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), 44.41

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[1]

... led... the battle. The men were stirred by the prestige of his office, the fame of the man, and above all by his age, for though he was over sixty he kept assuming functions of men in their prime in undergoing an outstanding amount of toil and danger. The legion filled the space between the light infantry and the phalanxes and broke the enemy line.

[2] In the rear were the light infantry; the consul faced a unit with metal shields —these were called the Bronze Shields. Lucius Albinus the ex-consul was ordered to lead the second legion against the White Shield phalanx ¹ ; this was the centre of the hostile line.

[3] On the right wing, where the battle had begun near the river, the consul brought up the elephants and the squadrons of the allies; and from this point the flight of the Macedonians first began.

[4] For, as frequently men's new inventions appear strong when described, but in actual trial, when there is need for action rather than a description of how they will act, these inventions disappear without achieving any result, so in this battle the anti-elephant corps was a mere name without practical effect. ²

[5] The charge ³ of the elephants was followed up by the allies of the Latin Name, who routed the left wing.

[6] In the centre the charge of the second legion scattered the phalanx. No reason for the victory was more obvious than the fact that there were many scattered engagements which first threw into confusion and then disrupted the wavering phalanx. The power of this formation when closed up and bristling with spears extended is irresistible;

[7] but if by attacks at several points you compel them to swing their spears about, unwieldy because of their length and weight, they become tangled in a haphazard mass; and if indeed some sort of uproar is heard on a flank or from the rear,

[8] they are involved in utter confusion. Such was the case on this occasion, when the phalanx was compelled to meet the Romans who were attacking in groups, while the Macedonian line was broken at many points. The Romans for their part kept infiltrating their units wherever gaps presented themselves.

[9] If they had attacked frontally in solid line against an orderly phalanx, as happened to the Paelignians who at the beginning of the battle recklessly met the light infantry, the Romans would have spitted themselves on the spears and would not have withstood the solid line. ⁴

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.) — 44.41 focus

[1] proelium ducit. movebat imperii maiestas, gloria viri, ante omnia aetas, quod maior sexaginta annis iuvenum munia in parte praecipua laboris periculique capessebat. intervallum, quod inter caetratos et phalanges erat, inplevit legio atque aciem hostium interrupit.

[2] a tergo caetrati erant, frontem adversus clupeatos habebat; chalcaspides appellabantur. secundam legionem L. Albinus consularis ducere adversus leucaspidem phalangem iussus; ea media acies hostium fuit.

[3] in dextrum cornu, unde circa fluvium commissum proelium erat, elephantos inducit et alas sociorum; et hinc primum fuga Macedonum est orta.

[4] nam sicut pleraque nova conmenta mortalium in verbis vim habent, experiendo, cum agi, non, quem ad modum agatur, edisseri oportet, sine ullo effectu evanescunt, ita tum elephantomachae nomen tantum sine usu fuerunt.

[5] elephantorum impetum subsecuti sunt socii nominis Latini pepuleruntque laevom cornu.

[6] in medio secunda legio inmissa dissipavit phalangem. neque ulla evidentior causa victoriae fuit, quam quod multa passim proelia erant, quae fluctuantem turbarunt primo, deinde disiecerunt phalangem, cuius confertae et intentis horrentis hastis intolerabiles vires sunt;

[7] si carptim adgrediendo circumagere inmobilem longitudine et gravitate hastam cogas, confusa strue inplicantur; si vero aut ab latere aut ab tergo aliquid tumultus increpuit, ruinae modo turbantur, sicut tum adversus catervatim incurrentes Romanos et interrupta multifariam acie obviam ire cogebantur;

[8] et Romani, quacumque data intervalla essent, insinuabant ordines suos.

[9] qui si universa acie in frontem adversus instructam phalangem concurrissent, quod Paelignis principio pugnae incaute congressis adversus caetratos evenit, induissent se hastis nec confertam aciem sustinuissent.

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).) — 44.41 focus

[1]

.... ¹ proelium ducit. movebat imperii maiestas, gloria viri, ante omnia aetas, quod maior sexaginta annis iuvenum munia in parte praecipua laboris periculique capessebat. intervallum , quod inter caetratos et phalanges erat, implevit legio atque aciem hostium interrupit.

