Gontharis, Artabanes, and the Eighty Huns

This Good Works Translation continues the Procopius Wars steppe and Black Sea dossier from the Greek.

The steppe material in this chapter is brief but structurally useful: Procopius counts about eighty Huns among the mixed Roman, Vandal, and mutineer force that enters Gontharis' usurpation. The full chapter has therefore been translated as the proper historical unit, preserving the Armenian Arsacid frame, African rebel politics, and the placement of Huns inside sixth-century imperial civil war.

The translation is newly made from the Greek source text printed below. Dewing's public-domain English translation was used only as a control.

Translation

Wars 4.27.1-38

On the following day Gontharis sent the head of Areobindus to Antalas, but decided to deprive him of the money and the soldiers.

Antalas was angry because Gontharis was fulfilling none of the agreements with him; and when he considered both the oaths Gontharis had sworn and the deeds he had done against Areobindus, he was indignant.

For it did not seem to him that a man who had wronged such oaths would ever be faithful either to him or to anyone else.

After making many reckonings within himself, he wished to go over to the emperor Justinian; therefore he marched back.

Learning that Marcentius, who commanded the rolls in Byzacium, had taken refuge on one of the islands lying near that coast, he sent to him, explained the whole matter, gave pledges, and brought the man over.

Marcentius remained with Antalas in the camp, while the soldiers who were stationed in Byzacium, being well-disposed toward the emperor, guarded the city of Hadrumetum.

But the soldiers of Stotzas, no fewer than a thousand, perceived what was being done and ran over to Gontharis with John leading them.

Gontharis gladly received them into the city. Five hundred of them were Romans, about eighty were Huns, and all the rest were Vandals.

Artabanes, after receiving pledges, went up to the palace with his Armenians and agreed to serve the tyrant in whatever he commanded.

But secretly he was planning to kill Gontharis, having shared this plan with Gregorius his nephew and Artasires his spear-bearer.

Gregorius, urging him on to the deed, spoke as follows: "Artabanes, now it is in your power alone to take up the glory of Belisarius, or rather to surpass it by far.

"For Belisarius came here after receiving from the emperor an army of great account and large sums of money; he had commanders attending him, many advisers, a fleet of ships the like of which we have never heard, much cavalry, arms, and, to speak simply, everything prepared for him in a manner worthy of the Roman empire.

"Thus, with much labor, he saved Libya for the Romans.

"All these things have been so completely lost that, at the present moment, it is as if they had never happened at all; except, indeed, that what remains to the Romans now from Belisarius' victory is damage to their bodies and their money, and, in addition, that they have become unable even to guard the good things they gained.

"But to save all these things now for the emperor lies in your soul alone, and in your judgment and right hand.

"Therefore reckon that you are from the Arsacid stock from ancient times, and remember that it is fitting for men well-born to act bravely always and everywhere.

"You have already performed many wonderful deeds on behalf of freedom. While still young you killed Acacius, the ruler of the Armenians, and Sittas, the Roman general; and from this you became known to King Chosroes and campaigned with him against the Romans.

"Since you are such a man, so that it is yours not to look on while the Roman dominion lies under a drunken dog, show now that those earlier deeds, good sir, were done by noble birth and excellence of soul. I and this Artasires here will serve you in all that you command, as far as our power goes."

So Gregorius spoke, and he drove the mind of Artabanes still more strongly against the tyrant.

Gontharis, meanwhile, brought the wife and sister of Areobindus out of the fortress and compelled them to remain in a certain house. He did not insult them by word or deed in any way, nor did he leave them with fewer necessities than their need required, nor compel them to say or do anything else, except that Prejecta was forced to write to her uncle that Gontharis was honoring them exceedingly and was altogether clean of her husband's murder, and that Ulitheus had done the evil, with Gontharis in no way approving.

Gontharis did these things after being persuaded by Pasiphilus, a man who had been first among the mutineers in Byzacium and had greatly helped him in his attack upon tyranny.

Pasiphilus insisted that, if Gontharis did this, the emperor would marry the young woman to him and, in keeping with the kinship, would also give him a dowry of great money.

Gontharis ordered Artabanes to lead the army against Antalas and the Moors in Byzacium.

For Coutzinas, since he had quarreled with Antalas, had openly broken away from him and gone over to Gontharis. He gave him his son and his mother as hostages.

