τότε δὲ ἀπεληλυθότων Ἰώνων τήν τε γῆν οἱ Ἀχαιοὶ τὴν Ἰώνων διελάγχανον καὶ ἐσῳκίζοντο ἐς τὰς πόλεις. αἱ δὲ δύο τε καὶ δέκα ἦσαν ἀριθμόν, ὁπόσαι γε καὶ ἐς ἅπαν τὸ Ἑλληνικὸν γνώριμοι, Δύμη μὲν πρὸς Ἤλιδος πρώτη, μετὰ δὲ αὐτὴν Ὤλενος καὶ Φαραὶ καὶ Τρίτεια καὶ Ῥύπες καὶ Αἴγιον καὶ Κερύνεια καὶ Βοῦρα, ἐπὶ ταύταις δὲ Ἑλίκη καὶ Αἰγαί τε καὶ Αἴγειρα καὶ Πελλήνη πρὸς τῆς Σικυωνίας ἐσχάτη· ἐς ταύτας οἱ Ἀχαιοὶ καὶ οἱ βασιλεῖς αὐτῶν ἐσῳκίζοντο πρότερον ἔτι ὑπὸ Ἰώνων οἰκουμένας.
ἦσαν δὲ οἱ τὸ μέγιστον ἐν τοῖς Ἀχαιοῖς ἔχοντες κράτος οἵ τε Τισαμενοῦ παῖδες Δαϊμένης καὶ Σπάρτων καὶ Τέλλις τε καὶ Λεοντομένης· Κομήτης δὲ ὁ πρεσβύτατος τῶν Τισαμενοῦ παίδων πρότερον ἔτι διεβεβήκει ναυσὶν ἐς τὴν Ἀσίαν. οὗτοί τε δὴ τηνικαῦτα ἐν τοῖς Ἀχαιοῖς ἐδυνάστευον καὶ Δαμασίας ὁ Πενθίλου τοῦ Ὀρέστου, τοῖς Τισαμενοῦ παισὶν ἀνεψιὸς πρὸς πατρός. ἴσχυον δὲ ἐπʼ ἴσης τοῖς κατειλεγμένοις καὶ Ἀχαιῶν τῶν ἐκ Λακεδαίμονος Πρευγένης καὶ ὁ υἱός, ὄνομα δέ οἱ ἦν Πατρεύς· καί σφισιν ὑπὸ τῶν Ἀχαιῶν ἐδόθη κτίσασθαι πόλιν ἐν τῇ χώρᾳ, καὶ τὸ ὄνομα ἀπὸ τοῦ Πατρέως ἐτέθη τῇ πόλει.
τὰ δὲ ἐς πόλεμον τοιάδε ἦν τοῖς Ἀχαιοῖς. κατὰ μὲν τὴν ἐς Ἴλιον ἐπιστρατείαν Ἀγαμέμνονος Λακεδαίμονα ἔτι καὶ Ἄργος οἰκοῦντες μεγίστη τοῦ Ἑλληνικοῦ μοῖρα ἦσαν· κατὰ δὲ τὴν Ξέρξου καὶ Μήδων ἐπὶ τὴν Ἑλλάδα οὔτε Λεωνίδᾳ τῆς ἐξόδου τῆς ἐς Θερμοπύλας εἰσὶν οἱ Ἀχαιοὶ δῆλοι μετεσχηκότες οὔτε Ἀθηναίοις ὁμοῦ καὶ Θεμιστοκλεῖ πρὸς Εὐβοίᾳ καὶ Σαλαμῖνι ναυμαχήσαντες, οὐδὲ σφᾶς κατάλογος συμμάχων ἔχει Λακωνικὸς ἢ Ἀττικός.
