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After the excursus on Cyrene and Libya (iv. 145 f.) H. takes up again the narrative of Persian conquest in Europe from iv. 144.

Ἑλλησποντίων: in the wide sense; cf. iv. 38 n.


Paeonian tribes had once occupied the hill country from the Illyrian mountains to Rhodope, and the valleys of the Axius and Strymon, though it is curious to find them as far east as Perinthus. They were early driven from their homes by Macedonians in the West and Thracians in the East, retaining in H.'s time only the rough upper valleys of the Axius and Strymon (Thuc. ii. 96), and some tracts of land lower down the latter stream; cf. 13-15 and vii. 20. 2 n.

The Paeonian dogs were celebrated fighters, Pollux v. 46, 47. For the horses cf. Mimnermus, fr. 17 Παίονας ἄνδρας ἄγων ἵνα τε κλειτὸν γένος ἵππων.


ἐπαιώνιζον. The Paean here is a cry of triumph for the victory in the triple duel, thanking the god for his aid. The refrain ἰὴ Παιών sounded to the enemy like ‘come Paeon’, thus fulfilling the oracle, which bade them attack if called by name.

Perinthus was a Samian colony founded about 600 B. C., Busolt i. 470. This disaster is clearly placed by H. some time before the Persian conquest.

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    • Thucydides, Histories, 2.96
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