Polybius, Histories

Translation

Book 1 - Chapter 86

<w lemma="%2Apra%2Fcas">Πράξας</w> <w lemma="de%5C">δὲ</w> <w lemma="ta%5C">τὰ</w> <w lemma="prodedhlwme%2Fna">προδεδηλωμένα</w> <w lemma="toi%3Ds">τοῖς</w> <w lemma="me%5Cn">μὲν</w> <w lemma="%2Akarxhdoni%2Fois">Καρχηδονίοις</w> <w lemma="au%29%3Dqis">αὖθις</w> <w lemma="e%29lpi%2Fda">ἐλπίδα</w> <w lemma="pare%2Fsthse">παρέστησε</w> <w lemma="mega%2Flhn">μεγάλην</w> <w lemma="pro%5Cs">πρὸς</w> <w lemma="to%5C">τὸ</w> <w lemma="be%2Fltion">βέλτιον</w>, <w lemma="kai%2Fper">καίπερ</w> <w lemma="a%29pegnwko%2Fsin">ἀπεγνωκόσιν</w> <w lemma="h%29%2Fdh">ἤδη</w> <w lemma="th%5Cn">τὴν</w> <w lemma="swthri%2Fan:">σωτηρίαν·</w> <w lemma="au%29to%5Cs">αὐτὸς</w> <w lemma="de%5C">δὲ</w> <w lemma="meta%5C">μετὰ</w> <w lemma="%2Anarau%2Fa">Ναραύα</w> <w lemma="kai%5C">καὶ</w> <w lemma="met%27">μετ᾽</w> <w lemma="%2A%29anni%2Fbou">Ἀννίβου</w> <w lemma="th%5Cn">τὴν</w> <w lemma="xw%2Fran">χώραν</w> <w lemma="e%29ph%2F%7Cei">ἐπῄει</w> <w lemma="kai%5C">καὶ</w> <w lemma="ta%5Cs">τὰς</w> <w lemma="po%2Fleis">πόλεις</w>.

<w lemma="prosxwrou%2Fntwn">προσχωρούντων</w> <w lemma="de%5C">δὲ</w> <w lemma="kai%5C">καὶ</w> <w lemma="metatiqeme%2Fnwn">μετατιθεμένων</w> <w lemma="pro%5Cs">πρὸς</w> <w lemma="au%29tou%5Cs">αὐτοὺς</w> <w lemma="tw%3Dn">τῶν</w> <w lemma="%2Alibu%2Fwn">Λιβύων</w> <w lemma="dia%5C">διὰ</w> <w lemma="to%5C">τὸ</w> <w lemma="gegono%5Cs">γεγονὸς</w> <w lemma="eu%29tu%2Fxhma">εὐτύχημα</w>, <w lemma="poihsa%2Fmenoi">ποιησάμενοι</w> <w lemma="ta%5Cs">τὰς</w> <w lemma="plei%2Fstas">πλείστας</w> <w lemma="po%2Fleis">πόλεις</w> <w lemma="u%28f%27">ὑφ᾽</w> <w lemma="e%28autou%5Cs">ἑαυτοὺς</w> <w lemma="h%28%3Dkon">ἧκον</w> <w lemma="e%29pi%5C">ἐπὶ</w> <w lemma="to%5Cn">τὸν</w> <w lemma="%2Atu%2Fnhta">Τύνητα</w> <w lemma="kai%5C">καὶ</w> <w lemma="poliorkei%3Dn">πολιορκεῖν</w> <w lemma="e%29nexei%2Frhsan">ἐνεχείρησαν</w> <w lemma="tou%5Cs">τοὺς</w> <w lemma="peri%5C">περὶ</w> <w lemma="to%5Cn">τὸν</w> <w lemma="%2Ama%2Fqw">Μάθω</w>.

<w lemma="kata%5C">κατὰ</w> <w lemma="me%5Cn">μὲν</w> <w lemma="ou%29%3Dn">οὖν</w> <w lemma="th%5Cn">τὴν</w> <w lemma="a%29po%5C">ἀπὸ</w> <w lemma="%2Akarxhdo%2Fnos">Καρχηδόνος</w> <w lemma="pleura%5Cn">πλευρὰν</w> <w lemma="prosestratope%2Fdeusen">προσεστρατοπέδευσεν</w> <w lemma="%2A%29anni%2Fbas">Ἀννίβας</w>, <w lemma="kata%5C">κατὰ</w> <w lemma="de%5C">δὲ</w> <w lemma="th%5Cn">τὴν</w> <w lemma="a%29pe%2Fnanti">ἀπέναντι</w> <w lemma="tau%2Fths">ταύτης</w> <w lemma="%2A%29ami%2Flkas">Ἀμίλκας</w>.

