37.31
Antiochus was now thoroughly alarmed.
Driven from the mastery of the sea, he despaired of being able to defend his
distant possessions and, adopting a policy which events subsequently proved
to be a mistaken one, he withdrew his garrison from Lysimachia to prevent
its being cut off by the Romans. It would not only have been easy to defend
Lysimachia against the first attack of the Romans, but the place could have
stood a siege through the whole winter and this check would have reduced
the besiegers to sore straits for provisions. Meantime there might have been
some opportunity for coming to terms and securing peace. Nor was
Lysimachia the only place which he gave up to the enemy after his naval
defeat; he also raised the siege of Colophon and retired to Sardis. From here
he sent to Cappadocia to ask help from Ariarathes, and to every place where
he could possibly collect troops. His one fixed object now was to decide
matters on the battlefield. After his victory Regillus Aemilius sailed to
Ephesus and formed his ships in line before the harbour. When he had thus
forced from the enemy a final admission of their renunciation of sea power
he sailed to Chios, whither he was directing his course before the naval
battle. Here the damaged ships were repaired, and as soon as this work was
finished he sent L. Aemilius Scaurus to the Hellespont with thirty ships to
convey the army across. By way of an honourable distinction he gave the
Rhodians a share of the plunder and also the spoils of the naval battle, and
then told them they might go home. Before doing so they took an active part
in transporting the consul's troops, and not till this task was completed did
they return home. The Roman fleet sailed from Chios to Phocaea. This city
lies in the innermost part of a bay; it is oblong in shape and the walls enclose
a space of about two and a half miles, then it narrows on either hand like the
sides of a wedge. The apex of the wedge is called Lamptera. Here the town
has a breadth of twelve hundred paces and from it a tongue of land stretches
seaward like a straight stroke almost through the centre of the bay. Where it
approaches the narrow mouth of the bay it forms two excellent and perfectly
safe harbours, facing in opposite directions. The one which looks north is
called Naustathmon from its affording anchorage for a large number of ships;
the other is close to Lamptera.