ὑστέρησαν δὲ καὶ ἔργου τοῦ Πλαταιᾶσι· δῆλα γὰρ δὴ ὅτι ἐπὶ τῷ ἀναθήματι τῷ ἐν Ὀλυμπίᾳ τῶν Ἑλλήνων μετῆν ἂν καὶ Ἀχαιοῖς γεγράφθαι. δοκεῖν δέ μοι τὰς πατρίδας τε ὑπολειφθέντες ἕκαστοι τὰς αὑτῶν ἔσωζον καὶ ἅμα διὰ τὸ ἔργον τὸ πρὸς Τροίαν Λακεδαιμονίους Δωριεῖς ἀπηξίουν σφίσιν ἡγεῖσθαι. ἐδήλωσαν δὲ καὶ ἀνὰ χρόνον· Λακεδαιμονίων γὰρ ἐς τὸν πρὸς Ἀθηναίους πόλεμον καταστάντων ὕστερον, ἐς τὴν συμμαχίαν ἦσαν οἱ Ἀχαιοὶ πρόθυμοι Πατρεῦσι, καὶ ἐς τοὺς Ἀθηναίους οὐχ ἧσσον εἶχον γνώμην.
πολέμων δὲ τῶν πολεμηθέντων ὕστερον ὑπὸ τοῦ Ἕλλησι κοινοῦ τοῦ μὲν ἐν Χαιρωνείᾳ Φιλίππου τε ἐναντία καὶ Μακεδόνων οἱ Ἀχαιοὶ μετέσχον, ἐς δὲ τὴν Θεσσαλίαν καὶ ἐπὶ τὸν πρὸς Λαμίᾳ καλούμενον πόλεμον οὔ φασιν ἐκστρατεύσασθαι, οὐ γάρ πω μετὰ τὸ πταῖσμα ἀνενηνοχέναι τὸ ἐν Βοιωτοῖς· ὁ δὲ τῶν ἐπιχωρίων Πατρεῦσιν ἐξηγητὴς τὸν παλαιστὴν Χίλωνα Ἀχαιῶν μόνον μετασχεῖν ἔφασκε τοῦ ἔργου τοῦ περὶ Λάμιαν.
οἶδα δὲ καὶ ἄνδρα αὐτὸς Λυδὸν Ἄδραστον ἰδίᾳ καὶ οὐκ ἀπὸ τοῦ κοινοῦ τοῦ Λυδῶν ἀμύναντα Ἕλλησι· τοῦ δὲ Ἀδράστου τούτου χαλκῆν εἰκόνα ἀνέθεσαν οἱ Λυδοὶ πρὸ ἱεροῦ Περσικῆς Ἀρτέμιδος, καὶ ἔγραψαν ἐπίγραμμα ὡς τελευτήσειεν ὁ Ἄδραστος ἐναντίον Λεοννάτῳ μαχόμενος ὑπὲρ Ἑλλήνων.
ἡ δὲ ἐς Θερμοπύλας ἐπὶ τὴν Γαλατῶν στρατιὰν ἔξοδος καὶ τοῖς πᾶσιν ὁμοίως παρώφθη Πελοποννησίοις· ἅτε γὰρ πλοῖα οὐκ ἐχόντων τῶν βαρβάρων, δεινὸν ἔσεσθαί σφισιν ἀπʼ αὐτῶν οὐδὲν ἤλπιζον, εἰ τὸν Κορινθίων ἰσθμὸν ἐκ θαλάσσης τῆς κατὰ Λέχαιον ἀποτειχίσειαν ἐς τὴν ἑτέραν τὴν ἐπὶ Κεγχρέαις θάλασσαν.
τοῦτο μὲν δὴ Πελοποννησίων ἦν τότε ἁπάντων βούλευμα· ἐπεὶ δὲ Γαλάται ναυσὶν ὅντινα δὴ τρόπον διαβεβήκεσαν ἐς τὴν Ἀσίαν, ἐνταῦθα εἶχεν οὕτω τὰ Ἑλλήνων. προεστήκεσαν κατʼ ἰσχὺν οὐδένες ἔτι τοῦ Ἑλληνικοῦ· Λακεδαιμονίους μὲν γὰρ τὸ ἐν Λεύκτροις πταῖσμα καὶ ἅμα οἵ τε Ἀρκάδες συνεληλυθότες ἐς Μεγάλην πόλιν καὶ οἱ Μεσσήνιοι παροικοῦντες ἀνασώσασθαι τὴν προτέραν ἔτι εὐδαιμονίαν ἐκώλυον·
Θηβαίοις δὲ ἐς τοσοῦτο ἠρήμωσεν Ἀλέξανδρος τὴν πόλιν, ὡς ἔτεσιν ὕστερον οὐ πολλοῖς καταχθέντας ὑπὸ Κασσάνδρου μηδὲ σώζειν τὰ οἰκεῖα ἀξιόχρεως εἶναι· Ἀθηναίοις δὲ εὔνοια μὲν παρὰ τοῦ Ἑλληνικοῦ τῶν ἔργων μάλιστα ὑπῆρχε τῶν ὕστερον, ἀναπαύσασθαι δὲ οὔ ποτε ἐκ τοῦ Μακεδόνων πολέμου παρῆν αὐτοῖς.
