by Pausanias
[12] παρασκευῇ μὲν τοσαύτῃ καὶ μετὰ διανοίας τοιαύτης ἐπὶ τὴν Ἑλλάδα ὁ Βρέννος ἤλαυνε: τοῖς δέ γε Ἕλλησι κατεπεπτώκει μὲν ἐς ἅπαν τὰ φρονήματα, τὸ δὲ ἰσχυρὸν τοῦ δείματος προῆγεν ἐς ἀνάγκην τῇ Ἑλλάδι ἀμύνειν. ἑώρων δὲ τὸν ἐν τῷ παρόντι ἀγῶνα οὐχ ὑπὲρ ἐλευθερίας γενησόμενον, καθὰ ἐπὶ τοῦ Μήδου ποτέ, οὐδὲ δοῦσιν ὕδωρ καὶ γῆν τὰ ἀπὸ τούτου σφίσιν ἄδειαν φέροντα: ἀλλὰ τά τε ἐς Μακεδόνας καὶ Θρᾷκας καὶ Παίονας τὰ ἐπὶ τῆς προτέρας καταδρομῆς τῶν Γαλατῶν ἔτι σφίσιν ἔκειτο ἐν μνήμῃ, καὶ τὰ ἐν τῷ παρόντι τὰ ἐς Θεσσαλοὺς παρανομήματα ἀπηγγέλλετο. ὡς οὖν ἀπολωλέναι δέον ἢ δ᾽ οὖν ἐπικρατεστέρους εἶναι, κατ᾽ ἄνδρα τε ἰδίᾳ καὶ αἱ πόλεις διέκειντο ἐν κοινῷ.
[19.12] This was the size of the army, and such was the intention of Brennus, when he attacked Greece. The spirit of the Greeks was utterly broken, but the extremity of their terror forced them to defend Greece. They realized that the struggle that faced them would not be one for liberty, as it was when they fought the Persian, and that giving water and earth would not bring them safety. They still remembered the fate of Macedonia, Thrace and Paeonia during the former incursion of the Gauls, and reports were coming in of enormities committed at that very time on the Thessalians. So every man, as well as every state, was convinced that they must either conquer or perish.
20. πάρεστι δέ, ὅστις ἐθέλοι καὶ ἀνταριθμῆσαι τούς τε ἐπὶ βασιλέα Ξέρξην ἐς Πύλας καὶ τοὺς τότε ἐναντία Γαλατῶν ἀθροισθέντας. ἐπὶ μέν γε τὸν Μῆδον ἀφίκοντο τοσοίδε Ἑλλήνων: Λακεδαιμόνιοι οἱ μετὰ Λεωνίδου τριακοσίων οὐ πλείονες, Τεγεᾶται πεντακόσιοι καὶ ἐκ Μαντινείας ἴσοι, παρὰ δὲ Ὀρχομενίων Ἀρκάδων εἴκοσί τε καὶ ἑκατόν, ἀπὸ δὲ τῶν ἄλλων χίλιοι τῶν ἐν Ἀρκαδίᾳ πόλεων, ὀγδοήκοντα δὲ ἐκ Μυκηνῶν καὶ ἐκ Φλιοῦντος διακόσιοι, διπλάσιοι δὲ τούτων Κορίνθιοι: παρεγένοντο δὲ καὶ Βοιωτῶν ἑπτακόσιοι ἐκ δὲ Θεσπείας καὶ ἐκ Θηβῶν τετρακόσιοι. χίλιοι δὲ Φωκέων ἐφύλασσον μὲν τὴν ἀτραπὸν ἐν τῇ Οἴτῃ, προσέστω δὲ τῷ παντὶ Ἑλληνικῷ καὶ ὁ ἀριθμὸς ὁ τούτων.
[20.1] XX. Any one who so wishes can compare the number of those who mustered to meet king Xerxes at Thermopylae with those who now mustered to oppose the Gauls. To meet the Persians there came Greek contingents of the following strength. Lacedaemonians with Leonidas not more than three hundred; Tegeans five hundred, and five hundred from Mantineia; from Orchomenus in Arcadia a hundred and twenty; from the other cities in Arcadia one thousand; from Mycenae eighty; from Phlius two hundred, and from Corinth twice this number; of the Boeotians there mustered seven hundred from Thespiae and four hundred from Thebes. A thousand Phocians guarded the path on Mount Oeta, and the number of these should be added to the Greek total.
