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Livy · History of Rome §41.26.1-41.26.5

Revolt of the Celtiberians and Victory of Appius

Passage 1588 of 1770 · Latin

Summary

The Celtiberians in Spain rebel upon the arrival of Appius Claudius and attack the Roman camp, but the Romans launch a counter-attack, route the enemy with heavy casualties, and restore peace.

§41.26.1Celtiberi in Hispania, qui bello domiti se Ti. Graccho dediderant, pacati manserant M. Titinio praetore obtinente provinciam.
The Celtiberians in Spain, who, having been subdued in war, had surrendered themselves to Tiberius Gracchus, had remained peaceful while the praetor Marcus Titinius was governing the province.
rebellarunt sub adventum Ap. Claudi orsique bellum sunt ab repentina oppugnatione castrorum Romanorum.
They rebelled upon the arrival of Appius Claudius and began the war with a sudden attack on the Roman camp.
§41.26.2prima lux ferme erat, cum vigiles in vallo quique in portarum stationibus erant, cum vidissent procul venientem hostem, ad arma conclamaverunt.
It was almost dawn when the sentinels on the rampart and those who were at the guard-posts of the gates, when they saw the enemy approaching from afar, shouted to arms.
§41.26.3Ap. Claudius, signo proposito pugnae ac paucis adhortatus milites, tribus simul portis eduxit.
Appius Claudius, having displayed the signal for battle and encouraged his soldiers with a few words, led them out through three gates at the same time.
obsistentibus ad exitum Celtiberis primo par utrimque proelium fuit, quia propter angustias non omnes in faucibus pugnare poterant Romani; §41.26.4urguentes deinde alii alios secuti ubi evaserunt extra vallum, ut pandere aciem et exaequari cornibus hostium, quibus circumibantur, possent, ita repente inruperunt, ut sustinere impetum eorum Celtiberi nequirent.
As the Celtiberians resisted at the exit, the battle was at first equal on both sides, because, owing to the narrowness, not all the Romans could fight in the passageways; then, pushing one another and following behind, when they had escaped outside the rampart, so that they could extend their line of battle and match the wings of the enemy, by whom they were being surrounded, they rushed forward so suddenly that the Celtiberians could not withstand their attack.
§41.26.5ante horam secundam pulsi sunt; ad quindecim milia caesa aut capta, signa adempta duo et triginta.
Before the second hour they were routed; about fifteen thousand were slain or captured, and thirty-two standards were taken.
castra etiam eo die expugnata debellatumque; nam qui superfuere proelio, in oppida sua dilapsi sunt.
On that day the camp was also captured and the war was finished; for those who survived the battle dispersed to their own towns.
quieti deinde paruerunt imperio.
Thereafter they quietly obeyed the Roman rule.

Notes

  1. 41.26.1M. Titinio praetore obtinente provinciam — Ablative absolute. The noun M. Titinio is paired with the noun praetore in apposition ("when Marcus Titinius was praetor"), and both are modified by the present participle obtinente ("while he was governing the province").
  2. 41.26.2prima lux ferme erat, cum... conclamaverunt — The so-called "inverted cum" (cum inversum) construction. After setting the background in the main clause ("it was almost dawn"), the conjunction cum introduces the sudden main action using the indicative perfect (conclamaverunt).
  3. 41.26.4urguentes deinde alii alios secuti — Participial phrase modifying the subject (the Romans, understood from the context). The present active participle urguentes ("pushing one another") is paired with the perfect participle of the deponent verb sequor, secuti ("following behind", which has an active and ongoing force despite its perfect form), leading into the ubi clause ("when they had escaped").
  4. 41.26.5ad quindecim milia caesa aut capta — The preposition ad is used adverbially before a numeral to mean "about" or "approximately". Additionally, since milia is a neuter plural noun, the predicate participles caesa and capta (with sunt understood) agree with it in the neuter plural.
  5. 41.26.5debellatumque — The perfect tense of the impersonal passive debellatum est (from debello, "to finish a war"). In Latin, intransitive verbs or transitive verbs used absolutely can be made impersonal passive to objectively express that the action has been completed ("the war was brought to an end").

Cite this passage

Livy, History of Rome §41.26.1-41.26.5. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi0914.phi001.humanitext-lat2:41.26.1-41.26.5

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