DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.4327#0030
22 PRIENE.
a second colony from Thebes, led by Philotas ; hence this city was sometimes called Kadme.6 Shortly after the
foundation of Ephesos by Androklos, son of Kodros, he is said to have come to the assistance of the Prienians,
then attacked by the Karians. The victory was gained by the Ionian forces, but Androklos fell on the field
of battle.7
The Ionic migration is supposed to have taken place late in the eleventh or early in the tenth century B.C.,
but no positive date can be fixed, and there were probably a succession of migrations. It is probable that the
league of twelve Ionian cities was originally formed for the purpose of common defence against the Karians.
These twelve cities were, on the coast, Phokam, Ephesos, Kolophon, Klazomense, Lebedos, Teos, Erythra3,
Priene, Myus, Miletos, and the two island cities, Chios and Samos. These confederate states met at the temple
of Poseidon Helikonios, on the promontory of Mykal£, to celebrate a festival at which, according to Strabo,8
the Prienians, in whose territory the temple was, presided at the sacrifices. It is, probably, on account of this
worship that we find the Neptunian trident a constant type on the coins of Priene, on which it is associated with
the type of Athene" on the obverse.
The political importance of this league seems to have declined as the power of the Lydian dynasty grew.
These kings made a series of expeditions against single cities of the Ionian league. Gyges took Kolophon, and
made an inroad on Miletos and Smyrna; his successor, Ardys, took Priene", and continued the war against
Miletos, which, after sustaining a siege of eleven years under his successors, Sadyattes and Alyattes, was finally
subdued, together with all the other cities of Ionia, by Croesus, and, after his defeat by Cyrus, b.c. 546, submitted
to the Persian rule after some resistance, in the course of which Priene was taken by Mazares, and its inhabitants,
according to Herodotus, sold as slaves.0 It was probably not long before these events that the war took place
between Priene and Samos which is mentioned by Plutarch in his Qucestiones Grcecce.10 The subject of dispute
was a territory on the mainland, opposite Samos. The Prienians, whose cause was supported by Lygdamis,
tyrant of Naxos,11 defeated the Samians, who abandoned the territory in dispute for a time, but about seven years
later revived their claim, and, strengthened by an alliance with the Milesians, so utterly defeated the Prienians
at a place called Apfc, that the expression 6 irapa Aput o-koVos became a proverb to denote any signal calamity.
Peace seems to have been at length arranged between the two states through the mediation of Bias of
Priene, who was one of the most celebrated statesmen of his time.12 Though there is no direct evidence to that
effect, it seems probable that the arrangement then entered into was afterwards broken through by Polykrates,
tyrant of Samos, who entertained the design of conquering all Ionia, and who seems to have been at war with
Miletos about b.c. 529-525.13
Priene joined in the Ionian revolt b.c. 499, and contributed twelve ships at the battle of Lade, a contingent
small as compared with the eighty ships furnished by the Milesians on the same occasion. After the fall of
Miletos, b.c 494, Priene, with the rest of the Ionian cities, must have again passed under the Persian rule.
Whether the statement of Pausanias14 as to the oppression of the Prienians by Tabalos the Persian, or
subsequently by one of their own citizens, Hiero, refers to this period, or to some time before the Ionian revolt,
we have no means of ascertaining. The next notice we have of Priene is the statement of Thucydides, that about
B.c. 440 war broke out between Samos and Miletos concerning Priene.15 The cause of this war was probably an
attempt on the part of the Samians to recover the territory on the mainland, the possession of which had already,
in the previous century, been a matter of contention. Why the Milesians, who formerly aided the Samians in
attacking Priene, now changed sides, we have no means of knowing. It was the policy of Athens at this time to
reduce all the islands to the condition of tributaries, and their jealousy of the maritime power of Samos led them
to intervene in favour of Miletos. An expedition of nearly 200 ships, under Pericles, besieged Samos by sea
and land, and reduced it to the condition of a tributary b.c 439.
We may presume that after the reduction of Samos the Prienians were strong enough, with the aid of
Athens, to expel their adversaries from the mainland. Priene appears in the list of Ionian tributaries of Athens,
Olymp. 88, 4, b.c 425.ic
This is all that we know from history of the disputes between Samos and Priene as to the territory in
question, but a long series of inscriptions enables us to follow the history of this dispute century by century down
to the Augustan Age.
6 Strabo, xiv. p. 633 ; Pausan. vii. 2, § 7 ; Eustat. ad Dionys. lino 825; Diog. Laert. i. 5, § 2.
7 Pausan. vii. 2, § 6. 8 Strabo, xiv. p. 639, and viii. p. 384.
9 Herodot. i. 15, 142, 161, 169. Grotc, iv. p. 273, remarks that the Prienians, who were the first assailed by Mazares, had perhaps
been especially forward in the attack made by Paktyas on Sardis.
10 Plutarch, Qucest. Grcec. xx. n Eockh, Corpus Inscript. 2,254, 1. 16.
13 Bockh, ibid. 2,254, 1. 22 ; Plutarch, Quasi. Grcec. xx. 13 Herodot. iii. 39.
11 Pausan. vii. 2, § 7. If we could be sure that the Tabalos of Pausanias is identical with the Tabalos made governor of Sardis by Cyrus
(Herod, i. 153), his rule at Priene would probably have commenced not long after the capture of the city by Mazares.
