Mermeroes, the Phasis, and the Twelve Thousand Sabiri

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

The chapter belongs to the Scythian shelf because Procopius records twelve thousand Sabiri Huns joining Mermeroes as Persian allies in Lazica, and places them in the strategic geography of Iberia, Colchis, the Phasis, Archaeopolis, and the passes into the Caucasus frontier.

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 8.13.1-30

Mermeroes, fearing that over the course of a long time some mishap might befall Petra and the Persians left there, set his whole army in motion and marched in that direction, moved also by the season, since winter was now past.

But on this journey he learned all that had happened and abandoned the march entirely, knowing well that the Lazi had no fortress beyond the Phasis River except only the one at Petra.

He then turned back and seized the passes from Iberia into the land of Colchis, where the Phasis can be forded; he crossed not only this river on foot, but also another river of no less difficulty, named the Rheon, which likewise is not navigable there.

In this way, getting onto the right side of the Phasis, he led his army forward against a city named Archaeopolis, the first and greatest city in Lazica.

This army, apart from a few men, was entirely cavalry; they had with them eight elephants, on which the Persians were to stand and shoot down upon the heads of their enemies as from towers.

Indeed one might reasonably marvel at the diligence and resourcefulness of the Persians in carrying on their wars. For they took in hand the road leading from Iberia into Colchis, which was everywhere blocked by precipitous ravines and difficult ground covered with brush, and hidden by forests of wide-spreading trees, so that previously even for an unencumbered traveler the way had seemed impassable.

They made it so smooth that not only did their whole cavalry pass that way without difficulty, but they even marched over that road taking with them as many of their elephants as they wished.

Huns also came to them as allies from the nation called the Sabiri, twelve thousand in number. But Mermeroes, fearing that these barbarians, being so numerous, would not only be wholly unwilling to obey his commands, but would actually do some terrible thing to the Persian army, allowed only four thousand to march with him, while he sent all the rest home after giving them a generous present of money.

The Roman army numbered twelve thousand. They were not, however, all gathered in one place, for only three thousand were in the garrison at Archaeopolis under the command of Odonachus and Babas, both able warriors.

All the rest were waiting in camp on the other side of the Phasis River, with the thought that if the enemy's army attacked at any point, they themselves would move out from there and go to the rescue with their whole force.

These were commanded by Venilus and Uligagus. Varazes the Persarmenian was also with them, having recently returned from Italy and having eight hundred Tzani under his command.

As for Bessas, as soon as he had captured Petra, he was quite unwilling to continue the struggle, but withdrew to the Pontici and the Armenians and gave the closest possible attention to the revenues from his territory; by this niggardly policy he again wrecked the cause of the Romans.

For if, immediately after the victory I have described and his capture of Petra, he had gone to the boundaries of Lazica and Iberia and barricaded the passes there, it seems to me that a Persian army would never again have entered Lazica.

But in fact this general, by slighting this task, all but surrendered Lazica to the enemy with his own hand, paying little heed to the emperor's anger.

For the Emperor Justinian was accustomed, for the most part, to condone the mistakes of his commanders; consequently they were very often found guilty of offenses both in private life and against the state.

There were two fortresses of the Lazi almost exactly on the boundary of Iberia, Scanda and Sarapanis.

These, being situated in extremely rugged and difficult country, were extraordinarily hard to approach.

In ancient times they used to be garrisoned by the Lazi with great difficulty; for no food at all grows there, and provisions had to be brought in by men carrying them on their shoulders.

But the Emperor Justinian, at the beginning of this war, removed the Lazi from these fortresses and put in a garrison of Roman soldiers instead.

Not long afterward these soldiers, hard pressed by lack of necessary supplies, abandoned the fortresses because they were quite unable to live for any considerable time on millet, as the Colchians did, since it was unfamiliar to them; and the Lazi no longer persevered in making the long journey to bring them all their supplies.

Thereupon the Persians occupied and held them; but in the treaty the Romans got them back in exchange for the fortress of Bolum and Pharangium, as I have described in detail in the preceding narrative.

The Lazi accordingly razed these fortresses to the ground, so that the Persians would not hold them as outposts against them.

But the Persians rebuilt and held the one of the two which they call Scanda, and Mermeroes led the Median army forward.

There had been a city in the plain called Rhodopolis, which lay first in the way of those invading Colchis from Iberia, situated so as to be easily accessible and altogether open to attack.

