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Peripheral Kingdoms
Just when it seemed that all of Asia would become the domain of Agnemitra and the Amavadatiya, divided entirely in two, there arose a new force within the Asiatic realms. After the death of Xerxes the Last the final remnants of the Akhaimenid kingdom collapsed, though members of the dynasty remained the vigour which had conquered and ruled Asia had left them entirely, so that their remaining subjects deserted them in great numbers. In most cases this resulted in petty kings and little states of no consequence squabbling for position, who were then swiftly swallowed up by the mighty Amavadatiya. The sole exception to this was in the ancient lands of Idom. They are an ancient people, having lived in the lands south of the Asphalt Sea since the times of Ipilsharra the Great, and they say that they have lived there for countless generations before then. They call themselves the children of El, so that I believe that they are a kind to the Tyrians. In these lands there ruled a governor, one Ben-Hadad. The men of Idom have always had a strong desire for liberty and independence, and this Ben-Hadad saw that there lay a chance now for the Idomites to regain a state, if destiny was seized in the proper manner. Where he differed from his contemporaries was his piety, strong will, and his gathering of intelligent advisors from all across the remnants of the Akhaimenid domains. He did not make war on all of his neighbours all at once, instead only attacking those opponents whose defeat would accomplish the most at that particular time, and neither did he remain within the borders of his original territory as some others did.
By the time that the Amavadatiya armies had overcome his rivals Ben-Hadad had conquered a kingdom stretching from South Judaea to the Sina, bordered to the west by the Great Sea, to the south by Arabia and the Erythyra sea, and to the east by the desert. Fierce and loyal Idomites formed part of Ben-Hadad’s army, but also key to his success were men of Gaza, Raphia, and Askelon who all served loyally in his campaigns of conquest. The Kingdom of Ben-Hadad soon gained riches, both from the acquisition of Akhaimenid territories and by encouraging incense merchants to come by land, across the desert, and by sea to the port of Aila. The domains of Ben-Hadad were small by comparison to those of the Amavadatiya, Agnemitra. They were also smaller than the lands of Aigyptos in that time, freshly independent of the Persian yoke. But, being pious themselves, the Amavadatiya were wary of war with such a man as Ben-Hadad, and it was left to Agnemitra, the great conqueror himself, to make an attempt on Ben-Hadad’s lands. As shall be discussed more below, Agnemitra was a remarkable man that nonetheless lacked piety, and forethought, and it was at the hands of Ben-Hadad that the gods finally made their displeasure known, for in the battle fought near Sakka the unstoppable conqueror was finally killed.
Ben-Hadad was a man of piety, vision, and iron will. Uniting men of all nations together, harnessing the harsh desert, he was the founder of a great nation in a time filled with great nations. He embodied the Asiatic qualities of endurance and forging beauty from the harshest circumstances, brought his hitherto obscure people to the forefront of affairs in Asia, and distinguished himself among a sea of pretenders to the grandeur of the Akhaimenids. He suffered from a propensity to cruelty, and it can be said that he lacked the stomach to enact his vision on many more peoples that would have benefited from it, but his piety, like that of Amavadatos, elevates him, as does the tranquility of the realm that he left behind, the realm which raised up the world-famous port of Aila.
EXTRACT FROM A COMMENTARY ON XENOKRITOS' PERSIKA
ON KIMMERIA
The Great King had finally worn through his immense reserves of patience.
“It is their own kind, their fellow Hellenes, that these men of Kimmeria starve. I am now the protector of these Hellenes, and I cannot countenance their starvation at the hands of those who should be their dependable, eternal friends. Every embassy rejected, every friendly gesture turned back with scorn(1), it is to dreadful war that we must turn.”
