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Dionysius of Halicarnassus · Roman Antiquities §5.43.1-5.43.2

Capture of Fidenae and the Consuls' Triumph

Passage 372 of 962 · Greek

Summary

The Roman army repels the Sabines and captures Fidenae after a short siege. The consuls impose moderate punishments on the kindred city—plundering, executing the ringleaders, and establishing a garrison—before celebrating their triumph.

§5.43.1ἡ δὲ Φιδήνη πολιορκηθεῖσα οὐ πολλαῖς ἡμέραις, καθʼ ὃ μάλιστα δυσάλωτος εἶναι μέρος ἐδόκει καὶ ὑπʼ ὀλίγων ἐφυλάσσετο, κατὰ τοῦτʼ ἐλήφθη.
\nAs for Fidenae, after a siege of not many days, it was captured at the very point where it seemed most difficult to take and was guarded by only a few.
οὐ μὴν ἀνδραποδισμοῦ γʼ ἢ κατασκαφῆς ἐπειράθη φόνος τʼ ἀνθρώπων οὐ πολὺς ἐγένετο μετὰ τὴν ἅλωσιν·
However, it did not experience enslavement or demolition, nor was there much slaughter of people after its capture.
ἀποχρῶσα γὰρ ἐφάνη ζημία τοῖς ὑπάτοις πόλεως ὁμοεθνοῦς ἁμαρτούσης ἁρπαγὴ χρημάτων τε καὶ ἀνδραπόδων καὶ ὁ τῶν κατὰ τὴν μάχην ἀπολομένων ὄλεθρος· τοῦ δὲ μὴ προχείρως ἔτι τοὺς ἑαλωκότας ἐπὶ τὰ ὅπλα χωρῆσαι φυλακὴ γενήσεσθαι μετρία καὶ συνήθης Ῥωμαίοις, §5.43.2ἡ τῶν αἰτίων τῆς ἀποστάσεως κόλασις. συγκαλέσαντες δὴ Φιδηναίων τοὺς ἁλόντας εἰς τὴν ἀγορὰν καὶ πολλὰ τῆς ἀνοίας αὐτῶν κατηγορήσαντες ἀξίους τʼ εἶναι φήσαντες ἅπαντας ἡβηδὸν ἀπολωλέναι μήτε ταῖς εὐεργεσίαις χάριν εἰδότας μήτε τοῖς κακοῖς σωφρονιζομένους, ῥάβδοις αἰκισάμενοι τοὺς ἐπιφανεστάτους ἁπάντων ὁρώντων ἀπέκτειναν·
For to the consuls, the plunder of property and slaves, along with the death of those who perished in the battle, seemed a sufficient punishment for a city of the same race that had erred; and they believed that the punishment of the authors of the rebellion would be a moderate and, for the Romans, customary safeguard to prevent the conquered from easily resorting to arms again.\n\nHaving summoned those of the Fidenates who had been captured to the forum and having accused them at length of their folly, saying that they all deserved to perish from youth upward, since they were neither grateful for benefits nor corrected by misfortunes, they scourged the most prominent of them with rods and put them to death in the sight of all.
τοὺς δὲ λοιποὺς εἴασαν οἰκεῖν ὡς πρότερον ᾤκουν φρουροὺς συγκατοικίσαντες αὐτοῖς, ὅσους ἔκρινεν ἡ βουλή, καὶ τῆς χώρας ἀφελόμενοί τινα μοῖραν τοῖς φρουροῖς ἔδωκαν.
The rest they allowed to dwell as they had dwelt before, having settled among them as many colonists as guards as the senate determined, and having taken away a portion of their land, they gave it to the guards.
ταῦτα διαπραξάμενοι τὴν δύναμιν ἀπῆγον ἐκ τῆς τῶν πολεμίων καὶ τὸν ὑπὸ τῆς βουλῆς ψηφισθέντα θρίαμβον κατήγαγον.
Having accomplished these things, they led the army back from the enemy's territory and celebrated the triumph decreed by the senate.
ταῦτα μὲν ἐπὶ τῆς τούτων ὑπατείας ἐπράχθη.
These were the things done during their consulship.

Notes

  1. 5.43.1οὐ πολλαῖς ἡμέραις — Dative of time within which or association, meaning 'within a few days' or 'after a siege of not many days.'
  2. 5.43.1τοῦ δὲ μὴ προχείρως ἔτι τοὺς ἑαλωκότας ἐπὶ τὰ ὅπλα χωρῆσαι — Genitive of purpose or result with the infinitive (τοῦ + infinitive), meaning 'in order that the conquered should not easily take up arms again'. It modifies or stands in apposition to the subsequent φυλακὴ (safeguard).
  3. 5.43.2ἡβηδὸν — Adverb meaning 'from youth upward' or 'all who have reached the age of puberty (i.e., military age).' This refers to the standard ancient Greek practice of executing or enslaving all adult males of a captured city.
  4. 5.43.2ῥάβδοις — Referring to the rods (Latin *virgae*) used in the Roman customary execution. It reflects the Roman practice where the lictors scourged the condemned with rods from the fasces before execution.

Cite this passage

Dionysius of Halicarnassus, Roman Antiquities §5.43.1-5.43.2. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0081.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:5.43.1-5.43.2

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