Humanitext Reader

Dionysius of Halicarnassus · Roman Antiquities §3.52.1-3.52.4

Invasion of the Latins and Battle with the Romans

Passage 223 of 962 · Greek

Summary

The Latins and Sabines invade Roman territory, and the Roman king decides to confront the Latin army. Although both sides fight to a draw in a fierce battle, the next day's posture reveals the Romans' superiority.

§3.52.1ταύταις ἐπαρθέντες ταῖς ἐλπίσιν οἱ Λατῖνοι παρασκευασάμενοι δύναμιν οἰκείαν συχνὴν καὶ τὴν παρὰ Τυρρηνῶν προσλαβόντες εἰς τὴν Ῥωμαίων γῆν ἐνέβαλον, καὶ κατὰ τὸν αὐτὸν χρόνον ἐκ τοῦ Σαβίνων ἔθνους αἱ τοῦ πολέμου κοινωνήσειν αὐτοῖς ὑποσχόμεναι πόλεις τὴν προσόμουρον κυροῦσαν αὐταῖς χώραν ἐδῄουν.
Elated by these hopes, the Latins, having prepared a considerable force of their own and joined to it that which came from the Tyrrhenians, invaded the territory of the Romans; and at the same time, those cities of the Sabine nation which had promised to share the war with them began to lay waste the territory adjacent to and bordering on their own.
ὁ δὲ τῶν Ῥωμαίων βασιλεὺς παρασκευασάμενος καὶ αὐτὸς ἐν τῷ μεταξὺ χρόνῳ πολλὴν καὶ ἀγαθὴν δύναμιν ἐξῆγεν ἐπὶ τοὺς πολεμίους διὰ §3.52.2ταχέων.
Meanwhile, the Roman king, having himself also in the interval prepared a large and excellent force, led it out against the enemy with speed.
Σαβίνοις μὲν οὖν ἅμα καὶ Λατίνοις πολεμεῖν καὶ διαιρεῖν εἰς δύο μέρη τὴν δύναμιν οὐκ ἀσφαλὲς ὑπέλαβεν εἶναι, ἅπασαν δὲ τὴν στρατιὰν ἐπὶ Λατίνους ἄγειν ἐβουλεύσατο καὶ τίθεται πλησίον αὐτῶν τὸν χάρακα.
He did not think it safe, indeed, to fight with both the Sabines and the Latins at once and to divide his force into two parts; but he resolved to lead his whole army against the Latins and pitched his camp near them.
κατʼ ἀρχὰς μὲν οὖν ὀκνηρῶς εἶχον ἑκάτεροι πάσαις ἀποκινδυνεῦσαι ταῖς δυνάμεσι δεδιότες τὰς ἀλλήλων παρασκευάς, ἀκροβολισμοὺς δὲ κατιόντες ἐκ τῶν ἐρυμάτων οἱ ψιλοὶ παρʼ ἑκατέρων συνεχεῖς ἐποιοῦντο καὶ ἦσαν ὡς τὰ πολλὰ ἰσόμαχοι·
At first, then, both sides were reluctant to risk everything with their entire forces, fearing each other's preparations, but the light-armed troops on each side, coming down from their ramparts, engaged in constant skirmishes and for the most part fought on equal terms.
§3.52.3χρόνῳ δʼ ὕστερον ἐμπεσούσης ἀμφοτέροις ἐκ τῶν τοιούτων ἁψιμαχιῶν φιλονεικίας ἐπιβοηθοῦντες ἑκάτεροι τοῖς σφετέροις, ὀλίγοι μὲν τὸ πρῶτον, ἔπειτα σύμπαντες ἠναγκάσθησαν ἐκ τῶν στρατοπέδων προελθεῖν.
But some time later, when a rivalry arose between both sides from such skirmishes, and each side came to the aid of their own men, at first a few, and then all were forced to advance from their camps.
καὶ καταστάντες εἰς μάχην ἄνδρες οὔτε πολεμικῶν ἀγώνων ἀτριβεῖς οὔτε πλήθει πολὺ ἀποδέοντες ἀλλήλων πεζοί τε καὶ ἱππεῖς προθυμίᾳ τε ὡρμημένοι πρὸς τὸν πόλεμον ὁμοίᾳ καὶ κινδύνων τὸν ἔσχατον ἀναρριπτεῖν νομίσαντες ἠγωνίσαντο μὲν ἀμφότεροι λόγου ἀξίως, διεκρίθησαν δὲ ἀπʼ ἀλλήλων ἰσόμαχοι νυκτὸς ἐπιλαβούσης.
And having drawn up for battle—men who were neither unpracticed in warlike contests nor far inferior to each other in numbers, both infantry and cavalry, and who rushed to the war with equal eagerness, and believed they were running the ultimate risk—they both fought in a manner worthy of praise, but separated from each other on equal terms when night came on.
§3.52.4ἡ μέντοι μετὰ τὸν ἀγῶνα διάνοια ἑκατέρων οὐχ ὁμοία γενομένη φανεροὺς ἐποίησε τοὺς κρεῖττον ἀγωνισαμένους τῶν ἑτέρων· τῇ γὰρ ἑξῆς ἡμέρᾳ Λατῖνοι μὲν οὐκέτι προῄεσαν ἐκ τοῦ χάρακος, ὅ δὲ τῶν Ῥωμαίων βασιλεὺς ἐξαγαγὼν τὰς δυνάμεις εἰς τὸ πεδίον ἕτοιμος ἦν ἑτέραν ποιεῖσθαι μάχην καὶ μέχρι πολλοῦ κατέσχεν ἐν τάξει τὴν φάλαγγα.
However, their state of mind after the battle, being unlike in each, made clear those who had fought better than the other; for on the following day the Latins did not advance any more from their camp, but the Roman king, leading out his forces into the plain, was ready to fight another battle and held his phalanx in order for a long time.
ὡς δʼ οὐκ ἀντεπεξῄεσαν οἱ πολέμιοι, σκυλεύσας αὐτῶν τοὺς νεκροὺς καὶ τοὺς ἰδίους ἀνελόμενος σὺν πολλῷ αὐχήματι ἀπῆγε τὴν στρατιὰν ἐπὶ τὸν ἑαυτοῦ χάρακα.
When the enemy did not come out to meet him, he stripped their dead, took up his own, and led his army back to his own camp with great pride.

