Belisarius at Ravenna and the Hunnic Attack on Illyricum

This Good Works Translation continues the Book 7 Procopius dossier passages from the Greek.

The Hunnic army appears as the external shock that pulls Vitalius' Illyrians out of Italy: their women and children have been enslaved at home. The chapter is kept whole so that the Hunnic raid is not isolated from Belisarius' weak recovery effort, the collapse of manpower, and the Auximum-Pisaurus operations.

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 7.11.1-39

Such was the fate that befell Tibur. Belisarius arrived at Ravenna with the whole fleet. There he gathered the Goths who were in the city and the Roman soldiers, and spoke as follows.

"This is not the first time that the achievements of courage have been brought to nothing by wickedness. From ancient times this has been wholly natural in human affairs. Many times the depravity of the basest men has been enough to frustrate and destroy the deeds of good men.

"Now this very thing has ruined the emperor's cause. He, for his part, is so deeply concerned to correct the mistakes that have been made that he has thought the task of defeating the Persians less urgent than this situation, and has decided at the present time to send me to you.

"He has done this so that I may set right and remedy whatever has been done wrongly by the commanders in their treatment of his soldiers or of the Goths.

"It is not human for no mistakes at all to be made by anyone, nor is it possible in the natural course of events. But to set right the mistakes that have been made is a task especially fitting for an emperor, and one that can greatly console his subjects.

"For not only will you be released from distress, but you will also immediately be able to understand and enjoy the emperor's good will toward you. What greater good could there be for a man than this?

"Since I am here with you for this purpose, it is incumbent on each of you, in your turn, to exert himself to the utmost, so that you may profit by the service now offered.

"If any of you happens to have relatives or friends with the usurper Totila, let him summon them as quickly as possible and explain the emperor's purpose.

"By doing so, you could gain both the blessings that flow from peace and those that fall from the hand of a mighty emperor. For I, at least, have not come here with any desire for war against anyone, nor would I ever willingly be an enemy of the emperor's subjects.

"If, however, even now they consider it a trivial matter to choose the course that is better for themselves, and if they stand against us, then it will be necessary for us also, though much against our will, to treat them as enemies."

So Belisarius spoke. But not one of the enemy came over to him, neither Goth nor Roman.

Next he sent his bodyguard Thurimuth and some of his own troops, with Vitalius and the Illyrian soldiers, into Aemilia, commanding them to make trial of the towns there.

Vitalius with this force took up a position near the city of Bononia. After taking some of the neighboring fortresses by surrender, he remained inactive in Bononia.

Not long after this the whole body of the Illyrians serving under him suddenly withdrew secretly from the town by night and went homeward, though they had neither suffered any harsh treatment nor heard any rebuke.

They sent envoys to the emperor and begged him to grant them pardon, since they had come to their homes in this way for no other reason than that, after long service in Italy without receiving their regular pay, the state now owed them a large sum of money.

But it had happened that a Hunnic army had fallen upon the Illyrians and enslaved their women and children. It was because of this news, and also because they had a shortage of provisions in Italy, that they withdrew.

Although the emperor was at first angry with them, he later forgave them.

When Totila learned of the withdrawal of the Illyrians, he sent an army against Bononia in order to capture Vitalius and the troops with him by a swift attack.

But Vitalius and Thurimuth set ambushes in several places. In this way they destroyed many of the attacking force and turned the rest to flight.

There Nazares, a man of note and an Illyrian by birth, commander of the troops in Illyricum, surpassed all others by the remarkable display he made in deeds of war against the enemy.

After this Thurimuth came to Belisarius in Ravenna.

At last Belisarius sent three of his own bodyguards, Thurimuth, Ricilas, and Sabinianus, with a thousand soldiers to the city of Auximum, in order to support Magnus and the Romans besieged there.

This force slipped past Totila and the enemy camp by night and got inside Auximum. Then they began planning to make sallies against their opponents.

On the following day about noon, after learning that some of the enemy were near, they sallied out with the purpose of confronting them. But before going on, they decided to send scouts against them to spy out the enemy's strength, so that they would not attack without reconnoitering.

Ricilas, the bodyguard of Belisarius, who happened at the time to be drunk, would not allow any others to go scouting. Instead he rode out alone on horseback and went at full speed.

