- 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-grc2:1.40.1-1.40.16
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-12
Hasdrubal of Carthage invaded Panormus, exploiting the perceived fear of the Romans, but the Roman general Caecilius enticed the enemy to cross the river, defeated their elephants, and completely routed the Carthaginian army.
ὁ δὲ προεστὼς τῶν Καρχηδονίων Ἀσδρούβας, ὁρῶν ἀποδειλιῶντας τοὺς Ῥωμαίους ἐν ταῖς προγεγενημέναις παρατάξεσιν, πυθόμενος τὸν μὲν ἕνα τῶν στρατηγῶν μετὰ τῆς ἡμισείας δυνάμεως εἰς τὴν Ἰταλίαν ἀπηλλάχθαι, τὸν δὲ Καικίλιον ἐν τῷ Πανόρμῳ διατρίβειν τὸ λοιπὸν μέρος ἔχοντα τῆς στρατιᾶς, βουλόμενον1 ἐφεδρεῦσαι τοῖς τῶν συμμάχων καρποῖς ἀκμαζούσης τῆς συγκομιδῆς, ἀναλαβὼν ἐκ τοῦ Λιλυβαίου τὴν δύναμιν ὥρμησεν καὶ κατεστρατοπέδευσεν πρὸς τοῖς ὅροις τῆς χώρας τῆς Πανορμίτιδος. ὁ δὲ Καικίλιος, θεωρῶν αὐτὸν κατατεθαρρηκότα, καὶ σπουδάζων ἐκκαλεῖσθαι τὴν ὁρμὴν αὐτοῦ, συνεῖχε τοὺς στρατιώτας ἐντὸς τῶν πυλῶν.
Hasdrubal, the commander of the Carthaginians, seeing that the Romans were terrified in the previous battles, and hearing that one of their generals had departed for Italy with half the force, while Caecilius was remaining in Panormus with the rest of the army, wishing to protect the crops of the allies as the harvest was at its height, set out with his force from Lilybaeum and encamped near the borders of the territory of Panormus. Caecilius, seeing that he had become very confident, and being eager to draw out his onset, kept his soldiers within the gates.
οἷς2 ἐπαιρόμενος Ἀσδρούβας, ὡς οὐ τολμῶντος ἀντεξιέναι τοῦ Καικιλίου, θρασέως ὁρμήσας παντὶ τῷ στρατεύματι κατῆρε διὰ τῶν στενῶν εἰς τὴν Πανορμῖτιν.
Encouraged by this, Hasdrubal, believing that Caecilius did not dare to come out to meet him, advanced boldly with his whole army and descended through the passes into the territory of Panormus.
φθείροντος δὲ τοὺς καρποὺς αὐτοῦ μέχρι τῆς πόλεως, ἔμενεν ἐπὶ τῆς ὑποκειμένης γνώμης ὁ Καικίλιος, ἕως αὐτὸν ἐξεκαλέσατο διαβῆναι τὸν πρὸ τῆς πόλεως ποταμόν.
While he was destroying the crops right up to the city, Caecilius clung to his preconceived plan, until he enticed him to cross the river that lay in front of the city.
ἐπεὶ δὲ τὰ θηρία διεβίβασαν οἱ Καρχηδόνιοι καὶ τὴν δύναμιν, τὸ τηνικαῦτα δὲ τοὺς εὐζώνους ἐξαποστέλλων ἠρέθιζε, μέχρι πᾶν αὐτοὺς ἐκτάξαι τὸ στρατόπεδον ἠνάγκασε.
Once the Carthaginians had brought the elephants and their force across, he then dispatched his light-armed troops to harass them, until he forced them to draw up their entire army in battle array.
συνθεασάμενος δὲ γινόμενον ὃ προέθετο, τινὰς μὲν τῶν εὐκινήτων πρὸ τοῦ τείχους καὶ τάφρου παρενέβαλε, προστάξας, ἂν ἐγγίζῃ τὰ θηρία πρὸς αὐτούς, χρῆσθαι τοῖς βέλεσιν ἀφθόνως, ὅταν δʼ ἐκπιέζωνται, καταφεύγειν εἰς τὴν τάφρον καὶ πάλιν ἐκ ταύτης ὁρμωμένους εἰσακοντίζειν εἰς τὰ προσπίπτοντα τῶν ζῴων·
Seeing that his plan was being realized, he posted some of his active light troops in front of the wall and the trench, ordering them, if the elephants approached them, to use their missiles abundantly, and whenever they were hard pressed, to take refuge in the trench, and sallying out from it again, to hurl their javelins at those beasts that attacked them;
τοῖς δʼ ἐκ τῆς ἀγορᾶς βαναύσοις φέρειν προσέταξε τὰ βέλη καὶ παραβάλλειν ἔξω παρὰ τὸν θεμέλιον τοῦ τείχους.
and he ordered the artisans from the marketplace to carry the missiles and pile them up outside along the foot of the wall.
αὐτὸς δὲ τὰς σημείας ἔχων ἐπὶ τῆς κατὰ τὸ λαιὸν κέρας τῶν ὑπεναντίων κειμένης πύλης ἐφεστήκει, πλείους ἀεὶ καὶ πλείους ἐπαποστέλλων τοῖς ἀκροβολιζομένοις.
