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Dionysius of Halicarnassus · Roman Antiquities §1.42.1-1.42.4

Heracles' Conquest of Italy and Defeat of Cacus

Passage 42 of 962 · Greek

Summary

Heracles subdues the cities of Italy, defeats the savage Cacus, and establishes his great fame in Italy through strategic deeds, such as settling the populations displaced by his campaigns.

§1.42.1ἐπειδὴ δὲ τούτους καταστρεψάμενος τῶν παρόδων ἐκράτησεν, οἱ μέν τινες ἑκούσιοι παρεδίδοσαν αὐτῷ τὰς πόλεις, μάλιστα δὲ ὅσοι ἀπὸ τοῦ Ἑλληνικοῦ γένους ἦσαν ἢ δυνάμεις οὐκ εἶχον ἀξιοχρέους, οἱ δὲ πλείους ἐκ πολέμου καὶ πολιορκίας παρίσταντο.
When he had subdued these and gained control of the passes, some surrendered their cities to him voluntarily, especially those who were of the Greek race or did not possess adequate forces, but the majority submitted as a result of war and siege.
§1.42.2ἐν δὴ τούτοις τοῖς μάχῃ κρατηθεῖσι καὶ τὸν ὑπὸ Ῥωμαίων μυθολογούμενον Κάκον, δυνάστην τινὰ κομιδῇ βάρβαρον καὶ ἀνθρώπων ἀνημέρων ἄρχοντα, γενέσθαι φασὶν αὐτῷ διάφορον, ἐρυμνοῖς χωρίοις ἐπικαθήμενον καὶ διὰ ταῦτα τοῖς πλησιοχώροις ὄντα λυπηρόν.
Among those subdued in battle, they say that Cacus, who is legendary among the Romans, a ruler utterly barbarian and governing uncivilized men, became an enemy to him, occupying fortified places and because of this being troublesome to his neighbors.
ὃς ἐπειδὴ καταστρατοπεδεύσαντα τὸν Ἡρακλέα ἔμαθεν ἐν τῷ προσεχεῖ πεδίῳ, λῃστρικῶς διασκευασάμενος ἐπιδρομῇ αἰφνιδίῳ ἐχρήσατο κατακοιμωμένου τοῦ στρατοῦ καὶ τῆς λείας ὅσῃ ἐπέτυχεν ἀφυλάκτῳ §1.42.3περιβαλόμενος ἀπήλασεν.
When he learned that Heracles had encamped in the adjacent plain, having equipped himself in the manner of a robber, he made a sudden raid while the army was asleep, and securing as much of the unguarded booty as he happened upon, he drove it away.
ὕστερον δὲ κατακλεισθεὶς ὑπὸ τῶν Ἑλλήνων εἰς πολιορκίαν, τά τε φρούρια κατὰ κράτος ἁλόντʼ ἐπεῖδε καὶ αὐτὸς ἐν τοῖς ἐρύμασιν ἀνῃρέθη.
Later, having been shut up by the Greeks in a siege, he saw his fortresses taken by storm, and was himself slain in his strongholds.
τῶν δὲ φρουρίων αὐτοῦ κατασκαφέντων τὰ πέριξ χωρία οἱ συνεξελθόντες Ἡρακλεῖ κατὰ σφᾶς ἕτεροι παρέλαβον Ἀρκάδες τέ τινες οἱ σὺν Εὐάνδρῳ καὶ Φαῦνος ὁ τῶν Ἀβοριγίνων βασιλεύς.
When his fortresses were razed, other groups who had joined the expedition with Heracles received the surrounding territories for themselves: certain Arcadians with Evander, and Faunus, the king of the Aborigines.
εἰκάσειε δʼ ἄν τις καὶ τοὺς ὑπομείναντας αὐτόθι τῶν Ἑλλήνων Ἐπειοὺς καὶ τοὺς ἐκ Φενεοῦ Ἀρκάδας καὶ Τρῶας ἐπὶ §1.42.4φυλακῇ τῆς χώρας καταλειφθῆναι.
One might also conjecture that those of the Greeks who remained there, the Epeians, the Arcadians from Pheneus, and the Trojans, were left behind for the defense of the country.
στρατηγικὸν γὰρ δὴ καὶ τοῦτο τῶν Ἡρακλέους ἔργων καὶ οὐδενὸς ἧττον θαυμάζεσθαι ἐπιτήδειον, τὸ δὴ τοὺς ἀνασπάστους ἐκ τῶν κεκρατημένων πόλεων τέως μὲν ἐπάγεσθαι κατὰ τὰς στρατείας, ἐπεὶ δὲ προθύμως τοὺς πολέμους συνδιενέγκαιεν εἰς τὰ δορίκτητα κατοικίζειν καὶ τοῖς παρʼ ἑτέρων ἐπιχορηγηθεῖσι δωρεῖσθαι πλούτοις.
For this too was indeed a strategic achievement of Heracles, and worthy of being admired no less than any other: namely, to carry along with him on his campaigns for a time the populations displaced from the conquered cities, and, when they had eagerly helped him bear the burden of the wars, to settle them in the lands acquired by the spear and to enrich them with the wealth supplied by others.
διὰ μὲν δὴ ταῦτα μέγιστον ὄνομα καὶ κλέος Ἡρακλέους ἐν Ἰταλίᾳ γεγενῆσθαι, καὶ οὐ τῆς παρόδου χάριν, ᾗ σεμνὸν οὐδὲν προσῆν.
It was indeed for these reasons that the greatest name and glory of Heracles was established in Italy, and not for the sake of his passage through it, which possessed nothing majestic.

Notes

  1. 1.42.2γενέσθαι φασὶν αὐτῷ διάφορον — The dative αὐτῷ depends on the adjective διάφορον ("hostile" or "at variance with"), meaning "became hostile to him (Heracles)."
  2. 1.42.2τῆς λείας ὅσῃ ἐπέτυχεν ἀφυλάκτῳ — The relative pronoun ὅσῃ is in the dative case governed by the verb ἐπέτυχεν ("to happen upon, obtain"), while logically acting as the object of the middle participle περιβαλόμενος ("to secure, grasp for oneself"). The overall structure is equivalent to περιβαλόμενος τὴν λείαν, ὅσῃ ἀφυλάκτῳ ἐπέτυχεν (having secured as much of the unguarded booty as he happened upon).
  3. 1.42.4τὸ δὴ τοὺς ἀνασπάστους ... κατοικίζειν — The articular infinitive τὸ ... κατοικίζειν καὶ ... δωρεῖσθαι stands in apposition to the preceding demonstrative pronoun τοῦτο, explaining the specific content of Heracles' "strategic achievement" (στρατηγικόν ... τῶν Ἡρακλέους ἔργων).

Cite this passage

Dionysius of Halicarnassus, Roman Antiquities §1.42.1-1.42.4. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0081.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:1.42.1-1.42.4

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