Lectitō › Julius Caesar › Gallic War, Book 2
De Bello Gallico 2.29
The Atuatuci and their stronghold
Caesar, De Bello Gallico II. Latin text with a sentence-by-sentence English translation, notes and vocabulary.
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Read in Lectitō2.29.1Atuatucī, dē quibus suprā dīximus, cum omnibus cōpiīs auxiliō Nerviīs venīrent, hāc pugnā nūntiātā ex itinere domum revertērunt;
The Atuatuci, whom we mentioned above, were coming with all their forces to help the Nervii; hearing of this battle, they turned back home from the march;
2.29.2cūnctīs oppidīs castellīsque dēsertīs sua omnia in ūnum oppidum ēgregiē nātūrā mūnītum contulērunt.
they abandoned all their towns and forts and brought all their possessions together into one town, which was excellently fortified by nature.
2.29.3Quod cum ex omnibus in circuitū partibus altissimās rūpēs dēiectūsque habēret, ūnā ex parte lēniter acclīvis aditus in lātitūdinem nōn amplius pedum CC relinquēbātur;
This town had very high rocks and cliffs on every side all round, but on one side there was left an approach with a gentle slope, no more than two hundred feet wide;
2.29.3quem locum duplicī altissimō mūrō mūnierant;
this place they had fortified with a very high double wall;
2.29.3tum magnī ponderis saxa et praeacūtās trabēs in mūrō conlocābant.
and they were placing stones of great weight and sharpened beams on the wall.
2.29.4Ipsī erant ex Cimbrīs Teutonīsque prognātī, quī, cum iter in prōvinciam nostram atque Ītaliam;
They were themselves descended from the Cimbri and Teutoni, who, when they were making their way into our Province and Italy,
Note. The Perseus text breaks this sentence with a stray semicolon after Italiam; read it straight on into the next sentence: cum iter … facerent, 'when they were marching'.
2.29.4facerent, iīs impedīmentīs quae sēcum agere ac portāre nōn poterant citrā flūmen Rhēnum dēpositīs custōdiae ex suīs ac praesidiō VI mīlia hominum ūnā relīquerant.
had left behind on this side of the Rhine the baggage they could not drive or carry with them, and six thousand of their own men with it as guard and protection.
2.29.5Hī post eōrum obitum multōs annōs ā fīnitimīs exagitātī, cum aliās bellum īnferrent, aliās inlātum dēfenderent, cōnsēnsū eōrum omnium pāce factā hunc sibi domiciliō locum dēlēgerant.
After the death of the others these men were harassed for many years by their neighbours, sometimes making war, sometimes defending themselves from war made on them; then peace was made with the agreement of all of them, and they had chosen this place as their home.
Note. aliās … aliās: 'at one time … at another'. inlātum (bellum): 'war made on them'.
Vocabulary
| dē, prep, with abl. | down from, from, out of; about, concerning, of |
| quī, quae, quod, rel. pron. | who, which |
| suprā, adv. and prep. with acc. | above, before |
| dīcō, dīcere, dīxī, dictus | say, speak; diem dīcere, to appoint or set a day |
| cum, conj. | when, while, after; since; although |
| omnis, -e | all, every |
| cōpia, -ae, f. | supply, abundance; plur., forces, troops |
| auxilium, -ī, n. | help, aid |
| veniō, venīre, vēnī, ventus | come |
| hic, haec, hoc, dem. pron. | this; ille ... hīc, that ... this, the former ... the latter |
| pugna, -ae, f. | fighting, battle, combat |
| nūntiō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | report, announce |
| ex, ē (prep. + abl.) | out of, from; of (ē only before consonants) |
| iter, itineris, n. | a going, journey, march; iter facere, to journey, march |
| domus, -ūs, f. | house, home |
| revertor, -vertī, -versus, perf. act. -vertī | turn back, return |
| cūnctus, -a, -um | all, the whole |
