vice, and it was followed.' A Theraean merchant EUROPE. is mentioned as living in Axus, a city of Crete.2 4 3 CHAP. V. Of the other three islands, TELOS lay off Triopium, Telos. and was the native place of an ancestor of Gelon ; Cos was inhabited by Dorian Epidamnians; and Cos. LEROS was brought before the notice of the Milesians Leros. by Hecataeus the historian, who advised them to occupy it after the suppression of the Ionian revolt." islands in III. THE ISLANDS IN THE AEGEAN not reckoned III. Other amongst the Cyclades and Sporades, include seven- the Aegean. teen which are mentioned by Herodotus, viz. Samos, Lade, Chios, Lesbos, Hecatonnesi, Tenedos, Lemnos, Imbros, Samothrace, Thasos, Sciathus, Euboea, Salamis, Psyttalea, Aegina, Belbina, Hydrea. duct. SAMOS was one of the most important of them all, Samos. and Herodotus dwelt longer on the affairs of the Samians because they possessed the three greatest works that have been accomplished by the Hellenes. First, there was a mountain, 150 orgyae or fathoms The aquein height, at the base of which a tunnel was dug, having an opening at each side. The excavation was seven stadia long, eight feet broad, and eight feet high. Throughout the whole length of it ran a trench 20 cubits deep and three feet broad, through which the water was conveyed by pipes from an abundant spring into the city. The constructor was Eupalinus from Megara. Secondly, there was a mole carried out to sea, and The mole. surrounding the harbour. This mole was 20 orgyae or fathoms deep, and more than two stadia long. 6 Thirdly, there was a temple of Hera, the largest that The temple had ever been seen, of which the first architect was of Hera, its Rhoecus, a Samian." Amongst other consecrated gifts and curiosities, it contained a large brazen mix- The great ing-vessel, covered outside to the rim with various brazen mix 1 iv. 150. 2 iv. 154. 3 vii. 153. 4 vii. 99. 5 v. 125. Herodotus seems to have seen this temple, and perhaps wrote his description of it before he visited Aegypt; for speaking of the Labyrinth a little above Lake Moeris (ii. 148) he says, "This I have seen myself: it is greater than can be described. This Labyrinth must have been the work of more labour and money than all the buildings and public works in Hellas, though the temple in Ephesus is worthy of mention, as well as that of Samos." 7 iii. 60. CHAP. V. EUROPE. figures, and capable of containing 300 amphorae. This mixing-vessel had been sent as a present by the Lacedaemonians to Croesus, king of Lydia, in return for the gold he had given them for the Apollo statue on Mount Thornax. The mixing-vessel however never reached Sardis. The Lacedaemonians said that on its way it was seized by the Samians, and forcibly carried off. On the other hand, the Samians affirmed that the Lacedaemonians who were carrying it to Croesus, hearing that Sardis was taken and that the king was a prisoner, sold it to some private persons in Samos, who thereupon dedicated it in the Heraeum. Herodotus adds, that perhaps those who sold it pretended that they had been Two wood- robbed.' Amasis, on account of his friendship for Polycrates, sent two images of himself carved in wood to this same temple, and they were standing behind the doors in the time of Herodotus.2 Picture of drocles the Samian, the architect of the bridge over the Bospho- the Bosphorus by which Darius and his army crossed into Europe, having been amply rewarded by the king, dedicated in return in the Hera temple a picture of the entire construction of the bridge, with king Darius on his throne, and the army crossing over. Attached to the picture was the following inscription: en statues of Amasis. rus bridge. Polycrates. Linen corselet of Amasis. "Mandrocles bridged the fishy Bosphorus, Thus having pleased Darius, he has earned Man Furniture of Maeandrius dedicated in this temple all the magnificent ornamental furniture from the men's apartment in the house of Polycrates. Here also was probably the corselet, which Amasis had sent to the Lacedaemonians, but which the Samians stole the year before they took the brazen mixing-vessel. This corselet was made of linen, inwrought with many figures of animals, and adorned with gold and cotton wool; and each thread, though fine, consisted of 360 small threads, which were all distinct. Lastly, the Samians 1 i. 70. 2 ii. 182. 3 iv. 88. 5 4 iii. 123. iii. 47. CHAP. V. Brazen mix who were carried to Tartessus, set aside from the im- EUROPE. mense profits of the voyage, one-tenth, amounting to six talents, with which they made a brazen vessel like an Argive mixing-jug, with griffins' heads pro- ing vessel on jecting round the edge. This vessel they dedicated in the temple, upon a pedestal of three colossal brazen figures, seven cubits high, leaning upon their knees.1 3 a tripod. of the city The city of Samos was fortified by walls and sur- Description rounded by a moat, which had been dug by some of Samos. Lesbian captives.2 Near the sea, and facing the suburbs, was a tower, and farther from the coast was another, which Herodotus calls the upper tower, and which stood on the ridge of the mountain. There were also arsenals or docks, literally "ship houses," in which Polycrates imprisoned some women and children. In the former stood a monumental column bearing the names and ancestry of the eleven captains, or steersmen, who refused to desert the Ionians at Lade; and in the suburbs was an altar and sacred precinct to Zeus the liberator, which had been consecrated by Maeandrius. Both the column and altar stood in the time of Herodotus. Maeandrius also dug a secret passage, from the citadel to the sea. The place called Calami was near the celebrated Hera temple. 