# populus lumbos pressit



## Marcus Hadrianus

Salvete iterum amicae amicique!

I would like to consult the wise (wo)men in following sentence (Lectio Vicesima Nona XXIX)
Populus lumbos pressit - according to french translation it's people (have) crushed my back
Is this some sort of idiomatic expression? I would understand (from sentenced above) that theater was crowded and people squashed like sardines, right?

Thank you for your time and assistance (and your patience)


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## bearded

I think that ''it was very crowded'' could be the right interpretation.  However, please wait for other members' opinions, since in this forum there are experts who are more familiar than myself with Latin idioms.


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## Sobakus

It's taken from Juvenal:


magnō populus *premit* agmine *lumbōs* // quī sequitura great throng of people are *squeezing~crushing <my> lower regions* // the ones (= from) behind


_lumbī_ is everything from the waist to where the legs begin, the soft parts. Gaffiot translates the word as _reins, dos, échine_ - my French is next to non-existent but I doubt that _dos_ refers to the same part of the body. S.M. Braund makes it "my kidneys", which seems the most idiomatic.

I also don't think the perfect is used appropriately - it sounds like he got his kidneys squeezed, either once or like it was a separate event that consisted in squeezing his kidneys and took place in the theatre. From this I judge that Desessard didn't understand the expression correctly, and really thought it referred to some sort of spine trauma as an exaggeration, intending the perfect to be resultative.

In a description of the situation "how it was in the theatre", the past infectum (imperfect) is required.


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## bearded

My problem is that person no.5 says they went to the theatre, but it's no.6 who had their kidneys crushed. So there is no reference to the theatre...
I initially found the literal interpretation correct, but later I edited my reply, considering that something like ''it must have been crowded'' would make more sense in that dialogue.


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## Sobakus

There's only two persons, it's a dialogue. ”—” marks person transitions. 5 & 6 are said by the same person, in sequence.


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## bearded

Sobakus said:


> ”—” marks person transitions. 5 & 6 are said by the same person, in sequence.


ok you are right.


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## Marcus Hadrianus

@Sobakus @bearded , much appreciated your assistance. Thank You gents!


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