De strategematibus

 In this book for both construction and use, proceeding in order, we have set it forth, having written it down systematically. and let no nitpicker of

 It is necessary first to go through and inspect the positions of the cities accurately, and having made the protection of one's own people unharmed ab

 From a weaving of freshly-cut willow rods or of tamarisk or linden, these also being pointed at the front up to the ridge at the top. and the so-calle

 To have in exchange. but if we wish to take the city by a theft in the night, with the citizens being ignorant of our arrival and unprepared, when win

 With slender and close-set posts, rather than thick and widely-spaced ones, with a plank placed above and below, so that the posts, giving way at the

 Entering under and turning back upon the so-called socket-plate or a kind of headpiece, with a rule lying on the ground which brings 221 it forward an

 Concerning their limbs and the suspensions belonging to the single timbers at intervals on both ram-bearing tortoises and towers and double ladders, a

 To be brought forward easily and constructed from small pieces of wood, and not one very large one, because it is made from large and hard-to-find tim

 The movement. if we wish to ascertain the thickness of the walls and to observe the actions of the enemy and to survey the host from behind, to see th

 Let them be 30 each and at the height of 20 let them receive the pin and 20 is two-thirds of 30. and let the parts coming down from the uprights be

 They made and on all they always set aside from the top the fifth part of the base. but apollodorus, constructing the tower more impressively at its

 He made these uprights equal, so that their joints might not be near one another, but every joint alternate, being distant from the other, and it migh

 So that both the 60 cubits of the height and the 17 of the length of the base itself will have the same proportion to the feet, and likewise also the

 Of a place, they batter the upper parts of the walls with rams for anything standing up and projecting is easily broken and easily demolished, as it

 Projecting from the mouths to which it is necessary to be wound with the tensioner by means of shoulder or back sinews of all animals except pigs, pa

 Let it admit the construction of the aforementioned ladders. and let the one that is about to be raised be decked with planks over its whole length, a

 From below, in front of the enemy they fall easily and are held fast from behind, but from above they are cut to a fine point, converging at the top a

 Will be shown in the account for the two and a half cubits of the diameter measure the 15 six times, and the 10 four times, and the 30 twelve times,

 The ships, 270 the machine may be preserved upright and without falling, and against the winds it is necessary to have ready the prepared defenses aga

 Places it against the other bank of the river, fitting it along its entire length, with the multitude gathered and ready for the battle line. and thos

from a weaving of freshly-cut willow rods or of tamarisk or linden, these also being pointed at the front up to the ridge at the top. And the so-called laisai, being very light, also made from a weaving of vine-branches or freshly-cut rods in a curved shape and made quickly, one must not bring to downward-sloping and precipitous places, lest they bring destruction to those carrying them, being unable to withstand excessive weights; but rather one should use them when the cities are situated in flat and level places; for then they will be useful. 208 The force advancing to the assault will follow alongside the rams, being protected, that is, behind the tortoises, and being sheltered by vine-tortoises on account of both the arrows and the sling-stones. They are as follows: the hoplites carry upright timbers, being of unequal height one next to the other, having a thickness all around of about 12 digits, and at every 5 feet joined in a straight line to other horizontal ones, so that the interval of 5 feet between them is maintained; and let the taller of them be over a man and a half in height, and the shorter be over a man in height. And being covered from above, because of the unevenness they resemble vines on a trellis, and the part from the head of the ram up to the covered uneven timbers will at the same time appear in the shape of a tortoise. And the timbers carried by the hoplites should have points like swords underneath, so that being fixed in the ground they may give rest to those carrying them. And hides, or thick linen, or hair-cloths are hung on the outside and at the front; and on the uneven timbers let double hides be placed on top, not stretched out to a smooth and even surface, but slightly gathered and hanging loosely over the uneven timbers, so that by their slackness the falling missiles may weaken and be spent at the impact, 209 and so that those sheltered inside may remain unharmed. And all the things described below with their diagrams are set out in order. But if the cities are situated in flat and level places, one must bring up the earth-moving tortoises, these being on wheels and covered at the front, so that those filling in the ditches may not be struck by the enemy; or the aforesaid laisai, as they are very light and useful for filling ditches, and for filling up watery and rain-soaked places and leveling all sorts of pits near the walls, so that we may make the passage of the engines easy and safe. And one must, carefully observing, investigate the seemingly level crossings over the ditches on account of the earthenware jars often hidden underneath by the enemy, which make the way appear easy and safe for men but for the engines being brought up, which are extremely heavy, they sink and are broken apart upon the shattering and giving way of the jars placed underneath. Wherefore it is necessary 210 to make the test with stout javelins having strong points or all-iron ones or some suitable augers; and against 211 the iron caltrops scattered by the enemy, mixed with the earth 212 and being unseen, one must cross without harm by placing wooden soles on the bottom of the footwear, or clear them away with agricultural rakes (which some also call griphanai), being toothed. and making a test against the doors placed over pits, to dig them up with two-pronged hoes. And it is also necessary that the mines being made under the ground towards the wall be made secret and deep near the foundations, and not in sight of the ground, so that the enemies, not perceiving it, may not counter-mine from within and, having burrowed opposite the wall, destroy those working the mine with smoke or water. He who wishes to sack cities easily, according to Philo the Athenian, must, especially when it is the vintage season or when a festival is being held outside the city, make the attack all at once; for by then capturing most of the people outside, the city is also easy to capture or tributary from its remaining inhabitants, on account of their affection or kinship towards them

