Pausanias Analysis

In the eleventh year of the siege, it was fated that Eira should be captured and the Messenians driven from their land. Indeed, the god fulfilled an oracle delivered earlier to Aristomenes and Theoclus. After their defeat at the trench, they traveled to Delphi and consulted the oracle concerning their safety, and the Pythia replied only this: "When a he-goat drinks the winding waters of the Neda, no longer shall I guard Messene, for destruction is near."

The sources of the river Neda lie on Mount Lycaeus. Starting from there, the river flows first through Arcadia and then turns again towards Messenia, marking along the coast the boundary between the territories of the Messenians and the Eleans. At that time, the Messenians were afraid lest the male goats should drink from the Neda, but a divine sign foretold for them the following: There is a certain tree called by some of the Greeks "olynthos" (wild fig), though the Messenians themselves name it "tragos" (goat). At that time, a fig tree near the Neda grew not vertically straight, but bent towards the river current so that with the tips of its branches it touched the water.

The seer Theoclus, having observed this, understood that the goat drinking from the river Neda corresponded to the oracle of the Pythia concerning this fig tree, and declared that the time of destiny had now arrived for the Messenians. To all others he kept the matter secret, but he brought Aristomenes to the fig tree and instructed him that the time of their deliverance had come. Aristomenes was thus persuaded that it was so, and concluded there could be no further delay, perceiving clearly the necessity from their present circumstances.

Indeed, the Messenians had a certain secret object; and its disappearance would, it was said, plunge Messene underwater, hiding the city forever. But if guarded safely, according to the oracles of Lycus, son of Pandion, the Messenians would someday regain their land. Aristomenes, aware of these prophecies, took it away at nightfall. Reaching the most deserted spot of Mount Ithome, he buried it there, within the mountain. He then entreated Zeus of Ithome and the gods who had protected the Messenians up to that time to remain guardians of this buried treasure, and pleaded with them not to let the Spartans extinguish this sole remaining hope for the Messenians' return.

After this, troubles began to afflict the Messenians arising from adultery, much as they had formerly afflicted the Trojans. They still remained superior, since they held control of both the mountain and the area toward Eira as far as the Neda River; and some of them had dwellings even outside of their gate. No one else had deserted to them from Laconia, except only a herdsman, a slave belonging to Emperamus, who had driven his master's cattle over to them. Emperamus was a distinguished man in Sparta.

This herdsman was pasturing his cattle not far from the Neda river. He saw the wife of a certain Messenian man who lived outside the walls coming to draw water; struck by desire, he dared to address her, and after giving her gifts, he lay with her. From that time forth, he watched closely for whenever her husband went away to the guard-station. Indeed, the Messenians kept watch over the citadel by turns, since at that point especially they feared that their enemies might climb in and invade their city. Thus whenever this man left, the herdsman would then visit the woman.

And once it happened that a guard post at that place had fallen to him and others during the night. It happened also that the god sent down heavy rain, and the Messenians abandoned their guard-post; for the water, pouring from heaven abundantly, overwhelmed them. Moreover, neither parapets nor towers had been built due to the haste of the fortification, and they did not expect that the Lacedaemonians would move against them on a gloomy and such stormy night.

A few days earlier Aristomenes had rescued a certain merchant from Cephallenia—his guest-friend and supplier bringing into Eira all the supplies they required—who had been captured by the Lacedaemonians and the Apteraian archers under the Spartan leader Euryalus. While rescuing this Cephallenian and the goods he was bringing, Aristomenes himself was wounded, so severely that he could no longer perform his customary visits to the sentries. This was the most significant reason for the fall of the acropolis.

Each of the others withdrew from the watch-post, as did likewise the husband of the woman whom the herdsman was seducing. At that time she had the herdsman indoors with her; sensing her husband's arrival, she immediately concealed the man as quickly as possible. When her husband entered, she greeted him more affectionately than ever before and asked the reason for his return. He, knowing neither of his wife's adultery nor of the herdsman's presence inside, answered truthfully. He explained that he himself, as well as each one of the others, had abandoned their post due to the severity of the rainstorm.

The herdsman listened secretly while he spoke, and after learning every detail thoroughly, again deserted from the Messenians back to the Lacedaemonians. Now the kings of the Lacedaemonians were at that time absent from the camp, but Emperamus, the herdsman's master, acting as polemarch, was stationed before Eira. After coming to him, the herdsman first sought forgiveness for his earlier desertion, then informed him precisely how they could now best capture Eira, relating exactly each detail he had discovered from the Messenian.