Hannibal, postquam in Ītaliam vēnit,
cōpiās trāns fluvium Tīcīnum dūxit, ubi castra habēbat. Inde ubi mīlitēs
convocāvit, praemia certa nūntiāvit. ‘Agrōs,' inquit, ‘in Ītaliā, Āfricā,
Hispāniā mīlitibus dabō, aut pecūniam: lībertātem servīs dabō.’ Inde Hannibal
cōpiās Rōmānās prope fluviōs, Tīcīnum et Trebiam, superāvit. Proximō annō ubi
Nepōs, quī erat imperātor Rōmānus, cōpiās per saltum dūcēbat, Hannibal īnsidiās
parāvit et subitō oppugnāvit. Poenī imperātōrem Rōmānum et mīlitēs multōs
necāvērunt et cēterōs fugāvērunt.
saltus, -ūs [4/m]: (narrow) pass
e.g. a mountain pass
Sentence structure
Note the two meanings of ubi
as ‘where’ and ‘when’:
[i] Hannibal, ¦ [ii] postquam
in Ītaliam vēnit, ¦ [i] cōpiās trāns fluvium Tīcīnum dūxit, [iii] ubi
castra habēbat.
[i] Hannibal, ¦ [ii] after
he came into Italy, ¦ [i] led the troops across the Ticinus river, [iii] where
he had a camp.
[i] Inde ¦ [ii] ubi
mīlitēs convocāvit, ¦ [i] praemia certa nūntiāvit.
[i] Then, ¦ [ii] when he
called his soldiers together, ¦ [i] he announced certain rewards.
Image #1
Latin has very varied sentence structure and, at times, it seems that the sentence is never going to end! The sentences that are appearing in these texts are slowly introducing you to more complex sentence structure. In this example there are clauses (colour coded) that surround other clauses. Look for the “markers” that introduce the clauses e.g. ubi, quī and et.
[i] The next year, ¦ [ii] when Nepos, ¦ [iii] who was the Roman commander [relative / adjectival clause], ¦ [ii] was leading troops through the pass [subordinate clause of time*], [i] Hannibal prepared an ambush [principal clause #1] ¦ and [i] suddenly attacked [principal clause #2].
*also known as a temporal clause
Hannibal, after he had come into
Italy, led his troops across the Ticinus river, where he had a camp. Then, when
he summoned the soldiers, he announced certain rewards. “I shall give,” he said
“fields in Italy, Africa (and) Spain to the soldiers, or money: I shall give
freedom to the slaves.” Then Hannibal overcame the Roman forces near the Ticinus
and Trebia rivers. In the next year, when Nepos, who was the Roman commander, was
leading his troops through the pass, Hannibal prepared an ambush and attacked
him suddenly. The Carthaginians killed the Roman commander and they killed
soldiers and forced the rest to flee.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Ticinus
Matthäus Merian the Elder, "Battle of Trebbia"
(1625)