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Dionysius of Halicarnassus · Roman Antiquities §12.8.1-12.8.3

Record Heavy Snowfall and Severe Winter in Rome

Passage 872 of 962 · Greek

Summary

Describes the damage caused by a record-breaking heavy snowfall and severe winter in Rome, as well as the unusual nature of this climate.

§12.8.1ἐν Ῥώμῃ χειμῶνος γενομένου βιαίου, ἔνθα ἡ ἐλαχίστη χιὼν κατενίφθη, οὐκ ἐλάττων ἦν ἑπτὰ ποδῶν τὸ βάθος.
When a severe winter occurred in Rome, where the snow, even where it was least, was no less than seven feet in depth.
καὶ συνέπεσεν ἀνθρώπους τε ὑπὸ τοῦ νιφετοῦ διαφθαρῆναί τινας καὶ πρόβατα πολλὰ καὶ τῶν ἄλλων κτηνῶν καὶ ὑποζυγίων μοῖραν οὐκ ὀλίγην, τὰ μὲν ὑπὸ τοῦ κρυμοῦ σφακελίσαντα, §12.8.2τὰ δὲ νομῆς τῆς συνήθους ἀπορίᾳ.
And it happened that some people perished under the snowfall, as did many sheep and no small part of the other cattle and beasts of burden, some dying from the cold, and others from the lack of their accustomed pasture.
δένδρων τε καρποφόρων, ὅσα μὴ πέφυκεν ὑπερβολὰς νιφετῶν ὑπομένειν, τὰ μὲν εἰς τέλος ἐξηράνθη, τὰ δὲ ἐπικαέντα τοὺς βλαστοὺς ἄκαρπα ἐπὶ πολλοὺς χρόνους ἐγένετο.
Also of the fruit-bearing trees, such as were not of a nature to endure excessive snowfalls, some were completely withered, while others, having their shoots blasted by the frost, remained fruitless for many years.
συνεχύθησάν τε καὶ τῶν οἰκιῶν συχναὶ καί τινες καὶ περιετράπησαν, μάλιστα δὲ ὅσαι ἐκ τῶν λίθων κατὰ §12.8.3τὴν διάλυσίν τε καὶ ἀπότηξιν τῆς χιόνος.
Many of the houses were ruined, and some were even overturned, especially those built of stone during the melting and dissolving of the snow.
τοῦτο τὸ πάθος οὔτε πρότερόν ποτε γενόμενον ἐν ἱστορίας γραφῇ περὶ ταῦτα τὰ χωρία παρειλήφαμεν οὔθʼ ὕστερον ἕως τοῦ καθʼ ἡμᾶς χρόνου, μετρίῳ γέ τινι βορειότερα τοῦ μέσου, κατὰ τὸν ὑπὲρ Ἀθηνῶν γραφόμενον δι’ Ἑλλησπόντου παράλληλον.
We have not received in historical writing that this calamity ever occurred before in these regions, nor afterwards down to our own time, which are indeed somewhat north of the middle, along the parallel drawn through the Hellespont above Athens.
τότε δὲ πρῶτον καὶ μόνον ἐξέβη τῆς εἰωθυίας κράσεως ἡ τοῦ περιέχοντος τήνδε τὴν γῆν φύσις.
But then for the first and only time did the nature of the atmosphere surrounding this land depart from its accustomed temperament.

Notes

  1. 12.8.1ἔνθα ἡ ἐλαχίστη χιὼν κατενίφθη, οὐκ ἐλάττων ἦν ἑπτὰ ποδῶν τὸ βάθος — The adjective ἐλάττων is in the feminine singular nominative, agreeing with the subject χιών within the relative clause. τὸ βάθος is an accusative of respect ('in depth'). The clause expresses that 'even where the snow was least, its depth was no less than seven feet.'
  2. 12.8.2ἐπικαέντα τοὺς βλαστοὺς — ἐπικαέντα is the second aorist passive participle, neuter plural, from ἐπικαίω ('to blast with frost' or 'burn'), agreeing with the subject implied (δένδρα or τὰ μὲν / τὰ δὲ). The accusative τοὺς βλαστοὺς is an accusative of respect ('with respect to their shoots'), meaning 'having their shoots blasted by frost.'
  3. 12.8.3τοῦτο τὸ πάθος οὔτε πρότερόν ποτε γενόμενον ... παρειλήφαμεν — The verb παρειλήφαμεν ('we have received' or 'heard by tradition') takes the supplementary participle γενόμενον to express the object of knowledge: 'we have not received [the tradition] that this calamity ever occurred before.'

Cite this passage

Dionysius of Halicarnassus, Roman Antiquities §12.8.1-12.8.3. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0081.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:12.8.1-12.8.3

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