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Polybius · The Histories §1.46.1-1.46.13

Hannibal the Rhodian Runs the Roman Blockade at Lilybaeum

Passage 46 of 1311 · Greek

Summary

After Hannibal escapes to Drepana under cover of night, Hannibal the Rhodian repeatedly slips through the strict Roman naval blockade of Lilybaeum, keeping communications open for the besieged Carthaginians.

§1.46.1ὁ μὲν οὖν Ἀννίβας μετὰ τὴν χρείαν ταύτην ἐξέπλευσε νύκτωρ ἔτι μετὰ τῶν νεῶν λαθὼν τοὺς πολεμίους εἰς τὰ Δρέπανα πρὸς Ἀτάρβαν τὸν τῶν Καρχηδονίων στρατηγόν.
Hannibal, then, after this service, sailed out still by night with his ships, escaping the notice of the enemy, to Drepana to Atarbas, the Carthaginian general.
§1.46.2διὰ γὰρ τὴν εὐκαιρίαν τοῦ τόπου καὶ τὸ κάλλος τοῦ περὶ τὰ Δρέπανα λιμένος ἀεὶ μεγάλην ἐποιοῦντο σπουδὴν οἱ Καρχηδόνιοι περὶ τὴν φυλακὴν αὐτοῦ.
For because of the suitability of the position and the beauty of the harbor around Drepana, the Carthaginians always showed great zeal in guarding it.
§1.46.3συμβαίνει δὲ τοῦ Λιλυβαίου τοῦτον ἀπέχειν τὸν τόπον ὡς ἂν ἑκατὸν καὶ εἴκοσι στάδια.
It happens that this place is distant from Lilybaeum about one hundred and twenty stades.
§1.46.4τοῖς δʼ ἐν τῇ Καρχηδόνι βουλομένοις μὲν εἰδέναι τὰ περὶ τὸ Λιλύβαιον, οὐ δυναμένοις δὲ διὰ τὸ τοὺς μὲν συγκεκλεῖσθαι τοὺς δὲ παραφυλάττεσθαι φιλοτίμως, ἐπηγγείλατό τις ἀνὴρ τῶν ἐνδόξων, Ἀννίβας ἐπικαλούμενος Ῥόδιος, εἰσπλεύσας εἰς τὸ Λιλύβαιον καὶ γενόμενος αὐτόπτης ἅπαντα διασαφήσειν.
But to those in Carthage who wished to know the situation around Lilybaeum, but were unable to do so because some were shut up inside and others were carefully watched, a certain illustrious man, called Hannibal the Rhodian, promised that he would sail into Lilybaeum and, having become an eyewitness, make everything clear.
§1.46.5οἱ δὲ τῆς ἐπαγγελίας μὲν ἀσμένως ἤκουσαν, οὐ μὴν ἐπίστευόν γε διὰ τὸ τῷ στόλῳ τοὺς Ῥωμαίους ἐπὶ τοῦ κατὰ τὸν εἴσπλουν στόματος ἐφορμεῖν.
They heard his promise gladly, but did not believe him, because the Romans with their fleet were blockading the entrance at the very mouth of the passage.
§1.46.6ὁ δὲ καταρτίσας τὴν ἰδίαν ναῦν ἀνήχθη· καὶ διάρας εἴς τινα τῶν πρὸ τοῦ Λιλυβαίου κειμένων νήσων, τῇ κατὰ πόδας ἡμέρᾳ λαβὼν εὐκαίρως ἄνεμον οὔριον περὶ τετάρτην ὥραν ἁπάντων τῶν πολεμίων ὁρώντων καὶ καταπεπληγμένων τὴν τόλμαν εἰσέπλευσεν.
But he, having fitted out his own ship, set sail; and having crossed to one of the islands lying off Lilybaeum, on the following day, finding a favorable wind at about the fourth hour, he sailed in, while all the enemy looked on and were amazed at his daring.
§1.46.7καὶ τὴν κατόπιν εὐθέως ἐγίνετο περὶ ἀναγωγήν.
And on the very next day, he immediately began to prepare for his departure.
§1.46.8ὁ δὲ τῶν Ῥωμαίων στρατηγὸς βουλόμενος ἐπιμελέστερον τὸν κατὰ τὸν εἴσπλουν τόπον τηρεῖν, ἐξηρτυκὼς ἐν τῇ νυκτὶ δέκα ναῦς τὰς ἄριστα πλεούσας, αὐτὸς μὲν ἐπὶ τοῦ λιμένος ἑστὼς ἐθεώρει τὸ συμβαῖνον, ὁμοίως δὲ καὶ πᾶν τὸ στρατόπεδον·
The Roman general, wishing to guard the entrance of the passage more carefully, having equipped during the night ten of his fastest-sailing ships, stood himself by the harbor watching what would happen, and likewise the whole army.
§1.46.9αἱ δὲ νῆες τοῦ στόματος ἐξ ἀμφοῖν τοῖν μεροῖν, ἐφʼ ὅσον ἦν δυνατὸν ἔγγιστα τοῖς τενάγεσι προσάγειν, ἐπεῖχον ἐπτερωκυῖαι πρὸς τὴν ἐμβολὴν καὶ σύλληψιν τῆς ἐκπλεῖν μελλούσης νεώς.
The ships on both sides of the mouth, as close to the shallows as it was possible to approach, kept watch with their oars poised for ramming and capturing the ship that was about to sail out.
§1.46.10ὁ δὲ Ῥόδιος ἐκ τοῦ προφανοῦς τὴν ἀναγωγὴν ποιησάμενος οὕτως κατανέστη τῶν πολεμίων τῇ τε τόλμῃ καὶ τῷ ταχυναυτεῖν ὥστʼ οὐ μόνον ἄτρωτον ἐξέπλευσε τὴν ναῦν ἔχων καὶ τοὺς ἄνδρας, οἷον ἑστῶτα παραδραμὼν τὰ σκάφη τῶν ὑπεναντίων, §1.46.11ἀλλὰ καὶ βραχὺ προπλεύσας ἐπέστη πτερώσας τὴν ναῦν, ὡσανεὶ προκαλούμενος τοὺς πολεμίους.
But the Rhodian, making his departure openly, so defied the enemy by his daring and the speed of his sailing that he not only sailed out with his ship and men unharmed, running past the vessels of the adversaries as if they were standing still, but having sailed a short distance ahead, he stopped and poised his oars, as if challenging the enemy.
§1.46.12οὐδενὸς δὲ τολμῶντος ἐπʼ αὐτὸν ἀντανάγεσθαι διὰ τὸ τάχος τῆς εἰρεσίας, ἀπέπλευσε καταναστὰς μιᾷ νηὶ παντὸς τοῦ τῶν ἐναντίων στόλου.
And since no one dared to sail out against him because of the speed of his rowing, he sailed away, having defied the entire fleet of the enemy with a single ship.
§1.46.13καὶ τὸ λοιπὸν ἤδη πλεονάκις ποιῶν ταὐτὸ τοῦτο μεγάλην χρείαν παρείχετο, τοῖς μὲν Καρχηδονίοις ἀεὶ τὰ κατεπείγοντα διασαφῶν, τοὺς δὲ πολιορκουμένους εὐθαρσεῖς παρασκευάζων, τοὺς δὲ Ῥωμαίους
And henceforth, by doing this same thing many times, he rendered great service, always making clear to the Carthaginians urgent matters, and making the besieged courageous, and the Romans

