- 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-grc2:1.56.1-1.56.11
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-12
Hamilcar Barca, appointed general of the Carthaginian forces, ravages the Italian coast and subsequently occupies the highly defensible site of Heirkte near Panormus, where he wages a fierce, multi-year campaign against the Romans by land and sea.
οἱ δὲ Καρχηδόνιοι μετὰ ταῦτα στρατηγὸν καταστήσαντες αὑτῶν Ἀμίλκαν τὸν Βάρκαν ἐπικαλούμενον, τούτῳ τὰ κατὰ τὸν στόλον ἐνεχείρισαν·
After this, the Carthaginians appointed Hamilcar, surnamed Barca, as their general, and entrusted to him the affairs of the fleet.
ὃς παραλαβὼν τὰς ναυτικὰς δυνάμεις ὥρμησεν πορθήσων1 τὴν Ἰταλίαν. ἔτος δʼ ἦν ὀκτωκαιδέκατον τῷ πολέμῳ.
Having taken over the naval forces, he set out to ravage Italy. This was the eighteenth year of the war.
κατασύρας δὲ τὴν Λοκρίδα καὶ τὴν Βρεττιανὴν χώραν, ἀποπλέων ἐντεῦθεν κατῆρε παντὶ τῷ στόλῳ πρὸς τὴν Πανορμῖτιν καὶ καταλαμβάνει τὸν ἐπὶ τῆς Εἱρκτῆς λεγόμενον τόπον, ὃς κεῖται μὲν Ἔρυκος καὶ Πανόρμου μεταξὺ πρὸς θαλάττῃ, πολὺ δέ τι τῶν ἄλλων δοκεῖ διαφέρειν τόπων ἐπιτηδειότητι πρὸς ἀσφάλειαν στρατοπέδων καὶ χρονισμόν.
Having plundered the territory of Locri and Bruttium, he sailed thence and came to anchor with his whole fleet on the coast of Panormus, and occupied the place called “upon Heirkte,” which lies by the sea between Eryx and Panormus, and is thought to far surpass other places in its suitability for the safety and long stay of an army.
ἔστι γὰρ ὄρος περίτομον ἐξανεστηκὸς ἐκ τῆς περικειμένης χώρας εἰς ὕψος ἱκανόν. τούτου δʼ ἡ περίμετρος τῆς ἄνω στεφάνης οὐ λείπει τῶν ἑκατὸν σταδίων,2 ὑφʼ ἧς ὁ περιεχόμενος τόπος εὔβοτος ὑπάρχει καὶ γεωργήσιμος, πρὸς μὲν τὰς πελαγίους πνοιὰς εὐφυῶς κείμενος, θανασίμων δὲ θηρίων εἰς τέλος ἄμοιρος.
For it is a precipitous mountain rising from the surrounding country to a considerable height. The circumference of its flat upper ridge is not less than a hundred stades, within which the enclosed space is good for pasturage and arable, favorably situated with regard to sea breezes, and entirely free from deadly wild beasts.
περιέχεται δὲ κρημνοῖς ἀπροσίτοις ἔκ τε τοῦ κατὰ θάλατταν μέρους καὶ τοῦ παρὰ τὴν μεσόγαιαν παρήκοντος, τὰ δὲ μεταξὺ τούτων ἐστὶν ὀλίγης καὶ βραχείας δεόμενα κατασκευῆς.
It is surrounded by inaccessible cliffs both on the side facing the sea and on that extending along the inland, while the intervals between these require but little and slight fortification.
ἔχει δʼ ἐν αὑτῷ καὶ μαστόν, ὃς ἅμα μὲν ἀκροπόλεως, ἅμα δὲ σκοπῆς εὐφυοῦς λαμβάνει τάξιν κατὰ τῆς ὑποκειμένης χώρας.
It contains also a knoll within itself, which serves at once as a citadel and as a convenient look-out over the underlying country.
κρατεῖ δὲ καὶ λιμένος εὐκαίρου πρὸς τὸν ἀπὸ Δρεπάνων καὶ Λιλυβαίου δρόμον ἐπὶ τὴν Ἰταλίαν, ἐν ᾧ πλῆθος ὕδατος ἄφθονον ὑπάρχει.
It also commands a convenient harbor for the voyage from Drepana and Lilybaeum to Italy, in which there is an abundant supply of water.
προσόδους δὲ τὰς πάσας ἔχει τριττὰς δυσχερεῖς, δύο μὲν ἀπὸ τῆς χώρας, μίαν δʼ ἀπὸ τῆς θαλάττης. ἐν ᾧ καταστρατοπεδεύσας παραβόλως Ἀμίλκας, ὡς ἂν μήτε πόλεως οἰκείας μήτʼ ἄλλης ἐλπίδος μηδεμιᾶς ἀντεχόμενος,3 εἰς μέσους δὲ τοὺς πολεμίους ἑαυτὸν δεδωκώς, ὅμως οὐ μικροὺς οὐδὲ τοὺς τυχόντας Ῥωμαίοις ἀγῶνας καὶ κινδύνους παρεσκεύασεν.
It has only three approaches in all, all of them difficult, two from the land side and one from the sea. Having encamped there with great daring, Hamilcar, though acting as if he had no friendly city nor any other hope to rely upon, but had cast himself into the midst of the enemy, nevertheless brought no small or ordinary struggles and dangers upon the Romans.
πρῶτον μὲν γὰρ ἐντεῦθεν ὁρμώμενος κατὰ θάλατταν τὴν παραλίαν τῆς Ἰταλίας ἐπόρθει μέχρι τῆς Κυμαίων χώρας, δεύτερον δὲ κατὰ γῆν παραστρατοπεδευσάντων αὐτῷ Ῥωμαίων πρὸ τῆς Πανορμιτῶν πόλεως ἐν ἴσως πέντε σταδίοις πολλοὺς καὶ ποικίλους ἀγῶνας συνεστήσατο κατὰ γῆν σχεδὸν ἐπὶ τρεῖς ἐνιαυτούς. περὶ ὧν οὐχ οἷόν τε διὰ τῆς γραφῆς
For in the first place, starting from there, he ravaged by sea the coast of Italy as far as the territory of Cumae, and secondly, when the Romans encamped against him in front of the city of Panormus at a distance of about five stades, he engaged in many and various combats on land for nearly three years. Concerning these, it is not possible through a writ
- 1.56.2πορθήσων
The future active participle expresses purpose ('in order to ravage') in connection with the verb of motion ὥρμησεν.
- 1.56.4οὐ λείπει τῶν ἑκατὸν σταδίων
The verb λείπει ('falls short of') governs the genitive of comparison τῶν ἑκατὸν σταδίων to indicate the baseline of measurement, meaning 'is not less than one hundred stades.'
- 1.56.9ὡς ἂν μήτε πόλεως οἰκείας μήτʼ ἄλλης ἐλπίδος μηδεμιᾶς ἀντεχόμενος
The construction of ὡς ἄν with the participle ἀντεχόμενος expresses a subjective assumption or hypothetical circumstance ('as if relying on neither...'). The participle ἀντεχόμενος governs the genitives πόλεως and ἐλπίδος, accompanied by multiple negatives.
Translated by Gemini 3.5 Flash (published 2026-05-25) · Revision history (1, latest 2026-09-21)
- 2026-09-21 AI review — source 1