Humanitext Reader

Dionysius of Halicarnassus · Roman Antiquities §9.62.1-9.62.5

Unrest in Antium and Consul Furius's Campaign

Passage 731 of 962 · Greek

Summary

New consuls take office and receive reports of unrest in Antium and an invasion by the Aequians. The senate dispatches a guard and an army under the consul Furius, who strengthens his position, encouraging the enemy to launch an attack.

§9.62.1ἀφικόμενοι δʼ εἰς τὴν Ῥώμην ἀπέδειξαν ὑπάτους Αὖλον Ποστόμιον Ἄλβον καὶ Σερούιον Φούριον.
Having arrived in Rome, they designated Aulus Postumius Albus and Servius Furius as consuls.
οἱ μὲν δὴ νεωστὶ παρειλήφεσαν τὴν ἀρχήν, παρὰ δὲ τῶν συμμάχων Λατίνων ἄγγελοι Ῥωμαίοις κατὰ σπουδὴν διαπεμφθέντες ἧκον.
When these had just assumed office, messengers from their allies, the Latins, arrived, having been sent in haste to the Romans.
οὗτοι καταστάντες ἐπὶ τὴν βουλὴν διεσάφουν Ἀντιατῶν τὰ πράγματα οὐ βέβαια εἶναι, κρύφα τε διαπρεσβευομένων πρὸς αὐτοὺς Αἰκανῶν καὶ ἀναφανδὸν εἰσιόντων εἰς τὴν πόλιν ἀγορᾶς προφάσει πολλῶν Οὐολούσκων, οὓς ἐπήγοντο οἱ πρότερον ἐκλιπόντες τὴν πόλιν Ἀντιατῶν, ὅτʼ ἐκληρουχεῖτο διὰ πενίαν καὶ πρὸς Αἰκανοὺς ἀπαυτομολήσαντες, §9.62.2ὥσπερ ἔφην.
These men, having appeared before the senate, made it clear that the affairs of the Antiates were unstable, that the Aequians were secretly sending embassies to them, and that many Volscians were openly entering the city on the pretext of the market, whom those of the Antiates who had previously left the city had brought in—namely, those who, when the land was being distributed because of poverty, had deserted to the Aequians, as I have said.
συνδιεφθάρθαι τε τοῖς ἐπιχωρίοις ἅμα ἤγγελλον καὶ τῶν ἐποίκων συχνούς· καὶ εἰ μὴ προκαταληφθήσονται φυλακῇ ἀξιόχρεῳ, ἀναστήσεσθαί τινα ἔλεγον κἀκεῖθεν ἀπροσδόκητον Ῥωμαίοις πόλεμον.
They also reported that many of the colonists had been corrupted along with the natives; and they said that unless they were secured beforehand by a sufficient guard, an unexpected war for the Romans would rise up from there as well.
τούτων οὐ πολλῷ ὕστερον ἕτεροι πεμφθέντες ὑφʼ Ἑρνίκων ἤγγελλον ἐξεληλυθέναι μεγάλην δύναμιν Αἰκανῶν καὶ ἐγκαθεζομένην ἐν τῇ σφετέρᾳ γῇ φέρειν τε πάντα καὶ ἄγειν, στρατεύειν δʼ ἅμα τοῖς Αἰκανοῖς καὶ Οὐολούσκους τὴν πλείω τοῦ στρατοῦ μοῖραν παρεχομένους.
Not long after these reports, other messengers sent by the Hernicians reported that a large force of the Aequians had gone out and, encamping in their land, was plundering and carrying off everything, and that the Volscians were also campaigning together with the Aequians, supplying the greater part of the army.
§9.62.3πρὸς ταῦτʼ ἐψηφίσατο ἡ βουλὴ τοῖς μὲν Ἀντιατῶν ταράττουσι τὰ πράγματα — ἧκον γὰρ ἀπολογησόμενοί τινες ἐξ αὐτῶν καὶ καταφανεῖς ἐγένοντο οὐδὲν ὑγιὲς φρονοῦντες — φυλακὴν ἑτέραν πέμψαι, ἣ ἔμελλε διʼ ἀσφαλείας ἕξειν τὴν πόλιν· ἐπὶ δʼ Αἰκανοὺς ἄγειν τὴν στρατιὰν τὸν ἕτερον τῶν ὑπάτων Σερούιον Φούριον·
In response to this, the senate voted to send another guard to those of the Antiates who were disturbing affairs—for some of them had come to make an excuse and had become manifest as intending nothing good—which was to keep the city in safety; and that Servius Furius, one of the two consuls, should lead the army against the Aequians.
καὶ ἐγίνετο ταχεῖα ἀμφοῖν ἡ ἔξοδος.
And the departure of both of them was rapid.
§9.62.4οἱ δʼ Αἰκανοὶ μαθόντες ἐξεληλυθυῖαν τὴν Ῥωμαίων στρατιάν, ἀναστάντες ἐκ τῆς Ἑρνίκων ἐχώρουν αὐτοῖς ὁμόσε.
But the Aequians, having learned that the Roman army had gone out, broke camp from the land of the Hernicians and advanced to meet them.
ἐπεὶ δʼ εἶδον ἀλλήλους, ἐκείνην μὲν τὴν ἡμέραν οὐ πολὺ διαστάντες κατεστρατοπέδευσαν, τῇ δʼ ἑξῆς ἐπὶ τὸν χάρακα τῶν Ῥωμαίων οἱ πολέμιοι ἧκον διάπειραν αὐτῶν τῆς γνώμης ληψόμενοι.
And when they saw one another, they encamped that day not far apart, but on the next day the enemy came to the camp of the Romans to make a trial of their spirit.
§9.62.5ὡς δʼ οὐκ ἐξῄεσαν εἰς μάχην, ἀκροβολισμοῖς χρησάμενοι καὶ οὐδὲν ἀξιόλογον δράσαντες σὺν μεγάλῳ αὐχήματι ἀπῆλθον.
Since they did not go out ¦1921 to battle, the enemy, having engaged in skirmishes and accomplished nothing worthy of mention, departed with great boasting.
ὁ μέντοι Ῥωμαίων ὕπατος ἐκλιπὼν τὸν χάρακα τῇ ἐπιούσῃ· τὸ γὰρ χωρίον οὐ λίαν ἀσφαλὲς ἦν· μετεστρατοπεδεύσατο ἐν ἐπιτηδειοτέρῳ, ἔνθα τάφρον τʼ ὠρύξατο βαθυτέραν καὶ χάρακα ἐβάλετο ὑψηλότερον.
The Roman consul, however, left the camp on the following day—for the place was not very safe—and moved his camp to a more suitable position, where he dug a deeper trench and threw up a higher rampart.
τοῖς δὲ πολεμίοις ταῦθʼ ὁρῶσι πολὺ θράσος προσεγένετο· καὶ ἔτι μᾶλλον, ἐπειδὴ σύμμαχος αὐτοῖς ἀφίκετο στρατιὰ παρὰ τοῦ Οὐολούσκων τε καὶ Αἰκανῶν ἔθνους, οὐδὲν ἔτι διαμελλήσαντες ἐπῆγον τῷ Ῥωμαίων χάρακι.
To the enemy who saw this, great confidence was added; and still more, when an allied army arrived for them from the nation of the Volscians and Aequians, waiting no longer they advanced against the Roman camp.

