Trogus, Historiae Philippicae 18.6–7.1
Hiarbas, a local kind, threatens war against the Carthaginians unless Elissa marries him. The leaders of Carthage maneuver Elissa into agreeing.
| 1 | Cum successū rērum flōrentēs Karthāginis opēs essent, rēx Maxītānōrum Hiarbās, decem Poenōrum prīncipibus ad sē arcessītīs, Elissae nūptiās sub bellī dēnūntiātiōne petit. |
| 2 | Quod lēgātī rēgīnae referre metuentēs Pūnicō cum eā ingeniō ēgerunt, nūntiantēs rēgem aliquem poscere, quī cultiōrēs vīctūs eum Āfrōsque perdoceat; |
| 3 | sed quem invenīrī posse, quī ad barbarōs et ferārum mōre vīventēs trānsīre ā cōnsanguineīs velit ? |
| 4 | Tunc ā rēgīnā castīgātī, sī prō salūte patriae asperiōrem vītam recūsārent, cui etiam ipsa vīta, sī rēs exigat, dēbeātur, rēgis mandāta aperuēre, dīcentēs quae praecipiat aliīs, ipsī facienda esse, sī velit urbī cōnsultum esse. |
| 1 | Cum successu rerum florentes Karthaginis opes essent: circumstantial cum-clause.
rēx Maxītānōrum Hiarbās: Iarbas in Vergil. decem Poenorum principibus ad se arcessitis: what kind of construction is this (Hint: what case are principibus and arcessītīs?), despite the reference to a figure in the main clause (sē = Hiarbās). sub bellī dēnūntiātiōne: “under the threat of war” (if his demand was refused). |
| 2 | Quod: connective relative, referring back to the Hiarbas’ demand.
rēgīnae: dative, cued by referre. cum eā… ēgerunt: “they acted with her (eā = Elissā). Pūnicō… ingeniō: the Carthaginians were often stereotyped as crafty or clever (and so untrustworthy) in Roman sources, although here the sense is more neutral. The legates will try to maneuver Elissa into accepting Hiarbas’ terms. rēgem: i.e., Hiarbas. vīctūs: ‘living, livelihood’ → “mode of living/life”; note the long initial vowel in vīctūs, which reveals the noun is connected with vīvō (not vincō). quī…perdoceat: relative clause of characteristic or purpose. |
| 3 | posse: continues the indirect statement introduced by nūntiantēs.
quī… velit: relative clause of characteristic. trānsīre ā cōnsanguineīs: i.e., to leave their own relatives to go live with barbarians. |
| 4 | castīgātī [legātī]
sī… asperiōrem vītam recūsārent: protasis of a mixed present contrary to fact conditional. cui: i.e., the person refusing to endure suffering on behalf of their country’s health and welfare. sī rēs exigat: “if the circumstances required” aperuēre = aperuērunt [legātī]. ipsī: dative of agent with the future passive periphrastic (facienda esse). cōnsultum esse: ??? |
Tricked into agreeing to the marriage, Elissa spends three months readying herself and building a pyre on the outskirts of the city. After making sacrifice to Sychaeus, she commits suicide.
| 5 | Hōc dolō capta, diū Ācherbae vīrī nōmine cum multīs lacrimīs et lāmentātiōne flēbilī iuvocātō, ad postrēmum itūram sē quō sua et urbis fāta vocārent, respondit. |
| 6 | In hōc trium mēnsium sūmptō spatiō, pyrā in ultimā parte urbis exstrūctā, velut plācātūra virī manēs īnferiāsque ante nūptiās missūra multās hostiās caedit et sūmptō gladiō pyram cōnscendit |
| 7 | atque ita ad populum respiciēns itūram sē ad virum, sīcut praecēperint, dīxit vītamque gladiō fīnīvit. |
| 5 | capta [Elissa]
diū Ācherbae vīrī nōmine… iuvocātō: ablative absolute itūram[esse] sē: future active infinitive in indirect statement introduced by respondit. quō: “to where”. |
| 6 | trium mensium: genitive, it’s the genitive of description, limiting spatiō, in an ablative absolute (sūmptō).
pyrā…exstrūctā: ablative absolute. plācātūra [Elissa]. virī: i.e. Elissa’s former husband, Sychaeus. ante nūptiās: to Hiarbas. sūmptō gladiō: ablative absolute. |
| 7 | ad virum: the Carthaginians who recommended the new marriage think she means Hiarbas, but her suicide reveals that she meant Sychaeus. |
Although Carthage was successful in war after Elissa’s death, internal divisions bedeviled them. A plague leads them to regularize human sacrifice, an abomination that causes their defeat in the First Punic War.
| 8 | Quamdiū Karthāgō invicta fuit, prō deā culta est. |
| 9 | Condita est haec urbs LXXĪĪ annīs ante quam Rōma. |
| 10 | Cūius virtus sīcut bellō clāra fuit, ita domī status variīs discordiārum cāsibus agitātus est. |
| 11 | Cum inter cētera māla etiam peste labōrārent, cruentā sacrōrum religiōne et scelere prō remediō ūsī sunt ; |
| 12 | quippe hominēs ut victimās immolābant et inpuberēs, quae aetās etiam hostium misericordiam prōvocat, ārīs admovēbant, pācem deōrum sanguine eōrum exposcentēs, prō quōrum vītā deī rogārī maximē solent. |
| 7.1 | Itaque adversīs tantō scelere nūminibus, cum in Siciliā diū īnfēlīciter dīmicāssent, trānslātō in Sardiniam bellō āmissā māiōre exercitūs parte gravī proeliō vīctī sunt. |
| 8 | [Elissa] culta est: she was worshipped as a goddess. |
| 9 | Condita est haec urbs: while Trogus has the city founded in 825 BCE, many other dates were proposed in antiquity, from 30 years or 50 before the Trojan War (according to Philistas and Appian, respectively, who also deny the Dido was the founder), or 56 years before Rome (Paterculus) or 93 years before Rome (Livy). |
| 10 | Cūius: connective relative (urbis).
bellō: ablative of respect or specification. domī: locative, “at home” or “domestically” (vs. bellō). Carthage’s ability to prosecute the First and Second Punic Wars against Rome were undercut by civic disagreements at key points. |
| 11 | cruentā sacrōrum religiōne et scelere: ablatives with ūsī sunt. |
| 12 | ut victimās: “as victims”.
quōrum: eōrum is the antecedent (i.e., the inpuberēs). |
| 7.1 | cum in Siciliā diū īnfēlīciter dīmicāssent, trānslātō in Sardiniam bellō āmissā māiōre exercitūs parte gravī proeliō vīctī sunt.
adversīs tantō scelere nūminibus: ablative absolute; tantō scelere: ablative of cause. The final sentence quickly summarizes the First Punic War (264–241 BCE). gravī proeliō: either the Battle of Cape Ecnomus (256 BCE), one of the largest naval battles in history that broke Carthage’s ability to take the offensive against Rome, or the Battle of the Aegates Islands (241 BCE), which forced Carthage to capitulate. |
