19. Q. Caeciliō L. Valeriō cōnsulibus omnēs cīvitātēs, quae in Brittiīs ab Hannibale tenēbantur, Rōmānīs sē trādidērunt.
20. (1) Annō quārtō decimō, posteāquam in Ītaliam Hannibal vēnerat, Scīpiō, quī multa bene in Hispāniā ēgerat, cōnsul est factus et in Āfricam missus. Cui virō dīvīnum quiddam inesse exīstimābātur, adeō ut putārētur etiam cum nūminibus habēre sermōnem.
(2) Is in Āfricā contrā Hannōnem ducem Āfrōrum pūgnat; exercitum eius interficit. Secundō proeliō castra capit cum quattuor mīlibus et quīngentīs mīlitibus, XI mīlibus occīsīs. Syphācem Numidiae rēgem, quī sē Āfrīs coniūnxerat, capit et castra eius invādit. Syphāx cum nōbilissimīs Numidiīs et īnfīnītīs spoliīs Rōmam ā Scīpiōne mittitur.
(3) Quā rē audītā omnis ferē Ītalia Hannibalem dēserit. Ipse ā Carthāginiēnsibus redīre in Āfricam iubētur, quam Scīpiō vāstābat.
notes
Ch. 19: Bruttium surrenders to the Romans (206 BCE)
Q. Caeciliō L. Valeriō cōnsulibus: Ablative absolute with form of esse understood (AG 419.a). Q. Caecilius Metellus and Lucius Veturius Philo were consuls in 206 BCE.
in Brittiīs: in Bruttium, the southernmost region of the Italian peninsula
Ch. 20: Scipio Crosses into Africa, 204 BCE
(1) in Hispāniā: for Scipio’s successful campaigns in Spain, see Brev. 3.15, 3.16.2, and 3.17.
in Āfricam missus: Fabius and the senate initially refused Scipio's request to carry the war into Africa but he appealed to the people and the Senate was forced to allow him to take over the two disgraced legions in Sicily and any volunteers he could muster and invade Africa, if he considered it would benefit the state (Livy 28.40 ff., 29.22) (Bird). Florus describes the dramatic showdown:
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Now it was clear that Hannibal could be defeated, as he himself would even admit. Full of trust in their recent successes, the Roman people thought it was a good idea to fight their bitterest enemy overseas. Under the leadership of Scipio, the Romans moved their entire forces to Africa where they began to imitate Hannibal by avenging Italy's wrongs on the African soil. O gods, Scipio defeated such great forces of Hasdrubal's infantry and Numidian king Syphax's cavalry! How many camps of both of these leaders did he torch in a single night! Scipio shook the very gates of Carthage itself in a siege! This is how he dislodged Hannibal from his stranglehold over Italy. There was no greater day in the history of Rome than when the two of the greatest leaders of all time, one the Conqueror of Italy, the other, the Conqueror of Hispania, drew up their forces and engaged in hand to hand combat. There was even a parley between them to negotiate terms of a peace treaty. For a long time, they both remained transfixed in mutual admiration. But when they could not come to agreeable terms, they set off a battle cry and the battle began. Both later confessed that neither had a better army or battle strategy, but eventually, Hannibal yielded. The price of victory was Africa herself, and the whole world soon followed (Epit. 1.22.54–61; Trans. Kristin Masters).
Cui virō dīvīnum quiddam inesse exīstimābātur: "in this man there was considered to be something divine" (Bird). Cui virō is the dative object of inesse (LS insum), which is governed by the indirect discourse following the verb exīstimābātur (AG 577).
adeō ut: "so much so that..."; adeō signals the result clause using the subjunctive verb putārētur (AG 537).
habēre sermōnem: "to hold conversations"
(2) Is: Scīpiō
contrā Hannōnem: In 204 BCE Scipio landed in Africa near Utica with 35,000 men and in a minor skirmish defeated the Carthaginians (Livy 29.29). Subsequently Hanno was defeated and died in the rout (Livy 29.34) (Bird).
pūgnat: historical present (AG 469) like other verbs in this passage (interficit, capit, invādit, mittitur, dēserit and iubētur).
Secundō proeliō: In the spring of 203 BCE
castra: supply hostium
XI mīlibus occīsīs: supply hominum; ablative absolute using a perfect passive participle (AG 419).