[2] Λοκροὺς δὲ τοὺς ὑπὸ τῷ ὄρει τῇ Κνήμιδι Ἡρόδοτος μὲν οὐχ ὑπήγαγεν ἐς ἀριθμόν, ἀλλ᾽ ἀφικέσθαι σφᾶς ἀπὸ πασῶν ἔφη τῶν πόλεων: τεκμήρασθαι δὲ ἀριθμὸν καὶ τούτων ἔστιν ἐγγύτατα τοῦ ἀληθοῦς: ἐς Μαραθῶνα γὰρ Ἀθηναῖοι σὺν ἡλικίᾳ τε τῇ ἀχρείῳ καὶ δούλοις ἐνακισχιλίων ἀφίκοντο οὐ πλείους, τὸ οὖν μάχιμον Λοκρῶν τὸ ἐς Θερμοπύλας ἐλθὸν οὐκ ἂν ὑπέρ γε ἑξακισχιλίους ἀριθμοίη τις. οὕτω γένοιτο ἂν ὁ σύμπας στρατὸς διακόσιοι καὶ χίλιοι καὶ μύριοι. φαίνονται δὲ οὐδὲ οὗτοι τὸν χρόνον πάντα ἐπὶ τῇ φρουρᾷ τῶν Πυλῶν καταμείναντες: πλὴν γὰρ Λακεδαιμονίων τε αὐτῶν καὶ Θεσπιέων καὶ Μυκηναίων προαπέλιπον τὸ πέρας τῆς μάχης οἱ λοιποί.
[20.2] Herodotus does not give the number of the Locrians under Mount Cnemis, but he does say that each of their cities sent a contingent. It is possible, however, to make an estimate of these also that comes very near to the truth. For not more than nine thousand Athenians marched to Marathon, even if we include those who were too old for active service and slaves; so the number of Locrian fighting men who marched to Thermopylae cannot have exceeded six thousand. So the whole army would amount to eleven thousand two hundred. But it is well known that not even these remained all the time guarding the pass; for if we except the Lacedaemonians, Thespians and Mycenaeans, the rest left the field before the conclusion of the fighting.
[3] ἐπὶ δὲ τοὺς ἀπὸ τοῦ Ὠκεανοῦ βαρβάρους τοσοίδε ἐς Θερμοπύλας ἀφίκοντο Ἕλληνες: ὁπλῖται μύριοι καὶ ἵππος πεντακοσία παρὰ Βοιωτῶν: ἐβοιωτάρχουν δὲ Κηφισόδοτος καὶ Θεαρίδας καὶ Διογένης καὶ Λύσανδρος. ἐκ δὲ Φωκέων ἱππεῖς πεντακόσιοι καὶ ἐς τρισχιλίους ὁ ἀριθμὸς τῶν πεζῶν: στρατηγοὶ δὲ Φωκέων Κριτόβουλός τε ἦν καὶ Ἀντίοχος.
[20.3] To meet the barbarians who came from the Ocean the following Greek forces came to Thermopylae. Of the Boeotians ten thousand hoplites and five hundred cavalry, the Boeotarchs being Cephisodotus, Thearidas, Diogenes and Lysander. From Phocis came five hundred cavalry with footmen three thousand in number. The generals of the Phocians were Critobulus and Antiochus.
[4] Λοκροὺς δὲ τοὺς ἐπὶ Ἀταλάντῃ τῇ νήσῳ Μειδίας ἦγεν: ἀριθμὸς δὲ αὐτῶν ἑπτακόσιοι, καὶ ἱππικόν σφισιν οὐ προσῆν. παρὰ δὲ Μεγαρέων ἀφίκοντο ὁπλῖται τετρακόσιοι: τούτων ἦγε τὸ †ἱππικὸν Μεγαρεύς. Αἰτωλῶν δὲ πλείστη τε ἐγένετο στρατιὰ καὶ ἐς πᾶσαν μάχης ἰδέαν, ἡ μὲν ἵππος οὐ λέγουσιν ὁπόση, ψιλοὶ δὲ ἐνενήκοντα καὶ ἑπτακόσιοι, πλέονες δὲ ἑπτακισχιλίων ἀριθμὸν ἦσαν οἱ ὁπλιτεύοντες: Αἰτωλοὺς δὲ ἦγον Πολύαρχος καὶ Πολύφρων τε καὶ Λακράτης.
