Titus Livius (Livy), Ab urbe condita, Benjamin Oliver Foster, Ph.D. (Editor), Frank Gardener Moore (Editor), Evan T. Sage, Ph.D. (Editor), Alfred C. Schlesinger, Ph.D. (Editor), 28.14

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[1]

When his forces had been sufficiently tested by these skirmishes, Hasdrubal was the first to lead his troops out into battle-line; then the Roman also ¹ went forward.

[2] But each of the two lines stood drawn up in front of its earthwork, and when neither side had begun the battle and the day was now nearing sunset, the troops were led back into camp, first by the Carthaginian and then by the Roman. The same thing happened for a number of days.

[3] Always the first to lead his troops out of camp, the first to sound the recall for his men weary of standing still, would be the Carthaginian. From neither side was there a charge, or a missile hurled, or any raising of a shout.

[4] The centre was held on one side by the Romans, on the other by the Carthaginians combined with Africans, the wings by their allies, and for both armies these were Spanish troops.

[5] In front of the wings, in advance of the Punic line of battle, the elephants presented from a distance the appearance of forts. ²

[6] Already it was common talk in both camps that they were to fight in the formation in which they had stood; that the centres, the Roman and Carthaginian troops, between whom lay the cause of the war, would clash, evenly matched in spirit and in arms.

[7] When Scipio observed that this was a persistent belief, he deliberately changed everything for the day on which he was to give battle. At evening he passed a written order through the camp that before daybreak the horses should be cared for and the men have breakfast, that the horsemen

[8] under arms should keep their mounts bridled and saddled. ³

[9] It was not yet quite daylight when he sent all his cavalry with the light-armed against the Punic ⁴ outposts. ⁵

[10] Immediately afterwards he himself with the heavy column of the legions went forward, and contrary to the fixed idea of his own men and of the enemy, he formed strong wings of his Roman soldiers, while the allies were taken into the centre.

[11] When Hasdrubal, who was aroused by the shouts of the horsemen, sprang out of his tent and saw the uproar outside his earthwork and the excitement among his men, and in the distance the gleaming

[12] standards of the legions and the plain filled with the enemy, he forthwith sent out all his cavalry against the horsemen. As for himself, he marched out of the camp with the infantry column, and in drawing up his line made no change from the customary order.

[13] The cavalry engagement had long been uncertain, and by itself it could not be decisive because when repulsed —and this repeatedly happened almost by turns —they could safely retire into the infantry line.

[14] But when the lines of battle were not more than half a mile apart, Scipio sounding the recall and opening his ranks admitted all the cavalry and the light-armed into the centre; and dividing them into two sections he posted them as a reserve behind the wings.

[15] Then, when it was now time to begin the battle, he ordered the Spaniards —they formed the centre of the line-to advance at a slow pace.

[16] From the right wing —for he was himself in command there —he sent a message to Silanus and Marcius ⁶ that they should prolong their wing towards the left, just as they

[17] had seen him pressing to the right, and with the light infantry and cavalry should engage the enemy before the centres could come together. ⁷

[18] Thus ⁸ extending the wings, with three cohorts ⁹

Ab urbe condita. Titus Livius (Livy). Benjamin Oliver Foster, Ph.D. (Editor), Frank Gardener Moore (Editor), Evan T. Sage, Ph.D. (Editor), Alfred C. Schlesinger, Ph.D. (Editor). Medford, MA. .

Sponsored by Perseus Project, Tufts University.

Funding provided by The National Endowment for the Humanities.

Current edition Perseus

History of Rome (English) (Foster, Benjamin Oliver; Moore, Frank Gardener; Sage, Evan T.; Schlesinger, Alfred C., translators. Cambridge, Mass.; London: Harvard University Press; William Heinemann, Ltd., 1919-1959. (Loeb Classical Library))

Editions (3)

Ab urbe condita Perseus (Pars I-IV, Libri I-XL. Editio Stereotypica. Weissenborn, Wilhelm; Mueller, Moritz, editors. Leipzig: Teubner, 1884-1911.) — 28.14 focus

[1] ubi satis temptatae per haec levia certamina vires sunt, prior Hasdrubal in aciem copias eduxit, deinde et Romani processere.

