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Dionysius of Halicarnassus · Roman Antiquities §3.58.1-3.58.4

Victory over Caere and the Recapture of Fidenae

Passage 229 of 962 · Greek

Summary

King Tarquinius, after thoroughly devastating the territory of the Veientes, marches against Caere, winning a victory and capturing vast booty. He then takes the rebellious city of Fidenae by storm, severely punishing the ringleaders and establishing Roman garrisons and colonists there.

§3.58.1Οὐιεντανοὶ μὲν οὖν ἐξ ἐκείνης τῆς μάχης μεγάλως κακωθέντες οὐκέτι προῄεσαν ἐκ τῆς πόλεως, ἀλλʼ ἠνείχοντο κειρομένην τὴν χώραν ὁρῶντες.
The Veientes, therefore, having been greatly damaged by that battle, no longer came out of the city, but endured seeing their land being ravaged.
βασιλεὺς δὲ Ταρκύνιος τρισὶν εἰσβολαῖς χρησάμενος καὶ τριετῆ χρόνον ἀποστερήσας τοὺς Οὐιεντανοὺς τῶν ἐκ τῆς σφετέρας γῆς ἐπικαρπιῶν, ὡς ἔρημον ἐποίησε τὴν πλείστην καὶ οὐδὲν ἔτι βλάπτειν αὐτὴν εἶχεν, ἐπὶ τὴν Καιρητανῶν πόλιν ἦγε τὴν δύναμιν, ἣ πρότερον μὲν Ἄγυλλα ἐκαλεῖτο Πελασγῶν αὐτὴν κατοικούντων, ὑπὸ δὲ Τυρρηνοῖς γενομένη Καίρητα μετωνομάσθη, εὐδαίμων δʼ ἦν εἰ καί τις ἄλλη τῶν ἐν Τυρρηνίᾳ πόλεων καὶ πολυάνθρωπος· §3.58.2ἐξ ἧς στρατιὰ μεγάλη μαχησομένη περὶ τῆς χώρας ἐξῆλθε καὶ πολλοὺς μὲν διαφθείρασα τῶν πολεμίων, πολλῷ δʼ ἔτι πλείους ἀποβαλοῦσα τῶν σφετέρων, εἰς τὴν πόλιν κατέφυγε.
But King Tarquinius, having made three invasions and having for a period of three years deprived the Veientes of the fruits of their own land, when he had made most of it desolate and had nothing further to damage in it, led his army against the city of the Caeretans, which was formerly called Agylla when the Pelasgians inhabited it, but when it came under the power of the Tyrrhenians was renamed Caere, and was as prosperous and populous as any other city in Tyrrhenia; from which a large army came out to fight for their territory, and having destroyed many of the enemy, but having lost far more of their own men, fled back into the city.
τῆς δὲ χώρας αὐτῶν οἱ Ῥωμαῖοι κρατοῦντες ἄφθονα πάντα παρεχομένης συχνὰς διέτριψαν ἡμέρας, καὶ ἐπειδὴ καιρὸς ἀπάρσεως ἦν, ἄγοντες ὅσας οἷοί τε ἦσαν ὠφελείας ἀπῄεσαν ἐπʼ οἴκου.
The Romans, being masters of their territory which provided all things in abundance, spent several days there, and when it was time to depart, they went back home, carrying off as much booty as they were able.
§3.58.3Ταρκύνιος δʼ ἐπειδὴ τὰ πρὸς Οὐιεντανοὺς ἐχώρησεν αὐτῷ κατὰ νοῦν, ἐπὶ τοὺς ἐν Φιδήνῃ πολεμίους ἐξάγει τὴν στρατιὰν ἐκβαλεῖν τε βουλόμενος τὴν ἐν αὐτῇ φρουρὰν καὶ τοὺς παραδόντας τοῖς Τυρρηνοῖς τὰ τείχη τιμωρήσασθαι προθυμούμενος.
But Tarquinius, when his affairs against the Veientes had succeeded according to his mind, led his army against the enemy in Fidenae, wishing both to expel the garrison in it and being eager to punish those who had delivered the walls to the Tyrrhenians.
ἐγένετο μὲν οὖν καὶ ἐκ παρατάξεως μάχη τοῖς Ῥωμαίοις πρὸς τοὺς ἐκ τῆς πόλεως ἐξελθόντας καὶ ἐν ταῖς τειχομαχίαις ἀγὼν καρτερός.
Accordingly, there took place both a battle in regular formation between the Romans and those who came out of the city, and a fierce struggle in the assaults on the walls.
§3.58.4ἑάλω δʼ οὖν ἡ πόλις κατὰ κράτος, καὶ οἱ μὲν φρουροὶ δεθέντες ἅμα τοῖς ἄλλοις τῶν Τυρρηνῶν αἰχμαλώτοις ἦσαν ἐν φυλακῇ, Φιδηναίων δὲ οἱ δοκοῦντες αἴτιοι γεγονέναι τῆς ἀποστάσεως οἱ μὲν ὑπὸ μαστίγων αἰκισθέντες ἐν τῷ φανερῷ τοὺς αὐχένας ἀπεκόπησαν, οἱ δὲ φυγαῖς ἐζημιώθησαν ἀιδίοις· τὰς δὲ οὐσίας αὐτῶν διέλαχον οἱ καταλειφθέντες Ῥωμαίων ἔποικοί τε καὶ φρουροὶ τῆς πόλεως.
But at any rate, the city was taken by storm; and the garrison, being bound, was kept in custody together with the other Tyrrhenian prisoners, and of the Fidenates, those who were thought to have been the authors of the revolt, some, having been scourged in public, were beheaded, and others were punished with perpetual banishment; while their property was divided by lot among the colonists and guards of the Romans who were left in the city.

Notes

  1. 3.58.1κειρομένην τὴν χώραν ὁρῶντες — The present passive participle `κειρομένην` is used predicatively as a supplementary participle depending on the participle of perception `ὁρῶντες` (from `ὁράω`), meaning 'seeing their land being ravaged.'
  2. 564εἰ καί τις ἄλλη — An idiomatic phrase (more commonly ordered as `εἴ τις καὶ ἄλλη`) meaning 'as... as any other' or 'more than any other,' which functions as a superlative equivalent through a conditional clause structure.
  3. p.v.1p.380τὰ πρὸς Οὐιεντανοὺς ἐχώρησεν αὐτῷ κατὰ νοῦν — The subject is the neuter plural `τὰ πρὸς Οὐιεντανοὺς` ('the affairs concerning the Veientes'), and `αὐτῷ` is a dative of reference referring to Tarquinius. The phrase `χωρέω κατὰ νοῦν` is an idiom meaning 'to turn out according to one's mind or wishes.'
  4. 3.58.4Φιδηναίων δὲ οἱ δοκοῦντες αἴτιοι γεγονέναι τῆς ἀποστάσεως οἱ μὲν ... οἱ δὲ ... — The phrase starts with `οἱ δοκοῦντες...` as the general subject, which then splits into the partitive subjects `οἱ μὲν ... οἱ δὲ ...` in a partitive apposition (or anacoluthon). The genitive `Φιδηναίων` is a partitive genitive qualifying `οἱ δοκοῦντες`.

Cite this passage

Dionysius of Halicarnassus, Roman Antiquities §3.58.1-3.58.4. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0081.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:3.58.1-3.58.4

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