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Besides the above advantages the whole plain of Capua is strongly
protected by nature and difficult of approach, being completely
surrounded on one side by the sea, and for the greater part by lofty
mountain-ranges, through which there are only three passes from the
interior, all of them narrow and difficult, one from Samnium, the
second from Latium, and the third from the country of the Hirpini.
Paton, 2001, 225.
In this theatrical reconstruction, the important „centre‟ stage-door is the entrance from
Latium and the direction of Rome. Polybius precedes the analogy with a list of the
Campanian towns that Hannibal intended to impress, including Capua, said to be the
wealthiest, Neapolis, Sinuessa, Cyme, Dicaearchea (Puteoli), Nola, and Nuceria further
south (Hist. 3.91.2-4).
Having created an audience, set the scene and built up expectations, Polybius then
shows how Hannibal copes when his plans are thwarted. Instead of the Campanian
towns watching a spectacular battle, Fabius Maximus refuses to fight, and the Roman
army becomes the implicit audience as they shun battle, and shadow the Carthaginians
from the heights around the plain:
Φάβηνο δὲ κέρξη κὲλ ηνῦ ζπλάςαη ηνῖο ηόπνηο ἔζπεπδε θαὶ
ζπλππεθξίλεην ηνῖο πξνζύκσο θαὶ θηινθηλδύλσο δηαθεηκέλνηο, ἐγγίζαο
δὲ ηῷ Φαιέξλῳ ηαῖο κὲλ παξσξείαηο ἐπηθαηλόκελνο ἀληηπαξῆγε ηνῖο
πνιεκίνηο, ὥζηε κὴ δνθεῖλ ηνῖο αὑηῶλ ζπκκάρνηο ἐθρσξεῖλ ηῶλ
ὑπαίζξσλ, εἰο δὲ ηὸ πεδίνλ νὐ θαζίεη ηὴλ δύλακηλ, εὐιαβνύκελνο ηνὺο
ὁινζρεξεῖο θηλδύλνπο δηά ηε ηὰο πξνεηξεκέλαο αἰηίαο θαὶ δηὰ ηὸ
πξνθαλῶο ἱππνθξαηεῖλ παξὰ πνιὺ ηνὺο ὑπελαληίνπο.
Hist. 3.92.5-7
Fabius did bestir himself to reach the district, sharing in so far the
view of the more eager and venturesome spirits, but when he came in
view of the enemy on approaching Falernum, while moving along the
hills parallel to them so as not to appear to the allies to be abandoning
the open country, he did not bring his army down into the plain,
avoiding a general action both for the above-mentioned reasons and
because the Carthaginians were obviously much his superiors in
cavalry.
Paton, 2001, 227.
Walbank describes the stage analogy as an „exaggeration‟ by Polybius because it
does not fit with the geography of the region and identifies at least eight approaches to
the area from the surrounding hills. 320 Whether there are eight approaches or only three,
320 Walbank, I, 426: „The actual site is uncertain.‟ Frederiksen, 1984, 238: „it is generally agreed to be
from a valley below modern Pietravairano.‟ Walbank also notes that Livy‟s description is no easier to
match to local topography than Polybius.
130