The Trebbia and Lake Trasimene in Messrs. How & Leigh's Roman
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The Classical Review http://journals.cambridge.org/CAR Additional services for The Classical Review: Email alerts: Click here Subscriptions: Click here Commercial reprints: Click here Terms of use : Click here The Trebbia and Lake Trasimene in Messrs. How & Leigh's Roman History G. B. Grundy The Classical Review / Volume 10 / Issue 06 / July 1896, pp 284 - 287 DOI: 10.1017/S0009840X00204277, Published online: 27 October 2009 Link to this article: http://journals.cambridge.org/abstract_S0009840X00204277 How to cite this article: G. B. Grundy (1896). The Trebbia and Lake Trasimene in Messrs. How & Leigh's Roman History. The Classical Review, 10, pp 284-287 doi:10.1017/S0009840X00204277 Request Permissions : Click here Downloaded from http://journals.cambridge.org/CAR, IP address: 128.122.253.228 on 24 Apr 2015 284 THE CLASSICAL REVIEW. sed etiam destruuntur.] Oavfiatnairdrr) 8c 17 264, 25. 'OITWS yap ol fn.lv aOXioi ras i[rvx.a$ oxor] Si i?s fn.eX.rj Kal pvO/xol [et compages, TidvOXTLV. transitiones, harmoniae et concordiae uocum Arm. has aOeoi for &6X101, [Mang. : Ex et generum et coetuum gregum] KO.1 irdvO'contextu reponendum uidetur aOeoi.] ocra Kara, TT/V //.OVCTLK^V eirucpivfTM' \rj Xoyiov In the above notes I have only noticed Trpo<j>opiKU)V Tra/MrXtfOr) eiSrj, SiKavucZv, fiovXev-such variants on the part of the version as TUCWV, iyKu>iuaoTi.KZv; etiam eorum qui ex are essential to the Greek text. Neutral antiqua historia sunt, et in concionibus variants I have passed over. They publicis; uel in necessariis de iis quae ad abundantly confirm the opinion formed by uitam spectant, de iis quae rbv alZva (?) Dr. P. Wendland of Thomas Mangey's tangunt. Nam cum uniuerse uox nostra great critical skill. Philo is an unjustly duplicem habeat uirtutem loquendi et neglected writer. For example, there is canendi, duo ilia aures seligunt definiunt left us from antiquity no finer or more pro commodo animae] 'OiSij yap K.T.X. pertinent and instructive criticism of the The Greek text has here been consider- mysteries than that which this treatise ably mutilated. contains, yet who of the many modern 264, 3. acppocrvvais Kal &7/Sicus. writers, who deal with this subject, has Arm. has a<f>p. K. dSixtats. [Mang. :noticed it ? For this reason, and because melius, forsan, dSixiats.] the Greek tradition of it is singularly 264, 6, § 16. 01 re TOV vov OuurSnai Kal TS>V imperfect, I have chosen the de Sacrifiean- ala-Orjtreoiv, ol fiev iiceivov, ol Se Tavnjv OeoirXao- tibus as an example of the critical utility of rovcriv. an old Armenian version. Arm. has Tarns for ravr/jv [Mang. : FEED. C. CONYBEAEE. omnino scribe Tavras]. THE TKEBBIA AND LAKE TRASIMENE IN MESSES. HOW & LEIGH'S ROMAN HISTORY. THE Roman History recently issued by (2) That connection with the right or Messrs. How and Leigh seems so good that east bank was maintained by a bridge, it is likely to be largely used. This very possibly of boats (p. 185). fact, however, must serve as a provocation (3) That the river Trebbia flows in winter to any one who feels that the views ex- with a strong and turbulent flood (p. 185). pressed in the book are open to criticism, (4) That the second camp occupied by more especially if those views are expressed Scipio was on the right or east bank of the in a portion of the work which is likely to river on a spur of the Apennines (p. 183). be of peculiar interest to those for whom (Quite a different view is stated, not ap- it is intended. ' The special point to which parently as an alternative, on p. 185.) I refer is the account of Hannibal's opera- (5) That, consequently, the actual battle tions in Italy from the time of the passage took place on the left or west bank. of the Alps to the battle of Lake Trasi- These statements are so inter-dependent mene. The subject would be of much less that it is impossible to discuss them quite importance did it not necessarily affect the separately. view which must be taken of Polybius and If the remark about the Trebbia is Livy as military historians. Messrs. Leigh intended to convey the meaning that it is and How follow Polybius' account of the during the winter season in a continuous operations up to the time of the retreat of state of strong and turbulent flood, it is Scipio from the Ticinus to Placentia. After incorrect. The water is frequently low this, in dealing with the campaign in North