- 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-grc2:3.14.1-3.14.10
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-11
After capturing the cities of the Vaccaei, Hannibal is surrounded on his return march by a large force of the Carpetani and their allies, but secures a major victory by skillfully using the Tagus river and his elephants. Consequently, all regions south of the Ebro, except Saguntum, fall under Carthaginian control.
γάσατο ταῖς δυνάμεσι. τῷ δʼ ἐπιγινομένῳ θέρει πάλιν ὁρμήσας ἐπὶ τοὺς Οὐακκαίους Ἑλμαντικὴν μὲν ἐξ ἐφόδου ποιησάμενος προσβολὰς κατέσχεν,1 Ἀρβουκάλην δὲ διὰ τὸ μέγεθος τῆς πόλεως καὶ τὸ πλῆθος, ἔτι δὲ τὴν γενναιότητα τῶν οἰκητόρων μετὰ πολλῆς ταλαιπωρίας πολιορκήσας κατὰ κράτος εἷλε.
eir forces. In the following summer, setting out again against the Vaccaei, he captured Helmantice by making an immediate assault, and Arbucale, owing to the size of the city and the number of its inhabitants, and furthermore the bravery of its dwellers, he besieged with great hardship and took by storm.
μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα παραδόξως εἰς τοὺς μεγίστους ἦλθε κινδύνους ἐπανάγων, συνδραμόντων ἐπʼ αὐτὸν τῶν Καρπησίων,2 ὃ σχεδὸν ἰσχυρότατόν ἐστιν ἔθνος τῶν κατʼ ἐκείνους τοὺς τόπους, ὁμοίως δὲ καὶ τῶν ἀστυγειτόνων ἁθροισθέντων ἅμα τούτοις, οὓς ἠρέθισαν μάλιστα μὲν οἱ τῶν Ὀλκάδων φυγάδες, συνεξέκαυσαν δὲ καὶ τῶν ἐκ τῆς Ἑλμαντικῆς οἱ διασωθέντες.
After this, on his return march, he unexpectedly fell into the greatest dangers, due to the assembly against him of the Carpetani, which is perhaps the strongest nation in those parts, and likewise of the neighboring peoples who gathered together with them, whom the refugees of the Olcades had especially stirred up, and those who survived from Helmantice also helped to inflame.
πρὸς οὓς εἰ μὲν ἐκ παρατάξεως ἠναγκάσθησαν οἱ Καρχηδόνιοι διακινδυνεύειν, ὁμολογουμένως ἂν ἡττήθησαν.3
Against whom, if the Carthaginians had been forced to fight in a pitched battle, they would admittedly have been defeated.
νῦν δὲ πραγματικῶς καὶ νουνεχῶς ἐξ ὑποστροφῆς ἀναχωρήσαντος Ἀννίβου4 καὶ πρόβλημα ποιησαμένου τὸν Τάγον καλούμενον ποταμὸν καὶ περὶ τὴν τοῦ ποταμοῦ διάβασιν συστησαμένου τὸν κίνδυνον, ἅμα δὲ συγχρησαμένου συναγωνιστῇ τῷ ποταμῷ καὶ τοῖς θηρίοις οἷς εἶχε περὶ τετταράκοντα τὸν ἀριθμόν, συνέβη τὰ ὅλα παραδόξως καὶ κατὰ λόγον αὐτῷ χωρῆσαι.
But as it was, Hannibal having retreated with practical skill and wisdom by turning back, and having made the river called Tagus a barrier, and having staged the battle around the crossing of the river, and at the same time having used as allies both the river and the elephants he had, about forty in number, it turned out that the whole affair succeeded for him, unexpectedly and yet reasonably.
τῶν γὰρ βαρβάρων ἐπιβαλομένων κατὰ πλείους τόπους βιάζεσθαι καὶ περαιοῦσθαι τὸν ποταμόν, τὸ μὲν πλεῖστον αὐτῶν μέρος διεφθάρη περὶ τὰς ἐκβάσεις, παραπορευομένων τῶν θηρίων παρὰ τὸ χεῖλος καὶ τοὺς ἐκβαίνοντας ἀεὶ προκαταλαμβανόντων·
For when the barbarians attempted to force their way and cross the river at several points, the greatest part of them was destroyed near the landing-places, as the elephants patrolled along the bank and intercepted those who were coming out.
