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

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, and being bound with ropes let it be supported, becoming a safe gangway to the wall. For when this one is raised upon the other and is carried upright, the two are brought to the wall together. And let the one standing below, which also has the rungs for the ascent, stand away from the wall by some fixed distance and measure of the ropes being let out, so that the descending end of the decked one may be placed on the wall and be a platform for those who wish it. And let the width of both the ladder and the platform be sufficient, so that in formation five or four or at a minimum three men may ascend in rows crossing over on the gangway, so that they might fight back with one accord against those defending from the wall. 258 And let there be barriers of hides on both sides of the ladder and gangway because of the missiles coming from the side. And the ladder standing below must be secured with driven stakes and supported by taut ropes, and be found to be higher than the wall by not less than three feet, so that things coming down from the wall may be unable to pass through towards the upper part and work destruction upon those ascending. And with the platform sloping down towards the wall, the soldiers will be more eager and more daring towards the downward slope. But if the ladder were lower than the wall, the opposite of these things will result. And the diagrams are appended. 259 And the said gangway alone will become a useful bridge, whenever we are unable to fill in ditches that are wide or deep and full of water, if its length becomes commensurate with the width of the ditches and, as we have learned, it is easily joined, being raised upright in front of a filler tortoise, drawn from behind by ropes and let down, or by the aforementioned pulleys from above, whenever the size and momentum of the gangway's weight is so excessive. For being carried by the tortoise and having approached the front lip of the ditch, the ropes from behind are slackened and the descending end is placed on the opposite lip, and it becomes a harmless path for those wishing to cross readily with shields which have been smeared around the wickerwork with clay or with ashes mixed with blood and covered with the hides of freshly slaughtered oxen, on account of both fire-missiles and the heated liquids poured upon them. And just as has been previously 260 shown for the sapping tortoises, so too it is necessary to make the distance of the shields less than 20 feet from each other, and beginning from three feet above the ground to carry out the digging towards the wall. And the diagrams are appended. And those of the school of Philo of Byzantium, setting filler tortoises before such ditches, join rafts to them, and bring the soldiers to whatever part of the wall they wish, by nailing on iron pegs, which, being sharpened, enter into the joints and seams of stone and brick walls, being struck by iron hammers by those ascending, and by grappling with hooks which they throw on ropes along with nets at the battlements, so that the soldiers, especially those accustomed to it, do not find the ascent difficult. For by using such a method, the Egyptians are accustomed to besieging 261 unprepared and weak cities, and those low in height, with ease. And the diagrams are appended, And it is necessary on all ladders and ascents or platforms made against the wall to watch for the thick nets of flax prepared in advance. For being thrown over and then suddenly dragged back, they take captive those ascending or stepping on them and present them as prisoners to the enemy. And against the ladders, we have guarded a safe ascent, as we specified above, by contriving anchored beams for the descending weights. And against the platforms it is necessary to place in front two timbers easily joined together

