- 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-grc2:1.74.1-1.74.14
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-12
The Carthaginian general Hanno raised the siege of Utica and routed the enemy, but his carelessness allowed them to rally, capture his camp, and seize all supplies. Later, near Gorza, his ongoing negligence caused him to waste several more decisive opportunities.
ρεῖς1 ἐνέβαλλον τοὺς ἔνδον. Ἄννων δὲ περὶ μὲν τὰς παρασκευὰς ἐνδεχομένως ἐγίνετο· καὶ γὰρ ἦν πρὸς τοῦτο τὸ μέρος εὐφυής·
...threw those inside into complete terror and confusion. Now Hanno was competent enough in making preparations, for he had a natural talent in this department;
ἐξορμήσας δὲ μετὰ τῆς δυνάμεως ἕτερος ἦν· καὶ γὰρ τοῖς καιροῖς ἀστόχως ἐχρῆτο καὶ τοῖς ὅλοις πράγμασιν ἀπείρως καὶ νωθρῶς.
but when he took the field with his forces he was a different man, for he made a misdirected use of his opportunities and showed himself entirely inexperienced and sluggish in the conduct of the whole business.
διὸ καὶ τὸ μὲν πρῶτον εἰς Ἰτύκην παραβοηθήσας τοῖς πολιορκουμένοις καὶ καταπληξάμενος τοὺς ὑπεναντίους τῷ πλήθει τῶν θηρίων· εἶχεν γὰρ οὐκ ἐλάττους ἑκατὸν ἐλεφάντων· καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα λαβὼν προτερήματος ἀρχὴν ὁλοσχεροῦς οὕτως ἐχρήσατο κακῶς ὥστε κινδυνεῦσαι προσαπολέσαι2 καὶ τοὺς πολιορκουμένους.
Therefore, although at first, having gone to the relief of the besieged at Utica, he struck terror into the enemy by the number of his beasts—for he had no fewer than a hundred elephants—and after this gained the starting-point of a complete success, he made such bad use of it that he ran the risk of ruining the besieged as well.
κομίσας γὰρ ἐκ τῆς πόλεως τοὺς καταπέλτας καὶ τὰ βέλη καὶ συλλήβδην ἁπάσας τὰς πρὸς τὴν πολιορκίαν παρασκευὰς καὶ στρατοπεδεύσας πρὸ τῆς πόλεως ἐνεχείρησε προσβάλλειν πρὸς τὸν τῶν ὑπεναντίων χάρακα.
For having brought out from the city the catapults and missiles, and in a word all the preparations for the siege, and having encamped before the city, he attempted to attack the enemy’s rampart.
τῶν δὲ θηρίων βιασαμένων εἰς τὴν παρεμβολήν, οὐ δυνάμενοι τὸ βάρος οὐδὲ τὴν ἔφοδον οἱ πολέμιοι μεῖναι πάντες ἐξέπεσον ἐκ τῆς στρατοπεδείας.
But when the beasts forced their way into the camp, the enemy, unable to withstand their weight and onset, all fled out of the encampment.
καὶ πολλοὶ μὲν αὐτῶν ἀπέθανον τρωθέντες ὑπὸ τῶν θηρίων, τὸ δὲ διασῳζόμενον μέρος πρός τινα λόφον ἐρυμνὸν καὶ σύμφυτον ἔμενεν, πιστεῦον ταῖς ἐξ αὐτῶν τῶν τόπων ἀσφαλείαις.
And many of them died, wounded by the beasts, while the portion which saved itself remained on a certain hill, strong and overgrown with wood, relying on the safety afforded by the locality itself.
ὁ δʼ Ἄννων εἰθισμένος Νομάσι καὶ Λίβυσι πολεμεῖν, οἵτινες ὅταν ἅπαξ ἐγκλίνωσι ποιοῦνται τὴν φυγὴν ἐπὶ δύʼ ἡμέρας καὶ τρεῖς ἐκτοπίζοντες αὑτούς, ὑπολαβὼν καὶ τότε πέρας ἔχειν τοῦ πολέμου καὶ νενικηκέναι τοῖς ὅλοις, τῶν μὲν στρατιωτῶν ὠλιγώρησε καὶ καθόλου τῆς παρεμβολῆς, αὐτὸς δʼ εἰσελθὼν εἰς τὴν πόλιν ἐγίνετο περὶ τὴν τοῦ σώματος θεραπείαν.
Hanno, however, being accustomed to fight with Numidians and Libyans, who, when they once give way, make their flight for two or three days, removing themselves far from the spot, imagined that then too the war was at an end and that he had completely conquered. Consequently he neglected his soldiers and the camp in general, and entering the city, occupied himself with the care of his body.