during the winter. The rise and fall of so Italy they diverge from both Polybius and quick a stream is, of course, rapid and Livy, and this apparently without adequate liable to frequent variation. Furthermore reason. it may reasonably be concluded that before Briefly put, their view seems to be:— the day of the battle the stream was low (1) That Scipio's first camp after his and easily passable, for on that day the retreat from the Ticinus was on the left or Romans crossed it, although swollen by a west bank of the Trebbia, i.e. on the rain storm which had occurred during the opposite bank to Placentia (p. 185). previous night (Polyb. iii. 72, 4). The 1 THE CLASSICAL REVIEW. 285 existence of the bridge is, of course, a pure alluvial ground between Placentia and the supposition. Neither Polybius nor Livy position first mentioned. hint at such a thing, and yet the former The first position stated does at any rate mentions the fact that Seipio constructed a satisfy what are evidently the main motives bridge over the Ticinus (P. iii. 60, 1), and of this part of the history of events, Scipio's speaks of the bridge over the Pad us at recognition of the fact that the manifest Placentia (P. iii. 66, 3). But if there was superiority of Hannibal's cavalry made it a bridge, it can hardly have been one of dangerous for him to remain in the plain, boats. A real winter freshet on the Trebbia and his desire not to risk all in a pitched would have swept such a construction away battle. The second, of course, eminently incontinently. But whether there was a fails to satisfy these conditions, and as it is bridge or not, is it in the slightest degree not only unsupported by the evidence of the likely that Seipio would have retired to original authorities but is in disaccord with Placentia with a view to ' his forces having what they do tell us of the movement, it a secure position to rest upon' (P. iii. 66, can hardly serve any genuine historical 9), and then have taken up a position with purpose. a river like the Trebbia between him and As far as the question is affected by the his point d'appui ? At the season of the revolt of the Celts in the Roman camp (P. year at which the events took place a iii. 67, 1-7), it may be said, at any rate, sudden rise of the river might at any time that the action of these Celts would point render his communication with Placentia to their being from the west rather than impossible, or, even supposing the imaginary from the east of the Trebbia, for to the bridge were there, what would have been east of this stream the land would be at his position in case Hannibal defeated him the time of the revolt, i.e. when the Romans in this river angle with only this one narrow were in camp 1, practically at the mercy of line of retreat 1 His army must have been the Roman army. If this were so, then annihilated. And yet Messrs. How and prior to this outbreak the Celts west of that Leigh assert that ' all strategical considera- river were divided in their allegiance, for tions go to prove that the first position of some, at any rate, of them, viz. those in the Seipio would be in front of the Trebbia' neighbourhood of the place where Hannibal (i.e. on the left bank). Surely the exact effected his crossing of the Padus, had opposite of this is the case. Even if the entered into friendly relations with the subsequent account of the battle and what Carthaginians, and it is consequently pos- followed were not conclusive on this point, sible that Scipio's movement may have been every consideration of strategy would point partly instigated by his desire to overawe to the space of land between the Trebbia those Celts to the west of the Trebbia who and Placentia as the position of the -first had hitherto been neutral, if not loyal, into Roman camp. Seipio would then have had a continuance of this attitude. This would the line of the Trebbia on his front instead presume a move on his part from the east of his rear and would be in immediate touch to the west side of that river. This change with his point d'appui. for the worse in the attitude of the Celts The authors of this history make two emphasized the necessity of a move to a statements which it is impossible to recon- more secure position, where cavalry could cile with one another as to the position of not be used, to some such position in fact as the second camp of the Romans :— Messrs. How and Leigh indicate on p. 183. But was this position on the right or left of (1) On p.