[2] a tergo caetrati erant, ² frontem adversus clupeatos habebat; chalcaspides ³ appellabantur. secundam legionem L. Albinus consularis ducere adversus leucaspidem phalangem iussus; ea media acies hostium fuit.

[3] in dextrum cornu, unde circa fluvium commissum proelium erat, elephantos inducit et alas ⁴ sociorum; et hinc primum fuga Macedonum est orta.

[4] nam sicut pleraque nova commenta mortalium in verbis vim habent, experiendo, ⁵ cum agi non quem ad modum agatur ⁶ edisseri oportet, sine ullo effectu evanescunt, ita tum elephantomachae ⁷ nomen tantum sine usu fuerunt. ⁸

[5] elephantorum impetum subsecuti sunt socii nominis Latini pepuleruntque laevum cornu.

[6] in medio secunda legio immissa dissipavit phalangem. neque ulla evidentior causa victoriae fuit, quam quod multa passim proelia erant, quae fluctuantem turbarunt primo, deinde disiecerunt phalangem, cuius confertae et intentis horrentis hastis intolerabiles vires sunt;

[7] si carptim adgrediendo circumagere immobilem longitudine et gravitate hastam cogas, confusa strue implicantur; si vero aut ab latere aut ab tergo aliquid tumultus increpuit,

[8] ruinae modo turbantur, sicut tum adversus catervatim incurrentes Romanos et interrupta multifariam acie obviam ire cogebantur; et Romani, quacumque data intervalla essent, insinuabant ordines suos.

Ab urbe condita libri, erklärt von M. Weissenborn Perseus (Weissenborn, W.; Müller, H. J., editors. Berlin: Weidmannsche Buchhandlung, 1873-1883.) — 44.41 focus

[1]

proelium ducit. movebat imperii maiestas, gloria viri, ante omnia aetas, quod maior sexaginta annis iuvenum munia in parte praecipua laboris periculique capessebat. intervallum, quod inter cetratos et phalanges erat, inplevit legio atque aciem hostium interrupit.

[2] a tergo cetrati erant, frontem adversus ¹ clupeatos habebat; chalcaspides appellabantur. secundam legionem L. Albinus consularis ducere adversus leucaspidem phalangem iussus;

[3] ea media acies hostium fuit. in dextrum cornu, unde circa fluvium commissum proelium erat, elephantos inducit et alas sociorum;

[4] et hinc primum fuga Macedonum est orta. nam sicut pleraque nova conmenta mortalium in verbis vim habent, experiendo, cum ² agi, non, quem ad modum agatur, edisseri oportet, sine ullo effectu evanescunt, ita tum elephantos Macedonum sine ullo usu fuerunt.

[5] elephantorum impetum subsecuti sunt socii nominis Latini pepuleruntque laevom cornu.

[7] si ³ carptim adgrediendo circumagere inmobilem longitudine et gravitate hastam cogas, confusa strue inplicantur; si vero aut ab latere aut ab tergo aliquid tumultus increpuit, ruinae modo turbantur,

[8] sicut tum adversus catervatim incurrentes Romanos et interrupta multifariam acie obviam ire cogebantur; et Romani, quacumque data intervalla essent, insinuabant ordines suos.

[9] qui si universa acie in frontem adversus instructam phalangem concurrissent, quod Paelignis principio pugnae incaute congressis adversus cetratos evenit, induissent se hastis nec confertam aciem sustinuissent.

Translations (2)

History of Rome Perseus (Spillan, D.; Edmonds, Cyrus; McDevitte, William A., translators. London: Henry G. Bohn, 1849-1868. (Bohn's Classical Library)) — 44.41 focus

[1]

The troops were impressed by the high dignity of his office, the personal renown of the man, and, above all, by his age: for, though more than sixty years old, he discharged the duties of youth, taking on himself the principal share both of the labour and danger. His legion filled up the space between the targeteers and the phalanxes, and thus disunited the enemy's line.

[2] Behind him were the targeteers, and his front faced the shielded phalanx of Chalcaspides. Lucius Albinus, a man of consular rank, was ordered to lead on the second legion against the phalanx of the Leucaspides, which formed the centre of the enemy's line.

