- Source
- Polybius. Vols. 1-4. Büttner-Wobst, Theodor, editor. Leipzig: Teubner, 1893.
- Translation
- AI-generated (gemini-3.5-flash) — machine translation; may contain errors
- Languages
- 日本語 · English · 简体中文 · 한국어
- CTS URN
- urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0543.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:1.17.1-1.17.13
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-12
While Rome reduces its forces after securing peace with Hiero, Carthage builds up a massive army based at Agrigentum. The new Roman consuls besiege the city and successfully repulse a Carthaginian assault during a skirmish over foraging.
Ἐπανενεχθεισῶν δὲ τῶν συνθηκῶν εἰς τὴν Ῥώμην, καὶ προσδεξαμένου τοῦ δήμου καὶ κυρώσαντος τὰς πρὸς Ἱέρωνα διαλύσεις, λοιπὸν οὐκέτι πάσας ἔκρινον ἐξαποστέλλειν οἱ Ῥωμαῖοι τὰς δυνάμεις, ἀλλὰ δύο μόνον στρατόπεδα, νομίζοντες ἅμα μὲν κεκουφίσθαι τὸν πόλεμον αὐτοῖς1 προσκεχωρηκότος τοῦ βασιλέως, ἅμα δὲ μᾶλλον ὑπολαμβάνοντες οὕτως εὐπορήσειν τὰς δυνάμεις τοῖς ἀναγκαίοις.
When the treaty was brought back to Rome, and the people, having accepted it, ratified the peace with Hiero, the Romans henceforth decided no longer to dispatch their entire forces, but only two legions, thinking on the one hand that the war had been lightened for them now that the king had joined them, and on the other hand supposing that in this way the forces would be better supplied with necessaries.
οἱ δὲ Καρχηδόνιοι θεωροῦντες τὸν μὲν Ἱέρωνα πολέμιον αὑτοῖς γεγονότα, τοὺς δὲ Ῥωμαίους ὁλοσχερέστερον ἐμπλεκομένους εἰς τὰ κατὰ τὴν Σικελίαν ὑπέλαβον βαρυτέρας προσδεῖσθαι2 παρασκευῆς, διʼ ἧς ἀντοφθαλμεῖν δυνήσονται τοῖς πολεμίοις καὶ συνέχειν τὰ κατὰ τὴν Σικελίαν.
But the Carthaginians, seeing Hiero had become their enemy and that the Romans were becoming more completely involved in the affairs of Sicily, concluded that they required a larger scale of preparation, by means of which they would be able to face the enemy and hold their ground in Sicily.
διὸ καὶ ξενολογήσαντες ἐκ τῆς ἀντιπέρας χώρας πολλοὺς μὲν Λιγυστίνους καὶ Κελτούς, ἔτι δὲ πλείους τούτων Ἴβηρας, ἅπαντας εἰς τὴν Σικελίαν ἀπέστειλαν.
Therefore, having enlisted mercenaries from the opposite coast—many Ligurians and Celts, and even more Iberians than these—they dispatched them all to Sicily.
ὁρῶντες δὲ τὴν τῶν Ἀκραγαντίνων πόλιν εὐφυεστάτην οὖσαν πρὸς τὰς παρασκευὰς καὶ βαρυτάτην ἅμα τῆς αὑτῶν ἐπαρχίας εἰς ταύτην συνήθροισαν τά τε χορήγια καὶ τὰς δυνάμεις, ὁρμητηρίῳ κρίνοντες χρῆσθαι ταύτῃ τῇ πόλει πρὸς τὸν πόλεμον.
And seeing that the city of the Agrigentines was the most naturally suited for preparations and at the same time the most powerful in their province, they gathered their supplies and forces into it, deciding to use this city as their base of operations for the war.
τῶν δὲ Ῥωμαίων οἱ μὲν πρὸς τὸν Ἱέρωνα ποιησάμενοι στρατηγοὶ τὰς συνθήκας ἀνακεχωρήκεισαν· οἱ δὲ μετὰ τούτους κατασταθέντες Λεύκιος Ποστόμιος καὶ Κόιντος Μαμίλιος ἧκον εἰς τὴν Σικελίαν μετὰ τῶν στρατοπέδων.
On the side of the Romans, the generals who had made the treaty with Hiero had returned home; but Lucius Postumius and Quintus Mamilius, who had been appointed after them, arrived in Sicily with their legions.
θεωροῦντες δὲ τὴν τῶν Καρχηδονίων ἐπιβολὴν καὶ τὰς περὶ τὸν Ἀκράγαντα παρασκευὰς ἔγνωσαν τολμηρότερον ἐγχειρεῖν τοῖς πράγμασιν·
Observing the plan of the Carthaginians and their preparations around Agrigentum, they resolved to undertake operations with greater boldness.
