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Dionysius of Halicarnassus · Roman Antiquities §6.92.1-6.92.6

Capture of Coriola by Gaius Marcius

Passage 498 of 962 · Greek

Summary

The Roman army attacks Coriola but is repulsed, prompting the general to divide his forces to counter incoming enemy reinforcements. During the battle, Gaius Marcius rallies the retreating Romans, pursues the fleeing enemies into the city, and successfully captures Coriola.

§6.92.1καταλιπὼν δὲ κἂν ταύτῃ βραχεῖαν τῆς στρατιᾶς μοῖραν ἕνεκα φυλακῆς, τῇ κατόπιν ἡμέρᾳ τὴν δύναμιν ἀναλαβὼν προῆγεν ἐπὶ Κοριόλαν, πόλιν ἐπιφανῆ σφόδρα καὶ ὥσπερ ἂν μητρόπολιν τῶν Οὐολούσκων·
And having left in this city also a small portion of his army for the purpose of a garrison, on the following day he took up his forces and advanced against Coriola, a highly illustrious city and, as it were, the metropolis of the Volscians.
ἔνθα καὶ δύναμις ἦν συνειλεγμένη καρτερὰ καὶ τὸ τεῖχος οὐ ῥᾴδιον ἁλῶναι τά τε πρὸς τὸν πόλεμον ἐπιτήδεια παρεσκευασμένα τοῖς ἔνδον ἐκ πολλοῦ.
There, a powerful force had been assembled and the wall was not easy to be taken, and the materials necessary for the war had been prepared by those inside long before.
ἐπιχειρήσας δὲ τῇ τειχομαχίᾳ μέχρι δείλης ὀψίας ἀποκρούεται πρὸς τῶν ἐναντίων πολλοὺς τῶν οἰκείων ἀπολέσας.
And having attempted the assault on the walls, he was repulsed by his opponents until late in the evening, having lost many of his own men.
§6.92.2τῇ δʼ ἑξῆς ἡμέρᾳ κριούς τε καὶ γέρρα καὶ κλίμακας εὐτρεπισάμενος παρεσκευάζετο μὲν ὡς ἁπάσῃ τῇ δυνάμει πειρασόμενος τῆς πόλεως, ἀκούσας δʼ ὅτι πολλῇ χειρὶ μέλλουσιν Ἀντιάται βοηθεῖν τοῖς Κοριολανοῖς κατὰ τὸ συγγενὲς καὶ εἰσὶν οἱ πεμφθέντες ἐν ὁδῷ ἤδη, μερίσας τὸν ἑαυτοῦ στρατὸν τῷ μὲν ἡμίσει τειχομαχεῖν ἔγνω Τῖτον Λάρκιον ἐπʼ αὐτοῦ καταλιπών, §6.92.3τῷ δὲ λοιπῷ κωλύειν τοὺς ἐπιόντας διενοεῖτο.
On the next day, having made ready battering rams, wattled shields, and ladders, he was preparing to assault the city with his entire force, but upon hearing that the Antiates were intending to assist the Coriolani with a large force because of their kinship, and that those sent were already on their way, he decided to divide his army, determining that one half should assault the walls, leaving Titus Lartius over it, while with the remaining half he intended to hinder the attackers.
καὶ γίνονται δύο τῆς αὐτῆς ἡμέρας ἀγῶνες·
Thus, two battles took place on the same day.
Ῥωμαῖοι δʼ ἐνίκων ἁπάντων μὲν προθύμως ἀγωνισαμένων, ἑνὸς δʼ ἀνδρὸς ἄπιστον ἀρετὴν καὶ παντὸς λόγου κρείττονας ἀποδειξαμένου πράξεις, ὃς ἦν μὲν ἐκ τοῦ γένους τῶν πατρικίων καὶ οὐκ ἀσήμων πατέρων, ἐκαλεῖτο δὲ Γάιος Μάρκιος, σώφρων δὲ τὸν καθʼ ἡμέραν βίον ἀνὴρ καὶ φρονήματος ἐλευθέρου μεστός.
And the Romans were victorious, all of them indeed fighting zealously, but one man displaying incredible valor and deeds surpassing all description; he was of the patrician class and of no obscure ancestors, and was called Gaius Marcius, a man temperate in his daily life and full of noble spirit.
ἐγένετο δʼ ὁ τρόπος τῆς ἑκατέρας μάχης τοιόσδε· ὁ μὲν Λάρκιος ἐξαγαγὼν τὴν στρατιὰν ἅμʼ ἡμέρᾳ προσῆγε τοῖς τείχεσι τῆς Κοριόλας καὶ κατὰ πολλοὺς τόπους ἐποιεῖτο τὰς προσβολάς· οἱ δὲ Κοριολάνοι μέγα φρονοῦντες ἐπὶ τῇ παρὰ τῶν Ἀντιατῶν βοηθείᾳ, ἣν οὐ διὰ μακροῦ σφίσι παρέσεσθαι ἐπίστευον, ἀνοίξαντες ἁπάσας τὰς πύλας ὥρμησαν ἐπὶ τοὺς πολεμίους ἀθρόοι.
