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Dionysius of Halicarnassus · Roman Antiquities §5.51.1-5.51.3

Latin Dissolution of Treaty and Slave Conspiracy in Rome

Passage 380 of 962 · Greek

Summary

The Aricians, Tarquin, and various exiles accuse Rome, leading the Latin league to vote for the dissolution of their treaty. Meanwhile, a major slave conspiracy within Rome is discovered and suppressed.

§5.51.1μετὰ τοῦτον Ἀρικηνοί τε λόγον αἰτησάμενοι κατηγόρουν τῶν Ῥωμαίων, ὅτι τὸν Τυρρηνικὸν πόλεμον ἐπήγαγον σφίσιν ὄντες συγγενεῖς καὶ παρέσχον ὅσον ἐφʼ ἑαυτοῖς ἁπάσας τὰς Λατίνων πόλεις ὑπὸ Τυρρηνῶν τὴν ἐλευθερίαν ἀφαιρεθῆναι·
After him, the Aricians also, having asked for permission to speak, accused the Romans, saying that, though they were kinsmen, they had brought the Etruscan war upon them, and had allowed, as far as lay in their power, all the Latin cities to be deprived of their liberty by the Etruscans.
καὶ Ταρκύνιος ὁ βασιλεὺς ἀνανεούμενος τὰς γενομένας αὐτῷ πρὸς τὸ κοινὸν τῶν πόλεων συνθήκας περὶ φιλίας τε καὶ συμμαχίας, ἠξίου τὰς πόλεις ἐμπεδοῦν τοὺς ὅρκους, κατάγειν δʼ αὐτὸν ἐπὶ τὴν ἀρχήν· Καμαριναίων τε καὶ Φιδηναίων φυγάδες, οἱ μὲν τὴν ἅλωσιν καὶ τὴν φυγὴν τῆς πατρίδος, οἱ δὲ τὸν ἀνδραποδισμὸν καὶ τὴν κατασκαφὴν ὀδυρόμενοι, παρεκάλουν αὐτοὺς εἰς τὸν πόλεμον.
And King Tarquin, renewing the treaties of friendship and alliance which he had formerly made with the common league of the cities, demanded that the cities make good their oaths and restore him to his power; and the exiles of Camarina and Fidenae, some lamenting the capture of their country and their exile, others its enslavement and destruction, urged them to war.
§5.51.2τελευταῖος δὲ πάντων ὁ Ταρκυνίου κηδεστὴς Μαμίλιος μέγιστον ἐν τοῖς τότε χρόνοις παρὰ τοῖς Λατίνοις δυνάμενος ἀναστὰς μακρὰν κατὰ τῆς πόλεως διεξῆλθε δημηγορίαν.
And last of all, Mamilius, the son-in-law of Tarquin, who was the most powerful man among the Latins in those times, rose up and delivered a long harangue against Rome.
ἀπολογουμένου δὲ πρὸς ἅπαντα τοῦ Οὐαλερίου καὶ δοκοῦντος περιεῖναι τοῖς δικαίοις, ἐκείνην μὲν τὴν ἡμέραν εἰς τὰ κατηγορήματα καὶ τὰς ἀπολογίας ἀναλώσαντες οὐδὲν ἐπέθηκαν τῇ βουλῇ τέλος·
Although Valerius made his defense against all these charges and seemed to have the advantage in the justice of his cause, they spent that day in accusations and defenses, and brought no conclusion to the council.
τῇ δὲ κατόπιν οὐκέτι τοὺς πρεσβευτὰς τῶν Ῥωμαίων οἱ πρόεδροι προαγαγόντες ἐπὶ τὸν σύλλογον, ἀλλὰ Ταρκυνίῳ τε καὶ Μαμιλίῳ καὶ Ἀρικηνοῖς καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις τοῖς βουλομένοις τῆς πόλεως κατηγορεῖν ἀποδόντες λόγον, ἐπειδὴ πάντων διήκουσαν ψηφίζονται λελύσθαι τὰς σπονδὰς ὑπὸ Ῥωμαίων, καὶ τοῖς περὶ Οὐαλέριον πρέσβεσιν ἀπόκρισιν ἔδωκαν, ὅτι τὸ συγγενὲς ἐκείνων τοῖς ἀδικήμασι λελυκότων βουλεύσονται κατὰ σχολὴν ὅντινα τρόπον αὐτοὺς ἀμύνεσθαι χρή.
On the following day, the presidents no longer brought the ambassadors of the Romans before the assembly, but giving the floor to Tarquin, Mamilius, the Aricians, and the others who wished to accuse Rome, when they had heard them all, they voted that the treaty had been broken by the Romans, and gave this answer to the ambassadors around Valerius: that since the Romans had dissolved their kinship by their misdeeds, they would deliberate at leisure in what manner they ought to avenge themselves on them.
§5.51.3ἐν ᾧ δὲ ταῦτʼ ἐπράττετο χρόνῳ, συνωμοσία κατὰ τῆς πόλεως ἐγένετο δούλων συχνῶν συνειπαμένων τάς τʼ ἄκρας καταλαβέσθαι καὶ κατὰ πολλοὺς ἐμπρῆσαι τόπους τὴν πόλιν.
While these things were taking place, a conspiracy against the city was formed by many slaves, who had agreed among themselves to seize the citadels and set fire to the city in many places.
μηνύσεως δὲ γενομένης ὑπὸ τῶν συνειδότων αἱ πύλαι τʼ ὑπὸ τῶν ὑπάτων εὐθὺς ἐκλείοντο, καὶ πάντα τὰ ἐρύματα τῆς πόλεως ὑπὸ τῶν ἱππέων κατείληπτο·
Disclosure having been made by those who were privy to it, the gates were immediately shut by the consuls, and all the strongholds of the city were occupied by the horsemen.
καὶ αὐτίκα οἱ μὲν ἐκ τῶν οἰκιῶν συλληφθέντες, οἱ δʼ ἐκ τῶν ἀγρῶν ἀναχθέντες, ὅσους ἀπέφαινον οἱ μηνυταὶ μετασχεῖν τῆς συνωμοσίας, μάστιξι καὶ βασάνοις αἰκισθέντες ἀνεσκολοπίσθησαν ἅπαντες.
And immediately, some being arrested from their houses, others brought in from the fields—as many as the informers declared to have shared in the conspiracy—after being tortured with whips and tortures, they were all crucified.
ταῦτʼ ἐπὶ τούτων ἐπράχθη τῶν ὑπάτων.
These things were done in the consulship of these men.