15 Ihucyd. i. 115. 10 Kohler, Urkunden z. Geschichte d. Delisch-Attischen Bundes, pp. 71, 160.
a second colony from Thebes, led by Philotas ; hence this city was sometimes called Kadme.6 Shortly after the
foundation of Ephesos by Androklos, son of Kodros, he is said to have come to the assistance of the Prienians,
then attacked by the Karians. The victory was gained by the Ionian forces, but Androklos fell on the field
of battle.7
The Ionic migration is supposed to have taken place late in the eleventh or early in the tenth century B.C.,
but no positive date can be fixed, and there were probably a succession of migrations. It is probable that the
league of twelve Ionian cities was originally formed for the purpose of common defence against the Karians.
These twelve cities were, on the coast, Phokam, Ephesos, Kolophon, Klazomense, Lebedos, Teos, Erythra3,
Priene, Myus, Miletos, and the two island cities, Chios and Samos. These confederate states met at the temple
of Poseidon Helikonios, on the promontory of Mykal£, to celebrate a festival at which, according to Strabo,8
the Prienians, in whose territory the temple was, presided at the sacrifices. It is, probably, on account of this
worship that we find the Neptunian trident a constant type on the coins of Priene, on which it is associated with
the type of Athene" on the obverse.
The political importance of this league seems to have declined as the power of the Lydian dynasty grew.
These kings made a series of expeditions against single cities of the Ionian league. Gyges took Kolophon, and
made an inroad on Miletos and Smyrna; his successor, Ardys, took Priene", and continued the war against
Miletos, which, after sustaining a siege of eleven years under his successors, Sadyattes and Alyattes, was finally
subdued, together with all the other cities of Ionia, by Croesus, and, after his defeat by Cyrus, b.c. 546, submitted
to the Persian rule after some resistance, in the course of which Priene was taken by Mazares, and its inhabitants,
according to Herodotus, sold as slaves.0 It was probably not long before these events that the war took place
between Priene and Samos which is mentioned by Plutarch in his Qucestiones Grcecce.10 The subject of dispute
was a territory on the mainland, opposite Samos. The Prienians, whose cause was supported by Lygdamis,
tyrant of Naxos,11 defeated the Samians, who abandoned the territory in dispute for a time, but about seven years
later revived their claim, and, strengthened by an alliance with the Milesians, so utterly defeated the Prienians
at a place called Apfc, that the expression 6 irapa Aput o-koVos became a proverb to denote any signal calamity.
Peace seems to have been at length arranged between the two states through the mediation of Bias of
Priene, who was one of the most celebrated statesmen of his time.12 Though there is no direct evidence to that
effect, it seems probable that the arrangement then entered into was afterwards broken through by Polykrates,
tyrant of Samos, who entertained the design of conquering all Ionia, and who seems to have been at war with
Miletos about b.c. 529-525.13
Priene joined in the Ionian revolt b.c. 499, and contributed twelve ships at the battle of Lade, a contingent
small as compared with the eighty ships furnished by the Milesians on the same occasion. After the fall of
Miletos, b.c 494, Priene, with the rest of the Ionian cities, must have again passed under the Persian rule.
Whether the statement of Pausanias14 as to the oppression of the Prienians by Tabalos the Persian, or
subsequently by one of their own citizens, Hiero, refers to this period, or to some time before the Ionian revolt,
we have no means of ascertaining. The next notice we have of Priene is the statement of Thucydides, that about
B.c. 440 war broke out between Samos and Miletos concerning Priene.15 The cause of this war was probably an
attempt on the part of the Samians to recover the territory on the mainland, the possession of which had already,
in the previous century, been a matter of contention. Why the Milesians, who formerly aided the Samians in
attacking Priene, now changed sides, we have no means of knowing. It was the policy of Athens at this time to
reduce all the islands to the condition of tributaries, and their jealousy of the maritime power of Samos led them
to intervene in favour of Miletos. An expedition of nearly 200 ships, under Pericles, besieged Samos by sea
and land, and reduced it to the condition of a tributary b.c 439.
We may presume that after the reduction of Samos the Prienians were strong enough, with the aid of
Athens, to expel their adversaries from the mainland. Priene appears in the list of Ionian tributaries of Athens,
Olymp. 88, 4, b.c 425.ic
This is all that we know from history of the disputes between Samos and Priene as to the territory in
question, but a long series of inscriptions enables us to follow the history of this dispute century by century down
to the Augustan Age.
6 Strabo, xiv. p. 633 ; Pausan. vii. 2, § 7 ; Eustat. ad Dionys. lino 825; Diog. Laert. i. 5, § 2.
7 Pausan. vii. 2, § 6. 8 Strabo, xiv. p. 639, and viii. p. 384.
9 Herodot. i. 15, 142, 161, 169. Grotc, iv. p. 273, remarks that the Prienians, who were the first assailed by Mazares, had perhaps
been especially forward in the attack made by Paktyas on Sardis.
10 Plutarch, Qucest. Grcec. xx. n Eockh, Corpus Inscript. 2,254, 1. 16.
13 Bockh, ibid. 2,254, 1. 22 ; Plutarch, Quasi. Grcec. xx. 13 Herodot. iii. 39.
11 Pausan. vii. 2, § 7. If we could be sure that the Tabalos of Pausanias is identical with the Tabalos made governor of Sardis by Cyrus
(Herod, i. 153), his rule at Priene would probably have commenced not long after the capture of the city by Mazares.
15 Ihucyd. i. 115. 10 Kohler, Urkunden z. Geschichte d. Delisch-Attischen Bundes, pp. 71, 160.