- 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-grc2:14.7.1-14.7.9
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-08
Scipio encamped before Utica and had the booty sold to merchants. Meanwhile, Syphax, who had intended to retreat, was persuaded to stay by the arrival of four thousand Celtiberians hired by Carthage and the entreaties of his wife, leading to a combined camp of thirty thousand men at the Great Plains.
πρὸς αὐτὸν συνάψοντος·1 ὁ δὲ τῶν Ῥωμαίων στρατηγὸς ἐγίνετο μὲν καὶ περὶ τὴν τῆς Ἰτύκης πολιορκίαν, τὸ δὲ πλεῖον, ἀκούων ἐπιμένειν τὸν Σόφακα καὶ τοὺς Καρχηδονίους πάλιν ἁθροίζειν στρατιάν, ἐξῆγε τὰς δυνάμεις καὶ παρενέβαλλε πρὸ τῆς Ἰτύκης. ἅμα δὲ καὶ νείμας τῶν λαφύρων τοὺς μὲν ἐμπόρους ἐξαπέστειλε λυσιτελῶς· καλῆς γὰρ τῆς ὑπὲρ τῶν ὅλων ἐλπίδος ὑπογραφομένης2 ἐκ τοῦ γεγονότος εὐτυχήματος, ἑτοίμως τὴν παροῦσαν ὠφέλειαν οἱ στρατιῶται παρʼ οὐδὲν ποιούμενοι διετίθεντο τοῖς ἐμπόροις.
[on the ground that very shortly the general with his forces] would join him. Meanwhile, the Roman general was indeed occupied also with the siege of Utica, but still more, hearing that Syphax was remaining steadfast and that the Carthaginians were again assembling an army, he led out his forces and encamped before Utica. At the same time, having also distributed a portion of the booty, he sent away the merchants profitably; for since a fair hope for the ultimate issue of the war was sketched out by the late success, the soldiers, readily holding their present gain of no account, disposed of it to the merchants.
τῷ δὲ βασιλεῖ τῶν Νομάδων καὶ τοῖς φίλοις τὸ μὲν πρῶτον ἐδόκει κατὰ τὸ συνεχὲς εἰς τὴν οἰκείαν ποιεῖσθαι τὴν ἀναχώρησιν·
As for the king of the Numidians and his friends, at first they resolved to continue their retreat to their own country;
τῶν δὲ Κελτιβήρων αὐτοῖς ἀπαντησάντων περὶ τὴν Ἄββαν, οἵτινες ἐτύγχανον ὑπὸ τῶν Καρχηδονίων ἐξενολογημένοι,3 πλείους ὄντες τῶν τετρακισχιλίων, πιστεύοντες ταῖς χερσὶ ταύταις οὕτως ἐπέστησαν καὶ βραχύ τι ταῖς ψυχαῖς ἐθάρρησαν.
but when the Celtiberians met them near Abba, who happened to have been recruited as mercenaries by the Carthaginians and were more than four thousand in number, trusting in this force they halted and recovered some small courage in their hearts.
σὺν δὲ τούτοις ἅμα καὶ τῆς παιδίσκης, ἥτις ἦν θυγάτηρ μὲν Ἀσδρούβου τοῦ στρατηγοῦ, γυνὴ δὲ τοῦ Σόφακος, καθάπερ ἐπάνω. προεῖπον, δεομένης καὶ λιπαρούσης4 μεῖναι καὶ μὴ καταλιπεῖν ἐν τοιούτοις καιροῖς τοὺς Καρχηδονίους, ἐπείσθη καὶ προσέσχε τοῖς παρακαλουμένοις ὁ Νομάς.
And together with this, at the same time, because the young woman—who was the daughter of Hasdrubal the general and the wife of Syphax, as I said above—entreated and implored him to remain and not to abandon the Carthaginians at such a crisis, the Numidian was persuaded and yielded to her prayers.
οὐ μικρὰ δὲ καὶ τοὺς Καρχηδονίους ἐλπίζειν παρεσκεύασαν οἱ Κελτίβηρες· ἀντὶ μὲν γὰρ τῶν τετρακισχιλίων μυρίους αὑτοὺς ἀπήγγελλον εἶναι,5 κατὰ δὲ τοὺς κινδύνους ἀνυποστάτους ὑπάρχειν καὶ ταῖς ψυχαῖς καὶ τοῖς καθοπλισμοῖς.
The Celtiberians also caused the Carthaginians to entertain no small hopes; for instead of four thousand, it was reported that they were ten thousand, and that in danger they were irresistible both in their courage and in their armor.
ἐκ δὲ ταύτης τῆς φήμης καὶ τῆς χυδαίου καὶ πανδήμου λαλιᾶς μετεωρισθέντες οἱ Καρχηδόνιοι διπλασίως ἐπερρώσθησαν πρὸς τὸ πάλιν ἀντιποιήσασθαι τῶν ὑπαίθρων.
Elated by this rumor and by the common talk of the crowd, the Carthaginians were doubly encouraged to dispute once more the possession of the open country.
καὶ τέλος ἐν ἡμέραις τριάκοντα περὶ τὰ Μεγάλα πεδία καλούμενα βαλόμενοι χάρακα συνεστρατοπέδευον ὁμοῦ τοῖς Νομάσι καὶ τοῖς Κελτίβηρσιν, ὄντες οὐκ ἐλάττους οἱ πάντες τρισμυρίων.
And finally, within thirty days, they pitched their camp and threw up a palisade near the place called the Great Plains, together with the Numidians and Celtiberians, their total number being not less than thirty thousand.
- 14.7.1πρὸς αὐτὸν συνάψοντος
A genitive absolute construction with τοῦ στρατηγοῦ (Hasdrubal) from the end of the previous section as its subject. αὐτόν refers to Syphax. The sentence continues directly from the preceding chunk.
- 14.7.3καλῆς γὰρ τῆς ὑπὲρ τῶν ὅλων ἐλπίδος ὑπογραφομένης
A genitive absolute clause expressing cause. τῶν ὅλων (neuter plural) refers to 'the war as a whole' or 'the overall issue.'
- 14.7.5οἵτινες ἐτύγχανον ὑπὸ τῶν Καρχηδονίων ἐξενολογημένοι
The construction of τυγχάνω (here imperfect ἐτύγχανον) with the perfect passive participle ἐξενολογημένοι, explaining a factual state of affairs ('happened to have been recruited').
- 14.7.6σὺν δὲ τούτοις ἅμα καὶ τῆς παιδίσκης ... δεομένης καὶ λιπαρούσης
While introduced by the prepositional phrase σὺν δὲ τούτοις ἅμα καὶ ('and at the same time together with this'), a genitive absolute is formed with τῆς παιδίσκης as the subject and δεομένης καὶ λιπαρούσης as the participles, leading to the main clause subject ὁ Νομάς (the Numidian, i.e., Syphax).
- 14.7.7ἀντὶ μὲν γὰρ τῶν τετρακισχιλίων μυρίους αὑτοὺς ἀπήγγελλον εἶναι
ἀπήγγελλον can be interpreted either impersonally ('it was reported') or as referring to the Celtiberians themselves claiming that 'they themselves' (αὑτούς) were ten thousand. In either case, it indicates an exaggerated report or rumor circulating to encourage the Carthaginians.