Page:History of Greece Vol IV.djvu/295

 DARIUS CARRIES HISTLEUS TO SUSA. 277 those regions, he had become alarmed at the progress of Histiaeui with his new city of Myrkinus, and communicated his apprehen- sions to Darius; who was prevailed upon to send for Histigeus, retaining him about his person, and carrying him to Susa as counsellor and friend, with every mark of honor, but with the secret intention of never letting him revisit Asia Minor. The fears of the Persian general were probably not unreasonable but this detention of Histiaeus at Susa, became in the sequel an important event. 1 On departing for his capital, Darius nominated his brother Artaphernes satrap of Sardis, and Otanes, general of the forces on the coast, in place of Megabazus. The new general dealt very severely with various towns near the Propontis, on the ground that they had evaded their duty in the late Scythian ex- pedition, and had even harassed the army of Darius in its retreat. He took Byzantium and Chalkedon, as well as Antandrus in the Troad, and Lamponium ; and with the aid of a fleet from Lesbos, he achieved a new conquest, the islands of Lemnos and Im- bros, at that time occupied by a Pelasgic population, seemingly without any Greek inhabitants at all. These Pelasgi were of cruel and piratical character, if we may judge by the tenor of the legends respecting them; Lem- nian misdeeds being cited as a proverbial expression for atroci- ties. 2 They were distinguished also for ancient worship of He- phaestus, together with mystic rites in honor of the Kabeiri, and even human sacrifices to their Great Goddess. In their two cities, Hephaestias on the east of the island, and Myrina on the west, they held out bravely against Otanes, nor did they 1 Herodot. v, 23, 24. The mystic rites in honor of the Kabeiri at Lemnos and Imbros are par ticularly noticed by Pherekydes (ap. Strabo, x, p. 472) : compare Photios, v, Kupsipoi, and the remarkable description of the periodical Lemnian solemnity in Philostratus (Heroi. p. 740). The volcanic mountain Mosychlus, in the northeastern portion of the ieland, was still burning in the fourth century B.C. (Antimach. Fragment. xviii, p. 103, Diintzer Epicc. Graec. Fragm.) Welcker's Dissertation (Die ^Eschylische Trilogie, p. 248, s&iq.) enlarge! Huch upon the Lemnian and Samothracian worship.
 * Herodot. vi, 138. JEschyl. Choephor. 632 ; Stephan. Byz. v, Ar/fivof.