τῶν δὲ Μεσσηνίων ὁπόσοι περὶ τὴν Εἶραν ἢ καὶ ἑτέρωθί που τῆς Μεσσηνίας ἐγκατελήφθησαν, τούτους μὲν οἱ Λακεδαιμόνιοι προσένειμαν ἐς τὸ εἱλωτικόν· Πύλιοι δὲ καὶ Μοθωναῖοι καὶ ὅσοι τὰ παραθαλάσσια ᾤκουν, ναυσὶν ὑπὸ τὴν ἅλωσιν τῆς Εἴρας ἀπαίρουσιν ἐς Κυλλήνην τὸ ἐπίνειον τὸ Ἠλείων. ἐκεῖθεν δὲ παρὰ τοὺς ἐν Ἀρκαδίᾳ Μεσσηνίους ἀπέστελλον, ἐθέλοντες κοινῷ στόλῳ χώραν ἔνθα οἰκήσουσιν ἀναζητεῖν, καὶ Ἀριστομένην ἐκέλευον ἡγεῖσθαί σφισιν ἐς ἀποικίαν.
ὁ δὲ αὐτὸς μὲν ἕως ἂν περιῇ, πολεμήσειν Λακεδαιμονίοις ἔφασκεν, ἐπίστασθαι δὲ ἀκριβῶς ὡς ἀεί τι ἀναφύσεται τῇ Σπάρτῃ διʼ αὐτοῦ κακόν· ἐκείνοις δὲ Γόργον καὶ Μάντικλον ἔδωκεν ἡγεμόνας. ὁ δὲ Εὐεργετίδας ἐς μὲν τὸ Λύκαιον σὺν τοῖς ἄλλοις Μεσσηνίοις καὶ αὐτὸς ἀπεχώρησεν· ἐκεῖθεν δέ, ὡς ἑώρα τὸ βούλευμα διαπεπτωκὸς τῷ Ἀριστομένει τὸ ἐς τὴν κατάληψιν τῆς Σπάρτης, ἀναπείσας τῶν Μεσσηνίων ὡς πεντήκοντα ἐπάνεισιν ἐπὶ τοὺς Λακεδαιμονίους ἐς τὴν Εἶραν, καὶ ἐντυχὼν διαρπάζουσιν ἔτι τὰ ἐπινίκια
πένθος σφίσιν ἐποίησε. καὶ τὸν μὲν ἐνταῦθα ἐπιλαμβάνει τὸ χρεών, Ἀριστομένης δὲ ὡς τοὺς ἡγεμόνας τοῖς Μεσσηνίοις ἐπέταξεν ἰέναι ἐς Κυλλήνην, ὅστις ἐθέλοι μετέχειν τῆς ἀποικίας. καὶ μετέσχον ἅπαντες, πλὴν εἰ γῆράς τινα ἀπεῖργεν ἢ μηδὲ εὐπορῶν ἔτυχεν ἐς τὴν ἀποδημίαν· οὗτοι δὲ αὐτοῦ κατέμειναν παρὰ τοῖς Ἀρκάσιν.
ἑάλω δὲ ἡ Εἶρα καὶ ὁ πόλεμος ὁ δεύτερος Λακεδαιμονίων καὶ Μεσσηνίων τέλος ἔσχεν Ἀθηναίοις ἄρχοντος Αὐτοσθένους, ἔτει πρώτῳ τῆς ὀγδόης τε καὶ εἰκοστῆς Ὀλυμπιάδος, ἣν ἐνίκα Χίονις Λάκων.
ὡς δὲ ἐς τὴν Κυλλήνην οἱ Μεσσήνιοι συνελέχθησαν, τὸν μὲν παρόντα χειμῶνα ἔδοξεν αὐτοῦ χειμάζειν, καὶ τὴν ἀγοράν σφισι καὶ χρήματα οἱ Ἠλεῖοι παρεῖχον· ἅμα δὲ τῷ ἦρι ἐβουλεύοντο ποῖ χρὴ σταλῆναι. γνῶμαι δὲ ἦσαν Γόργου μὲν Ζάκυνθον τὴν ὑπὲρ Κεφαλληνίας καταλαβόντας καὶ νησιώτας ἀντὶ ἠπειρωτῶν γενομένους ναυσὶν ἐς τὰ παραθαλάσσια τῆς Λακωνικῆς ἐπιπλέοντας κακοῦν τὴν γῆν· Μάντικλος δὲ ἐκέλευε Μεσσήνης μὲν καὶ τοῦ Λακεδαιμονίων ἔχθους λαβεῖν λήθην, πλεύσαντας δὲ ἐς Σαρδὼ κτήσασθαι μεγίστην τε νῆσον καὶ εὐδαιμονίᾳ πρώτην.
