Greece -- History -- To 146 B.C.; History, Ancient
89. The women of the Argives and Eginetans from this time onwards
because of the quarrel with the Athenians continued to wear brooches
larger than before, and still do so even to my time; and the origin of
the enmity of the Athenians towards the Eginetans came in the manner
which has been said. So at this time, when the Thebans invaded them, the
Eginetans readily came to the assistance of the Boeotians, calling to
mind what occurred about the images. The Eginetans then were laying
waste, as I have said, the coast regions of Attica; and when the
Athenians were resolved to make an expedition against the Eginetans,
an oracle came to them from Delphi bidding them stay for thirty years
reckoned from the time of the wrong done by the Eginetans, and in the
one-and-thirtieth year to appoint a sacred enclosure for Aiacos and then
to begin the war against the Eginetans, and they would succeed as they
desired; but if they should make an expedition against them at once,
they would suffer in the meantime very much evil and also inflict very
much, but at last they would subdue them. When the Athenians heard the
report of this, they appointed a sacred enclosure for Aiacos, namely
that which is now established close to the market-place, but they could
not endure to hear that they must stay for thirty years, when they had
suffered injuries from the Eginetans.
90. While however they were preparing to take vengeance, a matter arose
from the Lacedemonians which provided a hindrance to them: for the
Lacedemonians, having learnt that which had been contrived by the
Alcmaionidai with respect to the Pythian prophetess, and that which had
been contrived by the Pythian prophetess against themselves and the sons
of Peisistratos, were doubly grieved, not only because they had driven
out into exile men who were their guest-friends, but also because after
they had done this no gratitude was shown to them by the Athenians.
Moreover in addition to this, they were urged on by the oracles which
said that many injuries would be suffered by them from the Athenians;
of which oracles they had not been aware of before, but they had come to
know them, since Cleomenes had brought them to Sparta. In fact Cleomenes
had obtained from the Acropolis of the Athenians those oracles which the
sons of Peisistratos possessed before and had left in the temple when
they were driven out; and Cleomenes recovered them after they had been
left behind.
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