[2] sed utraque acies pro vallo stetit instructa, et cum ab neutris pugna coepta esset, iam die ad occasum inclinante a poeno Poeno prius, deinde ab Romano in castra copiae reductae.

[3] hoc idem per dies aliquot factum. prior semper Poenus copias castris educebat, prior fessis stando signum receptui dabat: ab neutra parte procursum telumve missum aut vox ulla orta.

[4] mediam aciem hinc Romani illinc Carthaginienses mixti Afris, cornua socii tenebant — erant autem utrimque Hispani pro cornibus ante Punicam aciem elephanti castellorum procul speciem praebebant.

[5] iam hoc in utrisque castris sermonis erat ita, ut instructi stetissent, pugnaturos, medias acies Romanum Poenumque, quos inter belli causa esset, pari robore animorum armorumque concursuros.

[6] Scipio ubi haec obstinate credi animadvertit, omnia de industria in eum diem, quo pugnaturus erat, mutavit.

[7] tesseram vesperi per castra dedit, ut ante lucem viri equique curati et pransi essent, armatus eques frenatos instratosque teneret equos.

[8] vixdum satis certa luce equitatum omnem cum levi armatura in stationes Punicas immisit; inde confestim ipse cum gravi agmine legionum procedit,

[9] praeter opinionem destinatam suorum hostiumque Romano milite cornibus firmatis, sociis in mediam aciem acceptis.

[10] Hasdrubal clamore equitum excitatus ut ex tabernaculo prosiluit tumultumque ante vallum et trepidationem suorum et procul signa legionum fulgentia plenosque hostium campos vidit, equitatum omnem extemplo in equites emittit;

[11] ipse cum peditum agmine castris egreditur nec ex ordine solito quicquam acie instruenda mutat.

[12] equitum iam diu anceps pugna erat nec ipsa per se decerni poterat, quia pulsis, quod prope in vicem fiebat, in aciem peditum tutus receptus erat;

[13] sed ubi iam baud haud plus quingentos passus acies inter sese aberant, signo receptui dato Scipio patefactisque ordinibus equitatum omnem levemque armaturam, in medium acceptam divisamque in partes duas, in subsidiis post cornua locat.

[14] inde, ubi incipiendae iam pugnae tempus erat, Hispanos — ea media acies fuit — presso gradu incedere iubet;

[15] ipse e dextro cornu — ibi namque praeerat — nuntium ad Silanun Silanum et Marcium mittit, ut cornu extenderent in sinistram partem, quem ad modum se tendentem ad dextram vidissent,

[16] et cum expeditis peditum equitumque prius pugnam consererent cum hoste, quam coire inter se mediae acies possent.

[17] ita diductis cornibus cum ternis peditum cohortibus ternisque equitum turmis, ad hoc velitibus, citato gradu in hostem ducebant, sequentibus in obliquum aliis.

[18] sinus in medio erat, qua segnius Hispanorum signa incedebant.

[19] et iam conflixerant cornua, cum, quod roboris in hostium acie erat, Poeni veterani Afrique nondum ad teli coniectum venissent neque in cornua, ut adiuvarent pugnantes, discurrere auderent, ne aperirent mediam aciem venienti ex adverso hosti.

[20] cornua ancipiti proelio urgebantur: eques levisque armatura ac velites, circumductis alis in latera incurrebant, cohortes a fronte urgebant, ut abrumperent cornua a cetera acie.

Ab urbe condita Perseus (Conway, Robert Seymour; Walters, Charles Flamstead; Johnson, Stephen Keymer, editors. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1914-1935. (Oxford Classical Texts)) — 28.14 focus

[1]

ubi satis temptatae per haec leuia certamina uires sunt, prior Hasdrubal in aciem copias eduxit, deinde et Romani processere;

[2] sed utraque acies pro uallo stetit instructa, et cum ab neutris pugna coepta esset, iam die ad occasum inclinante a Poeno prius, deinde ab Romano in castra copiae reductae. hoc idem per dies aliquot factum.

