Lectitō › Julius Caesar › The Alexandrian War (Bellum Alexandrinum)
Bellum Alexandrinum 73
Caesar seizes the near ridge
Hirtius, Bellum Alexandrinum. Latin text with a sentence-by-sentence English translation, notes and vocabulary.
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Read in LectitōB. Alex. 73.1Caesar cum ab hoste mīlia passuum V castra posuisset vidēretque eās vallēs, quibus rēgia castra mūnīrentur, eōdem intervallō sua castra mūnītūrās, sī modo ea loca hostēs priōrēs nōn cēpissent, quae multō erant propiōra rēgis castrīs, aggerem comportārī iubet intrā mūnītiōnēs.
Caesar pitched his camp five miles from the enemy, and when he saw that the valleys which protected the king's camp would protect his own camp at the same distance, provided that the enemy did not seize first the places which were much nearer the king's camp, he ordered earth and timber for a rampart to be carried within his lines.
Note. mīlia passuum V: accusative of extent, 'five miles'. eās vallēs … mūnītūrās: future participle in indirect statement, 'would protect'. aggerem: material for building a rampart.
B. Alex. 73.2Quō celeriter conlātō proximā nocte vigiliā quārta legiōnibus omnibus expedītīs impedīmentīsque in castrīs relictīs prīmā lūce neque opīnantibus hostibus eum ipsum locum cēpit, in quō Mithridātēs secundum proelium adversus Triārium fēcerat.
When this had been quickly collected, the next night at the fourth watch, he left all the legions without their baggage, leaving the baggage in camp, and at first light, when the enemy were not expecting it, he took the very place where Mithridates had fought his successful battle against Triarius.
Note. Quō … conlātō: ablative absolute with a connecting relative. neque opīnantibus hostibus: 'when the enemy were not expecting it'.
B. Alex. 73.3Hōc omnem comportātum aggerem ex castrīs per servitia aggerī iussit, nē quis ab opere mīles discēderet, cum spatiō nōn amplius passuum mīlle intercīsa vallis castra hostium dīvideret ab opere inceptō Caesaris castrōrum.
To this place he ordered all the collected rampart material to be carried from the camp by the slaves, so that no soldier should leave the work, since a valley that cut across, at a distance of no more than a mile, separated the enemy camp from the work Caesar had begun on his camp.
Note. Hoc: an old adverb, 'hither, to this place' (= hūc). aggerī: present passive infinitive of aggerō, aggerere, 'to be carried'. per servitia: 'by means of the slaves'. nē quis: 'so that no one'.
Vocabulary
| cum, conj. | when, while, after; since; although |
| ā, ab (prep. + abl.) | away from, from; by (ā only before consonants) |
| hostis, -is, m. and f. | enemy, foe |
| 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 |
| castra, -ōrum, n. plur. | camp |
| pōnō, pōnere, posuī, positus | place, put; pōnī with in and abl., to be placed in, rest or depend on |
| videō, vidēre, vīdī, vīsus | see; pass., seem |
| que, enclitic conj. | and |
| is, ea, id, dem. pron. | this, that; he, she, it, they |
| vallis, -is, f. | valley |
| quī, quae, quod, rel. pron. | who, which |
| rēgius, -a, -um | royal, kingly |
| mūniō, -īre, -īvī, -ītus | fortify |
| īdem, eadem, idem, dem. pron. | the same; sometimes to be translated likewise, also |
| intervallum, -ī, n. | interval, space, distance |
| suus, -a, -um | his, her, its, or their own; his, her, its, their |
| sī, conj. | if |
| modo, adv. | only |
| locus, -ī, m., plur. loca, -orum, n. | place, situation |
| prior, prius | earlier, former; in front (priōrēs: those in front) |
| nōn, adv. | not |
| capiō, capere, cēpī, captus | take, catch, seize; receive, suffer; adopt |
| multō, adv. | by much or far, much, far |
| sum, esse, fuī, futūrus | be |
| propior, -ius | nearer (+ dat.) |
| rēx, rēgis, m. | king |
| agger, aggeris m. | mound, siege ramp |
| comportō, -portāre, -portāvī, -portātus | carry or bring together, collect |
| iubeō, iubēre, iussī, iussus | bid, order, command |
| intrā, prep. with acc. | within |
| mūnītiō, -ōnis f. | fortification, defence works |
| celeriter, adv. | swiftly, quickly |
| cōnferō, cōnferre, contulī, conlātus | bring together; grant, confer; sē cōnferre, to betake oneself, make one's way |
| proximus, -a, -um | nearest, next |
| nox, noctis, f. | night |
| vigilia, -ae, f. | watch |
| quartus, -a, -um | fourth |
| legiō, -ōnis f. | legion |
| omnis, -e | all, every |
| expedītus, -a, -um | unobstructed, easy; lightly equipped |
| impedīmentum, -ī n. | hindrance; (pl.) baggage |
| in, prep. with acc. and abl. | with acc.: into, onto, against; with abl.: in, on |
| relinquō, -linquere, -līquī, -lictus | leave behind, leave |
| prīmus, -a, -um | first, foremost |
| lūx, lūcis, f. | light |
| neque or nec, conj. | and not, nor; neque ... neque, neither ... nor; neque enim, for ... not |
| opīnor, -ārī, -ātus sum | think, suppose; ut opīnor: I imagine |
| ipse, ipsa, ipsum, intensive pron. | self, himself, herself, itself, themselves; often to be rendered by very |
| secundus, -a, -um | following, favorable |
| proelium, -ī, n. | battle, combat; proelium committere, to join battle |
| adversus, -a, -um | facing; unfavourable, unsuccessful |
| faciō, facere, fēcī, factus | make, do; iter facere, see iter |
| hūc, adv. | to this place, hither |
| ex, ē (prep. + abl.) | out of, from; of (ē only before consonants) |
| per, prep, with ace. | through, by means of |
| servitium, -ī n. | slavery; (pl.) slaves |
| aggerō (adgerō), -gerere, -gessī, -gestus | carry to, bring up, pile up (earth) |
| nē, adv. | not; nē ... quidem, not ... even; conj., that not, lest |
| quis, qua, quid, indef. pron. | any one, anybody, anything, some one, somebody, something |
| opus, operis, n. | work, task |
| mīles, mīlitis, m. | soldier |
| discēdō, -cēdere, -cessī, -cessus | go apart, withdraw, depart |
| spatium, -ī, n. | space, interval; space of time, time |
| amplius (adv.) | more, further |
| intercīdō, -ere, -cīdī, -cīsus | cut through, cut apart |
| dīvidō, -videre, -vīsī, -vīsus | divide, separate |
| incipiō, -ere, incēpī, inceptum | begin |