Coming upon three Goths on a steep slope, he at first took his stand intending to oppose them, for he was a man of extraordinary courage. But when he saw many men rushing toward him from every side, he hastened to flee.

His horse stumbled in a rough place. Then a great shout rose from the enemy and they all hurled their javelins at him.

When the Romans heard this uproar, they came running to the rescue. Ricilas was killed, buried under a great number of spears, but the troops of Thurimuth routed their opponents, lifted up the body, and carried it inside Auximum.

Thus Ricilas met his death in a manner unworthy of his courage.

Afterward Sabinianus and Thurimuth, in conference with Magnus, judged it inadvisable to spend any more time there. They reasoned that, because of Totila's numbers, they would never clearly be a match for the enemy in battle; on the other hand, by using up the provisions of the besieged, they would doom the city to be captured by the enemy even sooner.

When this had been decided, they and their thousand men began preparing for departure, intending to begin the journey by night. But one of the soldiers immediately deserted secretly to the enemy camp and made known the Romans' plans.

Totila therefore chose two thousand men distinguished for courage. As night came on, he placed guards on the roads thirty stades from Auximum, keeping his movements entirely secret.

When these guards, about midnight, saw the enemy passing by, they drew their swords and began the attack.

They killed two hundred of them; but Sabinianus and Thurimuth, together with the rest, succeeded because of the darkness in escaping and fleeing into Ariminum.

The Goths, however, captured all the pack animals that were carrying the servants, weapons, and clothing of the soldiers.

There are two fortresses on the coast of the Ionian Gulf, Pisaurus and Fanus, situated between Auximum and Ariminum.

At the beginning of this war Vittigis had dismantled them, burning their houses and tearing down their walls to about half their height, so that the Romans, by seizing them, might not be able to trouble the Goths.

Belisarius decided to seize one of these fortresses, Pisaurus, for it seemed to him well situated for pasturing horses.

He sent some of his associates by night and secretly obtained the exact measurements, both breadth and height, of each gateway. Next he had gates made, bound them with iron, loaded them on boats, and sent them off.

He commanded the men of Sabinianus and Thurimuth to fit these gates quickly to the walls, then remain inside the circuit-wall and, once they had secured their safety, build up in whatever way possible the parts of the circuit-wall that had fallen, using stones, mud, or any other material at all.

They carried out these instructions. But Totila, when he heard what was being done, marched against them with a great army.

He made an attempt on the town and stayed near it for some time. Since he was unable to capture it, he returned baffled to his camp at Auximum.

The Romans, however, were no longer making sallies against the enemy, but were remaining within the walls at each fortress.

Furthermore, even when Belisarius sent two of his guards to Rome, Artasires, a Persian, and Barbation of Thrace, to assist Bessas in guarding the city, he instructed them by no means to make sallies against the enemy.

As for Totila and the Gothic army, seeing that Belisarius' force was not sufficient to array itself against them, they decided to harry the strongest of the towns.

They therefore made camp in Picenum before Firmum and Asculum and began a siege. Winter drew to a close, and the tenth year ended in this war whose history Procopius has written.

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 eighteenth unit in the Procopius Wars steppe and Black Sea translation dossier, and the second Book 7 unit.

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

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Source Text: Procopius, Wars 7.11.1-39

Greek source text from Procopius, Wars 7.11. Presented here for reference, study, and verification alongside the English translation above.

Wars 7.11

§ 7.11.1 Τὰ μὲν οὖν ἀμφὶ Τιβούρει οὕτω γενέσθαι ξυνέπεσε. Βελισάριος δὲ παντὶ τῷ στόλῳ ἐς Ῥάβενναν ἀφικόμενος Γότθους τε τοὺς παρόντας καὶ Ῥωμαίων στρατιώτας ξυναγαγὼν ἔλεξε τοιάδε· “Οὐ νῦν πρῶτον, ὦ ἄνδρες, τὰ τῆς ἀρετῆς ἔργα πρὸς τῆς κακίας διερρυηκέναι ξυμβέβηκεν.

§ 7.11.2 ἄνωθεν γὰρ τοῦτο τοῖς ἀνθρωπίνοις ἐμπέφυκεν ἀτεχνῶς πράγμασι, πολλάς τε ἀνδρῶν ἀγαθῶν πράξεις μοχθηρία τῶν πονηροτάτων ἀναχαιτίζειν τε καὶ διαφθείρειν ἱκανῶς ἴσχυσεν. ὅπερ καὶ νῦν τὰ βασιλέως πράγματα ἔσφηλεν.

