The Europa Barbarorum Quotes Project

[/Bean\]

Ooh I like them...nice stuff Machinor

[machinor]

Thanks. Appian's telling of the Mithridatic Wars is actually quite a good read. I just found another good one. At the battle of Orchomenus the Roman soldiers are frightened by the superior Pontic cavalry and are about to rout. Sulla's reaction:


... ἐξήλατο του̂ ἵππου, καὶ σημει̂ον ἁρπάσας ἀνὰ τὸ μεταίχμιον ἔθει μετὰ τω̂ν ὑπασπιστω̂ν, κεκραγώς: "εἴ τις ὑμω̂ν, ὠ̂ ̔Ρωμαι̂οι, πύθοιτο, που̂ Σύλλαν τὸν στρατηγὸν ὑμω̂ν αὐτω̂ν προυδώκατε, λέγειν, ἐν ̓Ορχομενῳ̂ μαχόμενον."

[Sulla] leaped from his horse, seized a standard, ran out between the two armies with his shield-bearers, exclaiming, "If you are ever asked, Romans, where you abandoned Sulla, your general, say that it was at the battle of Orchomenus."

Appian, The Mithridatic Wars, VII.46


One might also only quote the part Sulla shouts, but I think the whole thing about him jumping off his horse and running in between the two armies with a standard is quite cool too. Also note: the Greek text uses the term "hypaspiston" (also "shield-bearers" in this translation) for his bodyguards.

[oudysseos]

Machinor, those are excellent! And Mediolanicus- you're right, I shouldn't have picked on John. John? Sorry.

[/Bean\]

Now I want that book

[machinor]

You can read it online on Perseus Project. But I warn you, it's one hell of a blood dripping story. After reading it, I was quite surprised there were any people left living in Asia Minor.
Plutarch's account of the life of Quintus Sertorius is quite good too, but unfortunatly I can't find the original anywhere on the web.

[machinor]

The following two quotes are also from The Mithridatic Wars (they're the last ones from the Mithridatic Wars, I promise ) and are both fairly interesting:

... τοὺς ̔́Ελληνας, οἳ ἐμισθοφόρουν αὐτῳ̂, πάντας ἐξώπλισεν ὑποπτεύων: οἳ σύλληψιν δεδιότες, ἀθρόοι σκυτάλας ἔχοντες ἐβάδιζόν τε καὶ ηὐλίζοντο. Μαγκαίου δὲ τοὺς βαρβάρους ἐπάγοντος αὐτοι̂ς ὡπλισμένους, διαδησάμενοι τὰ ἱμάτια ται̂ς λαιαι̂ς ἀντὶ ἀσπίδων, μετὰ τόλμης ἐσέδραμον ἐς αὐτούς: καὶ ὅσους ἀνέλοιεν, εὐθὺς ἐμερίζοντο τὰ ὅπλα.
[Mankaios, one of Mithridates' generals] disarmed all of his Greek mercenaries because he suspected them. They, in fear of arrest, walked abroad or rested only in a body, and with clubs in their hands. Mankaios set upon them with his armed barbarians. They wound their clothing around their left arms, to serve as shields, and fought their assailants courageously, killed some, and shared their arms with each other.
Appian, The Mithridatic Wars, XII.86


πολλαὶ δὲ ἔν τε τοι̂ς ὁμήροις καὶ τοι̂ς αἰχμαλώτοις ηὑρέθησαν γυναι̂κες, οὐ μείονα τω̂ν ἀνδρω̂ν τραύματα ἔχουσαι: καὶ ἐδόκουν ̓Αμαζόνες εἰ̂ναι, εἴτε τι ἔθνος ἐστὶν αὐτοι̂ς γειτονευ̂ον αἱ ̓Αμαζόνες, ἐπίκλητοι τότε ἐς συμμαχίαν γενόμεναι, εἴτε τινὰς πολεμικὰς ὅλως γυναι̂κας οἱ τῃ̂δε βάρβαροι καλου̂σιν ̓Αμαζόνας.
Among the hostages and prisoners many women were found, who had suffered wounds no less than the men. These were supposed to be Amazons, but whether the Amazons are a neighboring nation, who were called to their aid at that time, or whether certain warlike women are called Amazons by the barbarians there, is not known.
Appian, The Mithridatic Wars, XV.103


Another interesting quote, this time a bit different version of Hannibal's crossing of the Alps:

χιονος τε πολλη̂ς οὔσης καὶ κρύους, τὴν μὲν ὕλην τέμνων τε καὶ κατακαίων, τὴν δὲ τέφραν σβεννὺς ὕδατι καὶ ὄξει, καὶ τὴν πέτραν ἐκ του̂δε ψαφαρὰν γιγνομένην σφύραις σιδηραι̂ς θραύων, καὶ ὁδὸν ποιω̂ν ἣ καὶ νυ̂ν ἐστιν ἐπὶ τω̂ν ὀρω̂ν ἐντριβὴς καὶ καλει̂ται δίοδος ̓Αννίβου.
The snow and ice being heaped high in front, he cut down and burned wood, quenched the ashes with water and vinegar, and thus rendering the rocks brittle he shattered them with iron hammers and opened a passage which is still in use over the mountains and is called Hannibal's pass.
Appian The Hannibalic War, I.4


And this one's also quite funny:

ὁ δέ, ὡς ἐν βαρβάροις τε καὶ τεθηπόσιν αὐτόν, καὶ δι' ἄμφω δυναμένοις ἀπατα̂σθαι, τὴν ἐσθη̂τα καὶ τὴν κόμην ἐνήλασσε συνεχω̂ς ἐσκευασμέναις ἐπινοίαις: καὶ αὐτὸν οἱ Κελτοὶ περιιόντα τὰ ἔθνη πρεσβύτην ὁρω̂ντες, εἰ̂τα νέον, εἰ̂τα μεσαιπόλιον, καὶ συνεχω̂ς ἕτερον ἐξ ἑτέρου, θαυμάζοντες ἐδόκουν θειοτέρας φύσεως λαχει̂ν.
In order to increase the admiration of those barbarians, who were easily deceived, [Hannibal] frequently changed his clothes and his hair, using carefully prepared devices each time. When the Gauls saw him moving among their people now an old man, then a young man, and again a middle-aged man, and continually changing from one to the other, they were astonished and thought that he partook of the divine nature.
Appian, The Hannibalic War, II.6

[Prussian to the Iron]

damn. reading those i would never join an ancient army. i have some sort of feeling that i want it to be exagerated,but im just not sure.....i think i gotta go puke now.......

[machinor]

Well, wars are always bloody and gory. Don't be fooled on that by today's sexy and seemingly clean intelligent bombs. War is a bloody mess and I wouldn't want to be in the middle of one in any period.

[Mediolanicus]

Now I want that book

My book?
Seriously intrested?

I'm going to take a look at it again tomorrow. The moment it goes under €10 I buy it.
It's a shop that sells second hand books or books that don't get sold, so the price should drop after a while.

[machinor]

@oudysseos: Oh, I see. Well if it's supposed to mean "these are the voyages of the spaceship Enterprise" then you should have written "... Incepti".

[samba_liten]

Come, rouse thee for battle, such a one as of old thou declaredst thyself to be.
Agamemnon
in

Homer, Iliad, Book 4, Line 264

I don't read Greek, so i wont venture to guess what this would look like in the Greek version.

[machinor]

Well, you could just look up that specific line in the Greek text.
It's this one:

ἀλλ' ὄρσευ πόλεμον δ' οἱ̂ος πάρος εὔχεαι εἰ̂ναι.