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

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 winter has set in, when because of the cold the majority of them are huddled in their houses and happen to be unprepared for battle, or when a public festival is being celebrated in the city and the 213 populace is occupied with games at the celebration or is overcome by drunkenness, having made leather ladders we shall bring them to the wall, which are sewn just like wineskins and being sealed with ointment around the seams are filled up so as not to let air escape; for when they are inflated and filled with air and prevented from letting it out, they must become erect, being held up by the air for the ascent. But if the wall should be higher than the ladders, they are placed upon underlying tow ladders, which are constructed by being woven and bound by sewing, being net-like as the so-called sarcina; and at their ends 214 hooks are attached, so that, being thrown from the underlying leather ladders, they may catch hold of the battlements and thus facilitate the ascent to the wall for those who wish it. The shapes of the ladders have been drawn below. And when the aforementioned rams with the vine-tortoises come near the wall, it is then necessary to bring up different tortoises, some for digging at the wall, and others for ramming it; for digging, therefore, the so-called digging-tortoises; these are to be either double-roofed and covered in front and brought up and to approach the wall, or single-winged, sloping behind, but square in front, and trapezoidal like triangles on the sides, being constructed thus: taking three or four timbers, and sometimes even five for a denser and stronger work, having a length of not less than 10 feet, and a thickness of about one foot, and likewise the width, to cut these obliquely from above as to a point, so that being brought forward on wheeled axles, supported from within by upright timbers, they may approach the wall. And let a column be stood near the wall having a base underneath, which will support both the timbers laid upon it and the supporting timbers upright, so that things thrown from above may fall off behind without harming the roof at all. And let the upright timbers that are cut to a point in front have iron spikes behind, so that they may be fixed in the ground and not 215 be dragged aside; and on the sides let hides or protective rags be hung, or things woven from twigs or palm leaves, on account of the missiles coming from either side; and likewise also in front. And when they approach the wall, let the front parts be opened upwards; and let two men be concealed under each tortoise, standing upright and digging the wall, to a depth of more than half its thickness, and to a width as great as that of the tortoise, and for the height, beginning to dig from three feet above the ground, so that the debris from the digging may fall down into the space left below; and to dig the upper part as much as the diggers will be able to do without hindrance. And let the tortoises be placed no closer than 20 feet from each other, 216 so that there may be many of them and the diggers may work on a large area of the wall 216; and being small, so that they may be brought up quickly and easily, and so that what is thrown from the wall by the enemy may not be carried straight to its target and hit the sides of the tortoises which have such a distance between them. The shapes drawn below are set forth. But when the wall has been pierced from the face inwards through its thickness and has taken as many breaches in width as there are tortoises, and the said two men, turned away from each other, dig inwards without hindrance into the breaches, they no longer have need of a tortoise, digging into the side parts and being protected within by the thickness of the wall. And so that the wall does not collapse on the diggers, let it be propped up from within and supported

