66

to defend against the Chersonites. And so they send envoys to the Chersonites, urging: "If we know that there is true love between us, and we are without deceit towards one another, let us make a marriage-alliance with each other, and give us the daughter of Lamachus, your foremost man, as a bride for the son of Asander, our lord, or take him there as a son-in-law, and we will know that we have faith in one another, with the son of the king being among you." The Chersonites say to them: "We will not consent to give our daughter to you, but if you wish to give us one of the sons of Asander, your king, as a son-in-law, we accept, on this condition, however, that the son of Asander, who comes to us for the marriage-alliance, shall no longer be able, at any time or season, to attempt to return to the Bosporans for the sake of visiting or addressing his own father, and if he wishes this, he shall surely die that very hour." And when the envoys were dismissed and had reached the land of the Bosporans and reported these things, Asander sent envoys again, saying to the Chersonites: "If you speak truly and assure me that Lamachus consents to join his daughter to my elder son, I will send him to you there for the marriage-alliance." Now Lamachus in those times, as the story goes, boasted of great wealth in both gold and silver, in male and female servants, and in various beasts of burden and many possessions, and his house occupied four city-blocks in width and length, down to what are called the Sôsoi, wherein he also had his own gate in the wall and four great gateways for entry and exit, along with other stately side-gates, so that when his beasts entered the city, each herd of animals, both horses and mares, oxen and heifers, sheep and asses, would both enter through its own gate and go to its own stall. The Chersonites therefore urged Lamachus to accept the son of Asander in a marriage-alliance. And when Lamachus assented to their plea, the son of Asander came to Cherson, and married Gykia. And after a short period of two years had passed, Lamachus died; for Gykia's mother had died previously. Gykia, therefore, after the completion of a year since her father's burial, when the anniversary day arrived, wishing to celebrate the memory of her own father, while Zethus, the son of Zethus, was then the stephanephoros and foremost man of Cherson, besought the leading men of the city to deign, without offense, to receive from her, together with all the people, wine and bread and oil, meat and fowl and delicacies, and whatever