ges not in round ships, but in
vessels of fifty oars. These came to Tartessos and became friends with
the king of the Tartessians whose name was Arganthonios: he was ruler
of the Tartessians for eighty years and lived in all one hundred and
twenty. With this man, I say, the Phocaians became so exceedingly
friendly, that first he bade them leave Ionia and dwell wherever they
desired in his own land; and as he did not prevail upon the Phocaians
to do this, afterwards, hearing from them of the Mede how his power was
increasing, he gave them money to build a wall about their city: and he
did this without sparing, for the circuit of the wall is many furlongs
163 in extent, and it is built all of large stones closely fitted
together.

164. The wall of the Phocaians was made in this manner: and Harpagos
having marched his army against them began to besiege them, at the same
time holding forth to them proposals and saying that it was enough to
satisfy him if the Phocaians were willing to throw down one battlement
of their wall and dedicate one single house. 164 But the Phocaians,
being very greatly grieved at the thought of subjection, said that they
wished to deliberate about the matter for one day and after that they
would give their answer; and they asked him to withdraw his army from
the wall while they were deliberating. Harpagos said that he knew very
well what they were meaning to do, nevertheless he was willing to allow
them to deliberate. So in the time that followed, when Harpagos
had withdrawn his army from the wall, the Phocaians drew down their
fifty-oared galleys to the sea, put into them their children and women
and all their movable goods, and besides them the images out of the
temples and the other votive offerings except such as were made of
bronze or stone or consisted of paintings, all the rest, I say, they
put into the ships, and having embarked themselves they sailed towards
Chios; and the Persians obtained possession of Phocaia, the city being
deserted of the inhabitants.

165. But as for the Phocaians, since the men of Chios would not sell
them at their request the islands called Oinussai, from the fear lest
these islands might be made a seat of trade and their island might be
shut out, therefore they set out for Kyrnos: 165 for in Kyrnos
twenty years before this they had established a city named Alalia, in
accordance with an oracle, (now Arganthonios by that time was dead). And
when they were setting