First Sacred War
Siege of Kirrha
Siege of Kirrha
---------------

The leader of the attack was the [Tyrant](/wiki/Tyrant "Tyrant") [Cleisthenes](/wiki/Cleisthenes_of_Sicyon "Cleisthenes of Sicyon") of [Sicyon](/wiki/Sicyon "Sicyon"), who used his powerful navy to blockade the city's port before using an allied Amphictionic army to besiege Kirrha. The Athenians also participated with a contingent led by Alcmaeon. On the Thessalian side, the leaders were Eurylochos and Hippias. What transpired after this is a matter of debate: the earliest, and therefore probably most reliable, account is that of the medical writer [Thessalos](/wiki/Thessalus_%28physician%29 "Thessalus (physician)"). He wrote, in the 5th century BC, that the attackers discovered a secret water\-pipe leading into the city after it was broken by a horse's hoof. An *[asclepiad](/wiki/Asclepiad_%28Greek%29 "Asclepiad (Greek)")* named [Nebros](/wiki/Nebros "Nebros") advised the allies to [poison](/wiki/Poison "Poison") the water with [hellebore](/wiki/Hellebore "Hellebore") which soon rendered the defenders so weak with [diarrhea](/wiki/Diarrhea "Diarrhea") that they were unable to resist the assault. Kirrha was captured and the entire [population](/wiki/Population "Population") was slaughtered.*Ep. 27\.4* English translation in *[Pseudepigraphic Writings: Letters \- Embassy \- Speech from the Altar \- Decree](https://books.google.com/books?id=o2d9DwAAQBAJ&pg=PA115)* p. 115\. Greek text and French translation in *[Hippocrate \- Œuvres complètes, traduction Littré, 1839 volume 9](https://fr.wikisource.org/wiki/Livre:Hippocrate_-_%C5%92uvres_compl%C3%A8tes,_traduction_Littr%C3%A9,_1839_volume_9.djvu)* p. 412\-413 Nebros was considered an ancestor of [Hippocrates](/wiki/Hippocrates "Hippocrates"), so this story has caused many to wonder whether it might not have been guilt over his ancestor's use of poison that drove Hippocrates to establish the [Hippocratic Oath](/wiki/Hippocratic_Oath "Hippocratic Oath").Mayor, Andrienne. *Greek fire, poison arrows, and scorpion bombs: Biological and chemical warfare in the ancient world.* The Overlook Press, Peter Mayer Publishers, Inc., 2003\. . pages 100–101

Later historians told different stories. According to [Frontinus](/wiki/Frontinus "Frontinus"), who wrote in the 1st century AD, after discovering the pipe, the Amphictionic League cut it, leading to great thirst within the city. They then restored the pipe and the desperate Kirrhans immediately began drinking the water, unaware that Kleisthenes had poisoned it with hellebore.[Frontinus](/wiki/Frontinus "Frontinus"), *Stratagems* [3\.7\.6](https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Frontinus/Strategemata/3*.html#7.6)  According to [Polyaenus](/wiki/Polyaenus "Polyaenus"), a writer of the 2nd century the attackers added the hellebore to the [spring](/wiki/Spring_%28hydrosphere%29 "Spring (hydrosphere)") from which the water came. Polyaenus also gave credit for the strategy not to Kleisthenes but to General [Eurylochus](/wiki/Eurylochus_%28Thessalian_general%29 "Eurylochus (Thessalian general)"), who he claimed advised his allies to gather a large amount of hellebore from [Anticyra](/wiki/Anticyra "Anticyra"), where it was abundant.[Polyaenus](/wiki/Polyaenus "Polyaenus"), *Stratagems* [6\.13](http://www.attalus.org/translate/polyaenus6.html)  The stories of Frontinus and Polyaenus both have the same result as Thessalos's tale: the defeat of Kirrha.

The last major historian to advance a new story of the siege was [Pausanias](/wiki/Pausanias_%28geographer%29 "Pausanias (geographer)"), who was active in the 2nd century. In his version of events, [Solon](/wiki/Solon "Solon") of Athens diverted the course of the [River Pleistos](/wiki/River_Pleistos "River Pleistos") to avoid through Kirrha but the enemy was able to get enough water from their wells and rainwater collection. Solon then added a great quantity of hellebore to the water of the Pleistos and let it flow into Kirrha.


Who were the Thessalian leaders involved in the siege?