Greece -- History -- Peloponnesian War, 431-404 B.C.
Torone, and had only about four miles more to go when he heard of its
fall on the road, and turned back again. Cleon and the Athenians set up
two trophies, one by the harbour, the other by the fortification and,
making slaves of the wives and children of the Toronaeans, sent the men
with the Peloponnesians and any Chalcidians that were there, to the
number of seven hundred, to Athens; whence, however, they all came home
afterwards, the Peloponnesians on the conclusion of peace, and the rest
by being exchanged against other prisoners with the Olynthians. About
the same time Panactum, a fortress on the Athenian border, was taken by
treachery by the Boeotians. Meanwhile Cleon, after placing a garrison
in Torone, weighed anchor and sailed around Athos on his way to
Amphipolis.
About the same time Phaeax, son of Erasistratus, set sail with two
colleagues as ambassador from Athens to Italy and Sicily. The
Leontines, upon the departure of the Athenians from Sicily after the
pacification, had placed a number of new citizens upon the roll, and
the commons had a design for redividing the land; but the upper
classes, aware of their intention, called in the Syracusans and
expelled the commons. These last were scattered in various directions;
but the upper classes came to an agreement with the Syracusans,
abandoned and laid waste their city, and went and lived at Syracuse,
where they were made citizens. Afterwards some of them were
dissatisfied, and leaving Syracuse occupied Phocaeae, a quarter of the
town of Leontini, and Bricinniae, a strong place in the Leontine
country, and being there joined by most of the exiled commons carried
on war from the fortifications. The Athenians hearing this, sent Phaeax
to see if they could not by some means so convince their allies there
and the rest of the Sicilians of the ambitious designs of Syracuse as
to induce them to form a general coalition against her, and thus save
the commons of Leontini. Arrived in Sicily, Phaeax succeeded at
Camarina and Agrigentum, but meeting with a repulse at Gela did not go
on to the rest, as he saw that he should not succeed with them, but
returned through the country of the Sicels to Catana, and after
visiting Bricinniae as he passed, and encouraging its inhabitants,
sailed back to Athens.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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