- 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-grc2:10.12.1-10.12.11
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-06
Publius begins the assault on Carthago Nova by both sea and land, prompting Mago to send out his garrison to resist. Although the battle is initially closely contested, the Roman reinforcements force the Carthaginians to retreat in panic, allowing the Romans to safely plant their siege ladders.
τῇ δʼ ἐπαύριον κατὰ μὲν τοὺς ἐκ τῆς θαλάττης τόπους περιστήσας ναῦς παντοδαποῖς βέλεσιν ἐξηρτυμένας καὶ δοὺς τὴν ἐπιτροπὴν Γαΐῳ, κατὰ δὲ γῆν τοὺς εὐρωστοτάτους τῶν ἀνδρῶν εἰς δισχιλίους ὁμόσε τοῖς κλιμακοφόροις1 ἐπιστήσας, ἐνήρχετο τῆς πολιορκίας κατὰ τρίτην ὥραν.
On the following day, having stationed on the side of the sea the ships equipped with all kinds of missiles and having given the command to Gaius, and on the land side having stationed about two thousand of the strongest men together with the ladder-bearers, he began the siege about the third hour.
ὁ δὲ Μάγων ὁ τεταγμένος ἐπὶ τῆς πόλεως τὸ μὲν τῶν χιλίων σύνταγμα διελὼν τοὺς μὲν ἡμίσεις ἐπὶ τῆς ἄκρας ἀπέλιπε, τοὺς δʼ ἄλλους ἐπὶ τοῦ πρὸς ἀνατολὰς λόφου παρενέβαλε·
Mago, who was in command of the city, having divided his force of a thousand men, left half of them on the citadel and posted the others on the hill facing east.
τῶν δὲ λοιπῶν τοὺς εὐρωστοτάτους περὶ δισχιλίους κατεσκευακὼς τοῖς ὑπάρχουσι κατὰ τὴν πόλιν ὅπλοις ἐπέστησε κατὰ τὴν πύλην τὴν φέρουσαν ἐπὶ τὸν ἰσθμὸν καὶ τὴν τῶν πολεμίων στρατοπεδείαν· τοῖς δὲ λοιποῖς παρήγγειλε βοηθεῖν κατὰ δύναμιν πρὸς πάντα τὰ μέρη τοῦ τείχους.
Having equipped about two thousand of the strongest of the remainder with the arms available in the city, he stationed them at the gate leading to the isthmus and the enemy’s camp; and to the rest he gave orders to bring help according to their ability to all parts of the wall.
ἅμα δὲ τῷ τὸν Πόπλιον ταῖς σάλπιγξι διασημῆναι [καὶ] τὸν καιρὸν τῆς προσβολῆς, ἐξαφίησι τοὺς καθωπλισμένους ὁ Μάγων διὰ τῆς πύλης, πεπεισμένος ὅτι καταπλήξεται τοὺς ὑπεναντίους καὶ τὸ παράπαν ἀφελεῖται τὴν ἐπιβολὴν αὐτῶν.
As soon as Publius gave the signal with the trumpets for the time of the assault, Mago let loose his armed men through the gate, convinced that he would strike terror into the enemy and completely frustrate their enterprise.
προσπεσόντων δὲ τούτων ἐρρωμένως τοῖς ἐκ τοῦ στρατοπέδου κατὰ τὸν ἰσθμὸν παρατεταγμένοις ἐγίνετο μάχη λαμπρὰ καὶ παρακελευσμὸς ἐξ ἀμφοῖν ἐναγώνιος, τῶν μὲν ἐκ τοῦ στρατοπέδου, τῶν δʼ ἐκ τῆς πόλεως τοῖς ἰδίοις ἑκατέρων ἐπιβοώντων.
When these fell vigorously upon those from the camp drawn up along the isthmus, a fierce battle ensued and an anxious shouting of encouragement from both sides, as those from the camp and those from the city cheered on their respective men.
τῆς δὲ διὰ τῶν βοηθούντων ἐπικουρίας οὐχ ὁμοίας ὑπαρχούσης διὰ τὸ τοῖς μὲν Καρχηδονίοις διὰ μιᾶς πύλης καὶ σχεδὸν ἀπὸ δυεῖν σταδίοιν γίνεσθαι τὴν παρουσίαν, τοῖς δὲ Ῥωμαίοις ἐκ χειρὸς2 καὶ κατὰ πολὺν τόπον, ἄνισος ἦν ἡ μάχη παρὰ ταύτην τὴν αἰτίαν.
