Histories

After the full moon two thousand Lacedaemonians came to Athens [23.7333,37.9667] (Perseus)Athens, making such great haste to reach it that they were in Attica [23.5,38.83] (department), Central Greece and Euboea, Greece, Europe Attica on the third day after leaving Sparta [22.4417,37.0667] (Perseus) Sparta. Although they came too late for the battle, they desired to see the Medes, so they went to Marathon and saw them. Then they departed again, praising the Athenians and their achievement.

It is a wonder to me, and I do not believe the story, that the Alcmeonidae would ever have agreed to hold up a shield as a sign for the Persians out of a desire to make Athens [23.7333,37.9667] (Perseus)Athens subject to foreigners and to Hippias; for it is plain to see that they were tyrant-haters as much as Callias (son of Phaenippus and father of Hipponicus), or even more so.

Callias was the only Athenian who dared to buy Pisistratus' possessions when they were put up for sale by the state after Pisistratus' banishment from Athens [23.7333,37.9667] (Perseus)Athens; and he devised other acts of bitter hatred against him.

[*](This chapter is generally held to be an interpolation; it is only found in one (not the best) class of the MSS., and contains un-Herodotean words and phrases.) [This Callias is worthy of all men's remembrance for many reasons: first, because he so excellently freed his country, as I have said; second, for what he did at Olympia [21.6333,37.65] (Perseus)Olympia, where he won a horserace, and was second in a four-horse chariot, after already winning a Pythian prize, and was the cynosure of all Greece [22,39] (nation), EuropeHellas for the lavishness of his spending;