Cesti (fragmenta) Index These things are in the <ζʹ> of Africanus' Cesti: 1. Concerning arming. -2. Concerning the destruction of enemies. -3. Agonistic. -4. For the incision of one who has been struck. -5. For a wound from iron. - Taming of a horse. -7. For a horse not to neigh. -8. For a cataract in horses. -9. For a horse not to be frightened. -10. Concerning the speed of horses. -11. Taraxippus (horse-disturber). -12. For the destruction of draft animals. -13. For a kicking mule. -14. Military hunting. -15. To find the width of a river and the height of a wall. -16. Theft of sound. -17. A means of staying awake. - 18. For fighting elephants. -19. Paradoxes of agriculture. -20. A concluding remark concerning an arrow. <Προοίμιον> According to reason or law or fate or chance are the outcomes of things, their productions and destructions, their alterations and cure<α>; it is good to know each of these things, having gathered from all of them a varied and fruitful benefit, a cure for sufferings or a secret history or beauty of speech; which, both in the preceding and in the following, as I at least think, has been accomplished according to my own modest ability. Concerning arming It is good among all things also to know war. For I have often wondered at the cause of the differing turn of fortune in armed contests and from these, on the one hand, Romans over Greeks, and Greeks over the Persians, but that Persians have not yet been conquered by the Romans, but are emboldened to freedom and lay violent claim to equality with us, as the nations of upper Asia say. And giving the matter thought, I found it was not an advantage in stratagems nor overall military strength (for among good men in war there is not one consideration of numbers), but the preparation of their arms and the type of their martial dress. For the Greeks, on the one hand, delight in heavy panoply: their helmet is double, a scale-cuirass, a concave bronze-covered shield held by two grips, of which one around the forearm is sufficient for thrusting, the other held by the fingertips, two greaves, a javelin in hand, and a close-combat spear equal to those of the royal cavalry, and a broad sword, not long. With this armament, running is rare; not for a long distance, but sharp, and just so far as would allow one hastening to get inside missile-range first. And they knew how to lock shields, and each of them fought on his own, so that the soldier's valor was twofold, both in common and alone. Therefore they used to cut down the barbarians in this manner: having rested themselves often on the march, so that their zeal was not blunted by the length of the road, they remained fresh in this manner until the dangers; and using a sharp burst of speed to get inside missile range, they set to work, as the arrows flew a greater distance over them, since they had run under their reach, while the enemy did not withstand the charge of such a shielded formation, because their infantry was lightly armed; for the power of a missile is distance, but at close quarters, safety in battle is achieved by panoply. Therefore, to suffer nothing from afar, the cuirass is stronger than any missile due to the overlapping of its scales for remaining unwounded, and the helmet on the head, <ἔχων> a cap and another covering of bronze and another helmet over another, is effective against projectiles from a sling, with the outer scale being dented and yielding, so that what was sent does not reach the inner covering of the head. But the face is bare and the neck is free, allowing unhindered observation in all directions. And with their spears, some check the lancers of the cavalry, stabbing them before they charge in, while others, having formed their phalanxes more openly and having parted, reach the barbarians [where it is necessary to strew hellebore]. Moreover, they use both peltasts and slingers without danger, being protected in front by the wall of shields. And indeed the short swords are useful for ease and vehemence of striking. But the succeeding Macedonians modified a few of these things, on account of the wars
