Greece -- History -- To 146 B.C.; History, Ancient
58. This oracle they were not able to understand either then at first or
when the Samians had arrived: for as soon as the Samians were putting in
50 to Siphnos they sent one of their ships to bear envoys to the city:
now in old times all ships were painted with red, and this was that
which the Pythian prophetess was declaring beforehand to the Siphnians,
bidding them guard against the "army of wood" and the "red-coloured
herald." The messengers accordingly came and asked the Siphnians to lend
them ten talents; and as they refused to lend to them, the Samians began
to lay waste their lands: so when they were informed of it, forthwith
the Siphnians came to the rescue, and having engaged battle with them
were defeated, and many of them were cut off by the Samians and shut out
of the city; and the Samians after this imposed upon them a payment of a
hundred talents.
59. Then from the men of Hermion they received by payment of money the
island of Hydrea, which is near the coast of Peloponnese, and they gave
it in charge to the Troizenians, but they themselves settled at Kydonia
which is in Crete, not sailing thither for that purpose but in order
to drive the Zakynthians out of the island. Here they remained and were
prosperous for five years, so much so that they were the builders of
the temples which are now existing in Kydonia, and also of the house of
Dictyna. 51 In the sixth year however the Eginetans together with the
Cretans conquered them in a sea-fight and brought them to slavery; and
they cut off the prows of their ships, which were shaped like boars, and
dedicated them in the temple of Athene in Egina. This the Eginetans did
because they had a grudge against the Samians; for the Samians had first
made expedition against Egina, when Amphicrates was king in Samos, and
had done much hurt to the Eginetans and suffered much hurt also from
them. Such was the cause of this event:
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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