Thucydides History of the Peloponnesian War 4.90

[1] But Hippocrates, having raised the whole power of the city of Athens, both citizens and others that dwelt amongst them and all strangers that were then there, arrived afterwards at Delium when the Boeotians were now returned from Siphae; and there stayed and took, in Delium, a temple of Apollo, with a wall, in this manner:

[2] Round about the temple and the whole consecrated ground they drew a ditch; and out of the ditch, instead of a wall they cast up the earth; and having driven down piles on either side, they cast thereinto the matter of the vineyard about the temple, which to that purpose they cut down, together with the stones and bricks of the ruined buildings; and by all means heightened the fortification, and in such places as would give leave, erected turrets of wood upon the same.

[3] There was no edifice of the temple standing, for the cloister that had been was fallen down. They began the work the third day after they set forth from Athens and wrought all the same day and all the fourth and the fifth day till dinner.

[4] And then being most part of it finished, the camp came back from Delium about ten furlongs homewards. And the lightarmed soldiers went most of them presently away; but the men of arms laid down their arms there and rested. Hippocrates stayed yet behind and took order about the garrison and about the finishing of the remainder of the fortification.

[1] Meanwhile Hippocrates made a levy in mass of the citizens, resident aliens, and foreigners in Athens , and arrived at his destination after the Boeotians had already come back from Siphae , and encamping his army began to fortify Delium , the sanctuary of Apollo, in the following manner.

[2] A trench was dug all round the temple and the consecrated ground, and the earth thrown up from the excavation was made to do duty as a wall, in which stakes were also planted, the vines round the sanctuary being cut down and thrown in, together with stones and bricks pulled down from the houses near; every means, in short, being used to run up the rampart. Wooden towers were also erected where they were wanted, and where there was no part of the temple buildings left standing, as on the side where the gallery once existing had fallen in.

[3] The work was begun on the third day after leaving home, and continued during the fourth, and till dinner-time on the fifth,

[4] when most of it being now finished the army removed from Delium about a mile and a quarter on its way home. From this point most of the light troops went straight on, while the heavy infantry halted and remained where they were; Hippocrates having stayed behind at Delium to arrange the posts, and to give directions for the completion of such part of the outworks as had been left unfinished.

Hippokrates seinerseits rief die Athener insgesammt und,
wie die Bürger, so auch die Beisitzer und was an Miethstruppen da
war, unter die Waffen und kam etwas später vor Delion an, als die
Böoter von Siphä sich bereits wieder zurückgezogen hatten. Er ließ
dann sein Heer Stellung nehmen und befestigte Delion, das ein
Heiligthum des Apollo ist, auf folgende Weise. Rings um den
geweihten Ort und den Tempel zogen sie einen Graben, warfen den
Schutt aus den Gruben anstatt einer Mauer auf, und schlugen neben
demselben hin Pfähle ein. Den Weinberg ringS um das Heiligthum
schlugen sie ans, um die Reben in die Pallisaden einzuflechten, und
nahmen auch Steine und Ziegel aus den Ruinen der nahestehenden
Häuser und suchten auf jede Weise den Wall in die Höhe zu bringen.
Auch hölzerne Thürme errichteten sie, wo die Gelegenheit es erlaubte
und vom Mauerwerk des HeiligthumS Nichts mehr vorhanden war;
denn die Halle, welche früher dagestanden hatte, war eingestürzt. Am
dritten Tage, nachdem sie von Hause ausgezogen, gingen sie an die
Arbeit, und blieben daran diesen und den vierten Tag und auch am
fünften noch bis zur Zeit des Frühmahls; danach, als der größte Theil
der Arbeit gethan war, zog zuerst das Heer von Delion ab und
machte auf dem Weg nach Hause ungefähr zehn Stadien. Hier lagerten
sich die Schwerbewaffneten, um auszuruhen, während die Mehrzahl
der leichten Truppen sogleich weiter marschirte. Hippokrates aber
blieb zurück und traf noch Anordnungen wegen der Besatzung und
wie man das, was an der Befestigung noch fehlte, ausführen sollte.

