The Peloponnesian War by Thucydides

Author:Thucydides [Thucydides]
Language: eng
Format: epub, pdf
Tags: D
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Published: 2009-05-11T04:00:00+00:00

BOOK SEVEN

After repairing their ships Gylippus and Pythen sailed down the

1

coast from Taras to Epizephyrian Locri. They now learnt the true situation, that Syracuse was not yet completely walled off, and it was still possible for an army to reach the city by coming over Epipolae. So their debate was now how to approach Sicily: should they take the risk of the east coast route and a direct entry to the harbour of Syracuse, or first sail along the north coast to Himera, collect troops from Himera itself and any others they could persuade, and make the approach by land? They decided to sail for Himera, not least because the strait was unguarded: on learning that they were in Locri, Nicias, despite his earlier view, had sent four Athenian ships to Rhegium, but these ships did not arrive in time to intercept. So Gylippus and Pythen could pass through the strait unchecked, and reached Himera after putting in first at Rhegium and Messana. Once there they persuaded the Himeraeans to fight on their side, and not only to join the expedition themselves but also to provide hoplite arms for those of their sailors who were unarmed (they were leaving the ships beached at Himera): and they sent to the Selinuntians asking them to bring an army and meet them at a designated place. They were also promised a modest contribution of troops by the Geloans and some of the Sicels, who were much readier now to come over after the recent death of Archonides (a local Sicel king and a powerful figure sympathetic to the Athenians), and the arrival of Gylippus from Sparta with evidently serious intent. Gylippus now gathered his forces: about seven hundred of his own sailors and marines armed as hoplites; from Himera a thousand hoplites and light-armed combined, and a hundred cavalry; some light troops and cavalry from Selinus, and a few from Gela; and about a thousand in all from the Sicels. With this army Gylippus marched for Syracuse.

Meanwhile the Corinthians were making their best speed in

2

support with the rest of the ships from Leucas. One of their commanders, Gongylus, was the last to set off and the first to arrive in his single ship at Syracuse, shortly before Gylippus. He found the Syracusans about to hold an assembly to discuss ending the war, and was able to pre-empt that discussion and talk them round with the encouraging news that more ships were on their way, and so was Gylippus the son of Cleandridas, sent by the Spartans as commander. The Syracusans took heart, and when they heard that Gylippus was now close at hand they went out immediately with their whole army to meet him. He had just captured a Sicel fort at Ietae on his way, and was now approaching Epipolae in full battle order. He went up by Euryelus (the same route initially taken by the Athenians) and joined with the Syracusans in an advance on the Athenian fortifications. He had arrived

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.