[148] In speaking of Doris, Herodotus says: Ή δὲ χώρη αὕτη ἐστὶ μητρόπολις Δωριέων τῶν ἐν Πελοποννήσῳ. That the land had a Dorian population in the fifth century B.C. is undoubtedly the case; but its claim to be metropolis of the Dorians of the south was in all probability set up by the Spartan authorities, as affording a convenient pretext for interference in Greek affairs north of Isthmus. It is probable that this corner of Greece, of which the Malian plain was the centre, contained patches of various peoples which had in different ages traversed the peninsula, or which had been driven into its mountain fastnesses by the passage of invaders:—Dorians, Œtæans, Trachinians, etc., were probably such remains of larger tribes.
[149] Herodotus seems from his language to assume (viii. 31) that the whole army had come south by the Dorian route. That is, either a mistake; or, more probably, the impression his language gives is due to a mere omission. Few details are given of any part of the route of the army.
[150] The position at Delphi, from a military point of view, is by no means weak, provided Amphissa be occupied, and the great pass from the north be thus closed. Under those circumstances, unless the assailant is in a position to land troops at the head of the Krissæan gulf, the only line of attack is along this easily defensible path from the west. It is imaginable that Xerxes, knowing it to be an open town, under-estimated the difficulty of its capture.
[151] Pogon is an almost land-locked harbour between the island of Kalauria and the mainland.
A Comparison of the Lists of Vessels at Artemisium and Salamis respectively.
T. = trireme; P. = pentekonters.
| Artemisium. | Salamis. | |
|---|---|---|
| Athenians (some Platæans in crews at Artemisium) | {127 T. 53 T. later} 180 T. | 180 T. |
| Corinthians | 40 T. | 40 T. |
| Megareans | 20 T. | 20 T. |
| Chalkidians in Athenian ships | 20 T. | 20 T. |
| Æginetans | 18 T. | 30 T. |
| Sikyonians | 12 T. | 15 T. |
| Lacedæmonians | 10 T. | 16 T. |
| Epidaurians | 8 T. | 10 T. |
| Eretrians | 7 T. | 7 T. |
| Trœzenians | 5 T. | 5 T. |
| Styreans | 2 T. | 2 T. |
| Keians | 2 T.; 2 P. | 2 T.; 2 P. |
| Opuntian Locrians | 7 P. | — |
| Hermionians | — | 3 T. |
| Ambrakiots | — | 7 T. |
| Leukadians | — | 3 T. |
| Naxians | — | 4 T. |
| Kythnians | — | 1 T.; 1 P. |
| Krotonians | — | 1 T. |
| Malians | — | 2 P. |
| Siphnians | — | 1 P. |
| Seriphians | — | 1 P. |
| 324 T.; 9 P. | 366 T.; 7 P. |
Æschylus gives 310 as the number of the Greek fleet. Valuable as is the testimony of the poet with regard to those incidents in the battle which he observed as an eye-witness, his evidence on the dry question of numbers is not likely to be exact.
[153] She did, indeed, send sixty vessels, to observe, so said the patriot Greeks, how the war went, but not with any intention of taking part therein. The Corcyræans’ own excuse for their non-participation was that their fleet had been unable to round Malea.