For this reason the Lazi, long before, fearing the Persian invasion, had razed it to the ground.

When the Persians learned this, they went straight toward Archaeopolis.

But Mermeroes learned that his enemy was camped near the mouth of the Phasis River, and he advanced against them.

It seemed better to him first to capture this force and then undertake the siege of Archaeopolis, so that they might not come from the rear and harm the Persian army. He went close by the fortifications of Archaeopolis and gave a mocking greeting to the Romans there, saying with some swagger that he would come back to them at the earliest moment.

For, he said, he wished first to address his greetings to the other Romans who were camped near the Phasis River. The Romans, in answer, told him to go wherever he wished, but declared that if he came upon the Romans there, he would never return to them.

When the commanders of the Roman army learned this, they became thoroughly frightened; thinking themselves too few to withstand the force of their attackers, every man of them embarked on the boats they had ready and ferried across the Phasis River.

They placed on the boats as much of their provisions as they could carry, and threw the rest into the river so that the enemy would not be able to feast on them.

When Mermeroes arrived there not long afterward with his whole army and saw the enemy's camp entirely abandoned, he was vexed and filled with resentment at the baffling situation. Then he burned the Roman stockade, and boiling with anger immediately turned back and led his army against Archaeopolis.

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-third unit in the Procopius Wars steppe and Black Sea translation dossier, and the eighth 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 8.13.1-30

Greek source text from Procopius, Wars 8.13. Presented here for reference, study, and verification alongside the English translation above.

Wars 8.13

§ 8.13.1 Μερμερόης δέ, δείσας μή τι Πέτρᾳ τε καὶ Πέρσαις τοῖς τῇδε ἀπολελειμμένοις φλαῦρον διὰ χρόνου μῆκος ξυμβαίη, ἄρας παντὶ τῷ στρατῷ ἐνταῦθα ᾔει, ἐπεὶ αὐτὸν ὁ καιρὸς μετὰ τὴν τοῦ χειμῶνος ὥραν ἐς τοῦτο ἐνῆγε.

§ 8.13.2 μεταξὺ δὲ τὰ ξυμπεσόντα μαθὼν ἅπαντα τῆς μὲν ὁδοῦ ταύτης τὸ παράπαν ἀπέσχετο, εὖ εἰδὼς ὅτι δὴ ἐκτὸς ποταμοῦ Φάσιδος ἄλλο τι χωρίον Λαζοῖς ὅτι μὴ τὸ ἐν Πέτρᾳ οὐκ ἦν.

§ 8.13.3 ἀναστρέψας δὲ καὶ καταλαβὼν τὰς ἐξ Ἰβηρίας ἐπὶ γῆν τὴν Κολχίδα εἰσόδους, ἵνα δὴ ὁ Φᾶσις διαβατός ἐστιν, αὐτόν τε πεζῇ διαμείψας καὶ οὐχ ἥκιστα ποταμόν, Ῥέοντα ὄνομα, οὐδὲ αὐτὸν ἐκείνῃ ναυσίπορον ὄντα, τοῦ τε Φάσιδος ἐν δεξιᾷ ταύτῃ γενόμενος ἐπὶ πόλιν, Ἀρχαιόπολιν ὄνομα, ἣ πρώτη τε καὶ μεγίστη ἐν Λαζοῖς ἐστίν, ἐπῆγε τὸ στράτευμα.

§ 8.13.4 ἦσαν δὲ ὀλίγων χωρὶς ἱππεῖς ἅπαντες, καὶ αὐτοῖς ἐλέφαντες ὀκτὼ εἵποντο. ἐφ’ ὧν δὴ ἔμελλον ἱστάμενοι Πέρσαι τοὺς πολεμίους ὥσπερ ἐκ πύργων κατὰ κορυφῆς ἐνθένδε βάλλειν.

§ 8.13.5 ὥστε εἰκότως ἄν τις Περσῶν τὴν ἐς τοὺς πολέμους ταλαιπωρίαν τε καὶ ἐπιτέχνησιν ἀγασθείη, οἵ γε τὴν ἐξ Ἰβηρίας ἐς τὴν Κολχίδα ὁδὸν φέρουσαν, κρημνώδεσί τε νάπαις καὶ δυσχωρίαις λοχμώδεσι πανταχόθι ξυνεχομένην, ὕλαις τε οὕτως ἀμφιλαφέσι καλυπτομένην, ὡς καὶ ἀνδρὶ εὐζώνῳ δοκεῖν ἀπόρευτον τὰ πρότερα εἶναι, οὕτως ὁμαλῆ κατεστήσαντο ὥστε οὐχ ὅσον τὴν ἵππον αὐτῶν ὅλην πόνῳ οὐδενὶ ἐνθένδε ἰέναι, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῶν ἐλεφάντων ὅσους βούλοιντο ἐπαγομένους ταύτῃ στρατεύειν.

§ 8.13.6 ἦλθον δὲ αὐτοῖς καὶ σύμμαχοι Οὖννοι ἐκ τῶν Σαβείρων καλουμένων δισχίλιοί τε καὶ μύριοι.

§ 8.13.7 ἀλλὰ δείσας ὁ Μερμερόης μὴ ἐς πλῆθος τοσοῦτον ὄντες οἱ βάρβαροι οὗτοι μήτε τι αὐτῷ ὑπακούειν ἐπαγγέλλοντι ἐθελήσωσιν, ἀλλὰ καί τι ἀνήκεστον ἐς τὸ Περσῶν στράτευμα δράσωσι, τετρακισχιλίους μὲν ξυστρατεύεσθαι σφίσιν εἴασε, τοὺς δὲ λοιποὺς χρήμασι πολλοῖς δωρησάμενος ἐς τὰ πάτρια ἤθη ἀφῆκεν ἰέναι.

§ 8.13.8 Ὁ δὲ Ῥωμαίων στρατὸς δισχίλιοι μὲν καὶ μύριοι ἦσαν, οὐ μὴν ἀγηγερμένοι ἐς ταὐτὸ ἅπαντες, ἀλλ’ ἐν μὲν τῷ ἐν Ἀρχαιοπόλει φυλακτηρίῳ τρισχίλιοι ἦσαν, ὧν Ὀδόναχός τε καὶ Βάβας ἦρχον, ἄμφω ἀγαθοὶ τὰ πολέμια·

§ 8.13.9 οἱ δὲ δὴ ἄλλοι ἐντὸς τῶν ἐκβολῶν ποταμοῦ Φάσιδος ἐνστρατοπεδευσάμενοι ἔμενον, ἐκεῖνο διανοούμενοι, ὥστε ἤν πη ἐπισκήψῃ ὁ τῶν πολεμίων στρατός, αὐτοὶ ἐνθένδε ἐξανιστάμενοι βοηθοῖεν δυνάμει τῇ πάσῃ.

§ 8.13.10 ἦρχον δὲ αὐτῶν Βενῖλός τε καὶ Οὐλίγαγος· ξυνῆν δὲ αὐτοῖς καὶ Οὐαράζης ὁ Περσαρμένιος, ἄρτι ἐξ Ἰταλίας ἥκων, ᾧ δὴ Τζάνοι ὀκτακόσιοι εἵποντο.

§ 8.13.11 Βέσσας γάρ, ἐπειδὴ τάχιστα τὴν Πέτραν εἷλε, πονεῖν μὲν ἔτι οὐδαμῆ ἤθελεν, ἐς δὲ Ποντικοὺς καὶ Ἀρμενίους ἀποχωρήσας ἐπεμελεῖτο ὡς ἔνι μάλιστα τῶν ἀπὸ τῆς ἀρχῆς αὐτοῦ πόρων, ταύτῃ τε τῇ σμικρολογία τὰ Ῥωμαίων αὖθις πράγματα ἔσφηλεν.

§ 8.13.12 εἰ γὰρ εὐθὺς τότε νενικηκώς, ᾗπέρ μοι εἴρηται, καὶ τὴν Πέτραν ἑλὼν ἐς τὰ Λαζῶν τε καὶ Ἰβήρων ὅρια ἦλθε καὶ τὰς ἐκείνῃ δυσχωρίας ἐφράξατο, οὐκ ἄν, μοι δοκεῖ, ἔτι Περσῶν στράτευμα ἐς Λαζικὴν ᾔει.

§ 8.13.13 νῦν δὲ ὁ στρατηγὸς οὗτος τοῦ πόνου τούτου ὀλιγωρήσας μόνον οὐχὶ τοῖς πολεμίοις Λαζικὴν αὐτοχειρὶ παραδέδωκε, τῆς ἐκ βασιλέως ὀργῆς ὀλίγα φροντίσας.

