Lectitō › Julius Caesar › The African War (Bellum Africum)
Bellum Africum 76
Sarsura taken; Thysdra too strong
Anonymous, Bellum Africum. Latin text with a sentence-by-sentence English translation, notes and vocabulary.
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Read in LectitōB. Afr. 76.1Postquam Caesar ad oppidum Sarsūram vēnit, īnspectantibus adversāriīs interfectō praesidiō Scīpiōnis, cum suīs auxilium ferre nōn audērent, fortiter repugnante P. Cornēliō, ēvocātō Scīpiōnis, quī ibi praeerat, atque ā multitūdine circumventō interfectōque oppidō potītur atque ibi frūmentō exercituī datō posterō diē ad oppidum Thysdram pervenit;
When Caesar came to the town of Sarsura, he killed Scipio's garrison while his opponents looked on, since they did not dare to help their men; Publius Cornelius, a recalled veteran of Scipio's who was in command there, fought bravely but was surrounded by the crowd and killed; Caesar took the town, gave the grain there to the army, and on the next day reached the town of Thysdra;
Note. A crowded sentence of ablatives absolute: īnspectantibus adversāriīs, interfectō praesidiō, repugnante P. Cornēliō. ēvocātus: a veteran called back to service after his discharge. cum … nōn audērent: causal cum, 'since they did not dare'.
B. Afr. 76.1in quō Cōnsidius per id tempus fuerat cum grandī praesidiō cohorteque suā gladiātōrum.
in it at that time was Considius with a large garrison and his own cohort of gladiators.
Note. Cōnsidius: C. Considius Longus, the Pompeian who had held Hadrumetum against Caesar earlier in the war. cohorte suā gladiātōrum: his private troop of gladiators.
B. Afr. 76.2Caesar oppidī nātūrā perspectā aquae inopiā ab oppugnātiōne eius dēterritus prōtinus profectus circiter mīlia passuum IV ad aquam facit castra atque inde quārta vigiliā ēgressus redit rūrsus ad ea castra, quae ad Aggar habuerat.
Caesar, having looked over the nature of the town and been deterred from besieging it by the lack of water, set off straight away, made camp by water about four miles off, and leaving from there at the fourth watch he returned again to the camp he had had at Aggar.
Note. oppidī nātūrā perspectā: ablative absolute. ab oppugnātiōne … dēterritus: 'deterred from attacking it'. ad aquam: 'by water', i.e. where there was water.
B. Afr. 76.2Idem facit Scīpiō atque in antīqua castra cōpiās redūcit.
Scipio did the same and led his forces back into his old camp.
Note. Idem facit Scīpiō: Scipio too returns to his former camp.
Vocabulary
| postquam, conj. | later than, after, when |
| ad, prep. with acc. | to, toward; at, near; for |
| oppidum, -ī, n. | town |
| veniō, venīre, vēnī, ventus | come |
| īnspectō, -āre | look on, watch |
| adversārius, -ī m. | opponent, enemy |
| interficiō, -ficere, -fēcī, -fectus | put out of the way, kill |
| praesidium, -ī, n. | protection; guard, escort |
| cum, conj. | when, while, after; since; although |
| suus, -a, -um | his, her, its, or their own; his, her, its, their |
| auxilium, -ī, n. | help, aid |
| ferō, ferre, tulī, lātus | bear, bring |
| nōn, adv. | not |
| audeō, audēre, ausus sum | dare |
| fortiter, adv. | bravely |
| repugnō, -pugnāre, -pugnāvī, -pugnātus | fight against, struggle, resist |
| ēvocātus, -ī m. | a veteran recalled to service, a re-enlisted veteran |
| quī, quae, quod, rel. pron. | who, which |
| ibi, adv. | in that place, there |
| praesum, -esse, -fuī | be before, preside over, have charge of, command |
| atque, ac (conj.) | and; after comparisons: as, than (ac only before consonants) |
| ā, ab (prep. + abl.) | away from, from; by (ā only before consonants) |
| multitūdō, -tūdinis, f. | multitude |
| circumveniō, -īre, -vēnī, -ventum | surround |
| que, enclitic conj. | and |
| potior, -īrī, -ītus | become master of, get possession of |
| frūmentum, -ī, n. | grain |
| exercitus, -ūs, m. | army |
| dō, dare, dedī, datus | give |
| posterus, -a, -um | following, next |
| diēs, -ēī, m. and f. | day |
| perveniō, -venīre, -vēnī, -ventus | come through, come, arrive, reach |
| in, prep. with acc. and abl. | with acc.: into, onto, against; with abl.: in, on |
| per, prep, with ace. | through, by means of |
| is, ea, id, dem. pron. | this, that; he, she, it, they |
| tempus, temporis, n. | time, season |
| sum, esse, fuī, futūrus | be |
| cum, prep, with abl. | with |
| grandis, -e | large, big |
| cohors, cohortis f. | cohort (a tenth of a legion); company |
| gladiātor, -ōris m. | gladiator; as an insult: cutthroat, ruffian |
| nātūra, -ae, f. | nature, character |
| perspiciō, -ere, -spexī, -spectum | see clearly, observe |
| aqua, -ae, f. | water |
| inopia, -ae f. | lack, want, scarcity |
| oppugnātiō, -ōnis f. | siege, assault on a town |
| dēterreō, -terrēre, -terruī, -territus | frighten off, deter |
| prōtinus (adv.) | straight on; at once |
| proficīscor, -ficīscī, -fectus sum | set out, depart, march |
| circiter, prep. with acc. and adv. | about |
| mīlle, indecl. adj. | a thousand; mīlia, -ium, n. plur., thousands; |
| passus, -ūs, m. | pace (mīlia passuum: miles) |
| Roman numeral | a number written with letters: I 1, V 5, X 10, L 50, C 100, D 500, M 1000 |
| faciō, facere, fēcī, factus | make, do; iter facere, see iter |
| castra, -ōrum, n. plur. | camp |
| inde (adv.) | from there; then |
| quartus, -a, -um | fourth |
| vigilia, -ae, f. | watch |
| ēgredior, -gredī, -gressus | go out or forth, go ashore, disembark |
| redeō, -īre, -iī, -itus | go back, return |
| rūrsus, adv. | again |
| habeō, -ēre, -uī, -itus | have, hold; consider |
| īdem, eadem, idem, dem. pron. | the same; sometimes to be translated likewise, also |
| antīquus, -a, -um | ancient |
| cōpia, -ae, f. | supply, abundance; plur., forces, troops |
| redūcō, -dūcere, -dūxī, -ductus | lead or bring back; restore |