Page:History of Greece Vol III.djvu/265

 CIMMERIANS IX ASIA MINOR. 249 to Lave inarcLed into Asia Minor by tLe western side of the Euxito, and across tLe TLracian BospLorus, after Laving been defeated in a decisive battle by tLe ScytLians near tLe river Tyras> where tLeir last kings fell and were interred. 1 TLougL tliis 13 botL an easier route, and more in accordance witL the analogy of otLer occupants expelled from the same territory, we must, in tLe absence of positive evidence, treat the point as un- autLenticated. TLe inroad of the Cimmerians into Asia Minor was doubtless connected witL tLeir expulsion from tLe nortLern coast of the Euxine by tLe ScytLians, but we may well doubt wlietLer it was at all -Connected, as Herodotus Lad been told tLat it was, witL tLe invasion of Media by tLe ScytLians, except as Lappening near about the same time. TLe same great evolution of Scytliian powe., or propulsion by otLer tribes beLind, may Lave occasioned botL events, brouglit about by different bodies of ScytLians, but nearly contemporaneous. Herodotus tells us two facts respecting tLe Cimmerian emi- grants into Asia Minor. TLey committed destructive, tliougL transient, ravages in many parts of Paplilagonia, PLrygia, Lydia, and Ionia, and they occupied permanently tLe nortLern penin- sula, 3 wLereon tLe Greek city of SinGpe was afterwards planted. Had the elegies of tLe contemporary EpLesian poet Kallinus been ^reserved, we sLould Lave known better Low to appreciate tLe?-3 trying times : lie strove to keep alive the energy of Lis countrymen against the formidable invaders. 3 From later au- castcrnm^st, of these two passes; but the whole story is certainly very improbable. See .Melmhr's Dissertation above referred to, pp. 366-367. A reason for supposing that the Cimmerians came into Asia Minor from the west and not frorr the cast, is, that we find them so much confounded with the Thracian Tre^s, indicating seemingly a joint invasion. 'Aff.tyv rovf 2K{n9af, KOI rrjv Xepaovqaov KriaavT ec, cv ry vvv "SiivuT 'KX. ijvlf oiKiarat. 3 Kallinns, Fragment. 2, 3, cd. Bergk. Nvv 6' fai Ktfifteptuv IpX- T ai b'lpiporpyuv (Strabo, xiii, p. 627; xiv, 633-647). O. Mailer (His- tory of the Literature of Ancient Greece, ch. x, s. 4) and Mr. Clinton (Fa.-ti Hellenici, u. c. 716-635) may be consulted about the obscure chro- nol">gy of these events. The Scythico-Cimmerian invasion of Asia, to 11*
 * Hcrodot. i, 6-15; iv, 12. QaivovTai <5 oi Kift/nepioi, EiiyovTec ef TJ/V