Histories

Herodotus

Herodotus. Godley, Alfred Denis, translator. Cambridge, MA; London: Harvard University Press; William Heinemann, Ltd., 1920-1925 (printing).

In the meantime, while Xerxes talked with his brother, Amestris sent for Xerxes' guards and treated Masistes' wife very cruelly; she cut off the woman's breasts and threw them to dogs, and her nose and ears and lips also, and cut out her tongue. Then she sent her home after she had undergone this dreadful ordeal.

Knowing nothing of this as yet, but fearing evil, Masistes ran home. Seeing what had been done to his wife, he immediately took counsel with his children and set out for Balkh [66.9,36.75] (inhabited place), Balkh, Afghanistan, AsiaBactra with his own sons (and others too), intending to raise the province of Balkh [66.9,36.75] (inhabited place), Balkh, Afghanistan, AsiaBactra in revolt and do the king the greatest of harm.

This he would have done, to my thinking, had he escaped to the country of the Bactrians and Sacae. They were fond of him, and he was viceroy over the Bactrians. But it was of no use, for Xerxes learned what he intended and sent against him an army which killed him on his way, and his sons and his army. Such is the story of Xerxes' love and Masistes' death.

The Greeks who had set out from Mykale [26.8667,38.1] (Perseus)Mykale for the Canakkale Bogazi (strait), Canakkale, Marmara, Turkey, Asia Hellespont first anchored off Lectum [*](At the western end of the bay of +Adramyttium [27.0167,39.5833] (Perseus) Adramyttium.) having been stopped by contrary winds, and came from there to Abydus [26.416,40.2] (deserted settlement), Canakkale, Marmara, Turkey, AsiaAbydos, where they found the bridges broken which they thought would still be in place; these were in fact the chief cause of their coming to the Canakkale Bogazi (strait), Canakkale, Marmara, Turkey, Asia Hellespont.

The Peloponnesians then who were with Leutychides decided to sail away to Greece [22,39] (nation), EuropeHellas, but the Athenians, with Xanthippus their general, that they would remain there and attack the Gelibolu Yarimadasi (peninsula), Canakkale, Marmara, Turkey, AsiaChersonesus. So the rest sailed away, but the Athenians crossed over to the Gelibolu Yarimadasi (peninsula), Canakkale, Marmara, Turkey, AsiaChersonesus and laid siege to Sestos [26.4,40.2833] (Perseus)Sestus.