Σημαία
maniple
Translated by David Whitehead1 Nov 2001Vetting: high5 revisions
Translation
A formation of troops1 by means of which Herakleion2 was captured in a particular way. Since on one side the city had a low wall of no great extent, the Romans picked out three maniples. In the first the men held their shields over their heads and closed up, so that the density of the shields created something akin to a tiled roof. The other two in succession [did the same].
Greek original · Adler’s text
Σημαία· τάξις πολεμική, δι' ἧς τὸ Ἡράκλειον ἥλω ἰδίαν τινὰ ἅλωσιν. ἐχούσης τῆς πόλεως ἐφ' ἑνὸς μέρους ἐπ' ὀλίγον τόπον ταπεινὸν τεῖχος, οἱ Ῥωμαῖοι τρεῖς σημαίας προεχειρίσαντο, καὶ τῇ μὲν πρώτῃ τοὺς θυρεοὺς ὑπὲρ τῆς κεφαλῆς ποιήσαντες συνέφραξαν, ὥστε τῇ τῶν ὅπλων πυκνότητι κεραμωτῷ καταρρύτῳ γίνεσθαι παραπλήσιον. ἐφεξῆς δὲ ἕτεραι δύο.
Betacode
*shmai/a: ta/cis polemikh/, di' h(=s to\ *(hra/kleion h(/lw i)di/an tina\ a(/lwsin. e)xou/shs th=s po/lews e)f' e(no\s me/rous e)p' o)li/gon to/pon tapeino\n tei=xos, oi( *(rwmai=oi trei=s shmai/as proexeiri/santo, kai\ th=| me\n prw/th| tou\s qureou\s u(pe\r th=s kefalh=s poih/santes sune/fracan, w(/ste th=| tw=n o(/plwn pukno/thti keramwtw=| katarru/tw| gi/nesqai paraplh/sion. e)fech=s de\ e(/terai du/o.
Notes (2)
- Polybius 28.11.1-2 on events of 170 BCE (web address 1).
- 1The Greek
shmai/a (orshmei/a ) is in general terms the Latin maniple (cf. sigma 313); but in the passage about to be quoted, three of them become, specifically, a testudo ("tortoise"). ↩ - 2On the western shore of the Thermaic Gulf in northern Greece; Barrington Atlas map 50 grid C4; present-day Platamon. ↩
External resources
- Web address 1 perseus.tufts.edu
Linked from1 entry
Neighbouring entries
Revision history5 revisions · last 10 Feb 2022
- cross-reference, link tweak — Catharine Roth
- Revised — David Whitehead
- more keywords — David Whitehead
- augmented n.2 — David Whitehead
- changed a word, added a link, set status — Catharine Roth
- Translated — David Whitehead