By the capture of Plemmyrium a great treasure fell into the hands of
the Syracusans. The loss to the Athenians, in money, stores, and men,
was serious enough; but further consequences ensued, which were
nothing less than disastrous. The enemy now commanded both sides of
the entrance to the Great Harbour, and not a ship-load of provisions
could reach the Athenian camp without an encounter with the Syracusan
triremes. Well might despondency and dismay take possession of the
beleaguered army, cramped in their narrow quarters on the swampy flats
of the Anapus.
All Sicily, with one or two exceptions, had now declared for Syracuse,
and reinforcements came pouring in from every side. Gylippus was
resolved, if possible, to destroy the armament of Nicias, before the
fresh succours from Athens had time to arrive; and, as before, the
attack was to be made simultaneously by sea and land. Since the loss
of Plemmyrium, the Athenian fleet had been penned up in the confined
space at the head of the Great Harbour. Outside of these narrow
limits, the whole coast was in the hands of the enemy, and any
Athenian trireme which ventured out into open water ran the risk of
being driven on a hostile shore. Unless they chose to incur this great
peril, the Athenians would have to fight in close order, with the
long, tapering prows of their vessels exposed to collision.
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