Syphācem: Syphax had driven Masinissa, a Lybian king, from his throne. Masinissa joined Scipio on his arrival in Africa and gave him valuable aid. When the war was ended Masinissa was restored to his throne as his reward (Hazzard).
castra eius invādit: The Battle of Campi Magni (Souk el Kremis), which occurred in 203 BCE (Polybius 14.7–10; Livy 30.11–12) (Bird).
(3) Quā rē audītā: ablative absolute using a connecting relative (AG 308.f) and a perfect passive participle (AG 419)
Ipse: Hannibal
vocabulary
Core Vocabulary | Numbers | Dates
| Q. |
abbreviation of the praenomen Quīntus |
| Caecilius, ī, m. |
the name of a Roman gens. Q. Caecilius, consul 206 B.C. |
| Hannibal, alis, m. |
the son of Hamilcar Barca, the great general of the Carthaginians in the second Punic war |
| Valerius, ī, m. |
the name of a Roman gens. |
| Bruttiī, ōrum, pl. m. |
a people in the southwestern part of Italy |
| posteāquam, adv. | after |
| Carthāginiēnsis, e, adj. |
Carthaginian; as subst., Carthāginiēnsēs, ium, pl. m., the Carthaginians |
| Scīpiō, ōnis, m. |
the name of one of the most illustrious families of Rome, Cornēlius Scīpiō, consul 83 B.C., Cn. Cornēlius Scīpiō, consul 222 B.C., L. (Cornēlius) Scīpiō, consul 259 B.C., P. Cornēlius Scīpiō, consul 218 B.C., P. Cornēlius Scīpiō, consul 191 B.C., P. Cornēlius Scīpiō, praetor 94 B.C., P. Cornēlius Scīpiō Āfricānus, consul 205 BC the conqueror of Hannibal in the First Punic War., P. Cornēlius Scīpiō Āfricānus (Minor), consul 147 B.C. He brought the Third Punic War to a close by capturing and destroying Carthage., L. Cornēlius Scīpiō Asiāgenēs, consul 83 B.C., P. (Cornēlius) Scīpiō Nāsīca, consul 91 B.C. |
| Hispānia, ae, f. |
Spain (including Portugal). It was divided into two provinces, Hispania Citerior and Ulterior; hence the pl. Hispaniae. |
| īnsum, inesse, īnfuī |
to be in or on; to belong to |
| Āfer, Āfrī, m. |
an African, especially an inhabitant of Carthage |
| dīvīnus, a, um [dīvus], adj. | divine, sacred |
| Āfrica, ae, f. |
Africa; often the northern part of the continent, especially the part near Carthage |
| Hannō, ōnis, m. |
(1) A Carthaginian general in the second Punic war, taken captive in Sicily 210 B.C.; (2) A Carthaginian general in the second Punic war, defeated by Scipio 203 B.C. |
| Syphāx, ācis, m. | a king of Numidia |
| Numidae, ārum, pl. m. | the Numidians |
| cōniungō, ere, iūnxī, iūnctus |
to fasten together, connect, form by associating |
| invādō, ere, vāsī, vāsus |
to enter; attack; seize, take possession of |
| Numidia, ae, f. |
a country of northern Africa, west of Carthage |
| īnfīnītus, a, um [in + fīniō], adj. |
unbounded, vast, enormous; numberless; as subst., īnfīnītum, ī, n., a large amount, a large number |
| spolium, ī, n. | spoil, booty |
| Scīpiō, ōnis, m. |
the name of one of the most illustrious families of Rome, Cornēlius Scīpiō, consul 83 B.C., Cn. Cornēlius Scīpiō, consul 222 B.C., L. (Cornēlius) Scīpiō, consul 259 B.C., P. Cornēlius Scīpiō, consul 218 B.C., P. Cornēlius Scīpiō, consul 191 B.C., P. Cornēlius Scīpiō, praetor 94 B.C., P. Cornēlius Scīpiō Āfricānus, consul 205 BC the conqueror of Hannibal in the First Punic War., P. Cornēlius Scīpiō Āfricānus (Minor), consul 147 B.C. He brought the Third Punic War to a close by capturing and destroying Carthage., L. Cornēlius Scīpiō Asiāgenēs, consul 83 B.C., P. (Cornēlius) Scīpiō Nāsīca, consul 91 B.C. |