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Ebro, a little above the sea, they were attached to the Romans,2.234 and the Romans both honored them and had made them exceptions in their treaties with the Carthaginians. Therefore Hannibal began a war against them, knowing that the Romans would either come to the aid of the Zacynthians or avenge them if they suffered anything. Therefore, both for these reasons and because he knew that they possessed great wealth, which he especially needed, and for other reasons contributing to his designs against the Romans, he attacked the Zacynthians. But Iberia, in which the Zacynthians dwell, and all the adjoining land is in Europe toward the west and for a great distance it extends along the inner sea and past the Pillars of Heracles to the Ocean itself, and in addition it occupies the upper mainland for a great distance as far as the Pyrenees. For this mountain range, beginning from the sea that formerly belonged to the Bebryces, but later to the Narbonenses, extends to the great outer sea, having many mixed nations within it, and it separates all of Iberia from the neighboring land of Gaul. They neither spoke the same language nor had a common government. For which reason they did not even fall under a single name; for the Romans called them Hispani, while the Greeks called them Iberians, from the river Ebro. So these Zacynthians were being besieged, and they sent to their neighbors and to the Romans asking for aid. But Hannibal prevented the former, and the Romans, sending envoys to him, commanded him not to approach the Zacynthians, and if he did not obey, they threatened to sail immediately to Carthage and accuse him. But Hannibal, sending some of the locals who feigned goodwill,2.235 prepared them to tell the envoys, who were already nearby, that the general was not present, having gone away somewhere to unknown regions. And they advised them to depart as quickly as possible, before it should be reported that they were present, so that they might not perish on account of the lack of authority, since the general was not there. So they, believing them, went away to Carthage; and when an assembly was held, some of the Carthaginians advised keeping peace with the Romans, but those who were attached to Hannibal said that the Zacynthians were acting unjustly, and that the Romans were meddling in matters that did not concern them. And in the end, those who were persuading them to go to war prevailed. Meanwhile Hannibal was making the assaults of the siege with haste. And while many of Hannibal's men were falling and more were being wounded, and at one point when the Carthaginians had shaken down a part of the wall and dared to enter