§ 7.11.3 ᾧ δὴ τοσοῦτον τὰ ἡμαρτημένα ἐπανορθοῦν μέλει, ὥστε τὴν Περσῶν ἐπικράτησιν περὶ ἐλάσσονος τούτων ποιούμενος ἀποστεῖλαί με τανῦν εἰς ὑμᾶς ἔγνωκεν, ὅπως ἐπανορθώσω καὶ ἰάσωμαι εἴ τι τοῖς ἄρχουσι μὴ ὀρθῶς ἢ ἐς τοὺς στρατιώτας τοὺς αὐτοῦ ἢ εἰς Γότθους εἴργασται.

§ 7.11.4 τὸ μὲν οὖν μηδὲν ὑφ’ ὁτουοῦν ἁμαρτάνεσθαι οὔτε ἀνθρώπινον καὶ τῆς τῶν πραγμάτων φύσεως ἔξω, τὸ δὲ τὰ ἡμαρτημένα ἐπανορθοῦν βασιλεῖ τε διαρκῶς πρέπον καὶ παραψυχῆς τοῖς ἠγαπημένοις ἱκανῶς ἄξιον.

§ 7.11.5 οὐ γὰρ ὅσον ὑμῖν τῶν δυσκόλων ἀπαλλαγῆναι ξυμβήσεται, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῆς βασιλέως εἰς ὑμᾶς εὐνοίας ξυνεῖναί τε καὶ ἀπολαύειν αὐτίκα προσέσται· οὗ τί ἂν ἀξιώτερον γένοιτο ἀνθρώπῳ τῶν πάντων χρημάτων;

§ 7.11.6 ἐπειδὴ τοίνυν ἐπ’ αὐτῷ τούτῳ ὑμῖν πάρειμι, προσήκει καὶ ὑμῶν ἕκαστον πάσῃ δυνάμει χρήσασθαι,

§ 7.11.7 ὅπως ἂν τῆς ἐντεῦθεν ὠφελείας ἀπόναισθε. ὅτῳ τε ὑμῶν ξυγγενεῖς ἢ φίλοι παρὰ Τουτίλᾳ τῷ τυράννῳ τυγχάνουσιν ὄντες, μεταπεμψάσθω τούτους ὅτι τάχιστα τὴν βασιλέως δηλώσας γνώμην.

§ 7.11.8 οὕτω γὰρ ἂν ὑμῖν τά τε ἐκ τῆς εἰρήνης καὶ τὰ ἐκ τοῦ μεγάλου βασιλέως ἀγαθὰ γένοιτο. ὡς ἔγωγε οὔτε τῳ πολεμησείων ἐνθάδε ἀφῖγμαι οὒτ’ ἂν ἑκών ποτε τοῖς βασιλέως κατηκόοις πολέμιος εἴην.

§ 7.11.9 εἰ μέντοι καὶ νῦν παρὰ φαῦλον ἡγησάμενοι τὸ τὰ βελτίω σφίσιν αὐτοῖς ἑλέσθαι οἵδε ἀπ’ ἐναντίας ἡμῖν ἴωσιν, ἀνάγκη καὶ ἡμᾶς αὐτοῖς ὡς μάλιστα ἀκουσίους ὡς πολεμίοις χρῆσθαι.”

§ 7.11.10 Τοσαῦτα μὲν Βελισάριος εἶπε. προσεχώρει δέ οἱ τῶν ἐναντίων οὐδεὶς οὔτε Γότθος οὔτε Ῥωμαῖος. ἔπειτα δὲ Θουριμούθ τε τὸν δορυφόρον καὶ τῶν

§ 7.11.11 ἑπομένων τινὰς ξύν τε Βιταλίῳ καὶ τοῖς Ἰλλυριοῖς στρατιώταις ἐς Αἰμιλίαν πέμψας, ἐκέλευεν ἀποπειρᾶσθαι τῶν ταύτῃ χωρίων.

§ 7.11.12 Βιτάλιος οὖν ξὺν τῷ στρατῷ τούτῳ ἀμφὶ πόλιν Βονώνειαν γενόμενός τινά τε τῶν ἐνταῦθα φρουρίων ὁμολογίᾳ ἑλὼν ἐν Βονωνείᾳ πόλει ἡσύχαζε.

