Greece -- History -- Peloponnesian War, 431-404 B.C.
While the investment of Scione was in progress, Perdiccas sent a herald
to the Athenian generals and made peace with the Athenians, through
spite against Brasidas for the retreat from Lyncus, from which moment
indeed he had begun to negotiate. The Lacedaemonian Ischagoras was just
then upon the point of starting with an army overland to join Brasidas;
and Perdiccas, being now required by Nicias to give some proof of the
sincerity of his reconciliation to the Athenians, and being himself no
longer disposed to let the Peloponnesians into his country, put in
motion his friends in Thessaly, with whose chief men he always took
care to have relations, and so effectually stopped the army and its
preparation that they did not even try the Thessalians. Ischagoras
himself, however, with Ameinias and Aristeus, succeeded in reaching
Brasidas; they had been commissioned by the Lacedaemonians to inspect
the state of affairs, and brought out from Sparta (in violation of all
precedent) some of their young men to put in command of the towns, to
guard against their being entrusted to the persons upon the spot.
Brasidas accordingly placed Clearidas, son of Cleonymus, in Amphipolis,
and Pasitelidas, son of Hegesander, in Torone.
The same summer the Thebans dismantled the wall of the Thespians on the
charge of Atticism, having always wished to do so, and now finding it
an easy matter, as the flower of the Thespian youth had perished in the
battle with the Athenians. The same summer also the temple of Hera at
Argos was burnt down, through Chrysis, the priestess, placing a lighted
torch near the garlands and then falling asleep, so that they all
caught fire and were in a blaze before she observed it. Chrysis that
very night fled to Phlius for fear of the Argives, who, agreeably to
the law in such a case, appointed another priestess named Phaeinis.
Chrysis at the time of her flight had been priestess for eight years of
the present war and half the ninth. At the close of the summer the
investment of Scione was completed, and the Athenians, leaving a
detachment to maintain the blockade, returned with the rest of their
army.
During the winter following, the Athenians and Lacedaemonians were kept
quiet by the armistice; but the Mantineans and Tegeans, and their
respective allies, fought a battle at Laodicium, in the Oresthid. The
victory remained doubtful, as each side routed one of the wings opposed
to them, and both set up trophies and sent spoils to Delphi. After
heavy loss on both sides the battle was undecided, and night
interrupted the action; yet the Tegeans passed the night on the field
and set up a trophy at once, while the Mantineans withdrew to Bucolion
and set up theirs afterwards.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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