Singular and plural

[Notascooby]

From DBG 7:73

Ante hos obliquis ordinibus in quincuncem dispositis scrobes in altitudinem trium pedum fodiebantur paulatim angustiore ad infimum fastigio. huc teretes stipites feminis crassitudine ab summon praeacuti et prausti demittebantur it, ut non amplius digitis quattor ex terra eminerent; simul confirmandi et stabiliendi causa singuli ab infimo solo pedes terra exculcabantur; reliqua pars scrobis ad occultandas insidias viminibus ac virgultis integebatur. huius generis octoni ordines ducti ternos inter se pedes distabant. id ex similitudine floris lilium appellabant.
ante haec taleae pedem longae ferries hamis infixis totae in terram infodiebantur mediocribusque intermissis spatiis omnibus locis disserebantur, quos stimulus nominabant.

Hoping someone can explain to me firstly why the genitive is used in the first highlighted bit and not the accusative. Secondly could someone explain to me what pedes and pedem are doing? As is normal with these things I sort of know what's going on but I've tied myself in knots trying to explain it to myself.

Thanks

 

[cinefactus]

why the genitive is used in the first highlighted bit and not the accusative.

It is a genitive of quality.

 

[Notascooby]

It is a genitive of quality.

Thanks for the reply. I got that it was a gen of quality. What I don't get is why. Why not use the accusative like the other two bits I highlighted?

 

[Bitmap]

Thanks for the reply. I got that it was a gen of quality. What I don't get is why. Why not use the accusative like the other two bits I highlighted?

The idea of spatial extent is conveyed by in altitudinem. the genitive of quality (or gen. mensurae, if you well) qualifies altitudinem further.

 

[cinefactus]

What I am stuck on is how taleae pedem longae works. I am assuming it is stakes long to the extent of a foot.

 

[Pacifica]

What I am stuck on is how taleae pedem longae works. I am assuming it is stakes long to the extent of a foot.

Yes, or stakes a foot long. Accusative of measurement. It's standard with adjectives like longus, latus and such.

 

[Notascooby]

Yes, or stakes one foot long. Accusative of measurement. It's standard with adjectives like longus, latus and such.

I got this, the problem I'm having is with the other one. Why is this one singular and the other one plural? "Each one trampled on with earth deep to the extent of feet??? from the lowest part of the ground?"

 

[Pacifica]

Singuli, the distributive of unus, meaning roughly "one each", is normally found in the plural, because one each amounts to many in total. Here it agrees with pedes.

 

[Notascooby]

Singuli, the distributive of unus, meaning roughly "one each", is normally found in the plural, because one each amounts to many in total. Here it agrees with pedes.

This is what I thought. However if pedes agrees with singuli then pedes is not the same construction as pedem below. Therefore what is it? I'm confusing myself I think.

Thanks.

 

[Pacifica]

Singuli pedes is the subject of exculcabantur.

 

[Notascooby]

So "one foot each was trampled on with earth from the lowest part of the ground" that is one foot of dirt is thrown into the bottom of the three feet deep hole. Then the other two feet( the reliqua pars) is covered in brush?

Somehow I became fixated on pedes being accusative and rendered myself unable to see any alternative no matter how seemingly obvious.

Thanks