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Dionysius of Halicarnassus · Roman Antiquities §9.59.1-9.59.5

Colonization of Antium and Campaigns against Sabines and Aequians

Passage 728 of 962 · Greek

Summary

In 467 BC, Aemilius and Fabius become consuls, and the land of Antium acquired in the previous year is distributed to the Roman poor. During the military campaigns, Aemilius ravages Sabine territory, while Fabius forces the Aequians to accept Roman suzerainty.

§9.59.1ἐν δὲ τῷ μετὰ τούτους ἔτει ὕπατοι μὲν ἦσαν Τιβέριος Αἰμίλιος τὸ δεύτερον καὶ Κόιντος Φάβιος, ἑνὸς τῶν τριῶν ἀδελφῶν υἱὸς τῶν ἡγησαμένων τε τῆς ἀποσταλείσης φρουρᾶς εἰς Κρεμέραν, καὶ διαφθαρέντων ἐκεῖ σὺν τοῖς πελάταις.
In the following year, Tiberius Aemilius for the second time and Quintus Fabius, the son of one of the three brothers who had led the garrison sent to Cremera and perished there along with their clients, were consuls.
ἡ δὲ βουλὴ τῶν δημάρχων ἀνακινούντων πάλιν τὸ πλῆθος ἐπὶ τῇ κληρουχίᾳ, καὶ συναγωνιζομένου θατέρου τῶν ὑπάτων αὐτοῖς Αἰμιλίου δόγμα ἐπεκύρωσε, θεραπεῦσαί τε καὶ ἀναλαβεῖν τοὺς πένητας βουλομένη, διανεῖμαί τινα μοῖραν αὐτοῖς ἐκ τῆς Ἀντιατῶν χώρας, ἣν τῷ προτέρῳ §9.59.2ἔτει δόρατι ἑλόντες κατέσχον. καὶ ἀπεδείχθησαν ἡγεμόνες τῆς κληρουχίας Τίτος Κοίντιος Καπιτωλῖνος, ᾧ παρέδοσαν Ἀντιᾶται σφᾶς αὐτούς, καὶ σὺν αὐτῷ Λεύκιος Φούριος καὶ Αὖλος Οὐεργίνιος.
And when the tribunes were again stirring up the populace for the distribution of land, and Aemilius, one of the consuls, was assisting them, the senate, wishing to care for and recover the poor, confirmed a decree to distribute some portion of land to them from the territory of the Antiates, which they had taken by force of arms and held in the preceding year. And Titus Quinctius Capitolinus, to whom the Antiates had surrendered themselves, and with him Lucius Furius and Aulus Verginius, were appointed commissioners for the distribution of the land.
ἦν δʼ οὐκ ἀγώνισμα πᾶσι τοῖς πολλοῖς καὶ πένησι Ῥωμαίων ἡ διανομὴ τῆς χώρας ὡς ἀπελαυνομένοις τῆς πατρίδος, ὀλίγων τʼ ἀπογραψαμένων ἔδοξε τῇ βουλῇ, ἐπειδὴ οὐκ ἀξιόχρεως ἦν ὁ ἀπόστολος, ἐπιτρέψαι Λατίνων τε καὶ Ἑρνίκων τοῖς βουλομένοις τῆς ἀποικίας μετέχειν.
But since the distribution of the land was not a desirable thing to all the multitude of the poor among the Romans, as they felt they were being driven from their homeland, and since only a few registered, the senate resolved, since the colony was not of sufficient numbers, to permit those of the Latins and Hernicians who wished to share in the colony.
οἱ μὲν δὴ εἰς Ἄντιον ἀποσταλέντες κατένεμον τὴν γῆν τοῖς σφετέροις, μοῖράν τινα ἐξ αὐτῆς τοῖς Ἀντιάταις ὑπολειπόμενοι. §9.59.3ἐν δὲ τῷ μεταξὺ χρόνῳ στρατεία τῶν ὑπάτων ἀμφοτέρων ἐγένετο, Αἰμιλίου μὲν εἰς τὴν Σαβίνων χώραν, Φαβίου δʼ εἰς τὴν Αἰκανῶν.
Those, then, who were sent to Antium distributed the land among their own, leaving a certain portion of it to the Antiates. In the meantime, an expedition of both consuls took place, of Aemilius into the territory of the Sabines, and of Fabius into that of the Aequians.
καὶ τῷ μὲν Αἰμιλίῳ πολὺν ἐν τῇ πολεμίᾳ μείναντι χρόνον οὐδεμία δύναμις ὑπήντησε μαχουμένη περὶ τῆς γῆς, ἀλλʼ ἀδεῶς αὐτὴν κείρας, ἐπειδὴ καθῆκεν ὁ χρόνος τῶν ἀρχαιρεσίων, ἀπῆγε τὰς δυνάμεις.
And indeed, though Aemilius remained a long time in the enemy's country, no force met him to fight for the land, but having ravaged it without fear, when the time for the elections arrived, he led back his forces.
Φαβίῳ δʼ Αἰκανοί, πρὶν εἰς ἀνάγκην ἐλθεῖν στρατιᾶς διαφθαρείσης ἢ τειχῶν ἁλισκομένων, ἐπεκηρυκεύσαντο περὶ διαλλαγῶν καὶ φιλίας. §9.59.4ὁ δʼ ὕπατος δύο τε μηνῶν τροφὰς τῇ στρατιᾷ καὶ δύο χιτῶνας κατʼ ἄνδρα καὶ ἀργύριον εἰς ὀψωνιασμὸν ἑξαμήνου καὶ εἴ τι ἄλλο κατήπειγεν εἰσπραξάμενος, ἀνοχὰς ἐποιήσατο πρὸς αὐτούς, ἕως ἂν εἰς Ῥώμην ἀφικόμενοι παρὰ τῆς βουλῆς εὕρωνται τὰς διαλύσεις.
But to Fabius, the Aequians, before coming to the necessity of having their army destroyed or their walls captured, sent heralds to treat for reconciliation and friendship. The consul, having exacted two months' provisions for the army, two tunics for each man, money for six months' pay, and whatever else was urgently needed, made a truce with them until, having arrived in Rome, they should obtain terms of settlement from the senate.
ἡ μέντοι βουλὴ ταῦτα μαθοῦσα τῷ Φαβίῳ ἐπέτρεψεν αὐτοκράτορι διαλύσασθαι πρὸς τοὺς Αἰκανούς, ἐφʼ οἷς ἂν αὐτὸς προαιρῆται. §9.59.5μετὰ τοῦτο συνθῆκαι γίνονται ταῖς πόλεσι μεσιτεύσαντος αὐτὰς τοῦ ὑπάτου τοιαίδε· Αἰκανοὺς εἶναι Ῥωμαίων ὑπηκόους πόλεις τε καὶ χώρας τὰς ἑαυτῶν ἔχοντας, ἀποστέλλειν δὲ Ῥωμαίοις μηδὲν ὅτι μὴ στρατιάν, ὅταν αὐτοῖς παραγγελῇ, τέλεσι τοῖς ἰδίοις ἐκπέμποντας.
The senate, however, having learned this, permitted Fabius, with full powers, to make peace with the Aequians on whatever terms he himself should choose. After this, a treaty was made with the cities, through the mediation of the consul, as follows: that the Aequians should be subjects of the Romans, holding their own cities and lands, and should send nothing to the Romans except an army when they were commanded, dispatching it at their own expense.
ταῦτα συνθέμενος ἀπῆγε τὴν δύναμιν Φάβιος καὶ εἰς τὸν ἐπιόντα ἐνιαυτὸν ἀρχὰς ἅμα τῷ συνυπάτῳ κατέστησεν.
Having made this treaty, Fabius led his army away and, together with his colleague, held the elections for the following year.

