Pausanias Analysis

Passage 10.21.2

← 10.21.1 10.21.3 →

Passage 10.21.2: Galatian cavalry failed due to terrain and poor armor.

Historical Non-skeptical

Greek Text

τὰ δὲ ἱππικὰ ἀμφοτέροις ἀχρεῖα ἐγένετο ἅτε οὐ στενοῦ μόνον χωρίου τοῦ μετὰ τὰς Πύλας ὄντος ἀλλὰ καὶ ὑπὸ αὐτοφυοῦς πέτρας λείου καὶ διὰ τῶν ῥευμάτων τὸ συνεχὲς τὰ πλείονα καὶ ὀλισθηροῦ. τοῖς δὲ Γαλάταις τὰ μὲν τῆς σκευῆς ἀσθενέστερα ἦν---θυρεοὺς γὰρ τοὺς ἐπιχωρίους εἶχον, καὶ ἄλλο σφίσιν οὐκ ἦν ὅπλον σκέπη σώματος---, πλέον δὲ ἔτι ἐμπειρίᾳ τῇ ἐς τὰ πολεμικὰ ἀπέδεον.

English Translation

The cavalry of both sides proved useless, not merely because the terrain beyond the Gates was narrow, but also because it consisted largely of smooth, exposed rock, naturally polished and slippery from the streams that continually flowed across it. The Galatians, moreover, had inferior protective equipment, carrying only their native shields for defense and having no other armor to shelter their bodies; and even more significantly, they lacked sufficient experience in warfare.

Proper Nouns

Galatians (Γαλάται) person
Pylai (Πύλαι) place Q194450 Pleiades
← 10.21.1 10.21.3 →