§3.101.1Μάρκος δὲ παρειληφὼς τὰς δυνάμεις παρὰ Φαβίου τὸ μὲν πρῶτον ἀντιπαρῆγε ταῖς ἀκρωρείαις, πεπεισμένος ἀεὶ περὶ τὰς ὑπερβολὰς συμπεσεῖσθαί ποτε τοῖς Καρχηδονίοις. §3.101.2ἀκούσας δὲ τὸ μὲν Γερούνιον τοὺς περὶ τὸν Ἀννίβαν ἤδη κατέχειν, τὴν δὲ χώραν σιτολογεῖν, πρὸ δὲ τῆς πόλεως χάρακα βεβλημένους στρατοπεδεύειν, ἐπιστρέψας ἐκ τῶν ἀκρωρειῶν κατέβαινε κατὰ τὴν ἐπὶ τὰ πεδία κατατείνουσαν ῥάχιν. §3.101.3ἀφικόμενος δʼ ἐπὶ τὴν ἄκραν, ἣ κεῖται μὲν ἐπὶ τῆς Λαρινάτιδος χώρας προσαγορεύεται δὲ Καλήνη, κατεστρατοπέδευσε περὶ ταύτην, πρόχειρος ὢν ἐκ παντὸς τρόπου συμπλέκεσθαι τοῖς πολεμίοις. §3.101.4Ἀννίβας δὲ θεωρῶν ἐγγίζοντας τοὺς πολεμίους τὸ μὲν τρίτον μέρος τῆς δυνάμεως εἴασε σιτολογεῖν, τὰ δὲ δύο μέρη λαβὼν καὶ προελθὼν ἀπὸ τῆς πόλεως ἑκκαίδεκα σταδίους πρὸς τοὺς πολεμίους ἐπί τινος βουνοῦ κατεστρατοπέδευσε, βουλόμενος ἅμα μὲν καταπλήξασθαι τοὺς ὑπεναντίους, ἅμα δὲ τοῖς σιτολογοῦσι τὴν ἀσφάλειαν παρασκευάζειν. §3.101.5μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα, γεωλόφου τινὸς ὑπάρχοντος μεταξὺ τῶν στρατοπέδων, ὃς εὐκαίρως καὶ σύνεγγυς ἐπέκειτο τῇ τῶν πολεμίων παρεμβολῇ, τοῦτον ἔτι νυκτὸς ἐξαποστείλας περὶ δισχιλίους τῶν λογχοφόρων κατελάβετο. §3.101.6οὓς ἐπιγενομένης τῆς ἡμέρας συνιδὼν Μάρκος ἐξῆγε τοὺς εὐζώνους καὶ προσέβαλε τῷ λόφῳ. §3.101.7γενομένου δʼ ἀκροβολισμοῦ νεανικοῦ, τέλος ἐπεκράτησαν οἱ Ῥωμαῖοι καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα τὴν ὅλην στρατοπεδείαν μετεβίβασαν εἰς τοῦτον τὸν τόπον. §3.101.8ὁ δʼ Ἀννίβας ἕως μέν τινος διὰ τὴν ἀντιστρατοπεδείαν συνεῖχεν τὸ πλεῖστον μέρος τῆς δυνάμεως ἐφʼ αὑτόν. §3.101.9πλειόνων δὲ γενομένων ἡμερῶν, ἠναγκάζετο τοὺς μὲν ἐπὶ τὴν νομὴν τῶν θρεμμάτων ἀπομερίζειν τοὺς δʼ ἐπὶ τὴν σιτολογίαν, §3.101.10σπουδάζων κατὰ τὴν ἐν ἀρχῇ πρόθεσιν μήτε τὴν λείαν καταφθεῖραι τόν τε σῖτον ὡς πλεῖστον συναγαγεῖν, ἵνα πάντων ᾖ κατὰ τὴν παραχειμασίαν δαψίλεια τοῖς ἀνδράσιν, μὴ χεῖρον δὲ τοῖς ὑποζυγίοις καὶ τοῖς ἵπποις· §3.101.11εἶχε γὰρ τὰς πλείστας ἐλπίδας τῆς αὑτοῦ δυνάμεως ἐν τῷ τῶν ἱππέων τάγματι.
Marcus, having taken over the forces from Fabius, at first marched parallel to the enemy along the ridges, constantly convinced that he would at some point clash with the Carthaginians around the mountain passes. But when he heard that Hannibal's forces already occupied Gerunium, were gathering grain in the territory, and were encamped in front of the city having thrown up a palisade, he turned back from the ridges and descended along the ridge extending toward the plains. Having arrived at the height which lies in the territory of Larinum and is called Calene, he encamped around it, ready to engage with the enemy by any means. Hannibal, seeing the enemy approaching, allowed one-third of his force to continue gathering grain, and taking the other two-thirds, advanced sixteen stades from the city and encamped on a certain hill, wishing at once to strike terror into the opponents and to secure safety for those gathering grain. After this, since there was a certain hill between the camps which lay advantageously and close to the enemy's encampment, he sent out about two thousand light-armed troops still during the night and occupied it. When day broke, Marcus, seeing them, led out his light-armed troops and attacked the hill. After a vigorous skirmish, the Romans finally prevailed, and afterward they transferred their entire camp to this place. Hannibal, for a certain time, kept the greater part of his force with himself because of the proximity of the opposing camps. But as more days passed, he was forced to detach some for the pasturage of the herds and others for the gathering of grain, striving in accordance with his original purpose not to let the booty go to waste but to collect as much grain as possible, so that during the winter quarters there might be an abundance of everything for the men, and no less so for the beasts of burden and the horses; for he placed his greatest hopes for his army in the cavalry force.