404 HISTORY OF GREECE. Agamemnon, not (according to the legendary narrative) through the influence of the oath exacted by Tyndareus. Then he ex- plains how the predecessor of Agamemnon arrived at so vast a dominion beginning with Pelops, who came over (as he says) from Asia with great wealth among the poor Peloponnesians, and by means of this wealth so aggrandized himself, though a foreigner, as to become the eponym of the peninsula. Next fol- lowed his son Atreus, who acquired after the death of Eurystheus the dominion of Mykense, which had before been possessed by the descendants of Perseus : here the old legendary tale, which described Atreus as having been banished by his father Pelops in consequence of the murder of his elder brother Chrysippus, is invested with a political bearing, as explaining the reason why Atreus retired to My kerne. Another legendary tale the defeat and death of Eurystheus by the fugitive Herakleids in Attica, so celebrated in Attic tragedy as having given occasion to the gen- erous protecting intervention of Athens is also introduced as furnishing' the cause why Atreus succeeded to the deceased Eurys- theus : " for Atreus, the maternal uncle of Eurystheus, had been entrusted by the latter with his government during the expedition into Attica, and had effectually courted the people, who were moreover in great fear of being attacked by the Herakleids." Thus the Pelopids acquired the supremacy in Peloponnesus, and Agamemnon was enabled to get together his 1200 ships and 100,000 men for the expedition against Troy. Considering that contingents were furnished from every portion of Greece, Thucy- dides regards this as a small number, treating the Homeric cata- logue as an authentic muster-roll, perhaps rather exaggerated than otherwise. He then proceeds to tell us why the armament was not larger : many more men could have been furnished, but there was not sufficient money to purchase provisions for their subsistence ; hence they were compelled, after landing and gaining a victory, to fortify their camp, to divide their army, and to send away one portion for the purpose of cultivating the Chersonese, and another portion to sack the adjacent towns. This was the grand reason why the siege lasted so long as ten years. For if it had been possible to keep the whole army together, and to act