<w lemma="meta%5C">μετὰ</w> <w lemma="de%5C">δὲ</w> <w lemma="tau%3Dta">ταῦτα</w> <w lemma="prosagago%2Fntes">προσαγαγόντες</w> <w lemma="pro%5Cs">πρὸς</w> <w lemma="ta%5C">τὰ</w> <w lemma="tei%2Fxh">τείχη</w> <w lemma="tou%5Cs">τοὺς</w> <w lemma="peri%5C">περὶ</w> <w lemma="to%5Cn">τὸν</w> <w lemma="%2Aspe%2Fndion">Σπένδιον</w> <w lemma="ai%29xmalw%2Ftous">αἰχμαλώτους</w> <w lemma="e%29stau%2Frwsan">ἐσταύρωσαν</w> <w lemma="e%29pifanw%3Ds">ἐπιφανῶς</w>.

<w lemma="oi%28">οἱ</w> <w lemma="de%5C">δὲ</w> <w lemma="peri%5C">περὶ</w> <w lemma="to%5Cn">τὸν</w> <w lemma="%2Ama%2Fqw">Μάθω</w> <w lemma="katanoh%2Fsantes">κατανοήσαντες</w> <w lemma="to%5Cn">τὸν</w> <w lemma="%2A%29anni%2Fban">Ἀννίβαν</w> <w lemma="r%28a%7Cqu%2Fmws">ῥᾳθύμως</w> <w lemma="kai%5C">καὶ</w> <w lemma="katateqarrhko%2Ftws">κατατεθαρρηκότως</w> <w lemma="a%29nastrefo%2Fmenon">ἀναστρεφόμενον</w>, <w lemma="e%29piqe%2Fmenoi">ἐπιθέμενοι</w> <w lemma="tw%3D%7C">τῷ</w> <w lemma="xa%2Fraki">χάρακι</w> <w lemma="pollou%5Cs">πολλοὺς</w> <w lemma="me%5Cn">μὲν</w> <w lemma="tw%3Dn">τῶν</w> <w lemma="%2Akarxhdoni%2Fwn">Καρχηδονίων</w> <w lemma="a%29pe%2Fkteinan">ἀπέκτειναν</w>, <w lemma="pa%2Fntas">πάντας</w> <w lemma="d%27">δ᾽</w> <w lemma="e%29ce%2Fbalon">ἐξέβαλον</w> <w lemma="e%29k">ἐκ</w> <w lemma="th%3Ds">τῆς</w> <w lemma="stratopedei%2Fas">στρατοπεδείας</w>, <w lemma="e%29kuri%2Feusan">ἐκυρίευσαν</w> <w lemma="de%5C">δὲ</w> <w lemma="kai%5C">καὶ</w> <w lemma="th%3Ds">τῆς</w> <w lemma="a%29poskeuh%3Ds">ἀποσκευῆς</w> <w lemma="a%28pa%2Fshs">ἁπάσης</w>, <w lemma="e%29%2Flabon">ἔλαβον</w> <w lemma="de%5C">δὲ</w> <w lemma="kai%5C">καὶ</w> <w lemma="to%5Cn">τὸν</w> <w lemma="strathgo%5Cn">στρατηγὸν</w> <w lemma="%2A%29anni%2Fban">Ἀννίβαν</w> <w lemma="zwgri%2Fa%7C">ζωγρίᾳ</w>.

<w lemma="tou%3Dton">τοῦτον</w> <w lemma="me%5Cn">μὲν</w> <w lemma="ou%29%3Dn">οὖν</w> <w lemma="paraxrh%3Dma">παραχρῆμα</w> <w lemma="pro%5Cs">πρὸς</w> <w lemma="to%5Cn">τὸν</w> <w lemma="tou%3D">τοῦ</w> <w lemma="%2Aspendi%2Fou">Σπενδίου</w> <w lemma="stauro%5Cn">σταυρὸν</w> <w lemma="a%29gago%2Fntes">ἀγαγόντες</w> <w lemma="kai%5C">καὶ</w> <w lemma="timwrhsa%2Fmenoi">τιμωρησάμενοι</w> <w lemma="pikrw%3Ds">πικρῶς</w> <w lemma="e%29kei%3Dnon">ἐκεῖνον</w> <w lemma="me%5Cn">μὲν</w> <w lemma="kaqei%3Dlon">καθεῖλον</w>, <w lemma="tou%3Dton">τοῦτον</w> <w lemma="d%27">δ᾽</w> <w lemma="a%29ne%2Fqesan">ἀνέθεσαν</w> <w lemma="zw%3Dnta">ζῶντα</w> <w lemma="kai%5C">καὶ</w> <w lemma="perikate%2Fsfacan">περικατέσφαξαν</w> <w lemma="tria%2Fkonta">τριάκοντα</w> <w lemma="tw%3Dn">τῶν</w> <w lemma="%2Akarxhdoni%2Fwn">Καρχηδονίων</w> <w lemma="tou%5Cs">τοὺς</w> <w lemma="e%29pifanesta%2Ftous">ἐπιφανεστάτους</w> <w lemma="peri%5C">περὶ</w> <w lemma="to%5C">τὸ</w> <w lemma="tou%3D">τοῦ</w> <w lemma="%2Aspendi%2Fou">Σπενδίου</w> <w lemma="sw%3Dma">σῶμα</w>,

