(1) C. Lutātiō Catulō A. Postumiō Albīnō cōnsulibus, annō bellī Pūnicī vīcēsimō et tertiō ā Catulō bellum contrā Āfrōs commissum est. Profectus est cum trecentīs nāvibus in Siciliam; Āfrī contrā ipsum quadringentās parāvērunt.

(2) Numquam in marī tantīs cōpiīs pūgnātum est. Lutātius Catulus nāvem aeger ascendit; vulnerātus enim in pūgnā superiōre fuerat. Contrā Lilybaeum cīvitātem Siciliae pūgnātum est ingentī virtūte Rōmānōrum.

(3) Nam LXIII Carthāginiēnsium nāvēs captae sunt, CXXV dēmersae, XXXII mīlia hostium capta, XIII mīlia occīsa, īnfīnītum aurī, argentī, praedae in potestātem Rōmānōrum redāctum. Ex classe Rōmānā XII nāvēs dēmersae. Pūgnātum est VI Īdūs Mārtiās.

(4) Statim pācem Carthāginiēnsēs petīvērunt tribūtaque est hīs pāx. Captīvī Rōmānōrum, quī tenēbāntur ā Carthāginiēnsibus redditī sunt. Etiam Carthāginiēnsēs petīvērunt, ut redimī eōs captīvōs licēret, quōs ex Āfrīs Rōmānī tenēbant. Senātus iussit sine pretiō eōs darī, quī in pūblicā cūstōdiā essent; quī autem ā prīvātīs tenērentur, ut pretiō dominīs redditō Carthāginem redīrent atque id pretium ex fiscō magis quam ā Carthāginiēnsibus solveretur.

Battle of Lilybaeum, 242 BCE. Battle of the Aegates Islands and End of the War, 241 BCE

(1) C. Lutātiō Catulō A. Postumiō Albīnō cōnsulibus: ablative absolute with form of esse assumed (AG 419.a). As Florus explains:

Read more

In the consulship of Lutatius Catulus, the war was brought to an end near the Aegatae islands. No naval battle had ever been so great. For all of Carthage herself seemed to engage in battle, with such an immense fleet of supplies, troops, siege instruments and weapons. But this was the very reason for her downfall. For the Roman fleet was vigilant, maneuverable, quick and disciplined, and fought as if on land; each boat acted like a cavalryman's horse, with oars for reins, moving in such a natural way that the beaks of the ships resembled living creatures. And so in an instant, the broken ships of the enemy's fleet covered the entire sea between Sicily and Sardinia. The victory was so decisive that there was no thought of destroying the enemy's city walls was. It seemed redundant to lay waste to Carthage’s citadel and city walls, since the empire had already been destroyed on the sea. (Epit. 18.131-145; Trans. Kristin Masters)

Profectus est: deponent verb, see LS proficīscor (AG 190)

Āfrī: the Carthaginians

contrā ipsum: Catulus

quadringentās: supply nāvēs

(2) pūgnātum est: impersonal passive (AG 207)

nāvem aeger ascendit: "embarked with difficulty" (Hazzard)

fuerat: vulnerātus erat. Eutropius ordinarily uses fueram, etc., for eram in the Pluperfect Passive Indicative (Hazzard).

(3) dēmersae: supply sunt. The verb esse is understood in the following list of actions (dēmersae [sunt], ...capta [sunt], ...occīsa [sunt])

īnfīnītum: "a very great amount" (Hazzard)

redāctum: supply est; < redigo (re + ago)

dēmersae: supply sunt

VI Īdūs Mārtiās: "The battle was fought on the tenth of March." The full expression would be ante diem sextum Īdūs Mārtiās (Hazzard).

(4) tribūtaque est hīs pāx: Peace was granted finally on these terms: Carthage was to evacuate Sicily, to give up the Roman prisoners without ransom, and to pay a war indemnity of 3,200 talents—one third down and the remainder in ten annual payments (Hazzard).

ut redimī eōs captīvōs licēret: substantive clause of purpose after petīvērunt (AG 563)

quōs: captīvōs

quī in pūblicā cūstōdiā essent; quī autem ā prīvātīs tenērentur: essent is subjunctive as a verb of a relative clause within indirect discourse, and the same is true for tenērentur (AG 592.3). Note the distinction of treatment between those prisoners held publicly versus those held privately.

pretiō dominīs redditō: ablative absolute using perfect passive participle, used conditionally (AG 419)

Carthāginem redīrent: an indirect command signaled by iussit (AG 563)

ex fiscō: "from the (Roman) treasury," a late meaning (Hazzard)

Core Vocabulary | Numbers | Dates

C.

abbreviation of the praenomen Gaius
Lutātius, ī, m. the name of a Roman gens.  
Catulus, ī, m.

a family name at Rome. (1) C. Lutātius Catulus, consul 242 B.C.; (2) Q. Lutātius (Catulus), consul 241 B.C.; (3) Q. Lutātius Catulus, consul 202 B.C.; (4) Q. (Lutātius) Catulus, consul 78 B.C.

  
A.

abbreviation of the praenomen Aulus
Postumius, ī, m.

1) Sp. Postumius (Albīnus), consul 344 and 321 B.C.; 2) Aulus Postumius Albinus, consul 242 B.C.; 3) L. Postumius Albīnus, consul 234 and 229 B.C.; 4) Sp. Postumius Albinus, consul 186 B.C.; 5) Sp. Postumius Albīnus, consul 110 B.C.

  
Albīnus, ī, m.

a family name at Rome, Clōdius Albīnus, governor of Britain at the death of Commodus. He revolted, and was defeated and slain by Septimius Sevērus at Lugdūnum, 197 A.D.; Sp. Postumius (Albīnus), consul 344 and 321 B.C.; Aulus Postumius Albinus, consul 242 B.C., L. Postumius Albīnus, consul 234 and 229 B.C.; Sp. Postumius Albinus, consul 186 B.C.; Sp. Postumius Albīnus, consul 110 B.C.

  
Pūnicus, a, um, adj.

Phoenician, Punic; Carthaginian; Pūnicum bellum, Punic War, First, 264–241 B.C.; Second, 218–202 B.C.; Third, 149–146 B.C.

  
Sicilia, ae, f. the island of Sicily  
Āfer, Āfrī, m.

an African, especially an inhabitant of Carthage

  
vulnerō, āre, āvī, ātus [vulnus,] to wound, hurt, injure  
Lilybaeum, ī, n. a town in western Sicily  
Carthāginiēnsis, e, adj.

Carthaginian; as subst., Carthāginiēnsēs, ium, pl. m., the Carthaginians

  
dēmergō, ere, mersī, mersus to sink  
captīvus, a, um [capiō], adj.

captive; as subst., captīvus, ī, m., captīva, ae, f., captive, prisoner of war
Īdūs, uum, pl. f.

the Ides; the fifteenth of March, May, July, and October, and the thirteenth of other months

  
(1) Mārtius, a, um, adj.; (2) Mārtius, ī, m.

(1) pertaining to Mars; (2) the month of March; usually used as an adj., Mārtius, a, um, agreeing with mēnsis, Kalendae, Nōnae, Īdūs

  
redimō, ere, ēmī, ēmptus

to buy back, redeem, ransom

  
cūstōdia, ae, [cūstōs, a guard], f. care, guard, custody
article nav
Previous
2.26
Next
2.28