Humanitext Reader

Dionysius of Halicarnassus · Roman Antiquities §3.40.1-3.40.5

Capture of Fidenae and Defeat of the Sabines

Passage 211 of 962 · Greek

Summary

Marcius captured Fidenae using the stratagem of digging underground passages beneath the walls, punished the ringleaders, and permitted plundering. He then made a surprise attack on the Sabines, who had broken their peace treaty, completely defeating them and granting them peace due to the ongoing Latin war.

§3.40.1μαθὼν δὲ τὴν διάνοιαν αὐτῶν ὁ Μάρκιος ὑπονόμους ὤρυττεν ἀπὸ τῆς ἰδίας παρεμβολῆς ἀρξάμενος ὑπὸ τὰ τείχη τῆς πόλεως, καὶ ἐπειδὴ τέλος εἶχεν ἤδη τὸ ἔργον, ἀναστήσας τὸν στρατὸν ἦγεν ἐπὶ τὴν πόλιν, μηχανάς τε πολλὰς καὶ κλίμακας καὶ τἆλλα πρὸς τειχομαχίαν κατεσκευασμένα ἐπαγόμενος, οὐ καθʼ ὃν αἱ διώρυγες ἐγίνοντο τοῦ τείχους τόπον, ἀλλὰ §3.40.2καθʼ ἕτερον.
Having learned of their intention, Marcius dug underground passages, beginning from his own camp and extending beneath the walls of the city. When the work was already completed, he moved his army and led it against the city, bringing many siege engines, ladders, and other things prepared for a siege—not against the place on the wall where the passages had been dug, but against another.
τῶν δὲ Φιδηναίων ἐπὶ τὰ πολιορκούμενα μέρη τῆς πόλεως συνδραμόντων ἀθρόων καὶ τὰς προσβολὰς γενναίως ἀποτριβομένων ἀναστομώσαντες τὰ πέρατα τῶν ὑπονόμων οἱ ταχθέντες ἐπὶ τούτῳ Ῥωμαῖοι ἐντὸς ἐγεγόνεσαν τοῦ περιβόλου καὶ τοὺς ὁμόσε χωροῦντας διαφθείραντες ἀνοίγουσι τοῖς πολιορκοῦσι τὰς πύλας.
While the Fidenates rushed in a crowd to the parts of the city that were being besieged and bravely repelled the attacks, the Romans who had been assigned to this task opened the ends of the underground passages and got inside the walls. Having killed those who encountered them, they opened the gates to the besiegers.
§3.40.3πολλῶν δʼ ἐν τῇ καταλήψει τῆς πόλεως ἀπολλυμένων τοὺς λοιποὺς τῶν Φιδηναίων ὅπλα τε παραδοῦναι κελεύσας ὁ Μάρκιος καὶ εἰς ἕνα τόπον τῆς πόλεως ἅπαντας προκηρύξας συνελθεῖν, ὀλίγους ἐξ αὐτῶν τοὺς αἰτίους τῆς ἀποστάσεως μάστιξιν αἰκισάμενος ἀπέκτεινεν, οἰκίας δʼ ἁπάντων διαρπάσαι τοῖς στρατιώταις ἐπιτρέψας καὶ φρουρὰν ἐν τῇ πόλει καταλιπὼν ἀξιόχρεων ἀπῆγε τὴν δύναμιν ἐπὶ Σαβίνους.
While many were being killed during the capture of the city, Marcius ordered the rest of the Fidenates to surrender their arms, and having proclaimed that they should all assemble in one place in the city, he scourged and executed a few of them who were responsible for the revolt. He then permitted his soldiers to plunder all their houses, and leaving a sufficient garrison in the city, he led his force away against the Sabines.
§3.40.4οὐδὲ γὰρ ἐκεῖνοι διέμειναν ἐν ταῖς ὁμολογίαις, αἷς ἐποιήσαντο περὶ τῆς εἰρήνης πρὸς βασιλέα Τύλλον, ἀλλʼ ἐμβαλόντες εἰς τὴν Ῥωμαίων γῆν ἐδῄουν αὖθις τὴν ὅμορον, μαθών τε ὁ Μάρκιος παρά τε κατασκόπων καὶ αὐτομόλων τον καιρὸν τῆς ἐπιχειρήσεως ἐσκεδασμένων τῶν Σαβίνων καὶ λεηλατούντων τοὺς ἀγροὺς αὐτὸς μὲν ἅμα τοῖς πεζοῖς ἐπὶ τὸν χάρακα τῶν πολεμίων ἀφικόμενος ὀλίγην ἔχοντα φυλακὴν καταλαμβάνει τὸ ἔρυμα ἐξ ἐφόδου, Ταρκύνιον δὲ τοὺς ἱππεῖς ἄγοντα ἐπὶ τοὺς ἐν προνομαῖς ἐσκεδασμένους ἐπείγεσθαι ἐκέλευε.
For they too had not remained faithful to the agreements they had made concerning peace with King Tullus, but invading the territory of the Romans, they were again ravaging the bordering country. Having learned from scouts and deserters of the opportune time for an attack while the Sabines were scattered and plundering the fields, Marcius himself arrived with the infantry at the enemy's camp and captured the fortification by assault, as it had only a small guard, while he ordered Tarquinius, who was leading the cavalry, to hasten against those scattered in foraging.
§3.40.5μαθόντες δὲ οἱ Σαβῖνοι τὴν ἵππον τῶν Ῥωμαίων ἐπὶ σφᾶς ἐλαύνουσαν ἀφέντες τὴν λείαν καὶ τὰς ἄλλας ὠφελείας, ὅσας ἔφερόν τε καὶ ἦγον, ἔφευγον ἐπὶ τὸν χάρακα·
When the Sabines learned that the Roman cavalry was riding against them, they abandoned their booty and the other spoils that they were carrying and driving away, and fled toward their camp.
ὡς δὲ κἀκεῖνον ἔγνωσαν κατεχόμενον ὑπὸ τῶν πεζῶν, ἀποροῦντες ὅποι τράποιντο συνέτειναν εἰς ὕλας τε καὶ ὄρη.
But when they found that this too was occupied by the infantry, they were at a loss as to where to turn and rushed into the woods and mountains.
διωκόμενοι δὲ ὑπὸ τῶν ψιλῶν καὶ τῶν ἱππέων ὀλίγοι μέν τινες ἐσώθησαν, οἱ δὲ πλείους διεφθάρησαν.
Pursued by the light-armed troops and the horsemen, only a few escaped, while the majority were destroyed.
καὶ μετὰ τὴν συμφορὰν ταύτην πρεσβευσάμενοι πάλιν εἰς Ῥώμην εἰρήνης τυγχάνουσιν οἵας ἐβούλοντο.
After this disaster, they sent embassies again to Rome and obtained such peace as they desired.
ἔτι γὰρ ὁ πρὸς τὰς Λατίνων πόλεις συνεστηκὼς τοῖς Ῥωμαίοις πόλεμος ἀναγκαίας ἐποίει τὰς πρὸς τοὺς ἄλλους ἐχθροὺς ἀνοχάς τε καὶ διαλύσεις.
For the war which was still ongoing for the Romans against the Latin cities made truces and settlements with other enemies necessary.