[3] On the right wing, where the fight began, at the river, he brought forward the elephants, with the cohorts of allied cavalry; and from this quarter the retreat of the Macedonians first began.

[4] For as new contrivances generally make an important figure in the words of men, but on being put in practice ofttimes prove vain and ineffectual, so on that occasion the elephants in the line of battle were a mere name, without the least use. Their attack was followed by the Latin allies, who forced the enemy's left wing to give way.

[5] In the centre, the second legion charged and dispersed the phalanx;

[6] nor was there any more evident cause of the victory, than there being many distinct fights, which first disordered that body, when it wavered, and at last quite broke it. Its force, while it is compact and bristling with extended spears, is irresistible; but if, by attacking them separately, you force them to turn about their spears, which, on account of their length and weight, are unwieldy, they are mingled in a confused mass; and, if any disorder arises on the flank or rear, they fall into irretrievable disorder.

[7] Thus, now, they were obliged to oppose the Romans in small parties, and with their own line broken into numerous divisions; and the Romans, when any opening was made, worked themselves into their ranks.

[8] But had they advanced with their entire line, straight against the phalanx when in its regular order, just as happened to the Pelignians, who, in the beginning of the battle, incautiously engaged the targeteers;

[9] they would have impaled themselves on the spears, and would have been unable to withstand such a firm body.

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.) — 44.41 focus

[1]

. . . led them into battle. His men were deeply impressed by reverence for his authority, the reputation he had acquired, and, above all, his age, for though more than sixty years old, he took upon himself to a large extent the duties and dangers which are usually the lot of younger men.

[2] The interval between the "caetrati" and the divisions of the phalanx was filled up by the legion, and thus the enemy's line was interrupted. The "caetrati" were in their rear; the legion were fronting the shieldmen of the phalanx, who were known as the "chalcaspides."

[3] L. Albinus, an ex-consul, was ordered to lead the second legion against the phalanx of "leucaspides"; these formed the centre of the enemy's line. On the Roman right, where the battle had begun, close to the river, he brought up the elephants and the cohorts of allied troops.

[4] It was here that the Macedonians first gave ground. For just as most new devices amongst men seem valuable as far as words go, but when they are put to a practical test and have to be acted upon they fail to produce results, so it was with the elephants; those of the Macedonians were of no use whatever.

[5] The contingents of the Latin allies followed up the charge of the elephants and repulsed the left wing.

[6] The second legion which had been sent against the centre broke up the phalanx. The most probable explanation of the victory is that several separate engagements were going on all over the field, which first shook the phalanx out of its formation and then broke it up. As long as it was compact, its front bristling with levelled spears, its strength was irresistible.

[7] If by attacking them at various points you compel them to bring round their spears, which owing to their length and weight are cumbersome and unwieldy, they become a confused and involved mass, but if any sudden and tumultuous attack is made on their flank or rear, they go to pieces like a falling house.

[8] In this way they were forced to meet the repeated charges of small bodies of Roman troops with their front dislocated in many places, and wherever there were gaps the Romans worked their way amongst their ranks.

[9] If the whole line had made a general charge against the phalanx while still unbroken, as the Paeligni did at the beginning of the action against the "caetrati," they would have spitted themselves upon their spears and have been powerless against their massed attack.

Notes on the current edition

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

1. Plutarch speaks of this unit as having gilded armour.

2. Zonaras 9. 22 (p. 269) says that these were infantry with sharp spikes projecting from their helmets and shields, and also cavalry, both forces having been drilled to fight elephants; dummy elephants were used to accustom the horses to them. The words of Livy at the beginning of sec. 4 seem to be a direct quotation from Polybius XXIX. 17. 2 (12).

3. B.C. 168

4. A variant account of the battle is given by Frontinus II. iii. 20, who says that Paulus arranged his line in wedges, and tried to draw out the Macedonians by attacking with skirmishers ( velites ); when this failed, Paulus retreated, to induce the Macedonians to break formation; when this also failed, the Roman cavalry from the left wing were ordered to charge along the front of the phalanx and break off the spear-points with their shields; when this manoeuvre succeeded, the Macedonians broke and fled. Livy seems to have a far preferable account.

Titus Livius (Livy) Ab urbe condita 44.41

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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