- 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-grc2:3.73.1-3.73.8
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-11
Describes the start of the full-scale battle between the Roman and Carthaginian armies, where the Roman light-armed troops and cavalry fell into a severe disadvantage due to physical exhaustion, moisture, and numerical inferiority.
καὶ βάδην ποιούμενος τὴν ἔφοδον.1 ἤδη δὲ σύνεγγυς ὄντων ἀλλήλοις, συνεπλέκησαν οἱ προκείμενοι τῶν δυνάμεων εὔζωνοι.
and making his advance at a walking pace. When they were already close to each other, the light-armed troops stationed in front of each force engaged.
τούτου δὲ συμβάντος οἱ μὲν Ῥωμαῖοι κατὰ πολλοὺς τρόπους ἠλαττοῦντο, τοῖς δὲ Καρχηδονίοις ὑπερδέξιον γίνεσθαι συνέβαινε τὴν χρείαν, ἅτε δὴ τῶν μὲν Ῥωμαίων2 πεζακοντιστῶν κακοπαθούντων ἐξ ὄρθρου καὶ προεμένων τὰ πλεῖστα βέλη κατὰ τὴν πρὸς τοὺς Νομάδας συμπλοκήν, τῶν δὲ καταλειπομένων βελῶν ἠχρειωμένων αὐτοῖς διὰ τὴν συνέχειαν τῆς νοτίδος.
When this occurred, the Romans were at a disadvantage in many ways, while for the Carthaginians it happened that their operations turned out to be highly advantageous, inasmuch as the Roman javelin-throwers had been suffering since dawn and had spent most of their missiles in the skirmish with the Numidians, while the remaining missiles were rendered useless to them by the continuous moisture.
παραπλήσια δὲ τούτοις συνέβαινε καὶ περὶ τοὺς ἱππεῖς γίνεσθαι καὶ περὶ τὸ σύμπαν αὐτοῖς στρατόπεδον.
A similar state of affairs was happening also with regard to their cavalry and indeed to their entire army.
περί γε μὴν τοὺς Καρχηδονίους ὑπῆρχε τἀναντία τούτων· ἀκμαῖοι γὰρ παρατεταγμένοι καὶ νεαλεῖς ἀεὶ πρὸς τὸ δέον εὐχρήστως καὶ προθύμως εἶχον.
For the Carthaginians, however, the very opposite was the case; for, drawn up in peak condition and fresh, they were always ready, efficient, and eager for whatever was required.
διόπερ ἅμα τῷ δέξασθαι διὰ τῶν διαστημάτων τοὺς προκινδυνεύοντας καὶ συμπεσεῖν τὰ βαρέα τῶν ὅπλων ἀλλήλοις, οἱ μὲν ἱππεῖς οἱ τῶν Καρχηδονίων εὐθέως ἀπʼ ἀμφοῖν τοῖν κεράτοιν ἐπίεζον τοὺς ὑπεναντίους, ὡς ἂν τῷ πλήθει πολὺ διαφέροντες3 καὶ ταῖς ἀκμαῖς αὐτῶν τε καὶ τῶν ἵππων διὰ τὴν προειρημένην ἀκεραιότητα περὶ τὴν ἔξοδον·
Therefore, as soon as they had received the advance-guard through the intervals in the ranks and the heavy-armed infantry of both sides clashed with one another, the Carthaginian cavalry immediately pressed upon their opponents from both wings, as they were far superior in numbers and, owing to their aforementioned freshness at the time of setting out, both they and their horses were in the best of condition.
τοῖς δὲ Ῥωμαίοις τῶν ἱππέων ὑποχωρησάντων καὶ ψιλωθέντων τῶν τῆς φάλαγγος κεράτων, οἵ τε λογχοφόροι τῶν Καρχηδονίων καὶ τὸ τῶν Νομάδων πλῆθος ὑπεραίροντες τοὺς προτεταγμένους τῶν ἰδίων καὶ πρὸς τὰ κέρατα προσπίπτοντες τοῖς Ῥωμαίοις πολλὰ καὶ κακὰ διειργάζοντο καὶ μάχεσθαι τοῖς κατὰ πρόσωπον οὐκ εἴων.
When the Roman cavalry retreated and the wings of the phalanx were left bare, the Carthaginian pikemen and the multitude of Numidians, bypassing their own front ranks and falling upon the wings of the Romans, inflicted many severe injuries and did not allow them to fight those in front of them.
οἱ δʼ ἐν τοῖς βαρέσιν ὅπλοις παρʼ ἀμφοῖν τὰς πρώτας ἔχοντες καὶ μέσας τῆς ὅλης παρεμβολῆς τάξεις ἐπὶ πολὺν χρόνον ἐμάχοντο συστάδην, ἐφάμιλλον ποιούμενοι4
But the heavy-armed infantry of both sides, who held the first and middle ranks of the entire array, fought hand to hand for a long time, making the contest equal,
- 3.73.1καὶ βάδην ποιούμενος τὴν ἔφοδον
A participle phrase beginning with the conjunction καὶ at the start of the section. The logical subject is the consul Tiberius, mentioned at the end of the previous chapter (§3.72.13). It is semantically connected directly to the preceding main verb ἐπῄει ('advanced'), using the participle to continue the narrative.
- 3.73.3ἅτε δὴ τῶν μὲν Ῥωμαίων
A construction of two genitives absolute (τῶν μὲν Ῥωμαίων... κακοπαθούντων... καὶ προεμένων... and τῶν δὲ καταλειπομένων βελῶν ἠχρειωμένων...) introduced by the causal particle ἅτε δὴ. It explains the cause or reason based on objective facts rather than subjective opinion.
- 3.73.6ὡς ἂν τῷ πλήθει πολὺ διαφέροντες
The construction of ὡς ἂν with the nominative participle διαφέροντες. It describes the situation of the main subject (the Carthaginian cavalry) with a nuance of natural consequence or highly probable reason ('as was natural since they were far superior...').
- 3.73.8ἐφάμιλλον ποιούμενος
In the textual tradition, there is a variation between the singular ποιούμενος and the plural ποιούμενοι. Since the subject of the main clause is plural (οἱ δʼ... ἐμάχοντο), grammatically the plural present participle ποιούμενοι is expected. The singular ποιούμενος represents an anacoluthon (lack of grammatical agreement) or a scribal error. It is interpreted here as agreeing with the plural subject ('making the contest equal').