So it came to be that the Great King Xerxes declared war upon the Hellenes of Kimmeria. He sought those of Kimmeria most noble, who would fight against the grain-tyranny of these unjust and unlawful kings. To them he sent overtures of friendship, and upon establishing their good intentions the King then assembled an army and a fleet for the purpose of prosecuting this war. Leader of this army was Gobryas, son of King Dareios who had served in the invasion of Hellas(2). He set sail with the King’s men to Kimmeria thirty-one years after the battle at Salamis, and successfully carried the arms of the King to a new part of the world. With the help of local allies and Hellenic hoplitai loyal to the King(3) the armies of this kingdom of Kimmeria were swiftly overcome. A part of the Hellenes there then attempted to induce Gobryas to become their king, and to rebel against the King, but these conspirators were arrested by Gobryas and sent to face trial in Persia(4). Hellenes more righteous and moral were then empowered in Kimmeria(5), and they were granted the freedom to determine their own constitution- whether they would remain a kingdom or adopt some other kind of constitution more fitting to their desires and needs.
NOTATIONS
1- Though the prospect is not entertained by Xenokritos we must assume it likely that Xerxes the Great offered terms unacceptable to the Kimmerians, for is it likely that such a small kingdom ever thought itself able to withstand a war against such force of arms?
2- Not mentioned elsewhere by Xenokritos, this is either the Gobryas, son of Darius, who attempted to capture the island of Delos in the first invasion of Hellas, or he has been confused with Gobryas the father of Mardonios as other chroniclers have done.
3- Once again note how Xenokritos finds opportunities to render the affair one in which Hellenes are prominent in furthering the cause of King Xerxes.
4- It is remarkable that so little is spoken on this subject, one needs to consult other ancient chronicles in order to find out more. It is also remarkable that such divergent accounts are given of the same event, by contrast to this extremely brief summary by Xenokritos.
5- Here we are empowered to call Xenokritos an active liar as to this point, or supremely confused, or entirely misinformed, given the entire long history of the kingdom of the Sindoi which was to immediately follow this period, though the Sindoi would come to become indistinguishable from Hellenes this would not occur for some time afterwards.
This selfsame Leukios, foremost among the Arkhaianaktidai, now pursued a policy which was to lead to disaster for the Hellenes of Kimmeria. Believing himself beloved by the gods, utterly overestimating his kingdom’s strength of arms, and grossly misreading the political and military situation not just involving Hellas in particular but all affairs surrounding the Persians entirely, he decided that withholding the grain supply which he commanded by virtue of his tyranny of the Hellenic poleis was an intelligent plan of action. His aim was to aid the Hellenes that had been conquered by Xerxes but his result was to achieve precisely the opposite. This embargo upon the supply of grain did not affect the Persians, who did not in any way rely upon it, instead it principally affected Hellenes of all poleis who were dependent upon these imports. Now, when it came to gaining the ear of Xerxes few other Hellenes could match the influence of the Thebans, for their dedication to the cause of Xerxes and the Persians was trusted to a much greater degree as compared to the other poleis of Hellas. At length a great collection of these poleis approached Eteokles, who remained the tyrant of Thebes under the command of Hystaspes. They informed him, Eteokles, as to the drastic events taking place as a result of this blockade, that famine was likely and that many Hellenes would likely die as a result. They discussed whether the best course of action was to consult the Persians or to conduct a rebellion against them- finding themselves ill-equipped to do so, and much disinclined after the atrocities meted out to Amphissa only a few years previously. Instead they sent Eteokles to petition Hystapses, the satrap, at the court in Thebes.
“O satrap, many favoured son of Xerxes, I come to you seeking urgent help. The Hellenes are dying in the streets, and they do so because our so-called brothers in Kimmeria withhold the grain that we rely upon to feed our many people. As our protector I ask that you use all of your might to reverse this blockade. Consider, great son of Xerxes, that you might conquer for yourself these Kimmerian lands, rule over them how you see fit, that this intervention on the behalf of the Hellenes will bring peace both at home and at abroad and will indebt the Hellenes as a body to your intervention.”
But Hystapses remained cautious upon the example of Mardonios’ execution some years prior, and continued to assume that any particularly reckless action would result in his own execution, regardless of his own relation to the king. However, on this occasion he did see that the continued blockade of Hellas’ grain would cause unrest in his satrapy, and upon listening to Eteokles he sent a messenger to Xerxes, who at that time was in the city of Babylon. Upon receiving the message, Xerxes said thus.
