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CHAP. 90.

XERXES' SEAT.

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hill called Ægaleôs, over against Salamis; and whenever he saw any of his own captains perform any worthy

5 The name Egaleôs is applied to the entire mountain-range between the pass of Dhafni and the coast, by which the Eleusinian and Athenian plains are separated (cf. Thucyd. ii. 19; Schol. ad Soph. Ed. Col. 1114). The seat of Xerxes was said by Phanodemus (ap. Plut. Them. c. 13) to have been placed a little above the temple of Hercules, which is known to have stood on this shore (Ctes. Pers. Exc. § 26; Diod. Sic. xi. 18). Col. Leake believed that he had discovered the ruins of this temple near Port Phoron (Demi of Attica, p. 32-3), but the position of Xerxes must have been considerably more to the west.

Acestodorus absurdly declared that Xerxes viewed the battle from Mount Kerata, on the borders of the Megarid,

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which is eight or nine miles from the scene of the action! (Plutarch, 1. s. c.).

The throne of Xerxes, which had silver feet, was preserved for many years in the Acropolis at Athens, having been left behind on his retreat (Harpocrat. and Suidas, ad voc. ȧpyvpórovs; Dem. in Timocrat. 741, 7). The gilded parasol (Plut. Them. c. 16) which sheltered him from the sun seems not to have been captured. For a representation of the throne of a Persian king, vide supra, vii. 16.

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[The exact position of Xerxes' seat was satisfactorily ascertained by Captain (now Admiral) Sir James Stirling and myself in 1843. It was on a small eminence attached to, and "beneath" its N. W. extremity; and that it was at this extreme point is

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A. Hill on which the throne of Xerxes was

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View from the site of Xerxes' Seat, which is marked by the Stones at its edge, in the foreground.

CHAP. 91, 92.

ROUT OF THE PERSIANS.

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exploit he inquired concerning him; and the man's name was taken down by his scribes, together with the names of his father and his city. Ariaramnes too, a Persian, who was a friend of the Ionians, and present at the time whereof I speak, had a share in bringing about the punishment of the Phoenicians.

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91. When the rout of the Barbarians began, and they sought to make their escape to Phalêrum, the Eginetans, awaiting them in the channel," performed exploits worthy to be recorded. Through the whole of the confused struggle the Athenians employed themselves in destroying such ships as either made resistance or fled to shore, while the Eginetans dealt with those which endeavoured to escape down the straits; so that the Persian vessels were no sooner clear of the Athenians than straightway they fell into the hands of the Eginetan squadron.

92. It chanced here that there was a meeting between the ship of Themistocles, which was hasting in

shown by its being the very part exactly "opposite Salamis." Having sought for its site along the whole of that part of the hill to this point, we there perceived that the stones had been purposely cleared away on its summit, and ranged round it so as to form a margin to its levelled area (at A in the plan), which could scarcely have been done for any other object than that of witnessing the battle; and the place for opposing the vast fleet of the Persians could not have been better chosen by the Greeks than below this point, which is the narrowest part of the bay. It agrees with the account given in Plutarch's life of Themistocles, of the site of the battle, in the part "where the channel which separates the coast of Attica from the island of Salamis is the narrowest."-G. W.]

7 Supra, vii. 100.

He was probably one of the royal house, since the royal names, of which Ariaramnes was one (supra, vii. 11),

VOL. IV.

do not seem to have been assumed by other Persians.

This is the ordinary translation of Gaisford's conjectural reading, роσελáßero. Mr. Blakesley (note ad loc.) suggests that the true sense is," shared the punishment;" but he adduces no example of this use of the word.

10 Müller (Eginet. p. 124) suggests that while the battle proceeded within the straits, a fresh Eginetan squadron arrived from Egina, and occupied the channel at its eastern extremity; but if this had been the case, it is likely that we should have had some distinct notice of it. Probably Herodotus only means that the Eginetan contingent already mentioned (ch. 46), which seems to have been posted with the Spartans on the extreme right (cf. Diod. Sic. xi. 18), took up a position across the mouth of the channel as soon as the rout began, and thus intercepted the flying ships of the Persian centre and right wing.

