The Twitter Herodotus

9.1 When Mardonius received the Athenians’ response from Alexander, he set out against Athens from Thessaly, drafting more men en route.

9.2 When he got to Boeotia the Thebans suggested he make Thebes his base & that he take Greece w/o a fight by bribing various Greek leaders.

9.3 But Mardonius yearned to take Athens a 2nd time. When he did, he found it deserted. This was 9 months after he'd first taken the city.

9.4 While in Athens, Mardonius sent a messenger to the Athenians at Salamis to offer an alliance on the same terms he'd offered before.

9.5 M's messenger spoke to Athens' councilors, one of whom suggested they consider the matter. The Athenians stoned him & his fam. to death.

9.6 The Athenians had crossed to Salamis when Mardonius was in Boeotia, and they complained to the Spartans as they hadn't yet sent an army.

9.7 (The wall across the Isthmus was still under construction.) Athens' messengers addressed Sparta's ephors & asked them to send help ASAP.

9.8 The Spartans continually postponed responding to the Athenians, for 10 days in all, while they feverishly worked on the Isthmus wall.

9.9 Finally a Tegean man pointed out that, w/o Athens, Sparta would be vulnerable to invasion by sea however many walls crossed the Isthmus.

9.10 Secretly, that very night, the Spartans sent off an army of 5000 Spartiates under the command of the regent Pausanias and Euryanax.