Notes

  1. 3.52.1αἱ τοῦ πολέμου κοινωνήσειν αὐτοῖς ὑποσχόμεναι πόλεις — The subject of the future infinitive κοινωνήσειν is omitted because it is identical to that of the governing participle ὑποσχόμεναι (the Sabine cities). Although κοινωνέω often takes a genitive, here it takes the dative αὐτοῖς in the sense of 'to share or participate with someone.'
  2. 3.52.3καταστάντες εἰς μάχην ἄνδρες ... ἠγωνίσαντο — The main subject ἄνδρες (with its appositives πεζοί τε καὶ ἱππεῖς) is widely separated from the main verb ἠγωνίσαντο by two negative clauses (οὔτε... ἀτριβεῖς, οὔτε... ἀποδέοντες) and two circumstantial participles (ὡρμημένοι, νομίσαντες). The core structure is 'men, having drawn up for battle, fought in a praiseworthy manner.'
  3. 3.52.4φανεροὺς ἐποίησε τοὺς κρεῖττον ἀγωνισαμένους τῶν ἑτέρων — The object of φανεροὺς ἐποίησε (made clear) is the substantivized participle phrase τοὺς ... ἀγωνισαμένους (those who fought better). τῶν ἑτέρων is a genitive of comparison dependent on the comparative adverb κρεῖττον, meaning 'than the other.'

Cite this passage

Dionysius of Halicarnassus, Roman Antiquities §3.52.1-3.52.4. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0081.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:3.52.1-3.52.4

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.