Notes

  1. 3.40.1ἀρξάμενος — The participle ἀρξάμενος (second aorist middle participle of ἄρχομαι, "to begin"), combined with the prepositional phrase ἀπὸ τῆς ἰδίας παρεμβολῆς, is used adverbially to mean "beginning from his own camp." This is an idiomatic use of the participle to denote a starting point.
  2. 3.40.4μαθών... τον καιρὸν τῆς ἐπιχειρήσεως ἐσκεδασμένων τῶν Σαβίνων — The direct object of the participle μαθών (aorist participle of μανθάνω, "to learn") is τὸν καιρὸν τῆς ἐπιχειρήσεως ("the opportune time for an attack"). Meanwhile, ἐσκεδασμένων τῶν Σαβίνων καὶ λεηλατούντων τοὺς ἀγροὺς is a genitive absolute construction explaining the circumstances under which this opportunity arose ("with the Sabines being scattered and plundering the fields").
  3. 3.40.5ἔφερόν τε καὶ ἦγον — The combination ἄγειν καὶ φέρειν (literally "to drive and to carry") is a traditional double expression (hendiadys) in Classical Greek meaning "to plunder" or "to ravage" (where ἄγω refers to living things like cattle and φέρω to inanimate goods). Here, it refers to the spoils that the Sabines were plundering.
  4. 3.40.5ὅποι τράποιντο — This is an indirect question clause introduced by the conjunction ὅποι ("whither"). Because it depends on a past historical tense (the participle ἀποροῦντες), the optative mood τράποιντο (third-person plural second aorist middle optative of τρέπω, "to turn") is used. It represents a dubitative subjunctive in the original direct question ("whither should we turn?") shifted to the optative in a past context.

Cite this passage

Dionysius of Halicarnassus, Roman Antiquities §3.40.1-3.40.5. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0081.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:3.40.1-3.40.5

Please note the AI-draft status of the translation and the date accessed.

Translation, notes and summary are AI-generated drafts, revised through reader feedback.