of them are
ashamed of the name: but these twelve cities not only prided themselves
on the name but established a temple of their own, to which they gave
the name of Panionion, and they made resolution not to grant a share in
it to any other Ionians (nor indeed did any ask to share it except those
of Smyrna);
144, just as the Dorians of that district which is now called the Five
Cities 149 but was formerly called the Six Cities, 150 take care not
to admit any of the neighbouring Dorians to the temple of Triopion, and
even exclude from sharing in it those of their own body who commit any
offence as regards the temple. For example, in the games of the Triopian
Apollo they used formerly to set bronze tripods as prizes for the
victors, and the rule was that those who received them should not carry
them out of the temple but dedicate them then and there to the god.
There was a man then of Halicarnassos, whose name was Agasicles, who
being a victor paid no regard to this rule, but carried away the tripod
to his own house and hung it up there upon a nail. On this ground
the other five cities, Lindos, Ialysos and Cameiros, Cos and Cnidos,
excluded the sixth city Halicarnassos from sharing in the temple.
145. Upon these they laid this penalty: but as for the Ionians, I think
that the reason why they made of themselves twelve cities and would
not receive any more into their body, was because when they dwelt in
Peloponnesus there were of them twelve divisions, just as now there are
twelve divisions of the Achaians who drove the Ionians out: for first,
(beginning from the side of Sikyon) comes Pellene, then Aigeira and
Aigai, in which last is the river Crathis with a perpetual flow (whence
the river of the same name in Italy received its name), and Bura and
Helike, to which the Ionians fled for refuge when they were worsted by
the Achaians in fight, and Aigion and Rhypes and Patreis and Phareis
and Olenos, where is the great river Peiros, and Dyme and Tritaieis, of
which the last alone has an inland position. 151 These form now twelve
divisions of the Achaians, and in former times they were divisions of
the Ionians.
146. For this reason then the Ionians also made for themselves twelve
cities; for at any rate to say that these are any more Ionians than
the other Ionians, or have at all a nobler descent, is mere folly,
considering that a large part of them are Abantians from Euboea, who
have no share even in the name of Ionia,
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