“Alas that my child, the seed of my line, would prove so craven as to not see the expediency of immediate action, must he ask permission for each and every individual pursuit of his duties as satrap? Will he send couriers seeking permission for him to dress, or eat meals, or sleep in a bed? It escapes the understanding even of the King of the World as to how this boy, my son, can be so disposed towards cautious action without merit as opposed to judicious analysis and prudence in evaluation, which are both traits of excellence among royalty. As I am now beseeched on behalf of all Hellenes, who even now continue to resent my rulership of their lands, I must accordingly respond to satisfy their fears and wishes. I will dispatch Gobryas, satrap of Kappadokia and loyal brother of mine, as a man suited to this task, to vanquish these Kimmerian Hellenes who challenge my dominion of the Earth. Moreover, it will be a precisely suited opportunity for relieving the Hellenes of the hegemony of these ports, and it will be expedient for wittling down the resistance to my rule if I, Xerxes, were to directly control this vital grain supply.”
Having taken this decision, messages and supplies were sent to the eponymous Gobryas, the son of Dareios. His heart was hardened against the Hellenes, after his defeat in the expedition against Hellas sent by Dareios his father. This, Gobryas saw, was an opportunity for vengeance against Hellenes which were not already under the nominal protection of the King, his brother. Having assembled an army of a hundred thousand men, and a fleet of five hundred ships, he set sail towards Kimmeria. Upon arrival he found that the forces of Leukios, who had intended to prosecute the war fully, had in fact presented themselves in total disarray. A halfhearted battle was given near to the polis of Kimmerikon, but many of the Hellenes presented in battle order instead surrendered. Of these surrendering Gobryas killed half, stating that this was equal to the number of Hellenes that had been starved to death back in Hellas by the actions of Leukios, and the remaining half were pressed into service. They were used to partially sack Kimmerikon, where Gobryas was only dissuaded against a full sack by the advice of how necessary the port would be to any kind of Persian control over the area. The army of Gobryas then approached the capital of the Hellenes of Taurika, and the greatest city of that region, Pantikapaion. At that point a number of other peoples in that region, who either desired to make a pleasing arrangement with the Persians or who desired to punish the Hellenes there for previous ill-encounters, began to flock to Gobryas. This included the savage Tauri and the Sindoi. The Sindoi are direct descendants of the Kimmerioi that live on the northern shores of the Euxeinos Pontos, differing from the Tauri in that many of the Sindoi dwell in cities with their capital being Sindike, where they continue to live alongside Hellenes from Miletos. They by preference live underground, and discriminate between those able to live above the surface and those who gain an intolerance to light. They are warlike, though are more prone to conducting raids on their Skythian relatives than on Hellenes, and have lately begun to mint coins in the Hellenic fashion. Combined, the Sindoi and Tauri besieged Pantikapaion, where only those most dedicated to Leukios remained to withstand the forces ranged against him. After thirty days of siege an inhabitant of the city, in exchange for gold, betrayed the city gates, and the forces of Gobryas stormed in. The city was devastated, Leukios was found and killed, and the Kingdom of the Hellenes of Taurika was at an end, though a kolone in the local fashion was made for Leukios’ body where he remains housed.
But all did not go to plan for Gobryas, because soon a conspiracy of Hellenes was created in order to assassinate him, due to his enormous cruelty and a hope that this would cause the Persians to go home and leave the Kingdom. This conspiracy succeeded, by means of poison. But rather than persuade the Persians that they should leave this instead enraged the remaining Persians, who exacted revenge against the conspirators, their families, and many other Hellenes of Kimmeria. Now there is a question as to whether or not they had planned on a similar arrangement to that of the Persians in Ionia, Aeolis, and Doris, whereby the poleis and their leagues were permitted to remain under the direction of the satrap at Sardis, or whether they had always intended to remove the control of Taurika from the Hellenes. If, as I suspect, they had intended the former, then the decision to assassinate Gobryas is what doomed the Kimmerian Hellenes to final irrelevance, because after this assassination had taken place the Persians elevated the Sindoi to the hegemony over Taurika, promising them garrisons in return for tribute and oaths not to make war upon the territories of Xerxes in Thraike. Then afterwards the Persian army quit Kimmeria, taking with them loot, Hellenes taken as slaves and hostages, and those contingents of Tauri who wished to continue in the service of the Persians went back with them over the sea. Many Hellenes fear still that these Tauri might be made to garrison a part of Hellas. Meanwhile, in these past years, the Hellenes of Taurika are still numerous but are of much reduced strength, and are no longer rulers of Kimmeria but subjects of a Sindoi kingdom that extends from the western coast of the Euxeinos Pontos to the lands of the Zygoi. Thus are the consequences of poorly thought out resistance to the Persians, only by the unity of all free Hellenes can the Medoi be removed from our homelands.
