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Polybius · The Histories §3.76.1-3.76.13

Gnaeus Scipio's Iberian Campaign and Defeat of Hanno

Passage 235 of 1311 · Greek

Summary

Gnaeus Cornelius lands in Iberia, wins over or subdues local tribes, and defeats and captures the Carthaginian general Hanno. Although Hasdrubal retaliates by attacking careless Roman naval forces, Gnaeus reorganizes his troops and winters at Tarraco.

§3.76.1κατὰ δὲ τοὺς αὐτοὺς καιροὺς Γνάιος Κορνήλιος ὁ καταλειφθεὶς ὑπὸ τἀδελφοῦ Ποπλίου στρατηγὸς ἐπὶ τῆς ναυτικῆς δυνάμεως, καθάπερ ἐπάνω προεῖπον, ἀναχθεὶς ἀπὸ τῶν τοῦ Ῥοδανοῦ στομάτων παντὶ τῷ στόλῳ προσέσχε τῆς Ἰβηρίας πρὸς τοὺς κατὰ τὸ καλούμενον Ἐμπόριον τόπους.
About the same time, Gnaeus Cornelius, who had been left by his brother Publius as commander of the naval force, as I said above, putting to sea from the mouths of the Rhodanus with his entire fleet, touched land in Iberia at the places near what is called Emporion.
§3.76.2ἀρξάμενος δʼ ἐντεῦθεν ἀποβάσεις ἐποιεῖτο καὶ τοὺς μὲν ἀπειθοῦντας ἐπολιόρκει τῶν τὴν παραλίαν κατοικούντων ἕως Ἴβηρος ποταμοῦ, τοὺς δὲ προσδεχομένους ἐφιλανθρώπει, τὴν ἐνδεχομένην ποιούμενος περὶ αὐτῶν προμήθειαν.
Starting from there, he made landings, and besieged those of the coastal inhabitants who did not submit, as far as the river Iberus, but treated those who welcomed him with kindness, taking all possible care of them.
§3.76.3ἀσφαλισάμενος δὲ τοὺς προσκεχωρηκότας τῶν παραθαλαττίων προῆγε παντὶ τῷ στρατεύματι, ποιούμενος τὴν πορείαν εἰς τὴν μεσόγαιον· §3.76.4πολὺ γὰρ ἤδη καὶ τὸ συμμαχικὸν ἡθροίκει τῶν Ἰβήρων.
Having secured those of the coastal people who had come over to him, he advanced with his whole army, making his way into the interior; for he had already assembled a large force of Iberian allies.
ἅμα δὲ προϊὼν ἃς μὲν προσήγετο τὰς δὲ κατεστρέφετο τῶν πόλεων.
At the same time, as he advanced, he won over some of the cities and subdued others.
§3.76.5τῶν δὲ Καρχηδονίων, οὓς ἔχων ἐπὶ τούτων ἀπελείφθη τῶν τόπων Ἄννων, ἀντιστρατοπεδευσάντων αὐτοῖς περὶ πόλιν προσαγορευομένην Κίσσαν, συμβαλὼν ὁ Γνάιος ἐκ παρατάξεως καὶ νικήσας τῇ μάχῃ πολλῶν μὲν χρημάτων ἐγένετʼ ἐγκρατής, ὡς ἂν ἁπάσης τῆς ἀποσκευῆς τῶν εἰς Ἰταλίαν ὁρμησάντων παρὰ τούτοις ἀπολελειμμένης,
When the Carthaginians, who had been left in these parts under the command of Hanno, encamped against them near a city called Cissa, Gnaeus, engaging them in a pitched battle and defeating them, became master of much wealth, inasmuch as the entire baggage of those who had set out for Italy had been left with them.
§3.76.6πάντας δὲ τοὺς ἐντὸς Ἴβηρος ποταμοῦ συμμάχους ἐποιήσατο καὶ φίλους, ζωγρίᾳ δὲ τόν τε τῶν Καρχηδονίων στρατηγὸν Ἄννωνα καὶ τὸν τῶν Ἰβήρων Ἀνδοβάλην ἔλαβε.
He made allies and friends of all those dwelling on this side of the river Iberus, and took alive both Hanno, the general of the Carthaginians, and Andobales, the ruler of the Iberians.
§3.76.7τοῦτον δὲ συνέβαινε τύραννον μὲν εἶναι τῶν κατὰ τὴν μεσόγαιον τόπων, εὔνουν δὲ διαφερόντως ἀεί ποτε Καρχηδονίοις.
This Andobales happened to be a tyrant of the regions in the interior, and had always been outstandingly well-disposed to the Carthaginians.
§3.76.8ταχὺ δὲ συνεὶς τὸ γεγονὸς Ἀσδρούβας ἧκε παραβοηθῶν διαβὰς τὸν Ἴβηρα ποταμόν.
Hasdrubal, quickly learning what had happened, came to render assistance, having crossed the river Iberus.
§3.76.9καὶ καταμαθὼν ἀπολελειμμένους τοὺς ἀπὸ τοῦ στόλου τῶν Ῥωμαίων, ῥᾳθύμως καὶ κατατεθαρρηκότως ἀναστρεφομένους διὰ τὸ προτέρημα τῶν πεζικῶν στρατοπέδων, §3.76.10παραλαβὼν ἀπὸ τῆς ἑαυτοῦ δυνάμεως πεζοὺς μὲν εἰς ὀκτακισχιλίους ἱππεῖς δὲ περὶ χιλίους, καὶ καταλαβὼν ἐσκεδασμένους κατὰ τῆς χώρας τοὺς ἀπὸ τῶν πλοίων, πολλοὺς μὲν αὐτῶν ἀπέκτεινεν, τοὺς δὲ λοιποὺς ἠνάγκασε φυγεῖν ἐπὶ τὰς ναῦς.
And finding that those from the Roman fleet had been left behind and were moving about carelessly and overconfidently because of the success of the land forces, taking from his own force about eight thousand infantry and about one thousand cavalry, and catching those from the ships scattered over the country, he killed many of them and forced the rest to flee to their ships.
§3.76.11οὗτος μὲν οὖν ἀναχωρήσας καὶ διαβὰς αὖθις τὸν Ἴβηρα ποταμὸν ἐγίνετο περὶ παρασκευὴν καὶ φυλακὴν τῶν ἐντὸς τοῦ ποταμοῦ τόπων, ποιούμενος τὴν παραχειμασίαν ἐν Καινῇ πόλει.
He then retreated, and having crossed the river Iberus again, occupied himself with the preparation and defense of the places on his side of the river, making his winter quarters in Kaine Polis.
§3.76.12ὁ δὲ Γνάιος συνάψας τῷ στόλῳ καὶ τοὺς αἰτίους τῶν συμβεβηκότων κατὰ τοὺς παρʼ αὐτοῖς ἐθισμοὺς κολάσας, τὸ λοιπὸν ἤδη συναγαγὼν ἐπὶ ταὐτὸ τήν τε πεζὴν καὶ τὴν ναυτικὴν στρατιὰν ἐν Ταρράκωνι τὴν παραχειμασίαν ἐποιεῖτο.
And Gnaeus, having joined his fleet and punished those responsible for what had happened according to their custom, and having now assembled both the land and sea forces in the same place, made his winter quarters in Tarraco.
§3.76.13διαδοὺς δὲ τὴν λείαν ἴσως τοῖς στρατιώταις μεγάλην εὔνοιαν καὶ προθυμίαν ἐνειργάσατο πρὸς τὸ μέλλον.
By distributing the booty equally among the soldiers, he inspired them with great goodwill and eagerness for the future.