[3] prior semper Poenus copias castris educebat, prior fessis stando signum receptui dabat; ab neutra parte procursum telumue missum aut uox ulla orta.

[4] mediam aciem hinc Romani illinc Carthaginienses mixti Afris, cornua socii tenebant—erant autem utrisque Hispani—; pro cornibus ante Punicam aciem elephanti castellorum procul speciem praebebant.

[5] iam hoc in utrisque castris sermonis erat, ita ut instructi stetissent pugnaturos; medias acies, Romanum Poenumque, quos inter belli causa esset, pari robore animorum armorumque concursuros.

[6] Scipio ubi hoc obstinate credi animaduertit, omnia de industria in eum diem quo pugnaturus erat mutauit.

[7] tesseram uesperi per castra dedit ut ante lucem uiri equique curati pransi essent, armatus eques frenatos instratosque teneret equos. uixdum satis certa luce equitatum omnem cum leui armatura in stationes Punicas immisit;

[8] inde confestim ipse cum graui agmine legionum procedit,

[9] praeter opinionem destinatam suorum hostiumque Romano milite cornibus firmatis, sociis in mediam aciem acceptis.

[10] Hasdrubal clamore equitum excitatus ut ex tabernaculo prosiluit tumultumque ante uallum et trepidationem suorum et procul signa legionum fulgentia plenosque hostium campos uidit, equitatum omnem extemplo in equites emittit;

[11] ipse cum peditum agmine castris egreditur, nec ex ordine solito quicquam acie instruenda mutat.

[12] equitum iam diu anceps pugna erat nec ipsa per se decerni poterat quia pulsis, quod prope in uicem fiebat, in aciem peditum tutus receptus erat;

[13] sed ubi iam haud plus quingentos passus acies inter sese aberant, signo receptui dato Scipio patefactisque ordinibus equitatum omnem leuemque armaturam in medium acceptam diuisamque in partes duas in subsidiis post cornua locat.

[14] inde ubi incipiendae iam pugnae tempus erat, Hispanos—

[15] ea media acies fuit—presso gradu incedere iubet; ipse e dextro cornu—ibi namque praeerat—nuntium ad Silanum et Marcium mittit ut cornu extenderent in sinistram partem quemadmodum se tendentem ad dextram uidissent,

[16] et cum expeditis peditum equitumque prius pugnam consererent cum hoste quam coire inter se mediae acies possent.

[17] ita diductis cornibus cum ternis peditum cohortibus ternisque equitum turmis, ad hoc uelitibus, citato gradu in hostem ducebant sequentibus in obliquum aliis;

[18] sinus in medio erat, qua segnius Hispanorum signa incedebant.

[19] et iam conflixerant cornua cum quod roboris in acie hostium erat, Poeni ueterani Afrique, nondum ad teli coniectum uenissent, neque in cornua ut adiuuarent pugnantes discurrere auderent ne aperirent mediam aciem uenienti ex aduerso hosti.

[20] cornua ancipiti proelio urgebantur; eques leuisque armatura ltacgt uelites circumductis alis in latera incurrebant: cohortes a fronte urgebant ut abrumperent cornua a cetera acie;

Ab urbe condita Perseus (Livy in Fourteen Volumes. Foster, Benjamin Oliver; Moore, Frank Gardener; Schlesinger, Alfred C., editors. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press; London: William Heinemann, Ltd., 1919-1959 (printing).) — 28.14 focus

[1]

ubi satis temptatae per haec levia certamina vires sunt, prior Hasdrubal in aciem copias eduxit, deinde et Romani processere.

[2] Sed utraque:: acies ¹ pro vallo stetit instructa, et cum ab neutris pugna coepta esset, iam die ad occasum inclinante a Poeno prius, deinde ab Romano in castra copiae reductae. hoc idem per dies aliquot factum.

