Histories

Herodotus

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

When the Greeks learned that the barbarians had gone off to the mainland, they were not all pleased that their enemy had escaped them, and did not know whether to return back or set sail for the Canakkale Bogazi (strait), Canakkale, Marmara, Turkey, Asia Hellespont. At last they resolved that they would do neither, but sail to the mainland.

Equipping themselves for this with gangways and everything else necessary for a sea-fight, they held their course for Mykale [26.8667,38.1] (Perseus)Mykale. When they approached the camp, no one put out to meet them. Seeing the ships beached within the wall and a great host of men drawn up in array along the strand, Leutychides first sailed along in his ship, keeping as near to the shore as he could, and made this proclamation to the Ionians by the voice of a herald:

“Men of Ionia (region (general)), Europe Ionia, you who hear us, understand what I say, for by no means will the Persians understand anything I charge you with when we join battle; first of all it is right for each man to remember his freedom and next the battle-cry ‘Hebe’: and let him who hears me tell him who has not heard it.”

The purpose of this act was the same as Themsitocles' purpose at +Artemisium [23.2417,39.0083] (Perseus) Artemisium;[*](Cp. Hdt. 8.22.) either the message would be unknown to the barbarians and would prevail with the Ionians, or if it were thereafter reported to the barbarians, it would cause them to mistrust their Greek allies.