The army, then, with Artabanes leading, immediately went against Antalas. John, the leader of Stotzas' mutineers, was with him, and also Ulitheus the spear-bearer. Moors followed too,

led by Coutzinas. After passing by the city of Hadrumetum, they came upon their opponents somewhere there, made camp a little apart from the enemy, and spent the night.

On the next day John and Ulitheus remained there with a part of the army, while Artabanes and Coutzinas led the army against the enemy.

The Moors with Antalas did not withstand them, but rushed into flight.

But Artabanes deliberately played the coward. Suddenly turning the standard around, he rode away toward the rear.

Because of this Ulitheus intended to kill him when he came into the camp.

Artabanes defended himself by saying that he had feared Marcentius might come from the city of Hadrumetum, where he happened to be, to aid the enemy and do them irreparable harm.

Rather, he said, Gontharis ought to go against the enemy with the whole army.

At first he was considering going to Hadrumetum with those who followed him and joining himself to the emperor's army.

But after much deliberation it seemed better to him to remove Gontharis from the world and free both the emperor and Libya from difficult affairs.

Returning to Carthage, then, he reported to the tyrant that he would need a larger army against the enemy.

After consulting with Pasiphilus, Gontharis wished to arm the whole army, but intended to establish a guard in Carthage and himself lead the army against the enemy.

Each day he killed many men against whom he used some suspicion, even one that had no reason.

He sent orders to Pasiphilus, whom he was about to appoint over the guard of Carthage, to kill all the Greeks without taking anything into account.

Colophon

This Good Works Translation was prepared for the Scythian shelf by the New Tianmu Anglican Church from the Greek source text printed below. The Greek text was downloaded from the PerseusDL canonical Greek repository as tlg4029.tlg001.perseus-grc2.xml and inspected locally. Dewing's public-domain English, preserved in the local ToposText capture and Ready archival dossier, was used only as a control.

This is the tenth unit in the Procopius Wars steppe and Black Sea translation dossier, and the third Book 4 unit.

Compiled and formatted for the Good Work Library by the New Tianmu Anglican Church, 2026.

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Source Text: Procopius, Wars 4.27.1-38

Greek source text from Procopius, Wars 4.27. Presented here for reference, study, and verification alongside the English translation above.

Wars 4.27

§ 4.27.1 Τῇ δὲ ἐπιγενομένῃ ἡμέρᾳ τὴν μὲν Ἀρεοβίνδου κεφαλὴν παρὰ τὸν Ἀντάλαν ὁ Γόνθαρις ἔπεμψε, τὰ δὲ χρήματα καὶ τοὺς στρατιώτας αὐτὸν ἀποστερεῖν ἔγνω.

§ 4.27.2 Ἀντάλας τοίνυν, ὅτι τέ οἱ τῶν ξυγκειμένων οὐδὲν ἐπετέλει, δεινὰ ἐποιεῖτο, καὶ τά τε ὀμωμοσμένα τά τε εἰργασμένα τῷ Γονθάριδι ἐς τὸν Ἀρεόβινδον ἐννοῶν ἤσχαλλεν.

§ 4.27.3 οὐ γάρ οἱ ἐδόκει ὁ τοιούτους ὅρκους ἠδικηκὼς οὔτε αὐτῷ ποτε οὔτε ἄλλῳ ὁτῳοῦν πιστὸς ἔσεσθαι.

§ 4.27.4 πολλὰ γοῦν ἐν αὑτῷ λογισάμενος Ἰουστινιανῷ βασιλεῖ προσχωρεῖν ἤθελε· διὸ δὴ ὀπίσω ἀπήλαυνε.

§ 4.27.5 γνούς τε Μαρκέντιον, ὃς τῶν ἐν Βυζακίῳ καταλόγων ἦρχεν, ἐς νῆσόν τινα τῶν ταύτῃ ἐπικειμένων καταφυγεῖν, πέμψας παρ’ αὐτὸν φράσας τε τὸν πάντα λόγον καὶ τὰ πιστὰ δούς, τὸν ἄνθρωπον ἐπηγάγετο.

§ 4.27.6 καὶ Μαρκέντιος μὲν ἔμενε ξὺν τῷ Ἀντάλᾳ ἐν τῷ στρατοπέδῳ, στρατιῶται δὲ ὅσοι ἐν Βυζακίῳ διατριβὴν εἶχον, εὐνοϊκῶς βασιλεῖ ἔχοντες, Ἀδραμητὸν πόλιν ἐφύλασσον.

