The Abasgi Revolt and the Caucasus Huns

This Good Works Translation continues the Book 8 Procopius dossier passages from the Greek.

The chapter belongs to the Scythian shelf because Procopius places the Abasgi revolt inside the Caucasus frontier and has Opsites escape to the neighboring Huns and the Caucasus mountains. The full chapter preserves the Lazic, Persian, Abasgian, Apsilian, and Roman campaign frame around that movement.

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 8.9.1-30

Meanwhile the following events took place. The Lazi, going to Byzantium, began to denounce Dagisthaeus to the emperor, charging him with treachery and Medizing.

They declared that he had yielded to Persian persuasion when he refused to establish himself inside the fallen circuit-wall of Petra; meanwhile the enemy had filled bags with sand and laid courses of them instead of stones, and in this way had secured the parts of the circuit-wall that had fallen.

They stated that Dagisthaeus, whether driven by a bribe or by negligence, had postponed the attack to another time and had thus let slip for the moment the precious opportunity which, of course, he had never again been able to grasp.

The emperor therefore confined him in prison and kept him under guard.

He then appointed Bessas, who had returned from Italy not long before, general of Armenia, and sent him to Lazica with instructions to command the Roman army there. Venilus, brother of Buzes, had already been sent there with an army, as had Odonachus, Babas from Thrace, and Uligagus of the Eruli.

Nabedes had invaded Lazica with an army, but accomplished nothing of consequence beyond spending some time with this army among the Abasgi, who had revolted from the Romans and the Lazi, and taking from them sixty children of their notables as hostages.

At that time, as an incident of his journey, Nabedes captured Theodora, the consort of Opsites, who was uncle of Gubazes and king of the Lazi. He found her among the Apsilii and carried her away to the land of Persia.

This woman happened to be Roman by birth; for the kings of the Lazi from ancient times had been sending to Byzantium and, with the emperor's consent, arranging marriages with some of the senators, taking their wives home from there.

Indeed, Gubazes was descended from a Roman family on his mother's side.

I shall now set forth the reason why these Abasgi turned to revolt. When they had removed their own kings from power, as I have told above, Roman soldiers sent by the emperor began to be quartered among them very generally; and these soldiers sought to annex the land to the Roman empire, imposing certain new regulations on them. Because these were rather severe, the Abasgi became exceedingly angry.

Fearing, therefore, that thereafter they would be mere slaves of the Romans, they again put their rulers in power, one named Opsites in the eastern part of their country, and Scepamas in the western part.

Thus, because they had fallen into despair of better things, they naturally sought to regain the condition which had previously seemed painful to them in place of their later state, seeing that this had been worse.

Because of this change, they were afraid of Roman power and went over as secretly as possible to the Persians.

When the Emperor Justinian heard this, he ordered Bessas to send a strong army against them. Bessas accordingly selected a large number from the Roman army, appointed Uligagus and John the son of Thomas to command them, and immediately sent them by sea against the Abasgi.

It happened that one of the rulers of the Abasgi, the one named Scepamas, was away for some reason among the Persians; he had gone not long before under summons to Chosroes. But the other ruler, learning of the Roman invasion, mustered all the Abasgi and hastened to meet them.

Beyond the boundary of Apsilia, on the road into Abasgia, there is a place of the following sort: a lofty ridge runs out from the Caucasus and, as it goes along, gradually sinks to a lower level, resembling a ladder in a way, until it comes to an end at the Euxine sea.

On the lower slope of this mountain the Abasgi in ancient times built an exceedingly strong fortress of very considerable size.

Here they always take refuge and repel the incursions of their enemies, who are in no way able to storm so difficult a position.

Indeed there is only one path leading to this fortress and to the rest of the land of the Abasgi, and this is impassable for men marching two abreast; there is no way to proceed there except in single file and on foot, and that with difficulty. Above this path rises the side of an exceedingly rough gorge, which extends from the fortress to the sea. The place bears a name worthy of the gorge, for the inhabitants call it Trachea, using a Greek word.

