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), 37.23

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[1] Phaselis is on the border of Lycia and Pamphylia; it projects far into the deep, and is the first land sighted by travellers who are going to Rhodes from Cilicia and it allows ships to be sighted from afar.

[2] For that reason especially the place was chosen, so that they might be ready to meet the hostile fleet; but, and this they had not foreseen, on account both of the unhealthy country and of the time of year —for it was midsummer —besides, from the unaccustomed odour, diseases began to spread generally, especially among the rowers.

[3] In fear of this epidemic, they went on, and when they were sailing past the gulf of Pamphylia, putting in at the mouth of the river Eurymedon, they learned from the people of Aspendus that the enemy was off Sida.

[4] The king's navy had sailed rather slowly by reason of the unfavourable season of the etesian¹ gales, which is, as it were, allotted to² winds from the north-west.

[5] There were thirty-two³ Rhodian quadriremes and four triremes; the royal fleet consisted of thirty-seven ships of larger size; among them they had three of seven banks of oars and four of six. Besides these there were ten triremes.

[6] And they saw from a certain watch-tower that the enemy was close at hand. At daybreak next day both fleets moved out of port as if to fight that day; and after the Rhodians had passed the promontory which juts out from Sida into the sea, they were seen by the enemy and sighted them as well.

[7] On the side of the king's fleet, on the left flank, which extended into open water, Hannibal was in command; on the right, Apollonius, one of the nobles; and already they had the ships formed in a straight line.

[8] The Rhodians were approaching in a long column; first was the flagship of Eudamus; Chariclitus brought up the rear; Pamphilidas was in command of the centre of the fleet.

[9] When Eudamus saw the enemy arrayed and ready to engage, he too sailed out into deep water and directed the following ships, keeping their relative positions to one another, to form in a straight line.

[10] This order at first produced confusion; for he had not gone far enough out to sea to permit the array of all the ships to form in line toward the shore,⁴and in his excessive haste, with only five ships,⁵ he encountered Hannibal; the rest, because they had been ordered to form in line, did not follow.

[11] There was no room left on the land side for the tail of the column; while they were entangled with one another the battle with Hannibal was already begun on the right flank.

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.) — 37.23 focus

[1] in confinio Lyciae et Pamphyliae Phaselis est; prominet penitus in altum conspiciturque prima terrarum Rhodum a Cilicia petentibus et procul navium praebet prospectum. eo maxime, ut in obvio classi hostium essent, electus locus est;

[2] ceterum, quod non providerunt, et loco gravi et tempore anni — medium enim aestatis erat — , ad hoc insolito odore ingruere morbi vulgo, maxime in remiges, coeperunt.

[3] cuius pestilentiae metu profecti cum praeterveherentur Pamphylium sinum, ad Eurymedontem amnem appulsa classe audiunt ab Aspendiis ad Sidam hostis esse.

[4] tardius navigaverant regii adverso tempore etesiaruni, etesiarum, quod velut statum favoniis ventis est. Rhodiorum duae et triginta quadriremes et quattuor triremes fuere;

[5] regia classis septem et triginta maioris formae navium erat; in quibus tres hepteres, quattuor hexeres habebat. praeter has decem triremes erant. et hi adesse hostis ex specula quadam cognoverunt.

[6] utraque classis postero die luce prima, tamquam eo die pugnatura, e portu movit; et postquam superavere Rhodii promunturium, quod ab Sida prominet in altum, extemplo et conspecti ab hostibus sunt et ipsi eos viderunt.

[7] ab regiis sinistro cornu, quod ab alto obiectum erat, Hannibal, dextro Apollonius, purpuratorum unus, praeerat; et iam in frontem derectas habebant naves.

[8] Rhodii longo agmine veniebant; prima praetoria navis Eudami erat; cogebat agmen Chariclitus; Pamphilidas mediae classi praeerat.

[9] Eudamus postquam hostium aciem instructam et paratam ad concurrendum vidit, et ipse in altum evehitur, et deinceps quae sequebantur servantes ordinem in frontem derigere iubet.

[10] ea res primo tumultum praebuit; nam nec sic in altum evectus erat, ut ordo omnium navium ad terram explicari posset, et festinans ipse praepropere cum quinque solis navibus Hannibali occurrit; ceteri quia in frontem derigere iussi erant,

[11] non sequebantur. extreme extremo agmini loci nihil ad terrain terram relicti erat; trepidantibusque iis inter se iam in dextro cornu adversus Hannibalem pugnabatur.