§ 4.27.7 οἱ δὲ τοῦ Στότζα στρατιῶται, οὐχ ἥσσους ἢ χίλιοι ὄντες, αἰσθόμενοι τῶν ποιουμένων, Ἰωάννου σφίσιν ἡγουμένου, παρὰ τὸν Γόνθαριν ἐχώρησαν δρόμῳ·

§ 4.27.8 καὶ ὃς αὐτοὺς ἀσμένως τῇ πόλει ἐδέξατο. ἦσαν δὲ Ῥωμαῖοι μὲν πεντακόσιοι, Οὖννοι δὲ ὀγδοήκοντα μάλιστα, οἱ δὲ λοιποὶ Βανδίλοι ἅπαντες.

§ 4.27.9 καὶ Ἀρταβάνης τὰ πιστὰ λαβὼν ἔς τε τὸ Παλάτιον ξὺν τοῖς Ἀρμενίοις ἀνέβη καὶ τῷ τυράννῳ ὑπηρετήσειν ἐπιτάσσοντι ὡμολόγησε.

§ 4.27.10 λάθρα δὲ ἀνελεῖν τὸν Γόνθαριν ἐβουλεύτετο, Γρηγορίῳ τε τῷ ἀνεψιῷ καὶ Ἀρτασίρῃ τῷ δορυφόρῳ κοινολογησάμενος τὸ βούλευμα τοῦτο.

§ 4.27.11 Γρηγόριος δὲ αὐτὸν ἐς τὴν πρᾶξιν ἐνάγων ἔλεξε τοιάδε· “Ἀρταβάνη, νῦν σοι πάρεστι μόνῳ τὸ Βελισαρίου ἀναδήσασθαι κλέος, μᾶλλον δὲ αὐτὸ καὶ πολλῷ ἔτι ὑπερβαλέσθαι.

§ 4.27.12 ὁ μὲν γὰρ στρατιὰν ἀξιολογωτάτην καὶ χρήματα μεγάλα παρὰ βασιλέως λαβὼν ἐνταῦθα ἧκεν, ἄρχοντας μὲν ἔχων τούς οἱ ἑπομένους καὶ ξυμβούλους πολλούς, στόλον δὲ νηῶν οἷον οὔπω ἡμεῖς ἀκοῇ ἴσμεν, ἵππον τε πολλὴν καὶ ὅπλα καὶ τὰ ἄλλα ἁπλῶς εἰπεῖν ἅπαντα ἐπαξίως οἱ παρεσκευασμένα τῆς Ῥωμαίων ἀρχῆς.

§ 4.27.13 οὕτω τε πόνῳ πολλῷ ἀνεσώσατο Λιβύην Ῥωμαίοις.

§ 4.27.14 ἅπερ ἅπαντα οὕτως ἀπόλωλεν ὥστε, εἰ μηδὲ ἀρχὴν ἐγεγόνει, ἔν γε τῷ παρόντι ἐν ἴσῳ εἶναι· πλήν γε δὴ ὅτι ἀποκέκριται Ῥωμαίοις τανῦν ἐκ τῆς Βελισαρίου νίκης τοῖς τε σώμασι καὶ τοῖς χρήμασιν ἐζημιῶσθαι, καὶ πρός γε τὸ μηδὲ φυλάξαι τἀγαθὰ δυνατοῖς γεγονέναι.

§ 4.27.15 τὸ δὲ πάντα ταῦτα ἀνασώσασθαι τανῦν βασιλεῖ ἐν τῇ σῇ μόνῃ ψυχῇ τε καὶ γνώμῃ καὶ δεξιᾷ κεῖται.

§ 4.27.16 οὐκοῦν ἐκλογίζου μὲν ὡς εἶ Ἀρσακίδης ἀνέκαθεν γένος, ἐνθυμοῦ δὲ ὡς τοῖς εὖ γεγονόσιν ἀνδραγαθίζεσθαι ἀεί τε καὶ πανταχῆ πρέπει.

