History of the Peloponnesian War

The following winter the Athenians in[*](426 B.C.) Sicily, with their Hellenic allies and such of the Sicels as had been unwilling subjects and allies of the Syracusans but had now revolted from them and were taking sides with the Athenians, attacked the Sicel town Inessa, the acropolis of which was held by the Syracusans, but being unable to take it

they departed. On their retreat, however, the allies, who were in the rear of the Athenians, were attacked by the Syracusan garrison of the fort, who fell upon them and put to flight part of the army, killing not a few

of them. After this Laches and the Athenians took the fleet and made several descents upon Locris; and at the river Caicinus they defeated in battle about three hundred Locrians who came out against them, under the command of Proxenus son of Capato, took the arms of the fallen, and returned to Rhegium.

During the same winter the Athenians purified Delos in compliance with a certain oracle. It had been purified before by Peisistratus the tyrant,[*](First tyranny 560 B.C.; death 527 B.C.) not indeed the whole of the island but that portion of it which was visible from the temple; but at this time the whole of it was purified, and in the following manner.

All the sepulchres of the dead that were in Delos they removed, and proclaimed that thereafter no one should either die or give birth to a child on the island, but should first be carried over to Rheneia. For Rheneia is so short a distance from Delos that Polycrates the tyrant of Samos, who for some time was powerful on the sea and not only gained control of the other islands[*](The Cyclades.) but also seized Rheneia, dedicated this island to the Delian Apollo, and bound it with a chain to Delos.[*](“As a symbolical expression of indissoluble union” (Curtius).) It was at this time, after the purification, that the Athenians first celebrated their penteteric[*](ie. celebrated every fifth year.) festival in Delos.

There had indeed in ancient times been a great gathering at Delos of the Ionians and the inhabitants of the neighbouring islands; and they used to resort to the festival with their wives and children, as the lonians now do to the Ephesian games; and a contest was formerly held there, both gymnastic and musical, and choruses were sent thither by the cities.

The best evidence that the festival was of this character is given by Homer[*](Homer is clearly regarded by Thucydides as the author of the hymn here cited. How definite a personality he was to Thucydides is shown by the words “in which he also mentions himself.”) in the following verses, which are from the hymn to Apollo:[*](προοίμιον,proem or introduction. In connection with epic poems the hymns were called προοίμια, because they were sung before other poems, ie. by the rhapsodists as preludes to their rhapsodies. Schol ἐξ ὕμνου τοὺς γὰρ ὕμνους. προοίμια ἐκάλουν The question has been raised whether the hymn was a prelude to the rhapsodies or was, as e.g. here, in itself a rhapsody. The citations here made by Thucydides are from the Hymn to the Dclian Apollo, 146 ff. and 165 ff.)“At other times, Phoebus, Delos is dearest to thy heart, where the lonians in trailing robes are gathered together with their wives and children in thy street;