Philip Marches Through Laconia
While the Lacedaemonians were thus thoroughly
terrified at the unexpected danger, and at a loss what to do
to meet it, Philip encamped on the first day at Amyclae:
a place in Laconia about twenty stades from
Lacedaemon,
exceedingly rich in forest and corn, and containing a temple
of Apollo, which is about the most splendid of all the
temples in
Laconia, situated in that quarter of the city which
slopes down towards the sea. Next day the king descended
to a place called the Camp of Pyrrhus,
1 wasting the country as
he went.
After devastating the neighbouring districts for the
two following days, he encamped near Carnium;
thence he started for
Asine, and after some
fruitless assaults upon it, he started again, and thenceforth
devoted himself to plundering all the country bordering on
the Cretan Sea as far as Taenarum.
Then, once more
changing the direction of his march, he advanced
to
Gythium, the naval arsenal of
Sparta, which
possesses a safe harbour, and is about thirty stades from the
city.
Then leaving this on the right, he pitched
his camp in the territory of
Helos, which of
all the districts of
Laconia is the most extensive and most
beautiful. Thence he sent out foraging parties and wasted
the country with fire and sword, and destroyed the crops in it:
pushing his devastation as far as
Acriae and Leucae, and
even to the district of
Boeae.
