History of the Peloponnesian War

During the following winter, after he had placed Iasus in charge of a garrison, Tissaphernes came to Miletus, where he distributed to all the ships a month's pay, as he had promised at Lacedaemon to do, to the amount of an Attic drachma a day for each man; for the future, however, he proposed to give only three obols[*](i.e., one half of a drachma.) until he should ask the King;

if the King should so order, he would give the full drachma. But when Hermocrates the Syracusan general remonstrated-for Therimenes, not being admiral, but sailing with the fleet only to turn it over to Astyochus, was complaisant about the pay-a sum was agreed upon notwithstanding that was larger by five ships than three obols for each man.[*](cf. 8.5.5.) For he gave for fifty-five ships thirty talents a month[*](ie. fifty-five ships got the pay of sixty. Thirty talents (1,080,000 obols) would be the pay of sixty ships a month at the rate of three obols a man a day (3 obols×200 men×60 ships). This sum being given to fifty-five ships instead of sixty, Thucydides calls it παρὰ πέντε ναῦς πλέον, more by five ships than the ordinary rate. The payment of three obols per man was calculated on sixty ships instead of fifty-five and the whole divided between the fifty-five crews.); and to the others, according as there were more ships than this number, pay was given in the same proportion.[*](Fifty ships is the original number which came over (ch. xxvi. I), and for these a definite sum (30 talents) is agreed upon. The “others” were ships that came later, or possibly the Chian ships (ch. xxviii. I).)