Now the manner of each battle was as follows: Lartius, having led out his army at daybreak, advanced against the walls of Coriola and made his attacks in many places; while the Coriolani, being highly confident because of the assistance from the Antiates, which they trusted would be with them before long, opened all their gates and rushed in a body upon the enemy.
§6.92.4Ῥωμαῖοι δὲ τὴν μὲν πρώτην ἔφοδον αὐτῶν ἐδέξαντο καὶ πολλὰς πληγὰς τοῖς ὁμόσε χωροῦσιν ἔδοσαν, ἔπειτα πλειόνων ἐπιόντων ὠθούμενοι κατὰ πρανοῦς χωρίου ἐνέκλιναν.
The Romans indeed sustained their first onset and inflicted many blows upon those who came to close quarters, but then, as more came on, being pushed back down a steep place, they gave way.
τοῦτο κατιδὼν ὁ Μάρκιος, ὑπὲρ οὗ πρότερον ἔφην, ἵσταται σὺν ὀλίγοις καὶ δέχεται τὸ ἐπιφερόμενον τῶν πολεμίων στῖφος·
Marcius, whom I mentioned before, seeing this, stood his ground with a few men and received the onset of the enemy's body of troops.
καταβαλὼν δὲ συχνοὺς αὐτῶν, ὡς ἐνέκλιναν οἱ λοιποὶ καὶ πρὸς τὴν πόλιν ἔφευγον, ἠκολούθει κτείνων ἀεὶ τοὺς ἐν χερσὶ καὶ ἐπικελευόμενος τοῖς φεύγουσι τῶν σφετέρων ἀναστρέφειν τε καὶ θαρρεῖν καὶ αὑτῷ ἕπεσθαι.
Having struck down many of them, when the rest gave way and fled towards the city, he followed, continually slaying those at hand and urging those of his own men who were fleeing to turn back, take courage, and follow him.
§6.92.5οἱ δʼ αἰδεσδέντες ἐπὶ τῷ ἔργῳ ἀνέστρεφον αὖθις καὶ τοῖς καθʼ ἑαυτοὺς ἐπέκειντο παίοντες καὶ διώκοντες, καὶ διʼ ὀλίγου χρόνου τοὺς συμπλακέντας ἕκαστοι τρεψάμενοι προσέκειντο τοῖς τείχεσι·
And they, ashamed of their action, turned back again and pressed upon those in front of them, striking and pursuing, and in a short time, each having routed those who had engaged with them, they pressed close to the walls.
καὶ ὁ Μάρκιος θρασύτερον ἤδη κινδυνεύων προσωτέρω μᾶλλον ἐχώρει καὶ πρὸς αὐταῖς γενόμενος ταῖς πύλαις συνεισέπιπτε τοῖς φεύγουσιν εἰς τὸ τεῖχος.
And Marcius, now risking danger more boldly, went even further forward, and coming close to the gates themselves, burst in together with the fugitives inside the wall.
συνεισπεσόντων δʼ αὐτῷ καὶ ἄλλων συχνῶν κατὰ πολλὰ μέρη τῆς πόλεως φόνος ἐγίνετο ἐξ ἀμφοῖν πολύς· τῶν μὲν ἀνὰ τοὺς στενωπούς, τῶν δὲ περὶ ταῖς ἁλισκομέναις οἰκίαις μαχομένων.
When many others also burst in with him in many parts of the city, a great slaughter of both sides took place, some fighting in the narrow streets, and others around the houses that were being captured.
§6.92.6συνελάμβανον δὲ τοῦ ἔργου τοῖς ἔνδον καὶ γυναῖκες ἀπὸ τῶν τεγῶν βάλλουσαι τοὺς πολεμίους τοῖς καλυπτῆρσι, καὶ καθʼ ὅσον ἑκάστῳ τις ἰσχὺς καὶ δύναμις ἦν προθύμως ἐβοήθουν τῇ πατρίδι.
And the women inside also assisted in the work, throwing roof-tiles from the roofs upon the enemy, and each according to their strength and ability zealously helped their native land.
οὐ μέντοι ἐπὶ πολύν γε χρόνον τοῖς δεινοῖς ἀντεῖχον, ἀλλʼ ἠναγκάσθησαν παραδιδόναι σφᾶς αὐτοὺς τοῖς κεκρατηκόσι.
However, they did not hold out against these dangers for a long time, but were compelled to surrender themselves to the conquerors.
τοῦτον δὲ τὸν τρόπον ἀλούσης τῆς πόλεως οἱ μὲν ἄλλοι Ῥωμαῖοι πρὸς ἁρπαγὴν τῶν ἐγκαταληφθέντων ἐτράποντο καὶ μέχρι πολλοῦ διετέλουν προσκείμενοι ταῖς ὠφελείαις χρημάτων τε πολλῶν ὑπαρχόντων ἐν τῷ χωρίῳ καὶ ἀνδραπόδων,
When the city was captured in this manner, the other Romans turned to plundering the property left behind, and for a long time continued intent upon the spoils, as there was much wealth and many slaves in the place,

