Page:History of Greece Vol IV.djvu/291

I HE ACE INVADED BY THE SCYTHIANS. 273 Hekatoeus, who took an active part in the Ionic revolt a fef years afterwards, and who may, perhaps, have been personally enframed in this expedition. He will be found reviewing with o o * o prudence and sobriety the chances of that unfortunate revolt, and distrusting its success from the beginning ; while Histiaius of M ltus will appear on the same occasion as the fomenter of it, in order to procure his release from an honorable detention at Susa, rear the person of Darius. The selfishness of this despot hav- ing deprived his countrymen of that real and favorable chance of emancipation which the destruction of the bridge would have opened to them, threw them into perilous revolt a few years after- wards against the entire and unembarrassed force of the Persian king and empire. Extricated from the perils of Scythian warfare, Darius marched southward from the Danube through Thrace to the Hellespont, where he crossed from Sestus into Asia. He left, however, a considerable army in Europe, under the command of Megabazus, to accomplish the conquest of Thrace. Perinthus on the Pro- pontis made a brave resistance, 1 but was at length subdued, and it appears that all the Thracian tribes, and all the Grecian colo- nies between the Hellespont and the Strymon, were forced to submit, giving earth and water, and becoming subject to tribute. 9 Near the lower Strymon, was the Edonian town of Myrkinus, which Darius ordered to be made over to Histiasus of Miletus ; for both this Milesian, and Koes of Mitylene, had been desired by the Persian king to name their own reward for their fidelity to him on the passage over the Danube. 3 Koes requested that he might be constituted despot of Mitylene, which was accom- plished by Persian authority ; but Histiseus solicited that the territory near Myrkinus might be given to him for the foundation of a colony. As soon as the Persian conquests extended thus far, the site in question was presented to Histia3us, who entered actively upon his new scheme. We shall find the territory near Myrkinus eminent hereafter as the site of Amphipolis. It oflfer?d great temptation to settlers, as fertile, well wooded, con- renient for maritime commerce, and near to auriferous and 1 Herodot. iv, 143, 144, v, 1, 2. * Herodot. v, 2. Herodot. v, 11. TOL. IV. VX* 180C.