οὖσα τὴν τῶν προειρημένων κλιμάκων κατασκευὴν ἐπιδεχέσθω. Ἡ δὲ ἀνάγεσθαι μέλλουσα πρὸς ὅλον αὐτῆς τὸ μῆκος καταστρωθήτω σανίσι, καὶ σχοινίοις περιειληθεῖσα στηριχθήτω, ἀσφαλὴς διαβάθρα ἐπὶ τὸ τεῖχος γινομένη· ἀνισταμένη γὰρ αὐτὴ ἐπὶ τῆς ἑτέρας καὶ φερομένη πάρορθος, ἅμα τῷ τείχει αἱ δύο προσάγονται· καὶ ἡ μὲν κάτωθεν ἱσταμένη, ἡ καὶ τὰς βαθμίδας πρὸς τὴν ἀνάβασιν ἔχουσα, ἀφιστάσθω τοῦ τείχους ὅσον σταθμῷ τινι καὶ μέτρῳ τῶν σχοινίων προσχαλωμένων, τὸ τῆς καταστρωθείσης κατερχόμενον ἄκρον τῷ τείχει ἐπιτεθῇ καὶ ἐπίβασις τοῖς βουλομένοις εἴη· ἱκανὸν δὲ τὸ πλάτος τῆς τε κλίμακος καὶ ἐπιβάθρας γινέσθω, ὅπως κατὰ τάξιν πέντε ἢ τέσσαρες ἢ τὸ ἐλάχιστον τρεῖς ἄνδρες στοιχηδὸν ἀνέρχωνται ἐπὶ τῆς διαβάθρας διερχόμενοι, ὡς ἂν ὁμοψύχως τοῖς ἐπὶ τὸ τεῖχος προμαχοῦσιν 258 ἀντιμαχήσωνται. Περιφραγαὶ δὲ ἐκ βυρσῶν ἐφ' ἑκάτερα τὰ μέρη τῆς τε κλίμακος καὶ διαβάθρας γινέσθωσαν διὰ τὰ ἐκ πλαγίου ἐπιφερόμενα βέλη. ∆εῖ δὲ τὴν κάτωθεν ἱσταμένην κλίμακα πασσάλοις ἐμπεπηγόσιν ἀσφαλίζεσθαι καὶ σχοινίοις ἀποτετανυσμένοις ἐπιστηρίζεσθαι καὶ ὑψηλοτέραν τοῦ τείχους εὑρίσκεσθαι ποδῶν μὴ ἔλασσον τριῶν, ὅπως τὰ ἐκ τοῦ τείχους κατερχόμενα πρὸς τὸ ἀνωφερὲς ἀδυνατῶσι διέρχεσθαι καὶ ὄλεθρον ἐπὶ τοῖς ἀνιοῦσιν ἐργάζεσθαι. Κατωφεροῦς δὲ τῆς ἐπιβάθρας ἐπὶ τὸ τεῖχος οὔσης, προθυμότεροι μᾶλλον οἱ στρατιῶται καὶ εὐτολμότεροι πρὸς τὸ κατωφερὲς ἔσονται· εἰ δὲ ταπεινοτέρα τοῦ τείχους ἡ κλῖμαξ εἴη, τὰ ἐναντία τούτων ἀποβήσεται. Καὶ τὰ σχήματα ὑπόκεινται. 259 Γενήσεται δὲ εὔχρηστος γέφυρα καὶ μόνη ἡ ῥηθεῖσα διαβάθρα, ὅταν ἀδυνατῶμεν χωννύειν τάφρους εὐρείας ἢ βαθείας τε καὶ ὑδάτων μεστὰς, εἰ σύμμετρος μήκει πρὸς τὰ τῶν τάφρων γένηται πλάτη καὶ, ὡς ἐμάθομεν, εὐλύτως ἐπιζευχθῇ, χωστρίδος ἔμπροσθεν χελώνης πάρορθος ἀνισταμένη, ὑπὸ σχοινίων ὄπισθεν ἑλκομένη καὶ ἐπιδιδομένη ἢ ὑπὸ τῶν ῥηθέντων ἄνωθεν πολυσπάστων, ὅταν ἔξογκον ἐπὶ τοσοῦτον τὸ μέγεθος καὶ ἡ φορὰ τοῦ βάρους τῆς διαβάθρας εἴη· φερομένη γὰρ ὑπὸ τῆς χελώνης καὶ προσελθοῦσα τῷ ἐμπροσθίῳ χείλει τῆς τάφρου, τὰ ἐκ τῶν ὄπισθεν προσχαλῶνται σχοινία καὶ κατερχόμενον τὸ ἄκρον πρὸς τὸ ἀπεναντίον ἐπιτίθεται χεῖλος, καὶ γίνεται ὁδὸς ἀβλαβὴς τοῖς βουλομένοις εὐπροθύμως μετὰ λαισῶν διέρχεσθαι πηλῷ περὶ τὰ πλέγματα ἐπικεχρισμένων ἢ τέφρᾳ αἵματι ἀναμεμιγμένῃ καὶ βύρσαις βοῶν νεοσφαγῶν σκεπομένων διά τε τὰ πυροβόλα καὶ τὰ ἐπεγχεόμενα τεθερμασμένα ὑγρά. Καὶ καθάπερ ἐπὶ τῶν ὀρυκτρίδων προδέ260 δεικται χελωνῶν, οὕτως καὶ τὴν τῶν λαισῶν διάστασιν δεῖ ἔλασσον τῶν ˉκ ποδῶν ἀπ' ἀλλήλων ποιεῖσθαι, καὶ ἀπὸ τριῶν ποδῶν ἄνωθεν τῆς γῆς ἀρχομένους τὴν ἐπὶ τὸ τεῖχος ὀρυγὴν κατεργάζεσθαι. Καὶ τὰ σχήματα ὑπόκεινται. Οἱ δὲ περὶ Φίλωνα τὸν Βυζάντιον, πρὸς τὰς τοιαύτας τάφρους χελώνας προθέμενοι χωστρίδας, πρὸς αὐτὰς σχεδίας ἐπιζευγνύουσι, καὶ πρὸς ὃ ἂν βούλωνται μέρος τοῦ τείχους τοὺς στρατιώτας προσάγουσι, σιδηροῦς προσηλοῦντας πασσάλους, οἳ στομωθέντες εἰς τὰς συμβολὰς καὶ συμφύσεις λιθίνων τε καὶ πλινθίνων ὑπεισέρχονται τειχῶν, σιδηραῖς σφύραις ὑπὸ τῶν ἀναβαινόντων τυπτόμενοι, καὶ ἀγκίστροις ἅπερ ἐπὶ σχοινίων σὺν τοῖς δικτύοις ἅμα πρὸς τὰς ἐπάλξεις ἐπιρριπτούντων ἐπιδρασσομένοις, ὥστε μὴ χαλεπαίνειν πρὸς τὴν ἀνάβασιν τοὺς ἐθισθέντας μάλιστα στρατιώτας· τοιαύτῃ γὰρ μεθόδῳ Αἰγύπτιοι χρώμενοι τὰς ἀπαρα261 σκεύους καὶ ἀνισχύρους πόλεις καὶ ταπεινὰς πρὸς ὕψος πολιορκεῖν ῥᾳδίως εἰώθασι. Καὶ τὰ σχήματα ὑπόκεινται, ∆εῖ δὲ ἐπὶ πάσαις ταῖς κλίμαξι καὶ ταῖς ἐπὶ τῷ τείχει γινομέναις ἀναβάσεσιν ἢ ἐπιβάθραις σκοπεῖν τὰ προκαταρτιζόμενα ἐκ λίνου παχέα ἀμφίβληστρα· ἐπιρριπτόμενα γὰρ καὶ ἀθρόως πάλιν ἐπισυρόμενα τοὺς ἀνερχομένους ἢ ἐπιβαίνοντας ζωγροῦσι καὶ τοῖς ἐχθροῖς ὑποχειρίους παρίστασι. Καὶ πρὸς μὲν ταῖς κλίμαξιν ἀβλαβῆ τὴν ἀνάβασιν παρεφυλαξάμεθα, ὡς ἐπὶ τῶν ἀγκυρωτῶν δοκίδων τῶν κατερχομένων βαρῶν ἀνωτέρω τεχνησάμενοι διωρίσαμεν. Πρὸς δὲ τὰς ἐπιβάθρας χρὴ δύο ἔμπροσθεν παριστάνειν ξύλα εὐλύτως ἐπιζευγνύμενα