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), 42.58

Search the Perseus Catalog for:

View: By Section

← Previous Next →

[1] After the attempt failed of success, the king moved his camp nearer the enemy and fortified it at five miles' distance.

[2] From there at dawn he drew up his battle-line of infantry in the usual place and led all his cavalry and light troops to the camp of the enemy.

[3] The sight of dust nearer to them and from a larger force than usual caused alarm in the Roman camp. At first they hardly believed their sentry's report, because regularly on previous days the enemy had never appeared before the fourth hour; this time it was at sunrise.

[4] Then as doubt vanished at the shouting and dashing back from the gates of a larger number of men, a¹ great confusion arose. The tribunes, prefects and centurions rushed to headquarters, the rank-and-file each to his own tent.

[5] Less than half a mile from the rampart Perseus drew up his men about the hill which they call Callinicus.² King Cotys was in charge of the left wing with all his tribesmen; light-armed troops, placed between, divided the units of cavalry.

[6] On the right wing were Macedonian cavalry, and Cretans interspersed among their troops; Midon of Beroea was in charge of the latter force, Menon of Antigonea commanded the cavalry and the formation as a whole.

[7] Next to the wings were posted the royal cavalry and mixed units of the picked auxiliaries of many nations;

[8] Patrocles of Antigonea and Didas the governor of Paeonia were in command of these.

[9] The king was in the centre of the whole line; around him was what they call the Guard, and the sacred squadrons³ of the cavalry. Before him he placed the slingers and javelin-throwers;

[10] each band attained to the number of four hundred; Ion of Thessalonica and Artemon, a Dolopian, he put in command of these. Thus the king's men were arrayed.

[11] After the Roman infantry had been drawn up within the rampart, the consul likewise sent out all his cavalry with the light troops; they were arrayed before the rampart.

[12] On the right wing the commander was Gaius Licinius Crassus, the brother of the consul, with all the Italian cavalry, and the light infantry of the legions⁴ intermingled;⁵ on the left Marcus Valerius Laevinus had the allied cavalry from the peoples of Greece and the light troops of the same nation; the centre, however, Quintus Mucius held with the picked Élite Cavalry.⁶

[13] Before the standards of the centre were arrayed two hundred Gallic cavalry and three hundred of Eumenes' Cyrtian⁷ auxiliaries. Four hundred Thessalian cavalry were placed at a short distance beyond the left wing.

[14] King Eumenes and Attalus with all their forces were posted behind, between the rear line and the rampart.

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.) — 42.58 focus

[1] postquam inceptum non succedebat, castra propius hostem movit rex et a quinque milibus passuum communivit.

[2] inde luce prima in eodem, quo solebat, loco peditum acie instructa, equitatum omnem levemque armaturam ad castra hostium ducit.

[3] visus et plurium et propior solito pulvis trepidationem in castris Romanis fecit. et primo vix creditum nuntianti est, quia prioribus continuis diebus numquam ante horam quartam hostis apparuerat;

[4] tum solis ortus erat. deinde ut plurium clamore et cursu a portis dubitatio exempta est, tumultus ingens oboritur. tribuni praefectique et centuriones in praetorium, miles ad sua quisque tentoria discurrit.

[5] minus quingentos passus a vallo instruxerat Perseus suos circa tumulum, quem Callinicum vocant.

[6] laevo cornu Cotys rex praeerat cum omnibus suae gentis; equitum ordines levis armatura interposita distinguebat. in dextro cornu Macedones erant equites, intermixti turmis eorum Cretenses;

[7] huic armaturae Midon Beroeaeus, equitibus et summae partis eius Meno Antigonensis praeerat.

[8] proximi cornibus constiterant regii equites, et, mixtum genus, delecta plurium gentium auxilia; Patrocles Antigonensis his et Paeoniae praefectus Didas erant praepositi.

[9] medius omnium rex erat; circa eum agema quod vocant, equitumque sacrae alae.

[10] ante se statuit funditores iaculatoresque: quadringentorum manus utraque numerum explebat; Ionem Thessalonicensem et Artemona Dolopem iis praefecit. sic regii constiterant.

[11] consul intra vallum peditum acie instructa et ipse equitatum omnem cum levi armatura emisit;

[12] pro vallo instructi sunt. dextro cornu praepositus C. Licinius Crassus, consulis frater, cum omni Italico equitatu, velitibus intermixtis; sinistro M. Valerius Laevinus sociorum ex Graecis populis equites habebat et eiusdem gentis levem armaturam;

[13] mediam autem aciem cum delectis equitibus extraordinariis tenebat Q. Mucius. ducenti equites Galli ante signa horum instructi et de auxiliis Eumenis Cyrtiorum gentis trecenti.

