Histories

These places, then, were thought by the Greeks to suit their purpose. After making a thorough survey, they concluded that the barbarians could not make use of their entire army, nor of their horsemen. They therefore resolved, that they would meet the invader of Greece [22,39] (nation), EuropeHellas here. Then, when they heard that the Persian was in +Pieria [22.416,40.25] (department), Macedonia, Greece, Europe Pieria, they broke up from the Isthmus and set out with their army to +Thermopylae [22.5583,38.8] (Perseus) Thermopylae and with their fleet to +Artemisium [23.2417,39.0083] (Perseus) Artemisium.

So with all speed the Greeks went their several ways to meet the enemy. In the meantime, the Delphians, who were afraid for themselves and for Greece [22,39] (nation), EuropeHellas, consulted the god. They were advised to pray to the winds, for these would be potent allies for Greece [22,39] (nation), EuropeHellas.

When they had received the oracle, the Delphians first sent word of it to those Greeks who desired to be free; because of their dread of the barbarian, they were forever grateful. Subsequently they erected an altar to the winds at Thyia, the present location of the precinct of Thyia the daughter of Cephisus, and they offered sacrifices to them. This, then, is the reason why the Delphians to this day offer the winds sacrifice of propitiation.

Xerxes' fleet, however, set forth from the city of +Thessaloniki [22.933,40.633] (inhabited place), Thessaloniki, Macedonia, Greece, Europe Therma, and the ten swiftest of the ships laid their course straight for Sciathus, where there lay an advance guard of three Greek ships, a Troezenian, an Aeginetan, and an Attic. These, when they sighted the foreigners ships, took to flight.

The ship of Troizen [23.375,37.5] (Perseus)Troezen, of which Prexinus was captain, was pursued and straightway captured by the foreigners, who brought the best of its fighting men and cut his throat on the ship's prow, thinking that the sacrifice[*](diade/cion has been otherwise translated, as meaning “of good augury”; Stein derives it rather from diade/cesqai, supposing the meaning to be “a sacrifice where the portions of the victim are handed round among the sacrificers.”) of the foremost and fairest of their Greek captives would be auspicious. The name of the sacrificed man was Leon, and it was perhaps his name that he had to thank for it.