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Last we saw Themistocles, he was inscribing things on rocks. Meanwhile, the Athenians are Not Happy at the idea of everyone running away to the Isthmus to hang out there, instead of defending their colonies, but no one thinks they can actually stand up to Xerxes’ totally irresistable unstoppable war machine.
Plutarch - Themistocles 10
Immediately afterwards, Themistocles was at a loss as to how he could persuade the majority with reasonable speeches; and so as if he was raising the machinery in a tragic play, he showed them godly omens and oracles. He seized on the omen of the serpent, which seemed to have disappeared from its pen at that time. When the priests discovered that the offerings set out for it in the morning, they announced to the public (with the speech Themistocles had given them) that the goddess had abandoned the city, guiding them towards the sea.
And by this sign he led the people again,* saying that it clearly meant that the “wooden wall” was none other than the ships, which was why the god had called Salamis “blessed” and not “dangerous” or “cruel,” as its name would become very lucky for the Greeks.
Being the most convincing by this plan, he wrote a decree: to entrust the city to the keeping of Athena, guardian of the Athenians, and that all the men of age should enter the triremes, and each of them save their wives and children and slaves as they were able. With this decree ratified, the majority of the Athenians brought their families and wives to safety in Troizen, and they were welcomed very honorably by the Troizeneans; for they voted to feed them at public expense, giving two obols to each, and permitting the children to take ripe fruit from anywhere, and they even undertook the wages for teachers for the children. Nicoragas wrote this decree.
Since there were no public funds for the Athenians, Aristoteles says that the council from the district of Areios provided eight drachmas to each warrior, and so became the most responsible for filling the triremes. But Kleidimos makes this out to be another trick of Themistocles. For when the Athenians crossed into Peraia, he says that the Gorgon-head was lost from the statue of the god; therefore Themistocles, pretending to seek it, searched everywhere and discovered a large amount of money hidden in the baggage; and with this he furnished the provisions in common, as traveling supplies for the journey.
When the city set sail the spectacle held pity for some, and amazement at the audacity for others; for they sent their families in another direction, and without being shaken at the lamentation and tears and embraces of their children, they themselves crossed over to the island. And indeed many men left behind because of old age clung to the city pitifully;** and from their pets,*** there are some other moving stories of how in howling and yearning they ran alongside [the ships] to follow their masters. Among those is recorded [a story of] the dog of Xanthippus, father of Pericles; unable to bear being separated from him, the dog leapt into the ocean and swam alongside the triremes, until it fell [upon the shore] at Salamis, where it passed out and died on the spot. They say there is a place there which can be shown even now, called Dog Grave, which is its burial mound.
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* The verb “to lead the people” is where we get the word “demagogue” from. Isn’t that interesting? When I translated it exactly as such earlier (when it was used as a noun), I was somewhat obscuring the fact that more literally it was calling that bad politician (who was probably fictional anyway, according to the notes) a “people-leader.” As always, one is supposed to be suspicious of anyone who gets the masses on their side. Can’t trust the masses.
** This diverges somewhat from the account by Herodotus, which suggests a much more orderly retreat all around, with only priests (and those few who absolutely refused to evacuate) left in the city. The priests were responsible for guarding the temples, with the support of the gods. This did not end well for them, but they certainly fought viciously before falling over.
*** That is, “their animals raised together with them.” It’s not really a succinctly named category of beings in ancient Greek.
Plutarch - Themistocles 10
Immediately afterwards, Themistocles was at a loss as to how he could persuade the majority with reasonable speeches; and so as if he was raising the machinery in a tragic play, he showed them godly omens and oracles. He seized on the omen of the serpent, which seemed to have disappeared from its pen at that time. When the priests discovered that the offerings set out for it in the morning, they announced to the public (with the speech Themistocles had given them) that the goddess had abandoned the city, guiding them towards the sea.
And by this sign he led the people again,* saying that it clearly meant that the “wooden wall” was none other than the ships, which was why the god had called Salamis “blessed” and not “dangerous” or “cruel,” as its name would become very lucky for the Greeks.
Being the most convincing by this plan, he wrote a decree: to entrust the city to the keeping of Athena, guardian of the Athenians, and that all the men of age should enter the triremes, and each of them save their wives and children and slaves as they were able. With this decree ratified, the majority of the Athenians brought their families and wives to safety in Troizen, and they were welcomed very honorably by the Troizeneans; for they voted to feed them at public expense, giving two obols to each, and permitting the children to take ripe fruit from anywhere, and they even undertook the wages for teachers for the children. Nicoragas wrote this decree.
Since there were no public funds for the Athenians, Aristoteles says that the council from the district of Areios provided eight drachmas to each warrior, and so became the most responsible for filling the triremes. But Kleidimos makes this out to be another trick of Themistocles. For when the Athenians crossed into Peraia, he says that the Gorgon-head was lost from the statue of the god; therefore Themistocles, pretending to seek it, searched everywhere and discovered a large amount of money hidden in the baggage; and with this he furnished the provisions in common, as traveling supplies for the journey.
When the city set sail the spectacle held pity for some, and amazement at the audacity for others; for they sent their families in another direction, and without being shaken at the lamentation and tears and embraces of their children, they themselves crossed over to the island. And indeed many men left behind because of old age clung to the city pitifully;** and from their pets,*** there are some other moving stories of how in howling and yearning they ran alongside [the ships] to follow their masters. Among those is recorded [a story of] the dog of Xanthippus, father of Pericles; unable to bear being separated from him, the dog leapt into the ocean and swam alongside the triremes, until it fell [upon the shore] at Salamis, where it passed out and died on the spot. They say there is a place there which can be shown even now, called Dog Grave, which is its burial mound.
---
* The verb “to lead the people” is where we get the word “demagogue” from. Isn’t that interesting? When I translated it exactly as such earlier (when it was used as a noun), I was somewhat obscuring the fact that more literally it was calling that bad politician (who was probably fictional anyway, according to the notes) a “people-leader.” As always, one is supposed to be suspicious of anyone who gets the masses on their side. Can’t trust the masses.
** This diverges somewhat from the account by Herodotus, which suggests a much more orderly retreat all around, with only priests (and those few who absolutely refused to evacuate) left in the city. The priests were responsible for guarding the temples, with the support of the gods. This did not end well for them, but they certainly fought viciously before falling over.
*** That is, “their animals raised together with them.” It’s not really a succinctly named category of beings in ancient Greek.