- 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-grc2:18.30.1-18.30.11
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-09
The author explains the role of the rear ranks in the phalanx (overhead protection and physical pressure) and presents the individual tactics and required space of Roman soldiers, illustrating the structural reason why one Roman must face ten sarissas.
ἐκ δὲ τούτου ῥᾴδιον ὑπὸ τὴν ὄψιν λαβεῖν τὴν τῆς ὅλης φάλαγγος ἔφοδον καὶ προβολήν, ποίαν τινʼ εἰκὸς εἶναι καὶ τίνα δύναμιν ἔχειν, ἐφʼ ἑκκαίδεκα τὸ βάθος οὖσαν.1
From this it is easy to visualize what the charge and the couched front of the whole phalanx is likely to be, and what power it has, when it is sixteen deep.
ὧν ὅσοι τὸ πέμπτον ζυγὸν ὑπεραίρουσι, ταῖς μὲν σαρίσαις οὐδὲν οἷοί τʼ εἰσὶ συμβαλέσθαι πρὸς τὸν κίνδυνον· διόπερ οὐδὲ ποιοῦνται κατʼ ἄνδρα τὴν προβολήν, παρὰ δὲ τοὺς ὤμους τῶν προηγουμένων ἀνανενευκυίας φέρουσι χάριν τοῦ τὸν κατὰ κορυφὴν τόπον ἀσφαλίζειν τῆς ἐκτάξεως, εἰργουσῶν τῇ πυκνώσει τῶν σαρισῶν2 ὅσα τῶν βελῶν ὑπερπετῆ τῶν πρωτοστατῶν φερόμενα δύναται προσπίπτειν πρὸς τοὺς ἐφεστῶτας.
Of these, those who are beyond the fifth rank are unable to contribute anything to the fight with their sarissas; for which reason they do not even level them individually, but carry them slanting upwards over the shoulders of those in front, in order to secure the space overhead of the formation, since the density of the sarissas wards off all such missiles as, flying over the front-rank men, might fall upon those standing behind.
αὐτῷ γε μὴν τῷ τοῦ σώματος βάρει κατὰ τὴν ἐπαγωγὴν πιεζοῦντες οὗτοι τοὺς προηγουμένους βιαίαν μὲν ποιοῦσι τὴν ἔφοδον, ἀδύνατον δὲ τοῖς πρωτοστάταις τὴν εἰς τοὔπισθεν μεταβολήν.
By the sheer weight of their bodies, however, these men, pressing upon those in front of them during the advance, make the charge violent, while they make it impossible for the front-rank men to retreat.
τοιαύτης περὶ τὴν φάλαγγα διαθέσεως καὶ καθόλου καὶ κατὰ μέρος οὔσης, ῥητέον ἂν εἴη καὶ τοῦ Ῥωμαίων καθοπλισμοῦ καὶ τῆς ὅλης συντάξεως τὰς ἰδιότητας καὶ διαφορὰς ἐκ παραθέσεως.
Since such is the disposition of the phalanx both as a whole and in detail, we must now speak of the characteristics and differences of the Roman armament and of their whole formation, by way of comparison.
ἵστανται μὲν οὖν ἐν τρισὶ ποσὶ μετὰ τῶν ὅπλων καὶ Ῥωμαῖοι·
Now the Romans also stand in a space of three feet with their arms;
τῆς μάχης δʼ αὐτοῖς κατʼ ἄνδρα τὴν κίνησιν λαμβανούσης διὰ τὸ τῷ μὲν θυρεῷ σκέπειν τὸ σῶμα, συμμετατιθεμένους αἰεὶ πρὸς τὸν τῆς πληγῆς καιρόν, τῇ μαχαίρᾳ δʼ ἐκ καταφορᾶς καὶ διαιρέσεως ποιεῖσθαι τὴν μάχην, προφανὲς ὅτι χάλασμα καὶ διάστασιν ἀλλήλων ἔχειν δεήσει τοὺς ἄνδρας ἐλάχιστον τρεῖς πόδας κατʼ ἐπιστάτην καὶ κατὰ παραστάτην, εἰ μέλλουσιν εὐχρηστεῖν πρὸς τὸ δέον.
but since their combat requires individual movement, because they protect their bodies with the long shield, shifting its position continually to meet the threat of a blow, and fight with the sword by cutting and thrusting, it is manifest that the men must have interval and distance from one another of at least three feet, both in depth and in breadth, if they are to be effective for what is required.
ἐκ δὲ τούτου συμβήσεται τὸν ἕνα Ῥωμαῖον ἵστασθαι κατὰ δύο πρωτοστάτας τῶν φαλαγγιτῶν, ὥστε πρὸς δέκα σαρίσας αὐτῷ γίνεσθαι τὴν ἀπάντησιν καὶ τὴν μάχην, ἃς οὔτε κόπτοντα τὸν ἕνα καταταχῆσαι δυνατόν, ὅταν ἅπαξ συνάψωσιν εἰς τὰς χεῖρας, οὔτε βιάσασθαι ῥᾴδιον, μηδέν γε τῶν ἐφεστώτων δυναμένων3 συμβάλλεσθαι τοῖς πρωτοστάταις μήτε πρὸς τὴν βίαν μήτε πρὸς τὴν τῶν μαχαιρῶν ἐνέργειαν.
From this it will result that one Roman stands opposite two front-rank men of the phalangites, so that he has to confront and fight against ten sarissas, which one man can neither cut away and overcome, once they have come to close quarters, nor is it easy to force his way through them, since those standing behind him can contribute nothing to the front-rank men, neither in physical pressure nor in the action of their swords.
ἐξ ὧν εὐκατανόητον ὡς οὐχ οἷόν τε μεῖναι κατὰ πρόσωπον τὴν τῆς φάλαγγος ἔφοδον οὐδέν, διατηρούσης τὴν αὑτῆς ἰδιότητα καὶ δύναμιν, ὡς ἐν ἀρχαῖς εἶπα.
From this it is easy to understand that nothing can withstand the charge of the phalanx face to face, as long as it preserves its own characteristic and power, as I said at the beginning.
- 18.30.1ἐφʼ ἑκκαίδεκα τὸ βάθος οὖσαν
The feminine accusative singular participle οὖσαν grammatically agrees with the preceding noun phrase τὴν τῆς ὅλης φάλαγγος ἔφοδον καὶ προβολήν. Semantically, however, it qualifies the phalanx (φάλαγξ) itself, describing the condition 'when its depth is sixteen deep'. The preposition ἐπί with the accusative ἑκκαίδεκα denotes extent or measure, meaning 'to the depth of sixteen'.
- 18.30.3εἰργουσῶν τῇ πυκνώσει τῶν σαρισῶν
The genitive plural participle εἰργουσῶν agrees in gender, number, and case with the preceding τῶν σαρισῶν. Together they express the reason or means: 'since the sarissas, by their density, ward off...'. Structurally, it functions either as an attributive participle modifying the noun or in a manner akin to a genitive absolute.
- 18.30.10μηδέν γε τῶν ἐφεστώτων δυναμένων
Referring to the Roman side, δυναμένων is a genitive plural participle forming a genitive absolute construction with the logical subject τῶν ἐφεστώτων (those standing behind). Here, 'those standing behind' refers to the Roman soldiers positioned behind the front rank, explaining how they are unable to assist their comrade in the front rank who is confronting the sarissas.