Page:Thucydides, translated into English Vol 1.djvu/184

 68 THE SIEGE OF THASOS AND ITHOME [l B.C. 464. invade Attica. Unknown to the Athenians they agreed, ■ ^^' Revolt of the Helots, and wcre on the point of setting out who seise Ithome. when the great earthquake occurred and was immediately followed by the revolt of the Helots and with them the Perioeci of Thuria and Aethaea, who seized Ithomc. These Helots were mostly the descen- dants of the Messenians who had been enslaved in ancient times, and hence all the insurgents were called Messenians. B.C. 463. While the Lacedaemonians were thus engaged, the ■ '^' ^' ^, r-r-, Thasians, who had now been block- Surrender of Thasos. aded for more than two years, came to terms with the Athenians ; they pulled down their walls and surrendered their ships; they also agreed to pay what was required of them whether in the shape of immediate indemnity or of tribute for the future ; and they gave up their claim to the mainland and to the mine. 102 The siege of Ithome proved tedious, and the Lacedae- 461."*^^ The Athenians come monians called in, among other allies, 01 'jg, 2-4. fo the assistance of the the Athenians, who sent to their aid Laccciaenwnia.,s but ^ considerable force under Cimon. being suspected by thent, ..... they are dismissed and The Athenians were specially invited go away in a rage. because they were reputed to be skilful in siege operations, and the length of the blockade proved to the Lacedaemonians their own deficiency in that sort of warfare ; else why had they not taken the place by assault ? This expedition of the Athenians led to the first open quarrel between them and the Lacedaemonians. For the Lacedaemonians, not succeeding in storming the place, took alarm at the bold and original spirit of the Athenians. They reflected -that they were aliens in race, and fearing that, if they were allowed to remain, they might be tempted by the Helots in Ithome to change sides, they dismissed them, while they retained the other allies. But they con- cealed their mistrust, and merely said that they no longer needed their services. Now the Athenians saw that their dismissal was due to some suspicion which had arisen and not to the less offensive reason which was openly avowed ;