ἀνταλλαττόμενον ἕξειν. Εἰ δὲ κατὰ κλοπὴν νυκτὸς τὴν πόλιν βουλόμεθα λαβεῖν τῶν πολιτῶν τὴν ἔλευσιν ἡμῶν ἀγνοούντων καὶ ἀνελπίστων ὄντων, χειμῶνος καταλαβόντος ὅτε τῷ κρύει τούτων οἱ πλείους ἐν ταῖς οἰκίαις συστέλλονται καὶ ἀπαράσκευοι πρὸς μάχην τυγχάνουσιν, ἢ πανδήμου ἑορτῆς ἐν τῇ πόλει τελουμένης καὶ τοῦ 213 πλήθους ἐπὶ τῇ τελετῇ παιγνίοις σχολάζοντος ἢ καταφόρου ὑπὸ τῆς μέθης ὄντος, κλίμακας ποιήσαντες δερματίνας τῷ τείχει προσάξομεν, αἵτινες ῥάπτονται καθάπερ οἱ ἀσκοὶ καὶ τῇ ἀλοιφῇ ἐμφραττόμεναι περὶ τὰς ῥαφὰς ἀναγεμίζονται ὥστε μὴ διαπνεῖν· ἐμφυσωμένων γὰρ καὶ πνεύματος πληρουμένων τοῦ διαπνεῖν κωλυομένων, ἐξορθοῦσθαι αὐτὰς ἀνάγκη, ὑπὸ τοῦ πνεύματος ἀντεχομένων πρὸς τὴν ἀνάβασιν. Εἰ δὲ ὑψηλότερον τῶν κλιμάκων τὸ τεῖχος εἴη, ἐπὶ ταῖς στυππίναις προϋποτίθενται κλίμαξιν, αἳ κατασκευάζονται διὰ πλοκῆς καὶ ῥαφῆς δεσμούμεναι, δικτυωταὶ οὖσαι ὡς τὰ λεγόμενα σάρκινα· εἰς δὲ τὰ ἄκρα αὐτῶν 214 ἄγκιστρα προσβάλλονται, ἵνα ἀπὸ τῶν προϋποτεθέντων δερματίνων ἐπιρριπτόμενα ἐπιλαμβάνηται τῶν προμαχώνων καὶ οὕτως τὴν ἐπὶ τὸ τεῖχος ἀνάβασιν τοῖς βουλομένοις διευθετίζωσι. Τὰ δὲ τῶν κλιμάκων σχήματα ὑπογέγραπται. Τὰ δὲ ἀνωτέρω προρρηθέντα ἔμβολα σὺν ταῖς ἀμπελοχελώναις ὅταν ἐγγὺς τοῦ τείχους ἀνέλθωσι, χελώνας δεῖ τότε διαφόρους προσάγειν, ἄλλας μὲν πρὸς τὸ ὀρύξαι τὸ τεῖχος, ἑτέρας δὲ πρὸς τὸ κριοκοπῆσαι· ἐπὶ μὲν οὖν τοῦ ὀρύξαι τὰς λεγομένας ὀρυκτρίδας· ταύτας δὲ ἢ διρρύτους εἶναι καὶ κατὰ πρόσωπον σκεπομένας προσάγεσθαι καὶ προσεγγίζειν τῷ τείχει, ἢ μονοπτέρους, ὄπισθε μὲν κατωφερεῖς, κατὰ δὲ πρόσωπον τετραγώνους, καὶ ἐκ πλαγίων τραπεζοειδεῖς ὡς τριγώνους, κατασκευαζομένας οὕτως· ξύλα λαβόντας τρία ἢ τέσσαρα, ἔστι δὲ ὅτε καὶ πέντε διὰ τὸ πυκνότερον καὶ στερεώτερον τοῦ ἔργου, μῆκος ἔχοντα μὴ ἔλασσον ποδῶν ˉι, πάχος δὲ ὡσεὶ ποδὸς ἑνὸς, ὁμοίως δὲ καὶ πλάτος, ταῦτα ἀποκόπτειν ἄνωθεν λοξῶς ὡς πρὸς ὄνυχα, ἵνα προσφερόμενα δι' ὑποτρόχων ἀξόνων, ὑπὸ ὀρθίων ξύλων ἔσωθεν βασταζόμενα, προσεγγίσωσι τῷ τείχει. ἱστάσθω δὲ πρὸς τῷ τείχει στῦλος ὑπόθεμα κάτωθεν ἔχων, ὅστις καὶ τὰ ἐπικείμενα ξύλα καὶ τὰ ὑποστηρίζοντα βαστάσει πάρορθα, ἵνα τὰ ἄνωθεν καταφερόμενα μηδὲν παραβλάπτοντα τὴν στέγην παρεκπίπτῃ ὄπισθεν. Τὰ δὲ πάρορθα ξύλα καὶ πρὸς ὄνυχα ἔμπροσθεν ἐκκεκομμένα κέντρα σιδηρᾶ ἐχέτωσαν ὄπισθεν, ἵνα ἐμπήσσωνται τῇ γῇ καὶ μὴ 215 παρασύρωνται· εἰς δὲ τὰ πλάγια κρεμάσθωσαν δέρματα ἢ ῥάκη σκέποντα, ἢ τὰ ἐκ βεργῶν ἢ φοινίκων πεπλεγμένα διὰ τὰ ἑκατέρωθεν ἐπιφερόμενα βέλη· ὡσαύτως δὲ καὶ ἐπὶ τὰ ἔμπροσθεν. Ὅταν δὲ προσεγγίζωσι τῷ τείχει, ἀναπεταζέσθωσαν ἐπὶ τὰ ἄνω τὰ ἔμπροσθεν· ὑποκρύπτεσθαι δὲ καθ' ἑκάστην χελώνην ἄνδρας δύο ὀρθοὺς ἱσταμένους καὶ σκάπτοντας τὸ τεῖχος, πρὸς μὲν πάχος πλέον τοῦ ἡμίσους, κατὰ δὲ πλάτος ὅσον καὶ τὸ τῆς χελώνης ἐστὶ, πρὸς δὲ τὸ ὕψος ἀπὸ τριῶν ποδῶν ἄνωθε τῆς γῆς ἀρχομένους ὀρύσσειν, ἵνα τὰ ἐκ τῆς ὀρυγῆς κατερχόμενα πρὸς τὸν ἐαθέντα κάτωθεν πίπτωσι τόπον· ἐπὶ δὲ τὸ ἀνώτερον μέρος τοσοῦτον σκάπτειν ὅσον οἱ ὀρύσσοντες ἀπαρεμποδίστως δυνήσονται. Ἐγγύτερον δὲ ˉκ ποδῶν διεστηκέτωσαν ἀπ' ἀλλήλων αἱ χελῶναι, 216 ἵνα καὶ πολλὰ ὦσι καὶ πολὺν τόπον οἱ ὀρύσσοντες ἐπὶ τὸ τεῖχος 216 ἐργάζωνται· καὶ μικραὶ οὖσαι, ἵνα ταχέως καὶ εὐκόπως παράγωνται, καὶ ἵνα μὴ ἐπ' εὐθείας πρὸς τὸν σκοπὸν φέρηται καὶ εὐστοχῇ πρὸς τὰ πλάγια τῶν χελωνῶν τῶν τοσαύτην διάστασιν ἀπ' ἀλλήλων ἐχουσῶν τὰ ἀπὸ τοῦ τείχους ὑπὸ τῶν ἐναντίων βαλλόμενα. Τὰ δὲ ὑπογεγραμμένα σχήματα ὑπόκειται. Ὅταν δὲ τρυπηθῇ τὸ τεῖχος ἀπὸ τῆς ὄψεως ἔνδον ἐπὶ τὸ πάχος καὶ διάχωρα κατὰ πλάτος τοσαῦτα λάβῃ ὅσα καὶ αἱ χελῶναί εἰσι, καὶ οἱ ῥηθέντες δύο ἄνδρες ἀπ' ἀλλήλων ἀπεστραμμένοι ἔσωθεν ἀπαρεμποδίστως ἐπὶ τὰ διάχωρα σκάπτωσιν, οὐκέτι χελώνης ἔχουσι χρείαν πρὸς τὰ πλάγια μέρη ὀρύσσοντες καὶ ὑπὸ τοῦ πάχους τοῦ τείχους ἔνδον φυλαττόμενοι. Ἵνα δὲ τοῖς σκάπτουσι μὴ συνεμπίπτῃ τὸ τεῖχος, ὑποστυλούσθω ἔσωθεν καὶ βασταζέσθω