By Zeus, Aphrodite, Herakles, and Poseidon the people of Hadria, Rauenna and Spina all swear to an alliance with Perseus, the son of Perseus, basileus of Patavion, with the following terms.
Firstly, that whenever any of the signatories are attacked by a foreign foe all the other signatories immediately declare war on the aggressor and come to the aid of those who have been so attacked.
Secondly, that no war shall occur between the signatories of the treaty, nor against the Lingones, Enetoi, Pikentes, and Umbri that are subject to the rule of Perseus the son of Perseus.
Thirdly, that hospitality be granted in these cities to any that carries the token of Perseus son of Perseus’ friendship, and that such tokens as exist among Perseus other subjects be respected.
Fourthly, that all signatories have equal access to the Temple of Poseidon Aponos.
Fifthly, that a koinon be created among the cities that have signed this treaty with Perseus the son of Perseus, that they form a council with two representatives from each signatory and meet at least twice a year.
Μηδίζω! THE WORLD OF ACHAEMENID HELLAS
CHAPTER 3:XSHAHYAM or BASILEIA
BIBLIOTEKHE HISTORIKE BY MOHANE
THE HADADIDAI
CHAPTER 3:XSHAHYAM or BASILEIA
BIBLIOTEKHE HISTORIKE BY MOHANE
THE HADADIDAI
Just when it seemed that all of Asia would become the domain of Agnemitra and the Amavadatiya, divided entirely in two, there arose a new force within the Asiatic realms. After the death of Xerxes the Last the final remnants of the Akhaimenid kingdom collapsed, though members of the dynasty remained the vigour which had conquered and ruled Asia had left them entirely, so that their remaining subjects deserted them in great numbers. In most cases this resulted in petty kings and little states of no consequence squabbling for position, who were then swiftly swallowed up by the mighty Amavadatiya. The sole exception to this was in the ancient lands of Idom. They are an ancient people, having lived in the lands south of the Asphalt Sea since the times of Ipilsharra the Great, and they say that they have lived there for countless generations before then. They call themselves the children of El, so that I believe that they are a kind to the Tyrians. In these lands there ruled a governor, one Ben-Hadad. The men of Idom have always had a strong desire for liberty and independence, and this Ben-Hadad saw that there lay a chance now for the Idomites to regain a state, if destiny was seized in the proper manner. Where he differed from his contemporaries was his piety, strong will, and his gathering of intelligent advisors from all across the remnants of the Akhaimenid domains. He did not make war on all of his neighbours all at once, instead only attacking those opponents whose defeat would accomplish the most at that particular time, and neither did he remain within the borders of his original territory as some others did.
By the time that the Amavadatiya armies had overcome his rivals Ben-Hadad had conquered a kingdom stretching from South Judaea to the Sina, bordered to the west by the Great Sea, to the south by Arabia and the Erythyra sea, and to the east by the desert. Fierce and loyal Idomites formed part of Ben-Hadad’s army, but also key to his success were men of Gaza, Raphia, and Askelon who all served loyally in his campaigns of conquest. The Kingdom of Ben-Hadad soon gained riches, both from the acquisition of Akhaimenid territories and by encouraging incense merchants to come by land, across the desert, and by sea to the port of Aila. The domains of Ben-Hadad were small by comparison to those of the Amavadatiya, Agnemitra. They were also smaller than the lands of Aigyptos in that time, freshly independent of the Persian yoke. But, being pious themselves, the Amavadatiya were wary of war with such a man as Ben-Hadad, and it was left to Agnemitra, the great conqueror himself, to make an attempt on Ben-Hadad’s lands. As shall be discussed more below, Agnemitra was a remarkable man that nonetheless lacked piety, and forethought, and it was at the hands of Ben-Hadad that the gods finally made their displeasure known, for in the battle fought near Sakka the unstoppable conqueror was finally killed.
