History of the Peloponnesian War

For all this the allies themselves were responsible; for most of them, on account of their aversion to military service, in order to avoid being away from home got themselves rated in sums of money instead of ships, which they should pay in as their proportionate contribution, and consequently the fleet of the Athenians was increased by the funds which they contributed, while they themselves, whenever they revolted, entered on the war without preparation and without experience.

After this occurred at the river Eurymedon in Pamphylia the land-battle and sea-fight of the Athenians[*](For this glorious victory of Cimon's, whose date (466 B.C.?) is not certain, cf. Diod. 11. 60; Plut. Cim. 12) and their allies against the Persians; and the Athenians were victorious in both on the same day under the command of Cimon son of Miltiades, and they took and destroyed triremes of the Phoenicians to the number of two hundred all told.

And some time afterwards it came to pass that the Thasians revolted from them,[*](465 B.C.) a quarrel having arisen about the trading posts and the mine[*](The Thasians had a gold mine at Skapte Hyle on the Thracian coast, from which they drew rich revenues; cf. Hdt. 6.46 f.) on the opposite coast of Thrace, of which the Thasians enjoyed the profits. Thereupon the Athenians sailed with their fleet against Thasos, and, after winning a battle at sea, disembarked on the island.

About the same time they sent to the river Strymon ten thousand colonists, consisting of Athenians and their allies, with a view to colonising the place, then called Nine Ways, but now Amphipolis; and though these colonists gained possession of Nine Ways, which was inhabited by Edoni, yet when they advanced into the interior of Thrace they were destroyed at Drabescus in Edonia by the united forces of the Thracians, to whom the settlement of the place was a menace.

As for the Thasians, who had been defeated in battle and were now besieged, they appealed to the Lacedaemonians and urged them to come to their aid by invading Attica.

This, unknown to the Athenians, they promised to do, and intended to keep their promise, but were prevented by the earthquake[*](Called "the great earthquake" in Thuc. 1.128.1.) which occurred at the time[*](464 B.C.) when both their Helots and the Perioeci of Thuria and Aethaea revolted and went to Ithome.[*](The Perioeci were the old inhabitants of the country, chiefly of Achaean stock, reduced to a condition of dependence, i.e. were not citizens, though not state—slaves as the Helots were.) Most of the Helots were the descendants of the early Messenians who had been enslaved of old,[*](Referring to the mythical time of the first Messenian war.) and hence were all called Messenians.

The Lacedaemonians, then, were involved in war with the rebels on Ithome; and so the Thasians, who were in the third year of the siege, came to terms with the Athenians, pulling down their walls and delivering over their ships, agreeing to pay forthwith whatever sum of money should be required of them and to render tribute in future, and, finally, giving up both the mainland and the mine.