Notes

  1. §1.46.4τοῖς δʼ ἐν τῇ Καρχηδόνι βουλομένοις μὲν εἰδέναι τὰ περὶ τὸ Λιλύβαιον, οὐ δυναμένοις δὲ διὰ τὸ τοὺς μὲν συγκεκλεῖσθαι τοὺς δὲ παραφυλάττεσθαι φιλοτίμως — The dative phrase τοῖς... βουλομένοις... οὐ δυναμένοις δὲ serves as the indirect object of the main verb ἐπηγγείλατο. The following phrase διὰ τὸ τοὺς μὲν συγκεκλεῖσθαι... is a causal construction consisting of the preposition διά with the genitive articular infinitive (τό + infinitive). The accusatives τοὺς μὲν and τοὺς δὲ function as the subject accusatives of the passive infinitives, contrasting those shut up inside with those being watched from the outside.
  2. §1.46.9ἐπτερωκυῖαι — This is the perfect active participle feminine plural of πτερόω ('to furnish with wings'). In a nautical context, it is an idiomatic expression meaning 'with oars poised' or 'held out like wings,' describing a state where the ships are prepared to row out instantly at a moment's notice.
  3. §1.46.10οἷον ἑστῶτα παραδραμὼν τὰ σκάφη τῶν ὑπεναντίων — The adverbial οἷον ('as if') modifies the perfect participle ἑστῶτα (contracted from ἑστηκότα, 'standing still'), which agrees with the neuter accusative plural noun τὰ σκάφη ('the vessels of the enemy'). It vividly describes how the Rhodian's vessel ran past the enemy ships as if they were completely stationary.
  4. §1.46.13τοὺς δὲ Ῥωμαίους — The text of this chunk ends abruptly with the accusative 'and the Romans' (τοὺς δὲ Ῥωμαίους). Syntactically, this would be the object of a third participle parallel to διασαφῶν and παρασκευάζων (meaning something like 'baffling' or 'terrifying' the Romans), but due to the incomplete nature of the transmitted text at this point, the translation must reflect this abrupt termination.

Cite this passage

Polybius, The Histories §1.46.1-1.46.13. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0543.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:1.46.1-1.46.13

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