ἐκ πλοκῆς ἰτεΐνων βεργῶν νεοτμήτων ἢ ἐκ μυρίκης ἢ φιλύρας, ὀξείας καὶ αὐτὰς κατὰ πρόσωπον οὔσας ἄχρι τῆς κατὰ κορυφὴν ῥάχεως. Τὰς δὲ καλουμένας λαίσας, ἐλαφροτάτας οὔσας, ἐκ πλοκῆς καὶ αὐτὰς ἀμπελίνων κλημάτων ἢ νεοτμήτων βεργῶν ἐν σχήματι τροπικῷ διὰ τάχους γινομένας, οὐ δεῖ πρὸς κατωφερεῖς καὶ κρημνώδεις εἰσφέρειν τόπους, μήπως ὄλεθρον τοῖς ἄγουσιν ἐμποιήσωσιν, ἀδυνατοῦσαι ἀντέχεσθαι πρὸς τὰ ὑπέρογκα τῶν βαρῶν· χρᾶσθαι δὲ αὐταῖς μᾶλλον, ὅταν ἐν ἐπιπέδοις καὶ ὁμαλοῖς τόποις ὦσιν αἱ πόλεις κείμεναι· τότε γὰρ ἔσονται εὔχρηστοι. 208 Ὁ δὲ πρὸς τὴν καστρομαχίαν ἀνερχόμενος λαὸς ἀκολουθήσει πρὸς τὰ πλάτη τῶν ἐμβόλων φυλαττόμενος ἤτοι τῶν χελωνῶν ὄπισθεν, καὶ ταῖς ἀμπελοχελώναις σκεπόμενος διά τε τὰς τοξείας καὶ τὰς σφενδονήσεις. Εἰσὶ δὲ τοιαῦται· ξύλα βαστάζουσιν οἱ ὁπλῖται ὀρθὰ, πρὸς ὕψος ἄνισα ὄντα ἓν παρ' ἓν, πάχος ἔχοντα γυρόθεν ὡσεὶ δακτύλων ˉιˉβ, κατὰ δὲ ˉε πόδας πρὸς ἕτερα πλάγια ἐπ' εὐθείας ἐπεζευγμένα, ἵνα φυλάττηται τὸ τῶν ˉε ποδῶν πρὸς ἄλληλα μεταξὺ διάστημα· καὶ τὰ μὲν ὑψηλότερα αὐτῶν ὑπὲρ ἀνδρὸς ἡλικίαν καὶ ἥμισυ, τὰ δὲ ταπεινότερα ὑπὲρ ἄνδρα ἔστωσαν· ἄνωθεν δὲ σκεπόμενα, διὰ τὸ ἄνισον ἐξομοιοῦνται ἀναδενδράσι, τὸ δὲ ἀπὸ τῆς κορυφῆς τοῦ ἐμβόλου ἄχρι τῶν σκεπομένων ἀνίσων ξύλων ἐν σχήματι ἅμα φανήσεται χελώνης. Τὰ δὲ ὑπὸ τῶν ὁπλιτῶν βασταζόμενα ξύλα κάτωθεν ὡς ξίφη ἐχέτωσαν, ὅπως τῇ γῇ ἐμπησσόμενα τοὺς φέροντας ἀναπαύωσι. ∆έρματα δὲ, ἢ λινᾶ παχέα, ἢ τρίχινα κρεμνῶνται ἔξωθεν καὶ κατὰ πρόσωπον· ἐπὶ δὲ τοῖς ἀνίσοις ξύλοις δέρματα ἐπικείσθωσαν ἄνωθεν διπλᾶ, οὐκ ἀπεκτεταμένα πρὸς ὁμαλὴν καὶ ἴσην ἐπιφάνειαν, ἀλλὰ ἐπισυνηγμένα κατὰ μικρὸν καὶ προσκεχαλασμένα πρὸς τοῖς ἀνίσοις ξύλοις, ἵνα τῇ τούτων χαυνότητι τὰ ἐπιπίπτοντα βέλη πρὸς τὴν πληγὴν ἀτονῇ καὶ ἐκλύηται, 209 οἱ δὲ ἔνδον σκεπόμενοι ἀβλαβεῖς διαμένωσι. Τὰ δὲ ὑπογεγραμμένα πάντα σὺν τοῖς σχήμασι κατὰ τάξιν ὑπόκεινται. Εἰ δὲ ἐν ἐπιπέδοις καὶ ὁμαλοῖς τόποις ὦσιν