When the Ionians were gone the Achaeans divided their land among themselves and settled in the cities. These cities, or at least those which were known to all the Greek world, were twelve in number: Dyme, the nearest to Elis; next Olenus, Pharae, Tritia, Rhypes, Aegium, Cerynea, Bura, also Helice, Aegae, and Aegira, and Pellene, the last town in the direction of Sicyonia. In these cities, which had been previously inhabited by the Ionians, the Achaeans and their kings settled.
The most powerful leaders of the Achaeans were the sons of Tisamenus, to wit, Daimenes, Sparton, Tellis, and Leontomenes. But Cometes, the eldest of the sons of Tisamenus, had previously crossed the sea to Asia. Besides these chiefs of the Achaeans there was also Damasias, son of Penthilus, son of Orestes: he was cousin to the sons of Tisamenus on his father’s side. Of equal power with those I have mentioned were Preugenes and his son Patreus. They belonged to the Achaeans of Lacedaemon, and were allowed by the Achaeans to found a city in the land, and the city was named after Patreus.
The wars of the Achaeans are as follows. At the time of Agamemnon’s expedition to Ilium they still dwelt in Lacedaemon and Argos, and formed the greatest portion of the Grecian host. But when the Medes under Xerxes invaded Greece, the Achaeans are not known to have shared in the march of Leonidas to Thermopylae, nor to have helped Themistocles and the Athenians at the sea-fights of Euboea and Salamis, and their name does not appear in the list either of the Lacedaemonian or of the Athenian allies. They were also absent from the battle of Plataea, else the name of the Achaeans would have been graved with the rest on the votive offering of the Greeks at Olympia. I suppose that they stayed at home to guard their native towns, and that, moreover, remembering the Trojan war they disdained to be led by the Dorians of Lacedaemon. This they showed in course of time. For when the Lacedaemonians afterwards went to war with the Athenians, the Achaeans were warm allies of the Patreans, and they were not less friendly to the Athenians. In the later Greek wars the Achaeans took part in the battle of Chaeronea against Philip and the Macedonians, but they say they did not march into Thessaly to join in the war known as the Lamian war, alleging that they had not yet recovered from the disaster in Boeotia.
The guide at Patrae said that the wrestler Chilon was the only Achaean who took part in the fighting at Lamia. I myself know of a Lydian, Adrastus by name, who fought on the Greek side as a volunteer without the sanction of the Lydian community. But the Lydians set up a bronze statue of him in front of the sanctuary of Persian Artemis, and they carved an inscription on it, setting forth how he fell fighting for Greece against Leonnatus. The march to Thermopylae to meet the army of the Gauls was taken as little notice of by the Achaeans as by the rest of the Peloponnesians ; for as the barbarians had no ships, the Peloponnesians thought that if only they fortified the Isthmus of Corinth from the one sea at Lechaeum to the other sea at Cenchreae, they would have nothing to fear from the Gauls. 5. Such was the policy adopted by all the Peloponnesians at the time of the Gallic war. But when the Gauls had somehow succeeded in crossing the sea to Asia, the condition of Greece was this. There was no longer any state strong enough to take the lead. For the defeat at Leuctra, the consolidation of Arcadia at Megalopolis, and the settlement of the Messenians on her flank, still forbade Sparta to retrieve her shattered fortunes. As for Thebes, so low had the city been laid by Alexander, that when a few years afterwards the people were brought back by Cassander, they were unable even to hold their own. Athens, it is true, had earned the good-will of Greece, especially by her later exploits, but she was never able to recover from the effects of the war with Macedonia.
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