History of the Peloponnesian War

(for each man received one for himself and another for his servant,) was at first three thousand; and not fewer than these remained there to the end of the siege, besides one thousand six hundred with Phormio, who went away before it was concluded while all the ships, too, received the same pay. In this way then was their money heedlessly lavished at first; and such was the largest number of ships manned by them.

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.

The Athenians, being in want of money for the siege, although they had among themselves for the first time raised a contribution of two hundred talents, despatched to their allies also twelve ships to levy subsidies, and Lysicles with five others in command of them.

Accordingly he levied them in various places, cruising about; and having gone up the country from Myus in Caria, across the plain of the Maeander, as far as the hill of Sandius, he was both slain himself and many of the army besides, in an attack made by the Carians and the people of Anaea.