- 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-grc2:3.86.1-3.86.11
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-11
The Roman vanguard cavalry sent by Consul Servilius is heavily defeated by the Carthaginian forces under Maharbal, throwing Rome into further panic and forcing extraordinary measures, while Hannibal marches toward the Adriatic, devastating the countryside.
κατὰ δὲ τοὺς τῆς μάχης καιροὺς Γνάιος Σερουίλιος ὁ προκαθήμενος ὕπατος1 ἐπὶ τῶν κατʼ Ἀρίμινον τόπων —
At the time of the battle, Gnaeus Servilius, the consul stationed in the district of Ariminum —
οὗτοι δʼ εἰσὶν ἐπὶ τῆς παρὰ τὸν Ἀδρίαν πλευρᾶς, οὗ συνάπτει τὰ Γαλατικὰ πεδία πρὸς τὴν ἄλλην Ἰταλίαν, οὐ μακρὰν τῆς εἰς θάλατταν ἐκβολῆς τῶν τοῦ Πάδου στομάτων —
this place is on the coast of the Adriatic, where the Gallic plains join the rest of Italy, not far from the mouth where the Po empties into the sea —
ἀκούσας εἰσβεβληκότα τὸν Ἀννίβαν εἰς Τυρρηνίαν ἀντιστρατοπεδεύειν τῷ Φλαμινίῳ, πᾶσι μὲν ἐπεβάλετο τοῖς στρατοπέδοις αὐτὸς συνάπτειν, ἀδυνατῶν δὲ διὰ τὸ τῆς στρατιᾶς βάρος Γάιον Κεντήνιον κατὰ σπουδὴν δοὺς τετρακισχιλίους ἱππεῖς προεξαπέστειλε, βουλόμενος, εἰ δέοινθʼ οἱ καιροί,2 πρὸ τῆς αὑτοῦ παρουσίας τούτους καταταχεῖν.
hearing that Hannibal had invaded Etruria and was encamped opposite Flaminius, made an attempt to join him with his whole army; but being unable to do so owing to the slowness of his troops, he sent Gaius Centenius ahead in haste with four thousand cavalry, wishing, if circumstances required, that they should reach the spot before his own arrival.
Ἀννίβας δέ, μετὰ τὴν μάχην προσαγγελθείσης αὐτῷ τῆς τῶν ὑπεναντίων βοηθείας, ἐξαποστέλλει Μαάρβαν ἔχοντα τοὺς λογχοφόρους καί τι μέρος τῶν ἱππέων.
Hannibal, on the other hand, when the arrival of the enemy’s reinforcements was reported to him after the battle, sent out Maharbal with the lancers and a portion of the cavalry.
οἳ καὶ συμπεσόντες τοῖς περὶ τὸν Γάιον ἐν αὐτῇ μὲν τῇ πρώτῃ συμπλοκῇ σχεδὸν τοὺς ἡμίσεις αὐτῶν διέφθειραν, τοὺς δὲ λοιποὺς εἴς τινα λόφον συνδιώξαντες τῇ κατὰ πόδας ἡμέρᾳ πάντας ἔλαβον ὑποχειρίους.
These, falling upon Gaius and his men, destroyed nearly half of them in the very first encounter, and having pursued the rest to a hill, took them all prisoner on the following day.
ἐν δὲ τῇ Ῥώμῃ, τριταίας οὔσης τῆς κατὰ τὴν μάχην προσαγγελίας,3 καὶ μάλιστα τότε τοῦ πάθους κατὰ τὴν πόλιν ὡσανεὶ φλεγμαίνοντος, ἐπιγενομένης καὶ ταύτης τῆς περιπετείας οὐ μόνον τὸ πλῆθος, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὴν σύγκλητον αὐτὴν συνέβη διατραπῆναι.
In Rome, since the news of the battle was only of three days’ standing, and while the city was still, so to speak, in a state of feverish inflammation from that blow, this new disaster occurring caused not only the common people but the Senate itself to be thrown into panic.