else was needed for the celebration, so that on the day of Lamachus's memorial all the citizens with their wives and children and their entire household might rejoice and be glad, each in his own city-block, and dance in public, and not touch any work at all, having arranged with the citizens under oath that for the whole time of her life she would thus give them the things for the celebration each year on the same memorial day of Lamachus. And when these things had been done and confirmed by her with an oath, her husband, the son of Asander, having a secret plot and seeking an opportunity for betrayal, having heard these things spoken by Gykia and confirmed by oath, marveled at and praised Gykia for the sworn arrangement, as one genuinely devoted to her parents, and he himself, he says, agreed to rejoice and pour libations for such an arrangement. And after this, when the memorial and the celebration had passed, he reveals to those in Bosporus through his own servant, saying to them: "I have found a method by which we are about to take Cherson without effort; you, therefore, at intervals, send me ten or twelve useful young men, besides those rowing in the ship, as if sending me guest-gifts, and while your arriving ships put in at Symbolon and remain there, I will send and bring the men who arrive

66

τῇ Χερσωνιτῶν ἀμύνασθαι. Καὶ δὴ ἀποστέλλουσιν πρέσβεις κατὰ τὴν Χερσωνιτῶν παρακαλοῦντες· "Ἐὰν οἴδαμεν, ὅτι ἀγάπη ἀληθὴς μεταξὺ ἡμῶν ἐστιν, καὶ ἀδόλως πρὸς ἀλλήλους ἔχομεν, ἐπιγαμβρεύσωμεν ἑαυτοῖς, καὶ δότε ἡμῖν εἰς νύμφην τὴν θυγατέρα Λαμάχου, τοῦ πρώτου ὑμῶν, ἕνεκεν τοῦ υἱοῦ Ἀσάνδρου, τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν, ἢ λάβετε αὐτὸν αὐτόθι εἰς γαμβρόν, καὶ οἴδαμεν, ὅτι πιστὰ ἔχομεν εἰς ἀλλήλους, τοῦ υἱοῦ τοῦ βασιλέως ὄντος μεθ' ὑμῶν." Λέγουσιν αὐτοῖς οἱ Χερσωνῖται, ὅτι· "Ἡμεῖς πρὸς ὑμᾶς θυγατέρα ἡμῶν δοῦναι οὐκ ἀνεχόμεθα, εἰ δὲ ἐκ τῶν υἱῶν Ἀσάνδρου, τοῦ βασιλέως ὑμῶν, θέλετε δοῦναι ἡμῖν εἰς γαμβρόν, δεχόμεθα, οὕτω μέντοι, μὴ δυναμένου ἔτι τοῦ υἱοῦ Ἀσάνδρου, τοῦ ἐρχομένου πρὸς ἡμᾶς ἐπιγαμβρεύσασθαι, καιρῷ ποτε ἢ χρόνῳ πειραθῆναι τοῦ ὑποστρέψαι κατὰ τὴν τῶν Βοσποριανῶν χάριν ἐπισκέψεως ἢ προσηγορίας τοῦ οἰκείου πατρός, εἰ δὲ τοῦτο βούλεται, πάντως, ὅτι τῇ ὥρᾳ ἀποθνήσκει." Τῶν δὲ πρέσβεων ἀπολυθέντων καὶ καταλαβόντων τὴν Βοσποριανῶν καὶ ταῦτα ἀναγγελλόντων, ἀπέστειλεν πάλιν ὁ Ἄσανδρος πρέσβεις, λέγων τοῖς Χερσωνίταις, ὅτι· "Ἐὰν ἀληθῶς λέγετε καὶ πιστοποιεῖτέ με, ὅτι Λάμαχος ἀνέχεται ζεῦξαι τὴν θυγατέρα αὐτοῦ τῷ μειζοτέρῳ μου υἱῷ, ἀποστελῶ ὑμῖν αὐτὸν ἐκεῖνον αὐτόθι ἐπιγαμβρεύσασθαι." Ἦν δὲ Λάμαχος τοῖς