- 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-lat2:5.42.1-5.42.5
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-10-29
The Nervii, having failed to persuade Cicero, surround the winter quarters with a massive rampart and ditch. Learning techniques from Roman prisoners, they complete a vast fortification at astonishing speed despite a lack of proper tools, and begin constructing siege engines.
Ab hac spe repulsi Nervii vallo pedum IX et fossa pedum XV1 hiberna cingunt.
Repulsed from this hope, the Nervii surround the winter quarters with a rampart of nine feet [in height] and a ditch of fifteen feet [in width].
Haec et superiorum annorum consuetudine ab nobis cognoverant et, quosdam de exercitu habebant captivos, ab eis docebantur;
They had learned these things both from their association with us in former years, and they were taught them by some prisoners whom they had from our army;
sed nulla ferramentorum copia quae esset2 ad hunc usum idonea, gladiis caespites circumcidere, manibus sagulisque terram exhaurire nitebantur.
but because there was no supply of iron tools which was suitable for this use, they strove to cut the sods with their swords, and to carry out the earth with their hands and military cloaks.
Qua quidem ex re hominum multitudo cognosci potuit: nam minus horis tribus3 milium pedum XV in circuitu4 munitionem perfecerunt reliquisque diebus turres ad altitudinem valli, falces testudinesque,5 quas idem captivi docuerant, parare ac facere coeperunt.
Indeed from this circumstance, the vast number of the men could be learned; for in less than three hours they completed a fortification of fifteen thousand feet in circumference; and in the remaining days they began to prepare and construct towers to the height of the rampart, falces, and testudines, which the same prisoners had taught them.
- 5.42.1vallo pedum IX et fossa pedum XV
'pedum IX' and 'pedum XV' are genitives of measure, describing the dimensions (height and width respectively) of the preceding nouns 'vallo' (rampart) and 'fossa' (ditch).
- 5.42.3nulla ferramentorum copia quae esset
'nulla ... copia' is an ablative absolute expressing cause, and the relative clause 'quae esset...' modifying the noun 'copia' takes the subjunctive of characteristic (esset).
- 5.42.4minus horis tribus
The conjunction 'quam' (than) is omitted after the comparative adverb 'minus' (less), and 'horis tribus' (three hours) is an ablative of time within which.
- 5.42.4milium pedum XV in circuitu
'milium' is the genitive of the noun 'milia' (thousands), serving as a genitive of measure modifying 'munitionem'. 'pedum' is a partitive genitive depending on 'milium'. The phrase means 'a fortification of fifteen thousand feet in circumference.'
- 5.42.5falces testudinesque
'falces' refers to siege hooks used for pulling down walls, and 'testudines' (testudos) refers to mobile protective shelters (sheds) used to shield soldiers as they approach enemy fortifications.