Ἱστορίαι Ἡροδότου — ζ’

Ἡ δὲ ἡγεμονίη οὕτω περιῆλθε, ἐοῦσα Ἡρακλειδέων ἐς τὸ γένος τὸ Κροίσου, καλεομένους δὲ Μερμνάδας.

ἦν Κανδαύλης, τὸν οἱ Ἕλληνές Μυρσίλον ὀνομάζουσι, τύραννος Σαρδίων, ἀπόγονος δὲ Ἀλκαίου τοῦ Ἡρακλέος. Ἄγρων μὲν γὰρ ὁ Νίνου τοῦ Βήλου τοῦ Ἀλκαίου πρῶτος Ἡρακλειδέων βασιλεὺς ἐγένετο Σαρδίων, Κανδαύλης δὲ ὁ Μύρσου ὕστατος.

οἱ δὲ πρότερον Ἄγρωνος βασιλεύσαντες ταύτης τῆς χώρης ἦσαν ἀπόγονοὶ Λυδοῦ τοῦ Ἄτυος, ἀπʼ ὅτευ ὁ δῆμος Λύδιος ἐκλήθη ὁ πᾶς οὗτος, πρότερον Μηίων καλεόμενος.

παρὰ τούτων Ἡρακλεῖδαι ἐπιτραφθέντες ἔσχον τὴν ἀρχήν ἐκ θεοπροπίου, ἐκ δούλης τε τῆς Ἰαρδάνου γεγονότες καὶ Ἡρακλέος, ἄρξαντες μὲν ἐπὶ δύο τε καὶ εἴκοσι γενεᾶς ἀνδρῶν ἔτεα πέντε τε καὶ πεντακόσια, παῖς παρὰ πατρὸς ἐκδεκόμενος τὴν ἀρχήν, μέχρι Κανδαύλεω τοῦ Μύρσου.

HĒ de hēgemoniē houtō periēlthe, eousa Hērakleideōn es to genos to Kroisou, kaleomenous de Mermnadas.

ēn Kandaulēs, ton hoi Hellēnes Myrsilon onomazousi, tyrannos Sardiōn, apogonos de Alkaiou tou Hērakleos. Agrōn men gar ho Ninou tou Bēlou tou Alkaiou prōtos Hērakleideōn basileus egeneto Sardiōn, Kandaulēs de ho Myrsou hystatos.

hoi de proteron Agrōnos basileusantes tautēs tēs chōrēs ēsan apogonoi Lydou tou Atyos, apʼ hoteu ho dēmos Lydios eklēthē ho pas houtos, proteron Mēiōn kaleomenos.

para toutōn Hērakleidai epitraphthentes eschon tēn archēn ek theopropiou, ek doulēs te tēs Iardanou gegonotes kai Hērakleos, arxantes men epi dyo te kai eikosi geneas andrōn etea pente te kai pentakosia, pais para patros ekdekomenos tēn archēn, mechri Kandauleō tou Myrsou.

In this manner, the rule, being of the Heraclids (before), came around and ended at the lineage of Croesus; these were were called the Mermnadae.

Candaules, whom the Greeks called Myrsilus, was a sovereign of Sardis and a descendant of Alcaeus (son) of Heracles. For Agron, (son) of Belus, (son) of Ninus, (son) of Alcaeus was the first of the Heraclids to be king of Sardis and Candaules (son) of Myrsus was the last.

Those who ruled this land before Agron were descendants of Lydus, (son) of Atys, from whom the entire district has received its name — earlier it was called Maionian.

The Heraclids, having been entrusted with the rule, held it because of an oracle and because of two female slaves — one of Iardanus and one of Heracles. They ruled for five hundred and five years — which is over twenty-two generations of men — with children succeeding their fathers up until Candaules (son) of Myrsus.