§ 7.11.13 χρόνῳ δὲ οὐ πολλῷ ὕστερον Ἰλλυριοὶ ξύμπαντες, ὅσοι ξὺν αὐτῷ ἐστρατεύοντο, ἐκ τοῦ αἰφνιδίου, κακὸν οὐδὲν οὔτε παθόντες οὔτε ἀκούσαντες, λάθρα ἐνθένδε ἀναχωρήσαντες ἐπ’ οἴκου ἀπεκομίσθησαν.

§ 7.11.14 πρέσβεις τε παρὰ βασιλέα πέμψαντες συγγνώμην διδόναι σφίσιν ἐδέοντο, οὐκ ἄλλου του ἕνεκα εἰς τὰ οἰκεῖα τῷ τρόπῳ τούτῳ ἀφικομένοις ἢ ὅτι συχνὸν σφίσι χρόνον ἐν Ἰταλίᾳ στρατευομένοις τάς τε συντάξεις ὡς ἥκιστα κομιζομένοις χρήματα δὴ πολλὰ τὸ δημόσιον ὤφειλε.

§ 7.11.15 στρατεύματος δὲ Οὐννικοῦ τοῖς Ἰλλυριοῖς ἐπισκήψαντος παῖδάς τε καὶ γυναῖκας ἐξηνδραποδίσθαι τετύχηκεν.

§ 7.11.16 ἃ δὴ πυθόμενοι καὶ τῶν ἀναγκαίων ἔν γε Ἰταλιώταις σπανίζοντες ἀνεχώρησαν. οἷς δὴ βασιλεὺς τὰ πρῶτα χαλεπήνας, εἶτα συγγνώμων ἐγένετο. Γνοὺς δὲ ὁ Τουτίλας τὴν τῶν Ἰλλυριῶν ἀναχώρησιν στράτευμα ἐπὶ Βονώνειαν ἔπεμψεν, ὡς Βιτάλιον καὶ τοὺς ξὺν αὐτῷ ἀναρπάσοντας.

§ 7.11.17 ἀλλὰ Βιτάλιός τε καὶ Θουριμοὺθ προλοχίσαντες ἐνέδραις τισὶ τοὺς ἐπιόντας πολλοὺς μὲν διέφθειραν,

§ 7.11.18 τοὺς δὲ λοιποὺς ἐς φυγὴν ἔτρεψαν. ἔνθα Ναζάρης, ἀνὴρ λόγιμος, Ἰλλυριὸς γένος, στρατιωτῶν τε τῶν ἐν Ἰλλυριοῖς ἄρχων, ἔργα θαυμαστὰ ἐς τοὺς πολεμίους πάντων μάλιστα ἐπεδείξατο. οὕτω τε ὁ Θουριμοὺθ παρὰ Βελισάριον ἐς Ῥάβενναν ἦλθε.

§ 7.11.19 Τότε δὴ Βελισάριον τρεῖς τῶν δορυφόρων τῶν αὑτοῦ, Θουριμούθ τε καὶ Ῥικίλαν καὶ Σαβινιανόν, ἔστειλε ξὺν χιλίο ς στρατιώταις ἐς Αὔξιμον πόλιν, Μάγνῳ τε καὶ Ῥωμαίοις ἐνταῦθα πολιορκουμένοις ἐπαμυνοῦντας.

§ 7.11.20 οἱ δὲ Τουτίλαν τε λαθόντες καὶ τὸ τῶν πολεμίων στρατόπεδον νύκτωρ ἐν Αὐξίμῳ ἐγένοντο, ἐπεκδρομάς τέ τινας ποιεῖσθαι ἐπὶ τοὺς ἐναντίους διενοοῦντο.

§ 7.11.21 τῇ δὲ ὑστεραίᾳ πυθόμενοι ἀμφὶ ἡμέραν μέσην τῶν πολεμίων τινὰς ἄγχιστά πη εἶναι ἐξῆλθον μὲν ὡς ὑπαντιάσοντες, κατασκόπους δὲ πέμψαι πρότερον ἐπ’ αὐτοὺς ἔγνωσαν, κατασκεψομένους τὴν δύναμιν, ὡς μὴ ἀνεπισκέπτως ἐπ’ αὐτοὺς ἴωσι.

