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Diodorus Siculus · Bibliotheca Historica §14.114.1-14.114.7

Battle of the Allia and Defeat of the Romans

Passage 408 of 723 · Greek

Summary

Angered by the Roman response, the Celts march on Rome and utterly defeat the Roman forces at the Battle of Allia, with many fleeing Romans drowning in the Tiber.

§14.114.1οἱ δὲ τῶν Κελτῶν πρέσβεις παραγενηθέντες εἰς τὸ σφέτερον στρατόπεδον ἀπήγγειλαν τὴν τῶν Ῥωμαίων ἀπόκρισιν.
And the envoys of the Celts, having arrived at their own camp, reported the answer of the Romans.
ἐφʼ ᾗ μεγάλως ἀγανακτήσαντες, καὶ προσλαβόμενοι παρὰ τῶν ὁμοεθνῶν δύναμιν, ἐπʼ αὐτὴν ἠπείγοντο τὴν Ῥώμην, ὄντες πλείους τῶν ἑπτακισμυρίων.
Being greatly angered at this, and having received additional forces from their fellow countrymen, they hastened toward Rome itself, being more than seventy thousand in number.
οἱ δὲ χιλίαρχοι τῶν Ῥωμαίων ἐπὶ τῆς ἰδίας ἐξουσίας ὄντες, καὶ τὴν τῶν Κελτῶν ἔφοδον ἀκούοντες, ἅπαντας τοὺς ἐν ἡλικίᾳ καθώπλισαν.
Meanwhile, the military tribunes of the Romans, being in possession of their own authority, and hearing of the approach of the Celts, armed all those of military age.
§14.114.2ἐξελθόντες δὲ πανδημεὶ καὶ διαβάντες τὸν Τίβεριν παρὰ τὸν ποταμὸν ἤγαγον τὴν δύναμιν σταδίους ὀγδοήκοντα, καὶ τῶν Γαλατῶν ἀπαγγελλομένων προσιέναι διέταττον τὸ στρατόπεδον.
Marching out with all their forces and crossing the Tiber, they led their army eighty stades along the river, and when it was reported that the Gauls were approaching, they drew up their battle line.
§14.114.3τοὺς μὲν οὖν ἀνδρειοτάτους δισμυρίους καὶ τετρακισχιλίους ἀπὸ τοῦ ποταμοῦ μέχρι τῶν λόφων διέταξαν, ἐπὶ δὲ τῶν ὑψηλοτάτων λόφων τοὺς ἀσθενεστάτους ἔστησαν.
They stationed the most courageous, twenty-four thousand in number, from the river as far as the hills, and upon the highest hills they placed the weakest.
οἱ δὲ Κελτοί, μακρὰν τὴν φάλαγγα παρεκτείνοντες, εἴτε κατὰ τύχην εἴτε κατὰ πρόνοιαν τοὺς ἀρίστους ἔστησαν ἐπὶ τῶν λόφων.
But the Celts, extending their phalanx far out, whether by chance or by design, stationed their best men upon the hills.
§14.114.4ἅμα δʼ αἱ σάλπιγγες παρʼ ἀμφοτέροις ἐσήμαινον καὶ τὰ στρατόπεδα συνῄεσαν εἰς μάχην μετὰ πολλῆς κραυγῆς.
At the same time, the trumpets on both sides gave the signal and the armies joined battle with a great shout.
οἱ δʼ ἐπίλεκτοι τῶν Κελτῶν ἀντιτεταγμένοι τοῖς ἀσθενεστάτοις τῶν Ῥωμαίων ῥᾳδίως αὐτοὺς ἀπὸ τῶν λόφων ἐτρέψαντο.
And the elite of the Celts, who were drawn up against the weakest of the Romans, easily routed them from the hills.
§14.114.5διόπερ τούτων ἀθρόων φευγόντων πρὸς τοὺς ἐν τῷ πεδίῳ Ῥωμαίους, αἵ τε τάξεις ἐπεταράττοντο καὶ τῶν Κελτῶν ἐπικειμένων καταπλαγέντες ἔφευγον.
Consequently, as these fled in a body toward the Romans on the plain, the ranks were thrown into confusion, and since the Celts were pressing upon them, they fled in panic.
τῶν δὲ πλείστων παρὰ τὸν ποταμὸν ὁρμησάντων καὶ διὰ τὴν ταραχὴν ἀλλήλοις ἐμπιπτόντων, οὐχ ὑστέρουν οἱ Κελτοὶ τοὺς ἐσχάτους ἀεὶ φονεύοντες· διὸ καὶ τὸ πεδίον ἅπαν νεκρῶν κατεστρώθη.
While the majority rushed toward the river and fell upon one another because of the confusion, the Celts were not slow to slaughter those who were always at the rear; wherefore the entire plain was covered with corpses.
§14.114.6τῶν δὲ φευγόντων ἐπὶ τὸν ποταμὸν οἱ μὲν ἀνδρειότατοι μετὰ τῶν ὅπλων διενήχοντο, τὴν πανοπλίαν ἐν ἴσῳ καὶ τὴν ψυχὴν προτιμῶντες·
Of those who fled toward the river, the most courageous swam across with their arms, valuing their armor as much as their lives.
σφοδροῦ δὲ τοῦ ῥεύματος ὄντος, τινὲς μὲν ὑπὸ τοῦ βάρους τῶν ὅπλων καταδυόμενοι διεφθείροντο, τινὲς δὲ μετὰ πολλῆς κακοπαθείας ἐφʼ ἱκανὸν διάστημα παρενεχθέντες μόγις ἐσώθησαν.
But since the current was swift, some were swept under by the weight of their arms and perished, while others, after being carried downstream for a considerable distance with great distress, barely escaped.
§14.114.7ἐπικειμένων δὲ τῶν πολεμίων καὶ παρὰ τὸν ποταμὸν πολλοὺς ἀναιρούντων, οἱ πλεῖστοι τῶν ὑπολειπομένων ῥιπτοῦντες τὰ ὅπλα διενήχοντο τὸν Τίβεριν.
As the enemy pressed upon them and slew many along the river, the majority of those who remained threw away their arms and swam across the Tiber.

Notes

  1. §14.114.1ἐφʼ ᾗ — The relative pronoun ᾗ is feminine singular, referring to the preceding 'answer of the Romans' (τὴν τῶν Ῥωμαίων ἀπόκρισιν). The preposition ἐπί here functions to express the cause or ground ('on account of which' or 'at which').
  2. §14.114.1ἐπὶ τῆς ἰδίας ἐξουσίας ὄντες — 'Being in possession of their own authority' indicates that the military tribunes (χιλίαρχοι) were elected with consular power in place of consuls for that year, and were exercising the supreme command (imperium) in their own right.
  3. §14.114.2τῶν Γαλατῶν ἀπαγγελλομένων προσιέναι — This is a genitive absolute construction, in which the infinitive προσιέναι depends on the passive present participle ἀπαγγελλομένων. It expresses the attendant circumstance (or time): 'while it was being reported that the Gauls were approaching.'
  4. §14.114.6τὴν πανοπλίαν ἐν ἴσῳ καὶ τὴν ψυχὴν προτιμῶντες — Meaning 'valuing their armor (the full heavy infantry equipment) equally as their soul (life).' The phrase ἐν ἴσῳ καί denotes equal comparison ('in the same way as'). It reflects the classical Greek and Roman value where abandoning one's armor in battle was a great dishonor, thus equated with life itself.

Cite this passage

Diodorus Siculus, Bibliotheca Historica §14.114.1-14.114.7. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0060.tlg001.humanitext-grc4:14.114.1-14.114.7

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