The Historical Library of Diodorus the Sicilian/Book XI/Chapter XIX

Chapter XIX edit

The war between the Athenians and the Æginians.

THE following year wherein Archimedes was archon of Athens, Aulus Virginius and Titus Numiciu, Roman consuls; was the first year of the seventy-ninth olympiad, at which Xenophon the Corinthian won the prize: at this time the Thracians revolted from the Athenians, through the differences arising concerning the mines, but were reduced by force to their obedience. The Æginians likewise rebelled, and being subdued, the Athenians besieged the city, which was grown proud, not only through their great successes and victories at sea, but their riches at land; and having a brave and well-furnished navy, were ever enemies to the Athenians; who therefore entered the island with an army, laid waste to the country, and resolved to raze the city of Ægina to the ground: hereupon, now grown great in power, they carried not themselves with that humanity and courtesy towards their confederates as they were used to do, but domineered every where with a proud and high hand. This imperious way of theirs, caused many of their confederates to enter into consultations for a general defection, and some particular places determined it of their own accord, without stopping for, or expecting the results of a general assembly. While these things were acting, the Athenians, (being now every where masters at sea), sent a colony of ten thousand men to Amphipolis, (chosen partly out of the citizens, and partly from among the confederates), and divided the country by lot: for some time they kept down the Thracians that bordered upon them; but when they attempted to proceed farther into the heart of the country, those that entered Thrace were wholly cut off by the Edones.