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317 THE BATTLE OF MARATHON 317

where the Persians themselves and the Sacae ^ had their place, the barbarians were victorious, and broke and pursued the Greeks into the inner country ; but on the two wings the Athenians and the Plataeans de- feated the enemy. Having so done, they suffered the routed barbarians to fly at their ease, and joining the two wings in one, fell upon those who had broken their own centre, and fought and conquered them. These likewise fled, and now the Athenians hung upon the runaways and cut them down, chasing them all the way to the shore, on reaching which they laid hold of the ships and called aloud for fire.

It was in the struggle here that Callimachus the polemarch, after greatly distinguishing himself, lost his life ; Stesilaus too, the son of Thrasilaus, one of the generals, was slain ; and Cynegirus,- the son of Eu- phorion, having seized on a vessel of the enemy's by the ornament at the stern, had his hand cut off by the blow of an axe, and so perished ; as likewise did many other Athenians of note and name.

Nevertheless the Athenians secured in this way seven of the vessels, while with the remainder the barbarians pushed off, and taking aboard their Ere- trian prisoners from the island where they had left them, doubled Cape Sunium, hoping to reach Athens before the return of the Athenians. The Alcmaeonidae were accused by their countrymen of suggesting this course to them ; they had, it was said, an understand- ing with the Persians, and made a signal to them, by raising a shield, after they were embarked in their ships.

The Persians accordingly sailed round Sunium. But the Athenians with all possible speed marched ^ See page 253, note 3. '^ A brother of the poet Aeschylus.