- 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-grc2:8.32.1-8.32.7
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-08
Having gained immense plunder, Hannibal decided to wall off the city from the citadel and inflicted a severe defeat on the Roman forces that attempted to obstruct the work.
πολλῶν δὲ καὶ παντοδαπῶν κατασκευασμάτων ἁθροισθέντων ἐκ τῆς διαρπαγῆς, καὶ γενομένης ὠφελείας τοῖς Καρχηδονίοις ἀξίας τῶν προσδοκωμένων ἐλπίδων, τότε μὲν ἐπὶ τῶν ὅπλων ηὐλίσθησαν, εἰς δὲ τὴν ἐπιοῦσαν ἡμέραν Ἀννίβας συνεδρεύσας μετὰ τῶν Ταραντίνων ἔκρινε διατειχίσαι τὴν πόλιν ἀπὸ τῆς ἄκρας, ἵνα μηδεὶς ἔτι φόβος ἐπικάθηται τοῖς Ταραντίνοις ἀπὸ τῶν κατεχόντων τὴν ἀκρόπολιν Ῥωμαίων.
When many and various kinds of goods had been collected from the plunder, and a gain had accrued to the Carthaginians worthy of their anticipated hopes, they bivouacked under arms for that night, but on the following day Hannibal, having held a council with the Tarentines, decided to wall off the city from the citadel, so that no fear might any longer press upon the Tarentines from the Romans who held the citadel.
πρῶτον μὲν οὖν ἐπεβάλετο προθέσθαι χάρακα παράλληλον τῷ τείχει τῆς ἀκροπόλεως καὶ τῇ πρὸ τούτου τάφρῳ.
First, then, he undertook to construct in front a palisade parallel to the wall of the citadel and to the trench in front of it.
σαφῶς δὲ γινώσκων οὐκ ἐάσοντας τοὺς ὑπεναντίους, ἀλλʼ ἐναποδειξομένους τῇδέ πῃ τὴν αὑτῶν δύναμιν,1 ἡτοίμασε χεῖρας ἐπιτηδειοτάτας, νομίζων πρὸς τὸ μέλλον οὐδὲν ἀναγκαιότερον εἶναι τοῦ καταπλήξασθαι μὲν τοὺς Ῥωμαίους, εὐθαρσεῖς δὲ ποιῆσαι τοὺς Ταραντίνους.
Clearly knowing, however, that the enemy would not permit this, but would in some way display their own strength at this point, he prepared the most suitable troops, thinking that for the future nothing was more necessary than to strike terror into the Romans and to make the Tarentines courageous.
ἅμα δὲ τῷ τίθεσθαι τὸν πρῶτον χάρακα θρασέως τῶν Ῥωμαίων καὶ τετολμηκότως ἐπιχειρούντων2 τοῖς ὑπεναντίοις, βραχὺ συμμίξας Ἀννίβας καὶ τὰς ὁρμὰς τῶν προειρημένων ἐκκαλεσάμενος, ἐπεὶ προέπεσον οἱ πλείους ἐκτὸς τῆς τάφρου, δοὺς παράγγελμα τοῖς αὑτοῦ προσέβαλε τοῖς πολεμίοις.
At the same time as the first palisade was being set up, the Romans boldly and daringly attacking their opponents, Hannibal, having engaged them briefly and drawn out the eagerness of the aforementioned Romans, when the majority of them had rushed forward outside the trench, gave the command to his own men and fell upon the enemy.
γενομένης δὲ τῆς μάχης ἰσχυρᾶς, ὡς ἂν ἐν βραχεῖ χώρῳ καὶ περιτετειχισμένῳ τῆς συμπλοκῆς ἐπιτελουμένης,3 τὸ πέρας ἐκβιασθέντες ἐτράπησαν οἱ Ῥωμαῖοι.
A fierce battle ensued, and since the clash took place in a narrow space and one enclosed by walls, as was natural, in the end the Romans were overpowered and turned to flight.
καὶ πολλοὶ μὲν ἔπεσον ἐν χειρῶν νόμῳ,4 τὸ δὲ πλεῖον αὐτῶν μέρος ἀπωθούμενον καὶ συγκρημνιζόμενον ἐν τῇ τάφρῳ διεφθάρη.
And many fell in close combat, while the greater part of them, being pushed back and tumbling down together into the trench, perished.
- 8.32.4οὐκ ἐάσοντας τοὺς ὑπεναντίους, ἀλλʼ ἐναποδειξομένους τῇδέ πῃ τὴν αὑτῶν δύναμιν
A future participle construction serving as the object of the participle γινώσκων ('knowing'). The accusative τοὺς ὑπεναντίους is the subject of the future participles ἐάσοντας and ἐναποδειξομένους. The direct object of ἐάσοντας ('would permit'), i.e., Hannibal's building of the palisade, is omitted from context.
- 8.32.5ἅμα δὲ τῷ τίθεσθαι τὸν πρῶτον χάρακα θρασέως τῶν Ῥωμαίων καὶ τετολμηκότως ἐπιχειρούντων
The phrase ἅμα τῷ τίθεσθαι is a prepositional phrase with an articular infinitive ('at the same time as the first palisade was being set up'). It is immediately followed by a genitive absolute ('while the Romans were attacking boldly and daringly'), showing two simultaneous events.
- 8.32.6ὡς ἂν ἐν βραχεῖ χώρῳ καὶ περιτετειχισμένῳ τῆς συμπλοκῆς ἐπιτελουμένης
The particle combination ὡς ἄν with a participle (here the genitive absolute τῆς συμπλοκῆς ἐπιτελουμένης, 'the clash taking place') denotes a natural consequence or expectation under the given circumstances ('as was natural, since...').
- 8.32.7ἐν χειρῶν νόμῳ
Literally 'by the law of hands,' this is an idiomatic Greek expression meaning 'in close combat' or 'in hand-to-hand fighting.'