Eforo e la tradizione sulle guerre persiane: il caso di Democrito di Nasso (FGrHist 70 F 187)

Among the fragments of Ephorus dealing with the Persian Wars, there is one concerning the behaviour of the Naxians and their trierarch Democritus at Salamis (FGrHist 70 F 187). The relevance of this fragment has often been understimated, one of the reasons being a textual problem. The quotation, due to Plutarch’s De Herodoti malignitate, is a good example of Ephorus’ critical attitude towards his predecessors, the attention he paid to local traditions, and more generally, the careful use of written sources by a 4th century historian. Ephorus refers to an edulcorated Naxian tradition whose origin is chronologically near to the events of 480 BC. On the contrary, Herodotus’ version seems to reflect the difficult position of Naxos, who was a reluctant ally of Athens, during the Pentekontaetia.