Histories

Herodotus

Herodotus. Godley, Alfred Denis, translator. Cambridge, MA; London: Harvard University Press; William Heinemann, Ltd., 1920-1925 (printing).

From there, since his army suffered from hunger, he crossed over to reap from Atarneus [26.95,39.05] (Perseus) Atarneus the corn there and the Mysian corn of the Bakir Cayi [27,38.916] (river), Turkey, AsiaCaicus plain. Now it chanced that in that region was Harpagus, a Persian, with no small force under him; when Histiaeus landed, Harpagus met him in battle and took Histiaeus himself alive and killed most of his army.

Histiaeus was taken prisoner in this way: the Greeks fought with the Persians at Malene in the country of Atarneus [26.95,39.05] (Perseus) Atarneus; the armies fought for a long time, until the Persian cavalry charged and fell upon the Greeks. So this was the accomplishment of the cavalry; when the Greeks were routed, Histiaeus, supposing that the king would not put him to death for his present transgression, did what showed that he loved his life too well.

He was overtaken in his flight by a Persian, and when he was caught and about to be stabbed, he cried out in the Persian language and revealed himself to be Histiaeus the Milesian.

Now if he had been taken prisoner and brought to king Darius, he would have suffered no harm (to my thinking) and the king would have forgiven his guilt; but as it was, when Histiaeus was brought to Sardis [28.0167,38.475] (Perseus) Sardis, both because of what he had done, and for fear that he might escape and again win power at the court, Artaphrenes, governor of Sardis [28.0167,38.475] (Perseus) Sardis, and Harpagus, who had captured him, impaled his body on the spot, and sent his head embalmed to king Darius at Shush [48.333,32.2] (inhabited place), Khuzestan, Iran, AsiaSusa.