Cesti (fragmenta) Πίναξ Τάδε ἔνεστιν ἐν τῷ <ζʹ> τῶν Ἀφρικανοῦ Κεστῶν· αʹ Περὶ ὁπλίσεως. -βʹ Περὶ πολεμίων φθορᾶς. -γʹ Ἀγωνιστικόν. -δʹ Πρὸς τομὴν πληγέντος. -εʹ Πρὸς τὴν ἀπὸ σιδήρου πληγήν. -ʹ Ἵππου τιθασία. -ζʹ Μὴ χρεμετίσαι ἵππον. -ηʹ Πρὸς ἵππων ὑπόχυσιν. -θʹ Ἵππον μὴ πτοεῖσθαι. -ιʹ Περὶ ἵππων τάχους. -ιαʹ Ταράξιππον. -ιβʹ Πρὸς ὑποζυγίων φθοράν. -ιγʹ Πρὸς ἡμίονον λακτίζουσαν. -ιδʹ Θήρα στρατιωτική. -ιεʹ Ποταμοῦ πλάτος εὑρεῖν καὶ τείχους <ὕψος>. -ιʹ Ἤχου κλοπή. -ιζʹ Ἀγρυπνητικόν. - ιηʹ Πρὸς ἐλεφάντων μάχην. -ιθʹ Γεωργίας παράδοξα. -κʹ Ἐπισφράγισμα περὶ βέλους. <Προοίμιον> Κατὰ λόγον ἢ νόμον ἢ εἱμαρμένην ἢ τύχην αἱ τῶν πραγμάτων ἐκβάσεις, ἐπιγοναὶ καὶ φθοραί, ἀλλοιώσεις καὶ ἰάματ<α>· ὧν ἕκαστον καλὸν εἰδέναι, συναγαγόντας ἐκ πάντων ὠφέλειαν ποικίλην καρπουμένην, θεραπείαν παθῶν ἢ ἱστορίαν ἀπόρρητον ἢ λόγου κάλλος· ἅπερ ἔν τε τοῖς φθάνουσι καὶ τοῖς ἑπομένοις, ὥς γε οἶμαι, κατὰ τὸ ἐμαυτοῦ μέτριον κατώρθωται. Περὶ ὁπλίσεωσ Καλὸν δὲ ἐν πᾶσι καὶ πόλεμον εἰδέναι. Πολλάκις γὰρ καὶ ἐθαύμασα τὴν αἰτίαν τῆς διαφόρου τῶν ἐνοπλίων ἀγώνων ῥοπῆς καὶ ἐκ τούτων μὲν Ῥωμαίων Ἕλληνας, Ἑλλήνων δὲ τοὺς Πέρσας, μηδέπω δὲ ὑπὸῬωμαίων Πέρσας νενικῆσθαι, ἀλλ' εἰς ἐλευθερίαν θρασύνεσθαι καὶ τὴν ἰσοτιμίαν βιάζεσθαι πρὸς ἡμᾶς λέγειν τὰ ἄνω τῆς Ἀσίας ἔθνη. Λογισμὸν δὲ ἐμαυτῷ διδούς, εὗρον οὐ πλεονεξίαν στρατηγημάτων οὐδὲ στρατιωτικὴν τὸ σύνολον ἰσχὺν (πλήθους γὰρ ἐν πολέμῳ παρὰ τοῖς ἀγαθοῖς λόγος οὐδὲ εἷς), ἀλλὰ τὴν παρασκευὴν τῶν ὅπλων καὶ τὸ εἶδος τῆς ἐνυαλίου στολῆς. Ἕλληνες μὲν γὰρ χαίρουσι βαρείᾳ πανοπλίᾳ· πῖλος ἐκείνοις διπλοῦς, θώραξ λεπιδωτός, ἀσπὶς ἐπίχαλκος κοίλη, ὀχάνοις δύο κρατουμένη, ὧν τὸ μὲν περὶ τῷ πήχει εἰς ὠθισμὸν ἀρκοῦν, τὸ δὲ ἄκρᾳ χειρὶ κρατούμενον, κνημίδες δύο, ἀκόντιον μετὰ χεῖρας, καὶ ἀγχέμαχον δόρυ τοῖς τῶν ἱππέων τῶν βασιλικῶν ἴσον, καὶ πλατὺ ξίφος οὐ μακρόν. Σπάνιος τῇ ὁπλίσει ταύτῃ δρόμος, οὐ πολὺς μέν, ὀξὺς δὲ καὶ τοσοῦτος ὅσος ἂν γένοιτο τοῦ σπεύδοντος ἐντὸς βέλους γενέσθαι φθάσαι. Συνασπίζειν τε ᾔδεσαν καὶ ἕκαστος αὐτῶν καθ' αὑτὸν ἐμάχετο, ὡς <εἶναι> τὴν ἀρετὴν τοῦ στρατιώτου διπλῆν καὶ κοινῇ καὶ μόνου. Κατέκοπτον οὖν τοὺς βαρβάρους τρόπῳ τῷδε· πολλὰ ἐν τῇ πορείᾳ διαναπαύσαντες αὑτούς, ὡς μὴ ἀμβλύνεσθαι τὴν σπουδὴν τῷ μήκει τῆς ὁδοῦ, ἀκμῆτες τὸν τρόπον τοῦτον μέχρι τῶν κινδύνων ἔμενον· ὀξεῖ δὲ χρησάμενοι τάχει, πρὸς τὸ ἐντὸς βελῶν γενέσθαι, εἶχον ἔργου, φερομένων ὑπὲρ αὐτοὺς μακρότερον τῶν βελῶν, ὑποδραμόντων αὐτῶν τὴν ἔφιξιν, τῶν δὲ οὐχ ὑπομενόντων, διὰ τὸ γυμνητεύειν τῶν πεζῶν, τῆς τοιαύτης φράξεως τὴν ἐμβολήν· δύναμις γὰρ βέλους μῆκος, ἐν δὲ τῷ πλησίον, πανοπλίᾳ ἀσφάλεια τῆς μάχης κατορθοῦται. Πρὸς μὲν οὖν τὸ ἕκαθεν μηδὲν παθεῖν, ὁ μὲν θώραξ παντὸς βέλους κρείττων τῇ τῶν λεπίδων ἐπιπτυχῇ πρὸς τὸ μεῖναι ἄτρωτον, ὅ τε πῖλος περὶ τῇ κεφαλῇ κυνῆν <ἔχων> ἑτέραν δὲ ἐπιθήκην χαλκοῦ καὶ ἄλλην ἐπὶ ἄλλῃ περικεφαλαίαν τυγχάνει πρὸς τὰ ἀπὸ σφενδόνης βλήματα, περιθλωμένης μὲν τῆς ἔξω λεπίδος καὶ συνεικούσης, ὡς μὴ ἐφικέσθαι τὸ πεμφθὲν τοῦ ἐνδοτέρω τῆς κεφαλῆς ἐπιβλήματος. Γυμνὸν δὲ τὸ πρόσωπον καὶ αὐχὴν ἐλεύθερος ἀκώλυτον τὴν πανταχοῦ περίσκεψιν χωρεῖ. Τοῖς τε δόρασιν οἳ μὲν τοὺς κοντοφόρους ἀναστέλλουσι τῶν ἱππέων προνύσσοντες πρὶν ἐμπεσεῖν, οἳ δὲ καὶ ἀραιοτέρας στησάμενοι τὰς φάλαγγας διαχωρήσαντες ἐφικνοῦνται τῶν βαρβάρων [ὅπη δεῖ ἐλλεβοροστρῶσαι]. Χρῶνταί γε μὴν καὶ πελτασταῖς καὶ σφενδονήταις ἀκινδύνως τῷ τείχει τῶν ὅπλων προπεφραγμένοις. Τά γε μὴν βραχεῖα ξίφη εὐχερείᾳ καὶ σφοδρότητι πληγῆς χρήσιμα. Ὀλίγα δὲ τούτων παρεποίησαν οἱ ἐπίγονοι Μακεδόνες, διὰ τὸ τῶν πολέμων