Since the reinforcement from those bringing aid was not equal, because for the Carthaginians the arrival of reinforcements occurred through a single gate and from a distance of nearly two stades, whereas for the Romans it was close at hand and from a spacious area, the battle was unequal for this reason.
ὁ γὰρ Πόπλιος ἑκὼν ἐπέστησε τοὺς αὑτοῦ παρʼ αὐτὴν τὴν στρατοπεδείαν χάριν τοῦ προκαλέσασθαι τοὺς πολεμίους πορρωτάτω, σαφῶς γινώσκων, ἐὰν διαφθείρῃ τούτους, ὄντας οἷον εἰ στόμα3 τοῦ κατὰ τὴν πόλιν πλήθους, ὅτι διατραπήσεται τὰ ὅλα καὶ τὴν πύλην οὐκέτι τῶν ἔνδον οὐδεὶς ἐξιέναι θαρρήσει.
For Publius had intentionally stationed his men close to the camp itself for the sake of drawing the enemy out as far as possible, knowing clearly that if he destroyed these men—who were, as it were, the vanguard of the multitude in the city—the whole defense would be overturned and no one from within would any longer dare to go out through the gate.
οὐ μὴν ἀλλʼ ἕως μέν τινος ἐφάμιλλον συνέβαινε γίνεσθαι τὴν μάχην, ὡς ἐξ ἀμφοῖν κατʼ ἐκλογὴν τῶν ἀρίστων ἀνδρῶν προκεκριμένων· τέλος δʼ ἐξωθούμενοι τῷ βάρει διὰ τοὺς ἐκ τῆς παρεμβολῆς προσγινομένους ἐτράπησαν οἱ παρὰ τῶν Καρχηδονίων, καὶ πολλοὶ μὲν αὐτῶν ἐν τῷ τῆς μάχης καιρῷ διεφθάρησαν καὶ κατὰ τὴν ἀποχώρησιν, οἱ δὲ πλείους ἐν τῷ παραπίπτειν εἰς τὴν πύλην ὑφʼ αὑτῶν ἠλοήθησαν.
Nevertheless, for a certain time the battle happened to be evenly contested, as if the best men selected on both sides had been pitted against each other; but finally, being pushed back by the weight of numbers due to those coming up from the camp, the Carthaginians were put to flight, and many of them were killed during the battle and in the retreat, and the majority, in crowding confusedly into the gate, were trampled underfoot by one another.
οὗ συμβαίνοντος ὁ κατὰ τὴν πόλιν ὄχλος οὕτως ἐπτοήθη πᾶς ὥστε καὶ τοὺς ἀπὸ τῶν τειχῶν φεύγειν.
As this happened, the entire crowd in the city was so terrified that even those on the walls fled.
παρʼ ὀλίγον μὲν οὖν ἦλθον οἱ Ῥωμαῖοι τοῦ συνεισπεσεῖν4 τότε μετὰ τῶν φευγόντων· οὐ μὴν ἀλλὰ τάς γε κλίμακας τῷ τείχει μετʼ ἀσφαλείας προσήρεισαν.
Thus, the Romans came within a little of rushing in together with the fugitives; nevertheless, they safely planted their ladders against the wall.
- 10.12.1ὁμόσε τοῖς κλιμακοφόροις
The adverb ὁμόσε ("to the same place", "to close quarters") is used here with the dative τοῖς κλιμακοφόροις like a preposition. It means "having stationed them together with (or in close connection with) the ladder-bearers" to support and protect them directly.
- 10.12.6ἐκ χειρός
Literally "from hand", but used here in contrast to the Carthaginian "from a distance of nearly two stades" (σχεδὸν ἀπὸ δυεῖν σταδίοιν). It means "at close hand" or "from close quarters," indicating that the Roman reinforcements were stationed right next to the fighting and could be deployed immediately.
- 10.12.7ὄντας οἷον εἰ στόμα
The participle ὄντας (accusative masculine plural) agrees with the preceding pronoun τούτους ("these men"). The noun στόμα (literally "mouth" or "cutting edge"), introduced by οἷον εἰ ("as if"), is used metaphorically to mean the "vanguard" or "spearhead" of the city's forces, representing the primary defensive force sent out.
- 10.12.11παρʼ ὀλίγον ... ἦλθον τοῦ συνεισπεσεῖν
An idiomatic expression where παρʼ ὀλίγον ἔρχομαι (or παρʼ ὀλίγον γίνομαι) is followed by the genitive of the infinitive (τοῦ συνεισπεσεῖν), meaning "to come within a little of doing something" or "to narrowly miss doing something."