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Livy · History of Rome §34.45.1-34.45.8

Founding of Citizen Colonies and Expiation of Portents

Passage 1212 of 1770 · Latin

Summary

The establishment of several colonies of Roman citizens (such as Puteoli, Salernum, Sipontum, and Croton) and their founding triumvirs are reported, followed by a description of various portents observed across Rome and their subsequent expiations.

§34.45.1coloniae civium Romanorum eo anno deductae sunt Puteolos, Volturnum, Liternum, treceni homines in singulas.
In that year, colonies of Roman citizens were founded at Puteoli, Volturnum, and Liternum, three hundred men to each.
§34.45.2item Salernum Buxentumque coloniae civium Romanorum deductae sunt.
Likewise, Salernum and Buxentum were founded as colonies of Roman citizens.
deduxere triumviri Ti. Sempronius Longus, qui tum consul erat, M. Servilius, Q. Minucius Thermus.
They were founded by the triumvirs Tiberius Sempronius Longus, who was then consul, Marcus Servilius, and Quintus Minucius Thermus.
ager divisus est, §34.45.3qui Campanorum fuerat.
The land was divided, which had belonged to the Campanians.
Sipontum item in agrum, qui Arpinorum fuerat, coloniam civium Romanorum alii triumviri, D. Iunius Brutus, M. Baebius Tamphilus, M. Helvius, deduxerunt.
Likewise, another board of triumvirs, Decimus Junius Brutus, Marcus Baebius Tamphilus, and Marcus Helvius, founded a colony of Roman citizens at Sipontum, in the territory which had belonged to the people of Arpi.
Tempsam item et Crotonem coloniae civium Romanorum deductae.
Likewise, colonies of Roman citizens were founded at Tempsa and Croton.
§34.45.4Tempsanus ager de Bruttiis captus erat; §34.45.5Bruttii Graecos expulerant; Crotonem Graeci habebant.
The territory of Tempsa had been taken from the Bruttii; the Bruttii had expelled the Greeks; the Greeks held Croton.
triumviri Cn. Octavius, L. Aemilius Paulus, C. Laetorius Crotonem, Tempsam L. Cornelius Merula, Q. * *, C. Salonius deduxerunt.
The triumvirs Gnaeus Octavius, Lucius Aemilius Paulus, and Gaius Laetorius founded the colony at Croton, and Lucius Cornelius Merula, Quintus [---], and Gaius Salonius at Tempsa.
§34.45.6prodigia quoque alia visa eo anno Romae sunt alia nuntiata.
Also, other portents were seen that year at Rome, and others were reported.
in foro et comitio et Capitolio sanguinis guttae visae sunt.
In the Forum, the Comitium, and on the Capitol, drops of blood were seen.
§34.45.7et terra aliquotiens pluvit, et caput Vulcani arsit.
And it rained earth several times, and the head of Vulcan caught fire.
nuntiatum est Nare amni lac fluxisse. pueros ingenuos Arimini sine oculis ac naso, et in Piceno agro non pedes, non manus habentem natum.
It was reported that milk had flowed in the river Nar, that at Ariminum freeborn boys had been born without eyes and nose, and that in the territory of Picenum a child had been born having neither feet nor hands.
§34.45.8ea prodigia ex pontificum decreto procurata.
These portents were expiated according to a decree of the pontiffs.
et sacrificium novemdiale factum est, quod Hadriani nuntiaverant in agro suo lapidibus pluvisse.
And a nine-day festival was held, because the people of Hadria had reported that it had rained stones in their territory.

Notes

  1. 34.45.3Arpinorum — Genitive plural masculine of the adjective Arpinus ("of Arpi"). It refers to the inhabitants of Arpi, an ancient city in Apulia (often called Arpani or Arpini), rather than Arpinum in Latium (Cicero's birthplace). Thus, it means "the land which had belonged to the people of Arpi."
  2. 34.45.7pueros ingenuos Arimini sine oculis ac naso, et in Piceno agro non pedes, non manus habentem natum. — A continuation of the accusative with infinitive (A.C.I.) construction introduced by the impersonal passive nuntiatum est in the preceding sentence. In the first part, pueros ingenuos is the accusative subject with the infinitive natos esse (omitted). In the second part, habentem (present participle accusative) and natum (perfect participle accusative, with esse omitted) agree with an implied singular accusative subject (such as puerum or fetum). pedes and manus are direct objects (accusative) of habentem.
  3. 34.45.7terra aliquotiens pluvit — The verb pluere ("to rain") is normally used as an impersonal verb representing weather, but here terra ("earth") is used as a nominative subject meaning "it rained earth." Alternatively, terra could be interpreted as an ablative of means ("it rained with earth") with pluvit being impersonal, though the former interpretation is more standard.
  4. 34.45.8lapidibus pluvisse — An infinitive clause within indirect speech. For the perfect infinitive pluvisse of the impersonal weather verb pluere, the substance that fell, lapidibus ("stones"), is expressed in the ablative of means ("it rained with stones").

Cite this passage

Livy, History of Rome §34.45.1-34.45.8. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi0914.phi001.humanitext-lat2:34.45.1-34.45.8

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