πολλοὶ δὲ κατʼ αὐτὸν τὸν ποταμὸν ὑπὸ τῶν ἱππέων ἀπώλοντο διὰ τὸ κρατεῖν μὲν μᾶλλον τοῦ ῥεύματος τοὺς ἵππους, ἐξ ὑπερδεξίου δὲ ποιεῖσθαι τὴν μάχην τοὺς ἱππέας πρὸς τοὺς πεζούς.
And many perished in the river itself at the hands of the cavalry, owing to the fact that the horses withstood the current better, and that the cavalry fought from a position of advantage against the infantry.
τέλος δὲ τοὔμπαλιν ἐπιδιαβάντες οἱ περὶ τὸν Ἀννίβαν ἐπὶ τοὺς βαρβάρους ἐτρέψαντο πλείους ἢ δέκα μυριάδας ἀνθρώπων.
Finally, Hannibal’s men, crossing over in their turn against the barbarians, routed more than a hundred thousand men.
ὧν ἡττηθέντων οὐδεὶς ἔτι τῶν ἐντὸς Ἴβηρος ποταμοῦ ῥᾳδίως πρὸς αὐτοὺς ἀντοφθαλμεῖν ἐτόλμα πλὴν Ζακανθαίων.
Once these were defeated, no one of those within the river Ebro dared easily to face them, except the Saguntines.
ταύτης δὲ τῆς πόλεως ἐπειρᾶτο κατὰ δύναμιν ἀπέχεσθαι, βουλόμενος μηδεμίαν ἀφορμὴν ὁμολογουμένην δοῦναι τοῦ πολέμου Ῥωμαίοις, ἕως τἄλλα πάντα βεβαίως ὑφʼ αὑτὸν ποιήσαιτο5 κατὰ τὰς Ἀμίλκου τοῦ πατρὸς ὑποθήκας καὶ παραινέσεις.
And from this city he tried to keep away as much as possible, wishing to give no obvious pretext for war to the Romans, until he should have securely brought all other things under his subjection, in accordance with the counsels and advices of his father Hamilcar.
- 3.14.1Ἑλμαντικὴν μὲν ἐξ ἐφόδου ποιησάμενος προσβολὰς κατέσχεν
The participle ποιησάμενος, taking the adverbial/objective phrase ἐξ ἐφόδου (by assault), describes the preliminary action of launching a sudden attack, while Ἑλμαντικὴν functions as the direct object of the main verb κατέσχεν (captured/occupied).
- 3.14.2συνδραμόντων ἐπʼ αὐτὸν τῶν Καρπησίων
Genitive absolute construction explaining the cause or circumstances under which Hannibal fell into the greatest dangers (ἦλθε κινδύνους).
- 3.14.4εἰ μὲν ἐκ παρατάξεως ἠναγκάσθησαν... ἂν ἡττήθησαν
Past contrary-to-fact conditional sentence, using "εἰ" with the indicative aorist (ἠναγκάσθησαν) in the protasis and "ἄν" with the indicative aorist (ἂν ἡττήθησαν) in the apodosis, showing what would have occurred in the past but did not.
- 3.14.5πραγματικῶς καὶ νουνεχῶς ἐξ ὑποστροφῆς ἀναχωρήσαντος Ἀννίβου
A series of four genitive absolute participles (ἀναχωρήσαντος, ποιησαμένου, συστησαμένου, συγχρησαμένου) coordinate with each other to describe Hannibal's various maneuvers, serving as the logical background for the main verb συνέβη.
- 3.14.10ἕως τἄλλα πάντα βεβαίως ὑφʼ αὑτοὺς ποιήσαιτο
The optative mood (ποιήσαιτο) is used with "ἕως" due to sequence of tenses after the past main verb (ἐπειρᾶτο), expressing purpose or anticipation. The plural reflexive pronoun "ὑφʼ αὑτοὺς" (under themselves) refers to Hannibal and his army or Carthaginians.