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Dionysius of Halicarnassus · Roman Antiquities §9.66.1-9.66.4

Enemy's Night Retreat and Consul Servius's Victory

Passage 735 of 962 · Greek

Summary

Consul Seruious plans to attack the enemy camp to aid his colleague, but the enemy, learning of their defeat, retreats by night and suffers heavy casualties on the way. Although the Romans also lose many brave men and a prominent legate, they return with a great victory.

§9.66.1ἐν ᾧ δὲ ταῦτʼ ἐγίνετο χρόνῳ, πεπυσμένος ἅτερος τῶν ὑπάτων Σερούιος ἐπὶ βοήθειαν αὐτῷ προσιόντα τὸν συνύπατον δείσας, μὴ ὑπαντήσωσιν αὐτῷ οἱ πολέμιοι καὶ διακλείσωσι τῆς πρὸς αὐτὸν ὁδοῦ, περισπᾶν αὐτοὺς διενοεῖτο προσβολὰς ποιούμενος τῷ §9.66.2χάρακι.
While these things were taking place, Seruius, the other of the consuls, having learned that his colleague was approaching to assist him, and fearing lest the enemy might meet him and shut him out of the road to him, intended to distract them by making attacks on their camp.
ἀλλὰ γὰρ φθάσαντες αὐτὸν οἱ πολέμιοι, ἐπειδὴ ἔγνωσαν τὴν συμφορὰν τῶν σφετέρων, ἣν ἀπήγγειλαν οἱ περισωθέντες ἐκ τῆς προνομῆς, λύσαντες τὴν παρεμβολὴν ἐν τῇ πρώτῃ νυκτὶ μετὰ τὴν μάχην εἰς τὴν πόλιν ἀπῆραν, οὐχ ἅπαντα πεπραχότες, ὅσα ἐβούλοντο.
But the enemy forestalled him; for when they learned of the disaster to their men, which those who had escaped from the plundering had reported, they broke up their camp on the very first night after the battle and withdrew to their city, not having accomplished all that they had wished.
§9.66.3χωρὶς γὰρ τῶν ἀποθανόντων ἔν τε ταῖς μάχαις καὶ κατὰ τὰς προνομὰς τοὺς ὑστερήσαντας ἐν τῇ τότε φυγῇ πολλῷ πλείους τῶν προτέρων ἀπέβαλον.
For, apart from those who had died in the battles and during the plundering, they lost far more of those who lagged behind in the flight of that time than of the former.
οἱ γὰρ ὑπὸ καμάτου τε καὶ τραυμάτων βαρυνόμενοι σχολῇ προβαίνοντες ἐγκαταλιπόντων αὐτοὺς τῶν μελῶν ἔπιπτον, μάλιστα δὲ περὶ τὰ νάματα καὶ ποταμοὺς ὑπὸ δίψης φλεγόμενοι· οὓς οἱ Ῥωμαίων ἱππεῖς καταλαμβάνοντες ἐφόνευον.
For those who were weighed down by fatigue and wounds, advancing slowly as their limbs failed them, fell, and especially around the springs and rivers, burning with thirst; and the Roman cavalry, overtaking them, slew them.
§9.66.4οὐ μὲν δὴ οὐδὲ Ῥωμαῖοι πάντα ἐκ τοῦ τότε ἀγῶνος εὐτυχηκότες ἀνέστρεψαν, ἄνδρας μὲν γὰρ ἀγαθοὺς καὶ πολλοὺς ἐν ταῖς μάχαις ἀπολωλέκεσαν, καὶ πρεσβευτὴν ἁπάντων λαμπρότατον γενόμενον ἐν τῷ ἀγῶνι· νίκην δʼ οὐδεμιᾶς ἥττονα τῇ πόλει φέροντες ἀνέστρεψαν.
Indeed, not even the Romans returned having been entirely fortunate in that struggle; for they had lost many brave men in the battles, and a legate who had proved himself the most illustrious of all in the struggle; yet they returned bringing to the city a victory second to none.
ταῦτʼ ἐπʼ ἐκείνων τῆς ἀρχῆς ἐπράχθη.
These things were performed during their magistracy.

Notes

  1. 9.66.1μὴ ὑπαντήσωσιν αὐτῷ οἱ πολέμιοι καὶ διακλείσωσι τῆς πρὸς αὐτὸν ὁδοῦ — A subjunctive of fear (μὴ + subjunctive). Regarding the referents of the pronouns, αὐτῷ refers to the preceding subject of the infinitive, τὸν συνύπατον (the colleague consul), while αὐτόν in πρὸς αὐτὸν refers to the subject of the main clause, Σερούιος (Seruious). It means "lest the enemy meet the colleague consul and shut him out of the road to Seruious."
  2. 9.66.3ἐγκαταλιπόντων αὐτοὺς τῶν μελῶν — A genitive absolute construction where τῶν μελῶν (limbs) is the subject and ἐγκαταλιπόντων (abandoning, failing) is the participle. It figuratively describes their physical exhaustion: "as their limbs failed them" or "their limbs abandoning them."
  3. 9.66.4πρεσβευτὴν — The second object (in the accusative) of the verb ἀπολωλέκεσαν (had lost). In this historical context, πρεσβευτής refers to the Roman legatus (legate or lieutenant).

Cite this passage

Dionysius of Halicarnassus, Roman Antiquities §9.66.1-9.66.4. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0081.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:9.66.1-9.66.4

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