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).) — 43.23 focus

[1]

Rex cum non ¹ minore vexatione iumentorum hominumque quam venerat in Macedoniam rediit; Appium tamen ab obsidione Phanotes fama ducentis ad Stratum Persei summovit.

[2] Cleuas cum praesidio impigrorum iuvenum insecutus sub radicibus prope inviis montium ² ad mille hominum ex agmine impedito occidit, ad ducentos cepit.

[3] Appius superatis angustiis in campo quem Meleona vocant stativa dierum paucorum habuit. interim Cleuas assumpto Philostrato, qui quingentos ex ³ Epirotarum gente habebat, in agrum Antigonensem transcendit. ⁴ Macedones ad depopulationem profecti;

[4] Philostratus⁵ cum cohorte sua in insidiis loco ⁶ obscuro consedit. in palatos populatores cum erupissent ab Antigonea armati, ⁷ fugientes eos persequentes effusius in vallem insessam ab hostibus praecipitant.

[5] ibi ad mille ⁸ occisis, centum ferme captis, et ubique prospere gesta re prope stativa Appi castra movent, ne qua vis sociis suis ab Romano exercitu inferri possit.

[6] Appius nequiquam in his locis terens tempus, dimissis Chaonum Thesprotorumque ⁹ et si qui alii Epirotae erant praesidiis, cum Italicis militibus in Illyricum regressus, per Parthinorum ¹⁰ socias urbes in hiberna militibus divisis, ¹¹ ipse Romam sacrificii causa redit.

[7] Perseus ex Penestarum gente mille pedites, ducentos equites revocatos Cassandream, praesidio ut essent, misit.

[8] Ab Gentio eadem adferentes redierunt. nec deinde alios atque alios mittendo temptare eum destitit, cum appareret, quantum in eo praesidii esset, nec tamen impetrare ab animo posset, ut impensam in rem maximi ad omnia momenti faceret.

Ab urbe condita libri, erklärt von M. Weissenborn Perseus (Weissenborn, W.; Müller, H. J., editors. Berlin: Weidmannsche Buchhandlung, 1873-1883.) — 37.23 focus

[1]

in confinio Lyciae et Pamphyliae Phaselis est; prominet penitus in altum conspiciturque prima terrarum Rhodum a Cilicia petentibus et procul navium praebet prospectum. eo maxime, ut in obvio classi hostium essent, electus locus est;

[2] ceterum, quod non providerunt, et loco gravi et tempore anni — medium enim aestatis erat —, ad hoc insolito odore ingruere morbi vulgo, maxime in remiges, coeperunt.

[3] cuius pestilentiae metu profecti cum praeterveherentur Pamphylium sinum, ad Eurymedontem amnem appulsa classe audiunt ab Aspendiis ad Sidam hostis esse.

[4] tardius navigaverant regii adverso tempore etesiarum, quod velut statum favoniis ventis est. Rhodiorum duae et triginta ¹ quadriremes et quattuor triremes fuere;

[5] regia classis septem et triginta maioris formae navium erat, in quibus tres hepteres, quattuor hexeres [habebat]. praeter has decem triremes erant. et hi adesse hostis ex specula quadam cognoverunt.

[7] ab regiis sinistro cornu, quod ab alto obiectum erat, Hannibal, dextro Apollonius, purpuratorum unus, praeerat;

[8] et iam in frontem derectas habebant naves. Rhodii longo agmine veniebant: prima praetoria navis Eudami erat; cogebat agmen Chariclitus;

[9] Pamphilidas mediae classi praeerat. Eudamus postquam hostium aciem instructam et paratam ad concurrendum vidit, et ipse in altum evehitur, et deinceps quae sequebantur servantes ordinem in frontem derigere iubet.

[10] ea res primo tumultum praebuit: nam nec sic in altum evectus erat, ut ordo omnium navium ad terram explicari posset, et festinans ipse praepropere cum quinque solis navibus Hannibali occurrit; ceteri ² quia in frontem derigere iussi erant, non sequebantur.

[11] extremo agmini loci nihil ad terram relicti erat; trepidantibusque iis inter se iam in dextro cornu adversus Hannibalem pugnabatur.

Translations (2)

History of Rome Perseus (Spillan, D.; Edmonds, Cyrus; McDevitte, William A., translators. London: Henry G. Bohn, 1849-1868. (Bohn's Classical Library)) — 37.23 focus

[1]

Phaselis stands on the confines of Lycia and Pamphylia; it projects far into the sea, and is the first land seen by persons coming from Cilicia to Rhodes, and from hence ships can be seen at a great distance. For this reason, chiefly, this place was made choice of, that they may lie in the way of the enemy's fleet.

