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92. About the same time the Lacedaemonians founded Heraclea, their colony in Trachinia.1 The intention was as follows:—The Trachinians are one of the three Melian tribes; [2] the other two being the Paralians and the Hiereans. These Trachinians, having suffered greatly in war from their neighbours the Oetaeans, at first thought of attaching themselves to the Athenians, but, fearing that they could not trust them2, sent Tisamenus, whom they appointed their envoy, to Lacedaemon. [3] The Dorians, who were the mother state of Lacedaemon, joined in the embassy and also requested help, for they too were suffering from the Oetaeans. [4] The Lacedaemonians heard their appeal, and, being desirous of assisting both the Trachinians and Dorians, made up their minds to send out a colony. They also thought that the situation of the new city would be convenient for carrying on the war against the Athenians. There a navy could be equipped if they wanted to attack Euboea, which was quite near, and the station would be handy for the conveyance of troops to Chalcidicè. For every reason they were eager to colonise the place. [5] First they enquired of the God at Delphi; he bade them go, and they sent out settlers taken from their own citizens and the Perioeci, announcing that any Hellenes who desired, not being of the Ionian, Achaean, or certain other races, might accompany them. The leaders of the colony were three Lacedaemonians, Leon, Alcidas, and Damagon. [6] They set to work and built afresh the walls of the city, which received the name of Heraclea, and is situated about four miles and a half from Thermopylae and a little more than two from the sea. They also constructed docks3, beginning the works near Thermopylae, at the pass, that the city might be perfectly defended.

1 To help the Trachinians and their own mother state Doris, the Lacedaemonians found the colony of Heraclea.

2 Cp. 3.113 fin.

3 Or, reading εἵρξαν τὸ——,'and blockaded the defile at Thermopylae.'

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  • Commentary references to this page (39):
    • Sir Richard C. Jebb, Commentary on Sophocles: Oedipus Tyrannus, 1-150
    • Sir Richard C. Jebb, Commentary on Sophocles: Antigone, 993
    • Sir Richard C. Jebb, Commentary on Sophocles: Electra, 1095
    • Sir Richard C. Jebb, Commentary on Sophocles: Philoctetes, 491
    • W. W. How, J. Wells, A Commentary on Herodotus, 5.42
    • W. W. How, J. Wells, A Commentary on Herodotus, 7.199
    • Charles F. Smith, Commentary on Thucydides: Book 3, 3.10
    • Charles F. Smith, Commentary on Thucydides: Book 3, 3.100
    • Charles F. Smith, Commentary on Thucydides: Book 3, 3.104
    • Charles F. Smith, Commentary on Thucydides: Book 3, 3.106
    • Charles F. Smith, Commentary on Thucydides: Book 3, 3.109
    • Charles F. Smith, Commentary on Thucydides: Book 3, 3.23
    • Charles F. Smith, Commentary on Thucydides: Book 3, 3.34
    • Charles F. Smith, Commentary on Thucydides: Book 3, 3.40
    • Charles F. Smith, Commentary on Thucydides: Book 3, 3.53
    • Charles F. Smith, Commentary on Thucydides: Book 3, 3.93
    • Charles F. Smith, Commentary on Thucydides: Book 3, 3.94
    • Charles F. Smith, Commentary on Thucydides: Book 3, 3.96
    • Charles F. Smith, Commentary on Thucydides: Book 3, 3.97
    • T. G. Tucker, Commentary on Thucydides: Book 8, 8.3
    • T. G. Tucker, Commentary on Thucydides: Book 8, 8.46
    • C.E. Graves, Commentary on Thucydides: Book 4, CHAPTER XXXIII
    • C.E. Graves, Commentary on Thucydides: Book 4, CHAPTER LXVIII
    • C.E. Graves, Commentary on Thucydides: Book 4, CHAPTER LXXXII
    • C.E. Graves, Commentary on Thucydides: Book 4, CHAPTER LXXXVI
    • C.E. Graves, Commentary on Thucydides: Book 5, 5.51
    • Harold North Fowler, Commentary on Thucydides Book 5, 5.51
    • Harold North Fowler, Commentary on Thucydides Book 5, 5.51
    • Charles D. Morris, Commentary on Thucydides Book 1, 1.107
    • Charles D. Morris, Commentary on Thucydides Book 1, 1.118
    • Charles D. Morris, Commentary on Thucydides Book 1, 1.122
    • Charles D. Morris, Commentary on Thucydides Book 1, 1.125
    • Charles D. Morris, Commentary on Thucydides Book 1, 1.25
    • Charles D. Morris, Commentary on Thucydides Book 1, 1.36
    • Charles D. Morris, Commentary on Thucydides Book 1, 1.49
    • Charles D. Morris, Commentary on Thucydides Book 1, 1.53
    • Charles D. Morris, Commentary on Thucydides Book 1, Introduction
    • Charles F. Smith, Commentary on Thucydides Book 7, LETTER OF NICIAS TO THE DEMOS AT ATHENS.
    • Charles F. Smith, Commentary on Thucydides Book 7, SPEECH OF NICIAS TO THE ATHENI- ANS ON LEAVING SYRACUSE.
  • Cross-references to this page (19):
    • The Princeton Encyclopedia of Classical Sites, HERAKLEIA TRACHINIA Central Greece.
    • Herbert Weir Smyth, A Greek Grammar for Colleges, THE CASES
    • Herbert Weir Smyth, A Greek Grammar for Colleges, ADJECTIVE CLAUSES (RELATIVE CLAUSES: 2488-2573)
    • 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=2.2
    • Raphael Kühner, Bernhard Gerth, Ausführliche Grammatik der griechischen Sprache, KG 3.2.3
    • Harper's, Heraclēa
    • A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities (1890), COLO´NIA
    • A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities (1890), TRIBUS
    • Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography (1854), CHEN
    • Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography (1854), DORIS
    • Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography (1854), I´CARUS
    • Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography (1854), MALIS
    • Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography (1854), OETA
    • Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography (1854), THESSA´LIA
    • Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography (1854), TRACHIS
    • Basil L. Gildersleeve, Syntax of Classical Greek, The Article
    • Basil L. Gildersleeve, Syntax of Classical Greek, Concord
    • Smith's Bio, Leo or LEON
  • Cross-references in notes to this page (3):
    • Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War, Thuc. 3.113
    • Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War, Thuc. 5.12
    • Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War, Thuc. 8.3
  • Cross-references in notes from this page (1):
    • Thucydides, Histories, 3.113
  • Cross-references in general dictionaries to this page (14):
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