Notes

  1. 6.92.1ὥσπερ ἂν — The phrase ὥσπερ ἂν functions as a potential or hypothetical expression that softens a comparison ('as it were', 'so to speak'), indicating that Coriola was, in a manner of speaking, the metropolis of the Volscians. An ellipsis of a past indicative verb (e.g., εἴη) can be understood, but it is treated idiomatically as 'as if'.
  2. 6.92.1ἀποκρούεται πρὸς — The middle-voice verb ἀποκρούομαι ('to drive back', 'to repel') functions here with a passive meaning ('to be repulsed'), with the agent expressed by πρὸς with the genitive (τῶν ἐναντίων).
  3. 6.92.2ὡς ... πειρασόμενος — The combination of ὡς and the future participle (πειρασόμενος) expresses the subjective intention, purpose, or expectation of the subject of the main clause ('intending to try', 'with the purpose of trying').
  4. 6.92.3ἑνὸς δʼ ἀνδρὸς ... ἀποδειξαμένου — A genitive absolute construction. Formed in contrast with the preceding ἁπάντων μὲν προθύμως ἀγωνισαμένων (μὲν... δʼ), it explains the circumstances or factors that brought about the Roman victory (Ῥωμαῖοι δʼ ἐνίκων).
  5. 6.92.3τὸν καθʼ ἡμέραν βίον — An accusative of respect (or specification), defining the sphere to which the adjective σώφρων ('temperate', 'prudent') applies: 'in his daily life'.

Cite this passage

Dionysius of Halicarnassus, Roman Antiquities §6.92.1-6.92.6. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0081.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:6.92.1-6.92.6

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