The Roman fleet put in between the boundaries of the Abasgi and the Apsilii. John and Uligagus disembarked their troops and proceeded on foot, while the sailors followed the army along the coast with all the boats.

When they came near Trachea, they saw the whole force of the Abasgi fully armed and standing in order along the whole gorge above the path I have just mentioned. They fell into great perplexity, since they were quite unable to deal with the situation before them, until John, after long reasoning with himself, found a remedy for the trouble.

Leaving Uligagus there with half the army, he himself took the others and manned the boats.

By rowing, they rounded the place where Trachea was, passed it entirely, and thus got into the rear of the enemy. Then the Romans raised their standards and advanced.

The Abasgi, seeing the enemy pressing upon them from both sides, no longer offered resistance or even kept their ranks; turning to withdraw in a very disorderly retreat, they kept moving forward.

But they were so hindered by fear and the helplessness that came from it that they could no longer find their way through the rough terrain of their native haunts, nor could they easily get away from the place. Meanwhile the Romans followed them up from both sides and caught and killed many.

They reached the fortress on the run together with the fugitives, and found the small gate there still open; for the guards could in no way close the gates while they were still receiving the fugitives.

Pursued and pursuers, mingled together, all rushed toward the gate: the former eager to save themselves, the latter to capture the fortress.

Finding the gates open, they charged through them together; for the gatekeepers could neither distinguish the Abasgi from the enemy nor close the gates with the throng overpowering them.

The Abasgi, for their part, though relieved to get inside the fortress, were actually captured with the fortress; while the Romans, thinking they had mastered their opponents, found themselves involved there in a harder struggle.

For the houses were numerous and not far apart from one another; indeed they were crowded together so closely that they resembled a wall all around. The Abasgi mounted them and defended themselves with all their strength, hurling missiles upon the heads of the enemy, fighting with all their might, full of fear and pity for their children and women, and therefore overcome with despair, until it occurred to the Romans to set the houses on fire.

They accordingly set fire to them on all sides, and in this way became completely victorious in the struggle. Opsites, the ruler of the Abasgi, managed to escape with only a few men and withdrew to the neighboring Huns and the Caucasus mountains.

The others either were charred and burned to ashes with their houses, or fell into the hands of the enemy. The Romans also captured the women of the rulers with all their offspring, razed the defenses of the fortress to the ground, and made the land desolate for a great distance. This, then, was the outcome of the Abasgi revolt. Among the Apsilii, the following occurred.

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 thirty-first unit in the Procopius Wars steppe and Black Sea translation dossier, and the sixth Book 8 unit.

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

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Source Text: Procopius, Wars 8.9.1-30

Greek source text from Procopius, Wars 8.9. Presented here for reference, study, and verification alongside the English translation above.

Wars 8.9

§ 8.9.1 Ἐν τούτῳ δὲ τάδε ξυνηνέχθη γενέσθαι. Λαζοὶ Δαγισθαῖον ἐς βασιλέα διέβαλλον, ἐς Βυζάντιον ἥκοντες, προδοσίαν τε καὶ μηδισμὸν ἐπιφέροντες.

§ 8.9.2 Πέρσαις γὰρ αὐτὸν ἰσχυρίζοντο ἀναπεισθέντα οὐ βεβουλῆσθαι καταπεπτωκότος τοῦ Πέτρας περιβόλου ἐπιβατεῦσαι, τούς τε πολεμίους θυλάκους μεταξὺ ψάμμου ἐμπλησαμένους καὶ αὐτῶν τὰς ἐπιβολὰς ἀντὶ λίθων ποιησαμένους τοῦ περιβόλου ὅσα καταπεπτώκει ταύτῃ κρατύνασθαι.

