Histories

How the Accursed at Athens [23.7333,37.9667] (Perseus)Athens had received their name, I will now relate. There was an Athenian named Cylon, who had been a winner at Olympia [21.6333,37.65] (Perseus)Olympia. This man put on the air of one who aimed at tyranny, and gathering a company of men of like age, he attempted to seize the citadel. When he could not win it, he took sanctuary by the goddess' statue.

He and his men were then removed from their position by the presidents of the naval boards,[*](“The naucraries were local districts whose presidents were responsible for levying money and contingents for the army and ships for the fleet” (How and Wells). But the statement that they “ruled Athens [23.7333,37.9667] (Perseus)Athens” appears to be inaccurate.) the rulers of Athens [23.7333,37.9667] (Perseus)Athens at that time. Although they were subject to any penalty save death, they were slain, and their death was attributed to the Alcmaeonidae. All this took place before the time of Pisistratus.[*](The probable date is between 620 and 600.)

When Cleomenes had sent for and demanded the banishment of Cleisthenes and the Accursed, Cleisthenes himself secretly departed. Afterwards, however, Cleomenes appeared in Athens [23.7333,37.9667] (Perseus)Athens with no great force. Upon his arrival, he, in order to take away the curse, banished seven hundred Athenian families named for him by Isagoras. Having so done he next attempted to dissolve the Council,[*](Herodotus probably means the new Council of 500, fifty from each tribe.) entrusting the offices of government to Isagoras' faction.

The Council, however, resisted him, whereupon Cleomenes and Isagoras and his partisans seized the acropolis. The rest of the Athenians united and besieged them for two days. On the third day as many of them as were Lacedaemonians left the country under truce.

The prophetic voice that Cleomenes heard accordingly had its fulfillment, for when he went up to the acropolis with the intention of taking possession of it, he approached the shrine of the goddess to address himself to her. The priestess rose up from her seat, and before he had passed through the door-way, she said, “Go back, Lacedaemonian stranger, and do not enter the holy place since it is not lawful that Dorians should pass in here. “My lady,” he answered, “I am not a Dorian, but an Achaean.”

So without taking heed of the omen, he tried to do as he pleased and was, as I have said, then again cast out together with his Lacedaemonians. As for the rest, the Athenians imprisoned them under sentence of death. Among the prisoners was Timesitheus the Delphian, whose achievements of strength and courage were quite formidable.