<w lemma="th%3Ds">τῆς</w> <w lemma="tu%2Fxhs">τύχης</w> <w lemma="w%28%2Fsper">ὥσπερ</w> <w lemma="e%29pi%2Fthdes">ἐπίτηδες</w> <w lemma="e%29k">ἐκ</w> <w lemma="paraqe%2Fsews">παραθέσεως</w> <w lemma="a%29mfote%2Frois">ἀμφοτέροις</w> <w lemma="e%29nalla%5Cc">ἐναλλὰξ</w> <w lemma="didou%2Fshs">διδούσης</w> <w lemma="a%29forma%5Cs">ἀφορμὰς</w> <w lemma="ei%29s">εἰς</w> <w lemma="u%28perbolh%5Cn">ὑπερβολὴν</w> <w lemma="th%3Ds">τῆς</w> <w lemma="kat%27">κατ᾽</w> <w lemma="a%29llh%2Flwn">ἀλλήλων</w> <w lemma="timwri%2Fas">τιμωρίας</w>.

<w lemma="o%28">ὁ</w> <w lemma="de%5C">δὲ</w> <w lemma="%2Aba%2Frkas">Βάρκας</w> <w lemma="o%29ye%5C">ὀψὲ</w> <w lemma="me%5Cn">μὲν</w> <w lemma="sunh%3Dke">συνῆκε</w> <w lemma="th%5Cn">τὴν</w> <w lemma="e%29pi%2Fqesin">ἐπίθεσιν</w> <w lemma="tw%3Dn">τῶν</w> <w lemma="e%29k">ἐκ</w> <w lemma="th%3Ds">τῆς</w> <w lemma="po%2Flews">πόλεως</w> <w lemma="dia%5C">διὰ</w> <w lemma="th%5Cn">τὴν</w> <w lemma="a%29po%2Fstasin">ἀπόστασιν</w> <w lemma="tw%3Dn">τῶν</w> <w lemma="stratope%2Fdwn:">στρατοπέδων·</w> <w lemma="ou%29de%5C">οὐδὲ</w> <w lemma="mh%5Cn">μὴν</w> <w lemma="sunei%5Cs">συνεὶς</w> <w lemma="ou%29d%27">οὐδ᾽</w> <w lemma="ou%28%2Ftws">οὕτως</w> <w lemma="kateta%2Fxei">κατετάχει</w> <w lemma="pro%5Cs">πρὸς</w> <w lemma="th%5Cn">τὴν</w> <w lemma="boh%2Fqeian">βοήθειαν</w> <w lemma="dia%5C">διὰ</w> <w lemma="ta%5Cs">τὰς</w> <w lemma="metacu%5C">μεταξὺ</w> <w lemma="dusxwri%2Fas">δυσχωρίας</w>.

<w lemma="dio%2Fper">διόπερ</w> <w lemma="a%29nazeu%2Fcas">ἀναζεύξας</w> <w lemma="a%29po%5C">ἀπὸ</w> <w lemma="tou%3D">τοῦ</w> <w lemma="%2Atu%2Fnhtos">Τύνητος</w> <w lemma="kai%5C">καὶ</w> <w lemma="parelqw%5Cn">παρελθὼν</w> <w lemma="e%29pi%5C">ἐπὶ</w> <w lemma="to%5Cn">τὸν</w> <w lemma="%2Amaka%2Fran">Μακάραν</w> <w lemma="potamo%5Cn">ποταμὸν</w> <w lemma="katestratope%2Fdeuse">κατεστρατοπέδευσε</w> <w lemma="pro%5Cs">πρὸς</w> <w lemma="tw%3D%7C">τῷ</w> <w lemma="sto%2Fmati">στόματι</w> <w lemma="tou%3D">τοῦ</w> <w lemma="potamou%3D">ποταμοῦ</w> <w lemma="kai%5C">καὶ</w> <w lemma="th%3D%7C">τῇ</w> <w lemma="qala%2Ftth%7C">θαλάττῃ</w>.

