LONG WALLS OF ATHENS. 527 



deemed by him of the greater importance, in respect to the vital 

 interests of his country ; nor can we be at a loss to account for what 

 Plutarch says of him upon this occasion, " that he had rather joined 

 " Athens to the Pirceus than the Pirceus to Athens." The same view 

 of the subject is taken by C. Nepos in his life of Themistocles : 

 " Hujus consilio triplex Pirsei portus constitutus est : isque mcenibus 

 " circumdatus, ut ipsam urbem dignitate cequipararet, utilitate superareV 

 Appian, speaking of the walls of the Piraeus, calls them " rieoUxetov 



44 epyov, ore ro7g ABvjuxloig tir\ YIe7\07T7rovvr]<riovg g-garyiywv, k<zi rvjv eX-Kila. rv\g 



44 vixqg tu n^aig* TiSzpevog" and Corn. Nepos in his life of Phocion 

 repeats his opinion of their importance: " Neque ita multo post, 

 " Nicanor Piraeo est potitus, sine quo Athence esse omnino non possunt" 

 The object, in fact, both of the fortifications of the Piraeus and 

 of the long walls, was to combine the very existence of Athens as 

 a state, with that of its great naval arsenal, or in other words, to 

 found its greatness on its maritime power. This policy of Themis- 

 tocles is very plainly set forth by Thucydides : " Ta.7g yoi^ va.uo-i ^dxig-oc. 



44 7r^o<rejc£(TO, tSouv cog epoi SozeT, rvjg (3a,o~iXecog g-^ocrtag rqv za.rcc &<x.Xoco~o-ctv 



H '< J. ' / ~ V .' : «- ' \ \ i-r » - / ' f <j 



£(p000U iU7rO()Ci)T£()CX,U TTjg KCtTOi yrjV 0\)(TOtV TOV T£ llilgCUOi COtpBAlfAWTSgOV £V0[Al£e 



44 rvjg civco 7roX£zog xcti 7roXXocycig roig A&qV6ttoi§ TTctgyvei, qv a^ot, ttots kut-oL yvjv 

 44 (2(cx.a'Bao~i i K.ocTct@ciUToig eg ctvrov y rctTg vctvo~i irpog -uTrccvrag Mv§io~Ta,(rS%t." 

 And it was pursued by Pericles, under circumstances somewhat 

 different, when- all apprehension of a Persian invasion, either by land, 

 or by sea, had subsided. According to this policy, the empire of 

 the land in any case of extremity which might happen, was to be 

 abandoned ; but that of the sea, 07 SxXex.o-0-oxgxJia, was to be retained, 

 because the greater part of the revenue of Athens, which was at 

 this period derived from the island subsidies, (to the amount of 600 

 talents,) depended upon this naval dominion. 



