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Dionysius of Halicarnassus · Roman Antiquities §3.42.1-3.42.4

Defeat of the Sabine Invaders and End of Marcius's Wars

Passage 213 of 962 · Greek

Summary

A tribe of Sabines, envying Rome's prosperity, launched an invasion, but King Marcius promptly marched out, utterly defeated them, and captured their camp. This concludes the account of Marcius's military achievements, and the author proceeds to his civil acts.

§3.42.1ἐκ δὲ τοῦ Σαβίνων ἔθνους αὖθις ἕτεροί τινες τῆς Ῥωμαίων οὔπω πεπειραμένοι δυνάμεως, πόλιν οἰκοῦντες εὐδαίμονα καὶ μεγάλην, ἐγκαλεῖν μὲν αὐτοῖς οὐδὲν ἔχοντες, φθονεῖν δὲ ταῖς εὐτυχίαις ἀναγκαζόμενοι μείζοσιν ἢ κατὰ λόγον γινομέναις, ἄνθρωποι δεινοὶ τὰ πολέμια τὸ μὲν πρῶτον ἀπὸ λῃστηρίων καὶ καταδρομῆς ἀγρῶν ὀλίγοι συνελθόντες ἤρξαντο, ἔπειτα δελεαζόμενοι ταῖς ὠφελείαις φανερὰν ποιοῦνται στρατείαν ἐπʼ αὐτοὺς καὶ τῆς ὁμόρου πολλὴν λεηλατοῦντες ἐκάκωσαν ἰσχυρῶς.
On the other hand, from the nation of the Sabines, certain others, who had not yet experienced the power of the Romans, dwelling in a wealthy and large city, having no charge to bring against them, but being compelled to envy their prosperity, which was becoming greater than reasonable, men skilled in warfare, at first, coming together in small numbers, began with robberies and incursions into the fields, then, enticed by the gains, they made an open campaign against them and, by plundering much of the neighboring territory, they severely harassed it.
§3.42.2οὐ μὴν ἐξεγένετό γε αὐτοῖς οὔτε τὰς ὠφελείας ἀπἄγειν οὔτʼ αὐτοῖς ἀθώοις ἀπελθεῖν, ἀλλʼ ἐκβοηθήσας κατὰ σπουδὴν ὁ τῶν Ῥωμαίων βασιλεὺς καὶ πλησίον τῆς ἐκείνων παρεμβολῆς θέμενος τὸν χάρακα προελθεῖν §3.42.3αὐτοὺς ἠνάγκασεν εἰς μάχην.
However, it was not granted to them either to carry away the booty or to escape unpunished themselves, but the king of the Romans, having hastened to the rescue and having pitched his camp near theirs, forced them to come forth into battle.
ἐγένετο μὲν οὖν μέγας ἀγὼν καὶ πολλοὶ παρʼ ἀμφοτέρων ἔπεσον, ἐκράτησαν δὲ Ῥωμαῖοι κατὰ τὸ ἔμπειρόν τε καὶ φιλόπονον, ὧν ἐθάδες ἦσαν ἐκ πλείστου, καὶ περιεγένοντο παρὰ πολὺ τῶν Σαβίνων τοῖς τε φεύγουσιν αὐτῶν ἐπὶ τὸν χάρακα σποράσι καὶ ἀσυντάκτοις ἐκποδὸς ἑπόμενοι πολὺν ἐποίουν φόνον.
Thus a great battle took place and many fell on both sides, but the Romans prevailed through their experience and readiness to endure hardship, in which they had been long accustomed, and proved far superior to the Sabines, making a great slaughter by closely pursuing those of them who fled in a scattered and disordered manner toward their camp.
§3.42.4κρατήσαντες δὲ καὶ τῆς παρεμβολῆς αὐτῶν παντοδαπῶν χρημάτων γεμούσης καὶ τοὺς αἰχμαλώτους, οὓς ἔλαβον οἱ Σαβῖνοι κατὰ τὰς προνομάς, ἀπολαβόντες ἀπῄεσαν ἐπʼ οἴκου.
And having also captured their camp, which was full of all kinds of riches, and having recovered the captives whom the Sabines had taken during their foraging, they returned home.
αἱ μὲν δὴ πολεμικαὶ πράξεις τοῦδε τοῦ βασιλέως αἱ μνήμης καὶ λόγου παρὰ Ῥωμαίοις τυγχάνουσαι τοιαίδε τινὲς λέγονται γενέσθαι· πολιτικαὶ δὲ ἃς ἔρχομαι λέξων.
Such, indeed, are said to have been the military deeds of this king which meet with memory and mention among the Romans; and his civil acts are those which I am now going to relate.

Notes

  1. 3.42.1ἄνθρωποι δεινοὶ τὰ πολέμια — This noun phrase is in apposition to the subject ἕτεροί τινες. The structure is complex, as several participle clauses (πεπειραμένοι, οἰκοῦντες, ἔχοντες, ἀναγκαζόμενοι) are inserted before the main verb ἤρξαντο. τὰ πολέμια is an accusative of respect ('with respect to war').
  2. 3.42.2οὐ μὴν ἐξεγένετό γε αὐτοῖς οὔτε... οὔτʼ αὐτοῖς ἀθώοις ἀπελθεῖν — The impersonal verb ἐξεγένετο ('it was granted/possible for...') governs two infinitives (ἀπάγειν and ἀπελθεῖν) joined by οὔτε... οὔτε... The adjective ἀθώοις ('unpunished/unhurt'), which functions as the subject predicate of the second infinitive, agrees in case with the dative pronoun αὐτοῖς.
  3. 3.42.3ὧν... ἐθάδες ἦσαν — The antecedent of the relative pronoun ὧν consists of two neuter singular abstract nouns (τὸ ἔμπειρον, τὸ φιλόπονον), hence the relative pronoun is in the neuter plural genitive. The genitive is governed by the adjective ἐθάδες ('accustomed to').

Cite this passage

Dionysius of Halicarnassus, Roman Antiquities §3.42.1-3.42.4. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0081.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:3.42.1-3.42.4

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