<head>Mathōs Captures Hannibal</head>This achievement of Hamilcar revived the hopes of<note anchored="yes" place="marg" id="note200">Siege of Mathōs in Tunes.</note>the Carthaginians who had been in absolute despair: while he, in conjunction with Narávas and Hannibal, employed himself in traversing the country and visiting the cities. His victory secured the submission of the Libyans; and when they had come in, and the greater number of the towns had been reduced to obedience, he and his colleagues advanced to attack Tunes, and commenced besieging Mathōs. Hannibal pitched his camp on the side of the town nearest to <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Carthage&groupId=441&placeId=820">Carthage</a>, and<pb n="96" />Hamilcar on the opposite side. When this was done they brought the captives taken from the army of Spendius and crucified them in the sight of the enemy.<note anchored="yes" place="marg" id="note201">Defeat and death of Hannibal.</note>But observing that Hannibal was conducting his command with negligence and over-confidence, Mathōs assaulted the ramparts, killed many of the Carthaginians, and drove the entire army from the camp. All the baggage fell into the hands of the enemy, and Hannibal himself was made a prisoner. They at once took him up to the cross on which Spendius was hanging, and after the infliction of exquisite tortures, took down the latter's body and fastened Hannibal, still living, to his cross; and then slaughtered thirty Carthaginians of the highest rank round the corpse of Spendius. It seemed as though Fortune designed a competition in cruelty, giving either side alternately the opportunity of outdoing the other in mutual vengeance. Owing to the distance of the two camps from each other it was late before Barcas discovered the attack made from the town; nor, when he had discovered it, could he even then go to the rescue with the necessary speed, because the intervening country was rugged and difficult. He therefore broke up his camp, and leaving Tunes marched down the bank of the river Macaras, and pitched his camp close to its mouth and to the sea.

Walbank Commentary

Overview

1.64.0 - 1.88.0

The Carthaginian Mercenary War Besides P. there is the account in Diod. xxv, which is usually assumed to be derived directly from P. (Mommsen, Röm. Forsch. ii. 266; Schwartz, RE, 'Diodorus (37)', col. 689; De Sanctis, iii. 1. <milestone unit="page" n="130">[130]</milestone> 385 n. 10); but the theory of a common source for P. and Diodorus has been put forward by Meyer (Kl. Schr. ii. 357) and by Laqueur (RE, 'Philinos (8)', col. 2190), who believe this source to be Philinus (cf. Unger, Rh. Mus., 1879, 90–105). For the view that Philinus wrote a monograph on the First Punic War, however, see 14. 1 n. P.'s source is on this assumption unidentified. He is a military historian, rather less competent than Philinus, but sharing his enthusiasm for the Barca family, and hostile to the mercenaries (whose case is consequently to be recovered only by conjecture).

Specifics

1.86.1 - 1.86.1

<emph rend="bold"><w lang="el-GR">τὴν χώραν ἐπῄει καὶ τὰς πόλεις</w>:</emph> 'he proceeded against the countryside and the towns' (i.e. of <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Libya&groupId=686&placeId=427">Libya</a>, 72. 2). For this sense of <w lang="el-GR">ἐπίεναι</w> cf. iv. 83. 5. <milestone unit="page" n="147">[147]</milestone>

1.86.3 - 1.86.3

<emph rend="bold"><w lang="el-GR">κατὰ τὴν ἀπὸ Καρχηδόνος πλευράν</w>:</emph> i.e. north of the town, on the shores of El Bahira, the lagoon before <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Tunis&groupId=1051&placeId=1849">Tunis</a>. Hamilcar was to the south and the only land communication was round the inner lake, the Sebka es Sedjoumi (cf. 30. 15 n.), a distance of 15 miles. The Carthaginians of course controlled the shorter communications across El Bahira.

1.86.6 - 1.86.6

<emph rend="bold"><w lang="el-GR">τριάκοντα τῶν Καρχηδονίων τοὺς ἐπιφανεστάτους</w> :</emph> there is no reason to think these were the thirty members of the Carthaginian gerousia, who had come out to superintend Spendius' execution (so Meltzer, ii. 40).

1.86.7 - 1.86.7

<emph rend="bold"><w lang="el-GR">τῆς τύχης . . . ἐ?ναλλὰξ διδούσης ἀφορμὰς κτλ</w>.:</emph> here Tyche is a power which delights in change for its own sake, especially when the peripeteia carries an ironic flavour. This is the aspect of Tyche stressed by Demetrius of Phalerum, xxix. 21; and it is not peculiar to P. See von Scala, 164, 174–5; Siegfried, 75; Walbank, CQ, 1945, 6; above, p. 18.

1.86.9 - 1.86.9

<emph rend="bold"><w lang="el-GR">πρὸς τῷ στόματι τοῦ ποταμοῦ</w>:</emph> apparently in order to maintain his communications with <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Carthage&groupId=441&placeId=820">Carthage</a>, and those of <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Carthage&groupId=441&placeId=820">Carthage</a> with the interior.

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