- 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-grc2:3.41.1-3.41.9
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-11
After summarizing previous affairs in Gaul, the Roman consuls Publius and Tiberius Sempronius set sail for their destinations, and Publius, upon reaching Massalia, learns of Hannibal's rapid advance and dispatches a cavalry force for reconnaissance.
τὰ μὲν οὖν κατὰ Κελτοὺς ἀπὸ τῆς ἀρχῆς ἕως εἰς τὴν Ἀννίβου παρουσίαν ἐν τούτοις ἦν καὶ τοιαύτην εἰλήφει διέξοδον, οἵαν ἔν τε τοῖς πρὸ τοῦ καὶ νῦν διεληλύθαμεν.
The affairs of the Celts, then, from the beginning up to the arrival of Hannibal, were in this state and had taken such a course as we have detailed both in previous parts and just now.
οἱ δὲ στρατηγοὶ τῶν Ῥωμαίων ἑτοιμασάμενοι τὰ πρὸς τὰς ἰδίας ἐπιβολάς, ἐξέπλεον ἐπὶ τὴν ὡραίαν1 ἐπὶ τὰς προκειμένας πράξεις, Πόπλιος μὲν οὖν εἰς Ἰβηρίαν ἑξήκοντα ναυσί, Τεβέριος δὲ Σεμπρώνιος εἰς Λιβύην ἑκατὸν ἑξήκοντα σκάφεσι πεντηρικοῖς.
And the Roman generals, having prepared what was necessary for their respective enterprises, sailed out at the favorable season for the proposed operations; Publius indeed to Iberia with sixty ships, and Tiberius Sempronius to Libya with a hundred and sixty quinqueremes.
οἷς2 οὕτως καταπληκτικῶς ἐπεβάλετο πολεμεῖν καὶ τοιαύτας ἐποιεῖτο παρασκευὰς ἐν τῷ Λιλυβαίῳ, πάντας καὶ πανταχόθεν ἁθροίζων, ὡς εὐθέως ἐκ κατάπλου πολιορκήσων αὐτὴν τὴν Καρχηδόνα.
With these, Tiberius undertook to wage war in so formidable a manner, and made such preparations in Lilybaeum, gathering everyone from all sides, as if he would immediately upon landing besiege Carthage itself.
Πόπλιος δὲ κομισθεὶς παρὰ τὴν Λιγυστίνην ἧκε πεμπταῖος3 ἀπὸ Πισῶν εἰς τοὺς κατὰ Μασσαλίαν τόπους, καὶ καθορμισθεὶς πρὸς τὸ πρῶτον στόμα τοῦ Ῥοδανοῦ, τὸ Μασσαλιωτικὸν προσαγορευόμενον, ἀπεβίβαζε τὰς δυνάμεις, ἀκούων μὲν ὑπερβάλλειν ἤδη τὰ Πυρηναῖα τὸν Ἀννίβαν ὄρη, πεπεισμένος δʼ ἔτι μακρὰν ἀπέχειν αὐτὸν διά τε τὰς δυσχωρίας τῶν τόπων καὶ διὰ τὸ πλῆθος τῶν μεταξὺ κειμένων Κελτῶν.
And Publius, sailing along the Ligurian coast, arrived on the fifth day from Pisa at the district of Massalia, and having come to anchor at the first mouth of the Rhone, which is called the Massaliotic mouth, disembarked his forces, hearing indeed that Hannibal was already crossing the Pyrenees, but convinced that he was still far off because of the difficulty of the country and the multitude of Celts lying between them.
Ἀννίβας δὲ παραδόξως τοὺς μὲν χρήμασι πείσας τῶν Κελτῶν τοὺς δὲ βιασάμενος ἧκε μετὰ τῶν δυνάμεων, δεξιὸν ἔχων τὸ Σαρδόνιον πέλαγος, ἐπὶ τὴν τοῦ Ῥοδανοῦ διάβασιν.
But Hannibal, contrary to expectation, having persuaded some of the Celts with money and forced others by violence, had arrived with his forces, keeping the Sardinian Sea on his right, at the crossing of the Rhone.
ὁ δὲ Πόπλιος, διασαφηθέντος αὐτῷ παρεῖναι τοὺς ὑπεναντίους,4 τὰ μὲν ἀπιστῶν διὰ τὸ τάχος τῆς παρουσίας, τὰ δὲ βουλόμενος εἰδέναι τὴν ἀκρίβειαν, αὐτὸς μὲν ἀνελάμβανε τὰς δυνάμεις ἐκ τοῦ πλοῦ καὶ διενοεῖτο μετὰ τῶν χιλιάρχων ποίοις χρηστέον τῶν τόπων καὶ συμμικτέον τοῖς ὑπεναντίοις·
And Publius, when it was reported to him that the enemy was close at hand, partly disbelieving it because of the speed of their arrival, and partly wishing to know the exact truth, himself recovered his forces from the voyage and deliberated with the military tribunes which positions to use and how to engage the enemy;
τριακοσίους δὲ τῶν ἱππέων ἐξαπέστειλε τοὺς ἀνδρωδεστάτους, συστήσας μετʼ αὐτῶν καθηγεμόνας ἅμα καὶ συναγωνιστὰς Κελτούς, οἳ παρὰ τοῖς Μασσαλιώταις ἐτύγχανον μισθοφοροῦντες.
and he sent out three hundred of his bravest cavalry, associating with them as guides and combatants certain Celts who happened to be serving as mercenaries with the Massaliotes.
- 3.41.2ἐπὶ τὴν ὡραίαν
An idiomatic accusative construction with the ellipsis of the noun ὥραν. It means 'at the favorable/proper season' (i.e., during the summer sailing season).
- 3.41.3οἷς
A relative pronoun referring back to ἑκατὸν ἑξήκοντα σκάφεσι πεντηρικοῖς at the end of §3.41.2, serving as a dative of means or accompaniment ('with which/these').
- 3.41.4πεμπταῖος
Adverbial use of a predicate adjective. In Greek, adjectives indicating the day on which an action happens agree with the subject but are translated adverbially ('on the fifth day').
- 3.41.8διασαφηθέντος αὐτῷ παρεῖναι τοὺς ὑπεναντίους
A genitive absolute construction where the impersonal participle διασαφηθέντος has the infinitive clause παρεῖναι τοὺς ὑπεναντίους ('that the enemy was close at hand') as its logical subject.