Grinus, king of that island, had gone attended by Battus and others to consult the oracle at Delphi, and was told by it to “found a city in Libya.” They knew not where Libya was, and could take no action. Seven years after there fell a drought on Thera, and the oracle, being again questioned, repeated the command to found a town in Libya. Messengers were now sent to Crete to see if any one there knew where this district was. They met a fisheπnan, Corobius, who said that he had once been driven to Platea, an island of Libya, whither he agreed to conduct them. To make sure, they went with him; and having landed on Platea, they again, leaving Corobius there with provisions for some months, returned to Thera to collect colonists, of whom as many as two 50 oared galleys could convey set out with Battus as their leader. In Cyrene itself, however, a different story of the origin of the colony was told. Etearchus, it was said, king of Axus in Crete, having married a second wife, who persuaded him to get rid of .Phronime, the daughter of his first wife, agreed with a merchant from Thera that he should take her in his ship and let her down into the sea. The merchant, true to the letteτ of his bargain, let her down, but with a rope about her by which he drew her up again, and took her .to Thera, where she married Polyτnnestus, a descendant of the Mïnyae, and bore him a son, who, because of his stuttering, was called Battus. On growing to manhood, Battus inquired at the oracle of Delphi about his voice, aud when told to “found a town in Libya,” was unable to understand the response. Afterwards, owing to misfortunes, the Theraeans sent to Delphi for advice, and were again ordered to send a colony to Cyrene, under Battus, which they now did, landing first in Platea, and afterwards removing to Cyrene itself.

Herodotus (iv. 155) thinks that the name of Battus, being the word for “king” in Libya, had been applied to the leader of the colony after his arrival there, and that it had no reference to his stuttering. Battus having ruled forty years (about 630-590 b.c.) was succeeded by his son Arcesilaus, who, after a reign of sixteen years, of which nothing is known, was followed by Battus II. Of this dynasty, known as the Battiadoe, the names were alternately Battus and Arcesilaus, there being, as the oracle predicted, probably after the fact, four of each. Under Battus II., surnamed the Prosperous, the population of Cyrene was increased by a large number of colonists from all parts of Greece invited by a promise of land. To find land for all it was necessary to dispossess many of the native Libyans, who therefore sought and obtained the aid of an Egyptian army, which, however was completely defeated. Amasis, the next king of Egypt, proved friendly to Cyrene. The reign of Arcesilaus II. (about 554-544 b.c. ) is known only for the disastrous battle with the Libyans, who had been stirred to revolt by his brothers, in which he lost 7000 hoplites. He himself soon after fell ill, and was strangled by his brother Learchus. The disgrace of the ruling family being increased by the fact that the next heir, Battus III., was lame, the oracle at Delphi was consulted, and advised that affairs should be placed in the hands of Demonax of Mantinea, who distributed the people into three tribes, and arranged a form of self-government for them. Battus, retaining the royal lands and sacred offices of a king, acquiesced. Not so his wife Pheretime and son Arcesilaus, who bestirred themselves,—the former in Cyprus, the latter in Samos,—to raise forces to recover the sovereignty, and ultimately succeeded; but in his success Arcesilaus III. forgot the commands of the oracle (Herod., iv. 163), and, among other cruelties to the vanquished, burned alive a number of them who had escaped to a tower. To avoid the consequences he retired to the town of Barca, but was there slain in the market-place by some fugitives from Cyrene. His mother, Pheretime, who had been regent in his absence, now obtained from Aryandes, the Persian satrap of Egypt, an army to take vengeance on the people of Barca. After a fruitless siege of nine months (Herod.. iv. 200) a treaty of peace was solemnly sworn to by the Persian general, and was instantly broken in spirit, though not in letter, when the gates of Barca were thrown open. Pheretime, ruthless in her cruelties towards those who had been connected with her son’s murder, herself died soon after, a wretched death, in Egypt. Of Battus IV. nothing is known. Arcesilaus IV., with whom the dynasty ended (about 460—445 b.c. ), obtained twice the victory in the chariot race at the Pythian games, and for this was celebrated by Pindar in two odes (Pyth., iv. and v.).