XC. Hippocrates, de son côté, à la tête des Athéniens levés en masse, desMetoeques et des étrangers présents dans la ville, marcha, mais tardivement, contre Délium : déjà les Béotiens étaient de retour de Siphé. Il fit camper son armée et fortifia Délium, temple d’Apollon, de la manière suivante : on creusa un fossé autour de l’enceinte sacrée et du temple ; les terres qui en étaient retirées furent amoncelées sur le bord pour tenir lieu de murailles. Des pieux furent enfoncés dans toute l’étendue, et on forma un parement pour le mur avec des sarments coupés dans la vigne qui entourait l’enceinte sacrée. On démolit les ruines des édifices voisins pour en prendre les pierres et la brique, et on mit en oeuvre tous les moyens pour donner de l’élévation au rempart. Des tours de bois furent élevées là où il était nécessaire, aux points où les bâtiments de l’enceinte n’existaient plus. Ce travail, commencé le troisième jour après le départ d’Athènes, fut poursuivi le quatrième et le cinquième jusqu’au dîner ; les ouvrages étant en grande partie terminés alors, l’armée quitta Délium, et s’avança l’espace d’environ dix stades, pour rentrer dans l’Attique. A ce point, la plupart des troupes légères continuèrent aussitôt leur route ; les hoplites firent halte et établirent leur campement. Hippocrates s’arrêta encore quelque temps à Délium, pour installer la garnison et terminer tout ce qui restait à faire des fortifications.

Hippocratès fit lever en masse la population d’Athènes, citoyens métèques et étrangers, et marcha sur Délion, mais après coup, alors que les Béotiens étaient déjà revenus de Si-phæ. Il alla camper à Délion et fortifia de la manière suivante cet endroit consacré à Apollon. Autour de l’enceinte et du temple on creusa un fossé ; la terre qu’on en retira fut relevée en guise de mur. On revêtit d une palissade la crête de cet ouvrage. Les interstices furent garnis avec des sarments coupés à la vigne sacrée, avec des pierres et des briques empruntées aux édifices voisins, en un mot avec tous les matériaux disponibles. Enfin on éleva des tours de bois sur tous les points non protégés par les bâtisses ; l’ancien portique du temple n’existait plus. Ce travail, commencé le troisième jour après le départ d’Athènes, se continua le quatrième et le cinquième jusqu’à l’heure du dîner. Quand tout fut à peu près terminé, l’armée quitta Délion pour rentrer en Attique,et s’avança d’une dizaine de stades. La plupart des troupes légères marchèrent sans s’arrêter; les hoplites firent halte et se reposèrent. Hippocratès était resté à Délion pour placer des gardes et mettre la dernière main aux défenses.

[1] Meanwhile Hippocrates levied all the forces of Athens, both citizens and resident aliens, and such foreigners as were in the city. But he arrived at Delium too late, after the Boeotians had already withdrawn from Siphae. Then, after settling his army in camp, he proceeded to fortify Delium in the following manner.

[2] They dug a ditch round the temple and the sacred precinct and threw up the earth from the ditch to serve for a wall, fixing stakes along it; and cutting down the grape-vines round the sanctuary, they threw them in, as well as stones and bricks from the neighboring homesteads which they pulled down, and in every way strove to increase the height of the fortification. Wooden towers, too, were erected wherever there was occasion for them and no temple-structure was ready to hand;

[3] for the cloister that once existed had fallen down. Beginning on the third day after they started from home, they worked that day and the fourth and until dinner-time on the fifth.

[4] Then, when most of it had been finished, the main body withdrew from Delium about ten stadia on their way home; and most of the light-armed troops went straight on, while the hoplites grounded arms and halted there. Hippocrates, however, remained behind and was busy posting pickets and arranging to complete whatever was unfinished about the outwork.

[1] But Hippocrates, having drawn out the whole population of Athens, citizens, resident aliens, and all the foreigners then in the city, afterwards arrived at Delium, when the Boeotians had now returned from Siphae; and having encamped his army, proceeded to fortify Delium, the sanctuary of Apollo, in the following manner.

