<head>IV. Affairs of Ariarathes</head>At about this time an unexpected disaster overtook the people of <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Priene&groupId=1093&placeId=1917">Priene</a>.
For having received from Orophernes when he was in power four hundred talents as a deposit, they were asked subsequently to return it by Ariarathes when he recovered his kingdom.
Now the position of the Prienians in my opinion was correct, when they refused to give up the money to anyone except the depositor during the lifetime of Orophernes,
and Ariarathes was thought by many to have exceeded his rights in demanding the return of a deposit not his own.
One might, however, pardon him to a certain extent for this attempt, on the ground that the money as he thought belonged to his kingdom; but his conduct in proceeding to extreme measures dictated by anger and determination to enforce his will cannot, I think, be justified.
At the time I am speaking of he sent a force to devastate the territory of <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Priene&groupId=1093&placeId=1917">Priene</a>, helped and encouraged by Attalus owing to that prince\'s own quarrel with <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Priene&groupId=1093&placeId=1917">Priene</a>.
After the loss of many slaves and cattle and when some buildings were laid in ruins closed to the city, the Prienians proved unable to defend themselves, and having in the first place sent an embassy to <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Rhodes&groupId=931&placeId=1665">Rhodes</a> appealed to the Romans,
who paid no attention to their demand. The Prienians had based high hopes on their command of so large a sum but the result was just the opposite.
For they paid the deposit back to Orophernes, and unjustly suffered considerable damage at the hands of King Ariarathes owing to this same deposit.
Walbank Commentary