| oppidum, -ī, n. | town |
| castellum, -ī n. | fort, redoubt |
| que, enclitic conj. | and |
| dēserō, -serere, -seruī, -sertus | desert |
| suus, -a, -um | his, her, its, or their own; his, her, its, their |
| in, prep. with acc. and abl. | with acc.: into, onto, against; with abl.: in, on |
| ūnus, -a, -um | one; only, alone |
| ēgregiē, adv. | excellently, splendidly, admirably |
| nātūra, -ae, f. | nature, character |
| mūniō, -īre, -īvī, -ītus | fortify |
| cōnferō, cōnferre, contulī, conlātus | bring together; grant, confer; sē cōnferre, to betake oneself, make one's way |
| circuitus, -ūs m. | way around, circuit |
| pars, partis, f. | part, side, direction |
| altus, -a, -um | high, deep; altum, -ī, n., the deep |
| rūpēs, -is, f. | rock, cliff; reef |
| dēiectus, -ūs m. | slope, descent |
| habeō, -ēre, -uī, -itus | have, hold; consider |
| lēniter (adv.) | gently |
| acclīvis, -e | sloping upward |
| aditus, -ūs, m. | approach, entrance |
| lātitūdō, -inis f. | width, breadth |
| nōn, adv. | not |
| amplius (adv.) | more, further |
| pēs, pedis, m. | foot |
| Roman numeral | a number written with letters: I 1, V 5, X 10, L 50, C 100, D 500, M 1000 |
| relinquō, -linquere, -līquī, -lictus | leave behind, leave |
| locus, -ī, m., plur. loca, -orum, n. | place, situation |
| duplex, -icis | double |
| mūrus, -ī, m. | wall |
| tum, adv. | then, at that time |
| magnus, -a, -um | large, big, great, mighty; loud |
| pondus, ponderis, n. | weight |
| saxum, -ī, n. | rock, stone |
| et, conj. | and; et ... et, both ... and |
| praeacūtus, -a, -um | sharp at the end, pointed, sharp |
| trabs, trabis f. | beam |
| collocō (conlocō), -āre, -āvī, -ātum | place, station; give in marriage |
| ipse, ipsa, ipsum, intensive pron. | self, himself, herself, itself, themselves; often to be rendered by very |
| sum, esse, fuī, futūrus | be |
| prognātus, -a, -um | descended (from) |
| prōvincia, -ae f. | province; here, the Roman Province in southern Gaul |
| noster, -tra, -trum | our |
| atque, ac (conj.) | and; after comparisons: as, than (ac only before consonants) |
| faciō, facere, fēcī, factus | make, do; iter facere, see iter |
| is, ea, id, dem. pron. | this, that; he, she, it, they |
| impedīmentum, -ī n. | hindrance; (pl.) baggage |
| suī, sibi, sē or sēsē, reflexive pron. | himself, herself, itself, themselves |
| agō, agere, ēgī, āctus | drive; do; pass, lead; grātiās agere, see grātia |
| portō, -āre, -āvī, -ātum | carry |
| possum, posse, potuī | be able, have power, can |
| citrā (prep. + acc.) | on this side of |
| flūmen, -minis, n. | river |
| dēpōnō, -pōnere, -posuī, -positus | put down, deposit; lay aside, give up; ē memoriā dēpōnere, to forget |
| custōdia, -ae f. | guard, protection |
| praesidium, -ī, n. | protection; guard, escort |
| mīlle, indecl. adj. | a thousand; mīlia, -ium, n. plur., thousands; |
| homō, hominis, m. | man |
| ūnā | together, along |
| post, adv. | after, later; prep. with acc., after, behind |
| obitus, -ūs m. | death |
| multus, -a, -um | much, great; plur., many |
| annus, -ī, m. | year |
| ā, ab (prep. + abl.) | away from, from; by (ā only before consonants) |
| fīnitimus, -a, -um | neighboring, adjoining |
| exagitō, -āre, -āvī, -ātum | harass, drive about |
| aliās (adv.) | at another time (aliās … aliās: sometimes … sometimes) |
| bellum, -ī, n. | war |
| īnferō, īnferre, intulī, inlātus | bring in or against, wage against; inflict |
| dēfendō, -fendere, -fendī, -fēnsus | ward off; defend |
| cōnsēnsus, -ūs, m. | agreement, consent |
| pāx, pācis f. | peace |
| domicilium, -ī n. | home, dwelling place |
| dēligō, -ligere, -lēgī, -lēctus | choose out, choose, select |