History of the Peloponnesian War

At the same time that the Lacedaemonians were in the neighbourhood of the isthmus, the Mytilenaeans marched by land, both themselves and their auxiliaries, against Methymna, in hope of its being betrayed to them. After assaulting the city, when they did not succeed as they had expected to do, they withdrew to Antissa, Pyrrha, and Eresus, and having rendered the condition of those towns more secure. and strengthened the fortifications, they returned home.

When they had retired, the Methymnaeans marched against Antissa; and being defeated by the inhabitants and their auxiliaries in a sortie that was made, many of them were slain, and the remainder retreated as quickly as possible.

The Athenians, on receiving this intelligence of the Mytilenaeans' commanding the country, and their own troops not being sufficient to keep them in check, sent, about the beginning of autumn, Paches son of Epicurus as commander, with a thousand heavy-armed of their own;

who having themselves rowed their ships, arrived at Mytilene, and enclosed it all round with a single wall; forts being built on some of the strongest points of it.

Thus the place was vigorously blockaded on both sides, by land and by sea; and the commencement of winter was near at hand.