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παρὲξ κτλ. For the chronology of this passage cf. App. III, § 6. H.'s usage, as well as the general sense, seems to require that the 128 years should be inclusive of ‘the Scythian rule’; he puts a deduction, which has still to be made, after the words limited (cf. vi. 5. 3), a deduction already made, before them (ii. 77. 5); but he is not quite consistent.


The Median revolt here referred to was long supposed to be that against Darius Nothus in 408 B.C. (Mure, 1859, iv. 540-2, argues ingeniously for this), and so to prove that H. lived on till nearly 400 B.C. But it is now generally thought that the revolt is that of 520 B.C. (cf. B. I. col. 2), for the following reasons:

(1) Darius in H. always means D. Hystaspes (except in ix. 108. 2, where it is the name of a son of Xerxes).

(2) There is some point in Median ‘repentance’ after 30 years; after nearly 150 their repentance is impossibly tardy.

(3) It is usually thought that H. was dead before 420 B.C. (Intr. § 9).


πάσης τῆς Ἀσίης. H. resumes his connexion before going on to his excursus on the Persians. He means that the victory over Croesus was the beginning of a career of conquest which made Cyrus ‘lord of all Asia’; but he writes very loosely, for Babylon and Bactria were subdued later, and it is not certain that Cyrus ever conquered Phoenicia at all (cf. iii. 19. 3 n.).

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