relieved, however, after a while by a Samian vessel, under the command of a man named Colæus, which, on its way to Egypt, was forced to put in at Platea. The crew, informed by Corôbius of all the circumstances, left him sufficient food for a year. They themselves quitted the island; and, anxious to reach Egypt, made sail in that direction, but were carried out of their course by a gale of

wind from the east. The storm not abating, they were driven past the pillars of Hercules, and at last, by some special guiding providence, reached Tartessus. This trading town was in those days a virgin port, unfrequented by the merchants. The Samians, in consequence, made by the returnvoyage a profit greater than any Greeks before their day, excepting Sostratus, son of Laodamas, an Eginetan, with whom no one else can compare. From the tenth part of their gains, amounting to six talents, the Samians made a

kastro, near Itagnia, probably marks the site. (See Dict. of Greek and Roman Geogr. 8. v. Itanus.)

There can be little doubt that Platea is the small island of Bomba, which lies off the African coast in the gulf of the same name, lat. 32° 20′, long. 23° 15'. (Cf. Rennell, p. 609, and Pacho, Voyage dans la Marmorique, pp. 51, 52, where the arguments are fully stated.)

7

6 The tale which follows is of some consequence, as showing the character of the Samians for naval enterprise. Samos and Phocæa are the only Greek states reported to have reached so far west in their voyages. (Vide supra, i. 163.)

7 About 14601. of our money. The entire profit was therefore between 14,000l. and 15,000l.

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CYRENAIC ACCOUNT.

Book IV.

brazen vessel, in shape like an Argive wine-bowl, adorned with the heads of griffins standing out in high relief. This bowl, supported by three kneeling colossal figures in bronze, of the height of seven cubits, was placed as an offering in the temple of Juno at Samos. The aid given to Corôbius was the original cause of that close friendship which afterwards united the Cyrenæans and Theræans with the Samians.9

153. The Theræans who had left Coròbius at Platea, when they reached Thera, told their countrymen that they had colonised an island on the coast of Libya. They of Thera, upon this, resolved that men should be sent to join the colony from each of their seven districts, and that the brothers in every family should draw lots to determine who were to go. Battus was chosen to be king and leader of the colony. So these men departed for Platea on board of two penteconters.1

154. Such is the account which the Theræans give. In the sequel of the history their accounts tally with those of the people of Cyrêné; but in what they relate of Battus these two nations differ most widely. The following is the Cyrenaic story. There was once a king named Etearchus, who ruled over Axus, a city in Crete, and had a daughter named Phronima. This girl's mother having died, Etearchus married a second wife; who no sooner took up her abode in his

8 Concerning the eminence of Samos in the arts, vide supra, Bk. iii. ch. 60, notes and 10.

9 Of this alliance no traces appear, unless we are to consider in that light the flight of Arcesilaus III. to Samos, and his success in collecting an armament there (infra, chs. 162, 163).

1 Justin (xiii. 7) reduces the two ships of Herodotus to one. Even the larger number would have furnished but a poor colony, since a penteconter can scarcely have accommodated more than about 200 men. The numerical accuracy affected in the Theraan narrative is remarkable (supra, chs. 148, 151, 152, &c.).

This place, called Axus by Herodo

tus, Oaxusand Saxus on its coins (comp. Steph. Byz. ad voc. *Aços), is not men. tioned by Strabo among the cities of Crete. It appears, however, in Scylax, where (as Voss observes) Oažos should be read for Пágos (Peripl. p. 42). It lay on the north side of Ida, not far from Cnossus, and retains its name to the present day (Pashley's Travels, vol. i. p. 143). A coin belonging to it may be seen in Chishull (Antiq. As. p. 125). The name is said to have been given from the precipices (ǎo

ayuol) among which the town was built (Steph. Byz. ad voc. "Oacos). It furnishes almost a solitary instance of the replacement of the digamma by an omicron.

CHAP. 152-155.

PARENTAGE OF BATTUS.

125

house than she proved a true step-mother to poor Phronima, always vexing her, and contriving against her every sort of mischief. At last she taxed her with light conduct; and Etearchus, persuaded by his wife that the charge was true, bethought himself of a most barbarous mode of punishment. There was a certain Therman, named Themison, a merchant, living at Axus. This man Etearchus invited to be his friend and guest, and then induced him to swear that he would do him any service he might require. No sooner had he given the promise, than the king fetched Phronima, and, delivering her into his hands, told him to carry her away and throw her into the sea. Hereupon Themison, full of indignation at the fraud whereby his oath had been procured, dissolved forthwith the friendship, and, taking the girl with him, sailed away from Crete. Having reached the open main, to acquit himself of the obligation under which he was laid by his oath to Etearchus, he fastened ropes about the damsel, and, letting her down into the sea, drew her up again, and so made sail for Thera.

155. At Thera, Polymnêstus, one of the chief citizens of the place, took Phronima to be his concubine. The fruit of this union was a son, who stammered and had a lisp in his speech. According to the Cyrenæans and Theræans, the name given to the boy was Battus: in my opinion, however, he was called at the first something else, and only got the name of Battus after his arrival in Libya, assuming it either in consequence of the words addressed to him by the Delphian oracle, or on account of the office which he held. For, in the Libyan tongue, the word "Battus " means " a king." 5 And

Of this practice we have another instance, infra, vi. 62.

It is curious that Herodotus was ignorant of the name given in the myth to the first Battus, before he received that appellation from the oracle, especially as it had already been celebrated by a poet whose works he knew. (Pind. Pyth. v. 81, ed. Dissen.) The name was Aristotle,

which appears not only in Pindar, but likewise in the works of the Cyrenaic poet, Callimachus (Hymn. ad Apoll. 75), in Heraclides Ponticus (Fr. iv.), Eusebius (Chron. Can. ii. p. 320), and in the Scholiasts passim.

5

Hesychius states this likewise (ad voc.); but he can hardly be considered a distinct witness from Herodotus.