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The Death of Turgesius 55
Cornelius Nepos's book on the great generals of foreign
nations contains a brief Life of Pelopidas. The assassination
of the polemarchs is mentioned (ch. 2 and ch. 10), but
there is no allusion to disguise as women.w
An imperfect parallel occurs in several classical descriptions
of the battle of Cannae. Livy's account of the
"Punic ruse" on this occasion reads as follows in
translation:
About five hundred Numidians, who, in addition to their
customary arms and missiles, carried swords concealed under
their corslets, pretended to desert. Riding over from their own
side, with their bucklers at their backs, they suddenly dismounted
and threw down their bucklers and javelins at the feet
of their enemies. Being received into the midst of their ranks
they were conducted to the rear and ordered to fall in behind.
And while the battle was getting under way at every point, they
kept quite still; but no sooner were the minds and eyes of all
absorbed in the struggle, than they snatched up the shields
which lay strewn about everywhere amongst the heaps of slain,
and assailing the Romans from behind and striking at their
backs and hamstrings, effected a great slaughter and a terror
and confusion that were even greater.w
Frontinus's account of this incident is essentially the
same, except that he states that 600 Numidians were
involved, as against Livy's 500.21
As the element of disguise, in any form, is here lacking,
the account resembles the Vortigern story rather than the
Turgesius tale, though the occasion is here one of feigned
defection rather than feigned friendship.
Concealment of weapons by soldiers disguised as women
is found elsewhere in Frontinus:
When the Voccaei were hard pressed by Sempronius Gracchus
in a pitched battle, they surrounded their entire force with a ring
of carts, which they had filled with their bravest warriors
dressed in women's clothes. Sempronius rose up with greater
daring to assault the enemy, because he imagined himself
proceeding against women, whereupon those in the carts
attacked him and put him to flight. 22
20 Livy, XXII, xlviii (translation by B. O. Foster, 1929).
21 Frontinus, Stratagems II, v, 27. Cf. Valerius Maximus, VII, iv, ext. 2,
and Appian, The Hannibalic War VII, iv, 20-1, who describes the ruse as being
executed by Celtiberians. The ruse is not found in Polybius's description of
the battle, III, 107-18.
22 op, cit., IV, vii, 33.