On The War In Africa

42.

Curione understood that his men no longer listened to his exhortations, not even when he begged them to do so, because they were all gripped by terror; given the disastrous situation, he confided that there was only one way of salvation: he ordered all his men to occupy the nearby hills and bring the insignia, but the way was closed to them by the cavalry sent by Saburra, who had occupied them before ours. At this point our people reached the maximum degree of despair; some of them, seeking escape, were killed by the enemy cavalry, others fell to the ground exhausted even though they were not wounded. Gnaeus Domitius, the commander of Curione's cavalry, taking sides around him with a few men, urged him to seek escape and return to the camp, promising not to abandon him. But Curione declared that he would never return to Caesar after he had lost the army he had confidently entrusted to him, and so he chose to die fighting. Only a very few knights were saved from battle, but the others who had stopped in the rearguard to rest, noticing what was happening and the escape of the whole army, managed to return unharmed to the camp, while the infantrymen, from the first to the last man, were all killed.

43.

Having become aware of these facts, Quaestor Marcio Ruffo - who had been left by Curione at Camp Cornelius - urged the soldiers not to lose heart, but they continued to beg him to take them back to Sicily with their ships. Marcio Ruffo promised to do so and gave orders to the commanders of the ships to keep, at the end of the evening, the spears anchored at the lido. The terror of all was so great that everyone spread unfounded things: there were those who said that King Juba's troops were now close by, others claimed that Azzio Varo's legions were already on them and even saw the dust (and yet nothing was happening at all), still others believed that the enemy fleet was coming fast. So, because they were all shaken by fear, it was every man for himself: those on the warships speeded up their departure, and the flight of the warships instigated the commanders of the cargo ships, so that only a few, small boats gathered to perform the task assigned to them. On the shore, there was a crowd to gain a place on the boats; so many sank because they were overweight, while others struggled to approach the shore for fear of following their fate.

44.

For these reasons, only a few soldiers - mostly family fathers - who proved to be influential by authority or pity on the part of others were able to embark; others were able to swim to the ships and thus reach Sicily safely.

The other troops chose to send centurions to Publio Azzio Varo as ambassadors at night and surrendered themselves to him, but the next day King Juba, arriving with his troops and seeing those cohorts in front of the city, publicly declared that he considered them his prey of war and ordered that many of them be killed immediately; the others, those personally chosen by Juba, were sent to his kingdom. Although Azzio Varo complained that this act offended his loyalty, he dared not oppose the will of the Numida king. Juba himself, who entered the city on horseback, followed by several senators - including Servio Sulpicio and Licino Damasippo - in a few days established and ordered what he wanted done in Utica, and after a few days, with all his soldiers, returned to his kingdom.

​ON THE WAR IN AFRICA

DE BELLO AFRICO

On the ear in Africa

Gaius Jiulius Caesar

Latin text

Antefacto

De Bello Africo

MAPS

year 52 BC

Year 50 BC

Year 48 BC

Year 47 BC

Year 46 BC

Year 45 BC

Battle of Tapso

NOTES

DBG = De Bello Gallico

DBC = De Bello Civili

DBC AL = De Bello Alexandrino

DBC AF = De Bello Africo

DBC HI = De Bello Hispanico

Characters

A

Achilla - Achillan (Egyptian)

- DBC L3 Chapters 104, 108, 109, 110, 111, 112,

- DBC AL Chap. 4, 26,

- Egyptian General of the first century BC, said by Caesar to be capable and in command of a well-prepared army. Before the outbreak of the war Alexandria, the general was engaged in Pelusio against Cleopatra's militia, after the killing of Pompey and the arrival of Caesar in Egypt will move all troops to Alexandria putting the Roman general in considerable difficulty.

- https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Achilla

M. Acilio - M. Acilio (Cesarian)

- DBC L3 Cap 15

- Cesarian Officer

- Not found

- http://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/manio-acilio-glabrione/

- https://www.romanoimpero.com/2018/09/marco-acilio-glabrione.html

Lucius Afranius - Lucius Afranius (Pompeian)

- DBC L1 Cap. 37 to 53, 59 to 76, 83 to 87,

- DBC L2 Chap. 17, 18,

- DBC L3 Chap. 83, 88,

- DBC AF Cap 64, 69, 95,

- DBC HI Cap. 7,

- He was a politician and a Roman general no much loved by the Senate but always loyal to Pompey. He was active in the third war against Mithridates but with poor performance. He was elected Consul in 60 B.C. thanks to Pompey's support but he didn't meet the expectations. He was later Governor in Spain with 3 legions and in 49 BC he faced Caesar. Defeated and pardoned he returned to fight Caesar both in Farsalo and in Africa where he was defeated and executed again.

- https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucio_Afranio_(console_60_a.C.)

Alianus - Alienus - Governor of Sicily in 46 BC.