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Dionysius of Halicarnassus · Roman Antiquities §3.37.1-3.37.4

Capture of Politorium and Relocation of Its People

Passage 208 of 962 · Greek

Summary

Ancus Marcius hoped for a peaceful reign but was forced into war by Latin incursions. When negotiations failed, he besieged and captured Politorium, treating its inhabitants leniently and relocating them to Rome.

§3.37.1ταῦτα καθιστάμενος τὰ πολιτεύματα καὶ παντὸς μάλιστα ἐλπίσας ἄνευ πολέμου καὶ κακῶν ἅπαντα τὸν βίον διατελέσειν, ὥσπερ ὁ μητροπάτωρ, οὐκ ἔσχεν ὁμοίαν τῇ προαιρέσει τὴν τύχην, ἀλλὰ παρὰ τὴν ἑαυτοῦ γνώμην πολεμιστὴς ἠναγκάσθη γενέσθαι καὶ μηδένα χρόνον ἄνευ κινδύνου καὶ ταραχῆς βιῶσαι.
While establishing these political measures and hoping above all to pass his whole life without war and troubles, just like his maternal grandfather, he did not find a fortune matching his intention, but contrary to his own mind was forced to become a warrior and to live not a single moment without danger and turmoil.
§3.37.2εὐθὺς γὰρ ἅμα τῷ παρελθεῖν αὐτὸν ἐπὶ τὴν ἡγεμονίαν καὶ τὴν ἀπράγμονα καθίστασθαι πολιτείαν καταφρονήσαντες αὐτοῦ Λατῖνοι καὶ νομίσαντες διʼ ἀνανδρίαν οὐχ ἱκανὸν εἶναι πολέμους στρατηγεῖν, λῃστήρια διέπεμπον εἰς τὴν ὁμοροῦσαν αὐτοῖς ἕκαστοι χώραν, ὑφʼ ὧν πολλοὶ Ῥωμαίων ἐβλάπτοντο.
For as soon as he had succeeded to the leadership and the peaceful government was being established, the Latins, despising him and thinking that because of cowardice he was not capable of commanding in war, sent out raiding parties, each into the territory bordering upon them, by which many of the Romans were injured.
§3.37.3ἀφικομένων δὲ παρὰ τοῦ βασιλέως πρεσβευτῶν καὶ τὰ δίκαια Ῥωμαίοις ἀξιούντων ὑπέχειν κατὰ τὰς συνθήκας, οὔτε γινώσκειν ἐσκήπτοντο τῶν περὶ τὰ λῃστήρια κατηγορουμένων οὐδὲν ὡς οὐ μετὰ κοινῆς γνώμης γεγονότων οὔτε ὑπόδικοι γενέσθαι Ῥωμαίοις περὶ οὐθενὸς πράγματος· οὐδὲ γὰρ πρὸς ἐκείνους ποιήσασθαι τὰς συνθήκας, ἀλλὰ πρὸς Τύλλον, τελευτήσαντος δὲ τοῦ Τύλλου λελύσθαι σφίσι τὰς περὶ τῆς εἰρήνης ὁμολογίας.
And when ambassadors arrived from the king and demanded that they submit to justice for the Romans according to the treaty, they pretended to know nothing of the charges concerning the raids, as if they had not been done by common consent, and refused to submit to trial before the Romans on any matter; for they said that they had not made the treaty with them, but with Tullus, and that upon the death of Tullus their agreements concerning peace had been dissolved.
§3.37.4ἀναγκασθεὶς δὴ διὰ ταύτας τὰς αἰτίας καὶ ἀποκρίσεις τῶν Λατίνων ὁ Μάρκιος ἐξάγει στρατιὰν ἐπʼ αὐτοὺς καὶ προσκαθεζόμενος τῇ πόλει αὐτῶν Πολιτωρίῳ, πρὶν ἐπικουρίαν τινὰ τοῖς πολιορκουμένοις ἐκ τῶν ἄλλων ἀφικέσθαι Λατίνων, παραλαμβάνει τὴν πόλιν καθʼ ὁμολογίας·
Compelled, therefore, by these reasons and the responses of the Latins, Marcius led out an army against them, and laying siege to their city Politorium, before any assistance could arrive for the besieged from the other Latins, he took the city by capitulation.
οὐ μέντοι διέθηκε τοὺς ἀνθρώπους δεινὸν οὐθέν, ἀλλʼ ἔχοντας τὰ σφέτερα πανδημεὶ μετήγαγεν εἰς Ῥώμην καὶ κατένειμεν εἰς φυλάς.
He did not, however, treat the people with any severity, but having them bring their own possessions, he transferred them in a body to Rome and distributed them among the tribes.

Notes

  1. 3.37.1παντὸς μάλιστα — An idiomatic adverbial expression meaning "above all" or "most of all", containing the genitive of comparison (παντός) to indicate that this hope was preferred over everything else.
  2. 3.37.2νομίσαντες διʼ ἀνανδρίαν οὐχ ἱκανὸν εἶναι πολέμους στρατηγεῖν — An accusative with infinitive construction introduced by νομίσαντες, where the subject accusative αὐτόν (referring to Ancus Marcius) is omitted. The infinitive στρατηγεῖν limits or qualifies the adjective ἱκανόν (specification or epexegetic infinitive).
  3. 3.37.3ὡς οὐ μετὰ κοινῆς γνώμης γεγονότων — A genitive absolute construction accompanied by the conjunction ὡς (indicating a subjective reason or pretext). The participle γεγονότων (neuter plural) takes the preceding τῶν κατηγορουμένων (the accused acts of plunder) as its logical subject.
  4. 3.37.3οὐδὲ γὰρ πρὸς ἐκείνους ποιήσασθαι τὰς συνθήκας — An accusative with infinitive construction in indirect discourse. It conveys the defense of the Latins, with the infinitive ποιήσασθαι depending on an implied verb of saying or claiming, or continuing the influence of ἐσκήπτοντο. The pronoun ἐκείνους refers to the current Romans.
  5. 3.37.4πρὶν ἐπικουρίαν τινὰ τοῖς πολιορκουμένοις ἐκ τῶν ἄλλων ἀφικέσθαι Λατίνων — An infinitive construction introduced by the conjunction πρὶν. Since the main clause is affirmative (παραλαμβάνει), πρὶν is followed by an infinitive (ἀφικέσθαι) with its subject in the accusative (ἐπικουρίαν τινά), rather than a subjunctive or optative.

Cite this passage

Dionysius of Halicarnassus, Roman Antiquities §3.37.1-3.37.4. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0081.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:3.37.1-3.37.4

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