§ 8.9.3 ἔλεγόν τε ὡς Δαγισθαῖος, εἴτε χρήμασιν εἴτε ὀλιγωρίᾳ ἐς τοῦτο ἠγμένος, τὴν ἐπίθεσιν ἐς ἕτερόν τινα χρόνον ἀπέθετο, καὶ τοῦ καιροῦ τὴν ἀκμὴν ἐν τῷ παραυτίκα μεθῆκεν, ἧς γε οὐκέτι ἀντιλαβέσθαι οἷός τε ἐγεγόνει.

§ 8.9.4 αὐτὸν οὖν βασιλεὺς ἐν τῷ οἰκήματι καθείρξας ἐτήρει· Βέσσαν δέ, ἐξ Ἰταλίας οὐ πολλῷ ἔμπροσθεν ἥκοντα, στρατηγὸν Ἀρμενίων καταστησάμενος ἐς Λαζικὴν πέμπει, ἄρχειν ἐπαγγείλας τοῦ ἐνταῦθα Ῥωμαίων στρατοῦ.

§ 8.9.5 οὗ δὴ καὶ Βενῖλος, ὁ Βούζου ἀδελφός, ξὺν στρατῷ ἤδη σταλεὶς ἔτυχε καὶ Ὀδόναχός τε καὶ ὁ Βάβας ἐκ Θρᾴκης καὶ Οὐλίγαγος Ἔρουλος γενος.

§ 8.9.6 Ὅ τε Ναβέδης ἐσβαλὼν ἐς Λαζικὴν στρατῷ ἄλλο μέν τι λόγου ἄξιον οὐδὲν ἔδρασεν, Ἀβασγοῖς δὲ ἀποστᾶσιν ἀπό τε Ῥωμαίων καὶ Λαζῶν ἐπιχωριάσας τῇ στρατιᾷ ταύτῃ, παῖδας τῶν ἐν σφίσι λογίμων ἑξήκοντα ἐν ὁμήρων λόγῳ πρὸς αὐτῶν ἔλαβε.

§ 8.9.7 ʽτότε δὲ ποιούμενος ὁ Ναβέδης ὁδοῦ πάρεργον, καὶ Θεοδώραν Ὀψίτῃ ξυνοικήσασαν ʽὃς ἐγεγόνει Γουβάζου μὲν θεῖος, Λαζῶν δὲ βασιλεὺσ̓ εὑρὼν ἐν Ἀψιλίοις εἷλεν, ἔς τε τὰ Περσῶν ἤθη ἀπήνεγκε.

§ 8.9.8 Ῥωμαία δὲ γένος ἡ γυνὴ ἐτύγχανεν οὖσα, ἐπεὶ ἐκ παλαιοῦ οἱ Λαζῶν βασιλεῖς ἐς Βυζάντιον πέμποντες βασιλέως τε γνώμῃ ξυνιόντες ἐς κῆδός τισι τῶν ἀπὸ τῆς συγκλήτου βουλῆς γυναῖκας ἐνθένδε γαμετὰς ἐκομίζοντο.

§ 8.9.9 καὶ Γουβάζης ἀμέλει Ῥωμαίας γυναικὸς ἐγεγόνει γένος.ʼ ὅτου δὲ ἕνεκα οἱ Ἀβασγοὶ οὗτοι ἐς ἀπόστασιν εἶδον, ἐγὼ δηλώσω.

§ 8.9.10 Ἐπειδὴ βασιλεῖς τοὺς σφετέρους καθεῖλον, ᾗπέρ μοι ἔναγχος δεδιήγηται, στρατιῶται Ῥωμαίων πρὸς βασιλέως στελλόμενοι ἐπεχωρίαζόν τε αὐτοῖς ἐκ τοῦ ἐπὶ πλεῖστον καὶ προσποιεῖσθαι τῇ Ῥωμαίων ἀρχῇ τὴν χώραν ἠξίουν, καινά τε αὐτοῖς ἄττα ἐπέταττον.