[2] But in consequence of the unwholesomeness of the place, and of the season of the year, (for it was now the middle of summer,) and of the unusual stench, diseases began to spread with violence, particularly among the rowers, an event which they did not foresee.

[3] And having left the place from fear of this pestilence, when they were sailing by the Pamphylian bay, their fleet putting into port

[4] at the river Eurymedon, they hear from the people of Aspendus, that the enemy are now at Sida.

[5] The king's fleet had been the slower in its passage, the season of the Etesiae being opposed to them, for this is the periodical time for the northwest winds. The Rhodians had thirty-two quadriremes and four triremes. In the king's fleet were thirty-seven ships of the larger rates; among which were three of seven, and four of six banks of oars; and besides these, ten triremes.

[6] They discovered too, from some watch-tower, that the Rhodians were at hand. Both fleets, at the dawn of the next day, moved out of port, as if resolved to come to an immediate engagement; and, as soon as the Rhodians passed the promontory that stretches into the deep from Sida, they descried the enemy, and were observed by them.

[7] On the king's side, Hannibal had the command of the left squadron, which stretched away seaward; Apollonius, one of the nobles, had the command of the right, and they had their ships already formed in a line a-head.

[8] The Rhodians approached in a long line. First was the admiral's ship, with Eudamus in it; Chariclitus brought up the rear; and Pamphilidas commanded the centre division.

[9] When Eudamus saw the enemy's line formed and ready for battle, he pushed out towards the main, ordering the ships that followed to form, regularly, as they came up, in line of battle.

[10] This caused confusion at first; for he had not stretched out to the main far enough for the line of all the ships to form in the direction of the land, and he himself hurrying on with precipitation, with only five ships, engaged with Hannibal; the rest, having received orders to form their line, did not come up.

[11] The rear division had no room left for it next to the land; and, while they were in disorder, the fight was already begun on the right against Hannibal.

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.) — 37.23 focus

[1]

Phaselis is situated on the confines of Lycia and Pamphylia and stands on a headland jutting out into the sea. It is the first land visible to ships sailing from Cilicia to Rhodes, and affords an extensive view seawards. This position was selected mainly because it lay on the route of the enemy fleet.

[2] One thing, however, had not been foreseen. Owing to the unhealthiness of the locality and the season of the year-it was midsummer-and also in consequence of a strange and mysterious smell, there was a great deal of sickness, especially among the men at the oars.

[3] Alarmed at the spread of this epidemic they sailed away and passing the Pamphylian Gulf anchored off the mouth of the Eurymedon.

[4] Here they were informed by messengers from Aspendus that the enemy were at Sida. The progress of the king's fleet had been retarded by the Etesian winds, which blow from the N.W. at a fixed season.

[5] The Rhodian force consisted of thirty-two quadriremes and four triremes; the king's fleet numbered thirty-seven vessels of larger build; amongst them were three hepteres and four hexeres. There were in addition to these ten triremes.

[6] They, too, discovered from an observation post that the enemy were not far off. On the morrow, as soon as it was light, the two fleets left their anchorage, prepared to fight on that day. As soon as the Rhodians had rounded the point which projects into the sea from Sida, both fleets came at once in sight of each other.

[7] The left division of the king's fleet which stood out to sea was under Hannibal's command, the right under that of Apollonius, one of the court nobles, and they already had their ships in line.

[8] The Rhodians came on in a long column, Eudamus' ship leading, Chariclitus closing the rear and Pamphilidas commanding the centre.

[9] When Eudamus saw that the enemy were in line and prepared to engage, he too put out to the open sea and signalled to the ships which followed to move into line as they came up, keeping their order.

[10] This at first led to some confusion as he had gone sufficiently far out to sea to allow of all the ships coming into line towards the land, and in his extreme haste he had only five ships with him when he met Hannibal, the rest were not following, but were, as ordered, getting into line.

[11] On the extreme left there was no further room towards the land, and they were still in confusion when the fighting began on the right with Hannibal.

Notes on the current edition

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

1. B.C. 190

2. The use of stature here is peculiar. Usually employed to denote the appointment of days for festivals and similar occasions, it here suggests that this season was reserved (by Nature) for the etesian winds.

3. This number cannot be made to agree with those given in xxii. 2-4 above.

4. The manoeuvre described is that of forming line to the left. The flagship moved at a right oblique but failed to gain enough distance to the right to make room for the rear ships. Eudamus may have misjudged the distance or have been in too great haste; the sixth ship also moved off at too acute an angle to the original direction and increased the crowding on the left.

5. B.C. 190

Titus Livius (Livy) Ab urbe condita 37.23

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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