ry man as he passed out by it place one stone in this
appointed place: and when the army had performed this, then he marched
away his army leaving behind great mounds of these stones.

93. But before he came to the Ister he conquered first the Getai, who
believe in immortality: for the Thracians who occupy Salmydessos and
are settled above the cities of Apollonian and Mesambria, called the
Kyrmianai 90 and the Nipsaioi, delivered themselves over to Dareios
without fighting; but the Getai, who are the bravest and the most
upright in their dealings of all the Thracians, having betaken
themselves to obstinacy were forthwith subdued.

94. And their belief in immortality is of this kind, that is to say,
they hold that they do not die, but that he who is killed goes to
Salmoxis, 91 a divinity, 92 whom some of them call Gebeleizis; and at
intervals of four years 93 they send one of themselves, whomsoever
the lot may select, as a messenger to Salmoxis, charging him with
such requests as they have to make on each occasion; and they send him
thus:--certain of them who are appointed for this have three javelins,
and others meanwhile take hold on both sides of him who is being sent to
Salmoxis, both by his hands and his feet, and first they swing him up,
then throw him into the air so as to fall upon the spear-points: and
if when he is pierced through he is killed, they think that the god is
favourable to them; but if he is not killed, they find fault with the
messenger himself, calling him a worthless man, and then having
found fault with him they send another: and they give him the charge
beforehand, while he is yet alive. These same Thracians also shoot
arrows up towards the sky when thunder and lightning come, and use
threats to the god, not believing that there exists any other god except
their own.

95. This Salmoxis I hear from the Hellenes who dwell about the
Hellespont and the Pontus, was a man, and he became a slave in Samos,
and was in fact a slave of Pythagoras the son of Mnesarchos. Then having
become free he gained great wealth, and afterwards returned to his
own land: and as the Thracians both live hardly and are rather
simple-minded, this Salmoxis, being acquainted with the Ionian way of
living and with manners more cultivated 94 than the Thracians were used
to see, since he had associated with Hellenes (and not only that but
with Pythagoras, not the least able philosopher 95 of the Hellenes),
prepared a banqueti