[14] Thessali quadringenti equites parvo intervallo super laevum cornu locati. Eumenes rex Attalusque cum omni manu sua ab tergo inter postremam aciem ac vallum steterunt.

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.) — 42.58 focus

[1]

postquam inceptum non succedebat, castra propius hostem movit rex et a quinque milibus passum communiit.

[2] inde luce prima in eodem, quo solebat, loco peditum acie instructa equitatum omnem levemque armaturam ad castra hostium ducit.

[5] minus quingentos passus a vallo instruxerat Perseus suos circa tumulum, quem Callicinum vocant.

[6] laevo cornu Cotys rex praeerat cum omnibus suae gentis; equitum ordines levis armatura interposita distinguebat. in dextro cornu Macedones erant equites, intermixti turmis eorum Cretenses;

[7] huic armaturae Midon Beroeaeus, equitibus et summae partis eius Meno Antigonensis praeerat.

[8] proximi cornibus constiterant regii equites et mixtum genus, delecta plurium gentium auxilia; Patrocles Antigonensis his et Paeoniae praefectus Didas erant praepositi.

[9] medius omnium rex erat, circa eum agema quod vocant, equitumque sacrae alae.

[10] ante se statuit funditores iaculatoresque, ¹ quadringentorum manus utraque numerum explebat; Ionem Thessalonicensem et Neoptolemum iis praefecit. sic regii constiterant.

[11] consul intra vallum peditum acie instructa et ipse equitatum omnem cum levi armatura emisit; pro vallo instructi sunt:

[12] dextro cornu praepositus C. Licinius Crassus consulis frater cum omni Italico equitatu velitibus intermixtis; sinistro M. Valerius Laevinus sociorum ex Graecis populis equites habebat et eiusdem gentis levem armaturam;

[13] mediam autem aciem cum delectis equitibus extraordinariis tenebat Quintus Mucius . ducenti equites Galli ante signa horum instructi et de auxiliis Eumenis Cyrtiorum gentis trecenti.

[14] Thessali quadringenti equites parvo intervallo super laevum cornu locati. Eumenes rex Attalusque cum omni manu sua ab tergo inter postremam aciem ac vallum steterunt.

Translations (2)

History of Rome Perseus (Spillan, D.; Edmonds, Cyrus; McDevitte, William A., translators. London: Henry G. Bohn, 1849-1868. (Bohn's Classical Library)) — 42.58 focus

[1]

After this design did not succeed, the king moved his camp nearer the enemy, and fortified it at the distance of five miles from the Romans.

[2] From it at the dawn of the next day, having drawn up his line of infantry on the same ground as before, he led up the whole cavalry and light infantry to the enemy's camp.

[3] The sight of the dust rising in great abundance and nearer than usual, caused a great alarm in the Roman camp; and at first they scarcely believed the person announcing the circumstance, because during all the preceding days the Macedonians had never appeared before the fourth hour, and it was now only sun-rise.

[4] Afterwards, when their doubts were removed, by the shouting of great numbers, and the men running off from the gates, great confusion ensued. The tribunes, praefects, and centurions hastened to the general's quarters, and their soldiers to their several tents.

[5] Perseus formed his troops within less than five hundred paces of the rampart, round a hill, called Callinicus.

[6] King Cotys, at the head of his countrymen, had the command of the left wing, the light infantry were placed between the ranks of the cavalry and separated them. On the right wing were the Macedonian horse, with whose troops the Cretans were intermixed.

[7] Milo, of Berœa, had the command of these last; Meno, of Antigone, that of the cavalry, and the chief direction of the whole division.

[8] Next to the wings were posted the royal horsemen, and a mixed kind of troops selected out of the auxiliary corps of many nations; the commanders here were Patrocles of Antigone, and Didas the governor of Paeonia.

[9] In the centre was the king; and on each side of him the band called Agema, with the consecrated squadrons of horse; in his front the slingers and javelin-bearers, each body amounting to four hundred.

[10] The command of these he gave to Ion of Thessalonice, and Timanor, a Dolopian. The king's troops were posted in this manner.

[11] On the other side, the consul, drawing up his infantry in a line within the trenches, sent out likewise all his cavalry and light infantry, which were marshalled on the outside of the rampart.