[3] prior semper Poenus copias castris educebat, prior fessis stando signum receptui dabat; ab neutra parte procursum telumve missum aut vox ulla orta.

[4] mediam aciem hinc hine Romani illinc Carthaginienses mixti Afris, cornua socii tenebant—erant autem utrisque ² Hispani—; pro cornibus ante Punicam aciem elephanti castellorum procul speciem praebebant.

[5] iam hoc in utrisque castris sermonis erat, ita ut instructi stetissent pugnaturos; medias acies, Romanum Poenumque, quos inter belli causa esset, pari robore animorum armorumque concursuros.

[6] Scipio ubi hoc obstinate credi ³ animadvertit, omnia de industria in eum diem quo pugnaturus erat mutavit.

[7] tesseram vesperi per castra dedit ut ante lucem viri equique curati et ⁴ pransi essent, armatus eques frenatos instratosque teneret equos.

[8] vixdum satis certa luce equitatum omnem cum levi armatura in stationes Punicas immisit; inde ⁵ confestim ipse cum gravi agmine legionum procedit,

[9] praeter opinionem destinatam suorum hostiumque Romano milite cornibus firmatis, sociis in mediam aciem acceptis.

[11] ipse cum peditum agmine castris egreditur, nec ex ordine solito quicquam acie instruenda mutat.

[12] equitum iam diu anceps pugna erat nec ipsa per se decerni poterat, ⁶ quia pulsis, quod prope in vicem fiebat, in aciem peditum tutus receptus erat;

[13] sed ubi iam haud plus quingentos passus acies inter sese aberant, signo receptui dato Scipio patefactisque ordinibus equitatum omnem levemque armaturam, in medium acceptam divisamque in partes duas, in subsidiis post cornua locat.

[14] inde , ubi incipiendae iam pugnae tempus erat, Hispanos—ea media acies fuit— presso gradu incedere iubet;

[15] ipse e ⁷ dextro cornu —ibi namque praeerat—nuntium ad Silanum et Marcium mittit ut cornu extenderent in sinistram partem, quem ad modum se tendentem ad dextram vidissent,

[16] et cum expeditis peditum equitumque prius pugnam consererent cum hoste quam coire inter se mediae acies possent.

[17] ita diductis cornibus cum ⁸ ternis peditum cohortibus ternisque equitum turmis, ad hoc velitibus, citato gradu in hostem ducebant, sequentibus in obliquum allis.

[18] Sinus in medio erat, qua segnius Hispanorum signa incedebant.

[19] et iam conflixerant cornua, cum quod roboris in hostium acie ⁹ erat, Poeni veterani Afrique, nondum ad teli coniectum venissent, neque in cornua, ut adiuvarent pugnantes, discurrere auderent, ne aperirent mediam aciem venienti ex adverso hosti.

[20] cornua ancipiti proelio urgebantur: eques levisque armatura ac ¹⁰ velites circumductis alis in latera incurrebant; cohortes a fronte urgebant, ut abrumperent cornua a cetera acie.

Translations (2)

History of Rome Perseus (Spillan, D.; Edmonds, Cyrus; McDevitte, William A., translators. London: Henry G. Bohn, 1849-1868. (Bohn's Classical Library)) — 28.14 focus

[1]

After having made sufficient trial of their strength in these slight engagements, Hasdrubal first led out his forces for battle, and then the Romans also advanced.

[2] But both the armies stood drawn up before their ramparts; and as neither party began the attack, and the sun was now going down, the Carthaginian first, and then the Roman, led back his troops into the camp. The same occurred for several days. The Carthaginian was always the first to lead out his troops into the field, and the first to give the signal for retiring, when they were weary with standing.

[3] Neither party sallied from their posts, nor was a weapon discharged, or a word uttered.

[4] On one side the Romans occupied the centre, on the other, the Carthaginians and Africans together; the allies occupied the wings, which were composed of Spaniards on both sides. The elephants which stood before the Carthaginian line, appeared at a distance like castles.

