De Bello Gallico (ch1)

[Tactixian]

I just discovered the forum book club. Being behind 4 chapters, I've decided to ask my questions on this board while I catch up.

propterea quod a cultu atque humanitate provinciae longissime absunt, minimeque ad eos mercatores saepe commeant atque ea quae ad effeminandos animos pertinent important

Because they are the longest separated from the culture and humanity of the province, and least often resort to those merchants and (least) import those things that concern weakening the minds.
[propterea quod together means "because"? Why not just quod?]
[Is this translation ok compared with "the merchants least often resort to them"? Or is there a reason to suppose that "eos" refers to the Belgians?]

attingit etiam ab Sequanis et Helvetiis flumen Rhenum

It touches even the river Rhine from the Sequani and Helvetii.
[how do you get "on the side of" from ab?]

Rest of it went fine. On to chapter 2.

 

[Damoetas]

Yes, propterea quod is just "because." If you unpack its component parts, it's more literally, "for this reason, namely, that..." The choice between it and a simple quod is largely stylistic; but one advantage to propterea quod is that it makes the causal idea more explicit. As you will recall, quod by itself can also be a relative pronoun.

It's tempting to translate humanitas as "humanity," because they're cognate, but here it means something more like "refinement" or "culture." (The preceding word cultus can be rendered "civilization.")

The rest of your sentence will flow better if you recognize that commeo means "come, go, visit," and that mercatores (nom.) is the subject. eos refers back to the Belgae. So it means, "... and merchants least often come to them and import those things which lead toward a weakening/feminization of minds." (Yes, it is that sexist.)

A/ab can mean "on the side of" if you think of it as meaning "from [the part inhabited by] the Sequani and Helvetii." Gaul reaches the Rhine "from the Sequani and Helvetii," i.e. if you think of it spatially laid out, and you are going around it, you reach the Rhine from the territory of those people. Does that make sense?

 

[Tactixian]

Yes, I get it now. Thanks.