History of the Peloponnesian War

[*](ἐξητάζοντο, καὶ ἔλαθον, κ. τ. λ.] They had landed their men during the night, and had then stationed their ships at Thapsus; while the soldiers, as soon as it was light, after a brief muster of their force, hastened to ascend to the Hog's Back behind Epipolae. —Arnold.) The Athenians, on the other hand, held a review the day following this night, having already, unobserved by them, made the coast with all their armament from Catana, opposite a place called Leon, about six or seven stades from Epipolae, and having landed their soldiers, and brought their ships to anchor at Thapsus; where there is a peninsula running out into the sea, with a narrow isthmus, being not far from the city of Syracuse, either by land or by water.

The naval armament of the Athenians lay quiet at Thapsus, having thrown a stockade across the peninsula; but the land forces proceeded at full speed to Epipolae, and had time to ascend it, on the side of Euryelus, before the Syracusans, on perceiving it, could come to them from the meadow and the review.

They came, however, against them, both the rest, as quickly as each could, and Diomilus, with his six hundred: but they had a distance of not less than five and twenty stades to go, before they came up to them from the meadow.

Falling on them therefore, under these circumstances, in considerable disorder, and being defeated in an engagement at Epipolae, the Syracusans returned into the city, Diomilus being killed, and about three hundred of the rest.

After this, the Athenians having erected a trophy, and restored to the Syracusans their dead under a truce, came down the next day to the city itself; but when they did not come out against them, they returned, and built a fort on Labdalum, on the highest point of the cliffs of Epiolae, looking towards Megara, to be a magazine for their baggage and treasures, whenever they advanced either to fight or to work at the wall.