οἱ δὲ συμπεφευγότες τῶν μισθοφόρων εἰς τὸν λόφον, σύντροφοι μὲν γεγονότες τῆς Βάρκα τόλμης, συνήθεις δʼ3 ἐκ τῶν κατὰ Σικελίαν ἀγώνων πολλάκις τῆς αὐτῆς ἡμέρας ποτὲ μὲν ὑποχωρεῖν, ποτὲ δὲ πάλιν ἐκ μεταβολῆς ἐγχειρεῖν τοῖς πολεμίοις, καὶ τότε συνιδόντες τὸν μὲν στρατηγὸν ἀπηλλαγμένον εἰς τὴν πόλιν, τοὺς δὲ πολλοὺς διὰ τὸ προτέρημα ῥᾳθυμοῦντας καὶ διαρρέοντας ἐκ τῆς στρατοπεδείας, συστραφέντες ἐπιτίθενται τῷ χάρακι καὶ πολλοὺς μὲν αὐτῶν ἀπέκτειναν, τοὺς δὲ λοιποὺς ἠνάγκασαν φυγεῖν αἰσχρῶς ὑπὸ τὰ τείχη καὶ τὰς πύλας·
But those of the mercenaries who had fled to the hill, having been trained in the daring methods of Barca, and being accustomed from the struggles in Sicily sometimes to retreat and sometimes to turn back and attack the enemy several times on the same day, and seeing on this occasion that the general had departed into the city, and that the majority of the soldiers, owing to their success, were careless and dispersing from the camp, closed their ranks and attacked the rampart; they killed many of them, and forced the rest to flee disgracefully under the walls and gates.
ἐκυρίευσαν δὲ τῆς ἀποσκευῆς ἁπάσης καὶ τῆς τῶν πολιορκουμένων παρασκευῆς, ἣν Ἄννων πρὸς τοῖς ἄλλοις ἐκκομίσας ἐκ τῆς πόλεως ἐποίησε τοῖς ἐχθροῖς ὑποχείριον.
And they made themselves masters of all the baggage and of the preparations of the besieged, which Hanno, in addition to the rest, had brought out of the city and thus made subject to the enemy.
οὐ μόνον δὲ περὶ τοῦτον τὸν καιρὸν οὕτως ἀνεστράφη νωθρῶς, ἀλλὰ καὶ μετʼ ὀλίγας ἡμέρας περὶ τὴν καλουμένην Γόρζαν ἀντιστρατοπεδευσάντων αὐτῷ τῶν πολεμίων, λαβὼν καιροὺς δὶς μὲν ἐκ παρατάξεως εἰς τὸ νικᾶν δὶς δʼ ἐξ ἐπιθέσεως, ἅτε καὶ στρατοπεδευόντων σύνεγγυς αὐτῷ τῶν ὑπεναντίων, ἀμφοτέρους δοκεῖ τούτους εἰκῇ καὶ παραλόγως προέσθαι.
Nor was it only on this occasion that he behaved so sluggishly, but also a few days later, when the enemy had encamped opposite him near the city called Gorza, and when he had twice got opportunities of winning in a pitched battle and twice by a surprise attack, even though the enemy were encamped close to him, he seems to have thrown away both these opportunities uselessly and unreasonably.
- 1.74.1ρεῖς
This fragment continues from "ὁλοσχε" at the end of the previous chunk, together forming the adjective "ὁλοσχερεῖς" (complete, thorough; accusative masculine/feminine plural). Here it modifies the preceding masculine plural nouns "φόβους καὶ θορύβους".
- 1.74.3ὥστε κινδυνεῦσαι προσαπολέσαι
An infinitive construction introduced by "ὥστε" expressing result. "κινδυνεῦσαι" (to run a risk) is directly governed by "ὥστε", and it is supplemented by "προσαπολέσαι" (to destroy in addition) as a complementary infinitive. The implied subject of the infinitives is Hanno (Ἄννων), the subject of the main clause.
- 1.74.9σύντροφοι μὲν γεγονότες ..., συνήθεις δʼ ...
Contrasting participial and adjectival phrases modifying the subject "οἱ δὲ συμπεφευγότες τῶν μισθοφόρων" (those of the mercenaries who had fled). The former phrase "σύντροφοι γεγονότες" takes the genitive "τῆς Βάρκα τόλμης" to mean "having been nurtured in/accustomed to"; the latter "συνήθεις" governs the infinitives "ὑποχωρεῖν... ἐγχειρεῖν" to mean "accustomed to retreat... and to attack".