ents. The common treasury was at
Delos, and the congresses were held in the temple. Their supremacy
commenced with independent allies who acted on the resolutions of a
common congress. It was marked by the following undertakings in war and
in administration during the interval between the Median and the present
war, against the barbarian, against their own rebel allies, and against
the Peloponnesian powers which would come in contact with them on
various occasions. My excuse for relating these events, and for
venturing on this digression, is that this passage of history has been
omitted by all my predecessors, who have confined themselves either
to Hellenic history before the Median War, or the Median War itself.
Hellanicus, it is true, did touch on these events in his Athenian
history; but he is somewhat concise and not accurate in his dates.
Besides, the history of these events contains an explanation of the
growth of the Athenian empire.

First the Athenians besieged and captured Eion on the Strymon from the
Medes, and made slaves of the inhabitants, being under the command of
Cimon, son of Miltiades. Next they enslaved Scyros, the island in the
Aegean, containing a Dolopian population, and colonized it themselves.
This was followed by a war against Carystus, in which the rest of Euboea
remained neutral, and which was ended by surrender on conditions. After
this Naxos left the confederacy, and a war ensued, and she had to return
after a siege; this was the first instance of the engagement being
broken by the subjugation of an allied city, a precedent which
was followed by that of the rest in the order which circumstances
prescribed. Of all the causes of defection, that connected with arrears
of tribute and vessels, and with failure of service, was the chief;
for the Athenians were very severe and exacting, and made themselves
offensive by applying the screw of necessity to men who were not used
to and in fact not disposed for any continuous labour. In some other
respects the Athenians were not the old popular rulers they had been
at first; and if they had more than their fair share of service, it
was correspondingly easy for them to reduce any that tried to leave the
confederacy. For this the allies had themselves to blame; the wish to
get off service making most of them arrange to pay their share of the
expense in money instead of in ships, and so to avoid having to leave
their homes. Thus while Athens was increasin