[1331a]
[1]
particularly in view of the inventions that have now been made
in the direction of precision with missiles and artillery for sieges. To claim not to encompass cities with
walls is like desiring1 the country to be easy
to invade and stripping it of hilly regions, and similarly not surrounding even
private dwellings with house-walls on the ground that the inhabitants will be
cowardly. Another point moreover that must not be forgotten is that those who
have walls round the city can use their cities in both ways, both as walled
cities and as open ones, whereas cities not possessing walls cannot be used in
both ways. If then this is so, not
only must walls be put round a city, but also attention must be paid to them in
order that they may be suitable both in regard to the adornment of the city and
in respect of military requirements, especially the new devices recently
invented. For just as the attackers of a city are concerned to study the means
by which they can gain the advantage, so also for the defenders some devices
have already been invented and others they must discover and think out; for
people do not even start attempting to attack those who are well
prepared.And since the multitude of citizens
must be distributed
[20]
in separate
messes, and the city walls must be divided up by guard-posts and towers in
suitable places, it is clear that these facts themselves call for some of the
messes to be organized at these guard-posts. These things then might be arranged
in this manner. But it is fitting
that the dwellings assigned to the gods and the most important of the official
messes should have a suitable site, and the same for all, excepting those
temples which are assigned a special place apart by the law or else by some
utterance of the Pythian oracle. And the site would be suitable if it is one
that is sufficiently conspicuous in regard to the excellence of its position,
and also of superior strength in regard to the adjacent parts of the city.
It is convenient that below
this site should be laid out an agora of the kind customary in Thessaly which they call a free agora, that
is, one which has to be kept clear of all merchandise and into which no artisan
or farmer or any other such person may intrude unless summoned by the
magistrates. It would give amenity to the site if the gymnasia of the older men
were also situated here—for it is proper to have this institution also
divided according to ages,2 and for certain magistrates to pass their
time among the youths while the older men spend theirs with the magistrates; for
the presence of the magistrates before men's eyes most engenders true respect
and a freeman's awe.
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