§ 7.11.22 Ῥικίλας δὲ ὁ Βελισαρίου δορυφόρος ʽοἰνωμένος γὰρ τηνικαῦτα ἐτύγχανεν’ ἄλλους μὲν ἐπὶ κατασκοπῇ οὐκ εἴα ἰέναι, μόνος δὲ αὐτὸς τὸν ἵππον ἐξελάσας κατὰ τάχος ᾔει.

§ 7.11.23 Γότθοις τε τρισὶν ἐντυχὼν ἐν χώρῳ κρημνώδει τὰ μὲν πρῶτα ὡς ἀντιταξόμενος ἔστη· ἐπὶ πλεῖστον γὰρ ἀνδριας ἐτύγχανεν ἥκων· πολλοὺς δὲ πανταχόθεν ἰδὼν ἐπ’ αὐτὸν ἐπιρρέοντας ἐς φυγὴν ὥρμητο.

§ 7.11.24 τοῦ δέ οἱ ἵππου ἐν δυσχωρίᾳ ὀκλάσαντος, κραυγή τε πολλὴ τῶν πολεμίων γέγονε καὶ τὰ δοράτια ἠκόντιζον ἐπ’ αὐτὸν ἅπαντες. ὧν δὴ Ῥωμαῖοι αἰσθόμενοι ἐβοήθουν δρόμῳ.

§ 7.11.25 καὶ Ῥικίλας μὲν δόρασι πολλοῖς κεκαλυμμένος θνήσκει, τρέψαντες δὲ τοὺς ἐναντίους οἱ ἀμφὶ Θουριμούθ, ἄραντές τε τὸν νεκρόν, ἐς Αὔξιμον πόλιν ἐκόμισαν, οὐκ ἐπαξίως τῆς ἀρετῆς τὴν τοῦ βίου καταστροφὴν κληρωσάμενον.

§ 7.11.26 Ἔπειτα Σαβινιανός τε καὶ Θουριμοὺθ Μάγνῳ κοινολογησάμενοι ἀξύμφορον σφίσιν εὕρισκον εἶναι περαιτέρω διατριβήν τινα ἐνταῦθα ποιεῖσθαι, λογισάμενοι ὅτι δὴ οὔτε τοῖς πολεμίοις πολλοῖς γε οὖσιν ἀξιόμαχοί ποτε γένοιντο καὶ τὰς τῶν πολιορκουμένων καταδαπανῶντες τροφὰς ἁλώσιμον ἔτι θᾶσσον τὴν πόλιν τοῖς ἐναντίοις ποιήσονται.

§ 7.11.27 καὶ ἐπεὶ ταῦτα ἐδέδοκτο, αὐτοὶ μὲν καὶ οἱ χίλιοι παρεσκευάζοντο εἰς τὴν ἄφοδον, ὡς νύκτωρ τῆς ἀποπορείας ἀρξόμενοι· αὐτίκα δὲ τῶν τις στρατιωτῶν αὐτομολήσας λάθρα ἐς τὸ τῶν πολεμίων στρατόπεδον ἔκπυστα ἐποίησε τὰ πρασσόμενα.

§ 7.11.28 Τουτίλας τοίνυν ἄνδρας δισχιλίους ἀριστίνδην ἀπολεξάμενος νυκτὸς ἐπιλαβούσης ἐφύλασσε τὰς ὁδοὺς ἀπὸ σταδίων Αὐξίμου τριάκοντα, οὐδενὶ αἴσθησιν παρεχόμενος.

§ 7.11.29 οἳ ἐπεὶ παριόντας ἀμφὶ νύκτα μέσην τοὺς πολεμίους εἶδον, σπασάμενοι τὰ ξίφη ἔργου εἴχοντο.

§ 7.11.30 καὶ αὐτῶν διακοσίους μὲν ἔκτειναν, Σαβινιανὸς δὲ καὶ Θουριμοὺθ ξὺν τοῖς λοιποῖς ἅτε ἐν σκότῳ λαθεῖν τε καὶ φυγεῖν ἐς τὴν Ἀρίμινον ἴσχυσαν.

§ 7.11.31 τῶν μέντοι ὑποζυγίων ἁπάντων Γότθοι ἐκράτησαν, ἃ τῶν στρατιωτῶν τήν τε θεραπείαν καὶ τὰ ὅπλα καὶ τὰ ἱμάτια ἔφερεν.

