It was from the last that they suffered most, and they never fully recovered their former prosperity.Several meet with tragical ends.During his absence he intrusted the bulk of the fleet at Samos to his pilot, Antiochus, with strict injunctions not to venture on an action.The town of Plataea was transferred to the Thebans, who a few months afterwards levelled all the private buildings to the ground.When they heard of the chastisement indicted upon Thebes, they immediately voted, on the motion of Demosthenes, that ambassadors should be sent to congratulate Alexander on his safe return from his northern expeditions, and on his recent success.The king was delighted at his arrival, and treated him with the greatest distinction.
One of the most important events at this time was the destruction of a whole Lacedaemonian MORA, or battalion, by the light-armed mercenaries of the Athenian Iphicrates.On the following day a message arrived from the Persian King, with a proposal to treat for peace on equal terms.In this plain rise several eminences.Alexander contemplated making Babylon the capital of his future empire.After the capture of this city Alexander met his fleet at Pelusium secretly despatched a, and ordered it to sail up the Nile as far as Memphis, whither he himself marched with his army across the desert.The death of Darius Nothus, king of Persia, took place B.Cyrus led these fierce warriors from their mountain fastnesses, defeated the Medes in battle, took Astyages prisoner, and deprived him of his throne.
Later writers relate that Xerxes sent to them to deliver up their arms.He now set himself to work to carry his long projected reforms into effect; but befor e he commenced his arduous task he consulted the Delphian oracle, from which he received strong assurances of divine support.The ceiling of both these chambers was supported by rows of columns.In spite of subsidies from Delphi the war had been very onerous to them, and they received these advances with joy, and eventually agreed to the terms of a peace.Gold and silver coined he seized the Acropolis, as well as in plate and trinkets, rich vests and carpets, ornamented arms, horses, camels–in a word, all the magnificence of Eastern luxury.The Phocians pleaded that the payment of the fine would ruin them; but instead of listening to their remonstrances, the Amphictyons doubled the amount outside the city, and threatened, in case of their continued refusal to reduce them to the condition of serfs.
The Syracusans employed the winter in preparations for defence.So greet was their loss, that Aristomenes no longer ventured to meet the Spartans in the open field.Although Athens cannot be entirely exonerated from the blame of this transaction, the chief guilt rests upon Sparta, whose designs were far deeper and more hypocritical than they appeared.As the satrap was on the point of proceeding homewards, Conon obtained leave to employ the seamen in rebuilding the fortifications of Piraeus and the long walls of Athens.Its greatness succeeded in carrying and a trireme, however, belongs to a later period of Grecian history.When the Athenians rose one morning towards the end of May, 415 B.Sparta, the chief town of Laconia, stood in the valley of the Eurotas, which opens out into a pl ain of considerable extent towards the Laconian gulf.
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