τότε καιροῖς, ὡς λόγος, πλούτῳ πολλῷ κομῶν ἔν τε χρυσίῳ καὶ ἀργυρίῳ, παισί τε καὶ παιδίσκαις καὶ ἀλόγοις διαφόροις καὶ κτήμασι πολλοῖς, καὶ τέσσαρσι δὲ ῥεγεῶσι τὸν οἶκον αὐτοῦ ἐπικρατεῖν ἐν πλάτει καὶ μήκει ἕως κάτω τῶν λεγομένων Σωσῶν, ἐν οἷς καὶ ἰδίαν πύλην εἶχεν ἐν τῷ τείχει καὶ τέσσαρας πυλεῶνας μεγάλους εἰς τὴν εἴσοδον καὶ τὴν ἔξοδον σὺν ἑτέροις δὲ παραπυλίοις σεμνοῖς, ὥστε εἰσερχομένων τῶν ἀλόγων αὐτοῦ ἐν τῇ πόλει, ἑκάστην ἀγέλην ζώων, ἵππων τε καὶ φορβάδων, βοῶν τε καὶ δαμάλεων, προβάτων τε καὶ ὄνων καὶ δι' ἰδίας πύλης εἰσιέναι καὶ εἰς ἰδίαν στάσιν ἀπιέναι. Παρεκάλεσαν οὖν οἱ Χερσωνῖται τὸν Λάμαχον, ἐφ' ᾧ τε ἐπιγαμβρεύσασθαι αὐτὸν τὸν τοῦ Ἀσάνδρου υἱόν. Τοῦ δὲ Λαμάχου ἐπινεύσαντος τῇ παρακλήσει αὐτῶν, ἦλθεν ὁ τοῦ Ἀσάνδρου υἱὸς ἐν τῇ Χερσῶνι, καὶ ἔγημεν τὴν Γυκίαν. Καὶ διετοῦς μικροῦ χρόνου διαγενομένου, ἐτελεύτησεν ὁ Λάμαχος· ἡ γὰρ μήτηρ τῆς Γυκίας προτελευτήσασα ἦν. Ἡ οὖν Γυκία μετὰ τὴν τοῦ ἐνιαυτοῦ περαίωσιν τῆς τοῦ πατρὸς ταφῆς, τῆς ἐνιαυσιαίας ἡμέρας ἐνστάσης, τὴν μνήμην θέλουσα φαιδρῦναι τοῦ ἰδίου πατρός, στεφανηφοροῦντος τότε καὶ πρωτεύοντος τῆς Χερσῶνος Ζήθου, τοῦ Ζήθονος, παρεκάλεσεν τοῖς προύχουσι τῆς πόλεως, ἐφ' ᾧ τε ἄνευ ὕβρεως ἀνεχθῆναι αὐτοὺς τοῦ λαβεῖν παρ' αὐτῆς σὺν παντὶ τῷ δήμῳ οἶνόν τε καὶ ἄρτους καὶ ἔλαιον, κρέα τε καὶ ὄρνεα καὶ ὄψα, καὶ εἴ τι ἕτερον πρὸς τὴν τῆς εὐφρασίας χρείαν, πρὸς τὸ τὴν ἡμέραν τῆς μνήμης τοῦ Λαμάχου ἅπαντας τοὺς πολίτας σὺν γυναιξὶν καὶ τέκνοις καὶ πάσῃ τῇ φαμιλίᾳ αὐτῶν εὐφρανθῆναι καὶ ἀγάλλεσθαι, ἕκαστον ἐν τῷ ἰδίῳ ῥεγεῶνι καὶ δημοσίᾳ χορεύειν καὶ ἔργου τινὸς τὸ σύνολον μὴ ἅψασθαι, συνταξαμένη τοῖς πολίταις ἐν ὅρκῳ, ἐφ' ᾧ τε ἅπαντα τὸν χρόνον τῆς ζωῆς αὐτῆς οὕτω τὰ τῆς εὐφρασίας καθ' ἕκαστον χρόνον διδόναι αὐτοῖς ἐν τῇ αὐτῇ τοῦ Λαμάχου μνήμῃ. Τούτων δὲ οὕτως γενομένων καὶ ἐν ὅρκῳ ὑπ' αὐτῆς παγιωθέντων, ὁ ταύτης ἀνήρ, ὁ τοῦ Ἀσάνδρου υἱός, ἔχων ἐν κρυπτῷ τὸν δόλον καὶ ἐπιζητῶν καιρὸν προδοσίας, ἀκούσας ταῦτα τὰ παρὰ τῆς Γυκίας λεχθέντα καὶ ἐν ὅρκῳ παγιωθέντα, ἐθαύμασε μὲν καὶ ἐπῄνεσεν τὴν Γυκίαν ἐπὶ τῇ ἐνόρκῳ συντάξει, ὡς γνησίως περὶ τοὺς γονεῖς ἔχουσαν, συνθέμενος δὲ καὶ αὐτός, φησί, χαίρειν καὶ σπένδειν ἐπὶ τῇ τοιαύτῃ συντάξει. Καὶ μετὰ τοῦτο παρελθούσης τῆς μνήμης καὶ τῆς εὐφρασίας, δηλοῖ τοῖς ἐν Βοσπόρῳ δι' οἰκείου παιδὸς λέγων αὐτοῖς, ὅτι· "Εὗρον μέθοδον, δι' ἧς ἀκόπως τὴν Χερσῶνα μέλλομεν παραλαβεῖν· ὑμεῖς οὖν ἐκ διαλειμμάτων ἀποστέλλετέ μοι δέκα ἢ δώδεκα νεωτέρους χρησίμους ἐκτὸς τῶν ἐν τῷ καράβῳ ἐλαυνόντων ὡς δῆθεν ξένιά μοι πέμποντες, ἐν Συμβόλῳ δὲ παραβαλλόντων τῶν ἐρχομένων καράβων ὑμῶν καὶ ἐκεῖ μενόντων, ἐμοῦ δὲ πέμποντος καὶ δι' ἵππων φέροντος τοὺς ἐρχομένους