§1.56.1οἱ δὲ Καρχηδόνιοι μετὰ ταῦτα στρατηγὸν καταστήσαντες αὑτῶν Ἀμίλκαν τὸν Βάρκαν ἐπικαλούμενον, τούτῳ τὰ κατὰ τὸν στόλον ἐνεχείρισαν· §1.56.2ὃς παραλαβὼν τὰς ναυτικὰς δυνάμεις ὥρμησεν πορθήσων τὴν Ἰταλίαν.
After this, the Carthaginians appointed Hamilcar, surnamed Barca, as their general, and entrusted to him the affairs of the fleet. Having taken over the naval forces, he set out to ravage Italy.
ἔτος δʼ ἦν ὀκτωκαιδέκατον τῷ πολέμῳ. §1.56.3κατασύρας δὲ τὴν Λοκρίδα καὶ τὴν Βρεττιανὴν χώραν, ἀποπλέων ἐντεῦθεν κατῆρε παντὶ τῷ στόλῳ πρὸς τὴν Πανορμῖτιν καὶ καταλαμβάνει τὸν ἐπὶ τῆς Εἱρκτῆς λεγόμενον τόπον, ὃς κεῖται μὲν Ἔρυκος καὶ Πανόρμου μεταξὺ πρὸς θαλάττῃ, πολὺ δέ τι τῶν ἄλλων δοκεῖ διαφέρειν τόπων ἐπιτηδειότητι πρὸς ἀσφάλειαν στρατοπέδων καὶ χρονισμόν. §1.56.4ἔστι γὰρ ὄρος περίτομον ἐξανεστηκὸς ἐκ τῆς περικειμένης χώρας εἰς ὕψος ἱκανόν.
This was the eighteenth year of the war. Having plundered the territory of Locri and Bruttium, he sailed thence and came to anchor with his whole fleet on the coast of Panormus, and occupied the place called "upon Heirkte," which lies by the sea between Eryx and Panormus, and is thought to far surpass other places in its suitability for the safety and long stay of an army. For it is a precipitous mountain rising from the surrounding country to a considerable height.
τούτου δʼ ἡ περίμετρος τῆς ἄνω στεφάνης οὐ λείπει τῶν ἑκατὸν σταδίων, ὑφʼ ἧς ὁ περιεχόμενος τόπος εὔβοτος ὑπάρχει καὶ γεωργήσιμος, πρὸς μὲν τὰς πελαγίους πνοιὰς εὐφυῶς κείμενος, θανασίμων δὲ θηρίων εἰς τέλος ἄμοιρος. §1.56.5περιέχεται δὲ κρημνοῖς ἀπροσίτοις ἔκ τε τοῦ κατὰ θάλατταν μέρους καὶ τοῦ παρὰ τὴν μεσόγαιαν παρήκοντος, τὰ δὲ μεταξὺ τούτων ἐστὶν ὀλίγης καὶ βραχείας δεόμενα κατασκευῆς. §1.56.6ἔχει δʼ ἐν αὑτῷ καὶ μαστόν, ὃς ἅμα μὲν ἀκροπόλεως, ἅμα δὲ σκοπῆς εὐφυοῦς λαμβάνει τάξιν κατὰ τῆς ὑποκειμένης χώρας. §1.56.7κρατεῖ δὲ καὶ λιμένος εὐκαίρου πρὸς τὸν ἀπὸ Δρεπάνων καὶ Λιλυβαίου δρόμον ἐπὶ τὴν Ἰταλίαν, ἐν ᾧ πλῆθος ὕδατος ἄφθονον ὑπάρχει. §1.56.8προσόδους δὲ τὰς πάσας ἔχει τριττὰς δυσχερεῖς, δύο μὲν ἀπὸ τῆς χώρας, μίαν δʼ ἀπὸ τῆς θαλάττης.
The circumference of its flat upper ridge is not less than a hundred stades, within which the enclosed space is good for pasturage and arable, favorably situated with regard to sea breezes, and entirely free from deadly wild beasts. It is surrounded by inaccessible cliffs both on the side facing the sea and on that extending along the inland, while the intervals between these require but little and slight fortification. It contains also a knoll within itself, which serves at once as a citadel and as a convenient look-out over the underlying country. It also commands a convenient harbor for the voyage from Drepana and Lilybaeum to Italy, in which there is an abundant supply of water. It has only three approaches in all, all of them difficult, two from the land side and one from the sea.
ἐν ᾧ καταστρατοπεδεύσας παραβόλως Ἀμίλκας, §1.56.9ὡς ἂν μήτε πόλεως οἰκείας μήτʼ ἄλλης ἐλπίδος μηδεμιᾶς ἀντεχόμενος, εἰς μέσους δὲ τοὺς πολεμίους ἑαυτὸν δεδωκώς, ὅμως οὐ μικροὺς οὐδὲ τοὺς τυχόντας Ῥωμαίοις ἀγῶνας καὶ κινδύνους παρεσκεύασεν. §1.56.10πρῶτον μὲν γὰρ ἐντεῦθεν ὁρμώμενος κατὰ θάλατταν τὴν παραλίαν τῆς Ἰταλίας ἐπόρθει μέχρι τῆς Κυμαίων χώρας, §1.56.11δεύτερον δὲ κατὰ γῆν παραστρατοπεδευσάντων αὐτῷ Ῥωμαίων πρὸ τῆς Πανορμιτῶν πόλεως ἐν ἴσως πέντε σταδίοις πολλοὺς καὶ ποικίλους ἀγῶνας συνεστήσατο κατὰ γῆν σχεδὸν ἐπὶ τρεῖς ἐνιαυτούς.
Having encamped there with great daring, Hamilcar, though acting as if he had no friendly city nor any other hope to rely upon, but had cast himself into the midst of the enemy, nevertheless brought no small or ordinary struggles and dangers upon the Romans. For in the first place, starting from there, he ravaged by sea the coast of Italy as far as the territory of Cumae, and secondly, when the Romans encamped against him in front of the city of Panormus at a distance of about five stades, he engaged in many and various combats on land for nearly three years.
περὶ ὧν οὐχ οἷόν τε διὰ τῆς γρα
Concerning these, it is not possible through a writ