διὸ καὶ παρέντες τὴν κατʼ ἐνιαυτὸν ἀγωγὴν τῶν πραγμάτων καὶ τὴν αἵρεσιν τῶν ἀρχόντων μειζόνως ἐπεβάλοντο βουλεύεσθαι περὶ τῶν ἐνεστώτων, νομίζοντες αὐτοκράτορος δεῖσθαι στρατηγοῦ τὰ πράγματα καὶ τοὺς περιεστῶτας καιρούς.
Wherefore, letting go the annual administration of affairs and the election of magistrates, they resolved to take more serious counsel about the present state of things, believing that the situation and the surrounding circumstances demanded a general with absolute power.
Ἀννίβας δὲ κατατεθαρρηκὼς τοῖς ὅλοις ἤδη τὸ μὲν συνεγγίζειν τῇ Ῥώμῃ κατὰ τὸ παρὸν ἀπεδοκίμασεν, τὴν δὲ χώραν ἐπιπορευόμενος ἀδεῶς ἐπόρθει, ποιούμενος τὴν πορείαν ὡς ἐπὶ τὸν Ἀδρίαν.
Hannibal, now thoroughly confident about the whole campaign, decided for the present against approaching Rome, but marching through the country, he plundered it without fear, directing his march towards the Adriatic.
διανύσας τε τήν τε τῶν Ὄμβρων καλουμένην χώραν καὶ τὴν τῶν Πικέντων ἧκεν δεκαταῖος πρὸς τοὺς κατὰ τὸν Ἀδρίαν τόπους, πολλῆς μὲν λείας γεγονὼς ἐγκρατής, ὥστε μήτʼ ἄγειν μήτε φέρειν δύνασθαι4 τὸ στρατόπεδον τὰς ὠφελείας, πολὺ δὲ πλῆθος ἀνθρώπων ἀπεκταγκὼς κατὰ τὴν δίοδον·
Having traversed both the country called Umbria and that of the Piceni, he arrived on the tenth day at the region of the Adriatic, having become master of so much booty that the army could neither drive nor carry the spoils, and having slain a great multitude of men on his march;
καθάπερ γὰρ ἐν ταῖς τῶν πόλεων καταλήψεσι, καὶ τότε παράγγελμά τι δεδομένον ἦν φονεύειν τοὺς ὑποπίπτοντας τῶν ἐν ταῖς ἡλικίαις.5 ταῦτα δʼ ἐποίει διὰ τὸ προ
for just as in the capture of cities, an order had been given on this occasion also to slaughter those of military age who fell into their hands. This he did because of...
- 3.86.1Γνάιος Σερουίλιος ὁ προκαθήμενος ὕπατος
Anacoluthon structure where the subject 'Γνάιος Σερουίλιος' is separated from its main verbs 'ἐπεβάλετο' and 'προεξαπέστειλε' in §3.86.3 by a long parenthetical clause in §3.86.2 and several participles.
- 3.86.3εἰ δέοινθʼ οἱ καιροί
The optative 'δέοιντο' in the conditional clause expresses a subjective future possibility in the past, relative to the past main verb 'προεξαπέστειλε'.
- 3.86.6τριταίας οὔσης τῆς κατὰ τὴν μάχην προσαγγελίας
Genitive absolute. The adjective 'τριταῖος' is used predicatively to express time, meaning that the news of the battle was only 'three days old'.
- 3.86.10ὥστε μήτʼ ἄγειν μήτε φέρειν δύνασθαι
Result clause with 'ὥστε' + infinitive. It plays on the idiomatic expression 'ἄγειν καὶ φέρειν' (to plunder, literally to drive away and carry off) to describe the physical impossibility of moving due to the excess of booty.
- 3.86.11τοὺς ὑποπίπτοντας τῶν ἐν ταῖς ἡλικίαις
The participle 'τοὺς ὑποπίπτοντας' (those who fell into their hands) is modified by the partitive genitive 'τῶν ἐν ταῖς ἡλικίαις' (those of military age), meaning 'those among the military age who were captured'.