Notes

  1. ¦1919¦κρύφα τε διαπρεσβευομένων πρὸς αὐτοὺς Αἰκανῶν καὶ ἀναφανδὸν εἰσιόντων εἰς τὴν πόλιν ἀγορᾶς προφάσει πολλῶν Οὐολούσκων — This section is a genitive absolute construction depending on the main verb `διεσάφουν` ("they made clear"), describing in detail the unsettled situation in Antium.
  2. ¦1920¦φέρειν τε πάντα καὶ ἄγειν — A classical Greek idiom equivalent to the Latin *ferre et agere* ("to plunder, ravage"). It is a compound expression consisting of carrying off property (`φέρειν`) and driving away cattle or captives (`ἄγειν`).
  3. ¦p.v.3p.387¦καταφανεῖς ἐγένοντο οὐδὲν ὑγιὲς φρονοῦντες — A construction where the adjective `καταφανής` serves as a nominative predicate with the participle `φρονοῦντες`, meaning "it became manifest that they were intending..." The phrase `οὐδὲν ὑγιὲς φρονεῖν` ("to intend nothing sound/good") is an idiomatic expression.
  4. ¦1921¦τοῖς δὲ πολεμίοις ταῦθʼ ὁρῶσι πολὺ θράσος προσεγένετο — The dative `τοῖς πολεμίοις` (with the present participle `ὁρῶσι`) is a dative of possession or reference depending on the verb `προσεγένετο` ("was added to"), literally meaning "to the enemy seeing these things, great confidence was added."

Cite this passage

Dionysius of Halicarnassus, Roman Antiquities §9.62.1-9.62.5. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0081.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:9.62.1-9.62.5

Please note the AI-draft status of the translation and the date accessed.

Translation, notes and summary are AI-generated drafts, revised through reader feedback.