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Polybius · The Histories §3.97.1-3.97.8

Union of the Scipio Brothers and Crossing of the Ebro

Passage 256 of 1311 · Greek

Summary

Upon hearing of the naval victory, the Roman Senate decided to intensify the war in Iberia and dispatched Publius Scipio with twenty ships. Having joined his brother, they crossed the Ebro River for the first time and established a camp near Saguntum.

§3.97.1αὐτὸς ἀνεκομίσθη πρὸς τὰς πεζικὰς δυνάμεις·
he himself returned to the land forces.
οἱ δʼ ἐκ τῆς συγκλήτου πυθόμενοι τὸ γεγονὸς προτέρημα διὰ τοῦ Γναΐου περὶ τὴν ναυμαχίαν καὶ νομίσαντες χρήσιμον εἶναι, μᾶλλον δʼ ἀναγκαῖον τὸ μὴ προΐεσθαι τὰ κατὰ τὴν Ἰβηρίαν, ἀλλʼ ἐνίστασθαι τοῖς Καρχηδονίοις καὶ τὸν πόλεμον αὔξειν, §3.97.2προχειρισάμενοι ναῦς εἴκοσι καὶ στρατηγὸν ἐπιστήσαντες Πόπλιον Σκιπίωνα κατὰ τὴν ἐξ ἀρχῆς πρόθεσιν, ἐξαπέστελλον μετὰ σπουδῆς πρὸς τὸν ἀδελφὸν Γνάιον, κοινῇ πράξοντα μετʼ ἐκείνου τὰ κατὰ τὴν Ἰβηρίαν.
And the members of the Senate, having heard of the success achieved in the naval battle through Gnaeus, and thinking it useful, or rather necessary, not to abandon the affairs in Iberia, but to oppose the Carthaginians and intensify the war, having prepared twenty ships and appointed Publius Scipio as commander according to their original plan, they dispatched him in haste to his brother Gnaeus, in order to manage the affairs in Iberia jointly with him.
§3.97.3πάνυ γὰρ ἠγωνίων μὴ κρατήσαντες Καρχηδόνιοι τῶν τόπων ἐκείνων καὶ περιποιησάμενοι χορηγίας ἀφθόνους καὶ χεῖρας ἀντιποιήσωνται μὲν τῆς θαλάττης ὁλοσχερέστερον, συνεπιθῶνται δὲ τοῖς κατὰ τὴν Ἰταλίαν, στρατόπεδα πέμποντες καὶ χρήματα τοῖς περὶ τὸν Ἀννίβαν.
For they were extremely anxious lest the Carthaginians, having become masters of those regions and having secured abundant supplies and forces, should contest the control of the sea more completely, and join in the attack on Italy by sending armies and money to Hannibal's forces.
§3.97.4διόπερ ἐν μεγάλῳ τιθέμενοι καὶ τοῦτον τὸν πόλεμον ἐξαπέστειλαν τάς τε ναῦς καὶ τὸν Πόπλιον.
Therefore, attaching great importance also to this war, they dispatched both the ships and Publius.
ὃς καὶ παραγενόμενος εἰς Ἰβηρίαν καὶ συμμίξας τἀδελφῷ μεγάλην παρεῖχε χρείαν τοῖς κοινοῖς πράγμασιν.
He, upon arriving in Iberia and joining his brother, rendered great service to the common cause.
§3.97.5οὐδέποτε γὰρ πρότερον θαρρήσαντες διαβῆναι τὸν Ἴβηρα ποταμόν, ἀλλʼ ἀσμενίζοντες τῇ τῶν ἐπὶ τάδε φιλίᾳ καὶ συμμαχίᾳ τότε διέβησαν καὶ τότε πρῶτον ἐθάρρησαν ἀντιποιεῖσθαι τῶν πέραν πραγμάτων, μεγάλα καὶ ταὐτομάτου συνεργήσαντος σφίσι πρὸς τοὺς περιεστῶτας καιρούς.
For having never before dared to cross the river Ebro, but being content with the friendship and alliance of those on this side of it, they then crossed, and then for the first time dared to contest the affairs on the other side, fortune also co-operating with them greatly in regard to the surrounding circumstances.
§3.97.6ἐπειδὴ γὰρ καταπληξάμενοι τοὺς περὶ τὴν διάβασιν οἰκοῦντας τῶν Ἰβήρων ἧκον πρὸς τὴν τῶν Ζακανθαίων πόλιν, ἀποσχόντες σταδίους ὡς τετταράκοντα περὶ τὸ τῆς Ἀφροδίτης ἱερὸν κατεστρατοπέδευσαν, §3.97.7λαβόντες τόπον εὐφυῶς κείμενον πρός τε τὴν ἀπὸ τῶν πολεμίων ἀσφάλειαν καὶ πρὸς τὴν ἐκ θαλάττης χορηγίαν· §3.97.8ὁμοῦ γὰρ αὐτοῖς συνέβαινε καὶ τὸν στόλον ποιεῖσθαι τὸν παράπλουν.
For when they had struck terror into those of the Iberians who dwelt near the crossing, they came to the city of the Saguntines, and encamped near the temple of Aphrodite, keeping a distance of about forty stades, having secured a place advantageously situated both for safety from the enemy and for supplies from the sea; for it happened that their fleet was coasting along at the same time.
ἔνθα δὴ
There indeed

Notes

  1. 3.97.2κοινῇ πράξοντα — The future active participle πράξοντα (from πράττω, agreeing in gender, number, and case with the preceding accusative object Πόπλιον Σκιπίωνα) is used to express purpose, meaning "in order to manage" or "destined to manage."
  2. 3.97.3μὴ ... ἀντιποιήσωνται — The conjunction μὴ introduces a clause of fearing/anxiety depending on the verb of fearing ἠγωνίων (imperfect of ἀγωνιάω "to be extremely anxious"). It takes the aorist subjunctives ἀντιποιήσωνται and συνεπιθῶνται, meaning "lest they should..." or "fearing that they might...".
  3. 3.97.5καὶ ταὐτομάτου συνεργήσαντος σφίσι — A genitive absolute construction. The word ταὐτομάτου is a crasis for τοῦ αὐτομάτου, acting as a noun meaning "chance" or "accident," which serves as the subject of the aorist participle συνεργήσαντος (from συνεργέω "to cooperate, assist").

Cite this passage

Polybius, The Histories §3.97.1-3.97.8. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0543.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:3.97.1-3.97.8

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