<head>Philip Secures His Frontier</head>About this same period King Philip captured <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Bylazora&groupId=413&placeId=765">Bylazora</a>,<note anchored="yes" place="marg" id="note200">Philip's campaign in Upper <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Macedonia&groupId=723&placeId=428">Macedonia</a> and <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Thessaly&groupId=1028&placeId=1816">Thessaly</a>.</note>the largest town of Paeonia, and very favourably situated for commanding the pass from Dardania to <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Macedonia&groupId=723&placeId=428">Macedonia</a>: so that by this achievement he was all but entirely freed from any fear of the <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Dardani&groupId=528&placeId=996">Dardani</a>, it being no longer easy for them to invade <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Macedonia&groupId=723&placeId=428">Macedonia</a>, as long as this city gave Philip the command of the pass. Having secured this place, he despatched Chrysogonus with all speed to summon the upper Macedonians to arms; while he himself, taking on the men of <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Bottia&groupId=408&placeId=757">Bottia</a> and Amphaxitis, arrived at <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Edessa&groupId=554&placeId=1038">Edessa</a> Waiting there until he was joined by the Macedonians under Chrysogonus, he started with his whole army, and on the sixth day's march arrived at <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Larisa&groupId=669&placeId=1225">Larisa</a>; and thence by a rapid night march he came before daybreak to Meliteia, and placing scaling ladders against the walls, attempted to take the town by escalade.<note anchored="yes" place="marg" id="note201">Meliteia.</note>The suddenness and unexpectedness of the attack so dismayed the people of Meliteia, that he would easily have taken the town; but he was baffled by the fact of the ladders proving to be fat too short.
Walbank Commentary