Eclog. 1. THE Carthaginians, after they had raz'd the City Selinunte, transplanted the Citizens to Lilybeum. But the R •mans sail'd with 240 long Gallies, and 60 round Vessels, and all other sorts of Shipping to Panormus, and thence to Lilybeum, which now they began to besiege; and fortify'd themselves by a Trench drawn all along from Sea to Sea. Then they prepar'd them Engines to cast Stones, battering Rams and Engines not only to batter, but pluck the Stones by violence out of the Walls, and all other things necessary for the raising of Mounts and Bulwarks. Then they fill'd 15 of their round Vessels with Stones, and cast them into the Mouth of the Harbour to choak it up. The Roman Army amounted to the number of 110000 Men, of whom 60000 Foot and 700 Horse were order'd to carry on the Siege. But 4000 Men with Corn and Provision were sent from Carthage to the Besieged, which greatly heartned them and Atarbus their Governor. When the Romans understood that Relief was got into the City, they fill'd up the Mouth of the Harbour a second time, and made a Bomb with Anchors and great Pieces of Timber; but the Wind which then blew high, and the violent Surges of the Sea, broke all asunder. The Romans likewise made another Engine to cast mighty Stones; but the Carthaginians rais'd another Wall within, and the Romans fill'd up the City Trench with Earth, which was 60 Cubits broad, and 40 deep. And whilst a Skirmish was fought on that side of the Walls towards the Sea, the R •mans plac'd an Ambush on the other side, and the Soldiers within making Sallies out of the Town to help them that were engag'd at the Sea-side, those that lay in Ambush (having Scaling-Ladders ready mounted) gain'd the first Wall; which being known, the Carthaginian Commander fell furiously upon them, and kill'd 10000 upon the Place, and put the rest to flight, and burnt all the Roman Engines, battering Rams, Instruments to cast Stones, and all their Works and Fortifications. After this, the Carthaginians seeing that their Horse was of no use to them in the strait and narrow Passages, sent them away to Drapanum. Then presently came in strong Recruits to the Carthaginians; but the Romans (by the burning of their Engines, and through want of Provision, and the breaking out of the Plague amongst them,) were reduc'd to great Straits, (for only the Romans and their Confederates eat Flesh,) and so a great Distemper seiz'd them, that in a very few days there dy'd 10000, so that they were very earnest to breast up the Siege; but Hiero, King of Syracuse, sent them a great quantity of Corn, which again encourag'd them to continue. Afterwards the Romans chose another Consul, and gave the Command of the Army to Claudius the Consul, the Son of Appius, who taking charge of the Army, stop'd up the Mouth of the Port as his Predecessor had done, but the Sea bore down and carry'd all away again. Moreover Claudius thinking himself able to do great Things, furnish'd out 210 of the best Ships, and arriv'd at Drapanum, and there engag'd with the Carthaginians in a Sea-fight, and was beaten, and lost 117 of his Ships, and 20000 Men. There never happen'd so great a Fight at Sea, and so absolute a Victory, either among the Carthaginians, or any other about these times; and that which was more to be admir'd was, That tho' the Carthaginians were in so great Danger, and had only 90 Sail, yet they lost not one Man, and had but a very few wounded.—With 30 Sail, which intercepted the Corn and Provision belonging to the Romans, and carry'd it to Drapanum, and taking thence what remain'd that was useful, they came to Lilybeum, and loaded the Besieg'd with all kind of Provision. And now Carthalo the General came from Carthage with 70 long Ships or Men of War, and as many loaden with Corn, who also set upon the Romans and sunk some of their Vessels, and carry'd off four others that lay at Anchor. But after he heard that the Roman Fleet was set forth from Syracuse, having call'd a Council of War, he went out to Sea against them with 220 Sail of the best Ships he had. When the Fleets came in sight one of another near the Coasts of Gela, the Romans (struck with a Pannick Fear) attack'd about and hasted to Phintiades, leaving all their Transport Ships loaden with Provision, and other Vessels, behind them. But the Carthaginians making a swift Pursuit after them, there happened a fierce Engagement; In which, the Carthaginians sunk 50 of their great Men of War, and 60 other long Gallies, and disabled 13. After the Fight, the Carthaginians sail'd to the River Alycus, and there took care of their wounded Men. In the mean time, Junius the Consul not knowing what was done, loos'd from Messina with 36 long Gallies and many Ships of Burden, and having pass'd Pachynus, and gain'd the Port of Phintiades, upon Intelligence of what had happen'd he was amaz'd; and the Carthaginians making up upon him with their whole Navy, he burnt 12 of the most useless of his own Ships, and sail'd with the rest towards
The Histories of Herodotus written in 440 BC is considered to be the founding work of history in Western literature. His history included stories and fables but he claimed to have traveled extensively and learned about many countries through direct observation.
The thesis of Stolen Legacy is that the Egyptians created what is wrongly called Greek philosophy. Dr. James argues that the African origin of Greek Philosophy is well known but rarely discussed. Ancient Greek historians such as Herodotus and Diodorus the Sicilian wrote in significant detail about the contributions of Egypt. Egyptian technology and libraries were unmatched and Greek philosophers such as Pythagoras and Plato studied there. The contribution of Africa to the intellectual foundation of modern knowledge is tremendous but unacknowledged.
The Library of History by Diodorus the Sicilian is one of the most highly regarded universal histories in antiquities. His work includes the history of Egypt, Asia, Africa, Greece and Europe. His book is a must read for research of ancient history.
Bible Study The King James Bible (kjv), World English Bible (web) and Bible in Basic English (bbe) are all examples of public domain books. The King James Bible (kjv) online uses the content from these books and open source software to enhance Bible study capabilities. The site includes the verse of the day, search tools, christian literature and links to related content. It demonstrates the use of open source to create a valuable service.