διὸ καὶ τὰ μὲν ἄλλα μέρη τοῦ πολέμου παρῆκαν, φέροντες3 δὲ παντὶ τῷ στρατεύματι πρὸς αὐτὸν Ἀκράγαντα προσήρεισαν· καὶ στρατοπεδεύσαντες ἐν ὀκτὼ σταδίοις ἀπὸ τῆς πόλεως συνέκλεισαν ἐντὸς τειχῶν τοὺς Καρχηδονίους.
Therefore, neglecting the other parts of the war, they advanced with their entire army directly against Agrigentum itself and encamped near it; and pitching their camp at a distance of eight stades from the city, they shut up the Carthaginians within their walls.
ἀκμαζούσης δὲ τῆς τοῦ σίτου συναγωγῆς, καὶ προφαινομένης χρονίου πολιορκίας, ὥρμησαν ἐκθυμότερον τοῦ δέοντος οἱ στρατιῶται πρὸς τὸ σιτολογεῖν.
Since the harvesting of the grain was at its height, and a long siege was in prospect, the soldiers set out to forage with more recklessness than was proper.
οἱ δὲ Καρχηδόνιοι κατιδόντες τοὺς πολεμίους ἐσκεδασμένους κατὰ τῆς χώρας, ἐξελθόντες ἐπέθεντο τοῖς σιτολογοῦσιν. τρεψάμενοι δὲ τούτους ῥᾳδίως οἱ μὲν ἐπὶ τὴν τοῦ χάρακος ἁρπαγὴν ὥρμησαν, οἱ δʼ ἐπὶ τὰς ἐφεδρείας.
The Carthaginians, perceiving that the enemy was scattered over the country, sallied out and attacked the foragers. Having easily routed these, some rushed to plunder the camp, while others attacked the outposts.
ἀλλʼ ἡ τῶν ἐθισμῶν διαφορὰ καὶ τότε καὶ πολλάκις ἤδη σέσωκε τὰ Ῥωμαίων πράγματα. τὸ γὰρ πρόστιμον παρʼ αὐτοῖς θάνατός ἐστι τῷ προεμένῳ τὸν τόπον καὶ φυγόντι4 τὸ παράπαν ἐξ ἐφεδρείας.
But the difference in their discipline saved the fortunes of the Romans, both on this occasion and often before. For among them, the penalty is death for anyone who abandons his post or flees at all from an outpost.
διὸ καὶ τότε πολλαπλασίους ὄντας τοὺς ὑπεναντίους ὑποστάντες γενναίως πολλοὺς μὲν τῶν ἰδίων ἀπέβαλον, ἔτι δὲ πλείους τῶν ἐχθρῶν ἀπέκτειναν.
Therefore on this occasion also, holding their ground gallantly against adversaries many times their number, they lost many of their own men, but slew even more of the enemy.
τέλος δὲ κυκλώσαντες τοὺς πολεμίους ὅσον οὔπω διασπῶντας τὸν χάρακα, τοὺς μὲν αὐτῶν διέφθειραν, τοὺς δὲ λοιποὺς ἐπικείμενοι καὶ φονεύοντες συνεδίωξαν εἰς τὴν πόλιν.
Finally, surrounding the enemy who were just on the point of tearing down the rampart, they destroyed some of them, and pursuing and slaying the rest, drove them in a body back into the city.
- 1.17.2αὐτοῖς
The third-person plural dative pronoun αὐτοῖς functions as a dative of interest or reference ('for them [the Romans]') modifying the infinitive κεκουφίσθαι ('to have been lightened'), referring back to the subject of the main clause (οἱ Ῥωμαῖοι).
- 1.17.3προσδεῖσθαι
The subject of the infinitive προσδεῖσθαι ('to need in addition') is omitted because it is identical with the subject of the main verb ὑπέλαβον ('they supposed'), which is 'the Carthaginians' (οἱ δὲ Καρχηδόνιοι). Thus, the clause means that they supposed that they themselves stood in need of greater preparations.
- 1.17.8φέροντες
The present participle φέροντες is used here intransitively in a semi-idiomatic military sense ('rushing' or 'marching'), taking the dative of accompaniment/manner παντὶ τῷ στρατεύματι ('with the entire army') to express the swift and decisive movement of the troops.
- 1.17.11τῷ προεμένῳ... φυγόντι
The single dative article τῷ is shared by the two coordinate participles προεμένῳ ('the one who abandoned') and φυγόντι ('the one who fled'), functioning as a dative of interest/reference with θάνατός ἐστι ('the penalty is death'). The prepositional phrase ἐξ ἐφεδρείας ('from the outpost') is placed at the end to directly modify φυγόντι, meaning 'fleeing entirely from the outpost'.