Notes

  1. §9.59.1τῶν ἡγησαμένων τε τῆς ἀποσταλείσης φρουρᾶς εἰς Κρεμέραν, καὶ διαφθαρέντων ἐκεῖ σὺν τοῖς πελάταις — The genitive participles `τῶν ἡγησαμένων` and `διαφθαρέντων` modify the preceding noun phrase `τῶν τριῶν ἀδελφῶν` ("the three brothers"). This specifies that Quintus Fabius was the son of one of the three Fabii brothers who led the garrison to Cremera (in 477 BC) and perished there along with their clients.
  2. §9.59.1δόγμα ἐπεκύρωσε... διανεῖμαί τινα μοῖραν — The infinitive `διανεῖμαι` functions in apposition to the noun `δόγμα` ("decree"), explaining its content: "confirmed a decree [to the effect] to distribute...".
  3. §9.59.2ἦν δʼ οὐκ ἀγώνισμα πᾶσι τοῖς πολλοῖς καὶ πένησι — The noun `ἀγώνισμα` here denotes something highly desirable or eagerly sought after. Thus, `οὐκ ἀγώνισμα` means it was "not a desirable thing" to the Roman poor, who felt as though they were being expatriated (`ὡς ἀπελαυνομένοις`).
  4. §9.59.5μηδὲν ὅτι μὴ στρατιάν — The phrase `ὅτι μή` is an idiomatic construction meaning "except" or "other than." Thus, `μηδὲν ὅτι μὴ στρατιάν` means "nothing except an army" (i.e., they had no obligation of tribute other than military service).

Cite this passage

Dionysius of Halicarnassus, Roman Antiquities §9.59.1-9.59.5. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0081.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:9.59.1-9.59.5

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