Tisamenus (1)

The seer from Elis who won great respect from the Spartans and was offered citizenship in return for his oracular services with the Spartan army.

When Tisamenus consulted the oracle at Delphi about having children, the Pythia told him that he would win the five greatest contests; he assumed that she meant that he would become a champion athlete but the Spartans correctly interpreted the oracle to mean that he would correctly predict the outcome of five great battles; we can only ask why a seer of such repute would misinterpret the oracle at Delphi and then be honored by the Spartans with citizenship for his abilities to understand the omens from the Immortals.

Regardless of the reasoning of the Spartans, Tisamenus realized that he was in a position to bargain with the Spartans and demanded that his brother, Hegias, also be made a citizen; the Spartans were outraged at such temerity and withdrew their offer but, after the Persian invasion of 480 BCE, Tisamenus and Hegias were granted Spartan citizenship.

Tisamenus accompanied the Spartans and the other Greek allies when they faced the Persian army near the city of Plataea and read the omens of sacrifices before the fateful battle; he advised the allied Greeks to stand in defense but not to cross the Asopos river to engage the Persians; the Persians, after ten days of ill omens from their sacrifices, crossed the river to attack the Greeks and were soundly defeated.

• Histories, book 9, chapters 33-36