herodotus

150. Up to this point of the story the Lacedemonians agree in theirreport with the men of Thera; but in what is to come it is those ofThera alone who report that it happened as follows. Grinnos[135] theson of Aisanios, a descendant of the Theras who has been mentioned,and king of the island of Thera, came to Delphi bringing the offeringof a hecatomb from his State; and there were accompanying him, besidesothers of the citizens, also Battos the son of Polymnestos, who was bydescent of the family of Euphemos[136] of the race of the Minyai. Nowwhen Grinnos the king of the Theraians was consulting the Oracle aboutother matters, the Pythian prophetess gave answer bidding him found acity in Libya; and he made reply saying: "Lord,[137] I am by this timesomewhat old and heavy to stir, but do thou bid some one of theseyounger ones do this." As he thus said he pointed towards Battos. Sofar at that time: but afterwards when he had come away they were indifficulty about the saying of the Oracle, neither having anyknowledge of Libya, in what part of the earth it was, nor venturing tosend a colony to the unknown. 151. Then after this for seven yearsthere was no rain in Thera, and in these years all the trees in theirisland were withered up excepting one: and when the Theraiansconsulted the Oracle, the Pythian prophetess alleged this matter ofcolonising Libya to be the cause. As then they had no remedy for theirevil, they sent messengers to Crete, to find out whether any of theCretans or of the sojourners in Crete had ever come to Libya. These asthey wandered round about the country came also the city of Itanos,and there they met with a fisher for purple named Corobios, who saidthat he had been carried away by winds and had come to Libya, and inLibya to the island of Platea. This man they persuaded by payment ofmoney and took him to Thera, and from Thera there set sail men toexplore, at first not many in number; and Corobios having guided themto this same island of Platea, they left Corobios there, leavingbehind with him provisions for a certain number of months, and sailedthemselves as quickly as possible to make report about the island tothe men of Thera. 152. Since however these stayed away longer than thetime appointed, Corobios found himself destitute; and after this aship of Samos, of which the master was Colaios, while sailing to Egyptwas carried out of its course and came to this island of Platea; andthe Samians hearing from Corobios the whole story left him provisionsfor a year. They themselves then put out to sea from the island andsailed on, endeavouring to reach Egypt but carried away continually bythe East Wind; and as the wind did not cease to blow, they passedthrough the Pillars of Heracles and came to Tartessos, guided bydivine providence. Now this trading-place was at that time untouchedby any, so that when these returned back home they made profit fromtheir cargo greater than any other Hellenes of whom we have certainknowledge, with the exception at least of Sostratos the son ofLaodamas the Eginetan, for with him it is not possible for any other