was the
brother of king Dareios and the son of Hystaspes, the son of Arsames;
and he in giving his daughter in marriage to Dareios gave also with her
all his substance, because she was his only child.

225. Two brothers of Xerxes, I say, fell here fighting; and meanwhile
over the body of Leonidas there arose a great struggle between the
Persians and the Lacedemonians, until the Hellenes by valour dragged
this away from the enemy and turned their opponents to flight four
times. This conflict continued until those who had gone with Epialtes
came up; and when the Hellenes learnt that these had come, from that
moment the nature of the combat was changed; for they retired backwards
to the narrow part of the way, and having passed by the wall they went
and placed themselves upon the hillock, 227 all in a body together
except only the Thebans: now this hillock is in the entrance, where
now the stone lion is placed for Leonidas. On this spot while defending
themselves with daggers, that is those who still had them left, and also
with hands and with teeth, they were overwhelmed by the missiles of
the Barbarians, some of these having followed directly after them and
destroyed the fence of the wall, while others had come round and stood
about them on all sides.

226. Such were the proofs of valour given by the Lacedemonians and
Thespians; yet the Spartan Dienekes is said to have proved himself
the best man of all, the same who, as they report, uttered this saying
before they engaged battle with the Medes:--being informed by one of
the men of Trachis that when the Barbarians discharged their arrows they
obscured the light of the sun by the multitude of the arrows, so great
was the number of their host, he was not dismayed by this, but making
small account of the number of the Medes, he said that their guest from
Trachis brought them very good news, for if the Medes obscured the light
of the sun, the battle against them would be in the shade and not in the
sun.

227. This and other sayings of this kind they report that Dienekes the
Lacedemonian left as memorials of himself; and after him the bravest
they say of the Lacedemonians were two brothers Alpheos and Maron, sons
of Orsiphantos. Of the Thespians the man who gained most honour was
named Dithyrambos son of Harmatides.

228. The men were buried were they fell; and for these, as well as for
those who were slain before being sent away 228 by Leonidas, there is an
inscription