Histories

for there was constant war over a long period of time[*](Herodotus, whose sixth-century chronology is often inaccurate, appears to be wrong in assigning this war to the period of Pisistratus; its date cannot be later than 600.) between the Athenians at Sigeum and the Mytilenaeans at Achilleum. The Mytilenaeans were demanding the place back, and the Athenians, bringing proof to show that the Aeolians had no more part or lot in the land of Troy [26.25,39.95] (deserted settlement), Canakkale, Marmara, Turkey, AsiaIlium than they themselves and all the other Greeks who had aided Menelaus to avenge the rape of Helen, would not consent.

Among the various incidents of this war, one in particular is worth mention; In the course of a battle in which the Athenians had the upper hand, Alcaeus the poet took to flight and escaped, but his armor was taken by the Athenians and hung up in the temple of Athena at Sigeum.

Alcaeus wrote a poem about this and sent it to Mytilene [26.55,39.1] (Perseus) Mytilene. In it he relates his own misfortune to his friend Melanippus. As for the Mytilenaeans and Athenians, however, peace was made between them by Periander son of Cypselus, to whose arbitration they committed the matter, and the terms of peace were that each party should keep what it had.

It was in this way, then, that Sigeum came to be under Athenian rule, but Hippias, having come from Sparta [22.416,37.83] (inhabited place), Laconia, Peloponnese, Greece, Europe Lacedaemon into Asia (continent)Asia, left no stone unturned, maligning the Athenians to Artaphrenes, and doing all he could to bring Athens [23.7333,37.9667] (Perseus)Athens into subjection to himself and Darius.