Ben-Hadad was a man of piety, vision, and iron will. Uniting men of all nations together, harnessing the harsh desert, he was the founder of a great nation in a time filled with great nations. He embodied the Asiatic qualities of endurance and forging beauty from the harshest circumstances, brought his hitherto obscure people to the forefront of affairs in Asia, and distinguished himself among a sea of pretenders to the grandeur of the Akhaimenids. He suffered from a propensity to cruelty, and it can be said that he lacked the stomach to enact his vision on many more peoples that would have benefited from it, but his piety, like that of Amavadatos, elevates him, as does the tranquility of the realm that he left behind, the realm which raised up the world-famous port of Aila.
EXTRACT FROM A COMMENTARY ON XENOKRITOS' PERSIKA
ON KIMMERIA
“It is their own kind, their fellow Hellenes, that these men of Kimmeria starve. I am now the protector of these Hellenes, and I cannot countenance their starvation at the hands of those who should be their dependable, eternal friends. Every embassy rejected, every friendly gesture turned back with scorn(1), it is to dreadful war that we must turn.”
So it came to be that the Great King Xerxes declared war upon the Hellenes of Kimmeria. He sought those of Kimmeria most noble, who would fight against the grain-tyranny of these unjust and unlawful kings. To them he sent overtures of friendship, and upon establishing their good intentions the King then assembled an army and a fleet for the purpose of prosecuting this war. Leader of this army was Gobryas, son of King Dareios who had served in the invasion of Hellas(2). He set sail with the King’s men to Kimmeria thirty-one years after the battle at Salamis, and successfully carried the arms of the King to a new part of the world. With the help of local allies and Hellenic hoplitai loyal to the King(3) the armies of this kingdom of Kimmeria were swiftly overcome. A part of the Hellenes there then attempted to induce Gobryas to become their king, and to rebel against the King, but these conspirators were arrested by Gobryas and sent to face trial in Persia(4). Hellenes more righteous and moral were then empowered in Kimmeria(5), and they were granted the freedom to determine their own constitution- whether they would remain a kingdom or adopt some other kind of constitution more fitting to their desires and needs.
NOTATIONS
1- Though the prospect is not entertained by Xenokritos we must assume it likely that Xerxes the Great offered terms unacceptable to the Kimmerians, for is it likely that such a small kingdom ever thought itself able to withstand a war against such force of arms?
2- Not mentioned elsewhere by Xenokritos, this is either the Gobryas, son of Darius, who attempted to capture the island of Delos in the first invasion of Hellas, or he has been confused with Gobryas the father of Mardonios as other chroniclers have done.
3- Once again note how Xenokritos finds opportunities to render the affair one in which Hellenes are prominent in furthering the cause of King Xerxes.
4- It is remarkable that so little is spoken on this subject, one needs to consult other ancient chronicles in order to find out more. It is also remarkable that such divergent accounts are given of the same event, by contrast to this extremely brief summary by Xenokritos.
5- Here we are empowered to call Xenokritos an active liar as to this point, or supremely confused, or entirely misinformed, given the entire long history of the kingdom of the Sindoi which was to immediately follow this period, though the Sindoi would come to become indistinguishable from Hellenes this would not occur for some time afterwards.
