History of the Peloponnesian War

When Aristeus returned from the pursuit and saw that the rest of the army was defeated, he was at a loss whether he should try to fight his way through towards Olynthus or into Potidaea. He determined, however, to bring his own troops together into as compact a body as possible and to force his way into Potidaea on a run. And he succeeded in getting in by way of the breakwater through the sea, with difficulty, indeed, and harassed by missiles; but though he lost a few men, he saved the greater number of them.

Now when the battle began and the standards had been raised,l the auxiliaries of the Potidaeans in Olynthus—which is only about sixty stadia distant and can be seen from Potidaeaadvanced a short distance to give aid, and the Macedonian cavalry drew up in line against them to prevent it. But since the Athenians were soon proving the victors and the standards were pulled down, the auxiliaries retired again within the walls of Olynthus and the Macedonians rejoined the Athenians. And so no cavalry got into action on either side.[*](On the Athenian side were 600 Macedonian cavalry (Thuc. 1.61.4), on the Potidean side 200 Macedonian cavalry under Perdiccas (Thuc. 1.62.3).)

After the battle the Athenians set up a trophy and gave up their dead under a truce to the Potidaeans. There were slain, of the Potidaeans and their allies a little less than three hundred, and of the Athenians alone[*](Thucydides omits the loss of the allies of the Athenians.) about a hundred and fifty, and also their general Callias.

The city wall on the isthmus side[*](The wall on the Isthmus side of the Potideans is the τεῖχος of Thuc. 1.62.6; the wall to Pallene is that mentioned in Thuc. 1.56.2 as τὸ ἐς παλλήνων τεῖχος.) the Athenians immediately cut off by a transverse wall and set a guard there, but the wall toward Pallene was not shut off.[*](The investment of Potidaea was effected by walling off first the northern and then also the southern city wall by a blockading wall; on the west and east, where the city extended to the sea, the blockade was made with ships.) For they thought their numbers were insufficient to maintain a garrison on the isthmus and also to cross over to Pallene and build a wall there too, fearing that, if they divided their forces, the Potidaeans and their allies would attack them.

Afterwards, when the Athenians at home learned that Pallene was not blockaded, they sent sixteen hundred of their own hoplites under the command of Phormio son of Asopius; and he, when he arrived at Pallene, making Aphytis his base, brought his army to Potidaea, marching leisurely and ravaging the country at the same time. And as no one came out against him to give battle he built a wall to blockade the Pallene wall.

And so Potidaea was at length in a state of siege, which was prosecuted vigorously on both sides of it as well as by sea, where a fleet blockaded it.