Chapter 11.4–7
Hannibal's plan works · Life of Hannibal · A-level Latin · OCR H443/03
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SubjectObjectVerbGenitiveDativeAblativeConjunctionAdverb
Latin
English
horum in concursu Bithynii Hannibalis praecepto universi navem Eumenis adoriuntur.
As the two sides clashed, the Bithynians, on Hannibal's orders, all together attacked Eumenes's ship.
quorum vim rex cum sustinere non posset, fuga salutem petiit; quam consecutus non esset,
Unable to withstand their assault, the king sought safety in flight, and would not have escaped
nisi intra sua praesidia se recepisset, quae in proximo litore erant collocata.
had he not taken shelter within his own defences, positioned on the nearby shore.
reliquae Pergamenae naves cum adversarios premerent acrius, repente in eas vasa fictilia, de
As the other Pergamene ships were pressing their opponents harder, the earthenware pots I mentioned
quibus supra mentionem fecimus, conici coepta sunt. quae iacta initio risum pugnantibus
earlier suddenly started being hurled onto their ships. At first these missiles only drew laughter from the fighting men,
concitarunt, neque, quare id fieret, poterat intellegi.
who could not work out why this was being done.
postquam autem naves suas oppletas conspexerunt serpentibus, nova re perterriti, cum,
But once they saw their ships filling with snakes, they were thrown into total panic at this new form of attack, and,
quid potissimum vitarent, non viderent, puppes verterunt seque ad sua castra nautica
unable to tell which danger to avoid, they turned their ships around and fled back
rettulerunt.
to their own naval camp.
sic Hannibal consilio arma Pergamenorum superavit neque tum solum, sed saepe alias
In this way Hannibal defeated the Pergamene fleet through strategy — and not only on this occasion, but often on other occasions too,
pedestribus copiis pari prudentia pepulit adversarios.
he drove back his enemies on land with the same cunning.
Style notes this section · 17Word order · 3Repetition and structure · 4Word choice · 7Imagery and tone · 1Grammar · 2
Hannibalis praeceptoCharacterisation
on Hannibal's instructions
Even in the heat of battle the Bithynians act on Hannibal's orders, which keeps him at the centre of the victory.
universiEmphasis
all together
Every Bithynian ship attacks the king's, exactly as Hannibal ordered: the plan works to the letter.
navem Eumenis adoriunturEmphatic position
they attack Eumenes' ship
The target and the attack end the sentence, and the historic present adoriuntur makes the onslaught vivid.
vim … fuga salutem petiitContrast
the attack … sought safety in flight
Unable to withstand the force, the king looks for safety in flight: Rome's proud ally is reduced to running away.
quam consecutus non esset, nisi … se recepissetConditional
he would not have reached it, had he not retreated
The past unreal condition shows how narrow his escape was: only his defences on the shore saved him.
premerent acriusVivid detail
were pressing harder
The rest of the Pergamene fleet is winning, which makes the sudden reversal more striking.
repenteEmphatic position
suddenly
repente comes before the pots are named, so the reader feels the surprise before seeing the weapon.
de quibus supra mentionem fecimusNarrator's aside
which I mentioned above
Nepos reminds the reader of the pots from chapter 10. The reader, unlike the Pergamenes, knows what is inside them.
initioEmphasis
at first
"At first" signals that the mood is about to change.
risum pugnantibus concitaruntDramatic irony
they made the fighting men laugh
The Pergamenes laugh at clay pots as weapons, but the reader knows what they hold, so the laughter is short-lived.
naves suas oppletas conspexerunt serpentibusHyperbaton
they saw their ships filled with snakes
serpentibus is separated from oppletas and held back to the end of the clause, so the snakes arrive as a shock.
nova re perterritiEmphasis
utterly terrified by something new
The prefix per- and the word nova ("unheard of") explain the panic: nothing had prepared them for this.
quid potissimum vitarent, non viderentIndirect question
they could not see what they should most avoid
Snakes on board and enemies all round: the sailors cannot decide which danger is worse, which shows total confusion.
puppes verteruntVivid detail
they turned their sterns
Turning the sterns is a vivid way of saying they fled, the opposite of facing the enemy.
consilio armaAntithesis
by planning … arms
Strategy defeats weapons: two words set side by side sum up the episode.
neque tum solum, sed saepe aliasContrast
not only then but often on other occasions
The general statement widens the episode into proof of Hannibal's genius on land as well as at sea.
pari prudentiaCharacterisation
with equal skill
prudentia recalls chapter 1, where Hannibal surpasses all other generals in prudentia: the episode confirms Nepos' first judgement.
Notes on the text 2
BithyniiBithynians
the Bithynians
The subjects of Prusias, from Bithynia in north-west Asia Minor, between the Sea of Marmara and the Black Sea.
