Continued Success of Philip
Phillidas, then, sent his Elean troops to Lepreum, and his
mercenaries to Aliphera; while he himself went with the Aetolian
troops to Typaneae, and waited to see what would happen.
Meanwhile the king, having got rid of his heavy baggage, and
crossed the bridge over the river Alpheus, which flows right
under
Heraea, came to
Alipheira, which lies on a hill precipitous on every side, and the ascent of which is more than
ten stades. The citadel is on the very summit of this hill,
adorned with a colossal statue of Athene, of extraordinary size
and beauty. The origin and purpose of this statue, and at
whose expense it was set up, are doubtful questions even
among the natives; for it has never been clearly discovered
why or by whom it was dedicated: yet it is universally allowed
that its skilful workmanship classes it among the most splendid
and artistic productions of Hecatodorus
1 and Sostratus.
The next morning being fine and bright, the king made his
dispositions at daybreak. He placed parties
of men with scaling ladders at several points,
and supported each of them with bodies of
mercenaries, and detachments of Macedonian hoplites, on
the rear of these several parties. His orders being fulfilled with enthusiasm and a formidable display of power,
the garrison of
Alipheira were kept continually rushing and
rallying to the particular spots to which they saw the Macedonians approaching: and while this was going on, the king
himself took some picked men, and mounted unobserved
over some steep hills up to the suburb of the citadel; and
then, at a given signal, all at once put the scaling ladders to
the walls and began attempting the town. The king was the
first to take the suburb of the acropolis, which had been
abandoned by the garrison; and when this was set on fire,
those who were defending the town walls, foreseeing what must
happen, and afraid that by the fall of the citadel they would
be deprived of their last hope, abandoned the town walls, and
fled into it: whereupon the Macedonians at once took the
walls and the town. Subsequently the garrison on the citadel
sent an embassy to Philip, who granted them their lives, and
received possession of it also by formal surrender.