EXTRACT FROM HERODOTOS OF HALIKARNASSOS’ HISTORIA
THE DESTRUCTION OF KIMMERIA
THE DESTRUCTION OF KIMMERIA
This selfsame Leukios, foremost among the Arkhaianaktidai, now pursued a policy which was to lead to disaster for the Hellenes of Kimmeria. Believing himself beloved by the gods, utterly overestimating his kingdom’s strength of arms, and grossly misreading the political and military situation not just involving Hellas in particular but all affairs surrounding the Persians entirely, he decided that withholding the grain supply which he commanded by virtue of his tyranny of the Hellenic poleis was an intelligent plan of action. His aim was to aid the Hellenes that had been conquered by Xerxes but his result was to achieve precisely the opposite. This embargo upon the supply of grain did not affect the Persians, who did not in any way rely upon it, instead it principally affected Hellenes of all poleis who were dependent upon these imports. Now, when it came to gaining the ear of Xerxes few other Hellenes could match the influence of the Thebans, for their dedication to the cause of Xerxes and the Persians was trusted to a much greater degree as compared to the other poleis of Hellas. At length a great collection of these poleis approached Eteokles, who remained the tyrant of Thebes under the command of Hystaspes. They informed him, Eteokles, as to the drastic events taking place as a result of this blockade, that famine was likely and that many Hellenes would likely die as a result. They discussed whether the best course of action was to consult the Persians or to conduct a rebellion against them- finding themselves ill-equipped to do so, and much disinclined after the atrocities meted out to Amphissa only a few years previously. Instead they sent Eteokles to petition Hystapses, the satrap, at the court in Thebes.
“O satrap, many favoured son of Xerxes, I come to you seeking urgent help. The Hellenes are dying in the streets, and they do so because our so-called brothers in Kimmeria withhold the grain that we rely upon to feed our many people. As our protector I ask that you use all of your might to reverse this blockade. Consider, great son of Xerxes, that you might conquer for yourself these Kimmerian lands, rule over them how you see fit, that this intervention on the behalf of the Hellenes will bring peace both at home and at abroad and will indebt the Hellenes as a body to your intervention.”
But Hystapses remained cautious upon the example of Mardonios’ execution some years prior, and continued to assume that any particularly reckless action would result in his own execution, regardless of his own relation to the king. However, on this occasion he did see that the continued blockade of Hellas’ grain would cause unrest in his satrapy, and upon listening to Eteokles he sent a messenger to Xerxes, who at that time was in the city of Babylon. Upon receiving the message, Xerxes said thus.
“Alas that my child, the seed of my line, would prove so craven as to not see the expediency of immediate action, must he ask permission for each and every individual pursuit of his duties as satrap? Will he send couriers seeking permission for him to dress, or eat meals, or sleep in a bed? It escapes the understanding even of the King of the World as to how this boy, my son, can be so disposed towards cautious action without merit as opposed to judicious analysis and prudence in evaluation, which are both traits of excellence among royalty. As I am now beseeched on behalf of all Hellenes, who even now continue to resent my rulership of their lands, I must accordingly respond to satisfy their fears and wishes. I will dispatch Gobryas, satrap of Kappadokia and loyal brother of mine, as a man suited to this task, to vanquish these Kimmerian Hellenes who challenge my dominion of the Earth. Moreover, it will be a precisely suited opportunity for relieving the Hellenes of the hegemony of these ports, and it will be expedient for wittling down the resistance to my rule if I, Xerxes, were to directly control this vital grain supply.”
