Chapter 13
There is disagreement about when Hannibal died · Life of Hannibal · A-level Latin · OCR H443/03
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SubjectObjectVerbAblativeConjunctionAdverb
Latin
English
sic vir fortissimus, multis variisque perfunctus laboribus, anno acquievit septuagesimo.
So this bravest of men, after enduring so many different hardships, found peace at last in his seventieth year.
quibus consulibus interierit, non convenit. namque Atticus M. Claudio Marcello Q. Fabio
Under which consuls he died is a matter of dispute: Atticus, in his own Annals, records his death under
Labeone consulibus mortuum in annali suo scriptum reliquit, at Polybius L. Aemilio Paulo
the consulship of Marcus Claudius Marcellus and Quintus Fabius Labeo; Polybius, under Lucius Aemilius Paulus
Cn. Baebio Tamphilo, Sulpicius autem Blitho P. Cornelio Cethego M. Baebio Tamphilo.
and Gnaeus Baebius Tamphilus; Sulpicius Blitho, under Publius Cornelius Cethegus and Marcus Baebius Tamphilus.
Style notes this section · 8Word order · 1Repetition and structure · 4Word choice · 3
vir fortissimusSuperlative
the bravest of men
The final verdict on Hannibal is the highest praise, given by a Roman writer to Rome's greatest enemy.
multis variisque … laboribusPairing
many and varied hardships
The two adjectives sum up the long and eventful life told in the previous chapters.
anno acquievit septuagesimoHyperbaton
he found rest in his seventieth year
anno is separated from septuagesimo by the verb, so his great age is the last word of the sentence.
acquievitEuphemism
he found rest
Nepos calls the death a rest after hardship, a gentle word for a death by poison, which gives the Life a peaceful close.
non convenitChange of tone
it is not agreed
The story ends and the scholar takes over: Nepos turns from praise to a plain discussion of his sources.
Atticus … Polybius … Sulpicius autem BlithoTricolon
Atticus … Polybius … Sulpicius Blitho
Three authorities with three different dates are listed in turn, which shows Nepos' care with sources and leaves the question open.
Atticus … in annali suoCharacterisation
Atticus … in his Annals
Nepos cites his friend Atticus first and names his work, a mark of both friendship and respect for Atticus as a chronographer.
at Polybius … Sulpicius autemContrast
but Polybius … whereas Sulpicius
at and autem mark each new disagreement, so the sources are set against one another.
Notes on the text 5
anno … septuagesimoHis age
in his seventieth year
Nepos' figure is too high. Hannibal was born in 247 BC, so he died in his mid-sixties.
quibus consulibusDating by consuls
under which consuls
M. Claudius Marcellus and Q. Fabius Labeo were consuls in 183 BC, L. Aemilius Paulus and Cn. Baebius Tamphilus in 182, and P. Cornelius Cethegus and M. Baebius Tamphilus in 181.
AtticusAtticus
Atticus
Titus Pomponius Atticus (110 to 32 BC), Nepos' close friend and Cicero's correspondent, whose Liber Annalis was a compact chronology of Roman history. Nepos also wrote a Life of Atticus.
PolybiusPolybius
Polybius
The Greek historian (about 200 to 118 BC), brought to Rome as a hostage after 167 BC, who wrote a history of Rome's rise to power including the Hannibalic War.
Sulpicius autem BlithoSulpicius Blitho
Sulpicius Blitho
A Roman writer known only from this passage; nothing of his work survives.
Questions to think about · 3
- Why do you think Nepos ends the Life with a disagreement about dates rather than with Hannibal's death?
- Looking back over the whole Life, how far does Nepos keep the promise of chapter 1 to show Hannibal as the greatest of generals?
- Is Nepos' Hannibal a hero, a villain or a tragic figure? Refer to at least three episodes in your answer.
Dating events in the ancient world background
The Romans had no single numbered calendar of years. They identified a year by the names of the two consuls who held office in it, so that to say when something happened a writer named the consuls of that year. Lists of consuls (the fasti) were kept, and historians and chronographers worked from them.
Writers did not always agree, because their sources differed and because it was easy to attach an event to the wrong pair of names. Here Nepos sets three authorities side by side, giving dates of 183, 182 and 181 BC, and does not choose between them. This kind of care over sources is typical of him: he was himself a chronographer, and his friend Atticus had written a compact chronology of Roman history, the Liber Annalis.
Vocabulary in this section · 43 wordsVocabulary tester
sic (adv.) thus, so
vir, viri (m.) man
fortis, -e brave, strong
multus, -a, -um much; (pl.) many
varius, -a, -um + -que (conj.) various, different; and
perfungor, perfungi, perfunctus sum go through, endure (+ abl.)
labor, -oris (m.) toil, hardship
annus, -i (m.) year
acquiesco, acquiescere, acquievi, acquietum rest, find peace; die
septuagesimus, -a, -um seventieth
qui, quae, quod which (interrogative adjective)
consul, -ulis (m.) consul
intereo, interire, interii, interitum die, perish
non (adv.) not
convenio, convenire, conveni, conventum come together; (impers.) it is agreed
namque (conj.) for
Atticus, -i (m.) Atticus, Nepos's friend and author of a chronicle
Marcus, -i (m.) Marcus (first name, abbreviated M.)
Claudius, -i (m.) Claudius (family name)
Marcellus, -i (m.) Marcellus, consul in 183 BC
Quintus, -i (m.) Quintus (first name, abbreviated Q.)
Fabius, -i (m.) Fabius (family name)
Labeo, -onis (m.) Labeo, consul in 183 BC
morior, mori, mortuus sum die
in (prep. + abl.) in, on, among
annalis, -is (m.) chronicle, book of annals
suus, -a, -um his, her, its, their (own)
scribo, scribere, scripsi, scriptum write
relinquo, relinquere, reliqui, relictum leave (behind)
at (conj.) but
Polybius, -i (m.) Polybius, Greek historian
Lucius, -i (m.) Lucius (first name, abbreviated L.)
Aemilius, -i (m.) Aemilius (family name)
Paulus, -i (m.) Paulus, consul in 182 BC
Gnaeus, -i (m.) Gnaeus (first name, abbreviated Cn.)
Baebius, -i (m.) Baebius (family name)
Tamphilus, -i (m.) Tamphilus, consul in 182 BC
Sulpicius, -i (m.) Sulpicius (Blitho), a Roman historian
autem (conj.) however, but
Blitho, -onis (m.) Blitho, surname of Sulpicius
Publius, -i (m.) Publius (first name, abbreviated P.)
Cornelius, -i (m.) Cornelius (family name)
Cethegus, -i (m.) Cethegus, consul in 181 BC