- 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-grc2:3.46.1-3.46.12
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-11
This passage describes in detail the method used by Hannibal's army to transport their elephants across the Rhone. Rafts were joined together, covered with earth to look like a land path, and then towed across by boats; some elephants fell into the river but survived by breathing through their trunks.
ἡ διακομιδὴ τῶν θηρίων τοιαύτη τις. πήξαντες σχεδίας καὶ πλείους ἀραρότως, τούτων δύο πρὸς ἀλλήλας ζεύξαντες βιαίως ἤρεισαν ἀμφοτέρας εἰς τὴν γῆν κατὰ τὴν ἔμβασιν τοῦ ποταμοῦ, πλάτος ἐχούσας τὸ συναμφότερον ὡς πεντήκοντα πόδας.1
The transport of the beasts was of this kind. Having firmly constructed several rafts, and having tightly bound two of them together, they fixed both of them to the bank at the point of embarkation of the river, having together a width of about fifty feet.
ταύταις δὲ συζευγνύντες ἄλλας ἐκ τῶν ἐκτὸς προσήρμοζον, προτείνοντες τὴν κατασκευὴν τοῦ ζεύγματος εἰς τὸν πόρον.
To these they joined others, fitting them on from the outside, extending the structure of the bridge into the channel.
τὴν δʼ ἀπὸ τοῦ ῥεύματος πλευρὰν ἠσφαλίζοντο τοῖς ἐκ τῆς γῆς ἐπιγύοις, εἰς τὰ περὶ τὸ χεῖλος πεφυκότα τῶν δένδρων ἐνάπτοντες, πρὸς τὸ συμμένειν καὶ μὴ παρωθεῖσθαι τὸ ὅλον ἔργον κατὰ τοῦ ποταμοῦ.
And they secured the side facing the current with cables from the land, tying them to the trees growing near the bank, in order that the whole work might hold together and not be pushed down the river.
ποιήσαντες δὲ πρὸς δύο πλέθρα τῷ μήκει τὸ πᾶν ζεῦγμα τῆς προβολῆς, μετὰ ταῦτα δύο πεπηγυίας σχεδίας διαφερόντως [τὰς μεγίστας] προσέβαλον ταῖς ἐσχάταις, πρὸς αὑτὰς μὲν βιαίως δεδεμένας, πρὸς δὲ τὰς ἄλλας οὕτως ὥστʼ εὐδιακόπους αὐτῶν εἶναι τοὺς δεσμούς.2 ῥύματα δὲ καὶ πλείω ταύταις ἐνῆψαν, οἷς ἔμελλον οἱ λέμβοι ῥυμουλκοῦντες οὐκ ἐάσειν φέρεσθαι κατὰ ποταμοῦ,3 βίᾳ δὲ πρὸς τὸν ῥοῦν κατέχοντες παρακομιεῖν καὶ περαιώσειν ἐπὶ τούτων τὰ θηρία.
Having made the entire projecting bridge about two plethra in length, after this they attached two exceptionally [large] constructed rafts to the end ones; these were tightly bound to each other, but to the others in such a way that their lashings could easily be cut. And they fastened several towing-ropes to these, by which the towing boats, pulling them, would not allow them to be carried down the river, but holding them by force against the current, would ferry them across and transport the beasts on them.
μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα χοῦν ἔφερον ἐπὶ πάσας πολύν, ἕως ἐπιβάλλοντες ἐξωμοίωσαν, ὁμαλὴν καὶ σύγχρουν ποιοῦντες τῇ διὰ τῆς χέρσου φερούσῃ πρὸς τὴν διάβασιν ὁδῷ.
After this, they brought a large amount of earth onto all of them, until by throwing it on they made them look like the bank, rendering the road level and of the same color as the path leading through the dry land to the crossing.
τῶν δὲ θηρίων εἰθισμένων τοῖς Ἰνδοῖς μέχρι μὲν πρὸς τὸ ὑγρὸν ἀεὶ πειθαρχεῖν, εἰς δὲ τὸ ὕδωρ ἐμβαίνειν οὐδαμῶς ἔτι τολμώντων, ἦγον διὰ τοῦ χώματος δύο προθέμενοι θηλείας, πειθαρχούντων αὐταῖς τῶν θηρίων.
Since the beasts were accustomed to obey their Indian mahouts always as far as the water’s edge, but by no means dared to step into the water, they led them along the earth-covered bridge, putting two females in front, whom the beasts obeyed.