[2] They dug a trench all round the sacred precinct and the fane, and from the ground thus excavated threw up the earth in a mound, as a substitute for a wall; and fixing stakes on it, cut down the vines that were round the sanctuary and threw them in, taking down also at the same time stones and brick-work from the neighbouring houses; and so they ran up the work in every way. They also erected wooden towers where there was occasion for them, and where there was not already any building belonging to the temple:

[3] for [on one side] the gallery that once existed had fallen down. Having begun the work on the third day after setting out from home, they continued it that day, the fourth, and till dinner-time of the fifth.

[4] Then. as the main part of it was finished, the army went forward from Delium about ten stades on its way home; whence most of the light-armed proceeded straight on, but the heavy-armed halted, and remained stationary; while Hippocrates was still staying behind, and arranging the guards, and how they should complete such parts of the out-works as remained to be finished.

[1] Hippocrates vero excitato omni Atheniensi populo, civibus ipsis et ioquilinis et e peregrinis quotquot aderant, posterior ad Delium pervenit, quum Boeoti a Siphis jam re- vertissent; ibique positis castris Delium hoc modo munire coepit, Apollinis sacrum.

[2] Fossam circa templum et fanum ducebant, et humum ex ipsa fossa egestum pro muro aggerebant, et vallos utrinque defigentes excisa vinea, quae circa templum erat, injiciebant simul et lapides et lateres ex proximis aedificiis detrahentes, et omni ratione munitio* nem illam excitabant. Turresque ligneas posuerunt, ubi locus opportunus erat fanique nullum erat aedificium; nam quae fuerat porticus, collapsa erat.

[3] Quum autem tertio die, ex quo domo discesserant, opus aggressi essent, quum hunc ipsum diem, tum etiam quartum in opere faciendo consumpserunt et quintum usque ad prandii tempus.

[4] Deinde, quum maxima pars esset absoluta, exercitus quidem a Delio decem ferme stadia recessit, ut domum revertens, etatimque levis armaturae milites plerique discedebant; at gravis armaturae milites subsistentes ibi quiescebant; Hippocrates vero in Delio adhuc remanens et custodias et quicquid reliquum erat, quod circa propugnacula confidendum esset, constituebat.

Intanto Ippocrate , che aveva sollecitato gli Ateniesi tutti, cittadini, inquilini e quanto vi era di forestieri, arriva a Delio , ma troppo tardi, quando già i Beozii eransi ritirati da Si£a. Ivi postosi ad oste prese a fortificare Delio , luogo sacro ad Apollo, nel seguente modo. Scavavano intorno al sagrato ed al tempio una fossa circolare, e dallo scasso gettavano su il cavaticcio per formare un argine, e rasente ad esso ficcarono su' due lati dei pali tolti da una vigna attorno al sacro recinto, la quale tagliarono ; e gettavano nel mezzo i tritumi di essa insieme con sassi e mattoni, levandoli dai pavimenti delle vicine case cui demolivano; e in ogni maniera si ingegnavano di alzare quel riparo. Collocavano ancora, ove fosse opportuno, delle torri di legno , di modo che nel sacro recinto non restava punto di fabbricato, imperocché anche dove sorgeva il portico era già andato in rovina ogni cosa. Avevano cominciato questo lavoro il terzo giorno da che sì erano partiti da casa , e vi si occuparono questo giorno medesimo e il quarto e il quinto fino all’ora del pranzo. Dipoi essendo quasi tutto fornito il lavoro, primieramente l’esercito si scostò da Delio circa dieci stadii, con animo di tornarsene a casa. La milizia leggera, che formava il maggior numero, seguitò immediatamente il suo capimiiio ; ma quella di grave armatura fermato il campo, si teneva quieta. Ippocrate continuò a trattenersi a Delio per mettervi guàrdie e dar l' ultima mano , secondo il bisogno, a quanto mancava ai ripari di quella terra.