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 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 timbers and because it is brought up slowly and with difficulty. The diagrams are appended below in order. And it is necessary to know that when carried by the front and larger tortoise the ram is raised higher against the face of the wall, but on the rear part it is lowered; for indeed, moving upwards, it delivers a very powerful blow against the upper parts of the walls; but stooping towards the lower parts, a very weak and feeble one, and sometimes even a precarious one. 229 And in all the tortoises let broad-headed nails, as has been said before, be driven in from above into the side and sloping parts of the roof up to their midpoint, and let the space between that stands up be filled with rich and sticky clay mixed with hair and kept from cracking. And against the wheels supporting the tortoise on the lower yokes, to place large wedges inserted from each side, so as to support the magnitude of the height; for the pins of the wheels alone, and especially those passing through each of the yokes like axles, being short, will not be able to support the tortoise, nor will we have it standing securely for the impending movement of the ram. And the wedges are inserted underneath, not only supporting the weight of the height, but also preventing the wheels from shifting sideways; but when we wish to move the tortoise, we shall loosen the wedges placed below. And it is necessary to know that stone walls are shaken and broken more quickly than brick ones; for because of the porous and soft nature of brick the blow delivered by the ram is weak and feeble, denting and pitting the brick rather than breaking and shattering it; but stone, being resistant to the hardness of the iron .... 230 Hegetor the Byzantine and his school made the largest ram 120 cubits in length, and at the heel one foot in thickness, and 5 palms in width; and at the front end they tapered it to a width of one foot and a thickness of three palms; they nailed on four iron spirals extending for 10 cubits at the front, and girding the whole thing with three ropes eight fingers thick all around, and covering it with hides all around, they lifted it in the middle from three intervals, with four supports. And the ropes from the windlasses on the ram-holder, supporting and moving the ram, had their ends braided with iron chains. And they also made a boarding bridge on the projection of the ram, with a plank nailed on the front and a woven net of a