herodotus

103. When Phraortes had brought his life to an end, Kyaxares the sonof Phraortes, the son of Deïokes, received the power. This king issaid to have been yet much more warlike than his forefathers; and hefirst banded the men of Asia into separate divisions, that is to say,he first arrayed apart from one another the spearmen and the archersand the horsemen, for before that time they were all mingled togetherwithout distinction. This was he who fought with the Lydians when theday became night as they fought, and who also united under his rulethe whole of Asia above the river Halys.[115] And having gatheredtogether all his subjects he marched upon Nineveh to avenge hisfather, and also because he desired to conquer that city. And when hehad fought a battle with the Assyrians and had defeated them, while hewas sitting down before Nineveh there came upon him a great army ofScythians,[116] and the leader of them was Madyas the son ofProtohyas, king of the Scythians. These had invaded Asia after drivingthe Kimmerians out of Europe, and in pursuit of them as they fled theyhad come to the land of Media. 104. Now from the Maiotian lake to theriver Phasis and to the land of the Colchians is a journey of thirtydays for one without encumbrance;[117] and from Colchis it is not farto pass over to Media, for there is only one nation between them, theSaspeirians, and passing by this nation you are in Media. However theScythians did not make their invasion by this way, but turned asidefrom it to go by the upper road[118] which is much longer, keepingMount Caucasus on their right hand. Then the Medes fought with theScythians, and having been worsted in the battle they lost theirpower, and the Scythians obtained rule over all Asia. 105. Thence theywent on to invade Egypt; and when they were in Syria which is calledPalestine, Psammetichos king of Egypt met them; and by gifts andentreaties he turned them from their purpose, so that they should notadvance any further: and as they retreated, when they came to the cityof Ascalon in Syria, most of the Scythians passed through withoutdoing any damage, but a few of them who had stayed behind plunderedthe temple of Aphrodite Urania. Now this temple, as I find by inquiry,is the most ancient of all the temples which belong to this goddess;for the temple in Cyprus was founded from this, as the people ofCyprus themselves report, and it was the Phenicians who founded thetemple in Kythera, coming from this land of Syria. So these Scythianswho had plundered the temple at Ascalon, and their descendants forever, were smitten by the divinity[119] with a disease which made themwomen instead of men: and the Scythians say that it was for thisreason that they were diseased, and that for this reason travellerswho visit Scythia now, see among them the affection of those who bythe Scythians are called /Enareës/.106. For eight-and-twenty years then the Scythians were rulers of