[20.4] The Locrians over against the island of Atalanta were under the command of Meidias; they numbered seven hundred, and no cavalry was with them. Of the Megarians came four hundred hoplites commanded by Hipponicus of Megara. The Aetolians sent a large contingent, including every class of fighting men; the number of cavalry is not given, but the light-armed were seven hundred and ninety, and their hoplites numbered more than seven thousand. Their leaders were Polyarchus, Polyphron and Lacrates.
[5] Ἀθηναίων δὲ στρατηγὸς μὲν Κάλλιππος ἦν ὁ Μοιροκλέους, καθὰ ἐδήλωσα καὶ ἐν τοῖς προτέροις τοῦ λόγου, δύναμις δὲ τριήρεις τε αἱ πλώιμοι πᾶσαι, πεντακόσιοι δὲ ἐς τὸ ἱππικόν, χίλιοι δὲ ἐτάσσοντο ἐν τοῖς πεζοῖς: καὶ
ἡγεμονίαν οὗτοι κατ᾽ ἀξίωμα εἶχον τὸ ἀρχαῖον. βασιλέων δὲ ξεν�
�κὰ πεντακόσιοί τε ἐκ Μακεδονίας καὶ ἐκ τῆς Ἀσίας ἴσοι σφίσιν ἀφίκοντο ἀριθμόν: ἄρχοντες δὲ τῶν μὲν παρ᾽ Ἀντιγόνου πεμφθέντων Ἀριστόδημος ἦν Μακεδών, τῶν δὲ παρὰ Ἀντιόχου τε καὶ ἐκ τῆς Ἀσίας Τελέσαρχος τῶν ἐπὶ Ὀρόντῃ Σύρων.
[20.5] The Athenian general was Callippus, the son of Moerocles, as I have said in an earlier part of my work, and their forces consisted of all their seaworthy triremes, five hundred horse and one thousand foot. Because of their ancient reputation the Athenians held the chief command. The king of Macedonia sent five hundred mercenaries, and the king of Asia a like number; the leader of those sent by Antigonus was Aristodemus, a Macedonian, and Telesarchus, one of the Syrians on the Orontes, commanded the forces that Antiochus sent from Asia.
[6] τοῖς δὲ ἐς Θερμοπύλας ἀθροισθεῖσιν Ἑλλήνων, ὡς ἐπύθοντο περί τε Μαγνησίαν καὶ γῆν τὴν Φθιῶτιν ὄντα ἤδη τῶν Γαλατῶν τὸν στρατόν, ἔδοξεν ἤδη ψιλούς τε ἐς χιλίους καὶ ἐς τὴν ἵππον ἀπολέξαντας ἀποστεῖλαι σφᾶς ἐπὶ τὸν Σπερχειόν, ἵνα μηδὲ τὸν ποταμὸν διαβῆναι τοῖς βαρβάροις ἄνευ ἀγῶνός τε καὶ κινδύνων ἐγγένηται. οἱ δὲ ἐλθόντες τὰς γεφύρας τε καταλύουσι καὶ αὐτοὶ παρὰ τὴν ὄχθην ἐστρατοπεδεύσαντο. ἦν δὲ οὐδὲ ὁ Βρέννος οὔτε πάντα ἀσύνετος οὔτε ἀπείρως εἶχεν ὡς ἄν τις βάρβαρος σοφίσματα ἐς πολεμίους ἐξευρεῖν.
[20.6] When the Greeks assembled at Thermopylae learned that the army of the Gauls was already in the neighborhood of Magnesia and Phthiotis, they resolved to detach the cavalry and a thousand light armed troops and to send them to the Spercheius, so that even the crossing of the river could not be effected by the barbarians without a struggle and risks. On their arrival these forces broke down the bridges and by themselves encamped along the bank. But Brennus himself was not utterly stupid, nor inexperienced, for a barbarian, in devising tricks of strategy.
