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15So much is told by these cities; and what follows I know happened to the people of Metapontion in Italy[16] two hundred[17] and forty years after the second disappearance of Aristeas, as I found by putting together the evidence at Proconnesos and Metapontion. The people of Metapontion say that Aristeas himself appeared in their land and bade them set up an altar of Apollo and place by its side a statue bearing the name of Aristeas of Proconnesos; for he told them that to their land alone of all the Italiotes[18] Apollo had come, and he, who now was Aristeas, was accompanying him, being then a raven when he accompanied the god. Having said this he disappeared; and the Metapontines say that they sent to Delphi and asked the god what the apparition of the man meant: and the Pythian prophetess bade them obey the command of the apparition, and told them that if they obeyed, it would be the better for them. They therefore accepted this answer and performed the commands; and there stands a statue now bearing the name of Aristeas close by the side of the altar dedicated to Apollo,[19] and round it stand laurel trees; and the altar is set up in the market-place. Let this suffice which has been said about Aristeas.
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Notes
[16] Italy means for Herodotus only the Southern part of the peninsula.
[17] {diekosioisi}: so the best authorities; others have {priekosioisi}.
[18] {'Italioteon}, i.e. Hellenic settlers in Italy.
[19] {to agalmati to 'Apollonos}: {agalma} is used for anything dedicated to a god, most commonly the sacred image.