- 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-grc2:3.17.1-3.17.11
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-11
Hannibal marches from New Carthage to Saguntum and besieges it, anticipating strategic advantages. After an eight-month siege, he captures the city and strategically distributes the spoils to secure the devotion of his army and his home country.
τοστῆς καὶ τετταρακοστῆς ὀλυμπιάδος. Ἀννίβας δὲ μετὰ τῆς δυνάμεως ἀναζεύξας ἐκ τῆς Καινῆς πόλεως προῆγε, ποιούμενος τὴν πορείαν ἐπὶ τὴν Ζάκανθαν.
...of the hundred and fortieth Olympiad. Hannibal, breaking camp with his army from New Carthage, advanced, making his march toward Saguntum.
ἡ δὲ πόλις αὕτη κεῖται μὲν ἐπὶ τῷ πρὸς θάλατταν καθήκοντι πρόποδι τῆς ὀρεινῆς1 τῆς συναπτούσης τὰ πέρατα τῆς Ἰβηρίας καὶ Κελτιβηρίας, ἀπέχει δὲ τῆς θαλάττης ὡς ἑπτὰ στάδια.
This city lies on the spur of the mountain range connecting the frontiers of Iberia and Celtiberia, stretching down toward the sea, and is about seven stades distant from the sea.
νέμονται δὲ χώραν οἱ κατοικοῦντες αὐτὴν πάμφορον καὶ διαφέρουσαν ἀρετῇ πάσης τῆς Ἰβηρίας.
The inhabitants occupy a territory which is extremely fertile and excels in productiveness all the rest of Iberia.
ᾗ τότε παραστρατοπεδεύσας Ἀννίβας ἐνεργὸς ἐγίνετο περὶ τὴν πολιορκίαν, πολλὰ προορώμενος εὔχρηστα πρὸς τὸ μέλλον ἐκ τοῦ κατὰ κράτος ἑλεῖν αὐτήν.
Hannibal, having then encamped there, actively applied himself to the siege, foreseeing that many advantages for the future would result from taking it by storm.
πρῶτον μὲν γὰρ ὑπέλαβε παρελέσθαι Ῥωμαίων τὴν ἐλπίδα τοῦ συστήσασθαι τὸν πόλεμον ἐν Ἰβηρίᾳ· δεύτερον δὲ καταπληξάμενος ἅπαντας εὐτακτοτέρους μὲν ἐπέπειστο παρασκευάσειν2 τοὺς ὑφʼ αὐτὸν ἤδη ταττομένους, εὐλαβεστέρους δὲ τοὺς ἀκμὴν αὐτοκράτορας ὄντας τῶν Ἰβήρων, τὸ δὲ μέγιστον, οὐδὲν ἀπολιπὼν ὄπισθεν πολέμιον ἀσφαλῶς ποιήσεσθαι τὴν εἰς τοὔμπροσθεν πορείαν.
For first of all he conceived he would deprive the Romans of the hope of carrying on the war in Iberia; and secondly, by striking terror into everyone, he was convinced he would render those already subject to him more submissive, and those of the Iberians who were still independent more cautious; and, what was the most important thing, that he would leave no enemy in his rear and so make his advance forward secure.
χωρίς τε τούτων εὐπορήσειν μὲν χορηγιῶν αὐτὸς ὑπελάμβανεν πρὸς τὰς ἐπιβολάς, προθυμίαν δʼ ἐνεργάσεσθαι ταῖς δυνάμεσιν ἐκ τῆς ἐσομένης ἑκάστοις ὠφελείας, προκαλέσεσθαι δὲ τὴν εὔνοιαν τῶν ἐν οἴκῳ Καρχηδονίων διὰ τῶν ἀποσταλησομένων αὐτοῖς λαφύρων.
And besides these considerations, he assumed that he would be well supplied with resources for his undertakings, and would inspire his troops with enthusiasm by the benefit that would accrue to each, and would win the goodwill of the Carthaginians at home by the spoils which would be sent to them.
τοιούτοις δὲ χρώμενος διαλογισμοῖς ἐνεργῶς προσέκειτο τῇ πολιορκίᾳ, τοτὲ μὲν ὑπόδειγμα τῷ πλήθει ποιῶν αὑτὸν καὶ γινόμενος αὐτουργὸς τῆς ἐν τοῖς ἔργοις ταλαιπωρίας, ἔστι δʼ ὅτε παρακαλῶν τὰ πλήθη καὶ παραβόλως διδοὺς αὑτὸν εἰς τοὺς κινδύνους.
Influenced by such calculations, he pressed the siege with vigor, sometimes setting an example to the rank and file and personally sharing the hardship of the works, and at other times encouraging the troops and recklessly exposing himself to dangers.
πᾶσαν δὲ κακοπάθειαν καὶ μέριμναν ὑπομείνας τέλος ἐν ὀκτὼ μησὶ κατὰ κράτος εἷλε τὴν πόλιν.
After enduring every hardship and anxiety, he at last took the city by storm in eight months.
κύριος δὲ γενόμενος χρημάτων πολλῶν καὶ σωμάτων3 καὶ κατασκευῆς τὰ μὲν χρήματʼ εἰς τὰς ἰδίας ἐπιβολὰς παρέθετο κατὰ τὴν ἐξ ἀρχῆς πρόθεσιν, τὰ δὲ σώματα διένειμε κατὰ τὴν ἀξίαν ἑκάστοις τῶν συστρατευομένων, τὴν δὲ κατασκευὴν παραχρῆμα πᾶσαν ἐξέπεμψε τοῖς Καρχηδονίοις.
Having become master of much money, captives, and property, he set aside the money for his own undertakings in accordance with his original purpose, distributed the captives among his fellow-soldiers according to the merit of each, and immediately sent all the property to the Carthaginians.
ταῦτα δὲ πράξας οὐ διεψεύσθη τοῖς λογισμοῖς οὐδʼ ἀπέτυχε τῆς ἐξ ἀρχῆς προθέσεως, ἀλλὰ τούς τε στρατιώτας προθυμοτέρους ἐποίησε πρὸς τὸ κινδυνεύειν, τούς τε Καρχηδονίους ἑτοίμους παρεσκεύασε πρὸς τὸ παραγγελλόμενον, αὐτός τε πολλὰ τῶν χρησίμων μετὰ ταῦτα κατειργάσατο διὰ τῆς τῶν χορηγιῶν παραθέσεως.
By acting thus, he was not deceived in his calculations nor did he fail of his original purpose, but he made his soldiers more ready to face danger, prepared the Carthaginians to be prompt in obeying orders, and himself afterwards accomplished many useful things by means of his store of resources.
- 3.17.2τῆς ὀρεινῆς
The feminine genitive singular of the adjective ὀρεινός (mountainous) is used substantively to mean 'mountainous region' or 'mountain range.' It is modified by the subsequent attributive participle phrase τῆς συναπτούσης...
- 3.17.5ἐπέπειστο παρασκευάσειν
The future infinitive παρασκευάσειν is introduced as a complement to ἐπέπειστο (the pluperfect passive/middle of πείθω, meaning 'he was convinced'). The objects of the infinitive are τοὺς... ταττομένους and τοὺς... ὄντας, with the comparative adjectives εὐτακτοτέρους and εὐλαβεστέρους serving as their respective predicates.
- 3.17.10σωμάτων
The genitive plural of σῶμα (body). In post-classical Greek, this word is commonly used to denote 'human beings,' specifically captives or slaves.