§ 4.27.17 πολλὰ γοῦν σοι ἔργα ὑπὲρ τῆς ἐλευθερίας θαυμαστὰ πέπρακται. Ἀκάκιον γάρ, νέος ὢν ἔτι, τὸν Ἀρμενίων ἄρχοντα, καὶ Σίτταν τὸν Ῥωμαίων στρατηγὸν ἔκτεινας, καὶ ἀπ’ αὐτοῦ Χοσρόῃ βασιλεῖ γνώριμος γεγονὼς ξὺν αὐτῷ ἐπὶ Ῥωμαίους ἐστράτευσας.

§ 4.27.18 ἐπεὶ δὲ τηλικόσδε εἶ, ὡς σὸν εἶναι μὴ περιορᾶν τὴν Ῥωμαίων ἀρχὴν ὑπὸ κυνὶ μεθύοντι κεῖσθαι, ἐνδείκνυσο τανῦν ὡς εὐγενείᾳ τε καὶ ψυχῆς ἀρετῇ ἐκεῖνα, ὦ ʼγαθέ, τὰ πρόσθεν εἰργάσω· ἐγὼ δέ σοι καὶ Ἀρτασίρης ὅδε ἅπαντα ἐπιτάττοντι ὅση δύναμις ὑπουργήσομεν.”

§ 4.27.19 Γρηγόριος μὲν τοσαῦτα εἶπεν· Ἀρταβάνου δὲ τὴν διάνοιαν ἐπὶ τὸν τύραννον ἔτι μᾶλλον ὥρμησεν.

§ 4.27.20 ὁ δὲ Γόνθαρις Ἀρεοβίνδου μὲν τήν τε γυναῖκα καὶ τὴν ἀδελφὴν ἐκ τοῦ φρουρίου ἐξαγαγὼν ἐπί τινος οἰκίας ἠνάγκασε μένειν, οὔτε τι ὑβρίσας λόγῳ ἢ ἔργῳ ὁτῳοῦν ἐς αὐτὰς οὔτε τὰ ἐπιτήδεια ἐνδεεστέρως ἢ κατὰ τὴν χρείαν ἐχούσας οὔτε τι ἄλλο βιασθείσας εἰπεῖν ἢ πρᾶξαι, πλήν γε δὴ ὅτι γράψαι πρὸς τὸν θεῖον ἡ Πρεϊέκτα ἠνάγκαστο ὡς Γόνθαρις μὲν αὐτάς τε τιμῴη ἐς ἄγαν καὶ καθαρὸς εἴη παντάπασι τοῦ τἀνδρὸς φόνου, Οὐλιθέῳ δὲ τὸ κακὸν ἐργασθείη, Γονθάριδος οὐδαμῆ ἐπαινοῦντος.

§ 4.27.21 ἔπρασσε δὲ ταῦτα ὁ Γόνθαρις Πασιφίλῳ ἀναπεισθείς, ἀνδρὶ γεγονότι μὲν τῶν ἐν Βυζακίῳ στασιωτῶν πρώτῳ, ξυναραμένῳ δὲ αὐτῷ μάλιστα ἐς τὴν τῆς τυραννίδος ἐπίθεσιν.

§ 4.27.22 ἰσχυρίζετο γὰρ ὁ Πασίφιλος, ἢν ταῦτα ποιοίη, ξυνοικιεῖν τε αὐτῷ βασιλέα τὴν κόρην καὶ προῖκα κατὰ τὸ ξυγγενὲς ἐπιδώσειν χρημάτων μεγάλων.

§ 4.27.23 Ἀρταβάνην τε τῷ στρατῷ ἐξηγεῖσθαι ἐπί τε Ἀντάλαν καὶ Μαυρουσίους τοὺς ἐν Βυζακίῳ ἐκέλευε.

§ 4.27.24 Κουτζίνας γάρ, ἅτε τῷ Ἀντάλᾳ προσκεκρουκώς, ἀπέστη τε αὐτοῦ ἐκ τοῦ ἐμφανοῦς καὶ Γονθάριδι προσεχώρησεν· ᾧ δὴ τόν τε παῖδα καὶ τὴν μητέρα ἐν ὁμήρων λόγῳ παρέσχετο.

