- 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-grc2:15.12.1-15.12.9
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-08
As both sides complete their preparations, Hannibal orders the elephants to charge, but the resulting confusion drives the Carthaginian cavalry into flight. Subsequently, the main infantry lines clash, with the diverse mercenaries of Carthage raising a multilingual shout.
τεροι.1 ἐπειδὴ δʼ ἑκατέροις ἦν εὐτρεπῆ τὰ πρὸς τὸν κίνδυνον, πάλαι τῶν Νομαδικῶν ἱππέων πρὸς ἀλλήλους ἀκροβολιζομένων, τότε παρήγγειλε τοῖς ἐπὶ τῶν ἐλεφάντων Ἀννίβας ποιεῖσθαι τὴν ἔφοδον ἐπὶ τοὺς ὑπεναντίους.
-generals. When all preparation for the battle was complete on both sides, the Numidian cavalry having already been skirmishing with each other for some time, Hannibal then ordered those in charge of the elephants to make the charge against the enemy.
ἅμα δὲ τῷ πανταχόθεν τὰς σάλπιγγας καὶ τὰς βυκάνας ἀναβοῆσαι τινὰ μὲν διαταραχθέντα τῶν θηρίων ἐξ αὐτῆς ὥρμησε παλίσσυτα κατὰ τῶν βεβοηθηκότων τοῖς Καρχηδονίοις Νομάδων·2 τῶν περὶ τὸν Μασαννάσαν3 ταχέως ἐψιλώθη τὸ λαιὸν κέρας τῶν Καρχηδονίων.
As soon as the trumpets and horns sounded from all sides, some of the beasts, being terrified, turned back at once and rushed against the Numidian allies of the Carthaginians; so that, by the action of Masanissa’s men, the left wing of the Carthaginians was quickly stripped [of its cavalry].
τὰ δὲ λοιπὰ συμπεσόντα τοῖς τῶν Ῥωμαίων γροσφομάχοις ἐν τῷ μεταξὺ χωρίῳ τῶν παρατάξεων πολλὰ μὲν ἔπασχε κακά, πολλὰ δʼ ἐποίει τοὺς ὑπεναντίους, ἕως ὅτου πεφοβημένα τὰ μὲν διὰ τῶν διαστημάτων ἐξέπεσε, δεξαμένων αὐτὰ τῶν Ῥωμαίων ἀσφαλῶς κατὰ τὴν τοῦ στρατηγοῦ πρόνοιαν, τὰ δʼ4 ἐπὶ τὸ δεξιὸν μέρος παραφυγόντα διὰ τῶν ἱππέων συνακοντιζόμενα τέλος εἰς τὸν ἔξω τόπον τῶν στρατοπέδων ἐξέπεσεν, ὅτε δὴ καὶ Λαίλιος ἅμα τῇ περὶ τοὺς ἐλέφαντας ταραχῇ συμβαλὼν ἠνάγκασε φυγεῖν τοὺς τῶν Καρχηδονίων ἱππεῖς προτροπάδην.
But the rest of the elephants, falling in with the Roman velites in the space between the two lines, both suffered many injuries and inflicted many on the enemy, until at last, thoroughly frightened, some of them escaped through the intervals between the companies (the Romans having received them safely according to the general’s foresight), while others, fleeing towards the right wing under a shower of javelins from the cavalry, finally escaped outside the field of battle, at which very moment Laelius also, taking advantage of the confusion caused by the elephants, charged and forced the Carthaginian cavalry into headlong flight.
οὗτος μὲν οὖν ἐπέκειτο τοῖς φεύγουσιν ἐκθύμως· τὸ δʼ ὅμοιον ἐποίει καὶ Μασαννάσας.
He, then, pressed hard upon the fugitives with great spirit, and Masanissa did the same.
κατὰ δὲ τὸν καιρὸν τοῦτον αἱ φάλαγγες ἀμφότεραι βάδην ἀλλήλαις καὶ σοβαρῶς ἐπῄεσαν, πλὴν τῶν ἐκ τῆς Ἰταλίας μετʼ Ἀννίβου παραγεγονότων· οὗτοι δʼ ἔμενον ἐπέχοντες τὸν ἐξ ἀρχῆς τόπον.
At this juncture, both phalanxes advanced upon each other at a slow and solemn pace, except those who had come from Italy with Hannibal; these remained holding their original position.
ἐπειδὴ δʼ ἐγγὺς ἦσαν ἀλλήλων, οἱ μὲν Ῥωμαῖοι κατὰ τὰ πάτρια συναλαλάξαντες καὶ συμψοφήσαντες τοῖς ξίφεσι τοὺς θυρεοὺς προσέβαλλον τοῖς ὑπεναντίοις, οἱ δὲ μισθοφόροι τῶν Καρχηδονίων ἀδιάκριτον ἐποίουν τὴν φωνὴν καὶ παρηλλαγμένην· οὐ γὰρ πάντων ἦν κατὰ τὸν ποιητὴν5 ὁ αὐτὸς θροῦς οὐδʼ ἴα γῆρυς, ἄλλη δʼ ἄλλων γλῶσσα, πολύκλητοι δʼ ἔσαν ἄνδρες, καθάπερ ἀρτίως ἐξηριθμησάμην.
When they were near each other, the Romans, raising their traditional war-cry and clashing their shields with their swords, fell upon the enemy; while the mercenaries of the Carthaginians raised a confused and dissonant shout; for, as the poet says, they had not all the same cry, “nor one voice, but their tongues were mixed, and they were men called from many lands,” just as I have recently enumerated.
- 15.12.1τεροι
The second part of the word ἀμφότεροι ("both"), of which the first part (ἀμφό-) ended the previous chunk. It forms part of the subject of the final sentence of the preceding section.
- 15.12.2τῶν βεβοηθηκότων τοῖς Καρχηδονίοις Νομάδων
βεβοηθηκότων is the perfect participle of βοηθέω ("to help, come to the aid of"), which governs the dative τοῖς Καρχηδονίοις. It refers to the "Numidians who had come to aid the Carthaginians."
- 15.12.2τῶν περὶ τὸν Μασαννάσαν
The prepositional phrase οἱ περί with an accusative means "those led by...". Here, it refers to "Masanissa's forces" and acts as the genitive of agent or cause with the passive verb ἐψιλώθη ("was stripped").
- 15.12.4τὰ μὲν... τὰ δʼ
Neuter plural pronouns (used article-wise) referring to the beasts (τὰ θηρία), expressing the contrast between "some of them... while others...".
- 15.12.9κατὰ τὸν ποιητήν
Meaning "as the poet says." "The poet" here refers to Homer, and the following quotation is from Iliad 4.437-438.