§ 8.9.11 οἷσπερ Ἀβασγοὶ βιαιοτέροις οὖσιν ἀτεχνῶς ἤχθοντο. δείσαντες οὖν μὴ Ῥωμαίων δοῦλοι τὸ λοιπὸν ἔσονται, τοὺς ἄρχοντας αὖθις κατεστήσαντο σφίσιν Ὀψίτην μὲν ὄνομα ἐς τῆς χώρας τὰ πρὸς ἀνίσχοντα ἥλιον,

§ 8.9.12 Σκεπαρνᾶν δὲ ἐς τὰ πρὸς ἑσπέραν. ἐς ἀγαθῶν γὰρ ἐκπεπτωκότες ἀπόγνωσιν τὰπρότερον δόξαντα σφίσι μοχθηρὰ εἶναι τῶν ἐπιγενομένων ἅτε πονηροτέρων ὄντων, ὡς τὸ εἰκός, ἀντηλλάσσοντο, δύναμίν τε ἀπ’ αὐτοῦ τὴν Ῥωμαίων δειμαίνοντες Πέρσαις ὡς λαθραιότατα προσεχώρησαν. ἅπερ ἐπεὶ βασιλεὺς Ἰουστινιανὸς ἤκουσε, Βέσσαν ἐκέλευε στράτευμα λόγου ἄξιον ἐπ’ αὐτοὺς στεῖλαι.

§ 8.9.13 ὁ δὲ πολλοὺς ἀπολεξάμενος τοῦ Ῥωμαίων στρατοῦ, καὶ ἄρχοντας ἐπιστήσας αὐτοῖς Οὐλίγαγόν τε καὶ Ἰωάννην τὸν Θωμᾶ υἱόν, αὐτίκα ἐπὶ τοὺς Ἀβασγοὺς ναυσὶν ἔπεμψεν. ἐτύγχανε δὲ ἅτερος μὲν τῶν ἐν Ἀβασγοῖς ἡγουμένων, Σκεπαρνᾶς ὄνομα, ἐν Πέρσαις τινὰ διατριβὴν ἔχων·

§ 8.9.14 μετάπεμπτος γὰρ ὀλίγῳ πρότερον παρὰ Χοσρόην ἀφῖκτο. ὁ δὲ δὴ ἕτερος, τὴν Ῥωμαίων μαθὼν ἔφοδον, τούς τε Ἀβασγοὺς ἅπαντας ἤγειρε καὶ ὑπαντιάζειν διὰ σπουδῆς εἶχεν.

§ 8.9.15 Ἔστι δὲ χῶρος μετὰ τοὺς Ἀψιλίας ὅρους ἐν τῇ ἐς τὴν Ἀβασγίαν εἰσόδῳ τοιόσδε· ὄρος ὑψηλὸν ἐκ τῶν Καυκασίων ἀρχόμενον καὶ κατὰ βραχὺ ἐλασσούμενόν τε καὶ ὑπολῆγον ὥσπερ τις κλῖμαξ κατατείνει καὶ τελευτᾷ ἐς τὸν Εὔξεινον Πόντον.

§ 8.9.16 καὶ φρούριον μὲν ἐχυρώτατόν τε καὶ μεγέθους πέρι ἀξιολογώτατον ἐκ παλαιοῦ Ἀβασγοὶ ἐν τῇ ὑπωρείᾳ τοῦ ὄρους τούτου ἐδείμαντο.

§ 8.9.17 οὗ δὴ καταφεύγοντες ἐκκρούουσιν ἀεὶ τὰς τῶν πολεμίων ἐφόδους, οὐδαμῆ ἐχόντων τὴν δυσχωρίαν βιάζεσθαι. μία δὲ εἴσοδος εἰσάγουσά ἐστιν ἔς τε τὸ φρούριον τοῦτο καὶ ἐς τὴν ἄλλην Ἀβασγῶν χώραν, ἥπερ ἀνδράσι σύνδυο ἐρχομένοις ἀπόρευτος τυγχάνει οὖσα.