sufficient thickness with holes four fingers apart or even more, for easily ascending the wall. And they suspended and moved it on an eight-wheeled tortoise, having at the bottom of the framework a length of 231 42 cubits, and a width of 28. And the four posts on the framework fixed for height at the corners they made each from two joined posts, having a length of 24 cubits each and a thickness of 5 palms, and a width of a cubit; and above the ram-holder they fixed a breastwork, like an enclosure, so that against it those observing the things being thrown against the ram by the enemy could stand safely. And such a ram they moved in six ways, 232 lowering it from a height of seventy cubits, and again to the sides dragging it for 70 cubits; and it was moved, being brought forward by 100 men; and the total weight being moved was about four thousand talents. And the diagram is appended below. And it is necessary to know that of rams, some are directed by a number of men, according to some of the ancient engineers, others are drawn back by compound pulleys, and others are pushed forward on rollers. And there are times when they, by means of turning windlasses making both the approach and the return, deliver the blow. And it is possible for the craftsman, according to the sizes of the rams and the appropriate need of the task, to devise also

τὸ εὐκόπως προσάγεσθαι καὶ ἐκ μικρῶν συμπήγνυσθαι ξύλων, καὶ μὴ μίαν μεγίστην διὰ τὸ ἐκ μεγάλων καὶ δυσευρέτων γίνεσθαι καὶ διὰ τὸ βραδέως καὶ δυσκόπως παράγεσθαι. Τὰ δὲ σχήματα κατὰ τάξιν ὑπόκειται. Καὶ δεῖ εἰδέναι ὅτι ὑπὸ τῆς ἔμπροσθεν καὶ μείζονος χελώνης βασταζόμενος ὁ κριὸς ἐπὶ πλέον ὑψοῦται κατὰ πρόσωπον τοῦ τείχους, ἐπὶ δὲ τῶν ὄπισθεν ταπεινοῦται· καὶ γὰρ ἀναφερῶς κινούμενος σφοδροτάτην ἐπὶ τὰ ἀνώτερα τῶν τειχῶν ἀποτελεῖ τὴν πληγήν· ἐπὶ δὲ τὰ κάτω συγκύπτων ἀσθενεστάτην καὶ ἔκλυτον, ἐνίοτε δὲ καὶ ἐπισφαλῆ. 229 Ἐν ἁπάσαις δὲ ταῖς χελώναις ἧλοι πλατυκέφαλοι, ὡς προείρηται, ἄνωθεν ἐμπησσέσθωσαν πρὸς τὰ τῆς στέγης πλάγια καὶ κατωφερῆ μέρη ἄχρι τοῦ ἡμίσους αὐτῶν, καὶ τὸ διὰ μέσου ἀνεστηκὸς ἀναπληρούσθω πηλοῦ λιπαροῦ καὶ κολλώδους μετὰ τριχῶν μεμαλαγμένου καὶ ἀδιασχίστου συντηρουμένου. Πρὸς δὲ τοὺς τροχοὺς τοὺς βαστάζοντας τὴν χελώνην ἐπὶ τὰ κάτω ζυγὰ σφῆνας εὐμεγέθεις ὑποθεῖναι ἀφ' ἑκατέρων τῶν μερῶν ὑπεμβαίνοντας, ὥστε ἀντέχειν πρὸς τὸ τοῦ ὕψους μέγεθος· αἱ γὰρ τῶν τροχῶν περόναι μόναι καὶ μάλιστα αἱ περὶ ἕκαστα τὰ ζυγὰ διερχόμεναι δίκην ἀξόνων, βραχεῖαι οὖσαι, οὐ δυνήσονται βαστάσαι τὴν χελώνην, οὐδὲ ἀσφαλῶς αὐτὴν ἱσταμένην ἕξομεν πρὸς τὴν μέλλουσαν γίνεσθαι τοῦ κριοῦ ἐπικίνησιν. Ὑποβάλλονται δὲ κάτωθεν οἱ σφῆνες, οὐ μόνον τὸ τοῦ ὕψους ἀντεχόμενοι βάρος, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὴν τῶν τροχῶν κωλύοντες παρακίνησιν· ὅταν δὲ θελήσωμεν ἐπικινῆσαι τὴν χελώνην, τοὺς κάτω τεθέντας ὑποχαυνώσομεν σφῆνας. Καὶ δεῖ εἰδέναι ὅτι τὰ λίθινα τείχη τάχιον ἐνσείεται καὶ ῥήγνυται τῶν πλινθίνων· διὰ γὰρ τὸ χαῦνον καὶ μαλακὸν τῆς πλίνθου ἡ ἐκ τοῦ κριοῦ γινομένη πληγὴ ἀσθενής ἐστι καὶ ἔκλυτος, βαθύνουσα τὴν πλίνθον καὶ λακκίζουσα μᾶλλον ἢ ῥηγνύουσα καὶ διασπῶσα· ὁ δὲ λίθος πρὸς τὴν τοῦ σιδήρου σκληρότητα ἀντίτυπος ὢν .... 230 Οἱ δὲ περὶ Ἡγήτορα τὸν Βυζάντιον τὸν μέγιστον κριὸν πηχῶν ˉρˉκ κατὰ μῆκος ἐποίουν, ἐκ δὲ πτέρνης κατὰ μὲν πάχος ποδιαῖον, εἰς δὲ πλάτος παλαιστῶν ˉε· ἐπὶ δὲ τὸ ἔμπροσθεν ἄκρον συνῆγον αὐτὸν εἰς πλάτος ποδιαῖον καὶ πάχος τριπάλαιστον· ἕλικας σιδηρᾶς τέσσαρας ἀποτεινομένας ἐπὶ πήχεις ˉι ἔμπροσθεν προσηλοῦντες, καὶ ὅλον ὑποζωννύοντες τρισὶ σχοινίοις κατὰ πάχος γυρόθεν ὀκταδακτύλοις, καὶ βυρσοῦντες αὐτὸν κύκλῳ, ἀνελάμβανον κατὰ μέσιν ἐκ τριῶν μὲν διαλειμμάτων, βασταγμάτων δὲ τεσσάρων. Τὰ δὲ σχοινία τὰ ἐκ τῶν ὀνίσκων τῶν ἐκ τῆς κριοδόχης ἀνέχοντα καὶ ἐπιφέροντα τὸν κριὸν τὰς ἀρχὰς εἶχον ἁλύσεσι σιδηραῖς πεπλεγμένας. Ἐποίουν δὲ καὶ ἐπιβάθραν ἐπὶ τῇ προφορᾷ τοῦ κριοῦ σανίδος ἔμπροσθεν ἐφηλωθείσης καὶ δίκτυον πεπλεγμένον ἐπὶ πάχος ἱκανὸν κατὰ διάστασιν δακτύλων τεσσάρων ἢ καὶ πλείω τὰς ὀπὰς ἔχον, πρὸς τὸ εὐκόλως ἀναβαίνειν ἐπὶ τὸ τεῖχος. Ἀνήρτων δὲ αὐτὸν καὶ ἐκίνουν ἐπὶ ὀκτατρόχου χελώνης, κατὰ μὲν τὸ τοῦ ἐσχαρίου κάτωθεν μῆκος πήχεις ἐχούσης 231 ˉμˉβ, τὸ δὲ πλάτος ˉκˉη. Καὶ τὰ ἐπὶ τοῦ ἐσχαρίου πρὸς ὕψος πηγνύμενα κατὰ τὰς γωνίας τέσσαρα σκέλη ἐκ δύο ἕκαστα συνημμένων σκελῶν ἐποίουν, μῆκος ἔχοντα ἀνὰ πηχῶν ˉκˉδ καὶ πάχος παλαιστῶν ˉε, κατὰ δὲ πλάτος πηχυαῖα· ἄνωθεν δὲ τῆς κριοδόχης θωράκιον ἐπήγνυον οἱονεὶ περίφραγμα, ὥστε πρὸς αὐτὸ ἀσφαλῶς δύνασθαι ἑστάναι τοὺς ἐποπτεύοντας τὰ κατὰ τοῦ κριοῦ ἀπὸ τῶν ἐναντίων βαλλόμενα. Τὸν δὲ τοιοῦτον κριὸν ἑξαχῶς 232 ἐκίνουν, καθαιροῦντες ἀπὸ ἑβδομηκονταπήχους ὕψους, καὶ πρὸς τὰ πλάγια πάλιν ἐπὶ πήχεις ˉο παρασύροντες· ἐκινεῖτο δὲ ὑπὸ ˉρ ἀνδρῶν προσφερόμενος· τὸ δὲ κινούμενον σύμπαν βάρος ταλάντων ἦν ὡσεὶ τετρακισχιλίων. Καὶ τὸ σχῆμα ὑπόκειται. Καὶ δεῖ εἰδέναι ὅτι τῶν κριῶν οἱ μὲν ὑπὸ πλήθους ἀνδρῶν οἰακίζονται κατά τινας τῶν πάλαι μηχανικῶν, οἱ δὲ ἐξ ἀντισπάστων ἐφέλκονται, καὶ ἕτεροι ἐπὶ κυλίνδρων προωθοῦνται. Ἔστι δὲ ὅτε αὐτοὺς καὶ δι' ὀνίσκων περιστρεφομένων τήν τε προσαγωγὴν καὶ ἀναστροφὴν ποιουμένους τὴν πλῆξιν ἀπεργάζεσθαι. Ἔξεστι δὲ τῷ τεχνίτῃ πρὸς τὰ τῶν κριῶν μεγέθη καὶ τὴν ἀνήκουσαν τοῦ ἔργου χρείαν ἐπινοεῖν καὶ