- 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-grc2:3.74.1-3.74.11
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-11
The Battle of the Trebia ends in a Roman defeat due to the Carthaginian ambush, but a large body of Roman infantry manages to break through and retreat to Placentia, while the Carthaginians also suffer severe losses from the subsequent harsh weather.
τὸν κίνδυνον.1 ἐν ᾧ καιρῷ διαναστάντων τῶν ἐκ τῆς ἐνέδρας Νομάδων καὶ προσπεσόντων ἄφνω κατὰ νώτου τοῖς ἀγωνιζομένοις περὶ τὰ μέσα, μεγάλην ταραχὴν καὶ δυσχρηστίαν συνέβαινε γίνεσθαι περὶ τὰς τῶν Ῥωμαίων δυνάμεις.
the contest equal. At which moment, the Numidians from the ambush having risen up and suddenly fallen upon the rear of those fighting in the center, great confusion and distress occurred among the Roman forces.
τέλος δʼ ἀμφότερα τὰ κέρατα τῶν περὶ τὸν Τεβέριον πιεζούμενα κατὰ πρόσωπον μὲν ὑπὸ τῶν θηρίων, πέριξ δὲ καὶ κατὰ τὰς ἐκ τῶν πλαγίων ἐπιφανείας ὑπὸ τῶν εὐζώνων, ἐτράπησαν καὶ συνωθοῦντο κατὰ τὸν διωγμὸν πρὸς τὸν ὑποκείμενον ποταμόν.
At last, both wings of Tiberius’ forces, hard pressed in front by the beasts, and all around from the flanks by the light-armed troops, were turned to flight and huddled together in the pursuit towards the river that lay behind.
τούτου δὲ συμβάντος οἱ κατὰ μέσον τὸν κίνδυνον ταχθέντες τῶν Ῥωμαίων οἱ μὲν κατόπιν ἐφεστῶτες2 ὑπὸ τῶν ἐκ τῆς ἐνέδρας προσπεσόντων ἀπώλλυντο καὶ κακῶς ἔπασχον, οἱ δὲ περὶ τὰς πρώτας χώρας ἐπαναγκασθέντες ἐκράτησαν τῶν Κελτῶν καὶ μέρους τινὸς τῶν Λιβύων καὶ πολλοὺς αὐτῶν ἀποκτείναντες διέκοψαν τὴν τῶν Καρχηδονίων τάξιν.
When this happened, those of the Romans who had been stationed in the center of the danger, those standing in the rear, were destroyed and suffered severely by those who fell upon them from the ambush; but those in the front ranks, forced by necessity, overcame the Celts and a certain part of the Libyans, and having slain many of them, broke through the Carthaginian line.
θεωροῦντες δὲ τοὺς ἀπὸ τῶν ἰδίων κεράτων ἐκπεπιεσμένους, τὸ μὲν ἐπιβοηθεῖν τούτοις ἢ πάλιν εἰς τὴν ἑαυτῶν ἀπιέναι παρεμβολὴν ἀπέγνωσαν,3 ὑφορώμενοι μὲν τὸ πλῆθος τῶν ἱππέων, κωλυόμενοι δὲ διὰ τὸν ποταμὸν καὶ τὴν ἐπιφορὰν καὶ συστροφὴν τοῦ κατὰ κεφαλὴν ὄμβρου.
But seeing that those on their own wings had been forced out, they gave up all hope of helping them or of returning back to their own camp, as they viewed with suspicion the multitude of the cavalry, and were prevented by the river and the force and downpour of the rain beating upon their heads.
τηροῦντες δὲ τὰς τάξεις ἁθρόοι μετʼ ἀσφαλείας ἀπεχώρησαν εἰς Πλακεντίαν, ὄντες οὐκ ἐλάττους μυρίων.
Keeping their ranks, however, they retreated in a body with safety to Placentia, being not fewer than ten thousand.
τῶν δὲ λοιπῶν οἱ μὲν πλεῖστοι περὶ τὸν ποταμὸν ἐφθάρησαν ὑπό τε τῶν θηρίων καὶ τῶν ἱππέων, οἱ δὲ διαφυγόντες τῶν πεζῶν καὶ τὸ πλεῖστον μέρος τῶν ἱππέων πρὸς τὸ προειρημένον σύστημα ποιούμενοι τὴν ἀποχώρησιν ἀνεκομίσθησαν ἅμα τούτοις εἰς Πλακεντίαν.
Of the rest, the greater part were destroyed near the river by the beasts and the cavalry; but those of the infantry who escaped and the greater part of the cavalry, making their retreat towards the aforementioned body of men, withdrew with them to Placentia.
τὸ δὲ τῶν Καρχηδονίων στρατόπεδον ἕως τοῦ ποταμοῦ καταδιῶξαν τοὺς πολεμίους, ὑπὸ δὲ τοῦ χειμῶνος οὐκέτι δυνάμενον πορρωτέρω προβαίνειν ἐπανῆλθε πάλιν εἰς τὴν παρεμβολήν.
The Carthaginian army pursued the enemy as far as the river, but being no longer able to advance further because of the storm, they returned back to their camp.
καὶ πάντες ἐπὶ μὲν τῇ μάχῃ περιχαρεῖς ἦσαν, ὡς κατωρθωκότες· συνέβαινε γὰρ ὀλίγους μὲν τῶν Ἰβήρων καὶ Λιβύων, τοὺς δὲ πλείους ἀπολωλέναι τῶν Κελτῶν·
And they were all filled with joy at the battle, as having succeeded; for it happened that while few of the Iberians and Libyans had perished, the greater part of the slain were Celts.
ὑπὸ δὲ τῶν ὄμβρων καὶ τῆς ἐπιγινομένης χιόνος οὕτως διετίθεντο δεινῶς ὥστε τὰ μὲν θηρία διαφθαρῆναι πλὴν ἑνός, πολλοὺς δὲ καὶ τῶν ἀνδρῶν ἀπόλλυσθαι καὶ τῶν ἵππων διὰ τὸ ψῦχος.
But they were so terribly afflicted by the rains and the snow that followed that all the beasts perished except one, and many of the men and horses also died of the cold.
- 3.74.1τὸν κίνδυνον
Direct object of the participle ἐφάμιλλον ποιούμενοι ("making the contest equal") at the end of the previous chunk. The following relative temporal phrase ἐν ᾧ καιρῷ ("at which moment") introduces the decisive turning point of the battle.
- 3.74.3οἱ κατὰ μέσον τὸν κίνδυνον ταχθέντες τῶν Ῥωμαίων οἱ μὲν κατόπιν ἐφεστῶτες
The nominative phrase οἱ κατὰ μέσον τὸν κίνδυνον ταχθέντες ("those stationed in the center of the danger") is followed by οἱ μὲν κατόπιν ἐφεστῶτες ("those standing in the rear") in partitive apposition (schēma kath' holon kai meros). This grammatical structure contrasts the fate of those in the rear of the center with those in the front ranks (οἱ δὲ περὶ τὰς πρώτας χώρας) in the next section (§3.74.4).
- 3.74.5ἀπέγνωσαν
The verb ἀπογινώσκω ("to despair of, give up hope") takes the articular infinitives τὸ μὲν ἐπιβοηθεῖν... ἢ πάλιν... ἀπιέναι as its direct object, meaning "they gave up all hope of helping... or of returning...". The participles ὑφορώμενοι ("viewing with suspicion") and κωλυόμενοι ("being prevented") provide the reasons for this decision.