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Dionysius of Halicarnassus · Roman Antiquities §8.66.1-8.66.3

Flight of the Hernicians and Capture of Their Camp

Passage 644 of 962 · Greek

Summary

Realizing their defeat, the Hernicians retreat disorderly at night, while the Romans mistake this for the arrival of enemy reinforcements and strengthen their defense. The next morning, after confirming the enemy's flight, the consul Aquillius captures their camp and plunders the territory of the Hernicians.

§8.66.1τῇ δʼ ἐπιούσῃ νυκτὶ ψόφος τʼ ἠκούετο πολὺς ἐκ τοῦ χάρακος τῶν Ἑρνίκων καὶ βοή, καὶ πολλὰ ἐφαίνετο σέλα λαμπάδων.
On the following night, a great noise and shouting were heard from the camp of the Hernicians, and many lights of torches appeared.
ἀπογνόντες γὰρ ἔτι ἀνθέξειν ἑτέρᾳ μάχῃ καταλιπεῖν τὸν χάρακα ἔγνωσαν αὐτοκέλευστοι· καὶ τὸ ποιῆσαν αὐτῶν τὴν ἀταξίαν καὶ βοὴν τοῦτʼ ἦν.
For having despaired of holding out in another battle, they resolved of their own accord to abandon their camp; and this was what caused their disorder and shouting.
ὡς γὰρ ἕκαστοι δυνάμεως εἶχον καὶ τάχους, ἔφευγον ἐπιβοῶντές τʼ ἀλλήλους καὶ ἐπιβοώμενοι, τῶν δʼ ὑπολειπομένων διὰ τραύματα ἢ νόσους §8.66.2οἰμωγὰς καὶ λιτανείας ἐν οὐδενὶ λόγῳ τιθέμενοι.
For as each one had strength and speed, they fled, calling out to one another and being called upon, paying no regard to the groans and entreaties of those who were left behind because of wounds or sickness.
τοῦτ ἀγνοοῦντες οἱ Ῥωμαῖοι, πεπυσμένοι δὲ παρὰ τῶν αἰχμαλώτων πρότερον, ὅτι δύναμις Ἑρνίκων ἑτέρα μέλλοι βοηθὸς ἥξειν τοῖς σφετέροις, καὶ τὴν βοήν τε καὶ ταραχὴν ἐπὶ τῇ ἐκείνων ἀφίξει γεγονέναι νομίζοντες, τά τʼ ὅπλα ἀνέλαβον καὶ τὸν χάρακα περιστεφανώσαντες, μή τις ἔφοδος αὐτοῖς γένοιτο νύκτωρ, τοτὲ μὲν ὅπλων κτύπον ἐποίουν ἀθρόοι, τοτὲ δʼ ὥσπερ εἰς μάχην ὁρμώμενοι θαμινὰ ἐπηλάλαζον.
The Romans, being ignorant of this, but having previously learned from the prisoners that another force of the Hernicians was expected to come to the aid of their countrymen, and supposing that the shouting and confusion had occurred upon their arrival, took up their arms; and having surrounded their ramparts, lest any attack should be made upon them by night, they at one time made a clash of arms all together, and at another time, as if rushing into battle, they frequently raised a war-cry.
τοῖς δʼ Ἕρνιξι καὶ ταῦτα δέος μέγα παρεῖχε, καὶ ὡς διωκόμενοι πρὸς τῶν πολεμίων σποράδες ἄλλοι κατʼ ἄλλας ὁδοὺς ἔθεον.
This also caused great fear to the Hernicians, and as if they were being pursued by the enemy, they fled in scattered groups, some by one way and some by another.
§8.66.3ἡμέρας δὲ γενομένης, ἐπειδὴ ἀπήγγειλαν αὐτοῖς οἱ πεμφθέντες ἐπὶ τὴν κατασκοπὴν ἱππεῖς, ὡς οὔτε δύναμις ἑτέρα παρῄει σύμμαχος τοῖς πολεμίοις, οἵ τε τῇ προτέρᾳ παραταξάμενοι μάχῃ πεφεύγασιν, ἐξαγαγὼν τὴν δύναμιν ὁ Ἀκύλλιος τόν τε χάρακα τῶν πολεμίων αἱρεῖ μεστὸν ὄντα ὑποζυγίων τε καὶ ἀγορᾶς καὶ ὅπλων, καὶ τοὺς τραυματίας αὐτῶν οὐκ ἐλάττους ὄντας τῶν πεφευγότων λαμβάνει, τήν τε ἵππον ἐκπέμψας ἐπὶ τοὺς ἐσκεδασμένους ἀνὰ τὰς ὁδούς τε καὶ τὰς ὕλας πολλῶν γίνεται σωμάτων ἐγκρατής· καὶ τὸ λοιπὸν ἤδη τὴν Ἑρνίκων γῆν ἐπῄει λεηλατῶν ἀδεῶς, οὐδενὸς ἔτι ὑπομένοντος εἰς χεῖρας ἰέναι.
When day came, after the horsemen who had been sent to reconnoiter reported to them that no other force was coming as an ally to the enemy, and that those who had drawn up for battle on the preceding day had fled, Aquillius led out his force and captured the camp of the enemy, which was full of beasts of burden, provisions, and arms, and took their wounded, who were no fewer than those who had fled. Sending out the cavalry after those scattered along the roads and through the woods, he became master of many prisoners; and for the rest of the time he now overran the land of the Hernicians, plundering it without fear, since no one any longer remained to come to close quarters with him.
ταῦτα μὲν Ἀκύλλιος ἔδρασεν.
These things indeed Aquillius performed.

Notes

  1. 1663ὡς γὰρ ἕκαστοι δυνάμεως εἶχον καὶ τάχους — The combination of ὡς and the imperfect of ἔχω (εἶχον) followed by genitives of quality or state (δυνάμεως and τάχους) forms an idiomatic adverbial expression meaning 'according as each was off in terms of...' or 'to the limit of one's...'. Here it means 'as each one had strength and speed'.
  2. p.v.3p.224τῶν δʼ ὑπολειπομένων διὰ τραύματα ἢ νόσους οἰμωγὰς καὶ λιτανείας ἐν οὐδενὶ λόγῳ τιθέμενοι — At first glance, this might look like a genitive absolute construction due to the genitive participle τῶν ὑπολειπομένων, but it is actually a possessive genitive modifying the accusative nouns οἰμωγὰς καὶ λιτανείας ('the groans and entreaties of those left behind'). The entire phrase is the object of the nominative participle τιθέμενοι (agreeing with the fleeing Hernicians, the subject of the main verb), meaning 'paying no regard to...'.
  3. 1664οὐδενὸς ἔτι ὑπομένοντος εἰς χεῖρας ἰέναι — The phrase οὐδενὸς ... ὑπομένοντος is a genitive absolute construction expressing attendant circumstance or reason ('since no one remained/held his ground'). The infinitive phrase εἰς χεῖρας ἰέναι, literally 'to go into hands', is a common Greek idiom meaning 'to come to close quarters' or 'to engage in hand-to-hand combat'.

Cite this passage

Dionysius of Halicarnassus, Roman Antiquities §8.66.1-8.66.3. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0081.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:8.66.1-8.66.3

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