- Source
- Titi Livi ab urbe condita libri editionem priman, Pars I-IV, Libri I-XL. Editio Stereotypica. Weissenborn, Wilhelm; Mueller, Moritz, editors. Leipzig: Teubner, 1884-1911.
- Translation
- AI-generated (gemini-3.5-flash) — machine translation; may contain errors
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- CTS URN
- urn:cts:latinLit:phi0914.phi001.humanitext-lat2:30.8.1-30.8.9
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-03
Scipio suspends the siege of Utica to march to the Great Plains against the reconstructed allied forces of Syphax and Hasdrubal. In the battle, the Romans and Masinissa easily rout the enemy wings, but the Celtiberian mercenaries in the center resist stubbornly to the death, allowing the enemy commanders to escape before nightfall.
Scipionem, velut iam debellato,1 quod ad Syphacem Carthaginiensesque attineret, Uticae oppugnandae intentum, iamque machinas admoventem muris avertit fama redintegrati belli;
The rumor of the renewed war turned Scipio away, who, as if the war were already finished as far as it related to Syphax and the Carthaginians, was intent on besieging Utica and was already bringing his engines up to the walls.
modicisque praesidiis ad speciem modo obsidionis terra marique relictis ipse cum robore exercitus ire ad hostes pergit.
And having left moderate garrisons on land and sea merely for the appearance of a siege, he himself with the strength of the army proceeded to go against the enemy.
primo in tumulo quattuor milia ferme distante ab castris regiis consedit; postero die cum equitatu in Magnos — ita vocant — campos subiectos ei tumulo degressus succedendo ad stationes hostium lacessendoque levibus proeliis diem absumpsit.
At first he halted on a hill about four miles distant from the royal camp; on the following day, having descended with the cavalry into the Great Plains—for so they call them—which lay beneath that hill, he spent the day by advancing toward the enemy’s outposts and provoking them with light skirmishes.
et per insequens biduum tumultuosis hinc atque illinc excursionibus in vicem nihil dictu satis dignum fecerunt;
And during the following two days, by making tumultuous excursions on this side and that in turn, they did nothing sufficiently worthy of mention;
quarto die in aciem utrimque descensum est. Romanus principes post hastatorum prima signa, in subsidiis triarios constituit; equitatum Italicum ab dextro cornu, ab laevo Numidas Masinissamque opposuit.
on the fourth day, they descended into battle array on both sides. The Roman general placed the principes behind the first banners of the hastati, and the triarii in reserve; he opposed the Italian cavalry on the right wing, and the Numidians and Masinissa on the left.
Syphax Hasdrubalque Numidis adversus Italicum equitatum, Carthaginiensibus contra Masinissam locatis Celtiberos in mediam aciem adversus signa legionum accepere.
Syphax and Hasdrubal, having posted the Numidians against the Italian cavalry and the Carthaginians against Masinissa, received the Celtiberians into the center of the battle array against the standards of the legions.
ita instructi concurrunt. primo impetu simul utraque cornua, et Numidae et Carthaginienses, pulsi; nam neque Numidae, maxima pars agrestes, Romanum equitatum neque Carthaginienses, et ipse novus miles, Masinissam recenti super cetera victoria terribilem sustinuere. nudata utrimque cornibus Celtiberum acies stabat, quod nec in fuga salus ulla ostendebatur locis ignotis, neque spes veniae ab Scipione erat, quem bene meritum de se et gente sua mercennariis armis oppugnatum2 in Africam venissent.
Having been thus drawn up, they clashed. At the first onset both wings, both the Numidians and the Carthaginians, were repulsed at the same time; for neither did the Numidians, for the most part rustics, withstand the Roman cavalry, nor did the Carthaginians, themselves also raw recruits, withstand Masinissa, who was rendered terrifying above other things by his recent victory. The battle array of the Celtiberians stood exposed on both flanks, which had been stripped of the wings, because neither was any safety shown in flight in an unknown country, nor was there any hope of pardon from Scipio, whom they had come into Africa to attack with mercenary arms, though he had deserved well of themselves and their nation.
igitur circumfusis undique hostibus alii super alios cadentes obstinate moriebantur; omnibusque in eos versis aliquantum ad fugam temporis Syphax et Hasdrubal praeceperunt. fatigatos3 caede diutius quam pugna victores nox oppressit.
Therefore, with the enemy surrounding them on all sides, they died obstinately, falling one upon another; and while everyone’s attention was turned toward them, Syphax and Hasdrubal secured some time for flight. Night overtook the victors, who were fatigued longer by the slaughter than by the battle.
- 30.8.1debellato
An impersonal ablative absolute, based on the passive form 'debellatum est' (the war has been finished). Without a subject noun, 'velut iam debellato' functions as 'as if the war were already finished.'
- 30.8.8oppugnatum
The accusative form of the supine expressing purpose. It depends on the verb of motion venissent and takes the relative pronoun quem (Scipionem) as its direct object, meaning 'to attack whom.'
- 30.8.9fatigatos
Perfect participle modifying victores (the direct object of the verb oppressit). The comparative adverb diutius contrasts the ablatives of cause caede and pugna, showing that they were fatigued 'longer by the slaughter than by the battle.'