Humanitext Reader

Livy · History of Rome §45.30.1-45.30.8

Geography and Character of the Four Macedonian Regions

Passage 1756 of 1770 · Latin

Summary

The partition of Macedonia announced at the assembly evoked mixed feelings. The author details the geographical features, major cities, and the character of the inhabitants of the four regions.

§45.30.1haec pronuntiata primo die conventus varie adfecerunt animos.
These announcements on the first day of the assembly affected their minds in various ways.
libertas praeter spem data adrexit et levatum annuum vectigal; §45.30.2regionatim commercio interruptis ita videri lacerata Macedonia, tamquam animali in artus alterum alterius indigentis distracto: adeo, quanta Macedonia esset, quam divisui facilis, quam se ipsa quaeque contenta pars esset, Macedones quoque ignorabant.
The freedom granted contrary to expectation encouraged them, as did the reduction of the annual tribute; but with trade interrupted region by region, Macedonia seemed so mangled, as if an animal had been torn into limbs that needed one another: so true was it that even the Macedonians did not know how large Macedonia was, how easy it was to divide, and how self-sufficient each part was.
§45.30.3pars prima Bisaltas habet, fortissimos viros — trans Nessum amnem incolunt et circa Strymonem —, et multas frugum proprietates et metalla et opportunitatem Amphipolis, quae obiecta claudit omnes ab oriente sole in Macedoniam aditus.
The first part has the Bisaltae, most courageous men—they dwell beyond the Nessus river and around the Strymon—and many specialties of crops, mines, and the advantageous location of Amphipolis, which, standing in the way, closes all accesses into Macedonia from the rising sun.
§45.30.4secunda pars celeberrimas urbes Thessalonicen et Cassandream habet, ad hoc Pallenen, fertilem ac frugiferam terram; maritimas quoque opportunitates ei praebent portus ad Toronen ac montem Atho Aeneamque et Acanthum, alii ad Thessaliam insulamque Euboeam, alii ad Hellespontum opportune versi.
The second part has the very famous cities of Thessalonica and Cassandrea, and in addition Pallene, a fertile and productive land; harbors also offer naval opportunities to it, facing toward Torone, Mount Athos, Aenea, and Acanthus, some turned conveniently toward Thessaly and the island of Euboea, others toward the Hellespont.
§45.30.5tertia regio nobilis urbes Edessam et Beroeam et Pellam habet et Vettiorum bellicosam gentem, incolas quoque permultos Gallos et Illyrios, inpigros cultores.
The third region has the noble cities of Edessa, Beroea, and Pella, and the warlike nation of the Vettii, and also very many Gallic and Illyrian inhabitants, industrious cultivators.
§45.30.6quartam regionem Eordaei et Lyncestae et Pelagones incolunt; §45.30.7iuncta his Atintania et Tymphaeis et Elimiotis.
The fourth region is inhabited by the Eordaei, Lyncestae, and Pelagones; joined to these are Atintania, Tymphaeis, and Elimiotis.
frigida haec omnis duraque cultu et aspera plaga est; cultorum quoque ingenia terrae similia habet.
This entire tract is cold, difficult to cultivate, and rugged; it has also the dispositions of its cultivators similar to the land.
ferociores eos et accolae barbari faciunt, nunc bello exercentes, nunc in pace miscentes ritus suos.
The neighboring barbarians also make them more fierce, now training them in war, now mixing their own rites in peace.
§45.30.8divisa itaque Macedonia partium usibus separatis, quanta universa esset, ostendit.
Thus Macedonia, being divided with the utilities of its parts separated, showed how great it had been as a whole.

Notes

  1. §45.30.1libertas praeter spem data adrexit et levatum annuum vectigal — The verb `adrexit` (perfect of `erigo`, meaning "to encourage" or "to cheer up") takes both `libertas data` and `levatum vectigal` as its subjects, while its object is the word `animos` (minds, spirits) supplied from the preceding sentence. The phrase `levatum ... vectigal` functions as a noun-participle construction representing the action or event ("the reduction of the tribute").
  2. §45.30.2regionatim commercio interruptis — The word `interruptis` is a plural ablative participle. While some editions emend this to `commercio interrupto` (singular ablative absolute, "with trade interrupted"), keeping the transmitted reading implies an ablative absolute with an implied noun like `regionibus` ("with the regions having their trade interrupted"), or "by the regions, their trade having been cut off."
  3. §45.30.2tamquam animali in artus alterum alterius indigentis distracto — `animali ... distracto` forms an ablative absolute ("as if an animal were torn apart"). `indigentis` is the accusative plural (using the archaic `-is` ending instead of `-es`) of the present participle `indigens`, modifying the fourth-declension accusative plural `artus` ("into limbs that need one another").
  4. §45.30.7duraque cultu — `cultu` is the ablative singular of the fourth-declension noun `cultus` (cultivation, tillage), functioning as an ablative of specification (or equivalent to a second supine) limiting the adjective `dura` ("difficult to cultivate" or "harsh in respect to tillage").

Cite this passage

Livy, History of Rome §45.30.1-45.30.8. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi0914.phi001.humanitext-lat2:45.30.1-45.30.8

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