- 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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- 日本語 · English · 简体中文 · 한국어
- CTS URN
- urn:cts:latinLit:phi0914.phi001.humanitext-lat2:37.40.1-37.40.14
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-10
The elaborate and varied battle array of King Antiochus' diverse forces is detailed, describing the central phalanx interspersed with elephants, flanked by cataphracts, light troops, scythed chariots, dromedaries with Arabian archers, and various regional auxiliary forces on both wings.
regia acies varia magis multis gentibus, dissimilitudine armorum auxiliorumque erat. decem et sex milia peditum more Macedonum armati fuere, qui phalangitae appellabantur. haec media acies fuit, in fronte in decem partes divisa; partes eas interpositis binis elephantis distinguebat; a fronte introrsus in duos et triginta ordines armatorum acies patebat.
The king’s line of battle was more varied, being composed of many nations and showing a dissimilarity of arms and auxiliary forces. There were sixteen thousand infantry armed in the Macedonian fashion, who were called phalangitae. This was the center of the line, divided into ten parts on the front; it distinguished these parts by placing two elephants between each; from the front inwards, the line of armed men extended to a depth of thirty-two ranks.
hoc et roboris1 in regiis copiis erat, et perinde cum alia specie tum eminentibus tantum inter armatos elephantis magnum terrorem praebebat.
This was the main strength of the king’s forces, and it presented a great terror, both from its general appearance and particularly because the elephants stood out so high among the armed men.
ingentes ipsi erant; addebant speciem frontalia et cristae et tergo impositae turres turribusque superstantes2 praeter rectorem quaterni armati.
The beasts themselves were huge; their appearance was further enhanced by frontlets, crests, towers placed on their backs, and on the towers, besides the driver, four armed men standing.
ad latus dextrum phalangitarum mille et quingentos Gallograecorum pedites opposuit. his tria milia equitum loricatorum — cataphractos ipsi appellant — adiunxit. addita his ala mille ferme equitum;
To the right side of the phalangitae he opposed one thousand five hundred Galatian infantry. To these he joined three thousand mailed cavalry—they themselves call them cataphracts. To these was added a squadron of about one thousand cavalry;
agema eam vocabant; Medi erant, lecti viri, et eiusdem regionis mixti multarum gentium equites.
they called it the agema; they were Medes, chosen men, and a mixed body of cavalry of many nations from the same region.
continens his grex sedecim elephantorum est oppositus in subsidiis. ab eadem parte, paulum producto cornu, regia cohors erat; argyraspides a genere armorum appellabantur; Dahae deinde, equites sagittarii, mille et ducenti; tum levis armatura, trium milium, pari ferme numero, pars Cretenses, pars Tralles; duo milia et quingenti Mysi sagittarii his adiuncti erant.
Adjacent to these, a herd of sixteen elephants was opposed in reserve. On the same side, with the wing advanced a little, was the royal cohort; they were called Argyraspids from the kind of their arms; then the Dahae, horse-archers, one thousand two hundred; then the light infantry, of three thousand, of almost equal number, partly Cretans, partly Trallians; two thousand five hundred Mysian archers were joined to these.
extremum cornu claudebant quattuor milia, mixti Cyrtii funditores et Elymaei sagittarii.
Four thousand men, a mixture of Cyrtian slingers and Elymaean archers, closed the extremity of the wing.
ab laevo cornu phalangitis adiuncti erant Gallograeci pedites mille et quingenti et similiter his armati duo milia Cappadocum — ab Ariarathe missi erant regi —;
On the left wing, joined to the phalangitae, were one thousand five hundred Galatian infantry, and two thousand Cappadocians armed in a similar way—they had been sent to the king by Ariarathes;
inde auxiliares mixti omnium generum, duo milia septingenti, et tria milia cataphractorum equitum et mille alii equites, regia ala levioribus tegumentis suis equorumque, alio haud dissimili habitu; Syri plerique erant Phrygibus et Lydis immixti.
then mixed auxiliaries of all kinds, two thousand seven hundred, and three thousand cataphract cavalry, and one thousand other cavalry, the royal squadron, with lighter coverings for themselves and their horses, but otherwise in a not dissimilar dress; they were mostly Syrians mixed with Phrygians and Lydians.
ante hunc equitatum falcatae quadrigae et cameli, quos appellant dromadas. his insidebant Arabes sagittarii, gladios tenuis habentes longos quaterna cubita,3 ut ex tanta altitudine contingere hostem possent.
In front of this cavalry were the scythed chariots and camels, which they call dromedaries. On these rode Arabian archers, holding thin swords four cubits long, so that they could reach the enemy from such a height.
inde alia multitudo, par ei, quae in dextro cornu erat: primi Tarentini, deinde Gallograecorum equitum duo milia et quingenti, inde Neocretes mille et eodem armatu Cares et Cilices mille et quingenti et totidem Tralles et quattuor milia caetratorum:
Then another multitude, equal to that which was on the right wing: first the Tarentines, then two thousand five hundred Galatian cavalry, then one thousand Neocretans, and one thousand five hundred Carians and Cilicians in the same armor, and as many Trallians, and four thousand caetrati:
Pisidae erant et Pamphylii et Lycii; tum Cyrtiorum et Elymaeorum paria in dextro cornu locatis auxilia, et sedecim elephanti modico intervallo distantes.
they were Pisidians and Pamphylians and Lycians; then auxiliary forces of Cyrtians and Elymaeans equal to those stationed on the right wing, and sixteen elephants stationed at a moderate interval.
- 37.40.3hoc et roboris
hoc is a neuter pronoun in the nominative case serving as the subject. roboris (genitive singular of robur) is a partitive genitive depending on hoc ("this of strength"), meaning "this was the main strength (or core) of the king's forces."
- 37.40.4turribusque superstantes
The present participle superstantes governs the dative turribus, meaning "standing on top of the towers." The distributive numeral quaterni indicates that "four armed men each" were stationed in the tower of each elephant.
- 37.40.12quaterna cubita
Accusative of extent of space (dimension). The distributive numeral in the neuter plural quaterna is used to mean "each measuring four cubits in length."