[5] It was now commonly talked of in both camps, that they would fight in the order in which they had stood when drawn up, and that their centres, composed of Romans and Carthaginians, who were the principals in the war, would engage with equal courage and strength.

[6] When Scipio perceived that this was firmly believed, he studiously altered all his arrangements against the day on which he intended to fight.

[7] He issued orders through the camp at evening, that the men and horses should be refreshed and fed before daylight, and that the horsemen, armed themselves, should keep their horses bridled and saddled. When it was scarcely yet daylight, he sent all his cavalry, with the light troops, against the Carthaginian outposts, and then without delay advanced himself, at

[8] the head of the heavy body of the legions, having strengthened his wings with Roman

[9] soldiers, and placed the allies in the centre, contrary to the full anticipations of his own men and of the enemy.

[10] Hasdrubal, alarmed by the shout of the cavalry, sprang out of his tent, and, perceiving a tumult before the rampart, and his own troops in a state of hurry and confusion, the standards of the legions gleaming at a distance, and the plain filled with the enemy, immediately sent out the whole body of his cavalry against the horsemen of the enemy;

[11] marching himself out of the camp, at the head of the infantry, without departing at all from the usual arrangement in forming his line.

[12] The battle between the cavalry had continued for a long time doubtful; nor could they decide it themselves, because, when repulsed, which was the case in a manner alternately, they had a safe retreat upon the line of infantry.

[13] But when the armies were not more than five hundred paces distant from each other, Scipio, sounding a retreat and opening his files, received into the midst of them the whole body of his cavalry and light-armed troops;

[14] and dividing them into two parts, placed them in reserve behind the wings. After this, when it was now time to commence the battle, he ordered the Spaniards, who formed the centre, to advance at a slow pace;

[15] he himself sent a messenger from the right wing, for that he commanded, to Silanus and Marcius to extend the wing on the left in the same manner as they should see him extend

[16] that on the right, and engage the enemy with the light-armed of the horse and foot, before the two centres could meet.

[17] The wings being thus extended, they advanced against the enemy at a rapid pace, with three cohorts of infantry, and three troops of horse, each with the addition of skirmishers, the rest following them in an oblique line.

[18] There was a depression in the centre of the line, because the battalions of the Spaniards advanced slower than the rest, and the wings had already encountered the enemy, when the veteran Carthaginians and Africans had not yet come within distance to discharge their darts;

[19] nor dared they run in different directions to the wings to assist them when fighting, lest they should expose their centre to the enemy approaching over against them.

[20] The wings were hard pressed, by a twofold attack; the cavalry, the light-armed, and the skirmishers, wheeling round, charged their flanks, while the cohorts pressed them hard in front, in order to separate the wings from the rest of the line.

History of Rome Perseus (Volumes 1-2. Roberts, Canon, Rev, translator. London, New York: J. M. Dent and Sons; E. P. Dutton and Co., 1912.) — 28.14 focus

[1]

After the strength of each side had been sufficiently tested in these encounters Hasdrubal led out his army to battle, on which the Romans did the same. Each army remained standing in front of its camp, neither caring to begin the fight. Towards sunset the two armies, first the Carthaginian and then the Roman, marched back to camp.

[2] This went on for some days; the Carthaginians were always the first to get into line and the first to receive the order to retire when they were tired out with standing. No forward movement took place on either side, no missile was discharged, no battle-shout raised.

[3] The Romans were posted in the centre on the one side, the Carthaginians in the centre of the other; the flanks on both armies were composed of Spanish troops. In front of the Carthaginian line were the elephants which looked in the distance like towers.

[4] It was generally supposed in both camps that they would fight in the order in which they had been standing, and that the main battle would be between the Romans and Carthaginians in the centre, the

[5] principals in the war and fairly matched in courage and in arms.

[6] When Scipio found that this was assumed as a matter of course, he carefully altered his dispositions for the day on which he intended to fight. The previous evening he sent a tessera through the camp ordering the men to take their breakfast and see that their horses were fed before daybreak,

[7] the cavalry were at the same time to be fully armed with their horses ready, bitted and saddled. Day had scarcely broken when he sent the whole of his cavalry with the light infantry against the Carthaginian outposts, and at once followed them up with the heavy infantry of the legions under his personal command.

