- 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-grc2:15.13.1-15.13.10
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-08
Under the Roman advance, Carthaginian mercenaries retreat due to a lack of support and begin clashing with their own citizen troops. Hannibal refuses to let the fugitives rejoin, intensifying the chaos.
πάσης δʼ οὔσης ἐκ χειρὸς καὶ κατʼ ἄνδρα τῆς μάχης [διὰ τὸ μὴ δόρασι μηδὲ ξίφεσι χρῆσθαι τοὺς ἀγωνιζομένους], τῇ μὲν εὐχερείᾳ καὶ τόλμῃ προεῖχον οἱ μισθοφόροι τὰς ἀρχάς, καὶ πολλοὺς κατετραυμάτιζον τῶν Ῥωμαίων, τῷ δὲ τῆς συντάξεως ἀκριβεῖ καὶ τῷ καθοπλισμῷ πιστεύοντες οἱ Ῥωμαῖοι μᾶλλον ἐπέβαινον εἰς τὸ πρόσθεν.
The whole battle being hand-to-hand and man-to-man [because the combatants made use of neither spears nor swords], at first the mercenaries were superior in agility and daring, and wounded many of the Romans. But the Romans, trusting in the precision of their order and in their armor, pushed forward all the more.
ἅμα δὲ τοῖς μὲν Ῥωμαίοις ἑπομένων καὶ παρακαλούντων τῶν κατόπιν, τοῖς δὲ μισθοφόροις τῶν Καρχηδονίων οὐ συνεγγιζόντων1 οὐδὲ παραβοηθούντων, ἀλλʼ ἀποδειλιώντων ταῖς ψυχαῖς, πέρας ἐνέκλιναν οἱ βάρβαροι, καὶ δόξαντες ἐγκαταλείπεσθαι προφανῶς ὑπὸ τῶν ἰδίων, ἐπιπεσόντες κατὰ τὴν ἀποχώρησιν εἰς τοὺς ἐφεστῶτας ἔκτεινον τούτους.
At the same time, while those behind the Romans followed and encouraged them, those behind the Carthaginian mercenaries did not approach or support them, but shrank back in fear. At last the barbarians gave way, and, believing that they were manifestly abandoned by their own people, they fell upon those standing behind them during their retreat and began to slaughter them.
ὃ καὶ πολλοὺς ἠνάγκασε τῶν Καρχηδονίων ἀνδρωδῶς ἀποθανεῖν· φονευόμενοι γὰρ ὑπὸ τῶν μισθοφόρων ἐμάχοντο παρὰ τὴν αὑτῶν προαίρεσιν ἅμα πρός τε τοὺς ἰδίους καὶ πρὸς τοὺς Ῥωμαίους.
This forced many of the Carthaginians to die like men; for being slaughtered by the mercenaries, they were compelled, contrary to their own purpose, to fight at the same time against both their own men and the Romans.
ποιούμενοι δὲ τὸν κίνδυνον ἐκστατικῶς καὶ παρηλλαγμένως οὐκ ὀλίγους διέφθειραν καὶ τῶν ἰδίων καὶ τῶν ὑπεναντίων.
Fighting in a frantic and distracted state, they destroyed not a few of both their own side and the enemy.
καὶ δὴ τῷ τοιούτῳ τρόπῳ συνέχεαν ἐπιπεσόντες τὰς τῶν ἁστάτων σημαίας· οἱ μέντοι τῶν πριγκίπων ἡγεμόνες συνθεασάμενοι τὸ γεγονὸς ἐπέστησαν τὰς αὑτῶν τάξεις.
In this manner they threw the cohorts of the hastati into confusion by falling upon them; however, the officers of the principes, seeing what had happened, held their own ranks steady.
τῶν δὲ μισθοφόρων καὶ τῶν Καρχηδονίων τὸ πλεῖστον μέρος τὸ μὲν ὑφʼ αὑτῶν, τὸ δʼ ὑπὸ τῶν ἁστάτων αὐτοῦ κατεκόπη.
The greater part of the mercenaries and the Carthaginians were cut down on the spot, partly by each other and partly by the hastati.
τοὺς δὲ διασῳζομένους καὶ φεύγοντας οὐκ εἴασε καταμιγῆναι ταῖς δυνάμεσιν Ἀννίβας, ἀλλὰ προβαλέσθαι παραγγείλας τοῖς ἐπιστάταις ἐκώλυσε μὴ παραδέξασθαι2 τοὺς ἐγγίζοντας.
Hannibal did not allow those who escaped and fled to mingle with his own forces, but, ordering the officers of the rear rank to level their spears, prevented them from receiving those who approached.
ὅθεν ἠναγκάσθησαν οὗτοι μὲν ποιεῖσθαι τὴν ἀποχώρησιν ἐπὶ τὰ κέρατα καὶ τὰς ἐκ τούτων
Consequently, these were forced to retreat towards the wings and from there...
- 15.13.3ἅμα δὲ τοῖς μὲν Ῥωμαίοις ἑπομένων... τοῖς δὲ μισθοφόροις... οὐ συνεγγιζόντων...
Genitive absolute construction. The clause 'τοῖς μὲν Ῥωμαίοις ἑπομένων...' contrasts with 'τοῖς δὲ μισθοφόροις... οὐ συνεγγιζόντων...'. The subject of the former is 'τῶν κατόπιν' ('those behind'), while the subject of the latter is expressed by 'τῶν Καρχηδονίων' referring to the Carthaginian citizen soldiers stationed behind the mercenaries.
- 15.13.9ἐκώλυσε μὴ παραδέξασθαι
Pleonastic negation (sympathetic negation). The verb 'ἐκώλυσε' ('prevented/forbade') is followed by the negative particle 'μή' with the infinitive. In translation, this is not rendered as a double negative, but rather interpreted as 'prevented them from receiving'.
Translated by Gemini 3.5 Flash (published 2026-05-25) · Revision history (1, latest 2026-09-21)
- 2026-09-21 AI review — note 1