Themistocles

Family: Athenian · Role: Athenian · First appears: Book 7 · §143–148

Themistocles, son of Neocles, persuaded the Athenians to use the treasury money to build two hundred ships and prepare for a sea-fight against the Persians. When the Hellenes resolved to guard Thermopylai and send their fleet to Artemision, he later accepted thirty talents from the Euboeans to keep the fleet at Euboea. There he gave Eurybiades five talents to change his decision and sent Adeimantos three talents of silver; the fleet stayed and fought.

At Salamis, after Mnesiphilos urged him to try to reverse the decision to sail for the Isthmus, Themistocles persuaded Eurybiades to remain and fight. When his counsel risked being defeated, he secretly sent Sikinnos, his servant and tutor to his children, to tell the Persian commanders that the Hellenes planned to flee. After the Persian fleet encircled the Hellenes, Aristeides arrived and reported that they could not sail away. Themistocles told him that the encirclement had been his suggestion, intended to bring the Hellenes to battle. After these events, he made Sikinnos a Thespian citizen and wealthy. In a later account, Timodemos of Aphidnai, one of his opponents, attacked him over his journey to Lacedemon.