The great Persian War and its preliminaries : $b A study of the evidence, literary and topographicalGrundy, G. B. (George Beardoe)
History
The great Persian War and its preliminaries : $b A study of the evidence, literary and topographical
Grundy, G. B. (George Beardoe)
Greece -- History -- Persian Wars, 500-449 B.C.
He determined, therefore, that the plan of the co-operation between
army and fleet must be renounced, and that the attack must be made by
the short sea-route through the islands of the Ægean.
This change of design brought a further modification in its train.
The transport of the huge numbers of a Persian levy of the first
magnitude was out of the question in the vessels of those times; and so
the new expedition was expressly limited in its _apparent_ scope to the
punishment of those states which had taken part with the Ionians.
In accordance with the methods of Persian policy under such
circumstances, it was sought to minimize the danger of the expedition
by detaching as many of the states as possible from the defence before
the attack was actually made. So in the year 491 Persian heralds were
despatched to the various cities of Greece with orders to demand
earth and water from them. Messengers were also sent to the tributary
states on the Asiatic coast, ordering them to prepare warships and
transports. Herodotus says that many of the states of the European
mainland, and all the islands to which application was made, obeyed the
demand; but it is noticeable that he does not mention any by name, save
only the island of Ægina.
The action of Ægina provoked alarm at Athens, and this, coupled
with the desire to get an old enemy into trouble, caused Athens to
make representations at Sparta with regard to the conduct of the
Æginetans.[56]
To follow the confused details given by Herodotus of the relations
between Athens and Ægina is no part of the purpose of this work,
except in so far as they affect the larger question of the relations
with Persia. In the present instance Kleomenes, of the senior branch
of the Royal house of Sparta, did interfere in Ægina in consequence
of the Athenian representations. His first visit to the Island was
ineffective. The Æginetans objected that he was acting solely on his
own authority, and not on that of the Spartan Government; otherwise, so
they said, the other king would have accompanied him. This objection
was suggested to them in a letter of Demaratos, his colleague in the
kingship.[57]
#ALLEGED MEDISM OF ÆGINA.#
The action of Demaratos rendered the relations between the two kings
so hostile, that Kleomenes intrigued to bring about the deposition of
his colleague and rival. In this he was successful, and Leutychides
succeeded to the kingship which Demaratos had held.
◆H. vi. 73.◆
Accompanied by Leutychides, Kleomenes paid a second visit to Ægina, and
received ten of the chief citizens as hostages for the good behaviour
of the state. These he gave into the charge of their “greatest
enemies,” the Athenians.
It is impossible to say with confidence that the story is historical in
all its details. The fact, however, remains that Ægina was absolutely
passive during the Marathonian campaign, and that her attitude at
the time can only be attributable to the fact that Athens had these
hostages at her mercy.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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