The Historical Library of Diodorus the Sicilian/Book XIV/Chapter IV

Chapter IV

 * Dionysius's actions in Sicily. The Oropians subdued by the Thebans. The Lacedæmonians quarrel with the Elei. Dionysius fortified the Epipolæ.

As soon as Dionysius, the tyrant of Syracuse, after his peace made with the Carthaginians, had quieted all at home, he prepared to bring all the towns and cities of the Chalcidonians into his power; that is to say, Naxos, Catana, and Leontium. And he was the most earnest to gain these, because they lay near to Syracuse, and would much facilitate the enlargement of his dominions. To this end he marches with his forces to Enna, and takes the castle, the exiles there not being able to resist so great an army. Thence he goes against the Leontines, and encamps at the river Tyria, not far from the city, where he presently draws out his army, and sends a trumpet to the town, commanding them to surrender the place, supposing that out of fear they would submit. But when he perceived the Leontines slighted his commands, and prepared to furnish themselves with all things necessary for a siege, having not then with him his engines of battery, he drew off for the present, and wasted and spoiled the country round about. Thence he marched against the Siculi, pretending these were the people people he chiefly aimed at in the war, thereby to make the Naxians and Catanians the more secure. When he lay near to Enna, he persuaded Acimnestus of Enna to take upon him the sovereignty, promising to assist him: this Acimnestus accomplished. But when he would not receive Dionysius into the city, he began to storm, and change his measures, and stirred up the Ennians to throw off his authority. Upon this, to regain their liberty, they suddenly ran together armed into the market-place; and now the city was full of tumult and confusion; at which instant Dionysius hearing of the sedition, and getting together his trustiest friends, he advanced to a place where there was no guard, and on a sudden running into the  city, takes Acimnestus, and delivers him up to the will of the Ennians, and returned without doing any hurt to the place. Not that he did this either out of love to justice, or to them, but that he might be trusted for the future by the rest of the cities. Moving from thence, he besieged the city of Erbita ; but not succeeding there, he made peace with them, and led away his army against Catana; for Arcesilaus the governor had promised to betray it: and in accomplishment of his treachery, about midnight let him in within the walls, and so he gained the city. Then he disarmed all the citizens, and placed there a sufficient garrison. Afterwards Procles, the general of the Naxians, (won over by promises of great rewards), betrayed the city to Dionysius. When he had rewarded the traitor, and set all his kindred at liberty, he razed the city, and gave the spoil thereof to his soldiers, and carried away all the rest of the citizens as slaves. He dealt not better with the inhabitants of Catana, whom he sold for slaves to the Syracusans. The country of the Naxians he gave to the neighbouring Sicilians, but the city of Catana he bestowed upon the Campanians for a habitation.

From thence he again moved to Leontium, and besieged it with all his forces, and by his messengers required them to submit to his government, and join themselves as one body to the city of Syracuse. The Leontines seeing no hope of relief, and considering the ruin of the Naxians and Catanians, were seized with great terror, lest they themselves should be swallowed up in the like destruction, therefore they concluded it most advisable to yield to the present exigency, and submitted to the conditions offered, left their country, and went to Syracuse.

Archonide, prince of the Erbitans, (after the people of Erbita had made peace with Dionysius), determined to build a new city, for he had many mercenaries, and a mixed multitude of strangers who fled thither for fear of the war by Dionysius; and many likewise of Erbita freely gave up their names to follow him to this new-intended colony. With these he possessed himself of a little hill, eight stages or furlongs from the sea, and there laid the foundation of the city Alese: but because there were other cities in Sicily that bore that name, he added to it, as it were, a surname, and called from himself, Alese Archinodion. In process of time, when the city abounded in wealth, partly by reason of its traffic by sea, and privileges granted to it by the Romans, they of Alese would not own their original from Erbita, because they thought it a dishonourable thing to acknowledge themselves colonies from a place so inferior to their city. But at this day there remains the mutual kindnesses and respects, both of kindred and countrymen, betwixt these two cities; and in the temple of Apollo they use the same rites and ceremonies in their sacrifices. Some there are who say, this Alese was first built by the Carthaginians, when the peace was concluded between Amilcar and Dionysius.

In Italy the Romans made war upon the Veientes for the causes following. At this time it was first decreed by the Roman senate, that the soldiers should be paid every year out of the public treasury. Also a city of the Volsci, then Anxur, nor Tarracina, was taken by the Romans.