Notes

  1. 5.51.1ὅσον ἐφʼ ἑαυτοῖς — Idiomatic expression meaning 'as far as lay in their power' or 'so far as depended on them'. The preposition ἐπί with the dative case here indicates the limit of capability or responsibility attributed to the logical subject (the Romans).
  2. 5.51.2τὸ συγγενὲς ἐκείνων τοῖς ἀδικήμασι λελυκότων — Genitive absolute construction. The participle `λελυκότων` (masculine genitive plural) agrees with `ἐκείνων` (referring to the Romans), and its direct object is the substantivized neuter singular adjective `τὸ συγγενὲς` ('kinship'). `τοῖς ἀδικήμασι` ('by their misdeeds') is a dative of means.
  3. 5.51.3ὅσους ἀπέφαινον οἱ μηνυταὶ μετασχεῖν τῆς συνωμοσίας — Syntax of the relative clause. `ὅσους` ('as many as') serves as the accusative subject of the infinitive `μετασχεῖν` ('to have shared in') dependent on `ἀπέφαινον` ('declared'). The entire relative clause acts in apposition to the main subject `ἅπαντες` ('all') with an implied antecedent.

Cite this passage

Dionysius of Halicarnassus, Roman Antiquities §5.51.1-5.51.3. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0081.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:5.51.1-5.51.3

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