- 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-grc2:3.55.1-3.55.9
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-11
Hannibal abandoned the detour due to the treacherous conditions of fresh snow over hard-frozen old snow, and constructed a path along the cliff instead. He cleared a passage for the horses and pack-animals in one day, and for the starving elephants in three days.
ἀπέστη τῆς ἐπιβολῆς. τὸ γὰρ συμβαῖνον ἴδιον ἦν καὶ παρηλλαγμένον. ἐπὶ γὰρ τὴν προϋπάρχουσαν χιόνα καὶ διαμεμενηκυῖαν ἐκ τοῦ πρότερον χειμῶνος ἄρτι τῆς ἐπʼ ἔτους πεπτωκυίας,1 ταύτην μὲν εὐδιάκοπτον εἶναι συνέβαινε καὶ διὰ τὸ πρόσφατον οὖσαν ἁπαλὴν ὑπάρχειν καὶ διὰ τὸ μηδέπω βάθος ἔχειν.
He abandoned this attempt; for the phenomenon was peculiar and extraordinary. Since the fresh snow of this year had just fallen upon the pre-existing snow which had remained from the previous winter, the former was easy to break through, being soft as it was fresh, and not yet having any depth.
ὁπότε δὲ ταύτην διαπατήσαντες ἐπὶ τὴν ὑποκάτω καὶ συνεστηκυῖαν ἐπιβαῖεν, οὐκέτι διέκοπτον, ἀλλʼ ἐπέπλεον ὀλισθάνοντες ἀμφοτέροις ἅμα τοῖς ποσί, καθάπερ ἐπὶ τῇ γῇ συμβαίνει τοῖς διὰ τῶν ἀκροπήλων2 πορευομένοις.
But when, having trodden through this, they stepped upon the compacted snow underneath, they could no longer break through it, but slid along, slipping with both feet at once, just as happens on land to those who walk through shallow mud.
τὸ δὲ συνεξακολουθοῦν τούτοις ἔτι δυσχερέστερον ὑπῆρχεν.
What followed upon this was still more difficult.
οἱ μὲν γὰρ ἄνδρες οὐ δυνάμενοι τὴν κάτω χιόνα διακόπτειν, ὁπότε πεσόντες βουληθεῖεν ἢ τοῖς γόνασιν ἢ ταῖς χερσὶ προσεξερείσασθαι πρὸς τὴν ἐξανάστασιν, τότε καὶ μᾶλλον ἐπέπλεον ἅμα πᾶσι τοῖς ἐρείσμασιν,3 ἐπὶ πολὺ καταφερῶν ὄντων τῶν χωρίων·
For the men, being unable to break through the lower snow, when they fell and wished to support themselves on their knees or hands to rise, then slid down all the more together with all their supports, as the ground was very steep.
τὰ δʼ ὑποζύγια διέκοπτεν, ὅτε πέσοι, τὴν κάτω χιόνα κατὰ τὴν διανάστασιν, διακόψαντα δʼ ἔμενε μετὰ τῶν φορτίων οἷον καταπεπηγότα διά τε τὸ βάρος καὶ διὰ τὸ πῆγμα τῆς προϋπαρχούσης χιόνος.
The pack-animals, on the other hand, when they fell, broke through the lower snow as they struggled to rise, but having broken through it, they remained fixed with their loads as if frozen fast, both because of their weight and because of the hard-frozen state of the pre-existing snow.
ὅθεν ἀποστὰς τῆς τοιαύτης ἐλπίδος ἐστρατοπέδευσε περὶ τὴν ῥάχιν, διαμησάμενος τὴν ἐπʼ αὐτῇ χιόνα, καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα παραστήσας τὰ πλήθη τὸν κρημνὸν ἐξῳκοδόμει μετὰ πολλῆς ταλαιπωρίας.
Therefore, abandoning such hope, Hannibal encamped around the ridge, having cleared away the snow upon it, and after this, setting the multitude to work, he began to build up the cliff with great hardship.
τοῖς μὲν οὖν ὑποζυγίοις καὶ τοῖς ἵπποις ἱκανὴν ἐποίησε πάροδον ἐν ἡμέρᾳ μιᾷ. διὸ καὶ ταῦτα μὲν εὐθέως διαγαγὼν καὶ καταστρατοπεδεύσας περὶ τοὺς ἐκφεύγοντας ἤδη τὴν χιόνα τόπους διαφῆκε πρὸς τὰς νομάς, τοὺς δὲ Νομάδας4 ἀνὰ μέρος προῆγε πρὸς τὴν οἰκοδομίαν καὶ μόλις ἐν ἡμέραις τρισὶ κακοπαθήσας διήγαγε τὰ θηρία. καὶ τάδε συνέβαινε κακῶς ὑπὸ τοῦ λιμοῦ διατεθεῖσθαι·
For the pack-animals and the horses, indeed, he made a sufficient passage in one day. Therefore, immediately leading these through and encamping them in the places already free of snow, he sent them out to pasture, while he led forward the Numidians in turns for the construction, and with difficulty in three days of hard labor he brought the elephants through. These too happened to be in a wretched state from hunger;
τῶν γὰρ Ἄλπεων τὰ μὲν ἄκρα καὶ τὰ πρὸς τὰς ὑπερβολὰς ἀνήκοντα τελέως ἄδενδρα καὶ ψιλὰ πάντʼ ἔστι διὰ τὸ συνεχῶς ἐπιμένειν τὴν χιόνα καὶ θέρους καὶ χειμῶνος, τὰ δʼ ὑπὸ μέσην τὴν παρώρειαν ἐξ ἀμφοῖν τοῖν μεροῖν ὑλοφόρα καὶ δενδροφόρα καὶ τὸ ὅλον οἰκήσιμʼ ἔστιν.
for the summits of the Alps and the parts leading to the passes are entirely treeless and bare because of the snow remaining continuously both summer and winter, but the parts below the middle of the mountain-slopes on both sides are wooded and timbered, and altogether habitable.
- 3.55.1ἄρτι τῆς ἐπʼ ἔτους πεπτωκυίας
A genitive absolute construction where the feminine genitive participle πεπτωκυίας has as its subject the article τῆς, which implies the omitted noun χιόνος (snow). The phrase ἐπʼ ἔτους means 'of this year' or 'current year's', contrasting with the pre-existing snow of the previous winter.
- 3.55.2ἀκροπήλων
Genitive plural neuter of the adjective ἀκρόπηλος (covered with surface mud, muddy), used substantively after the preposition διά. This comparative image likens walking on slippery, hard snow underneath fresh snow to walking through shallow, slippery mud on land.
- 3.55.4ἐρείσμασιν
Dative plural of the noun ἔρεισμα (support, stay). Here it refers to the physical points of support (hands or knees) that the fallen soldiers attempted to place on the snow to stand up, or the slippery foothold itself. The phrase ἅμα πᾶσι τοῖς ἐρείσμασιν emphasizes that they slid down along with whatever they tried to lean on.
- 3.55.8τοὺς δὲ Νομάδας
Referring to the 'Numidians' (the African soldiers under Hannibal's command) rather than 'nomads' in a general sense. These soldiers, though primarily known as cavalry, are here deployed in turns for heavy manual labor and road construction.