Having taken this decision, messages and supplies were sent to the eponymous Gobryas, the son of Dareios. His heart was hardened against the Hellenes, after his defeat in the expedition against Hellas sent by Dareios his father. This, Gobryas saw, was an opportunity for vengeance against Hellenes which were not already under the nominal protection of the King, his brother. Having assembled an army of a hundred thousand men, and a fleet of five hundred ships, he set sail towards Kimmeria. Upon arrival he found that the forces of Leukios, who had intended to prosecute the war fully, had in fact presented themselves in total disarray. A halfhearted battle was given near to the polis of Kimmerikon, but many of the Hellenes presented in battle order instead surrendered. Of these surrendering Gobryas killed half, stating that this was equal to the number of Hellenes that had been starved to death back in Hellas by the actions of Leukios, and the remaining half were pressed into service. They were used to partially sack Kimmerikon, where Gobryas was only dissuaded against a full sack by the advice of how necessary the port would be to any kind of Persian control over the area. The army of Gobryas then approached the capital of the Hellenes of Taurika, and the greatest city of that region, Pantikapaion. At that point a number of other peoples in that region, who either desired to make a pleasing arrangement with the Persians or who desired to punish the Hellenes there for previous ill-encounters, began to flock to Gobryas. This included the savage Tauri and the Sindoi. The Sindoi are direct descendants of the Kimmerioi that live on the northern shores of the Euxeinos Pontos, differing from the Tauri in that many of the Sindoi dwell in cities with their capital being Sindike, where they continue to live alongside Hellenes from Miletos. They by preference live underground, and discriminate between those able to live above the surface and those who gain an intolerance to light. They are warlike, though are more prone to conducting raids on their Skythian relatives than on Hellenes, and have lately begun to mint coins in the Hellenic fashion. Combined, the Sindoi and Tauri besieged Pantikapaion, where only those most dedicated to Leukios remained to withstand the forces ranged against him. After thirty days of siege an inhabitant of the city, in exchange for gold, betrayed the city gates, and the forces of Gobryas stormed in. The city was devastated, Leukios was found and killed, and the Kingdom of the Hellenes of Taurika was at an end, though a kolone in the local fashion was made for Leukios’ body where he remains housed.
But all did not go to plan for Gobryas, because soon a conspiracy of Hellenes was created in order to assassinate him, due to his enormous cruelty and a hope that this would cause the Persians to go home and leave the Kingdom. This conspiracy succeeded, by means of poison. But rather than persuade the Persians that they should leave this instead enraged the remaining Persians, who exacted revenge against the conspirators, their families, and many other Hellenes of Kimmeria. Now there is a question as to whether or not they had planned on a similar arrangement to that of the Persians in Ionia, Aeolis, and Doris, whereby the poleis and their leagues were permitted to remain under the direction of the satrap at Sardis, or whether they had always intended to remove the control of Taurika from the Hellenes. If, as I suspect, they had intended the former, then the decision to assassinate Gobryas is what doomed the Kimmerian Hellenes to final irrelevance, because after this assassination had taken place the Persians elevated the Sindoi to the hegemony over Taurika, promising them garrisons in return for tribute and oaths not to make war upon the territories of Xerxes in Thraike. Then afterwards the Persian army quit Kimmeria, taking with them loot, Hellenes taken as slaves and hostages, and those contingents of Tauri who wished to continue in the service of the Persians went back with them over the sea. Many Hellenes fear still that these Tauri might be made to garrison a part of Hellas. Meanwhile, in these past years, the Hellenes of Taurika are still numerous but are of much reduced strength, and are no longer rulers of Kimmeria but subjects of a Sindoi kingdom that extends from the western coast of the Euxeinos Pontos to the lands of the Zygoi. Thus are the consequences of poorly thought out resistance to the Persians, only by the unity of all free Hellenes can the Medoi be removed from our homelands.
THE TREATY OF SYMMAKHIA WITH PERSEUS SON OF PERSEUS
By Zeus, Aphrodite, Herakles, and Poseidon the people of Hadria, Rauenna and Spina all swear to an alliance with Perseus, the son of Perseus, basileus of Patavion, with the following terms.
Firstly, that whenever any of the signatories are attacked by a foreign foe all the other signatories immediately declare war on the aggressor and come to the aid of those who have been so attacked.
Secondly, that no war shall occur between the signatories of the treaty, nor against the Lingones, Enetoi, Pikentes, and Umbri that are subject to the rule of Perseus the son of Perseus.
Thirdly, that hospitality be granted in these cities to any that carries the token of Perseus son of Perseus’ friendship, and that such tokens as exist among Perseus other subjects be respected.
Fourthly, that all signatories have equal access to the Temple of Poseidon Aponos.
Fifthly, that a koinon be created among the cities that have signed this treaty with Perseus the son of Perseus, that they form a council with two representatives from each signatory and meet at least twice a year.
- Daeres
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