- Source
- Julius Caesar. Aulus Hirtius. C. Iuli Commentarii Rerum in Gallia Gestarum VII A. Hirti Commentarius VII. Holmes, T. Rice (Thomas Rice), editor. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1914.
- 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:latinLit:phi0448.phi001.humanitext-lat2:2.30.1-2.30.4
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-10-26
The Atuatuci initially resisted the Roman army but retreated into their town when besieged. Seeing the giant Roman siege tower being constructed from afar, they mocked the Romans from their walls, questioning how such short men could move so heavy a machine.
Ac primo adventu exercitus nostri crebras ex oppido excursiones faciebant parvulisque proeliis cum nostris contendebant;
And at the first arrival of our army, they made frequent sallies from the town and contended with our men in small battles;
postea vallo pedum XII in circuitu XV milium1 crebrisque castellis circummuniti oppido sese continebant.
afterwards, having been hemmed in by a rampart twelve feet high and fifteen miles in circumference, and by frequent forts, they kept themselves within the town.
Ubi vineis actis aggere extructo turrim procul constitui viderunt, primum inridere ex muro atque increpitare2 vocibus, quod tanta machinatio a tanto spatio institueretur:3
When, after the mantlets had been brought up and the mound constructed, they saw a tower being built far off, they first began to jeer from the wall and mock them with voices, asking why such a huge machine was being set up at so great a distance:
quibusnam manibus aut quibus viribus praesertim homines tantulae staturae (nam plerumque omnibus Gallis prae magnitudine corporum suorum brevitas nostra contemptui est)4 tanti oneris turrim in muro5 sese posse conlocare confiderent?
with what hands, pray, or with what strength did men of such small stature especially (for generally our shortness of stature, in comparison with the great size of their own bodies, is an object of contempt to all the Gauls) trust that they could place a tower of so great weight upon the wall?
- 2.30.2in circuitu XV milium
The noun passuum (paces, used for miles) is omitted. XV milium [passuum] represents fifteen miles, which, combined with in circuitu, indicates the total circumference of the siege works.
- 2.30.3inridere ... increpitare
These are historical infinitives, equivalent in meaning to the imperfect indicative (inridebant, increpitabant), describing vivid actions starting and continuing in the past. The subject is the plural nominative Atuatuci.
- 2.30.3quod ... institueretur
The subjunctive mood (imperfect) in the quod-clause indicates a subjective reason. It presents the reason not as an objective fact of the narrator, but as the thought or claim of the jeering Atuatuci in indirect discourse.
- 2.30.4omnibus Gallis ... contemptui est
A classic double dative construction. Omnibus Gallis is the dative of reference (to whom), and contemptui is the dative of purpose or tendency (as an object of contempt), meaning "is an object of contempt to all the Gauls."
- 2.30.4in muro
The noun muro here refers to the wall of the besieged town itself. The Atuatuci, either out of misunderstanding or sarcasm, are asking how the Romans can place a tower of such weight "upon our (the Atuatuci's) wall."
Translated by Gemini 3.5 Flash (published 2026-05-25) · Revision history (1, latest 2026-09-22)
- 2026-09-22 AI review — source 1