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... Hispaniae populi nec qui post cladem acceptam defecerant redibant...

In the context of the passage from Livy (Book 26, Chapter 18), the phrase "cladem acceptam" translates to "the disaster having been received" or, more naturally in English, "the disaster sustained" / "the defeat suffered." Here is a detailed syntactic and contextual breakdown of the phrase: 1. Morphological Breakdown • cladem (from clades, cladis, f.): Noun in the accusative singular. It means "destruction," "disaster," "defeat," or "loss." • acceptam (from accipio, accipere, accepi, acceptus): Perfect passive participle in the accusative feminine singular, agreeing directly with cladem. While accipere literally means "to receive," when paired with a word like clades or vulnus (a wound), it means to "suffer," "sustain," or "bear" something negative. 2. Syntactic Function In this specific sentence: "...nec qui post cladem acceptam defecerant redibant ad Romanos..." ("...neither were those who had revolted after the disaster was sustained returning to the Romans...") The phrase follows the preposition post ("after"), which governs the accusative case. This is an example of a dominant participle construction (often called the "ab Urbe condita" construction). Instead of meaning "after the received disaster," the participle acceptam carries the main idea of the action. Therefore, it translates as an abstract noun phrase: "after the sustaining of the disaster" or "after the defeat had been suffered." 3. Historical Context The "clades" Livy is referring to here is the catastrophic Roman defeat in Spain in 211 BCE—specifically, the Battle of the Upper Baetis. In this engagement, both Publius Cornelius Scipio and his brother Gnaeus Cornelius Scipio Calvus (the father and uncle of the future Scipio Africanus) were defeated and killed by the Carthaginian forces under Hasdrubal Barca, Mago, and Hasdrubal Gisco. Livy uses cladem acceptam to set the grim scene in Rome: Spain is nearly lost, local tribes have revolted or deserted the Roman alliance, and the state is gripped by fear because no seasoned general wants to take command—until young Scipio steps forward. The Battle of the Upper Baetis (211 BCE) was actually a two-part engagement fought in southern Spain (modern Andalusia) along the Guadalquivir River (then called the Baetis). It stands as one of the most crushing defeats Rome suffered during the Second Punic War, second only to Cannae in its strategic devastation. Here is a detailed breakdown of the engagement: 1. The Strategic Prelude By 211 BCE, the brothers Publius Cornelius Scipio and Gnaeus Cornelius Scipio Calvus had successfully campaigned in Spain for nearly seven years. Their primary objective was to prevent Hasdrubal Barca from marching reinforcements to Italy to aid his brother, Hannibal. Having pushed deep into Carthaginian territory, the Scipio brothers grew confident. Recognizing that the enemy forces were divided into three separate camps, the Romans decided to split their own army to deal a decisive, double blow: • Publius Scipio took two-thirds of the core Roman army to attack Mago Barca and Hasdrubal Gisco. • Gnaeus Scipio took the remaining third of the Roman veteran troops plus a massive force of 30,000 Celtiberian mercenaries to attack Hasdrubal Barca. This division proved to be a fatal miscalculation 2. The Two Engagements The Battle of Castulo (Death of Publius) Publius Scipio marched against Mago and Gisco, but his army was continuously harassed on the march by the brilliant Numidian cavalry commander Masinissa (who would later switch sides and fight for Rome at Zama). Learning that a massive force of local Spanish allies under Indibilis was marching to trap him from behind, Publius attempted a night march to ambush Indibilis. However, Masinissa’s cavalry caught the Romans in the open. As the main Carthaginian infantry arrived, the Romans were surrounded. Publius Scipio was struck down by a lance and killed, causing the Roman lines to collapse in panic. Only a small remnant escaped. The Battle of Ilorca (Death of Gnaeus) Meanwhile, Gnaeus Scipio was preparing to engage Hasdrubal Barca. Before the battle could begin, Hasdrubal offered a massive bribe to Gnaeus’s 30,000 Celtiberian mercenaries. In an instant, the vast majority of Gnaeus’s army simply walked off the battlefield, leaving him with a tiny force of demoralized Roman veterans. Gnaeus ordered a desperate retreat, but the combined Carthaginian armies—now flushed with their victory over Publius—joined Hasdrubal and pursued him closely. The Romans were forced to make a final stand on a barren hill near Ilorca. Lacking defensive materials, they tried to pile their baggage and saddles into a makeshift rampart, but the Carthaginians easily breached it. Gnaeus Scipio was killed in the slaughter, just 29 days after his brother. 3. The Aftermath and Consequences • Total Collapse in Spain: Almost all of Spain south of the Ebro River revolted and aligned with Carthage. The Roman presence in the Iberian Peninsula was nearly wiped out overnight, saved only by a brilliant rearguard action led by a remnant officer named Lucius Marcius, who rallied the survivors to hold the northern fortresses. • The Crisis in Rome: The news struck Rome with profound grief and terror. Spain had been their primary buffer against Hannibal; now, the path for Carthaginian reinforcements to march directly into Italy was wide open. • The Rise of Scipio Africanus: Because Spain was viewed as a graveyard for generals, no senior Roman politician or general volunteered to take command during the comitia (elections) described by Livy. It was this specific vacuum that prompted the 24-year-old Publius Cornelius Scipio Africanus (the younger) to step forward, claiming the command to avenge his father and uncle.