prius....quam

Latin Learning Latin
1

Adeoque ea subita res fuit ut prius Anienem transirent hostes quam obviam ire ac prohibere exercitus Romanus posset.

I’m taking it that prius…quam in this sentence are related?

As so often happens to me in Latin the sentence seems upon first looking at it to mean exactly the opposite of what it means. As in before the enemy could cross the romans were able to stop them… but it means that they were able to cross before the Romans could stop them…

What I don’t see is any negation in the sentence. Where is the sense that the Romans could NOT stop them or were not in time to stop them.

2

Unless prius and quam belong to the quam obviam ire clause

3

Yes, priusquam simply means before, and is often written as two separate words by way of tmesis. Although tmesis might be too strong a term since it happens so often!

4

Barry, thanks for this.