Page:History of Greece Vol VII.djvu/246

228 r2S HISTORY OF GREECE time fuller powers than had been before enjoyed, and sweating a solemn oath to leave them unfettered in the exercise of such powers ; lastly, to enjoin upon these generals the most strenuous efforts, during the coming winter, for training arid arming the whole population. Accordingly Hermokrates himself, with Hera- kleides and Sikanus, were named to the command. Ambassadors were sent both to Sparta and to Corinth, for the purpose of entreat- ing assistance in Sicily, as well as of prevailing on the Peloponne- sians to recommence a direct attack against Attica j 1 so as at least to prevent the Athenians from sending farther reinforcements to Nikias, and perhaps even to bring about the recall of his army But by far the most important measure which marked the nomination of the new generals, was, the enlargement of the line of fortifications at Syracuse. They constructed a new wall, in- closing an additional space and covering both their inner and their outer city to the westward, reaching from the outer sea to the Great Harbor, across the whole space fronting the rising slope of the hill of Epipolae, and stretching far enough westward to inclose the sacred precinct of Apollo Temenites. This was intended as a precaution, in order that if Nikias, resuming opera- tions in the spring, should beat them in the field and confine them to their walls, he might, nevertheless, be prevented from carrying a wall of circumvallation from sea to sea without covering a great additional extent of ground. 2 Besides this, the Syracusans fitted up and garrisoned the deserted town of Megara, on the coast to the north of Syracuse ; they established a regular fortification and garrison in the Olympieion or temple of Zeus Olympius, which they had already garrisoned after the recent battle with Nikias ; and they planted stakes in the sea to obstruct the convenient landing-places. All these precautions were useful to them ; and we may even say that the new outlying fortification, inclosing the Temenites, proved their salvation in the coming siege, by so lengthening the circumvallation necessary for the Athenians to 1 Thucyd. vi, 72, 73. s Thucyd. vi, 75. 'Em;jbv <5e oiSv/xiKoaioi ev TGJ %ei[tuvi Trpof TI TI) n-6/let, T(lV TfptViTTlV f VTOf 7COL1)OUfjLEVOL, T t O ? TTflpU 7T 1> TO 7T/)C/f 'E T t - TT o X a f opuv, UTT u f /j.f/ 6 L' t^aaaovof evaTTOTei^iaroi u a tv , TJV apa a<puA?i(jvTat., etc. I reserve the general explanation of the topography of Syracuse for th next chapter, when the siege begins.