Lectitō › Julius Caesar › Gallic War, Book 7
De Bello Gallico 7.69
Alesia and the Roman siege works
Caesar, De Bello Gallico VII. Latin text with a sentence-by-sentence English translation, notes and vocabulary.
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Read in Lectitō7.69.1Ipsum erat oppidum Alesia in colle summō admodum ēditō locō, ut nisi obsidiōne expugnārī nōn posse vidērētur.
The town of Alesia itself lay on the top of a hill, in a very high position, so that it seemed it could not be taken except by a blockade.
Note. nisi obsidiōne: 'except by blockade'.
7.69.2Cuius collis rādīcēs duo duābus ex partibus flūmina subluēbant.
The foot of this hill was washed on two sides by two rivers.
7.69.3Ante id oppidum plānitiēs circiter mīlia passuum tria in longitūdinem patēbat: reliquīs ex omnibus partibus collēs mediocrī interiectō spatiō parī altitūdinis fastīgiō oppidum cingēbant.
In front of the town a plain stretched for about three miles in length; on all the other sides hills, separated by a moderate space and of equal height, encircled the town.
7.69.5Sub mūrō, quae pars collis ad orientem sōlem spectābat, hunc omnem locum cōpiae Gallōrum complēverant fossamque et māceriam sex in altitūdinem pedum praedūxerant.
Under the wall, on the part of the hill that faced the rising sun, the Gallic forces had filled this whole area and had built in front a ditch and a rough stone wall six feet high.
7.69.6Eius mūnītiōnis quae ab Rōmānīs īnstituēbātur circuitus XI mīlia passuum tenēbat.
The circuit of the siege works which the Romans were beginning ran to eleven miles.
7.69.7Castra opportūnīs locīs erant posita ibique castella vīgintī tria facta, quibus in castellīs interdiū statiōnēs pōnēbantur, nē qua subitō ēruptiō fieret: haec eadem noctū excubitōribus ac firmīs praesidiīs tenēbantur.
The camps were placed in suitable positions, and twenty-three redoubts were built there; in these redoubts pickets were posted by day so that no sudden sally could be made; at night the same were held by sentries and strong garrisons.
Note. nē qua … ēruptiō fieret: qua is the indefinite after nē, 'so that no sally might be made'.
Vocabulary
| ipse, ipsa, ipsum, intensive pron. | self, himself, herself, itself, themselves; often to be rendered by very |
| sum, esse, fuī, futūrus | be |
| oppidum, -ī, n. | town |
| in, prep. with acc. and abl. | with acc.: into, onto, against; with abl.: in, on |
| collis, -is m. | hill |
| summus, -a, -um | uppermost, highest, greatest |
| admodum (adv.) | very, quite |
| ēditus, -a, -um | raised, high |
| locus, -ī, m., plur. loca, -orum, n. | place, situation |
| ut, conj. | as; when; that; ita ut, as |
| nisi, conj. | if not, unless |
| obsidiō, -ōnis f. | siege, blockade; oppression |
| expugnō, -āre, -āvī, -ātum | take by storm, capture |
| nōn, adv. | not |
| possum, posse, potuī | be able, have power, can |
| videō, vidēre, vīdī, vīsus | see; pass., seem |
| quī, quae, quod, rel. pron. | who, which |
| rādīx, -īcis f. | root; (of a hill) foot |
| duo, -ae, -o, plur. adj. | two |
| ex, ē (prep. + abl.) | out of, from; of (ē only before consonants) |
| pars, partis, f. | part, side, direction |
| flūmen, -minis, n. | river |
| subluō, -luere, -luī, -lūtus | wash below; (of rivers) flow at the foot of |
| ante, prep, with acc. and adv. | before |
| is, ea, id, dem. pron. | this, that; he, she, it, they |
| plānitiēs, -ēī f. | plain, level ground |
| circiter, prep. with acc. and adv. | about |
| mīlle, indecl. adj. | a thousand; mīlia, -ium, n. plur., thousands; |
| passus, -ūs, m. | pace (mīlia passuum: miles) |
| trēs, tria, plur. adj. | three |
| longitūdō, -inis f. | length |
| pateō, -ēre, -uī | lie open; extend, stretch |
| reliquus, -a, -um | left, the remaining, the other, the rest of |
| omnis, -e | all, every |
| mediocris, -e | moderate, ordinary |
| intericiō, -ere, -iēcī, -iectum | put between, interweave |
| spatium, -ī, n. | space, interval; space of time, time |
| pār, paris | equal |
| altitūdō, -inis f. | height; depth |
| fastīgium, -ī n. | top, summit; slope; height |
| cingō, cingere, cinxī, cinctus | surround, gird |
| sub, prep. with acc. and abl. | under; sub vesperum, towards evening |
| mūrus, -ī, m. | wall |
| ad, prep. with acc. | to, toward; at, near; for |
| orior, -īrī, -tus | arise, come forth, spring up; ortā lūce, at dawn |
| sōl, sōlis, m. | sun |
| spectō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | look at or on |
| hic, haec, hoc, dem. pron. | this; ille ... hīc, that ... this, the former ... the latter |
| cōpia, -ae, f. | supply, abundance; plur., forces, troops |
| compleō, -plēre, -plēvī, -plētus | fill full, fill up |
| fossa, -ae, f. | ditch, trench |
| que, enclitic conj. | and |
| et, conj. | and; et ... et, both ... and |
| māceria, -ae f. | wall (of stones or rough masonry) |
| sex (indecl.) | six |
| pēs, pedis, m. | foot |
| praedūcō, -dūcere, -dūxī, -ductus | draw or extend in front |
| mūnītiō, -ōnis f. | fortification, defence works |
| ā, ab (prep. + abl.) | away from, from; by (ā only before consonants) |
| Rōmānus, -a, -um | Roman |
| īnstituō, -stituere, -stituī, -stitūtus | decide upon, determine |
| circuitus, -ūs m. | way around, circuit |
| Roman numeral | a number written with letters: I 1, V 5, X 10, L 50, C 100, D 500, M 1000 |
| teneō, -ēre, -uī, -tus | hold, keep; hold back, restrain, stop |
| castra, -ōrum, n. plur. | camp |
| opportūnus, -a, -um | suitable, seasonable, convenient, opportune |
| pōnō, pōnere, posuī, positus | place, put; pōnī with in and abl., to be placed in, rest or depend on |
| ibi, adv. | in that place, there |
| castellum, -ī n. | fort, redoubt |
| vīgintī, indecl. adj. | twenty |
| faciō, facere, fēcī, factus | make, do; iter facere, see iter |
| interdiū (adv.) | by day |
| statiō, -ōnis f. | outpost, picket |
| nē, adv. | not; nē ... quidem, not ... even; conj., that not, lest |
| quis, qua, quid, indef. pron. | any one, anybody, anything, some one, somebody, something |
| subitō, adv. | unexpectedly, suddenly |
| ēruptiō, -ōnis f. | sally, sortie |
| fīō, fierī, factus sum | be done or made, become, happen |
| īdem, eadem, idem, dem. pron. | the same; sometimes to be translated likewise, also |
| noctū, adv. | at or by night |
| excubitor, -ōris m. | sentry, watchman |
| atque, ac (conj.) | and; after comparisons: as, than (ac only before consonants) |
| firmus, -a, -um | strong, steadfast |
| praesidium, -ī, n. | protection; guard, escort |