The Twitter Herodotus

5.41 So Cleomenes was born to #2, then #1 suddenly got pregnant. She eventually had three sons, Dorieus, Leonidas, and Cleombrotus.

5.42 When Cleomenes got the kingship instead of him, Dorieus sailed off in a huff to found a colony in Libya. 2 yrs later he was driven out.

5.43 He sailed off to found a colony in Sicily instead. But first he went to Italy.

5.44 In Italy Dorieus joined Croton in a war against Sybaris. That's what the Sybarites say, at least, but the Crotoniates deny it.

5.45 Both sides offer evidence. (E.g., the Crotoniates say that if D. had helped he would have received allotments of land, but he didn't.)

5.46 Dorieus then sailed to Sicily. He and all but one of his men promptly died in battle against the Phoenicians and Egestans.

5.47 One of the men who died with Dorieus was Philippus of Croton, an Olympic victor and the handsomest man of his day.

5.48. So, Dorieus died. Had he lived, he would have ruled Sparta: Cleomenes didn't live long and he left no sons--just a daughter, Gorgo.

5.49 Aristagoras went to Cleomenes asking that the Spartans help the Ionians revolt from Persia. Cleomenes postponed answering for two days.

5.50 Two days later, hearing it would take 3 months to get from the sea to Persia's capital, Cleomenes told A. to leave: the answer was no.