—The Phocaean Exodus— PART II
The city of Phocaea was abandoned to the Persians, it’s inhabitants fled west to Italy and Gaul where they would establish Greek colonies further than anyone before them.
After abandoning Phocaea they made common cause to set sail for the polis of Alalia, a city in Corsica they had set up whilst pioneering new trade avenues at the request of the Oracle of Delphi only twenty years before. When they finally came to Corsica they lived there for five years as one community with those who had come first, and they founded temples there.
Before long the restless Phocaeans harassed and plundered all their neighbors about Alalia setting themselves up as masters over the island and treating the natives as subordinates. This action put them on a collision course with the superpowers of the time. Fearing that the presence of the warlike Greeks might upset the delicate balance of trade in the region. The Carthaginians and Etruscans made an alliance against the unwelcome Phocaean Invaders and set about making plans to dislodge them from the region.
—A Cadmean Victory—
Carthage and the Etruscans sent a combined Armada of 120 warships to deal with the Phocean menace. The Phoceans were greatly outnumbered having only 60 vessels at it’s disposal and no allies in the region to plea for support. They embarked onto their ships and faced up to the challenge knowing that it was a fight to the death. The two sides met just of the island of Sardinia, although vastly outnumbered the Phocaeans fought valiantly against the Etruscan Carthaginian alliance. By the end of the day the Phocaeans in thier fifty oared vessels had got the better of them, though it was a sort of Pyhric victory, for they lost forty of their ships, and the twenty that remained were useless, their rams twisted awry. Realizing that although they won the battle they had lost the war the remaining Phocaeans vessels returned to Alalia. they took their children and women and all of their possessions that their ships could hold on board, and leaving Corsica they sailed to Rhegium in southern Italy to set up a colony there.
—A Terrible Affliction—
The crews of the disabled Phocaean ships were taken prisoner, the vast majority of then fell into the hands of the Etruscans from the city of Agylla. Unsure of what to do with so many prisoners back home they decided to have them all stoned to death en mass. Years later the skeletons and bones of the Phocaeans lay exposed where they fell and a strange phenomenon began to afflict the Etruscan merchants who passed that place, everything from Agylla that passed the place where the stoned Phocaeans lay, whether sheep or beasts of burden or men, became distorted, crippled and palsied.
The Etruscans sent to Delphi, inquiring as to how they might mend the offence that had caused the affliction of thier people. The Oracle told then to honor the stoned Phocaeans with religious rites and games and horse-races. Such was the end of this part of the Phocaeans. Those of them who fled to Rhegium set out from there and gained possession of that city in magna grecia which is now called Elea.
Obscure Antiquity 