In time, the situation at Samos reached a turning point. The Corinthians who had been guarding the Corcyraean boys eventually gave up their watch and departed. Once they were gone, the Samians safely escorted the boys back to their homeland of Corcyra. In this way, the young men were finally freed from danger and returned to their families Periander’s Final Command.
If relations between Corinth and Corcyra had been friendly after the death of Periander, it is unlikely that the Corinthians would later have joined the expedition against Samos because of this incident. However, this was not the case. From the very first settlement of Corcyra, the Corinthians and Corcyraeans had been bitter enemies. Their rivalry never faded, and old injuries were carefully remembered. Because of this lasting hatred, the Corinthians continued to hold a deep grudge against the Samians for interfering in their affairs.
An Old Grudge That Never Died
The Corinthians believed that the Samians had wronged them by protecting the Corcyraean boys. This memory stayed alive for generations. The boys themselves had been chosen by Periander from the noblest families of Corcyra and sent as a gift to King Alyattes. This cruel act was meant as revenge, for Periander believed that the Corcyraeans had committed a terrible crime against him.
Thus, when the opportunity arose to punish Samos many years later, the Corinthians were willing participants. What seemed like an act of mercy by the Samians was remembered by Corinth as a serious insult Sofia Day Tour.
The Tragedy of Periander’s Family
To understand the depth of this hatred, it is necessary to look at the personal tragedy that shaped Periander’s actions. Periander, ruler of Corinth, had killed his own wife, Melissa. This terrible act marked the beginning of further suffering within his family.
Melissa had borne Periander two sons. As the boys grew older, their lives became entangled in the bitterness and violence of their parents’ past. When the elder son was seventeen and the younger eighteen, their grandfather Procles, the tyrant of Epidaurus and Melissa’s father, invited them to his court.
A Poisonous Revelation
Procles welcomed the boys warmly and treated them with great kindness. They stayed with him for some time and experienced the affection that had been missing in their own home. However, as they were preparing to leave, Procles spoke words that would change their lives forever.
As he sent them on their journey, he said quietly, “Do you know who caused your mother’s death?” The elder son ignored the remark and thought no more of it. The younger son, named Lycophron, was deeply shaken. The words troubled him greatly, and he could not put them out of his mind.
The Silence of Lycophron
When the brothers returned to Corinth, Lycophron looked upon his father with new and painful thoughts. He became convinced that Periander was responsible for his mother’s death. From that moment on, he refused to speak to him. He would not answer his father’s questions, nor respond to any words spoken to him.
Periander tried again and again to break his son’s silence, but without success. At last, his patience turned to anger. Furious at what he saw as stubborn and disrespectful behavior, Periander banished Lycophron from his house.
This story reveals how personal tragedy, political violence, and long-held grudges shaped the actions of cities and rulers alike. The hatred between Corinth and Corcyra, the cruelty of Periander, and the compassion shown by the Samians all became part of a chain of events that lasted for generations. In the ancient world, no injury was ever truly forgotten, and even family sorrow could lead to lasting political conflict.
