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Since the passage of the Hellespont and the commencement of the march
upon Greece, a space of four months had gone by; one, while the army
made the crossing, and delayed about the region of the Hellespont;
and three while they proceeded thence to Attica, which they entered in
the archonship of Calliades. They found the city forsaken; a few
people only remained in the temple, either keepers of the treasures,
or men of the poorer sort. These persons having fortified the citadel
with planks and boards, held out against the enemy. It was in some
measure their poverty which had prevented them from seeking shelter in
Salamis; but there was likewise another reason which in part induced
them to remain. They imagined themselves to have discovered the true
meaning of the oracle uttered by the Pythoness, which promised that
"the wooden wall" should never be taken - the wooden wall, they
thought, did not mean the ships, but the place where they had taken refuge.
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