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chapter 1-23chapter 1chapter 2chapter 3chapter 4chapter 5chapter 6chapter 7chapter 8chapter 9chapter 10chapter 11chapter 12chapter 13chapter 14chapter 15chapter 16chapter 17chapter 18chapter 19chapter 20chapter 21chapter 22chapter 23chapter 24-6chapter 24chapter 25chapter 26chapter 27-30chapter 27chapter 28chapter 29chapter 30chapter 31-4chapter 31chapter 32chapter 33chapter 34chapter 35-9chapter 35chapter 36chapter 37chapter 39chapter 40-9chapter 40chapter 41chapter 42chapter 43chapter 44chapter 45chapter 46chapter 47chapter 48chapter 49chapter 50-5chapter 50chapter 51chapter 52chapter 53chapter 54chapter 55chapter 56-65chapter 56chapter 57chapter 59chapter 60Achapter 60Bchapter 60Cchapter 61chapter 62chapter 64chapter 65chapter 66-9chapter 66chapter 67chapter 68Achapter 68Cchapter 69chapter 70-82chapter 70chapter 71chapter 72chapter 73chapter 74chapter 75chapter 76chapter 77chapter 78chapter 79chapter 81chapter 82chapter 83-96chapter 83chapter 84chapter 85chapter 86chapter 87chapter 88chapter 89chapter 90chapter 91chapter 92chapter 93chapter 94chapter 95chapter 96chapter 97-9chapter 97chapter 98chapter 99chapter 100-2chapter 100chapter 101chapter 103chapter 104-6chapter 104chapter 105chapter 106chapter 107-12chapter 107chapter 108chapter 109chapter 110chapter 111chapter 112chapter 113-20chapter 113chapter 114chapter 115chapter 116chapter 117chapter 118chapter 119chapter 120chapter 121-5chapter 121chapter 122chapter 123chapter 124chapter 125chapter 126-9chapter 126chapter 127chapter 128chapter 129chapter 130-2chapter 130chapter 131chapter 132chapter 133-44chapter 133chapter 134chapter 135chapter 136chapter 137chapter 138chapter 140Achapter 140Bchapter 141chapter 142chapter 143chapter 144
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The Eleusinian plain lies south-west of Mount Parnes, being divided from the Attic plain by Mount Poikilon and Daphni, and bounded on the north and west by Cithaeron and the highlands of Megara. It is called Thriasian (ix. 7. β 2; Thuc. i. 114, ii. 19-21) from the important deme of Thria, which lay probably at Kalyvia, three miles east-north-east of Eleusis. The regular route from Thebes, by which the Persian infantry would naturally come, led to the Thriasian plain a little north of Eleusis. Plutarch (Them. 15) puts this vision on the day of the battle, which would thus be on the 20th Boedromion (Plut. Phocion 28, Camill. 19). It is, however, evident that Plutarch derived all the details of his account, except ‘a great light that shone from Eleusis’, from H., and that the historian believed that Dicaeus saw the portent at least a day, and perhaps several days, before the battle. Busolt (ii. 703-4) argues that the battle took place a few days after the 20th Boedromion (= Sept. 22) and some days before the eclipse (Oct. 2, 480), which prevented Cleombrotus from molesting the retreat of Xerxes (ix. 10), probably Sept. 27 or 28. τρισμυρίων. The number is the conventional estimate for the Athenian citizen-body in the days of H. (v. 97. 2 n.), since citizens were expected to accompany the procession en masse (Plut. Alc. 34). The old temple or hall of initiation destroyed by the Persians was, as is shown by excavations, only about 82 feet square, and could not hold any such number; indeed, even the larger hall begun by Pericles (about 170 feet square) only seems to have provided seats for some 3,000 on the eight tiers of steps round it (Frazer, Paus. ii. 503). Of course, many Athenians were not initiated.
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