Book 5
12.2
There, waiting till Darius should be sitting in state in the suburb of the Lydian city, they put on their sister the best adornment they had, and sent her to draw water, bearing a vessel on her head, leading a horse by the bridle and spinning flax at the same time.
12.3
Darius took note of the woman as she passed by him, for what she did was not in the manner of the Persians or Lydians or any of the peoples of Asia (continent)Asia. Having taken note of this, he sent some of his guards, bidding them watch what the woman would do with the horse.
12.4
They, accordingly, followed behind her, and she, coming to the river, watered the horse. When she had done this and had filled her vessel with water, she passed back again by the same way, bearing the water on her head, leading the horse on her arm, and plying her distaff.
13.1
Marvelling at what he heard from his watchers and what he saw for himself, Darius bade the woman be brought before him. When she had been brought, her brothers, who watched all this from a place nearby, came too. Darius asked of what nation she was, and the young man told him that they were Paeonians and that she was their sister.
13.2
“But who,” he answered, “are the Paeonians, and where do they dwell, and with what intent have you come to Sardis [28.0167,38.475] (Perseus) Sardis?” They told him, that they had come to be his men, that the towns of Paeonia lay on the Strymon, a river not far from the Canakkale Bogazi (strait), Canakkale, Marmara, Turkey, Asia Hellespont, and that they were colonists from the Teucrians of +Troy [26.2833,39.9167] (Perseus) Troy.
13.3
So they told him all this, and the king asked them if all the women of their country were so industrious. To this too they very readily answered (for it was for this very purpose that they had come), that it was indeed so.