αἱ πόλεις κείμεναι, τὰς χωστρίδας δεῖ προσάγεσθαι χελώνας, ὑποτρόχους αὐτὰς οὔσας καὶ ἔμπροσθεν καταστεγεῖς, ἵνα οἱ τὰς τάφρους χωννύοντες ἀπὸ τῶν ἐναντίων μὴ πλήττωνται· ἢ τὰς προειρημένας λαίσας, ὡς ἐλαφροτάτας καὶ χρησίμους πρὸς τὸ χωννύειν τάφρους, τόπους τε ἐνύδρους καὶ ὑπόμβρους ἀναγεμίζειν καὶ παντοῖα λακκίσματα ἐξομαλίζειν τοῖς τείχεσι πλησιάζοντα, ὅπως εὐδιάβατον καὶ ἀκίνδυνον τὴν τῶν μηχανημάτων ἀγωγὴν ποιησώμεθα. ∆εῖ δὲ ἀκριβῶς σκοποῦντας ἀνερευνᾶν τὰς ἐπὶ τὰς τάφρους φαινομένας ἰσοπέδους διαβάσεις διὰ τὰ κάτωθεν πολλάκις κρυπτόμενα ὑπὸ τῶν ἐναντίων κεράμια, καὶ τοῖς μὲν ἀνθρώποις εὐδιάβατον καὶ ἀκίνδυνον τὴν ὁδὸν ἀποφαίνεσθαι τοῖς δὲ προσφερομένοις ὀργάνοις λίαν βαρυτάτοις οὖσι καταδύνειν καὶ διασπᾶσθαι ἐπὶ τῇ θραύσει καὶ ἐπιδόσει τῶν ὑποκειμένων κεραμίων. Ὅθεν χρὴ μετὰ 210 ἀκοντίων εὐτόνων λόγχας ἀσφαλεῖς ἐχόντων ἢ ὁλοσιδήρων ἢ τρυπάνων τινῶν ἐπιτηδείων τὴν ἀπόπειραν ποιεῖσθαι· πρὸς δὲ 211 τοὺς κατεσπαρμένους ὑπὸ τῶν ἐχθρῶν σιδηροῦς τριβόλους τῇ γῇ 212 ἀναμιγνυμένους καὶ ἀφανεῖς ὄντας ξύλινα ὑποθέματα πρὸς τοὺς πόδας τοῖς ὑποδήμασι κάτωθεν ὑποθέντας ἀβλαβῶς διαβαίνειν ἢ τοῖς γεωργικοῖς κτεσὶν οὓς καὶ γριφάνας τινὲς καλοῦσιν, ὀδοντωτοῖς οὖσιν, τούτους ἀνακαθαίρειν. καὶ πρὸς τὰς ἐπὶ βοθρεύμασι τιθεμένας θύρας πρόπειραν ποιουμένους ταῖς δικέλλαις ἀνασκάπτειν. Χρὴ δὲ καὶ τὰς ὑπὸ γῆν πρὸς τῷ τείχει γινομένας ὑπορύξεις κρυφίας βαθείας πρὸς τοῖς θεμελίοις ποιεῖσθαι, καὶ μὴ εἰς ὄψιν τῆς γῆς, ἵνα μὴ διαγνόντες οἱ πολέμιοι ἔνδον ἀντορύξωσι καὶ τῷ τείχει ἀντιτρυπήσαντες κάπνῳ ἢ ὕδατι τοὺς τὴν ὀρυγὴν κατεργαζομένους ἀπολέσωσι. Τὸν δὲ βουλόμενον εὐκόπως πορθεῖν τὰς πόλεις, κατὰ Φίλωνα τὸν Ἀθηναῖον, δεῖ μάλιστα τρυγητοῦ ὄντος ἢ ἑορτῆς ἔξω τῆς πόλεως ἀγομένης ἀθρόαν τὴν ἐπίθεσιν ποιεῖσθαι· πλείστους γὰρ ἔξω τότε χειρούμενον εὐάλωτον ἢ ὑπόφορον καὶ τὴν πόλιν ἐκ τῶν λοιπῶν οἰκητόρων διὰ τὴν πρὸς αὐτοὺς στοργὴν ἢ συγγένειαν