(1) Quīntō annō Pūnicī bellī, quod contrā Āfrōs gerēbātur, prīmum Rōmānī C. Duiliō et Cn. Cornēliō Asinā cōnsulibus in marī dīmicāvērunt parātīs nāvibus rōstrātīs, quās Liburnās vocant.
(2) Cōnsul Cornēlius fraude dēceptus est. Duilius commissō proeliō Carthāginiēnsium ducem vīcit, trīgintā et ūnam nāvēs cēpit, quattuordecim mersit, septem mīlia hostium cēpit, tria mīlia occīdit. Neque ūlla victōria Rōmānīs grātior fuit, quod invictī terrā iam etiam marī plūrimum possent.
(3) C. Aquīliō Flōrō L. Scīpiōne cōnsulibus, Scīpiō Corsicam et Sardiniam vāstāvit, multa mīlia inde captīvōrum addūxit, triumphum ēgit.
notes
Battle of Mylae, 260 BCE; Battle of the Lipari Islands, 260 BCE
(1) contrā Āfrōs: the Carthaginians
C. Duiliō et C. Cornēliō Asinā cōnsulibus: ablative absolute with form of esse assumed (AG 419.a). Gaius Duilius and Gnaeus Cornelius Scipio Asina were consuls in 260 BCE.
parātīs nāvibus rōstrātīs: In 261 BCE the Romans realized that in order to drive the Carthaginians from Sicily they needed a navy. A Carthaginian warship which had run aground and fallen into Roman hands provided them with a model from which they constructed a fleet of about 120 quinqueremes and 20 triremes. After several months of dry land practice and sea maneuvers using boarding bridges known as "crows" (corvi), the Romans were prepared to face the Carthaginian fleet (Bird). According to Florus:
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During the consulship of Duilius and Cornelius, the Romans took to the sea to engage in battle. They saw the speed at which they constructed their fleet as an omen of their future victory. Before sixty days had passed from the harvesting of lumber, a fleet of one hundred and sixty ships were ready; it seemed that the trees themselves were transformed into ships not by human hands, but by the will of the gods. Moreover, the manner of naval fighting was surprising, since the cumbersome and slow Roman ships could hold their own against the swift, maneuverable enemy ships. The enemy's usual methods of naval warcraft of wrenching away oars and hindering the escape of their prey did not help them. The Roman grappling hooks and siege apparatus that the enemy had openly mocked seized their ships and dragged them to shore. Victorious at the Lipara Islands, the Romans sank or routed their enemy's fleet and held their first triumph for a naval battle. (1.18.35–49; Trans. Kristin Masters)
Liburnās: These were light vessels built after a model taken from the Liburnians, a sea-faring people that lived on the east coast of the Adriatic Sea (Hazzard). Eutropius commits an anachronism here (Bird).
(2) Cornēlius fraude dēceptus est: see the Battle of the Lipari Islands
commissō proeliō: "after joining battle," ablative absolute using perfect passive participle, used temporally (AG 419)
quattuordecim mersit: supply nāvēs
tria mīlia occīdit: supply hostium
quod invictī terrā iam etiam marī plūrimum possent: invictī is nominative, referring to the Romans. possent is subjunctive in a causal clause (AG 540).
iam etiam marī plūrimum possent: "now they were also supremely powerful at sea."
(3) C. Aquīliō Flōrō L. Scīpiōne cōnsulibus: ablative absolute with form of esse assumed (AG 419.a). Gaius Aquilius Florus and Lucius Cornelius Scipio were consuls in 259 BCE.
Corsicam et Sardiniam: Lucius Cornelius Scipio captured Corsica but failed at Olbia in Sardinia. These operations had little effect on the outcome of the war (Bird).
inde: = ex hīs locīs: "from these places" (Hazzard)
triumphum ēgit: "he celebrated a triumph" (Hazzard); for more information on triumphs, see triumphs
vocabulary
Core Vocabulary | Numbers | Dates
| C. |
abbreviation of the praenomen Gaius |
|
| Duilius, ī, m. |
C. Duilius, consul 260 B.C., commander of the Roman fleet in the battle of Mylae, 260 B.C. |
|
| Cn. |
abbreviation of the praenomen Gnaeus |
|
| Cornēlius, ī, m. |
the name of a large and important gens at Rome. See Asina, Cinna, Dolābella, Faustus, Fuscus, Galbus, Lentulus, Rūfinus, Scīpiō, Sulla. |
|
| Asina, ae m. |
Cn. Cornēlius Asina, consul 260 B.C. |
|
| dīmicō, āre, āvī, ātus | to fight | |
| rōstrātus, a, um [rōstrum], adj. | furnished with beaks | |
| Liburnus, a, um, adj. |
of or belonging to the Liburnians, an Illyrian people living between Histria and Dalmatia; nāvēs Liburnae, light galleys built after a model used by them |
|
| fraus, fraudis, f. | foul play; treachery | |
| dēcipiō, ere, cēpī, ceptus |
to take in, catch, deceive, cheat |
|
| Carthāginiēnsis, e, adj. |
Carthaginian; as subst., Carthāginiēnsēs, ium, pl. m., the Carthaginians |
|
| Sardinia, ae, f. |
Sardinia, an island in the Mediterranean Sea, west of Italy |
|
| mergō, ere, mersī, mersus | to dip, plunge, sink | |
| mīlia, um, pl. n. | thousand, thousands | |
| invīctus, a, um [in + vincō], adj. |
unconquerable, invincible |
|
| sup. plūrimus | much, many; pl., many | |
| Flōrus, ī, m. |
C. Aquīlius Flōrus, consul with L. Scipio, 239 B.C. |
|
| 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. |
|
| Corsica, ae, f. |
an island in the Mediterranean Sea, west of Italy |