§ 7.11.32 Ἔστι δὲ πολίσματα δύο πρὸς τῇ ἀκτῇ τοῦ Ἰονίου κόλπου, Πίσαυρός τε καὶ Φανός, μεταξὺ τῆς τε Αὐξίμου καὶ Ἀριμίνου πόλεως κείμενα. ὧν δὴ τὰς οἰκίας τοῦδε τοῦ πολέμου κατ’ ἀρχὰς Οὐίττιγις ἐμπρήσας τὰ τείχη καθεῖλεν ἄχρι ἐς ἥμισυ μάλιστα, ὅπως μὴ καταλαβόντες αὐτὰ Ῥωμαῖοι πράγματα Γότθοις παρέξωσι.

§ 7.11.33 τούτων θάτερον, Πίσαυρον, Βελισάριος καταλαβεῖν ἔγνω· ἔδοξε γάρ οἱ ἐς ἵππων νομὰς ἐπιτηδείως τὸ χωρίον κεῖσθαι. πέμψας οὖν νύκτωρ τῶν οἱ ἐπιτηδείων τινὰς ἐς τὸ ἀκριβὲς εὖρός τε καὶ μῆκος πύλης ἑκάστης ξυνεμετρήσατο λάθρα.

§ 7.11.34 τάς τε πύλας τεκτηνάμενος καὶ σιδήρῳ περιβαλὼν εἶτά τισιν ἀκατίοις ἐνθέμενος ἔπεμψεν, ἃς δὴ ἐκέλευε τοὺς ἀμφὶ Σαβινιανόν τε καὶ Θουριμοὺθ κατὰ τάχος τοῖς τείχεσιν ἐναρμόσαντας ἐντὸς τοῦ περιβόλου μένειν, ἔν τε τῷ ἀσφαλεῖ γενομένους ὅσα τοῦ περιβόλου κατεπεπτώκει, ὅτῳ δὴ ἀνοικοδομήσασθαι τρόπῳ, λίθους τε καὶ πηλὸν καὶ ἄλλο ὁτιοῦν ἐμβαλλομένους. οἱ μὲν οὖν κατὰ ταῦτα ἐποίουν.

§ 7.11.35 Τουτίλας δὲ μαθὼν τὰ πρασσόμενα στρατῷ πολλῷ ἐπ’ αὐτοὺς ἦλθε.

§ 7.11.36 καὶ ἀποπειρασάμενος χρόνον τε ἐνταῦθα διατρίψας τινά, ἐπεὶ ἐξελεῖν οὐχ οἷός τε ἦν, ἄπρακτος ἐν Αὐξίμῳ εἰς τὸ στρατόπεδον ἀνεχώρησεν.

§ 7.11.37 Ἐπεξῄει δὲ Ῥωμαίων ἔτι τοῖς πολεμίοις οὐδείς, ἀλλ’ ἐντὸς τειχῶν ἕκαστοι ἔμενον. ἀλλὰ καὶ τῶν δορυφόρων τῶν αὑτοῦ δύο Βελισάριος ἐς Ῥώμην στείλας, Ἀρτασίρην τε, ἄνδρα Πέρσην, καὶ Βαρβατίωνα Θρᾷκα, ὡς ξυμφυλάξοντας Βέσσᾳ τὴν πόλιν ὃς ἐνταῦθα ἐτύγχανεν ὤν, ἐπέστελλε τοῖς πολεμίοις ὡς ἥκιστα ἐπεξιέναι.

§ 7.11.38 Τουτίλας δὲ καὶ ὁ Γότθων στρατός, ἐπεὶ οὐκ ἀξιόχρεων ἀντιτάξασθαι σφίσι τὴν Βελισαρίου δύναμιν ᾔσθοντο οὖσαν, τῶν χωρίων τὰ ἐχυρώτατα ἐνοχλεῖν ἔγνωσαν.

§ 7.11.39 διὸ δὴ ἐν Πικηνοῖς ἀμφί τε Φίρμον καὶ Ασκουλον ἐνστρατοπεδευσάμενοι ἐς πολιορκίαν καθίσταντο. καὶ ὁ χειμὼν ἔληγε, καὶ δέκατον ἔτος ἐτελεύτα τῷ πολέμῳ τῷδε, ὃν Προκόπιος ξυνέγραψε.

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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