At the end of the year Micio was made chief magistrate, or lord-chancellor of Athens, and at Rome six military tribunes were created consuls, that is to say, Titus Quintius, Caius Julius, Aulus Manilius, Quintus Quintius, Lucius Furius Medullinus, and Marcus Æmilius Mamercus. During the time these governed, the Oropians, upon a sedition raised in the city, expelled several of their inhabitants, who for some time did all they could to procure their return; but when all was to no purpose, they addressed themselves to the Thebans for the assistance of their arms to restore them. The Thebans undertook the expedition, and possessed themselves of the city, and removed the inhabitants seven furlongs farther from the sea, and for a time suffered them to enjoy their own laws; but afterwards, bringing them under the same government with themselves, they joined all their lands to Bœotia.

While these things were going on, the Lacedæmonians picked a quarrel with the Elei, laying several things to their charge; as that they would not suffer Pausanias their king to sacrifice to the gods; and that they denied the Spartans liberty to run at the olympic games. Upon these pretences they declared war against them: but first, for greater colour, demanded of them by ten ambassadors—That they would suffer the neighbouring cities to govern by their own laws; and that they would allow something towards the charge of the late war against the Athenians. This was done so that they might have a specious pretence for the war.

The Elei not only refused to harken to them, but charged them with a design to enslave all Greece; upon which they sent forth Pausanias, one of their kings, against them, with four thousand men; after whom followed a great army, almost from all their confederates, except the Bœotians and Corinthians; for these being angry at some things the Lacedæmonians had done, forbore the expedition against the Elei. Pausanias with all speed invades the country of Elis in Arcadia, and presently upon the first assault takes the castle Lasion. From thence he passes over the mountains with a swift march, and takes in four towns; that is to say, Threstus, Aulis, Eupagium, and Opus. Thence he marches to Pylos, and speedily takes it, which is distant from Elis about seventy furlongs; then without delay he makes for Elis itself, and marks out a place for his camp upon the hills between the town and the river. There came to the Elei a little before a thousand brave soldiers from the Etolians, who were appointed to guard the places about the Gymnasium. Pausanias resolved to attack these places chiefly, greatly contemning the enemy, as if they had no courage to march out against him. But presently on the sudden a vast number of Etolians and citizens sally out and kill about thirty of his men, which greatly terrified the rest: upon which Pausanias intermits the assault. Afterwards perceiving that it would be a difficult task to storm the city, he wasted and destroyed the country, though consecrated to the deity, and carried away much spoil. But winter now drawing on, having fortified all the castles through the country of Elis, and put into them sufficient garrisons, with the rest of the army he wintered in Dymæ.

At the same time Dionysius, tyrant of Sicily, when all things answered to his heart's desire, determined to make war upon the Carthaginians. But because he was not as yet sufficiently prepared, he kept it to himself, and made provision for what was necessary for the war in the mean time; but recollecting himself, and considering that the city was hemmed in by a wall, (drawn from one sea to another in the time of the war with Athens), he was afraid lest he should fall into the like misfortune again, to be penned up, so as he could not issue forth abroad, if occasion served: for he saw that the situation of the Epipolæ was such that it would easily command Syracuse. Having therefore sent for architects, and advised with them, he resolved to fortify the Epipolæ at the place where now the wall with six gates stands. For this place towards the north is so rough, craggy, and steep, that it is altogether inaccessible on the outside. Having therefore a great desire to finish this fortification, with all speed he gets together a great multitude from all parts of the country, out of which he chose threescore thousand that were freemen, and fit for his purpose, and proportioned the several parts of the work amongst them. To every furlong he ordered an overseer or master-workman, and to every Plethrum a mason, and two hundred labourers. Besides these a great number were employed in cutting out of the quarries rough and unwrought stone.

He had likewise six thousand yoke of oxen appointed in several places for carrying on of the work. The multitude of the workmen produced great admiration in the spectators, whilst every one was diligent to perfect that which was allotted to his share. For Dionysius, to encourage them, here promised great rewards to the architects, there to the carpenters, and here again to the labourers; and he himself with his friends would often oversee the work, whole days together, going every where from one place to another, taking care to ease and relieve them that were tired out. At length, laying aside all state and majesty, he wrought like a private person, and would be the first that should set upon works of the greatest difficulty, and endure as much hardship as the meanest labourer; by which means every one strove who should do most, insomuch, as besides their daily labours, they wrought some part of the night, so great was the ambition of the very common people to finish the work; so that (beyond what could have been believed or imagined) the wall was finished in the space of twenty days, thirty furlongs in length, and proportionable in height; and as for its strength, it seemed to baffle the force of any assailant. For it had many high towers that stood at convenient distances one from another; and it was built of hewn stone, most artificially jointed and compacted, every stone four feet square.