- 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-grc2:3.71.1-3.71.11
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-11
Hannibal positions 1,000 infantry and 1,000 cavalry under his brother Mago in ambush by night in an overgrown, flat watercourse near the Trebia, and at daybreak orders his Numidian cavalry to skirmish near the Roman camp in order to draw out the enemy before breakfast.
τοῦ Τεβερίου πρὸς τούτοις ἦν.1 πάλαι δὲ συνεωρακὼς μεταξὺ τῶν στρατοπέδων τόπον ἐπίπεδον μὲν καὶ ψιλόν, εὐφυῆ δὲ πρὸς ἐνέδραν διά τι ῥεῖθρον ἔχον ὀφρῦν, ἐπὶ δὲ ταύτης ἀκάνθας καὶ βάτους συνεχεῖς ἐπιπεφυκότας, ἐγίνετο πρὸς τῷ στρατηγεῖν τοὺς ὑπεναντίους.2
of Tiberius, was occupied with these plans. Having moreover long before spotted, between the two camps, a spot which was flat and treeless, but well adapted for an ambush because of a watercourse with a bank, upon which grew thick thorns and brambles, he set about outmaneuvering the enemy.
ἔμελλεν δʼ εὐχερῶς λήσειν· οἱ γὰρ Ῥωμαῖοι πρὸς μὲν τοὺς ὑλώδεις τόπους ὑπόπτως εἶχον διὰ τὸ τοὺς Κελτοὺς ἀεὶ τιθέναι τὰς ἐνέδρας ἐν τοῖς τοιούτοις χωρίοις, τοῖς δʼ ἐπιπέδοις καὶ ψιλοῖς ἀπεπίστευον, οὐκ εἰδότες ὅτι καὶ πρὸς τὸ λαθεῖν καὶ πρὸς τὸ μηδὲν παθεῖν τοὺς ἐνεδρεύσαντας3 εὐφυέστεροι τυγχάνουσιν ὄντες τῶν ὑλωδῶν διὰ τὸ δύνασθαι μὲν ἐκ πολλοῦ προορᾶν πάντα τοὺς ἐνεδρεύοντας, εἶναι δʼ ἐπιπροσθήσεις ἱκανὰς ἐν τοῖς πλείστοις τόποις.
And he was likely to escape detection easily; for the Romans were suspicious of wooded places, because the Celts always laid their ambushes in such localities, but they felt completely secure in flat and treeless places, not knowing that for those who lie in ambush, both for the purpose of remaining unseen and of suffering no harm, such places are actually more suitable than wooded ones, because the ambushers can see everything from afar, while there are sufficient covers in most places.
τὸ γὰρ τυχὸν ῥεῖθρον μετὰ βραχείας ὀφρύος, ποτὲ δὲ κάλαμοι καὶ πτέρεις καί τι γένος ἀκανθῶν, οὐ μόνον πεζοὺς ἀλλὰ καὶ τοὺς ἱππεῖς ἐνίοτε δύναται κρύπτειν, ἐὰν βραχέα τις προνοηθῇ τοῦ4 τὰ μὲν ἐπίσημα τῶν ὅπλων ὕπτια τιθέναι πρὸς τὴν γῆν, τὰς δὲ περικεφαλαίας ὑποτιθέναι τοῖς ὅπλοις.
For any ordinary watercourse with a low bank, or sometimes reeds, ferns, or some kind of thorns, can conceal not only infantry but even cavalry at times, if one takes slight precaution to lay the conspicuous parts of the weapons flat on the ground and to put the helmets under the shields.
πλὴν ὅ γε τῶν Καρχηδονίων στρατηγὸς κοινολογηθεὶς Μάγωνι τἀδελφῷ καὶ τοῖς συνέδροις περὶ τοῦ μέλλοντος ἀγῶνος, συγκατατιθεμένων αὐτῷ πάντων ταῖς ἐπιβολαῖς, ἅμα τῷ δειπνοποιήσασθαι τὸ στρατόπεδον ἀνακαλεσάμενος Μάγωνα τὸν ἀδελφόν, ὄντα νέον μὲν ὁρμῆς δὲ πλήρη καὶ παιδομαθῆ περὶ τὰ πολεμικά, συνέστησε τῶν ἱππέων ἄνδρας ἑκατὸν καὶ πεζοὺς τοὺς ἴσους.
At any rate, the Carthaginian general, having consulted with his brother Mago and the council about the coming battle, and all of them agreeing to his plans, as soon as the army had finished supper, called his brother Mago, who was young, full of energy, and trained in warfare from childhood, and assigned to him one hundred horsemen and an equal number of infantry.
ἔτι δὲ τῆς ἡμέρας οὔσης ἐξ ὅλου τοῦ στρατοπέδου σημηνάμενος τοὺς εὐρωστοτάτους παρηγγέλκει δειπνοποιησαμένους ἥκειν ἐπὶ τὴν αὑτοῦ σκηνήν.