5 8 6 tival ob the Sa The Samians celebrated a festival in consequence Curious fesof the following circumstance. Periander, tyrant of served by Corinth, sent 300 Corcyraean boys, who were sons mians. of the principal men, to Sardis for emasculation. On their way the Corinthians landed at Samos, and the Samians instructed the youths to hold to the temple of Artemis. The Corinthians cut off all provisions from the youths, but the Samians instituted choruses of virgins and young men to carry cakes of sesame and honey by night to the temple. This custom continued not only until the departure of the Corinthians, but also down to the time of Herodotus." EUROPE. Under Polycrates Samos flourished. He had 100 CHAP. V. galleys with 50 rowers to each, together with 1000 Flourishing archers, but he plundered without distinction. condition of Having taken the Lesbians prisoners, he forced them Samos un der Poly crates. Samians in Libya. Artistic skill of the Samians. Samos Otanes. to dig the ditch round the city walls of Samos.' The commerce of the island must also have been very considerable. The Samians built a temple of Hera in Aegypt;2 and one of their vessels having been driven by an easterly wind to Tartessus, which was at that time an unfrequented port, they made more money by the voyage than any one else, except Sostratus of Aegina, with whom our · author says it is impossible for any one to compete. It was on this occasion that the Samians relieved Corobius with a year's provisions, when he was reduced to the last extremity on the Libyan island of Platea; and this timely relief led to the great friendship which existed between them and the Cyrenaeans and Theraeans.3 Some Samians of the Aeschrionian tribe inhabited the oasis called Island of the Blessed, which is about seven days' march from the Aegyptian Thebes, from which it is separated by a sand desert.* 5 The Samians must have been celebrated for their skill in works of art from an ancient period. Polycrates possessed an emerald signet ring mounted in gold, the work of Theodorus of Samos; and also found native artisans sufficiently skilful to strike a number of coins in lead, and gild them sufficiently well, in imitation of the Samian money, to enable him to impose them upon the Lacedaemonians as a bribe to induce them to raise the siege of the city. 6 The Samians sent 60 ships to Lade." Their ravaged by island had been previously scoured and hunted through by the Persians under Otanes, who had drawn it as with a net, and delivered it up to Syloson utterly destitute of inhabitants; but Otanes, in consequence of a dream and distemper, subsequently repeopled it.8 The Samians spoke a peculiar dialect of the EUROPE. Ionian language.' Their cubit was the same length CHAP. V. as that of the Aegyptians.2 Samian dia Lade. Near Samos was the small island of LADE, which lect, etc. was celebrated as the spot where the Ionian fleet assembled and were defeated during the Ionian revolt.3 Chios. In the island of CHIOS the following places are Chios. Tomentioned by Herodotus. The city of Chios, which phy contained a sanctuary of Athene Poliuchus, and a school of which the ceiling fell in upon 120 boys as they were learning to read, and only one escaped." Caucasa, a port from whence Aristagoras with a Caucasa. north wind wanted to sail to Naxos." Coeli, where Coeli. Histiaeus defeated the Chian garrison: the name appears to indicate a valley or hollow way. Lastly, the little town of Polichne. 9 Polichne. the Chians. The Chians sent 100 ships to Lade, forty chosen Notices of citizens serving as marines on board of each vessel. The island was afterwards scoured and depopulated by the Persians, who took one another by the hand, and extending from the northern to the southern sea, marched over the whole of it, hunting out the inhabitants." From Chios came Glaucus, who first invented the art of inlaying iron.12 The Chians possessed the Oenyssae islands, and refused to sell them to the Phocaeans.13 14 In the island of LESBOS the three following places Lesbos. are mentioned by Herodotus. Methymna, the native place of Arion; Mitylene, the birth-place of Charaxus, the brother of Sappho; 15 and Arisba, whose inhabitants the Methymnacans reduced to slavery though of kindred blood. 16 Herodotus however says that five Aeolian cities were situated in Lesbos, and he mentions Arisba as the sixth." The Lesbians sent 70 ships to Lade, 18 and their island was netted by the Persians the same as |