§ 8.9.18 μηχανὴ γὰρ οὐδεμία ἐστὶν ὅτι μὴ κατ’ ἄνδρα καὶ μόλις πεζεύοντα ἐνθένδε ἰέναι. τῆς τε ἀτραποῦ ταύτης ὑπέρκειται φάραγξ ἐσάγαν σκληρὰ ἐκ τοῦ φρουρίου διήκουσα μέχρι ἐς τὴν θάλασσαν.

§ 8.9.19 φέρεται δὲ καὶ προσηγορίαν τῆς φάραγγος ἀξίαν ὁ χῶρος, ἐπεὶ αὐτὸν ἑλληνίζοντες οἱ τῇδε ἄνθρωποι τὰ Τραχέα καλοῦσιν.

§ 8.9.20 Ὁ μὲν οὖν Ῥωμαίων στόλος μεταξὺ ὁρίων τῶν τε Ἀβασγῶν καὶ Ἀψιλίων κατέπλευσεν, Ἰωάννης δὲ καὶ Οὐλίγαγος ἐς τὴν γῆν τοὺς στρατιώτας ἀποβιβάσαντες πεζῇ ἐχώρουν, οἵ τε ναῦται ταῖς ἀκάτοις ἁπάσαις παρὰ τὴν ἠϊόνα τῷ στρατῷ εἵποντο.

§ 8.9.21 ἐπειδὴ δὲ τῶν Τραχέων ὡς ἀγχοτάτω ἐγένοντο, ἐξωπλισπένους τε ὁρῶσιν Ἀβασγοὺς ἅπαντας καὶ τῆς ἀτραποῦ ὕπερθεν ἧς ἄρτι ἐμνήσθην κατὰ τὴν φάραγγα ὅλην ἐν τάξει ἑστῶτας, ἀμηχανίᾳ τε πολλῇ εἴχοντο θέσθαι τὰ σφίσι παρόντα οὐδαμῆ ἔχοντες, ἕως ἐν αὑτῷ πολλὰ λογισάμενος Ἰωάννης ἄκεσίν τινα τοῦ κακοῦ εὗρε.

§ 8.9.22 τὸν γὰρ Οὐλίγαγον ξὺν τῷ ἡμίσει τοῦ στρατοῦ ἐνταῦθα ἐάσας αὐτὸς τοὺς ἄλλους ἐπαγόμενος τὰς ἀκάτους ἐπλήρου. ἐρέσσοντές τε χῶρον τὸν τῶν Τραχέων περιῆλθόν τε καὶ διέβησαν ὅλον καὶ κατὰ νώτου τῶν πολεμίων ταύτῃ ἐγένοντο.

§ 8.9.23 ἄραντες οὖν τὰ σημεῖα ἐς αὐτοὺς ᾔεσαν. Ἀβασγοὶ δὲ τοὺς πολεμίους σφίσιν ἑκατέρωθεν ἐγκειμένους ἰδόντες ἐς ἀλκὴν μὲν οὐκέτι ἔβλεπον, οὐδὲ τὴν τάξιν ἐφύλασσον, ἐς ὑπαγωγὴν δὲ ξὺν πολλῇ ἀκοσμίᾳ τραπόμενοι πρόσω ἐχώρουν, οὕτω τῷ δέει καὶ τῇ ἀπ’ αὐτοῦ ἀμηχανίᾳ συμποδιζόμενοι ὥστε οὔτε τὴν πατρῴαν σφίσι δυσχωρίαν ἔτι διαγινώσκειν ἐδύναντο οὔτε πη εὐπετῶς ἐνθένδε ἰέναι.

§ 8.9.24 Ῥωμαῖοι δὲ αὐτοῖς ἑκατέρωθεν ἐπισπόμενοί τε καὶ καταλαβόντες πολλοὺς ἔκτειναν. δρόμῳ τε ξὺν τοῖς φεύγουσιν ἐς τὸ φρούριον ἀφικόμενοι ἀνακεκλιμένης ἔτι ἐπιτυγχάνουσι τῆς ταύτῃ πυλίδος· οἱ γὰρ φύλακες ἐπιθεῖναι τὰς θύρας οὐδαμῆ εἶχον, ἀλλὰ τοὺς φεύγοντας ἔτι ἐδέχοντο.

