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Dionysius of Halicarnassus · Roman Antiquities §6.11.1-6.11.3

Wounding of Titus and the Duel of Aebutius and Mamilius

Passage 417 of 962 · Greek

Summary

The Roman center gains the upper hand, wounding Tarquinius's son Titus. Though reinforcements under another son, Sextus, allow the enemy to stand their ground, the commanders Aebutius and Mamilius engage in a duel, wounding each other and falling from their horses.

§6.11.1πρῶτον μὲν οὖν οἱ κατὰ μέσην τὴν φάλαγγα τεταγμένοι Ῥωμαίων, ἔνθα ὁ δικτάτωρ ἦν λογάδας ἔχων περὶ αὑτὸν ἱππεῖς, καὶ αὐτὸς ἐν πρώτοις μαχόμενος, τὸ καθʼ αὑτοὺς ἐξωθοῦσι μέρος, τρωθέντος ὑσσῷ τὸν δεξιὸν ὦμον θατέρου τῶν Ταρκυνίου παίδων Τίτου καὶ μηκέτι δυναμένου τῇ χειρὶ §6.11.2χρῆσθαι.
First, then, those of the Romans who were stationed in the center of the phalanx, where the dictator was, having select cavalry about him, and himself fighting in the foremost ranks, pushed back the division opposed to them, after Titus, one of the sons of Tarquinius, had been wounded in his right shoulder by a javelin and was no longer able to use his hand to do so.
Λικίννιος μὲν γὰρ καὶ οἱ περὶ Γέλλιον οὐδὲν ἐξητακότες οὔτε τῶν εἰκότων οὔτε τῶν δυνατῶν αὐτὸν εἰσάγουσι τὸν βασιλέα Ταρκύνιον ἀγωνιζόμενον ἀφʼ ἵππου καὶ τιτρωσκόμενον, ἄνδρα ἐνενήκοντα ἔτεσι προσάγοντα.
For Licinius and those of Gellius' school, having examined nothing of either the probable or the possible, introduce King Tarquinius himself as fighting on horseback and being wounded, a man who was drawing near his ninetieth year.
πεσόντος δὲ Τίτου μικρὸν ἀγωνισάμενοι χρόνον οἱ περὶ αὐτὸν καὶ τὸ σῶμα ἔμψυχον ἀράμενοι γενναῖον οὐδὲν ἔτι ἔπραξαν, ἀλλʼ ἀνεχώρουν ἐπιοῦσι τοῖς Ῥωμαίοις ἐπὶ πόδα· ἔπειτʼ αὖθις ἔστησάν τε καὶ εἰς ἀντίπαλα ἐχώρουν, θατέρου τῶν Ταρκυνίου παίδων Σέξτου μετὰ τῶν ἐκ Ῥώμης φυγάδων τε καὶ τῶν §6.11.3ἄλλων ἐπιλέκτων ἱππέων ἐπιβοηθήσαντος αὐτοῖς.
But when Titus fell, those about him, having fought for a short time and taken up his still-living body, performed no further noble deed, but retreated step by step before the advancing Romans; then they stood their ground again and entered into an equal combat, after Sextus, the other of the sons of Tarquinius, had come to their aid with the exiles from Rome and the other select cavalry.
οὗτοι μὲν οὖν πάλιν ἀναλαβόντες· αὑτοὺς ἐμάχοντο, οἱ δὲ τῆς φάλαγγος ἡγεμόνες ἑκατέρας Τῖτος Αἰβούτιος καὶ Μαμίλιος Ὀκταούιος λαμπρότατα πάντων ἀγωνιζόμενοι, καὶ τρέποντες μὲν τοὺς ὑφισταμένους καθʼ ὃ χωρήσειαν μέρος, ἀντικαθιστάντες δὲ τῶν σφετέρων τοὺς θορυβηθέντας, χωροῦσιν ἐκ προκλήσεως ὁμόσε, καὶ συρράξαντες πληγὰς κατʼ ἀλλήλων φέρουσιν ἰσχυράς, οὐ μὴν καιρίους, ὁ μὲν ἱππάρχης εἰς τὰ στέρνα τοῦ Μαμιλίου διὰ θώρακος ἐλάσας τὴν αἰχμἠν, ὁ δὲ Μαμίλιος μέσον περονήσας τὸν δεξιὸν ἐκείνου βραχίονα· καὶ πίπτουσιν ἀπὸ τῶν ἵππων.
These, then, having recovered themselves, fought on, while the commanders of each phalanx, Titus Aebutius and Mamilius Octavius, fighting most brilliantly of all, and routing those who withstood them wherever they advanced, and rallying those of their own men who had been thrown into confusion, advanced to close quarters by mutual challenge, and clashing together, dealt strong though not fatal blows against each other—the master of horse driving his spearhead through the breastplate into the breast of Mamilius, and Mamilius piercing the middle of the other's right arm; and they both fell from their horses.

Notes

  1. 6.11.1τρωθέντος ὑσσῷ τὸν δεξιὸν ὦμον θατέρου τῶν Ταρκυνίου παίδων Τίτου — Genitive absolute construction, where `τρωθέντος` agrees with `θατέρου ... Τίτου`. The phrase `τὸν δεξιὸν ὦμον` is an accusative of specification (or respect), meaning 'after Titus, one of the sons of Tarquinius, had been wounded in his right shoulder.'
  2. 6.11.3ἀντικαθιστάντες δὲ τῶν σφετέρων τοὺς θορυβηθέντας — The active participle `ἀντικαθιστάντες` (nominative plural) agrees with the main subject `οἱ δὲ τῆς φάλαγγος ἡγεμόνες`. The genitive phrase `τῶν σφετέρων` is a partitive genitive modifying the substantivized participle `τοὺς θορυβηθέντας`, meaning 'rallying those of their own men who had been thrown into confusion.'

Cite this passage

Dionysius of Halicarnassus, Roman Antiquities §6.11.1-6.11.3. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0081.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:6.11.1-6.11.3

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