The Twitter Herodotus

7.141 A 2nd oracle told them that only a wall of wood would help them, and that the island of Salamis would destroy many children of women.

7.142 Two readings of the oracle prevailed: the wooden wall was the Acropolis or the fleet. But if the fleet, why the warning re. Salamis?

7.143 Themistocles suggested that Salamis would prove baneful to *enemy* children of women, not to the Athenians. Plus, wooden wall = fleet.

7.144 It was Themistocles who'd persuaded the Athenians to use surplus $ from the mines to build ships--w/which they'd now confront Xerxes.

7.145 The Greeks met & resolved to: 1. end their in-fighting, 2. send spies to Persia, & 3. send envoys to Argos, Sicily, Corcyra, & Crete.

7.146 The 3 men sent to Asia as spies were caught. They would have been executed, but Xerxes put a stop to it and had them shown everything.

7.147 Xerxes wanted the spies to return home and report on the size of his forces. That way many of the Greeks would surrender w/o a fight.

7.148 The envoys sent to Argos were told the Argives would join in fighting Persia if they were given leadership of half the Greek league.

7.149 The Spartans offered instead to give Argos' king a vote equal to 1 of their kings, but the Argives refused & kicked them out of Argos.

7.150 That's the Argives' story. But some say they had an agreement with Xerxes & used the leadership issue as a pretext to remain neutral.