Notes

  1. 3.76.1προσέσχε τῆς Ἰβηρίας πρὸς τοὺς κατὰ τὸ καλούμενον Ἐμπόριον τόπους. — The verb προσέχω (here meaning 'to bring a ship to land, touch land') takes the partitive genitive τῆς Ἰβηρίας and the prepositional phrase of direction πρὸς τοὺς ... τόπους. It yields the sense 'touched land in Iberia at the places near...'.
  2. 3.76.5οὓς ἔχων ἐπὶ τούτων ἀπελείφθη τῶν τόπων Ἄννων — The antecedent of the relative pronoun οὓς is τῶν δὲ Καρχηδονίων, which is the subject of the genitive absolute in the main clause. The subject within the relative clause is Ἄννων, meaning 'Hanno, having them (= the Carthaginian forces), had been left behind in these parts.'
  3. 3.76.5ὡς ἂν ἁπάσης τῆς ἀποσκευῆς τῶν εἰς Ἰταλίαν ὁρμησάντων παρὰ τούτοις ἀπολελειμμένης — The conjunction ὡς and particle ἄν are used here with a genitive absolute (ἀπολελειμμένης) to express a subjective or presumed reason ('as was natural, since...'). It explains that all the baggage of those who set out for Italy had been left in their charge.
  4. 3.76.9καταμαθὼν ἀπολελειμμένους τοὺς ἀπὸ τοῦ στόλου τῶν Ῥωμαίων, ῥᾳθύμως καὶ κατατεθαρρηκότως ἀναστρεφομένους — The verb of perception καταμαθὼν ('having learned, found') takes an accusative noun phrase (τοὺς ἀπὸ τοῦ στόλου τῶν Ῥωμαίων) and predicative accusative participles (ἀπολελειμμένους and ἀναστρεφομένους) to express indirect discourse/fact ('learning that those from the fleet had been left behind and were moving about...').

Cite this passage

Polybius, The Histories §3.76.1-3.76.13. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0543.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:3.76.1-3.76.13

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