[7] εὐθὺς οὖν τῇ ἐπιούσῃ νυκτί, οὐ καθότι ἦν τὰ ἀρχαῖα τῷ ποταμῷ ζεύγματα ἀλλὰ ἐς τὸ κάτω, ὡς μή τις τοῖς Ἕλλησι διαβαινόντων γένοιτο αἴσθησις, καὶ ᾗ μάλιστα ὁ Σπερχειὸς διεχεῖτο ἐς πλέον τοῦ πεδίου καὶ ἕλος τε ἐποίει καὶ λίμνην ἀντὶ βιαίου καὶ στενοῦ ῥεύματος, κατὰ τοῦτο ὁ Βρέννος ὅσον μυρίους τῶν Γαλατῶν ἀπέστειλεν, ὁπόσοι τε νεῖν ἠπίσταντο ἐξ αὐτῶν καὶ ὅστις τῷ μήκει τοῦ σώματος ἐτύγχανεν ὢν ὑπὲρ τοὺς πολλούς: εἰσὶ δὲ καὶ ἄλλως οἱ Κελτοὶ μακρῷ πάντας ὑπερηρκότες μήκει τοὺς ἀνθρώπους.
[20.7] So on that very night he despatched some troops to the Spercheius, not to the places where the old bridges had stood, but lower down, where the Greeks would not notice the crossing, and just where the river spread over the plain and made a marsh and lake instead of a narrow, violent stream. Hither Brennus sent some ten thousand Gauls, picking out the swimmers and the tallest men; and the Celts as a race are far taller than any other people.
[8] οὗτοι οὖν διαβαίνουσιν ἐν τῇ νυκτὶ διανηχόμενοι ὧδε τὸ λιμνῶδες τοῦ ποταμοῦ: καὶ τὰ ὅπλα, τοὺς ἐπιχωρίους θυρεούς, ἐποιεῖτο ἕκαστος ἀντὶ σχεδίας, οἱ δὲ αὐτῶν μήκιστοι διελθεῖν ἐμβαδὸν τὸ ὕδωρ ἐδυνήθησαν. οἱ δὲ Ἕλληνες οἱ ἐπὶ τῷ Σπερχειῷ — πυνθάνονται γὰρ ὅτι κατὰ τὸ ἕλος διέβη μοῖρα τῶν βαρβάρων — αὐτίκα ἐς τὸ στράτευμα ἀναχωροῦσι, Βρέννος δὲ τοῖς περὶ τὸν Μαλιακὸν κόλπον οἰκοῦσι ζευγνύναι τὸν Σπερχειὸν ἐπέτασσεν: οἱ δὲ ἤνυον τὸ ἔργον σπουδῇ, τῷ τε ἐκείνου δέει καὶ ἀπελθεῖν ἐκ τῆς χώρας σφίσιν ἐπιθυμοῦντες τοὺς βαρβάρους μηδὲ ἐπὶ πλέον κακουργεῖν μένοντας.
[20.8] So these crossed in the night, swimming over the river where it expands into a lake; each man used his shield, his national buckler, as a raft, and the tallest of them were able to cross the water by wading. The Greeks on the Spercheius, as soon as they learned that a detachment of the barbarians had crossed by the marsh, forthwith retreated to the main army. Brennus ordered the dwellers round the Malian gulf to build bridges across the Spercheius, and they proceeded to accomplish their task with a will, for they were frightened of Brennus, and anxious for the barbarians to go away out of their country instead of staying to devastate it further.
[9] ὁ δὲ ὡς κατὰ τὰς γεφύρας διεβίβασε τὴν στρατιάν, ἐχώρει πρὸς τὴν Ἡράκλειαν: καὶ διήρπασαν μὲν τὰ ἐκ τῆς χώρας οἱ Γαλάται καὶ ἀνθρώπους τοὺς ἐπὶ τῶν ἀγρῶν ἐγκαταληφθέντας ἐφόνευσαν, τὴν πόλιν δὲ οὐχ εἷλον. ἔτει γὰρ πρότερον τούτων οἱ Αἰτωλοὶ συντελεῖν τοὺς Ἡρακλεώτας ἠνάγκασαν ἐς τὸ Αἰτωλικόν: τότε οὖν ἠμύνοντο ὡς περὶ πόλεως οὐδέν τι Ἡρακλεώταις μᾶλλον ἢ καὶ αὑτοῖς προσηκούσης.
ἦν δὲ καὶ τῷ Βρέννῳ τὰ μὲν Ἡρακλεωτῶν ἐλάσσονος φροντίδος, ἀγώνισμα δὲ ἐποιεῖτο ἐξελάσαι τε ἐκ τῶν στενῶν τοὺς ἀντικαθημένους καὶ παρελθεῖν ἐς τὴν ἐντὸς Θερμοπυλῶν Ἑλλάδα.
