A victory thus remarkable, which thrust back the Persians to the region eastward of Phaselis, doubtless fortified materially the position of the Athenian confederacy against them ; but it tended not less to exalt the reputation of Athens, and even to popularize her with the confederates generally, from the large amount of plunder divisible among them. Probably this increased power and popularity stood her instead throughout her approaching
contest with Thasos, at the same time that it explains the increasing fear and dislike of the Peloponncsians.
Thasos was a member of the confederacy of Delos ; but her quarrel with Athens seems to have arisen out of causes quite distinct from confederate relations. It has been already stated that the Athenians had within the last few years expelled the Persians from the important post of Eion, on the Strymon, the most convenient post for the neighboring region of Thrace, which was not less distinguished for its fertility than for its mining wealth. In the occupation of this post, the Athenians had had time to become acquainted with the productive character of the adjoining region, chiefly occupied by the Edonian Thracians ; and it is extremely probable that many private settlers arrived
consisted of no more than two hundred ships ; for so I venture to construe the words of Thucydides, in spite of the authority of Dr Arnold, — (
Greek characters) Upon which Dr. Arnold observes : " Amounting in all to two hundred : that is, that the whole number of ships taken or destroyed was two hundred,—not that the whole fleet consisted of no more." Admitting the correctness of this construction (which maybe defended by viii, 21) we may remark that the defeated Phenician fleet, according to the universal practice of antiquity, ran ashore to seek protection from its accompanying land-force. When, therefore, this land-force was itself defeated and dispersed, the ships would all naturally fall into the power of the victors; or if any escaped, it would be merely by accident. Moreover, the smaller number is in this case more likely to be the tmth, as we must suppose an easy naval victory in order to leave strength for a strenuous land-battle on the same day. It is remarkable that the inscription on the commemorative offering only specifies "one hundred Phenician ships with their crews" as having been captured (Diodor. xi, 62). The other hundred ships were probably destroyed. Diodorus represents Kimon as having captured three hundred and forty ships, though he himself cites the inscription which mentions only one hundred.
