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144.
The advice of Themistocles had prevailed on a previous occasion. The revenues from the mines at Laurium1 had brought great wealth into the Athenians' treasury, and when each man was to receive ten drachmae for his share, Themistocles persuaded the Athenians to make no such division but to use the money to build two hundred ships for the war, that is, for the war with Aegina.
[2]
This was in fact the war the outbreak of which saved Hellas by compelling the Athenians to become seamen. The ships were not used for the purpose for which they were built, but later came to serve Hellas in her need. These ships, then, had been made and were already there for the Athenians' service, and now they had to build yet others.
[3]
In their debate after the giving of the oracle they accordingly resolved that they would put their trust in the god and meet the foreign invader of Hellas with the whole power of their fleet, ships and men, and with all other Greeks who were so minded.
1 Silver, lead, and perhaps copper mines in Attica, from which the state drew an annual revenue. Apparently when this exceeded the usual amount the general public received a largess. Even if the population numbered 30,000 (cp. Hdt. 5.97) ten drachmae per head would be only 50 talents; far too small a sum for the building of 200 ships; Herodotus cannot mean more than that the Laurium money was a contribution towards a ship-building fund.
Herodotus, with an English translation by A. D. Godley. Cambridge. Harvard University Press. 1920.
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References (24 total)
- Commentary references to this page
(1):
- Sir Richard C. Jebb, Commentary on Sophocles: Antigone, 23
- Cross-references to this page
(5):
- Raphael Kühner, Bernhard Gerth, Ausführliche Grammatik der griechischen Sprache, KG 1.3.1
- Raphael Kühner, Bernhard Gerth, Ausführliche Grammatik der griechischen Sprache, KG 1.pos=2.1
- A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities (1890), TRIERA´RCHIA
- Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography (1854), LAURIUM
- Smith's Bio, Themi'stocles
- Cross-references in notes to this page
(1):
- Thomas R. Martin, An Overview of Classical Greek History from Mycenae to Alexander, Clash Between Greeks and Persians
- Cross-references in notes from this page
(1):
- Herodotus, Histories, 5.97
- Cross-references in general dictionaries to this page
(16):
- LSJ, Λαύρειον
- LSJ, ἀριστ-εύω
- LSJ, διαίρ-εσις
- LSJ, δραχμ-ή
- LSJ, ἔμπροσθ-εν
- LSJ, καιρός
- LSJ, κοινός
- LSJ, λαγχάνω
- LSJ, ὀρχηδόν
- LSJ, παν-δημεί
- LSJ, προσέρχομαι
- LSJ, προσναυπηγέω
- LSJ, θα^λάσσ-ιος
- LSJ, συνίστημι
- LSJ, ὑπάρχω
- LSJ, χράω
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