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Dionysius of Halicarnassus · Roman Antiquities §8.85.1-8.85.4

Defeat of the Romans and Night Withdrawal in a Storm

Passage 663 of 962 · Greek

Summary

Falling into the Volscian stratagem, the Romans suffer heavy casualties in a disordered pursuit, but narrowly escape annihilation due to a sudden storm and cavalry support, allowing the consul to withdraw at night to a new camp near Longola.

§8.85.1οἱ δʼ ὑπολαβόντες αὐτοὺς ἄρχειν φυγῆς ἠκολούθουν βάδην μὲν ἀπιοῦσι καὶ αὐτοὶ σὺν κόσμῳ ἑπόμενοι, ἐπειδὴ δὲ δρόμῳ χωροῦντας ἐπὶ τὸν χάρακα ἐθεάσαντο, ταχείᾳ καὶ αὐτοὶ διώξει καὶ ἀσυντάκτῳ χρώμενοι.
The Romans, supposing that the enemy were beginning to flee, followed them, at first keeping their order while the enemy retreated at a walk, themselves following in good order, but when they saw them marching at a run toward their rampart, they also engaged in a rapid and disordered pursuit.
οἱ δὲ δὴ τελευταῖοί τε καὶ ὀπισθοφυλακοῦντες λόχοι νεκρούς τʼ ἐσκύλευον, ὡς κεκρατηκότες ἤδη τῶν πολεμίων, καὶ ἐφʼ ἁρπαγὴν τῆς χώρας ἐτράποντο.
Indeed, the companies in the rear and those guarding the rear stripped the dead of their spoils, as if they had already conquered the enemy, and turned to plundering the country.
§8.85.2μαθόντες δʼ οἱ Οὐολοῦσκοι ταῦτʼ οἵ τε δόξαν παρασχόντες φυγῆς, ἐπειδὴ τοῖς ἐρύμασι τοῦ χάρακος ἐπλησίασαν, ὑποστραφέντες ἔστησαν, καὶ οἱ καταλειφθέντες ἐν τῷ στρατοπέδῳ τὰς πύλας ἀναπετάσαντες ἐξέδραμον ἀθρόοι κατὰ πολλὰ μέρη· γίνεταί τʼ αὐτῶν παλίντροπος ἡ μάχη· οἱ μὲν γὰρ διώκοντες ἔφευγον, οἱ δὲ φεύγοντες ἐδίωκον.
When the Volscians learned of this, those who had presented the appearance of flight turned about and stood their ground when they neared the entrenchments of the camp, and those who had been left behind in the camp, throwing open the gates, rushed out in a body from many directions; and their battle was reversed, for those who had been pursuing now fled, while those who had been fleeing pursued.
ἔνθα πολλοὶ καὶ ἀγαθοὶ Ῥωμαίων θνήσκουσιν οἷα εἰκὸς ὠθούμενοι κατὰ πρανοῦς χωρίου καὶ ὑπὸ πολλῶν ὀλίγοι κυκλωθέντες.
There many brave Romans died, as was natural since they were pushed down a slope and, being few, were surrounded by many.
§8.85.3ἀδελφὰ δὲ τούτοις ἔπασχον, ὅσοι πρὸς σκῦλά τε καὶ ἁρπαγὰς τραπόμενοι τὸ ἐν κόσμῳ τε καὶ τάξει ὑποχωρεῖν ἀφῃρέθησαν·
Those who, having turned to spoils and plundering, were deprived of the opportunity to retreat in order and discipline, suffered a fate sister to these.
καὶ γὰρ καὶ οὗτοι καταληφθέντες ὑπὸ τῶν πολεμίων οἱ μὲν ἐσφάγησαν, οἱ δʼ αἰχμάλωτοι ἐλήφθησαν.
For these too, being overtaken by the enemy, were some of them slaughtered and others taken prisoner.
ὅσοι δὲ τούτων τε καὶ τῶν ἀπὸ τοῦ ὄρους ἀπαραχθέντων διεσώθησαν, ὀψὲ τῆς ὥρας τῶν ἱππέων αὐτοῖς ἐπιβοηθησάντων, ἀπῆλθον ἐπὶ τὸν χάρακα.
But as many of these and of those who had been driven down from the mountain as were saved, retreated to the camp late in the day after the cavalry had come to their aid.
ἐδόκει τʼ αὐτοῖς συλλαβέσθαι τοῦ μὴ πασσυδὶ διαφθαρῆναι χειμὼν πολὺς ἐξ οὐρανοῦ καταρραγεὶς καὶ σκότος, οἷον ἐν ταῖς βαθείαις ὁμίχλαις γίνεται, ὃ τοῖς πολεμίοις ὄκνον τῆς ἐπὶ πλέον διώξεως παρέσχεν οὐ δυναμένοις τὰ πόρρω καθορᾶν.
And it seemed to them that a great storm bursting from heaven and a darkness, such as occurs in deep mists, contributed to their not being utterly destroyed, which caused the enemy to hesitate to pursue further as they were unable to see far ahead.
§8.85.4τῇ δʼ ἐπιούσῃ νυκτὶ ἀναστήσας τὴν στρατιὰν ὁ ὕπατος ἀπῆγε σιγῇ καὶ ἐν κόσμῳ, λαθεῖν τοὺς πολεμίους προνοούμενος· καὶ κατεστρατοπέδευσε παρὰ πόλει λεγομένῃ Λογγόλᾳ περὶ δείλην ὀψίαν, γήλοφον ἱκανὸν ἐρύκειν τοὺς ἐπιόντας ἐκλεξάμενος.
On the following night the consul, having moved his army, led them away in silence and in good order, taking precautions to escape the notice of the enemy; and he encamped near a city called Longola late in the afternoon, having selected a hill sufficient to keep off any who might attack.
ἔνθα ὑπομένων τούς τε ὑπὸ τραυμάτων κάμνοντας ἀνεκτᾶτο θεραπείαις, καὶ τοὺς ἀδημονοῦντας ἐπὶ τῇ παραδόξῳ τοῦ πάθους αἰσχύνῃ παραμυθούμενος ἀνελάμβανε.
There, remaining behind, he recovered with medical care those who were suffering from wounds, and encouraged and restored those who were disheartened by the unexpected shame of the disaster.

Notes

  1. 1715ὑπολαβόντες αὐτοὺς ἄρχειν φυγῆς — This is an accusative with infinitive (A.C.I.) construction governed by the participle ὑπολαβόντες. The pronoun αὐτούς serves as the subject accusative of the infinitive ἄρχειν, and ἄρχειν φυγῆς means 'to begin to flee'.
  2. p.v.3p.257ἀδελφὰ δὲ τούτοις ἔπασχον — The neuter plural accusative ἀδελφά (from the adjective ἀδελφός, meaning 'brotherly' or 'akin') is used cognately as the object of ἔπασχον. Combined with the dative τούτοις, it idiomatically means 'to suffer a very similar fate to these'.
  3. 1716ἐδόκει τʼ αὐτοῖς συλλαβέσθαι τοῦ μὴ πασσυδὶ διαφθαρῆναι χειμὼν πολὺς... — The second aorist middle infinitive συλλαβέσθαι (from συλλαμβάνω) means 'to contribute to' or 'to help in' and governs the genitive of the articular infinitive (τοῦ μὴ ... διαφθαρῆναι). The grammatical subject of ἐδόκει is the compound nominal phrase in the nominative in the latter half of the sentence: χειμὼν πολὺς ... καὶ σκότος.

Cite this passage

Dionysius of Halicarnassus, Roman Antiquities §8.85.1-8.85.4. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0081.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:8.85.1-8.85.4

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