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Livy · History of Rome §4.61.1-4.61.11

Beginning of Siege of Veii and Capture of Artena

Passage 259 of 1770 · Latin

Summary

The Roman army begins the siege of Veii, but part of its forces is diverted to capture Artena in the Volscian territory, which they successfully take. The historical confusion caused by another city sharing the name is also explained.

§4.61.1fuere autem tribuni T. Quinctius Capitolinus, Q. Quinctius Cincinnatus, C. Iulius Iulus iterum, A. Manlius, L. Furius Medullinus tertium, M. Aemilius Mamercus.
The tribunes, however, were Titus Quinctius Capitolinus, Quintus Quinctius Cincinnatus, Gaius Iulius Iulus for the second time, Aulus Manlius, Lucius Furius Medullinus for the third time, and Marcus Aemilius Mamercus.
§4.61.2ab iis primum circumsessi Vei sunt.
By them Veii was first besieged.
sub cuius initium obsidionis cum Etruscorum concilium ad fanum Voltumnae frequenter habitum esset, parum constitit, bellone publico gentis universae tuendi Veientes essent.
Around the beginning of this siege, although a council of the Etruscans was held in large numbers at the shrine of Voltumna, it was not sufficiently agreed whether the Veientes should be defended by a public war of the entire nation.
§4.61.3ea oppugnatio segnior insequenti anno fuit parte tribunorum exercitusque ad Volscum avocata bellum.
In the following year, that assault became less vigorous, as a portion of the tribunes and the army was recalled to the Volscian war.
§4.61.4Tribunos militum consulari potestate is annus habuit C. Valerium Potitum tertium, M’. Sergium Fidenatem, P. Cornelium Maluginensem, Cn. Cornelium Cossum, C. Fabium Ambustum, Sp. Nautium Rutilum iterum.
That year had as military tribunes with consular power Gaius Valerius Potitus for the third time, Manius Sergius Fidenas, Publius Cornelius Maluginensis, Gnaeus Cornelius Cossus, Gaius Fabius Ambustus, and Spurius Nautius Rutilus for the second time.
§4.61.5cum Volscis inter Ferentinum atque Ecetram signis conlatis dimicatum;
A battle was fought with the Volscians, with standards joined, between Ferentinum and Ecetra.
§4.61.6Romanis secunda fortuna pugnae fuit.
For the Romans, the fortune of the battle was favorable.
Artena inde, Volscorum oppidum, ab tribunis obsideri coepta.
Then, Artena, a town of the Volscians, began to be besieged by the tribunes.
inde inter eruptionem temptatam conpulso in urbem hoste occasio data est Romanis inrumpendi, praeterque arcem cetera capta; in arcem munitam natura globus armatorum concessit; infra arcem caesi captique multi mortales.
From there, during an attempted sally, because the enemy was driven back into the city, an opportunity of breaking in was given to the Romans, and everything except the citadel was captured; a band of armed men withdrew into the naturally fortified citadel; below the citadel, many mortals were slain and captured.
§4.61.7arx deinde obsidebatur; nec aut vi capi poterat, quia pro spatio loci satis praesidii habebat, aut spem dabat deditionis omni publico frumento, priusquam urbs caperetur, in arcem convecto;
Thereupon the citadel was besieged; but it could neither be taken by force, because it had sufficient defense in proportion to the space of the site, nor did it offer any hope of surrender, since all the public grain had been carried into the citadel before the city was captured.
§4.61.8taedioque recessum inde foret, ni serves arcem Romanis prodidisset.
And they would have withdrawn from there out of weariness, had not a slave betrayed the citadel to the Romans.
ab eo milites per locum arduum accepti cepere; a quibus cum custodes trmcidarentur, cetera multitudo repentino pavore oppressa in deditionem venit.
The soldiers, let in by him through a steep place, captured it; when the guards were being slaughtered by them, the rest of the multitude, overcome by a sudden panic, surrendered.
§4.61.9diruta et arce et urbe Artena reductae legiones ex Volscis, omnisque vis Romana Veios conversa est.
With both the citadel and the city of Artena demolished, the legions were withdrawn from the Volscians, and the entire Roman force was turned toward Veii.
§4.61.10proditori praeter libertatem duarum familiarum bona in praemium data; Servius Romanus vocitatus.
To the betrayer, besides his freedom, the property of two families was given as a reward; he was called Servius Romanus.
sunt, qui Artenam Veientium, non Volscorum fuisse credant.
There are those who believe that Artena belonged to the Veientes, not to the Volscians.
§4.61.11praebet errorem, quod eiusdem nominis urbs inter Caere atque Veios fuit; sed eam reges Romani delevere, Caeretumque, non Veientium fuerat; altera haec nomine eodem in Volsco agro fuit, cuius excidium est dictum.
The fact that a city of the same name was between Caere and Veii causes the error; but the Roman kings destroyed it, and it had belonged to the Caeretes, not to the Veientes; this other one of the same name was in the Volscian territory, the destruction of which has been related.

Notes

  1. 4.61.2tuendi Veientes essent — A passive periphrastic conjugation in the subjunctive imperfect (`tuendi essent`) within an indirect question introduced by `-ne` attached to `bello`. It expresses obligation or necessity: "whether the Veientes ought to be defended by a public war of the entire nation."
  2. 4.61.8recessum inde foret — The apodosis of a counterfactual conditional sentence. It is an impersonal passive construction of `recedere` in the pluperfect subjunctive (`recessum foret` instead of `recessum esset`), where `foret` serves as an alternative to `esset`. Literally, "it would have been withdrawn from there."
  3. 4.61.11praebet errorem, quod eiusdem nominis urbs inter Caere atque Veios fuit — An explanatory `quod` clause functioning as the subject or appositive to the idea of "error" in the main clause. It specifies the content of the error: "the fact that a city of the same name was..."

Cite this passage

Livy, History of Rome §4.61.1-4.61.11. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi0914.phi001.humanitext-lat2:4.61.1-4.61.11

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