[8] Contrary to universal expectation he had made his wings the strongest part of his army by posting the Roman troops there, the auxiliaries occupied the centre.

The shouts of the cavalry roused Hasdrubal and he rushed out of his tent.

[9] When he saw the melee in front of the rampart and the disordered state of his men, and in the distance the glittering standards of the legions and the whole plain covered with the enemy, he at once sent the whole of his mounted force against the hostile cavalry. He then led his infantry out of the camp, and formed his battle line without any change in the existing order.

[10] The cavalry fight had now been going on for some time without either side gaining the advantage. Nor could any decision be arrived at, for as each side was in turn driven back they retreated into safety amongst their infantry. But when the main bodies were within half a mile of each other, Scipio recalled his cavalry and ordered them to pass to the rear of the infantry, whose ranks opened out to give them passage, he then formed them into two divisions, and posted one as a support behind each of the wings.

[11] Then when the moment for executing his maneuver arrived he ordered the Spaniards in the centre to make a slow advance, and sent word to Silanus and

[12] Marcius that they were to extend to the left as they had seen him extend to the right, and engage the enemy with their light cavalry and infantry before the centers had time to close.

[13] Each wing was thus lengthened by three infantry cohorts and three troops of horse, besides velites, and in this formation they advanced against the enemy at a run, the others following en echelon. The line curved inwards towards the centre because of the slower advance of the Spaniards. The wings were already engaged whilst the Carthaginians and African veterans, the main strength of their army, had not yet had the chance of discharging a single missile.

[14] They did not dare to leave their place in the line and help their comrades for fear of leaving the centre open to the advance of the enemy.

[15] The wings were being pressed by a double attack, the cavalry and light infantry had wheeled round and were making a flank charge, whilst the cohorts were pressing their front in order to sever them from their centre.

Notes on the current edition

Ab Urbe Condita With An English Translation, books 1-10, 21-45, with periochae 11-20

1. B.C. 206

2. Some of the elephants carried on their backs a crenellated tower from which javelins were hurled by four or more soldiers posted on the tower; hence the resemblance to forts; XXXVII. xl. 4; cf. Curtius VIII. xii. 7; Pliny N.H. VIII. 22 and 27; Lucretius V. 1302. Such elephant turriti are represented in terracotta figures and on painted ware.

3. Not quite literal for this period. Primarily the word has to do with a cloth kept in place by a girth and straps. Evolution of cloth into saddle was slow.

4. B.C. 206

5. For this battle of Ilipa see the works already cited: Scullard, 126 ff. with plan; Veith, 517 ff. with map.

6. Cf. Vol. VII. pp. 5 fin., 65 (and notes), 77. Repeatedly mentioned in this Book.

7. Here Polybius XI. xxiii has a detailed account of complicated movements executed by the Roman wings in order to outflank the weaker Carthaginian wings before fighting could reach the centre of the lines. Cf. Scullard op. cit. 132 ff.; Veith, 522 ff.

8. B.C. 206

9. It has been held that Livy here mistranslated Polybius, who meant maniples. Everything depends upon the interpretation of trei=s spei/ras and a following parenthesis,

this infantry unit is called a cohort ( koo/rtis )by the Romans

(XI. xxiii. 19 1). It remains debatable whether

this unit

refers to the single spei/ra, which must then be a maniple, or to the three combined to make a cohort. For manipulus the regular word was shmei/a Later on spei/ra came to be cohort almost invariably. 20 But in Polybius' time one could use either shmei/a or spei/ra in the same meaning, as VI. xxiv. 5; so even in the same sentence, as l. c. § 8; III. cxiii. 3;

Titus Livius (Livy) Ab urbe condita 28.14

Benjamin Oliver Foster, Ph.D. (Editor), Frank Gardener Moore (Editor), Evan T. Sage, Ph.D. (Editor), Alfred C. Schlesinger, Ph.D. (Editor)

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