Histories

Xerxes stayed for many days in the region of +Pieria [22.416,40.25] (department), Macedonia, Greece, Europe Pieria while a third part of his army was clearing a road over the Macedonian mountains so that the whole army might pass by that way to the Perrhaebian country. Now it was that the heralds who had been sent to Greece [22,39] (nation), EuropeHellas to demand earth, some empty-handed, some bearing earth and water, returned.

Among those who paid that tribute were the Thessalians,[*](Not all the inhabitants of +Thessaly [22.25,39.5] (region), Greece, Europe Thessaly, here, but the tribe of that name which had settled in the Peneus valley and given its name to the surrounding peoples.)Dolopes, Enienes, Perrhaebians, Locrians, Magnesians, Melians, Achaeans of +Phthia [22.75,36.2667] (Perseus) Phthia, Thebans, and all the Boeotians except the men of +Thespiai [23.166,38.283] (inhabited place), Boeotia, Central Greece and Euboea, Greece, Europe Thespiae and Plataea [23.2667,38.2] (Perseus) Plataea.

Against all of these the Greeks who declared war with the foreigner entered into a sworn agreement, which was this: that if they should be victorious, they would dedicate to the god of Delphi [22.5167,38.4917] (Perseus) Delphi the possessions of all Greeks who had of free will surrendered themselves to the Persians. Such was the agreement sworn by the Greeks.

To Athens [23.7333,37.9667] (Perseus)Athens and Sparta Xerxes sent no heralds to demand earth, and this he did for the following reason. When Darius had previously sent men with this same purpose, those who made the request were cast at the one city into the Pit[*](Into which criminals condemned to death were thrown.) and at the other into a well, and bidden to obtain their earth and water for the king from these locations.

What calamity befell the Athenians for dealing in this way with the heralds I cannot say, save that their land and their city were laid waste. I think, however, that there was another reason for this, and not the aforesaid.[*](Possibly the burning of the temple at Sardis [28.0167,38.475] (Perseus) Sardis (Hdt. 5.102).)

Be that as it may, the anger of Talthybius, Agamemnon's herald, fell upon the Lacedaemonians. At Sparta [22.4417,37.0667] (Perseus) Sparta there is a shrine of Talthybius and descendants of Talthybius called Talthybiadae, who have the special privilege of conducting all embassies from Sparta [22.4417,37.0667] (Perseus) Sparta.