Zonaras 7.3 Part IV – The Sabines Attempt Revenge

Romulus defeats Acron, the Sabine leader

Once this violence had been dared, the Sabines, being a numerous and warlike race who dwelled in un-walled villages on account of their lofty spirit (as if they were a colony of Spartans), sent an embassy to Romulus and demanded that the Romans leave off the work of violence, and instead work toward friendship and neighborliness with the nearby people under the influence of reason and law. When Romulus refused to send the maidens back, and demanded that the Sabines accept their new relationship, some of them wasted their time in planning, but Akron, the high-spirited and warlike king of the Caeneniti, rose up and with a considerable force set out against Romulus. When they came against each other, they called on one another to commit the battle while both armies remained stationary. There was then a single combat between Romulus and Acron, in which Romulus threw down Acron, and also routed his army when the battle began. He then took their city, but did not mete out any punishment to them, but simply ordered them to destroy their houses and follow him to Rome, where they would become citizens and receive equal treatment.

Τολμηθείσης δὲ τῆς ἁρπαγῆς οἱ Σαβῖνοι, πολλοὶ καὶ πολεμικοὶ ὄντες καὶ κώμας ἀτειχίστους οἰκοῦντες διὰ τὸ μέγα φρονεῖν ὡς Λακεδαιμονίων ἄποικοι, πρεσβείαν πρὸς τὸν ῾Ρωμύλον πεποίηνται, λῦσαι τὸ τῆς βίας ἔργον ζητοῦντες, πειθοῖ δὲ καὶ νόμῳ πράττειν τοῖς γένεσι φιλίαν καὶ οἰκειότητα. τοῦ δὲ ῾Ρωμύλου τὰς μὲν κόρας μὴ προϊεμένου, ἀξιοῦντος δὲ τὴν κοινωνίαν δέχεσθαι τοὺς Σαβίνους, οἱ μὲν ἄλλοι βουλευόμενοι διέτριβον, ῎Ακρων δὲ ὁ βασιλεὺς τῶν Καινηνιτῶν, θυμοειδὴς ἀνὴρ καὶ πολεμικώτατος, προεξανέστη καὶ μετὰ πολλῆς ἐχώρει δυνάμεως ἐπὶ τὸν ῾Ρωμύλον. ὁμοῦ δὲ γεγονότες ἀλλήλους προυκαλοῦντο μάχεσθαι, ἀτρεμούντων τῶν τρατευμάτων.
τῆς γοῦν μονομαχίας ἀμφοῖν γενομένης καταβάλλει μὲν ὁ ῾Ρωμύλος τὸν ῎Ακρωνα, τρέπεται δὲ καὶ τὸ ἐκεί-νου στράτευμα μάχης συγκροτηθείσης· καὶ τὴν πόλιν αἱρεῖ, οὐ μέντοι τοὺς ἐν αὐτῇ κακόν τι διέθετο, ἀλλ’ ἢ μόνον ἐκέλευσε τὰς οἰκίας καθελόντας ἀκο-
λουθεῖν εἰς ῾Ρώμην αὐτῷ, ὡς πολίτας ἐσομένους καὶ τῶν ἴσων ἀξιωθησομένους.