Histories

Such is the tale told in these two towns. But this, I know, happened to the Metapontines in Italy [12.833,42.833] (nation), Europe Italy, two hundred and forty years after the second disappearance of Aristeas, as reckoning made at +Marmara Adasi [27.616,40.633] (island), Balikesir, Marmara, Turkey, Asia Proconnesus and +Metapontum [16.8333,40.3833] (Perseus) Metapontum shows me:

Aristeas, so the Metapontines say, appeared in their country and told them to set up an altar to Apollo, and set beside it a statue bearing the name of Aristeas the Proconnesian; for, he said, Apollo had come to their country alone of all Italian lands, and he—the man who was now Aristeas, but then when he followed the god had been a crow—had come with him.

After saying this, he vanished. The Metapontines, so they say, sent to Delphi [22.5167,38.4917] (Perseus) Delphi and asked the god what the vision of the man could mean; and the Pythian priestess told them to obey the vision, saying that their fortune would be better.

They did as instructed. And now there stands beside the image of Apollo a statue bearing the name of Aristeas; a grove of bay-trees surrounds it; the image is set in the marketplace. Let it suffice that I have said this much about Aristeas.