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Julius Caesar · Gallic War §7.22.1-7.22.5

Gallic Countermeasures against Roman Siege Works

Passage 280 of 404 · Latin

Summary

Describes how the Gauls used various clever countermeasures and defensive tactics, such as pulling away hooks, undermining ramparts, and raising their own towers, to resist the Roman siege engines and earthworks.

§7.22.1Singulari militum nostrorum virtuti consilia cuiusque modi Gallorum occurrebant, ut est summae genus sollertiae atque ad omnia imitanda et efficienda, quae ab quoque traduntur, aptissimum.
To the extraordinary valor of our soldiers, the Gauls opposed devices of every kind, as they are a nation of consummate ingenuity, and most ready to imitate and construct everything which is suggested by anyone.
§7.22.2Nam et laqueis falces avertebant, quas, cum destinaverant, tormentis introrsus reducebant, et aggerem cuniculis subtrahebant, eo scientius quod apud eos magnae sunt ferrariae atque omne genus cuniculorum notum atque usitatum est.
For they both turned aside our hooks with nooses, and when they had secured them, they drew them in by means of engines, and they undermined our rampart by mines, the more scientifically because they have large iron mines among them, and every kind of mining is known and practiced.
§7.22.3Totum autem murum ex omni parte turribus contabulaverant atque has coriis intexerant.
Moreover, they had built stages of towers all along their wall on every side and had covered these with hides.
§7.22.4Tum crebris diurnis nocturnisque eruptionibus aut aggeri ignem inferebant aut milites occupatos in opere adoriebantur, et nostrarum turrium altitudinem, quantum has cotidianus agger expresserat, §7.22.5commissis suarum turrium malis adaequabant, et apertos cuniculos praeusta et praeacuta materia et pice fervefacta et maximi ponderis saxis morabantur moenibusque appropinquare prohibebant.
Then, by frequent sallies by day and night, they either set fire to the rampart or attacked our soldiers engaged in the work; and they matched the height of our towers, as much as the daily raising of the rampart had elevated them, by joining together the timbers of their own towers, and they obstructed the open mines with wood burnt and sharpened at the end, and with boiling pitch, and stones of immense weight, and prevented them from approaching the walls.

Notes

  1. §7.22.1ut est summae genus sollertiae — ut is used to explain the reason or actual state ("as they are..."). genus refers to "a nation/race" and is accompanied by the genitive of quality summae sollertiae ("of the utmost ingenuity").
  2. §7.22.2eo scientius quod — eo is an ablative of measure of difference (or cause) modifying the comparative adverb scientius, meaning "all the more skillfully [for the reason that...]". The quod clause provides the specific reason (the presence of large iron mines).
  3. §7.22.4quantum has cotidianus agger expresserat — quantum is a relative adverb expressing extent ("as much as"). has is the accusative pointing back to nostrarum turrium (our towers). expresserat is the pluperfect of exprimo ("to raise/push up"). It refers to the fact that the daily raising of the Roman rampart pushed their mobile wooden towers higher.
  4. §7.22.5commissis suarum turrium malis — Ablative absolute expressing means or manner. commissis is the perfect participle of committo ("to join/connect"), and malis is the ablative plural of malus ("upright pole, beam"). It refers to the Gauls adding timbers or beams to their own towers to increase their height.

Cite this passage

Julius Caesar, Gallic War §7.22.1-7.22.5. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi0448.phi001.humanitext-lat2:7.22.1-7.22.5

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