Nothing beats a traditional Greek salad, which unlike what you may order Stateside, does not use any lettuce. This is such a hearty mix of olives, fresh veggies, and feta cheese, all drizzled with olive oil, vinegar, and oregano. A refreshing start to any meal.
Fresh produce is also an important topic in The Histories. From Gyges onward, the successive Lydian kings each seek to expand their empire through wars of conquest with their neighbors. Gyges starts the long running conflict with Miletus, which is continued by his son Ardys, his grandson Sadyattes, and his great-grandson Alyattes. Herodotus reports that this Alyattes made it a habit to invade when the crops were ripe and concentrate his attack on destroying the fields and food stores of the enemy. Unfortunately for him, on one occasion the flames from a burning field spread to a nearby temple dedicated to the goddess Athena. Alyattes afterwards fell deathly ill. He sent to the Oracle at Delphi for advice, but was refused by the priestess until he rebuilt the burned temple.
I adore some grilled squid, especially seasoned with more oregano and chunky sea salt, then drizzled with lemon juice. It takes a special skill to grill squid just right so that the meat is not too chewy. This appetizer was just right. Not burned at all, unlike the temple of Athena that caused Alyattes so much trouble.
Alyattes's enemies also used his fixation on food against him. According to Herodotus, Thrasybulus, the tyrant of Miletus at the time, cleverly tricked an envoy of Alyattes by having all the food dragged out into the town square and instructing the people to have a big feast. When the envoy reported to Alyattes that the Milesians were partying and dancing in the streets, the king, who previously thought his enemies on the brink of starvation, decided to make a truce with Thrasybulus. So there was peace between the two lands and Alyattes regained his health by constructing not one, but two, temples to Athena. See what good comes from feasting!
In a digression, which will become quite common for Herodotus, we finally get the story of that memorable sea voyage. Around the same timeframe as the war between Lydia and Miletus, a Greek musician named Arion has been touring in Sicily and made a fortune. On his way home by ship, the sailors decide to rob him. Arion jumps overboard and is promptly rescued by a dolphin who carries him to shore! Yes, this may sound far-fetched, but there are actually reports of dolphins rescuing humans from drowning. They are very intelligent creatures. In any event, Herodotus has told us from the first that he is only recording the stories related to him by his sources. I like to look at The Histories as a unique cultural document, not what we would consider history in the modern sense, but as a bridge between older oral traditions and the dawning era of the written word. Herodotus compiles all the information he can and looks to us to discern what it all means.
Upon Alyattes's death, he is succeeded as king of Lydia by his son Croesus. We have come to the doomed fifth generation foretold by the oracle. As we will see, Croesus will pay a heavy price for the crimes of his great-great grandfather.
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