PergamenaePergamum
Pergamene
From Pergamum, Eumenes' capital in north-west Asia Minor, one of the richest Hellenistic kingdoms and Rome's chief ally in the region.
Questions to think about · 3
- Nepos ends the episode by generalising about Hannibal's skill. How does this chapter support the claims made about Hannibal in chapter 1?
- How does Nepos turn a battle narrative into something close to comedy, and why might he do so?
- Is the victory at sea a victory of courage or of cunning? Does Nepos seem to see any difference?
Vocabulary in this section · 88 wordsVocabulary tester
hic, haec, hoc this; he, she, it
in (prep. + acc.) into, onto, against; (+ abl.) in, on
concursus, -us (m.) clash, charge, running together
Bithynii, -orum (m. pl.) the Bithynians, people of Bithynia
Hannibal, -alis (m.) Hannibal, Carthaginian general
praeceptum, -i (n.) instruction, order
universus, -a, -um all together, whole
navis, -is (f.) ship
Eumenes, -is (m.) Eumenes, king of Pergamum
adorior, adoriri, adortus sum attack, assail
qui, quae, quod who, which, that
vis, vim, vi (f.) force, violence, assault
rex, regis (m.) king
cum (conj.) when, since, although
sustineo, sustinere, sustinui, sustentum withstand, hold up, endure
non (adv.) not
possum, posse, potui be able, can
fuga, -ae (f.) flight, escape
salus, -utis (f.) safety
peto, petere, petivi, petitum seek, make for; attack
consequor, consequi, consecutus sum achieve, attain, reach
sum, esse, fui be
nisi (conj.) unless, if not
intra (prep. + acc.) within, inside
suus, -a, -um his own, their own
praesidium, -i (n.) defence, protection; garrison, defensive post
se (reflexive pron.) himself, herself, themselves
recipio, recipere, recepi, receptum take back; se recipere withdraw, return
proximus, -a, -um nearest, nearby
litus, litoris (n.) shore, beach
colloco, collocare, collocavi, collocatum place, station, position
reliquus, -a, -um remaining, the rest of
Pergamenus, -a, -um of Pergamum, Pergamene
adversarius, -i (m.) opponent, enemy
premo, premere, pressi, pressum press, press hard, bear down on
acriter (adv.) fiercely, keenly; comparative acrius
repente (adv.) suddenly
is, ea, id he, she, it; that
vas, vasis (n.) vessel, pot, jar
fictilis, -e made of clay, earthenware
de (prep. + abl.) about, concerning; from
supra (adv.) above, earlier
mentio, -onis (f.) mention; mentionem facere mention
facio, facere, feci, factum make, do
conicio, conicere, conieci, coniectum throw, hurl
coepi, coepisse, coeptum began, started
iacio, iacere, ieci, iactum throw
initium, -i (n.) beginning; initio at first
risus, -us (m.) laughter
pugno, pugnare, pugnavi, pugnatum fight
concito, concitare, concitavi, concitatum stir up, provoke, arouse
neque (conj.) and not, nor
quare (adv.) why
fio, fieri, factus sum happen, be done, become
intellego, intellegere, intellexi, intellectum understand, realise
postquam (conj.) after, once
autem (conj.) but, however, moreover
oppleo, opplere, opplevi, oppletum fill, fill up
conspicio, conspicere, conspexi, conspectum catch sight of, see
serpens, -entis (f.) snake, serpent
novus, -a, -um new, strange
res, rei (f.) thing, matter, event
perterreo, perterrere, perterrui, perterritum terrify thoroughly
quis, quid (interrog. pron.) who? what?
potissimum (adv.) above all, in preference
vito, vitare, vitavi, vitatum avoid
video, videre, vidi, visum see; understand
puppis, -is (f.) stern (of a ship); ship
verto, vertere, verti, versum turn
ad (prep. + acc.) to, towards
castra, -orum (n. pl.) camp
nauticus, -a, -um naval, of ships
refero, referre, rettuli, relatum bring back; se referre go back, retreat
sic (adv.) thus, in this way
consilium, -i (n.) plan, strategy; judgement
arma, -orum (n. pl.) arms, weapons; armed forces
Pergameni, -orum (m. pl.) the people of Pergamum, Pergamenes
supero, superare, superavi, superatum overcome, defeat
tum (adv.) then, at that time
solum (adv.) only
sed (conj.) but
saepe (adv.) often
alias (adv.) at other times, on other occasions
pedester, -tris, -tre on foot, on land
copia, -ae (f.) supply, abundance; (pl.) forces, troops
par, paris equal, the same
prudentia, -ae (f.) good sense, foresight, cunning
pello, pellere, pepuli, pulsum drive, drive back, defeat