through the breach, the Zacynthians ran out and drove them off; whereupon they themselves were encouraged, but the Carthaginians gave way, being disheartened. But they did not desist until they had taken the city, although the siege had been prolonged for the eighth month; in which many other strange things happened and Hannibal was terribly wounded. And it was captured thus. They brought up a machine to the wall that overtopped it by a great deal and had some hoplites who were visible, and others who were hidden. So while the Zacynthians were fighting more vigorously against those who were seen, as if they were the only ones, the hidden men, having undermined the wall, forced their way in and got inside. Therefore the Zacynthians, stunned by the unexpected event, ran up to the acropolis, and entered into negotiations, to see if they might be saved by some reasonable agreement.2.236 But when Hannibal offered nothing moderate and no help came to them from the Romans, they asked that the assaults be held off, so that they might deliberate on their situation; and in this time, having gathered their most precious possessions, they threw them into a fire, and the non-combatants killed themselves, while those of fighting age rushed all together against the enemy and, fighting eagerly, were cut down. And on account of them both the Romans and the Carthaginians went to war. For Hannibal, having also gained numerous allies, was hastening to Italy. And when the Romans learned of these things, they assembled in the senate, and many things were said, but Lucius Cornelius Lentulus addressed the people and said not to delay, but war against the

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Ιβηρος, ανω τῆς θαλάσσης βραχύ, τοῖς ̔Ρωμαίοις προσέ2.234 κειντο, κἀκεῖνοι καὶ ἐτίμων αὐτοὺς καὶ ἐν ταῖς πρὸς τοὺς Καρχηδονίους συνθήκαις ἐξαιρέτους ἐπεποιήκεσαν. διὰ ταῦτ' ουν ὁ ̓Αννίβας πόλεμον ηρατο πρὸς αὐτούς, εἰδὼς οτι η ἐπικουρήσουσιν οἱ ̔Ρωμαῖοι τοῖς Ζακυνθίοις η καί τι παθοῦσι τιμωρήσουσι. διά τε ουν ταῦτα καὶ οτι καὶ μέγαν πλοῦτον κεκτῆσθαι αὐτοὺς ἐγίνωσκεν, ου καὶ μάλιστα εχρῃζε, καὶ δι' ετερα αιτια κατὰ ̔Ρωμαίων αὐτῷ συμβαλλόμενα τοῖς Ζακυνθίοις ἐπέθετο. ̔Η δ' ̓Ιβηρία, ἐν ῃ οἱ Ζακύνθιοι οἰκοῦσι, καὶ ἡ προσεχὴς αὐτῇ πᾶσα εν τε τῇ Εὐρώπῃ πρὸς δυσμάς ἐστι καὶ ἐπὶ πολὺ μὲν παρὰ τὴν εσω θάλασσαν καὶ παρὰ τὰς ̔Ηρακλείους στήλας τόν τε ̓Ωκεανὸν αὐτὸν προήκει, καὶ προσέτι καὶ τὴν ηπειρον τὴν ανω διὰ πλείστου μέχρι τοῦ Πυρηναίου νέμεται. τὸ γὰρ ορος τοῦτο ἐκ τῆς θαλάσσης τῆς πάλαι μὲν Βεβρύκων, υστερον δὲ Ναρβωνησίων, ἀρξάμενον ἐς τὴν εξω τὴν μεγάλην διατείνει, πολλὰ μὲν ἐντὸς αὐτοῦ καὶ σύμμικτα εθνη εχον, πᾶσαν δὲ τὴν ̓Ιβηρίαν ἀπὸ τῆς προσοίκου Γαλατίας ἀφορίζον. ουτε δ' ὁμόφωνοι ησαν ουτε κοινῇ ἐπολιτεύοντο. οθεν οὐδὲ εἰς εν ονομα ἐτέλουν· οἱ μὲν γὰρ Ῥωμαῖοι ̔Ισπανούς, οἱ δ' Ελληνες Ιβηρας ἀπὸ τοῦ ποταμοῦ τοῦ Ιβηρος αὐτοὺς ἐπεκάλεσαν. Οἱ μὲν ουν Ζακύνθιοι ουτοι ἐπολιορκοῦντο, καὶ επεμψαν πρὸς τοὺς περιοίκους καὶ πρὸς τοὺς ̔Ρωμαίους ἐπικουρίας δεόμενοι. ἀλλὰ τοὺς μὲν ὁ ̓Αννίβας ἐκώλυσεν, οἱ δὲ ̔Ρωμαῖοι πρέσβεις πρὸς ἐκεῖνον πέμψαντες μὴ πελάζειν τοῖς Ζακυνθίοις ἐκέλευον, καὶ εἰ μὴ πείθοιτο, ἐς τὴν Καρχηδόνα πλεῦσαι εὐθὺς καὶ κατηγορῆσαι αὐτοῦ ἐπηπείλησαν. ὁ δ' ̓Αννίβας ἐκ τῶν ἐπιχωρίων πέμψας τινὰς ὡς ευνοιαν τηροῦν2.235 τας τοῖς πρέσβεσιν ηδη πλησίον ουσι παρεσκεύασε λέγειν αὐτοῖς μὴ παρεῖναι τὸν στρατηγόν, πόρρω που ἐς αγνωστα χωρία ἀποδημήσαντα. καὶ παρῄνουν ἀπαλλαγῆναι ὡς τάχιστα, πρὶν καταγγελθεῖεν ὡς πάρεισιν, ινα μὴ διὰ τὴν ἀναρχίαν, τοῦ στρατηγοῦ μὴ παρόντος, ἀπόλωνται. οἱ μὲν ουν πιστεύσαντες αὐτοῖς εἰς τὴν Καρχηδόνα ἀπῄεσαν· γενομένης δὲ ἐκκλησίας οἱ μὲν τῶν Καρχηδονίων εἰρήνην αγειν πρὸς τοὺς ̔Ρωμαίους συνεβούλευον, οἱ δὲ τῷ ̓Αννίβᾳ προσκείμενοι τοὺς μὲν Ζακυνθίους ἀδικεῖν, τοὺς δὲ ̔Ρωμαίους τὰ μηδὲν σφίσι προσήκοντα πολυπραγμονεῖν ελεγον. καὶ τέλος ἐπεκράτησαν οἱ πολεμῆσαι σφᾶς ἀναπείθοντες. ̓Εν τούτῳ δὲ ὁ ̓Αννίβας σπουδῇ τὰς προσβολὰς τῆς τειχομαχίας ἐποιεῖτο. πολλῶν δὲ πιπτόντων καὶ πλειόνων τιτρωσκομένων ἐκ τῶν τοῦ ̓Αννίβου, καί ποτε τῶν Καρχηδονίων κατασεισάντων τι τοῦ περιβόλου καὶ κατὰ τὸ ῥῆγμα εἰσελθεῖν τολμησάντων, ἐπεξέδραμον οἱ Ζακύνθιοι καὶ ἀπεσόβησαν σφᾶς· οθεν αὐτοὶ μὲν ἐπερρώσθησαν, οἱ Καρχηδόνιοι δὲ ἐνέδοσαν ἀθυμήσαντες. οὐκ ἀπέστησαν δὲ πρὶν τὴν πόλιν ἑλεῖν, καίτοι ἐπ' ογδοον μῆνα τῆς πολιορκίας παραταθείσης· ἐν οις αλλα τε πολλὰ συνηνέχθη καὶ ατοπα καὶ ὁ ̓Αννίβας δεινῶς ἐτρώθη. ηλω δὲ ουτως. μηχάνημα τῷ τείχει προσήγαγον πολύ τε αὐτοῦ ὑπεραῖρον καὶ ὁπλίτας τοὺς μὲν ἐμφανεῖς εχον, τοὺς δὲ λανθάνοντας. τῶν ουν Ζακυνθίων τοῖς ὁρωμένοις ὡς μόνοις ουσι μαχομένων ἐρρωμενέστερον, οἱ κεκρυμμένοι τὸ τεῖχος ὑπορύξαντες εἰσεβιάσαντο καὶ ενδον ἐγένοντο. τῷ γοῦν παραδόξῳ οἱ Ζακύνθιοι ἐκπλαγέντες εἰς τὴν ἀκρόπολιν ἀνέδραμον, καὶ εἰς λόγους ηλθον, ει πως ἐπιεικεῖ τινι ὁμολογίᾳ περισω2.236 θεῖεν. ὡς δ' οὐδὲν ὁ ̓Αννίβας προΐσχετο μέτριον οὐδέ τις αὐτοῖς ὠφέλεια πρὸς τῶν ̔Ρωμαίων ἐγίνετο, ἐπισχεθῆναι τὰς προσβολὰς ἐξῃτήσαντο, ως τι περὶ τῶν κατὰ σφᾶς βουλευσόμενοι· κἀν τούτῳ τὰ τιμιώτατα συμφορήσαντες τῶν χρημάτων ἐς πῦρ ἐνέβαλον, καὶ οἱ μὲν ἀπόμαχοι διεχειρίσαντο ἑαυτούς, οἱ δ' ἐν ἡλικίᾳ ἀθρόοι πρὸς τοὺς ἐναντίους ὡρμήκεσαν καὶ προθύμως ἀγωνιζόμενοι κατεκόπησαν. Καὶ δι' αὐτοὺς οι τε ̔Ρωμαῖοι καὶ οἱ Καρχηδόνιοι ἐπολέμησαν. ὁ γὰρ ̓Αννίβας καὶ συμμάχους συχνοὺς προσλαβὼν εἰς τὴν ̓Ιταλίαν ἠπείγετο. πυθόμενοι δὲ ταῦθ' οἱ ̔Ρωμαῖοι συνῆλθον εἰς τὸ συνέδριον, καὶ ἐλέχθη μὲν πολλά, Λούκιος δὲ Κορνήλιος Λέντουλος ἐδημηγόρησε καὶ ειπε μὴ μέλλειν, ἀλλὰ πόλεμον κατὰ τῶν