A Smaller History of Greece: from the Earliest Times to the Roman ConquestSmith, William
History
A Smaller History of Greece: from the Earliest Times to the Roman Conquest
Smith, William
Greece -- History -- To 146 B.C.
Demetrius now undertook an expedition against Rhodes, which had refused
its aid in the attack upon Ptolemy. It was from the memorable siege of
Rhodes that Demetrius obtained his name of "Poliorcetes." After in
vain attempting to take the town from the sea-side, by means of
floating batteries, from which stones of enormous weight were hurled
from engines with incredible force against the walls, he determined to
alter his plan and invest it on the land-side. With the assistance of
Epimachus, an Athenian engineer, he constructed a machine which, in
anticipation of its effect, was called Helepolis, or "the city-taker."
This was a square wooden tower, 150 feet high, and divided into nine
stories, filled with armed men, who discharged missiles through
apertures in the sides. When armed and prepared for attack, it
required the strength of 2300 men to set this enormous machine in
motion. But though it was assisted by the operation of two
battering-rams, each 150 feet long and propelled by the labour of 1000
men, the Rhodians were so active in repairing the breaches made in
their walls, that, after a year spent in the vain attempt to take the
town, Demetrius was forced to retire and grant the Rhodians peace.
In 301 B.C., the struggle between Antigonus and his rivals was brought
to a close by the battle of Ipsus in Phrygia, in which Antigonus was
killed, and his army completely defeated. He had attained the age of
81 at the time of his death. A third partition of the empire of
Alexander was now made. Seleucus and Lysimachus shared between them
the possessions of Antigonus. Lysimachus seems to have had the greater
part of Asia Minor, whilst the whole country from the coast of Syria to
the Euphrates, as well as a part of Phrygia and Cappadocia, fell to the
share of Seleucus. The latter founded on the Orontes a new capital of
his empire, which he named Antioch, after his father Antiochus, and
which long continued to be one of the most important Greek cities in
Asia. The fall of Antigonus secured Cassander in the possession of
Greece.
Demetrius was now a fugitive, but in the following year he was
agreeably surprised by receiving an embassy from Seleucus, by which
that monarch solicited his daughter Stratonice in marriage. Demetrius
gladly granted the request, and found himself so much strengthened by
this alliance, that in the spring of the year 296 he was in a condition
to attack Athens, which he captured after a long siege, and drove out
the bloodthirsty tyrant Lachares, who had been established there by
Cassander.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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