He himself, holding the maniples, took his stand at the gate that faced the enemy’s left wing, continually sending out more and more reinforcements to those engaged in the skirmish.
ἅμα δὲ τῷ τούτων ὁλοσχερεστέραν γενέσθαι τὴν συμπλοκὴν ἀντιφιλοδοξοῦντες οἱ τῶν ἐλεφάντων ἐπιστάται πρὸς τὸν Ἀσδρούβαν καὶ βουλόμενοι διʼ αὑτῶν ποιῆσαι τὸ προτέρημα πάντες ὥρμησαν ἐπὶ τοὺς προκινδυνεύοντας· τρεψάμενοι δὲ τούτους ῥᾳδίως συνεδίωξαν εἰς τὴν τάφρον.
As soon as the skirmish became more general, the drivers of the elephants, rivaling Hasdrubal for glory and wishing to achieve the victory by themselves, all charged those fighting in the front line; and having easily routed them, they pursued them into the trench.
προσπεσόντων δὲ τῶν θηρίων καὶ τιτρωσκομένων μὲν ὑπὸ τῶν ἐκ τοῦ τείχους τοξευόντων, συνακοντιζομένων δʼ ἐνεργοῖς καὶ πυκνοῖς τοῖς ὑσσοῖς καὶ τοῖς γρόσφοις ὑπʼ ἀκεραίων3 τῶν πρὸ τῆς τάφρου διατεταγμένων, συμβελῆ4 γινόμενα καὶ κατατραυματιζόμενα ταχέως διεταράχθη καὶ στραφέντα κατὰ τῶν ἰδίων ἐφέρετο, τοὺς μὲν ἄνδρας καταπατοῦντα καὶ διαφθείροντα, τὰς δὲ τάξεις συγχέοντα καὶ κατασπῶντα τὰς αὑτῶν.
But when the beasts rushed upon them, they were wounded by those shooting from the wall, and at the same time were assaulted with active and thick showers of pilums and javelins by the fresh troops drawn up in front of the trench, so that, being hit on all sides and severely wounded, they quickly fell into confusion, and turning back, rushed upon their own men, trampling and destroying them, and throwing their own ranks into confusion and breaking them.
ἃ καὶ κατιδὼν ὁ Καικίλιος ἐξῆγε τὴν δύναμιν ἐνεργῶς· καὶ συμπεσὼν ἐκ πλαγίου κατὰ κέρας τεταραγμένοις τοῖς πολεμίοις ἀκεραίους ἔχων καὶ συντεταγμένους τροπὴν ἐποίει τῶν ὑπεναντίων ἰσχυρὰν καὶ πολλοὺς μὲν αὐτῶν ἀπέκτεινεν, τοὺς δὲ λοιποὺς ἠνάγκασε φεύγειν προτροπάδην.
Caecilius, seeing this, led out his force with vigor; and falling upon the flank of the enemy who were already in confusion, with his own troops fresh and in good order, he routed them completely, killing many of them and forcing the rest to flee headlong.
θηρία δὲ σὺν αὐτοῖς μὲν Ἰνδοῖς ἔλαβε δέκα, τῶν δὲ λοιπῶν τοὺς Ἰνδοὺς ἀπερριφότων μετὰ τὴν μάχην περιελασάμενος ἐκυρίευσε πάντων.
He captured ten of the elephants with their Indian drivers, and as for the rest, after they had thrown off their Indian drivers after the battle, he surrounded them and secured them all.
ταῦτα δʼ ἐπιτελεσάμενος ὁμολογουμένως αἴτιος ἐδόκει γεγονέναι τοῖς Ῥωμαίων πράγμασι5 τοῦ πάλιν ἀναθαρρῆσαι τὰς πεζικὰς δυνάμεις καὶ κρατῆσαι τῶν ὑπαίθρων.
Having accomplished these things, he was universally acknowledged to have been the cause of the Roman land forces recovering their confidence and gaining mastery of the open country.
- 1.40.1βουλόμενον
This accusative participle agrees with τὸν δὲ Καικίλιον, indicating the intention of Caecilius. If it referred to the subject Hasdrubal (Ἀσδρούβας), it would have been in the nominative case (βουλόμενος).
- 1.40.4οἷς
A neuter plural relative pronoun in the dative case. It refers back to the entire action of Caecilius (keeping his troops inside the gates) and serves as the object of ἐπαιρόμενος ("encouraged by", "elated by").
- 1.40.12ἀκεραίων
Part of the phrase ὑπʼ ἀκεραίων τῶν πρὸ τῆς τάφρου διατεταγμένων. The adjective ἀκέραιος means "untouched," "unhurt," or "fresh" (not yet engaged in combat). It refers to the fresh Roman troops stationed as a reserve in front of the trench who had not yet been involved in the skirmish.
- 1.40.13συμβελῆ
Nominative neuter plural of the adjective συμβελής ("struck by many missiles", "covered with arrows"). It agrees with the subject τὰ θηρία (the beasts) and is used predicatively to mean "being hit on all sides by missiles."
- 1.40.16τοῖς Ῥωμαίων πράγμασι
The dative τοῖς Ῥωμαίων πράγμασι depends on the adjective αἴτιος ("responsible for", "the cause of"). The following genitive infinitive phrase τοῦ πάλιν ἀναθαρρῆσαι... further modifies αἴτιος, establishing the relationship of "the cause of [the land forces] recovering their confidence."