Histories

In such a manner the Phocaeans' wall was built. Harpagus marched against the city and besieged it, but he made overtures, and said that it would suffice him if the Phocaeans would demolish one rampart of the wall and dedicate one house.

But the Phocaeans, very indignant at the thought of slavery, said they wanted to deliberate for a day, and then they would answer; but while they were deliberating, Harpagus must withdraw his army from the walls, they said. Harpagus said that he well knew what they intended to do, but that nevertheless he would allow them to deliberate.

So when Harpagus withdrew his army from the walls, the Phocaeans launched their fifty-oared ships, embarked their children and women and all their movable goods, besides the statues from the temples and everything dedicated in them except bronze or stonework or painting, and then embarked themselves and set sail for Chios [26,38.366] (island), Khios, Aegean Islands, Greece, EuropeChios; and the Persians took Foca [26.75,38.666] (inhabited place), Izmir Ili, Ege kiyilari, Turkey, Asia Phocaea, left thus uninhabited.

The Phocaeans would have bought the islands called Oenussae from the Chians;[*](Between Chios [26,38.366] (island), Khios, Aegean Islands, Greece, Europe Chios and the mainland.) but the Chians would not sell them, because they feared that the islands would become a market and so their own island be cut off from trade: so the Phocaeans prepared to sail to Corsica [9,42] (region), France, EuropeCyrnus,[*](Corsica [9,42] (region), France, EuropeCorsica.) where at the command of an oracle they had built a city called Aleria [9.5,42.83] (inhabited place), Haute-Corse, Corsica, France, EuropeAlalia twenty years before.