The medism and death of Pausanias, the son of Kleombrotos, is an old problem that is still with us. The chief source is Thucydides, who devotes a digression (1.128-38) to the parallel lives of Pausanias and Themistokles. Thucydides generally repressed his interest in biography, as Gomme once observed, remarking that in this, more than anything else, he showed his determination not to write like Herodotus, and not to beguile his readers with what was merely attractive. But at 1.128-38, he writes in a Herodotean vein, employing a style which shows marked differences with the rest of the History, and some lack of critical judgement in evaluating his evidence. There is much truth in Meiggs’ remark that ‘had Thucydides’ account been written by any other Greek historian, it would not have been taken seriously.’