at Alopecai in Attica, near the
temple of Heracles which is at Kynosarges.

64. After this the Lacedemonians equipped a larger expedition and sent
it forth against Athens; and they appointed to be commander of the army
their king Cleomenes the son of Anaxandrides, and sent it this time
not by sea but by land. With these, when they had invaded the land of
Attica, first the Thessalian horse engaged battle; and in no long time
they were routed and there fell of them more than forty men; so the
survivors departed without more ado and went straight back to Thessaly.
Then Cleomenes came to the city together with those of the Athenians
who desired to be free, and began to besiege the despots shut up in the
Pelasgian wall.

64. And the Lacedemonians would never have captured the sons of
Peisistratos at all; for they on their side had no design to make a long
blockade, and the others were well provided with food and drink; so that
they would have gone away back to Sparta after besieging them for a few
days only: but as it was, a thing happened just at this time which was
unfortunate for those, and at the same time of assistance to these;
for the children of the sons of Peisistratos were captured, while being
secretly removed out of the country: and when this happened, all their
matters were thereby cast into confusion, and they surrendered receiving
back their children on the terms which the Athenians desired, namely
that they should depart out of Attica within five days. After this they
departed out of the country and went to Sigeion on the Scamander, after
their family had ruled over the Athenians for six-and-thirty years.
These also were originally Pylians and sons of Neleus, descended from
the same ancestors as the family of Codros and Melanthos, who had
formerly become kings of Athens being settlers from abroad. Hence too
Hippocrates had given to his son the name of Peisistratos as a memorial,
calling him after Peisistratos the son of Nestor.

Thus the Athenians were freed from despots; and the things worthy to be
narrated which they did or suffered after they were liberated, up to the
time when Ionia revolted from Dareios and Aristagoras the Milesian
came to Athens and asked them to help him, these I will set forth first
before I proceed further.

66. Athens, which even before that time was great, then, after having
been freed from despots, became gradually yet greater; and in it two men
exercised power, namely Cleisth