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pursuit of the enemy, and that of Polycritus, son of Crius the Eginetan,' which had just charged a Sidonian trireme. The Sidonian vessel was the same that captured the Eginetan guard-ship off Sciathus, which had Pytheas, the son of Ischenoüs, on board-that Pytheas, I mean, who fell covered with wounds, and whom the Sidonians kept on board their ship, from admiration of his gallantry. This man afterwards returned in safety to Egina, for when the Sidonian vessel with its Persian crew fell into the hands of the Greeks, he was still found on board. Polycritus no sooner saw the Athenian trireme, than knowing at once whose vessel it was, as he observed that it bore the ensign of the admiral, he shouted to Themistocles jeeringly, and asked him, in a tone of reproach, if the Eginetans did not show themselves rare friends to the Medes.3 At the same time, while he thus reproached Themistocles, Polycritus bore straight down on the Sidonian. Such of the barbarian vessels as escaped from the battle fled to Phalêrum, and there sheltered themselves under the protection of the land army.

93. The Greeks who gained the greatest glory of all in the sea-fight of Salamis were the Eginetans,* and after them the Athenians. The individuals of most distinction were Polycritus the Eginetan, and two Athenians, Eumenes of Anagyrus, and Ameinias of

1 Crius had been mentioned as one of the chief men in Egina (supra, vi. 73).

Supra, vii. 181. Polycritus undoubtedly spoke with special reference to the charge of Medism brought against his father (supra, vi. 50). Possibly Themistocles had been among those who induced the Athenians to retain his father in custody, despite the solicitations of Leotychides. The plea alleged on the occasion (vi. 85) savours of his cleverness and unscrupulousness.

• Plutarch (de Malign. Herod. vol.

ii. p. 871, D) carps at this statement, but it is confirmed by Ephorus (Fr. 112), Diodorus (xi. 27), and Ælian (Var. H. xii. 10). Diodorus ascribes it to the jealousy of the Spartans that Egina was preferred above Athens. His account appears to be independent of that of our author.

Pindar has a fine allusion to the glory gained by the Eginetans in the battle (Isthm. iv. 48-50, ed. Dissen).

Anagyrus was one of the maritime demes between the Piræus and Sunium (Strab. ix. p. 578). It seems to have lain near Cape Zôster, the

CHAP. 93, 94. ASSERTED FLIGHT OF ADEIMANTUS.

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Pallené; the latter of whom had pressed Artemisia so hard. And assuredly, if he had known that the vessel carried Artemisia on board, he would never have given over the chase till he had either succeeded in taking her, or else been taken himself. For the Athenian captains had received special orders touching the queen, and moreover a reward of ten thousand drachmas had been proclaimed for any one who should make her prisoner; since there was great indignation felt that a woman should appear in arms against Athens. However, as I said before, she escaped; and so did some others whose ships survived the engagement; and these were all now assembled at the port of Phalêrum.

94. The Athenians say that Adeimantus, the Corinthian commander, at the moment when the two fleets joined battle, was seized with fear, and being beyond measure alarmed, spread his sails, and hasted to fly away; on which the other Corinthians, seeing their leader's ship in full flight, sailed off likewise. They had reached in their flight that part of the coast of Salamis where stands the temple of Minerva Sciras, when they met a light bark, a very strange apparition: it was never discovered that any one had sent it to them, and till it appeared they were altogether ignorant how the battle was going. That there was something beyond nature in the matter they judged from thisthat when the men in the bark drew near to their

modern Lumbardha (Pausan. I. xxxi. § 1). The exact site has been determined to the neighbourhood of Vari by an inscription which is given in Chandler (Travels, vol. ii. ch. xxxi. p. 166). Eumenes of Anagyrus is not elsewhere noticed.

6 Supra, ch. 84, note 3. 7 Ten thousand drachmas would be equal to 4067. of our money.

I cannot pretend to fix the site of this temple, which is mentioned, I believe, by no other author. Kiepert (Blatt x.) and Colonel Leake (Demi,

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p. 172) are at variance on the subject. That the Athenians worshipped Minerva under the name of Sciras is well known. The Scira or Scirophoria, from which the Attic month received its name, were in her honour. There was also a temple of Minerva Sciras at Phalêrum (Pausan. 1. i. § 4, xxxvi. § 3). The origin of the name was to the Greeks themselves uncertain (Schol. Aristoph. Eccl. 18; Harpocrat. ad voc. Exipov; Etym. Magn. ad voc. Exipopopiάv).

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