ἐν τοσούτῳ δὲ Ἀναξίλας παρὰ τοὺς Μεσσηνίους ἀπέστελλεν ἐς Ἰταλίαν καλῶν. ὁ δὲ Ἀναξίλας ἐτυράννει μὲν Ῥηγίου, τέταρτος δὲ ἀπόγονος ἦν Ἀλκιδαμίδου· μετῴκησε δὲ Ἀλκιδαμίδας ἐκ Μεσσήνης ἐς Ῥήγιον μετὰ τὴν Ἀριστοδήμου τοῦ βασιλέως τελευτὴν καὶ Ἰθώμης τὴν ἅλωσιν. οὗτος οὖν ὁ Ἀναξίλας τοὺς Μεσσηνίους μετεπέμπετο· ἐλθοῦσί τε ἔλεγεν ὡς Ζαγκλαῖοι διάφοροι μέν εἰσιν αὐτῷ, χώραν δὲ εὐδαίμονα καὶ πόλιν ἐν καλῷ τῆς Σικελίας ἔχουσιν, ἃ δὴ σφίσιν ἐθέλειν ἔφη συγκατεργασάμενος δοῦναι. προσεμένων δὲ τὸν λόγον, οὕτως Ἀναξίλας διεβίβασεν ἐς Σικελίαν αὐτούς.
Ζάγκλην δὲ τὸ μὲν ἐξ ἀρχῆς κατέλαβον λῃσταί, καὶ ἐν ἐρήμῳ τῇ γῇ τειχίσαντες ὅσον περὶ τὸν λιμένα ὁρμητηρίῳ πρὸς τὰς καταδρομὰς καὶ ἐς τοὺς ἐπίπλους ἐχρῶντο· ἡγεμόνες δὲ ἦσαν αὐτῶν Κραταιμένης Σάμιος καὶ Περιήρης ἐκ Χαλκίδος. Περιήρει δὲ ὕστερον καὶ Κραταιμένει καὶ ἄλλους ἐπαγαγέσθαι τῶν Ἑλλήνων ἔδοξεν οἰκήτορας.
τότε δὲ τοὺς Ζαγκλαίους ὅ τε Ἀναξίλας ναυσὶν ἀνταναγομένους ἐνίκησε καὶ οἱ Μεσσήνιοι μάχῃ πεζῇ· Ζαγκλαῖοι δὲ κατὰ γῆν τε ὑπὸ Μεσσηνίων καὶ ναυσὶν ἅμα ἐκ θαλάσσης ὑπὸ Ῥηγίνων πολιορκούμενοι, καὶ ἁλισκομένου σφίσιν ἤδη τοῦ τείχους, ἐπί τε βωμοὺς θεῶν καὶ πρὸς τὰ ἱερὰ καταφεύγουσιν. Ἀναξίλας μὲν οὖν τοῖς Μεσσηνίοις παρεκελεύετο τούς τε ἱκετεύοντας Ζαγκλαίων ἀποκτείνειν καὶ τοὺς λοιποὺς γυναιξὶν ὁμοῦ καὶ παισὶν ἀνδραποδίσασθαι·
Γόργος δὲ καὶ Μάντικλος παρῃτοῦντο Ἀναξίλαν μὴ σφᾶς, ὑπὸ συγγενῶν ἀνδρῶν πεπονθότας ἀνόσια, ὅμοια αὐτοὺς ἐς ἀνθρώπους Ἕλληνας ἀναγκάσαι δρᾶσαι. μετὰ δὲ τοῦτο ἤδη τοὺς Ζαγκλαίους ἀνίστασαν ἀπὸ τῶν βωμῶν καὶ ὅρκους δόντες καὶ αὐτοὶ παρʼ ἐκείνων λαβόντες ᾤκησαν ἀμφότεροι κοινῇ· ὄνομα δὲ τῇ πόλει μετέθεσαν Μεσσήνην ἀντὶ Ζάγκλης καλεῖσθαι.