[12] Caius Licinius Crassus, the consul's brother, had the command of the right wing, which consisted of all the Italian cavalry, with light infantry intermixed. On the left wing, Marcus Valerius Laevinus commanded the cavalry of the allies, being sent by the states of Greece, and the light infantry of the same nation; Quintus Mucius, with a chosen body of cavalry, levied on the emergency, led the centre.

[13] In the front of this body were placed two hundred Gallic horsemen; and of the auxiliaries of Eumenes, three hundred Cyrtians. Four hundred Thessalian horse were posted at a little distance, beyond the left wing.

[14] King Eumenes and Attalus, with their whole division, stood on the rear, between the rear rank and the rampart.

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.) — 42.58 focus

[1]

As he had not succeeded in his attempt to draw the Romans, the king moved his camp to within a distance of five miles from the enemy.

[2] At dawn the infantry were drawn up on the same ground as before and the whole of the cavalry and light infantry marched towards the Roman camp.

[3] The sight of a cloud of dust, larger and nearer than usual, created some excitement amongst the Romans. At first the news was hardly credited because on all previous occasions the enemy had never appeared before the fourth hour of the day, and now it was sunrise.

[4] When all doubt was dispelled by the many shouts and men running from the gates there was great confusion. The military tribunes, the officers of the allied troops and the centurions hurried to the headquarters tent; the soldiers ran to their own tents.

[5] Perseus had drawn up his men less than a mile and a half from the Roman lines round a hill called Callinicus.

[6] Cotys commanded the left wing with the whole of his native troops, the light infantry being disposed between the ranks of the cavalry. On the right were the Macedonian cavalry, the Cretans being intermixed with them in the same way.

[7] This body was under the command of Midon of Beroea; the supreme command of the whole cavalry force was in the hands of Meno of Antigonea.

[8] Flanking the two wings were the king's cavalry and a mixed body of auxiliaries drawn from different nationalities. Patrocles and Didas were in charge of these troops.

[9] In the centre of the whole line was the king surrounded by the "agema" and the troops of the "sacred" cavalry.

[10] In front of these he posted the slingers and javelin men, 400 in all, under the command of Ion and Neoptolemus.

[11] The consul formed his infantry into line inside the rampart, and sent out the whole of the cavalry and light infantry; they were drawn up in front of the rampart.

[12] The right wing was commanded by the consul's brother Caius, and comprised the whole of the Italian cavalry with the velites interspersed among them. On the left M. Valerius Laevinus had the cavalry and light infantry from the various cities in Greece.

[13] The centre was held by Quintus Mucius with a picked body of volunteer cavalry. On their front were posted 200 Gaulish troopers and 300 Cyrtians from the auxiliary troops brought by Eumenes; 400 Thessalian cavalry were drawn up a short distance beyond the Roman left.

[14] Attalus and Eumenes took ground with the whole of their force in the rear between the hindmost rank and the rampart.

Notes on the current edition

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

1. B.C. 171

2. I.e. of Glorious Victory.

3. This name (cf. below lxvi. 5, XLIV. xlii. 2) is not used by other extant writers; it might mean the

royal squadron

of Cavalry Companions (Arrian, Anabasis, III. 11. 8) which was also called agema (

Guard

), cf. Antiochus' Horse-Guard, XXXVII. xl. 6 and 11, especially if the agema here mentioned was the Foot-Guard of peltasts (above li. 4, and the note). Sage's note on Antiochus' Guard ( loc. cit.) suggests that sacrae alae defines agema here. The name

sacred

may have been used on analogy with the Sacred Band of Thebes under Pelopidas, cf. Plutarch, Pelopidas, xviii.

4. These were not unlike the Greek peltasts, but used more as mere skirmishers, cf. XXVI. iv (this represents the first time they were used for an important service), XXX. xxxiii. 3, XXXI. xxxv. 5. The velites disappear from the Roman army not long after this time, as foreign auxiliaries replace them. For their arms, cf. Polybius VI. 22.

5. B.C 171

6. These were selected from the rest of the cavalry as the fittest, cf. Polybius, VI. 26. 6.

7. Nomad brigands from the Kurd country in northwest Persia, cf. XXXVII. xl. 9.

Titus Livius (Livy) Ab urbe condita 42.58

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

Search the Perseus Catalog for:

Current edition Perseus

Notes on the current edition

Stable identifiers