The Historical Library of Diodorus the Sicilian/Book XIII/Chapter VIII

Chapter VIII

 * Thrasybulus assaults Ephesus. The Lacedæmonians besiege Pylos; surrender Chalcedon, besieged by Theramenes; and afterwards Byzantium, which was betrayed to Alcibiades.

IN Greece, Thrasybulus, sent from Athens with a fleet of thirty sail well manned, and with a great army of foot, and a hundred horse, sailed to Ephesus; where, landing his men in two places, he assaulted the city; but the townsmen making a brisk sally, there began a sharp engagement; in which four hundred of the Athenians were killed, (for the whole strength of the city fell upon them), the rest getting to their ships. Thrasybulus departed thence for Lesbos, But the Athenian generals, who lay at Cyzicum, passed over to Chalcedon, and built a fort called Chrysopolis, putting into it a sufficient garrison; and commanded the governors to exact the tenth part of all shipping that passed that way from Pontus. Afterwards the forces were divided, and Theramenes was left with fifty sail to besiege Chalcedon and Byzantium. But Thrasybulus was sent into Thrace, and brought the cities of that cuuntry under the power of the Athenians. Alcibiades having sent away Thrasybulus with thirty sail, with the rest of the fleet arrived at the province of Pharnabuzus. There they wasted and spoiled all that large tract, and filled the soldiers with plunder; and the generals themselves got together a great sum of money, by the sale of the spoils, with a design to ease the people of the burthen of their contributions.

The Lacedæmonians understanding that the Athenian forces were still about the Hellespont, sent forces against Pylos, where the Messenians were in garrison. At sea, indeed, they had eleven ships, of which five were of Sicily, manned with Spartans; but their land-army was but small. With these they besieged the fort both by land and sea. But when intelligence was brought of this, the Athenians sent out thirty sail, under the command of Anytus, the son of Anthemion, to the relief of the besieged. In his passing thither, a great storm arose, so that not being able to recover Malea, he returned to Athens; upon which the people of Athens were so incensed, that they condemned him to die as a traitor: Anytus brought into this imminent danger, redeemed his life with a sum of money; who is reported to be the first Athenian that ever reversed a sentence for money. In the mean time, the besieged Messenians in Pylos stood out against all assaults for a time, in hopes of relief from Athens: but being pressed by fresh and renewed succours from the assailants, by the loss of men on the one hand, and through want of provisions on the other, they were forced to surrender upon terms. Thus Pylos was reduced, and brought into the hands of the Lacedæmonians; the Athenians having had possession of it fifteen years, from the time it was fortified by Demosthenes.

During these affairs, the Megareans took Nicæa, then belonging to the Athenians. Upon which the Athenians sent against them Leotrophides and Timarchus, with a thousand foot, and four hundred horse. Against whom all the Magareans, with the assistance of some from Sicily, marched out, and drew up in battalia upon the hills called the Horns. There the Athenians fought with that valour, that they put the enemy to flight, though far more in number than themselves. In this battle great slaughter was made amongst the Megareans; but there were only twenty killed of the Lacedæmonians: for the Athenians taking the loss of Nicæa very grievously, waved the Lacedæmonians, and bent all the heat of their pursuit against the Megareans, and in a great rage cut down multitudes of them. About this time, the Lacedæmonians made Cratesipidas admiral, and managed five-and-twenty sail with supplies sent from their confederates, and commanded him to succour their allies; who spent a long time about Ionia, doing nothing considerable. Afterwards, being furnished with money by the exiles of Chios, he both restored them, and took the citadel of the Chians.

When the exiles were returned, they expelled those that banished them, to the number of six hundred, who possessed themselves of a place called Atarnea, opposite upon the continent, naturally fortified; from whence afterwards, growing strong, they wearied the Chians with frequent invasions. During these things Alcibiades and Thrasybulus having fortified Lampsacus, left there a sufficient garrison, and then sailed with the whole army to Theramenes, who was then besieging Chalcedon, having a fleet of seventy sail, and five thousand men under his command. The generals drawing up the whole army together in a body, blocked up the city by a wall of timber, drawn from sea to sea. Upon which Hippocrates, made governor there by the Lacedæmonians, (whom the Laconians call Harmostis), made a sally both with the Lacedæmonians and all the Chalcedonians: and joining battle with Alcibiades, (whose soldiers fought with great resolution), Hippocrates was slain, and many more killed and wounded, and the rest fled back into the city. Afterwards Alcibiades passed over into the Hellespont and Chersonesus, with a design to raise money. But Theramenes came to terms with the Chalcedonians, and agreed that they should pay the same tribute that they did before; and so drew off his forces, and came before Byzantium, designing to block up that place.

In the mean time, Alcibiades having got together a vast sum of money, procured many of the Thracians to join with him; and then making a league and association with all them of Chersonesus, he went from thence with his whole army, and gained Selymbria by surrender, from whence he exacted a great sum of money; and placing there a garrison, hastened away to Theramenes at Byzantium, where they jointly assailed the town with their whole strength; for they were to subdue a city that was very large, and full of resolute men; for besides the Byzantines, who were very numerous, Clearchus Harmostis the Lacedæmonian, had with him in the city a strong garrison, both of Peloponnesians and of mercenaries, insomuch that, though they violently assaulted it, for a long time they were not able to make any considerable impression upon the besieged. But the governor of the city, being gone to Pharnabazus for money, some of the Byzantines, who had taken a distaste at his government, (for Clearchus was sharp and rigid), betrayed the city into the hands of Alcibiades, in this manner__The besiegers pretended they would raise the siege, and ship off their army into Ionia; and to that purpose, in the evening, they sailed with their whole fleet, and drew off their land forces to some distance from the town; but at midnight the army marched back close to the city; and having before sent back their gallies with orders, that they should haul the ships of the Byzantines out of the harbour, and set up a great shout, as if all the army were there present, they themselves with the land-forces kept ready drawn up in a body, close to the walls, in expectation of the sign. In the execution of these commands, whilst some of the ships were broken in pieces by the beaks of the ships of the Athenians, and others by grappling irons were hauled forth, and a great and terrible shoot was made, the Peloponnesians in the city, ignorant of the treachery, sallied out to the harbour, for the defence of the city. In the mean time the traitors gave the sign from the walls, and by ladders took in the soldiers of Alcibiades, while they of the garrison were out at the port. But the Peloponnesians being informed of the treachery, left half the forces in the port, and with the rest, ran with all speed to guard the walls, of which the enemy was newly possessed. And although the whole Athenian army had broke in, yet the besieged were not the least discouraged for a long time; but with the help of the Byzantines so courageously opposed the Athenians, that the city had never come into their hands, if Alcibiades had not made proclamations that none of the Byzantines should be injured; which was a thing very seasonably advised: upon which the townsmen turned their arms upon the Lacedæmonians, so that many of them (fighting with great gallantry) were killed. The rest, to the number of five hundred, fled, as suppliants, to the altars of the gods. The Athenians restored the city to the Byzantines, and renewed the league and confederacy. The suppliants, likewise, were received upon terms, that they should deliver up their arms, and that their persons should be transported to Athens, there to be disposed of as the people should think fit.