ταῦτα δὲ ἐπὶ τῆς Ὀλυμπιάδος ἐπράχθη τῆς ἐνάτης καὶ εἰκοστῆς, ἣν Χίονις Λάκων τὸ δεύτερον ἐνίκα, Μιλτιάδου παρʼ Ἀθηναίοις ἄρχοντος. Μάντικλος δὲ καὶ τὸ ἱερὸν Μεσσηνίοις τοῦ Ἡρακλέους ἐποίησε, καὶ ἔστιν ἐκτὸς τείχους ὁ θεὸς ἱδρυμένος, Ἡρακλῆς καλούμενος Μάντικλος, καθάπερ γε καὶ Ἄμμων ἐν Λιβύῃ καὶ ὁ ἐν Βαβυλῶνι Βῆλος ὁ μὲν ἀπὸ ἀνδρὸς Αἰγυπτίου Βήλου τοῦ Λιβύης ὄνομα ἔσχεν, Ἄμμων δὲ ἀπὸ τοῦ ἱδρυσαμένου ποιμένος. Μεσσηνίοις μὲν οὖν τοῖς φεύγουσιν ἐγεγόνει πέρας τῆς ἄλης·
The Messenians taken at Ira or elsewhere in Messenia were incorporated by the Lacedaemonians among the Helots. But when Ira was taken, the people of Pylus and Mothone and the other inhabitants of the coast sailed away to Cyllene, the port of the Elis. Thence they sent to the Messenians in Arcadia, desiring to go forth with them to seek a country in which to dwell, and requesting that Aristomenes would lead them to a new home. Aristomenes replied, that for himself so long as he lived he would make war on the Lacedaemonians, and he was sure that he would always be a thorn in the side of Sparta; but he gave them Gorgus and Manticlus to be their leaders. Euergetidas had withdrawn to Mount Lycaeus with the rest of the Messenians. But when he saw that the plan of Aristomenes for the capture of Sparta had fallen through, he prevailed on about fifty of the Messenians to return with him to Ira to attack the Lacedaemonians, and finding them still plundering he turned their joy of victory into mourning; but he perished himself. When Aristomenes had given leaders to the Messenians, he ordered every one who wished to join the colony to repair to Cyllene. All joined it except a few who were debarred by age or poverty ; these last, therefore, abode in Arcadia. 2. Ira was taken and the second war between the Lacedaemonians and the Messenians was concluded when Autosthenes was archon at Athens, in the first year of the twenty-eighth Olympiad, in which Chionis the Laconian was victorious. When the Messenians were assembled at Cyllene they resolved to winter there, and they were furnished by the Eleans with food and necessaries ; but when spring came round they deliberated where they should go. Gorgus was of opinion that they should seize Zacynthus, the island off the coast of Cephallenia, and exchanging their continental for an island home make expeditions to the coast of Laconia and ravage the country. Manticlus advised them to forget Messene and their hatred of the Lacedaemonians, and sailing to Sardinia take possession of that greatest and wealthiest of islands.
Meantime Anaxilas sent to the Messenians, inviting them to Italy. He was tyrant of Rhegium, and was the third lineal descendant of Alcidamidas, who had migrated from Messene to Rhegium after the death of King Aristodemus and the capture of Ithome. So Anaxilas sent for the Messenians. When they came he told them that the people of Zancle, who were at feud with him, possessed a fertile country and a city finely situated in Sicily, and that if the Messenians would help him to conquer Zancle, he would give them the city and its territory. They accepted the proposal, and Anaxilas transported them to Sicily. The site on which Zancle stands was originally seized by corsairs: the land was uninhabited, and they built a stronghold about the harbour, and used it as their headquarters whence they scoured sea and land. Their captains were Crataemenes, a Samian, and Perieres of Chalcis, and these men afterwards decided to invite other Greek settlers.
But now Anaxilas beat the Zancleans by sea, while the Messenians defeated them by land. So Zancle was besieged on the land side by the Messenians, and blockaded on the side of the sea by the people of Rhegium ; and when the walls fell into the hands of the enemy, the inhabitants fled for refuge to the altars and sanctuaries of the gods. Anaxilas exhorted the Messenians to kill these refugees and enslave the rest of the men together with the women and children. But Gorgus and Manticlus begged Anaxilas not to compel them to retaliate upon Greeks the cruelties which they had themselves suffered at the hands of kinsmen. Then they raised the Zancleans from the altars, and after exchanging oaths both peoples dwelt together; but they altered the name of the city from Zancle to Messene.
These events happened in the twenty-ninth Olympiad, in which Chionis the Laconian gained his second victory, when Miltiades was archon at Athens. Manticlus also founded the sanctuary of Hercules at Messene. It is outside the wall, and the god is called Hercules Manticlus, just as Bel in Babylon is named after an Egyptian man, Belus son of Libya, and as Ammon in Libya is named after […] shepherd who founded the sanctuary. Thus the banished Messenians ceased from their wanderings.
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