Tiresias: The Ancient Mediterranean Religions Source Database

10105

Sallust, Iugurtha, 93

nan After Marius had spent many days in great labour, he was anxiously considering whether he should abandon the attempt as fruitless or await the favour of fortune, which he had so often enjoyed. 2 For many days and nights he had been a prey to indecision, when it chanced that a Ligurian, a common soldier of the auxiliary cohorts, who had left the camp to fetch water, noticed near the side of the fortress which was farthest from the besiegers some snails creeping about among the rocks. Picking up one or two of these and then looking for more, in his eagerness to gather them he gradually made his way almost to the top of the mountain. 3 When he found that he was alone there, the love of overcoming difficulties which is natural to mankind seized him. 4 It happened that a great oak tree had grown up there among the rocks; it bent downward for a little way, then turned and grew upward, as is the nature of all plants. With the help, now of the branches of this tree and now of projecting rocks, the Ligurian mounted to the plateau about the fortress, while all the Numidians were intent upon the combatants. 5 After examining everything that he thought would be useful later, he returned by the same way, not heedlessly, as he had gone up, but testing and observing everything. 6 Then he hastened to Marius, told him what he had done, and urged him to make an attempt on the fortress at the point where he himself had mounted, offering himself as a guide for the ascent and leader in the dangerous undertaking. 7 Marius thereupon ordered some of his staff to go with the Ligurian and look into his proposal, and each of them, according to his temperament, pronounced the attempt difficult or easy; on the whole, however, the consul was somewhat encouraged. 8 Accordingly, out of all his horn-blowers and trumpeters he chose the five who were most agile, and with them four centurions as a protection. He put them all under command of the Ligurian and set the next day for the attempt.

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Subjects of this text:

subject	book bibliographic info
antiochos (antiochus) iii	Konig, The Folds of Olympus: Mountains in Ancient Greek and Roman Culture (2022) 186
auxiliaries	Konig, The Folds of Olympus: Mountains in Ancient Greek and Roman Culture (2022) 186
cornelius sulla, l.	Santangelo, Roman Frugality: Modes of Moderation from the Archaic Age to the Early Empire and Beyond (2013) 189
decline'	Santangelo, Roman Frugality: Modes of Moderation from the Archaic Age to the Early Empire and Beyond (2013) 189
historiography	Konig, The Folds of Olympus: Mountains in Ancient Greek and Roman Culture (2022) 186
liguria	Konig, The Folds of Olympus: Mountains in Ancient Greek and Roman Culture (2022) 186
marius, c.	Santangelo, Roman Frugality: Modes of Moderation from the Archaic Age to the Early Empire and Beyond (2013) 189
moluccha	Santangelo, Roman Frugality: Modes of Moderation from the Archaic Age to the Early Empire and Beyond (2013) 189
mount kallidromos (callidromus)	Konig, The Folds of Olympus: Mountains in Ancient Greek and Roman Culture (2022) 186
mount labus	Konig, The Folds of Olympus: Mountains in Ancient Greek and Roman Culture (2022) 186
mountain warfare, specialised expertise in	Konig, The Folds of Olympus: Mountains in Ancient Greek and Roman Culture (2022) 186
mountains, history	Konig, The Folds of Olympus: Mountains in Ancient Greek and Roman Culture (2022) 186
persia, persians	Konig, The Folds of Olympus: Mountains in Ancient Greek and Roman Culture (2022) 186
phokis, phokians	Konig, The Folds of Olympus: Mountains in Ancient Greek and Roman Culture (2022) 186
rocks/stones	Konig, The Folds of Olympus: Mountains in Ancient Greek and Roman Culture (2022) 186
sallust	Santangelo, Roman Frugality: Modes of Moderation from the Archaic Age to the Early Empire and Beyond (2013) 189
sparta, spartans	Konig, The Folds of Olympus: Mountains in Ancient Greek and Roman Culture (2022) 186
thermopylai	Konig, The Folds of Olympus: Mountains in Ancient Greek and Roman Culture (2022) 186