36.25
Whilst
the Romans were laying siege to Heraclea, Philip, as arranged with the
consul, was attacking Lamia. He had gone to Thermopylae to offer the
consul and the people of Rome his congratulations on the victory and at the
same time to excuse himself on the ground of illness for not having taken
part in the operations against Antiochus. Then the two commanders
separated to carry on the siege of the two places simultaneously. These are
about seven miles distant from each other, and as Lamia stands on rising
ground and looks towards Mount Oeta the distance between them seems
very short and all that goes on in the one place can be seen from the other.
The Romans and the Macedonians were strenuously engaged as though in
mutual rivalry in siege operations or in actual fighting night and day. But the
Macedonians had the more difficult task owing to the fact that the Roman
galleries and vineae and all their siege engines were above ground while the
Macedonians conducted the attack by means of subterranean mines, and in
difficult places they often came to rock upon which iron tools could make no
impression. Finding that he was making little progress, the king held
conferences with the leading men of the place in the hope that the townsmen
might be induced to surrender. He felt quite certain that if Heraclea were
taken first they would surrender to the Romans sooner than to him and that
the consul would win their gratitude for having raised the siege. His surmise
proved correct, for no sooner was Heraclea taken than a message reached
him requesting him to abandon the siege, for as it was the Romans who had
fought the engagement with the Aetolians it was but fair that they should
have the prize of victory. So Lamia was relieved and through the fall of a
neighbouring city escaped a similar fate.