ἐπεὶ δʼ ἐπὶ τὰς τελευταίας ἐπέστησαν σχεδίας, διακόψαντες τοὺς δεσμούς, οἷς προσήρτηντο πρὸς τὰς ἄλλας, καὶ τοῖς λέμβοις ἐπισπασάμενοι τὰ ῥύματα ταχέως ἀπέσπασαν ἀπὸ τοῦ χώματος τά τε θηρία καὶ τὰς ὑπʼ αὐτοῖς σχεδίας.
And when they stood upon the last rafts, having cut the lashings by which they were attached to the others, and having pulled the towing-ropes with the boats, they quickly towed away from the earth-dyke both the beasts and the rafts under them.
οὗ γενομένου διαταραχθέντα τὰ ζῷα κατὰ μὲν τὰς ἀρχὰς ἐστρέφετο καὶ κατὰ πάντα τόπον ὥρμα· περιεχόμενα δὲ πανταχόθεν ὑπὸ τοῦ ῥεύματος ἀπεδειλία καὶ μένειν ἠναγκάζετο κατὰ χώραν.
When this happened, the animals, being thrown into confusion, at first turned around and rushed in every direction; but being surrounded on all sides by the current, they became terrified and were forced to remain in their place.
καὶ τοιούτῳ δὴ τρόπῳ προσαρμοζομένων ἀεὶ σχεδιῶν δυεῖν, τὰ πλεῖστα τῶν θηρίων ἐπὶ τούτων διεκομίσθη, τινὰ δὲ κατὰ μέσον τὸν πόρον ἀπέρριψεν εἰς τὸν ποταμὸν αὑτὰ διὰ τὸν φόβον· ὧν τοὺς μὲν Ἰνδοὺς ἀπολέσθαι συνέβη πάντας,4 τοὺς δʼ ἐλέφαντας διασωθῆναι.
And in such a manner, two rafts being always fitted on, most of the beasts were transported on them, but some, in the middle of the passage, threw themselves into the river out of fear; of which it happened that all the Indian mahouts perished, but the elephants were saved.
διὰ γὰρ τὴν δύναμιν καὶ τὸ μέγεθος τῶν προβοσκίδων ἐξαίροντες ταύτας ὑπὲρ τὸ ὑγρὸν καὶ διαπνέοντες, ἅμα δʼ ἐκφυσῶντες πᾶν τὸ παρεμπῖπτον ἀντέσχον, τὸ πολὺ καθʼ ὕδατος ὀρθοὶ ποιούμενοι τὴν πορείαν.
For owing to the strength and size of their trunks, raising them above the water they breathed through them, and at the same time blowing out any water that entered, they held out, making their way upright, mostly under water.
- 3.46.1πλάτος ἐχούσας τὸ συναμφότερον ὡς πεντήκοντα πόδας
The participle ἐχούσας is in the accusative plural feminine, agreeing with the preceding σχεδίας. τὸ συναμφότερον functions as an adverbial accusative (accusative of respect) meaning 'jointly' or 'taken together'.
- 3.46.4πρὸς δὲ τὰς ἄλλας οὕτως ὥστʼ εὐδιακόπους αὐτῶν εἶναι τοὺς δεσμούς
The demonstrative adverb οὕτως correlates with the conjunction ὥστε to introduce a clause of result ('in such a way that...'). The infinitive εἶναι functions as the main verb of the ὥστε clause, with τοὺς δεσμούς as its subject in the accusative.
- 3.46.5οἷς ἔμελλον οἱ λέμβοι ῥυμουλκοῦντες οὐκ ἐάσειν φέρεσθαι κατὰ ποταμοῦ
The relative pronoun οἷς (dative plural neuter) refers back to ῥύματα in the preceding sentence, expressing means ('by which'). The auxiliary verb ἔμελλον takes the future infinitive οὐκ ἐάσειν (along with the subsequent παρακομιεῖν and περαιώσειν) to express purpose or intention ('were to' or 'were intended to').
- 3.46.11ὧν τοὺς μὲν Ἰνδοὺς ἀπολέσθαι συνέβη πάντας
The impersonal verb συνέβη ('it happened that...') takes the accusative and infinitive clause τοὺς μὲν Ἰνδοὺς ἀπολέσθαι πάντας as its subject. The genitive relative pronoun ὧν is a partitive genitive ('of whom'), designating the Indian mahouts as a part of the whole group.