24.34
An
assault begun so vigorously would have undoubtedly succeeded had it not
been for one man living at the time in Syracuse. That man was Archimedes.
Unrivalled as he was as an observer of the heavens and the stars, he was still
more wonderful as the inventor and creator of military works and engines by
which with very little trouble he was able to baffle the most laborious efforts
of the enemy. The city wall ran over hills of varying altitude, for the most
part lofty and difficult of access, but in some places low and admitting of
approach from the level of the valleys. This wall he furnished with artillery of
every kind, according to the requirements of the different positions.
Marcellus with sixty quinqueremes attacked the wall of Achradina, which as
above stated is washed by the sea. In the other ships were archers, slingers,
and even light infantry, whose missile is an awkward one to return for those
who are not expert at it, so they hardly allowed any one to remain on the
walls without being wounded. As they needed space to hurl their missiles,
they kept their ships some distance from the walls. The other quinqueremes
were fastened together in pairs, the oars on the inside being shipped so as to
allow of the sides being brought together; they were propelled like one ship
by the outside set of oars, and when thus fastened together they carried
towers built up in stories and other machinery for battering the wall.
To meet this naval attack Archimedes placed on the ramparts
engines of various sizes. The ships at a distance he bombarded with immense
stones, the nearer ones he raked with lighter and therefore more numerous
missiles; lastly he pierced the entire height of the walls with loopholes about
eighteen inches wide so that his men might discharge their missiles without
exposing themselves. Through these openings they aimed arrows and small
so-called "scorpions" at the enemy. Some of the ships which came in still
more closely in order to be beneath the range of the artillery were attacked in
the following way. A huge beam swinging on a pivot projected from the wall
and a strong chain hanging from the end had an iron grappling hook fastened
to it. This was lowered on to the prow of a ship and a heavy lead weight
brought the other end of the beam to the ground, raising the prow into the
air and making the vessel rest on its stern. Then the weight being removed,
the prow was suddenly dashed on to the water as though it had fallen from
the wall, to the great consternation of the sailors; the shock was so great that
if it fell straight it shipped a considerable amount of water. In this way the
naval assault was foiled, and all the hopes of the besiegers now rested upon
an attack from the side of the land, delivered with their entire strength. But
here too Hiero had for many years devoted money and pains to fitting up
military engines of every kind, guided and directed by the unapproachable
skill of Archimedes. The nature of the ground also helped the defence. The
rock on which the foundations of the wall mostly rested was for the greater
part of its length so steep that not only when stones were hurled from the
engines but even when rolled down with their own weight they fell with
terrible effect on the enemy. The same cause made any approach to the foot
of the walls difficult and the foothold precarious. A council of war was
accordingly held and it was decided, since all their attempts were frustrated,
to desist from active operations and confine themselves simply to a blockade,
and cut off all supplies from the enemy both by land and sea.
