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Dionysius of Halicarnassus · Roman Antiquities §5.16.1-5.16.3

Voice of Faunus and Valerius's Night Attack

Passage 345 of 962 · Greek

Summary

After a fierce battle, both sides withdraw in discouragement due to heavy losses, but the Romans are inspired by a divine voice from the forest attributed to Faunus, leading Valerius to launch a successful night attack on the Etruscan camp.

§5.16.1ἤδη δὲ περὶ καταφορὰν ὄντος ἡλίου πρὸς τοὺς ἑαυτῶν ἀνέστρεψαν ἑκάτεροι χάρακας, οὐ τοσοῦτον ἐπὶ τῇ νίκῃ χαίροντες, ὅσον ἐπὶ τῷ πλήθει τῶν ἀπολωλότων ἀχθόμενοι καί, εἰ δεήσειεν αὐτοῖς ἑτέρας μάχης, οὐχ ἱκανοὺς ἡγούμενοι τὸν ἀγῶνα ἄρασθαι τοὺς περιλειπομένους σφῶν τραυματίας τοὺς πολλοὺς ὄντας.
When the sun was already setting, each of the two sides turned back to their own entrenchments, not so much rejoicing in their victory as grieving at the multitude of the slain, and thinking that, if they should have need of another battle, those of them who survived, being for the most part wounded, were not sufficient to undertake the contest.
§5.16.2πλείων δʼ ἦν περὶ τοὺς Ῥωμαίους ἀθυμία καὶ ἀπόγνωσις τῶν πραγμάτων διὰ τὸν τοῦ ἡγεμόνος θάνατον· καὶ λογισμὸς εἰσῄει πολλοῖς, ὡς ἄμεινον εἴη σφίσιν ἐκλιπεῖν τὸν χάρακα πρὶν ἡμέραν γενέσθαι.
Among the Romans there was greater despondency and despair of their affairs because of the death of their commander; and the thought entered into the minds of many that it would be better for them to abandon the entrenchment before daybreak.
τοιαῦτα δʼ αὐτῶν διανοουμένων καὶ διαλεγομένων πρὸς ἀλλήλους περὶ τὴν πρώτην που μάλιστα φυλακὴν ἐκ τοῦ δρυμοῦ, παρʼ ὃν ἐστρατοπεδεύσαντο, φωνή τις ἠκούσθη ταῖς δυνάμεσιν ἀμφοτέραις γεγονυῖα, ὥσθʼ ἅπαντας αὐτοὺς ἀκούειν εἴτε τοῦ κατέχοντος τὸ τέμενος ἥρωος εἴτε τοῦ καλουμένου Φαύνου.
While they were thinking of such things and talking to one another, at about the first watch, a voice was heard from the forest, near which they had encamped, reaching both armies, so that all of them heard it, being the voice either of the hero who possessed the sacred precinct or of the one called Faunus.
§5.16.3τούτῳ γὰρ ἀνατιθέασι τῷ δαίμονι Ῥωμαῖοι τὰ πανικὰ καὶ ὅσα φάσματα μορφὰς ἄλλοτε ἀλλοίας ἴσχοντα εἰς ὄψιν ἀνθρώπων ἔρχεται δείματα φέροντα, ἢ φωναὶ δαιμόνιοι ταράττουσι τὰς ἀκοὰς τούτου φασὶν εἶναι τοῦ θεοῦ τὸ ἔργον.
For to this deity the Romans attribute panic terrors and whatever phantoms, taking at different times different shapes, come before the eyes of men, bringing terrors, or whatever divine voices disturb their hearing, saying that these are the work of this god.
ἡ δὲ τοῦ δαιμονίου φωνὴ θαρρεῖν παρεκελεύετο τοῖς Ῥωμαίοις ὡς νενικηκόσιν, ἑνὶ πλείους εἶναι τοὺς τῶν πολεμίων ἀποφαίνουσα νεκρούς.
And the divine voice exhorted the Romans to be of good courage as having conquered, declaring that the dead of the enemy were more by one.
ταύτῃ λέγουσι τῇ φωνῇ τὸν Οὐαλέριον ἐπαρθέντα νυκτὸς ἔτι πολλῆς ἐπὶ τὸν χάρακα τῶν Τυρρηνῶν ὤσασθαι καὶ πολλοὺς μὲν ἀποκτείναντα ἐξ αὐτῶν, τοὺς δὲ λοιποὺς ἐκβαλόντα κρατῆσαι τοῦ στρατοπέδου.
Inspired by this voice, they say, Valerius, while it was still deep night, rushed upon the entrenchment of the Etruscans, and having killed many of them and driven out the rest, made himself master of the camp.

Notes

  1. 882τοὺς περιλειπομένους σφῶν τραυματίας τοὺς πολλοὺς ὄντας — Taking τραυματίας as a predicate accusative modifier to the subject of the infinitive, τοὺς περιλειπομένους, accompanied by the circumstantial participle phrase τοὺς πολλοὺς ὄντας (being for the most part). This explains the reason why the survivors were deemed insufficient, as the majority of them were wounded.
  2. p.v.2p.163γεγονυῖα — Perfect participle agreeing with φωνή τις, meaning 'having arisen' or 'resounding'. It governs the dative ταῖς δυνάμεσιν ἀμφοτέραις (for both armies), indicating that the voice manifested in a way that was audible to both camps.
  3. 883ἑνὶ πλείους — The dative ἑνὶ is a dative of measure of difference, modifying the comparative adjective πλείους. It yields the meaning 'more by one', indicating the precise margin of the enemy's casualties over the Romans according to the divine voice.

Cite this passage

Dionysius of Halicarnassus, Roman Antiquities §5.16.1-5.16.3. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0081.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:5.16.1-5.16.3

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