Page:History of Greece Vol III.djvu/263

 CIMMERIANS EXPELLED BY SCYTHIANS. 247 consequence of an unsuccessful war with the Massagebc, and precipitated upon the Cimmerians in Europe. 1 When the Scythian host approached, the Cimmerians were not agreed among themselves whether to resist or retire : the majority of the people were dismayed and wished to evacuate the territory, while the kings of the different tribes resolved to fight and perish at home. Those who were animated with this fierce despair, divided themselves along with the kings into two equal bodies and perished by each other's hands near the river Tyras, where the sepulchres of the kings were yet shown in the time of Herodotus. 2 The mass of the Cimmerians fled and abandoned their country to the Scythians ; who, however, not content with possession of the country, followed the fugitives across the Cim- merian Bosphorus from west to east, under the command of their prince Mudyes son of Protothyes. The Cimmerians, coasting along the east of the Euxine sea and passing to the west of Mount Caucasus, made their way first into Kolchis, and next into Asia Minor, where they established themselves on the peninsula on the northern coast, near the site of the subsequent Grecian city of Sinope. But the Scythian pursuers, mistaking the course taken by the fugitives, followed the more circuitous route east of Mount Caucasus near to the Caspian sea ; 3 which brought them, not into Asia Minor, but into Media. Both Asia Minor and Media became thus exposed nearly at the same time to the rav- ages of northern nomades. These two stories, representing the belief of Herodotus and Aristeas, involve the assumption that the Scytliians were cpm- paratively recent emigrants into the territory betwen the Ister and the Palus Mteotis. But the legends of the Scythians them- selves, as well as those of the Pontic Greeks, imply the contrary of this assumption ; and describe the Scythians as primitive and indigenous inhabitants of the country. Both legends are so framed as to explain a triple division, which probably may have prevailed, of the Scythian aggregate nationality, traced up to three heroic brothers : both also agree in awarding the predomi- 1 Herodot. iv, 11. 'E<m dentil U/./MS /.6}0{,f rdf irpocKt/j.ai.
 * Herodot. ir, 11. 3 Herodot. iv, 1-12.