[20.9] Brennus brought his army across over the bridges and proceeded to Heracleia. The Gauls plundered the country, and massacred those whom they caught in the fields, but did not capture the city. For a year previous to this the Aetolians had forced Heracleia to join the Aetolian League; so now they defended a city which they considered to belong to them just as much as to the Heracleots.
Brennus did not trouble himself much about Heracleia, but directed his efforts to driving away those opposed to him at the pass, in order to invade Greece south of Thermopylae.
21. προελθὼν οὖν ἀπὸ τῆς Ἡρακλείας — ἐπυνθάνετο γὰρ παρὰ αὐτομόλων τοὺς συνειλεγμένους ἐς Πύλας ἀπὸ ἑκάστης πόλεως — ὑπερεφρόνει τε τοῦ Ἑλληνικοῦ καὶ ἦρχεν ἐς τὴν ἐπιοῦσαν μάχης ἅμα ἀνίσχοντι τῷ ἡλίῳ, οὔτε Ἕλληνα ἔχων μάντιν οὔτε ἱεροῖς ἐπιχωρίοις χρώμενος, εἰ δὴ ἔστι γε μαντεία Κελτική. ἐνταῦθα οἱ Ἕλληνες ἐν σιγῇ τε ἐπῄεσαν καὶ ἐν κόσμῳ: καὶ ὡς ἀφίκοντο ἐς χεῖρας, οὔτε σφίσιν οἱ πεζοὶ τοσοῦτο ἀπὸ τῆς τάξεως ἐξέθεον ὥστε τὴν φάλαγγα ἐπιταράσσειν τὴν οἰκείαν καὶ οἱ ψιλοὶ μένοντες κατὰ χώραν τά τε ἀκόντια ἔπεμπον καὶ ὅσα ἀπὸ τῶν τόξων ἢ σφενδονῶν.
[21.1] XXI. Deserters kept Brennus informed about the forces from each city mustered at Thermopylae. So despising the Greek army he advanced from Heracleia, and began the battle at sun-rise on the next day. He had no Greek soothsayer, and made no use of his own country’s
sacrifices, if indeed the Celts have any art of divination. Whereupon the Greeks attacked silently and in good order. When they came to close quarters, the infantry did not rush out of their line far enough to disturb their proper formation, while the light-armed troops remained in position, throwing javelins, shooting arrows or slinging bullets.
[2] τὰ δὲ ἱππικὰ ἀμφοτέροις ἀχρεῖα ἐγένετο ἅτε οὐ στενοῦ μόνον χωρίου τοῦ μετὰ τὰς Πύλας ὄντος ἀλλὰ καὶ ὑπὸ αὐτοφυοῦς πέτρας λείου καὶ διὰ τῶν ῥευμάτων τὸ συνεχὲς τὰ πλείονα καὶ ὀλισθηροῦ. τοῖς δὲ Γαλάταις τὰ μὲν τῆς σκευῆς ἀσθενέστερα ἦν — θυρεοὺς γὰρ τοὺς ἐπιχωρίους εἶχον, καὶ ἄλλο σφίσιν οὐκ ἦν ὅπλον σκέπη σώματος — , πλέον δὲ ἔτι ἐμπειρίᾳ τῇ ἐς τὰ πολεμικὰ ἀπέδεον.
[21.2] The cavalry on both sides proved useless, as the ground at the Pass is not only narrow, but also smooth because of the natural rock, while most of it is slippery owing to its being covered with streams. The Gauls were worse armed than the Greeks, having no other defensive armour than their national shields, while they were still more inferior in war experience.
[3] οἱ δὲ ἐν ὀργῇ τε ἐπὶ τοὺς ἐναντίους καὶ θυμῷ μετὰ οὐδενὸς λογισμοῦ καθάπερ τὰ θηρία ἐχώρουν: καὶ οὔτε πελέκεσι διαιρουμένους ἢ ὑπὸ μαχαιρῶν ἡ ἀπόνοια τοὺς ἔτι ἐμπνέοντας ἔτι ἀπέλειπεν, οὔτε ὅσοι βέλεσι καὶ ἀκοντίοις διεπείροντο, ὑφῄρουν τοῦ θυμοῦ, μέχρι οὗ παρέμενεν ἡ ψυχή: οἱ δὲ καὶ ἐκ τῶν τραυμάτων τὰ δόρατα οἷς ἐβέβληντο ἀνασπῶντες ἠφίεσάν τε ἐς τοὺς Ἕλληνας καὶ ἐχρῶντο ἐκ χειρός.