Page:History of Greece Vol XII.djvu/503

 HERAKLEIA BECOMES FP.EE. 471 Bions of some inland dynasts, several of their outlying dependen- cies — Kierus, Tium, and Amastris. The two former th(y re- covered some time afterwards by purchase, and they wished also to purchase back Amastris ; but Eumenes, who held it, hated them so much, that he repudiated their money, and handed over the place gratuitously to the Kappadokian chief Ariobarzanes.' That their maritime power was at this time very great, we may bee by the astonishing account given of their immense sliips, — numerously manned, and furnished with many brave combatants on the deck — which fought with eminent distinction in the na- val battle between Ptolemy Keraunus (murderer and successor of Seleukus) and Antigonus Gronatas.'^ It is not my purpose to follow lower down the destinies of Herakleia. It maintained its internal autonomy, with considera- ble maritime power, a dignified and prudent administration, and a partial, though sadly circumscribed, liberty of foi-eign action — until the successful war of the Romans against Mithridates (b. c. 69). In Asia Minor, the Hellenic cities on the coast were partly enabled to postpone the epoch of their subjugation, by the great division of power which prevailed in the interior ; for the poten- tates of Bithynia, Pergamus, Kappadokia, Pontus, Syria, were in almost perpetual discord — while all of them were menaced by the intrusion of the warlike and predatory Gauls, who extor- ted for themselves settlements in Galatia (b. c. 27G). The kings, the enemies of civic freedom, were kept partially in check by these new and formidable neighbors,^ who were themselves however hardly less formidable to the Grecian cities on the coast.^ Sindpe, Herakleia, Byzantium, — and even llhodes, in ^ Memnon, c. IG. The inhabitants of Byzantium also purcliased for a considerable sum the important position called the 'leiiuv, at the entrance of the Euxine on the Asiatic side (Polybius, iv. 50). These are rare examples, in ancient history, of cities acquiring territory or dependencies hy purchase. Acquisitions were often made in this manner by the free German, Swiss, and Italian cities of mediaeval Europe; but as to the Hellenic cities, I have not had occasion to record many such trjinss^c- tions in the course of this history. ' This is a remarkable observation made by Memnon, c. 19.
 * Memnon, c. 13 : compare Polyb. xviii. 34.
 * See the statement of Polybius, xxii. 24.