§ 8.9.25 τῶν τε φυγόντων τοῖς διώκουσιν ἀναμιχθέντων ἐπὶ τὰς πύλας ἵενται ἅπαντες, οἱ μὲν ἐπιθυμίᾳ τοῦ σώζεσθαι,

§ 8.9.26 οἱ δὲ τοῦ τὸ φρούριον ἐξελεῖν. ἀνακεκλιμένας οὖν τὰς πύλας εὑρόντες συνεισέβαλον ἐς ταύτας ἀλλήλοις. οἱ γὰρ πυλωροὶ οὔτε διακρίνειν ἀπὸ τῶν πολεμίων τοὺς Ἀβασγοὺς εἶχον οὔτε τὰς πύλας ὑπερβιαζομένου τοῦ ὁμίλου ἐπιτιθέναι.

§ 8.9.27 Καὶ οἱ μὲν Ἀβασγοὶ ἄσμενοι ἐντὸς τοῦ περιβόλου γενόμενοι ξὺν τῷ φρουρίῳ ἡλίσκοντο, Ῥωμαῖοι δὲ τῶν ἐναντίων κεκρατηκέναι οἰόμενοι πόνῳ δυσκολωτέρῳ ἐνταῦθα ὡμίλουν.

§ 8.9.28 τῶν γὰρ οἰκιῶν συχνῶν τε οὐσῶν καὶ οὐ λίαν διεχουσῶν ἀλλήλων, ἀλλὰ καὶ τρόπον τείχους πανταχόθεν συμπεφραγμένων, Ἀβασγοὶ ἐς αὐτὰς ἀναβάντες καὶ σθένει παντὶ ἀμυνόμενοι, τοὺς πολεμίους κατὰ κορυφὴν ἔβαλλον, πόνῳ καὶ φόβῳ καὶ τῷ ἐς παῖδάς τε καὶ γυναῖκας ἐλέῳ καὶ τῇ ἐνθένδε ἀπορίᾳ ἐχόμενοι, ἕως Ῥωμαίοις ἐμπρῆσαι τὰς οἰκίας ἐς ἔννοιαν ἦλθε.

§ 8.9.29 πῦρ τοίνυν αὐταῖς πανταχόθεν ἀνάψαντες τοῦ ἀγῶνος παντάπασι τούτου ἐκράτησαν. Ὀψίτης μὲν οὖν, ὁ τῶν Ἀβασγῶν ἄρχων, ξὺν ὀλίγοις τισὶ φυγεῖν ἴσχυσεν, ἔς τε Οὔννους τοὺς πλησιοχώρους καὶ ὄρος τὸ Καυκάσιον ἀνεχώρησε.

§ 8.9.30 τοῖς δὲ δὴ ἄλλοις ἢ ξὺν ταῖς οἰκίαις ἐξηνθρακωμένοις τετεφρῶσθαι ξυνέβη, ἢ ὑπὸ ταῖς τῶν πολεμίων γεγονέναι χερσίν. ἐζώγρησαν δὲ Ῥωμαῖοι καὶ τὰς τῶν ἀρχόντων γυναῖκας ξὺν γόνῳ παντί, τοῦ τε φρουρίου τὸν περίβολον ἐς ἔδαφος καθεῖλον καὶ τὴν χώραν ἔρημον κατεστήσαντο ἐκ τοῦ ἐπὶ πλεῖστον. Ἀβασγοῖς μὲν οὖν τὰ τῆς ἀποστάσεως ἐς τοῦτο ἐτελεύτα· ἐν δὲ Ἀψιλίοις ἐγένετο τάδε.

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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