HKB

← back

The History of Herodotus — Volume 2

Herodotus · 5th century BCE (Book V; overall composition of Histories spans roughly mid-5th century BCE)

passage 89 of 272 · BOOK V. THE FIFTH BOOK OF THE HISTORIES, CALLED TERPSICHORE > BOOK VI. THE SIXTH BOOK OF THE HISTORIES, CALLED ERATO (43/48)

in brief
Herodotus notes the birth of Cleisthenes (the Athenian tribal and democratic reformer) from Megacles and Agariste, then shifts back to the aftermath of Marathon and Miltiades’ later expedition seeking ships and money.

I offer my daughter Agariste in betrothal according to the customs of the Athenians." Thereupon Megacles said that he accepted the betrothal, and so the marriage was determined by Cleisthenes.

  1. Thus it happened as regards the judgment of the wooers, and thus the Alcmaionidai got renown over all Hellas. And these having been married, there was born to them that Cleisthenes who established the tribes and the democracy for the Athenians, he being called after the Sikyonian Cleisthenes, his mother's father; this son, I say, was born to Megacles, and also Hippocrates: and of Hippocrates came another Megacles and another Agariste, called after Agariste, the daughter of Cleisthenes, who having been married to Xanthippos the son of Ariphron and being with child, saw a vision in her sleep, and it seemed to her that she had brought forth a lion: then after a few days she bore to Xanthippos Pericles.

  2. After the defeat at Marathon, Miltiades, who even before was well reputed with the Athenians, came then to be in much higher estimation: and when he asked the Athenians for seventy ships and an army with supplies of money, not declaring to them against what land he was intending to make an expedition, but saying that he would enrich them greatly if they would go with him, for he would lead them to a land of such a kind that they would easily get from it gold in abundance,--thus saying he asked for the ships; and the Athenians, elated by these words, delivered them over to him..

  3. Then Miltiades, when he had received the army, proceeded to sail to Paris with the pretence that the Parians had first attacked Athens by making expedition with triremes to Marathon in company with the Persian: this was the pretext which he put forward, but he had also a grudge against the Parians on account of Lysagoras the son of Tisias, who was by race of Paros, for having accused him to Hydarnes the Persian. So when Miltiades had arrived at the place to which he was sailing, he began to besiege the Parians with his army, first having shut them up within their wall; and sending in to them a herald he asked for a hundred talents, saying that if they refused to give them, his army should not return back 116 until it had conquered them completely. The Parians however had no design of giving any money to Miltiades, but contrived only how they might defend their city, devising various things besides and also this,--wherever at any time the wall proved to be open to attack, that point was raised when night came on to double its former height..

← previous passage read in the full work → next passage →

topics: counsel and advisers to rulers · political legitimacy and consent · strategy and the aims of war

The History of Herodotus — Volume 2 · Herodotus · 450–430 BCE