- 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-grc2:6.29.1-6.29.9
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-08
Following the placement of the cavalry, the author describes how the infantry divisions of the triarii, principes, and hastati are arranged in parallel, either back-to-back or facing each other, creating a regular system of streets.
γενομένης δὲ τῆς τῶν ἱππέων παρεμβολῆς1 κατὰ μέσας τὰς τῶν χιλιάρχων σκηνὰς οἷον εἰ ῥύμης τινὸς ἐπικαρσίου πρὸς τὴν ἄρτι ῥηθεῖσαν εὐθεῖαν καὶ τὸν πρὸ τῶν χιλιάρχων τόπον —
When the placement of the cavalry is completed facing the middle of the tents of the tribunes, forming as it were a kind of street perpendicular to the straight line just mentioned and to the space in front of the tribunes—
τῷ γὰρ ὄντι ῥύμαις παραπλήσιον ἀποτελεῖται τὸ τῶν διόδων σχῆμα πασῶν, ὡς ἂν ἐξ ἑκατέρου τοῦ μέρους αἷς μὲν ταγμάτων, αἷς δʼ οὐλαμῶν ἐπὶ τὸ μῆκος παρεμβεβληκότων —
for in truth the shape of all the passages is formed in a manner very similar to streets, because on either side, along their length, in some cases infantry companies and in others cavalry troops are encamped—
πλὴν2 τοῖς προειρημένοις ἱππεῦσι κατόπιν τοὺς ἐξ ἀμφοτέρων τῶν στρατοπέδων τριαρίους, κατʼ οὐλαμὸν ἑκάστην σημαίαν, ἐν ὁμοίῳ σχήματι τιθέασι, συμψαυόντων μὲν τῶν σχημάτων ἀλλήλοις, βλεπόντων δʼ ἔμπαλιν πρὸς τὰς ἐναντίας τοῖς ἱππεῦσιν ἐπιφανείας, ἥμισυ ποιοῦντες τὸ βάθος τοῦ μήκους ἑκάστης σημαίας τῷ καὶ κατὰ τὸ πλῆθος ἡμίσεις ὡς ἐπίπαν εἶναι τούτους τῶν ἄλλων μερῶν.3
however, immediately behind the aforementioned cavalry, they place the triarii from both legions, each company corresponding to each troop, in a similar shape, with their shapes touching one another and facing in the opposite direction to the cavalry, making the depth of each company half of its length, because in terms of number they are generally half of the other divisions.
διότιπερ ἀνίσων ὄντων πολλάκις τῶν ἀνδρῶν ἰσάζειν ἀεὶ συμβαίνει πάντα τὰ μέρη κατὰ τὸ μῆκος διὰ τὴν τοῦ βάθους διαφοράν.
Therefore, even though the number of men is often unequal, it always happens that all the divisions are equal along their length, due to the difference in depth.
αὖθις δὲ πεντήκοντα πόδας ἀφʼ ἑκατέρων τούτων ἀποστήσαντες, ἀντίους παρεμβάλλουσι τοῖς τριαρίοις τοὺς πρίγκιπας.
And again, having left a distance of fifty feet from both of these, they place the principes facing opposite to the triarii.
νευόντων δὲ καὶ τούτων εἰς τὰ προειρημένα διαστήματα δύʼ αὗται πάλιν ἀποτελοῦνται ῥῦμαι, τὰς μὲν ἀρχὰς ἀπὸ τῆς αὐτῆς εὐθείας λαμβάνουσαι καὶ τὰς εἰσβολάς, ὁμοίως τοῖς ἱππεῦσιν, ἐκ τοῦ πρὸ τῶν χιλιάρχων ἑκατομπέδου διαστήματος, λήγουσαι δὲ πρὸς τὴν καταντικρὺ τῶν χιλιάρχων πλευρὰν τοῦ χάρακος, ἣν ἐξ ἀρχῆς ὑπεθέμεθα κατὰ πρόσωπον εἶναι τοῦ παντὸς σχήματος.4
Since these also face toward the aforementioned intervals, these two streets are formed in turn, starting from the same straight line and having their entrances, like the cavalry, from the hundred-foot space in front of the tribunes, and ending at the side of the rampart opposite to the tribunes, which we assumed from the beginning to be the front of the whole camp.
μετὰ δὲ τοὺς πρίγκιπας, ὄπισθεν τούτων ὁμοίως ἔμπαλιν βλέποντα, συμψαύοντα δὲ τὰ σχήματα τιθέντες, τοὺς ἁστάτους παρεμβάλλουσι.
After the principes, behind them, facing in the opposite direction in the same way, with their shapes touching, they place the hastati.
δέκα δὲ σημαίας ἐχόντων ἁπάντων τῶν μερῶν κατὰ τὴν ἐξ ἀρχῆς διαίρεσιν, πάσας ἴσας συμβαίνει γίνεσθαι τὰς ῥύμας καὶ κατὰ τὸ μῆκος καὶ τὰς ἀποτομὰς ἰσάζειν αὐτῶν τὰς πρὸς τῇ κατὰ τὸ πρόσωπον πλευρᾷ τοῦ χάρακος·5 πρὸς ἣν καὶ τὰς τελευταίας σημαίας ἐπιστρέφοντες στρατοπεδεύουσιν.
And since all the divisions have ten companies according to the original division, all the streets turn out to be equal in length, and their ends at the front side of the rampart are equal; and facing this front, they pitch their tents, turning even the last companies toward it.
- 6.29.1γενομένης δὲ τῆς τῶν ἱππέων παρεμβολῆς
A genitive absolute construction that semantically connects to the main verb of the principal clause, τιθέασι (§6.29.3). The sentence structure is temporarily interrupted by the parenthetical remark in §6.29.2.
- 6.29.3πλὴν
Here, it does not function as a preposition of exclusion ('except'), but as an adversative adverbial conjunction ('however,' 'but rather'), serving to transition and introduce the main clause.
- 6.29.4τῷ καὶ κατὰ τὸ πλῆθος ἡμίσεις ὡς ἐπίπαν εἶναι τούτους τῶν ἄλλων μερῶν
An articular infinitive phrase in the dative case (introduced by τῷ) expressing cause ('because of being...'). τούτους (the triarii) is the subject of the infinitive εἶναι, and τῶν ἄλλων μερῶν is a genitive of comparison.
- 6.29.7ἣν ἐξ ἀρχῆς ὑπεθέμεθα κατὰ πρόσωπον εἶναι τοῦ παντὸς σχήματος
The relative pronoun ἣν has πλευράν (side) as its antecedent and serves as the subject of the infinitive (εἶναι) in an indirect statement construction. The whole clause means 'which we assumed from the beginning to be the front of the whole shape.'
- 6.29.9τὰς ἀποτομὰς ἰσάζειν αὐτῶν τὰς πρὸς τῇ κατὰ τὸ πρόσωπον πλευρᾷ τοῦ χάρακος
The subject of ἰσάζειν is αἱ ἀποτομαί (the ends, cut-offs), which is modified by αὐτῶν (their, i.e., of the streets). This refers to the end points of the streets where they meet the front side of the rampart, indicating that all streets terminate regularly at the same line.