- 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-grc2:2.19.1-2.19.13
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-12
This passage describes the internal conflicts of the Celts, their joint campaigns with the Samnites against Rome, and the final Roman victory over the Senones, leading to the foundation of Sena, Rome's first colony in Celtic territory.
ήσαντο1 καὶ συνθήκας. ἐν αἷς ἔτη τριάκοντα μείναντες ἐμπεδῶς, αὖθις γενομένου κινήματος ἐκ τῶν Τρανσαλπίνων, δείσαντες μὴ πόλεμος αὐτοῖς ἐγερθῇ βαρύς,2 ἀπὸ μὲν αὑτῶν ἔτρεψαν τὰς ὁρμὰς τῶν ἐξανισταμένων, δωροφοροῦντες καὶ προτιθέμενοι τὴν συγγένειαν, ἐπὶ δὲ Ῥωμαίους παρώξυναν καὶ μετέσχον αὐτοῖς τῆς στρατείας.
...and a treaty. Remaining steadfastly in this for thirty years, when a movement again arose among the Transalpine Celts, fearing lest a heavy war should be brought upon them, they diverted the attack of those who were rising up from themselves, by giving gifts and pleading their kinship, and incited them against the Romans, taking part in their expedition.
ἐν ᾗ τὴν ἔφοδον ποιησάμενοι διὰ Τυρρηνίας, ὁμοῦ συστρατευσαμένων σφίσι Τυρρηνῶν, καὶ περιβαλόμενοι λείας πλῆθος ἐκ μὲν τῆς Ῥωμαίων ἐπαρχίας ἀσφαλῶς ἐπανῆλθον.
Having made their inroad through Etruria in this expedition, while the Etruscans campaigned together with them, and having secured a great amount of booty, they returned safely from the Roman territory.
εἰς δὲ τὴν οἰκείαν ἀφικόμενοι καὶ στασιάσαντες περὶ τὴν τῶν εἰλημμένων πλεονεξίαν τῆς τε λείας καὶ τῆς αὑτῶν δυνάμεως3 τὸ πλεῖστον μέρος διέφθειραν.
But when they arrived in their own land, they fell into dispute over the division of the spoils, and destroyed the greater part of both the booty and their own forces.
τοῦτο δὲ σύνηθές ἐστι Γαλάταις πράττειν, ἐπειδὰν σφετερίσωνταί τι τῶν πέλας, καὶ μάλιστα διὰ τὰς ἀλόγους οἰνοφλυγίας καὶ πλησμονάς.
This is customary for the Galatians to do, whenever they appropriate any of their neighbors’ property, and especially owing to their irrational drunkenness and surfeit.
μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα πάλιν ἔτει τετάρτῳ συμφρονήσαντες ἅμα Σαυνῖται καὶ Γαλάται παρετάξαντο Ῥωμαίοις ἐν τῇ Καμερτίων χώρᾳ καὶ πολλοὺς αὐτῶν ἐν τῷ κινδύνῳ διέφθειραν.
After this, again in the fourth year, the Samnites and the Galatians, having made common cause, faced the Romans in the territory of the Camertines and destroyed many of them in the danger of battle.
ἐν ᾧ καιρῷ προσφιλονικήσαντες4 πρὸς τὸ γεγονὸς ἐλάττωμʼ αὐτοῖς Ῥωμαῖοι μετʼ ὀλίγας ἡμέρας ἐξῆλθον καὶ συμβαλόντες πᾶσι τοῖς στρατοπέδοις ἐν τῇ τῶν Σεντινατῶν χώρᾳ πρὸς τοὺς προειρημένους τοὺς μὲν πλείστους ἀπέκτειναν, τοὺς δὲ λοιποὺς ἠνάγκασαν προτροπάδην ἑκάστους εἰς τὴν οἰκείαν φυγεῖν.
At this time, the Romans, provoked to rivalry by the defeat they had suffered, marched out after a few days, and engaging the aforesaid enemies with all their forces in the territory of the Sentinates, killed most of them and forced the rest to flee headlong, each to his own land.