§ 4.27.25 τὸ μὲν οὖν στράτευμα ἡγουμένου Ἀρταβάνου εὐθὺς ἐπὶ τὸν Ἀντάλαν ἐχώρει. ξυνῆν δὲ αὐτῷ καὶ Ἰωάννης, ὁ τῶν Στότζα στασιωτῶν ἄρχων, καὶ Οὐλίθεος ὁ δορυφόρος· εἵποντο δὲ καὶ Μαυρούσιοι,

§ 4.27.26 ὧν Κουτζίνας ἦρχε. πόλιν τε Ἀδραμητὸν διαμείψαντες καταλαμβάνουσι τοὺς ἐναντίους ἐνταῦθά πη ὄντας, καὶ στρατοπεδευσάμενοι ὀλίγῳ ἄποθεν τῶν πολεμίων ηὐλίσαντο.

§ 4.27.27 τῇ δὲ ὑστεραίᾳ Ἰωάννης μὲν καὶ Οὐλίθεος, μοῖράν τινα τοῦ στρατοῦ ἔχοντες, αὐτοῦ ἔμειναν, Ἀρταβάνης δὲ καὶ Κουτζίνας ἐπῆγον ἐπὶ τοὺς ἐναντίους τὸ στράτευμα.

§ 4.27.28 οὓς δὴ οὐ ξυνενεγκόντες οἱ ξὺν τῷ Ἀντάλᾳ Μαυρούσιοι ἐς φυγὴν ὥρμηντο.

§ 4.27.29 ἀλλ’ ἐθελοκακήσας Ἀρταβάνης ἐκ τοῦ αἰφνιδίου στρέψας τε τὸ σημεῖον ὀπίσω ἀπήλαυνε.

§ 4.27.30 διὸ δὴ Οὐλίθεος αὐτὸν ἐς τὸ στρατόπεδον ἥκοντα κτείνειν διενοεῖτο.

§ 4.27.31 παραιτούμενος δὲ Ἀρταβάνης ἔφασκε δεῖσαι μὴ Μαρκέντιος ἐξ Ἀδραμητοῦ πόλεως ἐπιβοηθήσας τοῖς ἐναντίοις, ὅπη ἐνταῦθα ἐτύγχανεν ὤν, ἀνήκεστα σφᾶς ἔργα ἐργάσηται·

§ 4.27.32 ἀλλὰ Γόνθαριν χρῆναι παντὶ τῷ στρατῷ ἐπὶ τοὺς πολεμίους ἰέναι.

§ 4.27.33 καὶ τὰ μὲν πρῶτα ἐβουλεύετο ἐς Ἀδραμητὸν ἰὼν ξὺν τοῖς ἑπομένοις τῷ βασιλέως στρατῷ ἀναμίγνυσθαι.

§ 4.27.34 ἄμεινον δέ οἱ πολλὰ διαλογισαμένῳ ἔδοξεν εἶναι Γόνθαριν ἐξ ἀνθρώπων ἀφανίσαντι βασιλέα τε καὶ Λιβύην πραγμάτων ἀπαλλάξαι δυσκόλων.

§ 4.27.35 ἀναστρέψας οὖν ἐς Καρχηδόνα τῷ τυράννῳ ἀπήγγελλεν ὅτι δὴ στρατεύματος αὐτῷ πλείονος ἐπὶ τοὺς πολεμίους δεήσει.

§ 4.27.36 ὁ δὲ Πασιφίλῳ κοινολογησάμενος ἅπαντα μὲν ἐξοπλίσαι τὸν στρατὸν ἤθελεν, αὐτὸς δὲ φυλακὴν ἐν Καρχηδόνι καταστησάμενος ἐπὶ τοὺς πολεμίους τῷ στρατῷ ἐξηγήσασθαι.

§ 4.27.37 πολλοὺς μὲν οὖν ἐς ἡμέραν ἑκάστην ἀνῄρει ἐς οὓς ὑποψίᾳ τινὶ καὶ λόγον οὐκ ἐχούσῃ ἐχρῆτο.

§ 4.27.38 τῷ δὲ Πασιφίλῳ ἐπέστελλεν, ὃν δὴ καταστήσεσθαι ἐπὶ Καρχηδόνος φυλακῇ ἔμελλε, τοὺς Γραικοὺς ἅπαντας οὐδὲν ὑπολογισαμένῳ κτεῖναι.

Source Colophon

Greek source text from the PerseusDL canonical Greek repository file tlg4029.tlg001.perseus-grc2.xml, inspected locally for this translation unit.

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