While it was still daylight, he had selected the strongest men from the whole army and ordered them to come to his tent after having had their supper.
παρακαλέσας δὲ καὶ παραστήσας τούτοις τὴν πρέπουσαν ὁρμὴν τῷ καιρῷ παρήγγελλε δέκα τοὺς ἀνδρωδεστάτους ἕκαστον ἐπιλεξάμενον ἐκ τῶν ἰδίων τάξεων ἥκειν εἴς τινα τόπον τακτὸν ἤδη τῆς στρατοπεδείας.
Having exhorted them and inspired them with the enthusiasm appropriate to the occasion, he ordered them each to choose ten of the bravest men from their own companies and to meet at a designated spot in the camp.
τῶν δὲ πραξάντων τὸ συνταχθέν, τούτους μὲν ὄντας ἱππεῖς χιλίους καὶ πεζοὺς ἄλλους τοσούτους ἐξαπέστειλε νυκτὸς εἰς τὴν ἐνέδραν, συστήσας ὁδηγοὺς καὶ τἀδελφῷ διαταξάμενος περὶ τοῦ καιροῦ τῆς ἐπιθέσεως·
When they had executed his orders, he dispatched these men, numbering a thousand horse and as many foot, by night to the ambush, having provided them with guides and given his brother instructions as to the time of the attack.
αὐτὸς δʼ ἅμα τῷ φωτὶ τοὺς Νομαδικοὺς ἱππεῖς συναγαγών, ὄντας φερεκάκους διαφερόντως, παρεκάλεσε καί τινας δωρεὰς ἐπαγγειλάμενος τοῖς ἀνδραγαθήσασι προσέταξε πελάσαντας τῷ τῶν ἐναντίων χάρακι κατὰ σπουδὴν ἐπιδιαβαίνειν τὸν ποταμὸν καὶ προσακροβολιζομένους κινεῖν τοὺς πολεμίους, βουλόμενος ἀναρίστους καὶ πρὸς τὸ μέλλον ἀπαρασκεύους λαβεῖν τοὺς ὑπεναντίους.
At daybreak, he himself assembled the Numidian horsemen, who were exceptionally capable of enduring hardship, and after encouraging them and promising rewards to those who should distinguish themselves, he ordered them to approach the enemy’s rampart, cross the river in haste, and by skirmishing, draw out the enemy, wishing to catch them before breakfast and unprepared for what was to come.
τοὺς δὲ λοιποὺς ἡγεμόνας ἁθροίσας ὁμοίως παρεκάλεσε πρὸς τὸν κίνδυνον καὶ πᾶσιν ἀριστοποιεῖσθαι παρήγγειλε καὶ περὶ τὴν τῶν ὅπλων καὶ τῶν ἵππων γίνεσθαι θεραπείαν.
He also gathered the remaining officers, likewise exhorted them for the battle, and ordered everyone to take breakfast and to attend to their weapons and horses.
- 3.71.1τοῦ Τεβερίου πρὸς τούτοις ἦν.
This clause directly continues the participle phrase 'Ἀννίβας μὲν οὖν εἰδὼς τὴν ἐσομένην ὁρμὴν' at the end of the previous chapter (3.70.12), with the genitive 'τοῦ Τεβερίου' modifying 'ὁρμὴν' (onset, attack). Because the sentence is split by the chapter division, it must be read continuously. The main verb phrase 'πρὸς τούτοις ἦν' means 'was occupied with these matters/plans', referring to Hannibal as the subject.
- 3.71.1ἐγίνετο πρὸς τῷ στρατηγεῖν τοὺς ὑπεναντίους
The idiom 'γίγνεσθαι πρὸς τῷ' followed by a dative (here the articular infinitive) means 'to apply oneself to' or 'to be busy with'. The infinitive 'στρατηγεῖν' is used here transitively with the accusative object 'τοὺς ὑπεναντίους', meaning 'to outmaneuver' or 'to circumvent' the enemy, rather than its common intransitive meaning 'to be a general'.
- 3.71.3πρὸς τὸ λαθεῖν καὶ πρὸς τὸ μηδὲν παθεῖν τοὺς ἐνεδρεύσαντας
In the prepositional phrases expressing purpose, 'πρὸς τὸ' followed by the infinitives 'λαθεῖν' and 'παθεῖν', the accusative 'τοὺς ἐνεδρεύσαντας' functions as the subject of the infinitives. It specifies that these places are suitable for 'the ambushers' to remain hidden and escape harm, rather than the Romans, who are the subject of the main participle 'οὐκ εἰδότες'.
- 3.71.4ἐὰν βραχέα τις προνοηθῇ τοῦ
The verb 'προνοέομαι' (to take precaution, give heed to) takes a genitive object, here represented by the genitive articular infinitives 'τοῦ ... τιθέναι' and 'ὑποτιθέναι'. 'βραχέα' (neuter plural accusative used adverbially) means 'slightly' or 'a little', making the phrase mean 'if one takes slight precaution to...'.