διαγενομένων δὲ πάλιν ἐτῶν δέκα παρεγένοντο Γαλάται μετὰ μεγάλης στρατιᾶς, πολιορκήσοντες τὴν Ἀρρητίνων πόλιν.
When ten years had passed again, the Galatians arrived with a great army to besiege the city of the Arretines.
Ῥωμαῖοι δὲ παραβοηθήσαντες καὶ συμβαλόντες πρὸ τῆς πόλεως ἡττήθησαν. ἐν δὲ τῇ μάχῃ ταύτῃ Λευκίου τοῦ στρατηγοῦ τελευτήσαντος Μάνιον ἐπικατέστησαν τὸν Κόριον.
The Romans, coming to the rescue and joining battle before the city, were defeated. Since Lucius the praetor died in this battle, they appointed Manius Curius in his place.
οὗ πρεσβευτὰς ἐκπέμψαντος εἰς Γαλατίαν ὑπὲρ τῶν αἰχμαλώτων, παρασπονδήσαντες ἐπανείλοντο τοὺς πρέσβεις.
When he sent envoys to Galatia to treat for the prisoners, they violated the treaty and killed the envoys.
τῶν δὲ Ῥωμαίων ὑπὸ τὸν θυμὸν ἐκ χειρὸς5 ἐπιστρατευσαμένων, ἀπαντήσαντες συνέβαλλον οἱ Σήνωνες καλούμενοι Γαλάται.
Since the Romans, under the influence of anger, marched against them immediately, the Galatians called Senones met and engaged them.
Ῥωμαῖοι δʼ ἐκ παρατάξεως κρατήσαντες αὐτῶν τοὺς μὲν πλείστους ἀπέκτειναν, τοὺς δὲ λοιποὺς ἐξέβαλον, τῆς δὲ χώρας ἐγένοντο πάσης ἐγκρατεῖς.
The Romans, conquering them in a pitched battle, killed most of them and expelled the rest, and became masters of all their territory.
εἰς ἣν καὶ πρώτην τῆς Γαλατίας ἀποικίαν ἔστειλαν τὴν Σήνην προσαγορευομένην πόλιν, ὁμώνυμον οὖσαν τοῖς πρότερον αὐτὴν κατοικοῦσι Γαλάταις, ὑπὲρ ἧς ἀρτίως διεσαφήσαμεν, φάσκοντες αὐτὴν παρὰ τὸν Ἀδρίαν ἐπὶ τῷ πέρατι κεῖσθαι τῶν περὶ τὸν Πάδον πεδίων.
Into this territory they sent their first colony in Galatia, the city called Sena, which had the same name as the Galatians who previously inhabited it, about which we have just explained, saying that it lies by the Adriatic at the boundary of the plains around the Padus.
- 2.19.1ήσαντο
Connects with 'ειρήνην εποι' at the end of the previous chunk. It is the latter part of the verb ἐποιήσαντο (third-person plural, aorist middle of ποιέω), reflecting a textual split or lacuna.
- 2.19.1μὴ πόλεμος αὐτοῖς ἐγερθῇ βαρύς
A clause of fearing introduced by the participle δείσαντες, meaning 'fearing lest...'. It takes the subjunctive ἐγερθῇ (third-person singular, aorist passive subjunctive of ἐγείρω).
- 2.19.3τῆς τε λείας καὶ τῆς αὑτῶν δυνάμεως
A genitive phrase functioning as a partitive genitive, modifying the subsequent noun phrase τὸ πλεῖστον μέρος ('the greater part').
- 2.19.6προσφιλονικήσαντες
An aorist active participle taking the prepositional phrase πρὸς τὸ γεγονὸς ἐλάττωμʼ αὐτοῖς ('against the defeat that had happened to them'), expressing the Romans' fierce rivalry or determination to avenge their defeat.
- 2.19.10ἐκ χειρός
Literally 'from the hand,' but functioning as an idiom meaning 'at once,' 'immediately,' or 'on the spot,' indicating the swiftness with which the Romans dispatched their army upon hearing of the murder of their envoys.