Histories

Thereupon Artabazus laid siege to +Potidaea (deserted settlement), Chalcidice, Macedonia, Greece, Europe Potidaea, and suspecting that +Olynthus [23.3667,40.3] (Perseus) Olynthus too was plotting revolt from the king, he laid siege to it also. This town was held by Bottiaeans who had been driven from the Thermaic gulf by the Macedonians. Having besieged and taken +Olynthus [23.3667,40.3] (Perseus) Olynthus, he brought these men to a lake and there cut their throats and delivered their city over to the charge of Critobulus of +Torone [23.8167,40.05] (Perseus) Torone and the Chalcidian people. It was in this way that the Chalcidians gained possession of +Olynthus [23.3667,40.3] (Perseus) Olynthus.

Having taken +Olynthus [23.3667,40.3] (Perseus) Olynthus, Artabazus dealt immediately with +Potidaea (deserted settlement), Chalcidice, Macedonia, Greece, Europe Potidaea, and his zeal was aided by Timoxenus the general of the Scionaeans, who agreed to betray the place to him. I do not know how the agreement was first made, since there is no information available about it. The result, however, was as I will now show. Whenever Timoxenus wrote a letter to be sent to Artabazus, or Artabazus to Timoxenus, they would wrap it around the shaft of an arrow at the notches, attach feathers to the letter, and shoot it to a place upon which they had agreed.

Timoxenus' plot to betray +Potidaea (deserted settlement), Chalcidice, Macedonia, Greece, Europe Potidaea was, however, discovered, for Artabazus in shooting an arrow to the place agreed upon, missed it and hit the shoulder of a man of +Potidaea (deserted settlement), Chalcidice, Macedonia, Greece, Europe Potidaea. A throng gathered quickly around the man when he was struck (which is a thing that always happens in war), and they straightway took the arrow, found the letter, and carried it to their generals; the rest of their allies of +Pallene [23.8833,38.05] (Perseus) Pallene were also there present.

The generals read the letter and perceived who was the traitor, but they resolved for +Scione [23.55,39.95] (Perseus) Scione's sake that they would not condemn Timoxenus with a charge of treason, for fear that the people of +Scione [23.55,39.95] (Perseus) Scione should hereafter be called traitors.

This is how Timoxenus' treachery was brought to light. But when Artabazus had besieged +Potidaea (deserted settlement), Chalcidice, Macedonia, Greece, Europe Potidaea for three months, there was a great ebb-tide in the sea which lasted for a long while, and when the foreigners saw that the sea was turned to a marsh, they prepared to pass over it into +Pallene [23.8833,38.05] (Perseus) Pallene.