§ 8.13.14 εἰώθει γὰρ Ἰουστινιανὸς βασιλεὺς ἐπιχωρεῖν τὰ πολλὰ τοῖς ἄρχουσιν ἁμαρτάνουσι, καὶ ἀπ’ αὐτοῦ ἔς τε τὴν δίαιταν καὶ τὴν πολιτείαν ἐκ τοῦ ἐπὶ πλεῖστον παρανομοῦντες ἡλίσκοντο.

§ 8.13.15 Ἦν δὲ Λαζῶν φρούρια δύο πρὸς αὐτοῖς μάλιστα τοῖς Ἰβηρίας ὁρίοις, Σκάνδα τε καὶ Σαραπανίς. ἅπερ ἐν δυσχωρίαις κείμενα χαλεπαῖς τισὶ καὶ ὅλως δυσκόλοις δυσπρόσοδα ὑπερφυῶς ὄντα ἐτύγχανε.

§ 8.13.16 ταῦτα Λαζοὶ μὲν τὸ παλαιὸν πόνῳ πολλῷ ἐφρούρουν, ἐπεὶ ἐνταῦθα τῶν ἐδωδίμων τὸ παράπαν οὐδὲν φύεται, ἀλλὰ φέροντες ἄνθρωποι ἐπὶ τῶν ὤμων τὰ ἐπιτήδεια ἐσεκομίζοντο.

§ 8.13.17 βασιλεὺς δὲ Ἰουστινιανὸς κατ’ ἀρχὰς τοῦδε τοῦ πολέμου Λαζοὺς ἀναστήσας ἐνθένδε Ῥωμαίων φρουρὰν στρατιωτῶν κατεστήσατο.

§ 8.13.18 οἳ δὴ οὐ πολλῷ ὕστερον, πιεζόμενοι τῶν ἀναγκαίων τῇ ἀπορίᾳ, τὰ φρούρια ταῦτα ἐξέλιπον, ἐπεὶ αὐτοὶ μὲν ἐλύμοις ἀποζῆν ὥσπερ οἱ Κόλχοι ἐς πλείω χρόνον, οὐκ εἰωθὸς σφίσιν, ὡς ἥκιστα εἶχον, Λαζοὶ δὲ αὐτοῖς μακρὰν ὁδὸν πορευόμενοι φέροντές τε τὰ ἐπιτήδεια πάντα οὐκέτι ἀντεῖχον.

§ 8.13.19 Πέρσαι δὲ αὐτὰ καταλαβόντες ἔσχον, ἔν τε ταῖς σπονδαῖς αὐτὰ Ῥωμαῖοι ἀπέλαβον τὰς ἀντιδόσεις Βώλου τε τοῦ φρουρίου καὶ τοῦ Φαραγγίου πεποιημένοι, ὥσπερ μοι ταῦτα ἐν τοῖς ἔμπροσθεν λόγοις πάντα ἐρρήθη.

§ 8.13.20 Λαζοὶ μὲν οὖν ταῦτα τὰ φρούρια ἐς ἔδαφος καθεῖλον, ὡς μὴ αὐτὰ Πέρσαι ἐπιτειχίσματα κατὰ σφῶν ἔχοιεν. Πέρσαι δὲ αὐτοῖν θάτερον, ὅπερ Σκάνδα καλοῦσιν, αὖθις οἰκοδομησάμενοι ἔσχον, ὅ τε Μερμερόης ἐπίπροσθεν ἦγε τὸν Μήδων στρατόν.

§ 8.13.21 Ἦν δὲ πόλις ἐν τῷ πεδίῳ, Ῥοδόπολις ὄνομα, ἥπερ ὑπηντίαζε πρώτη τοῖς ἐς τὴν Κολχίδα ἐξ Ἰβηρίας ἐσβάλλουσιν, εὐέφοδός τε καὶ ἐπιμαχωτάτη ἐς τὰ μάλιστα.

§ 8.13.22 διὸ δὴ αὐτὴν πολλῷ πρότερον δείσαντες Λαζοὶ τὴν Περσῶν ἔφοδον ἐς ἔδαφος καθεῖλον. ὅπερ ἐπεὶ οἱ Πέρσαι ἔμαθον,

§ 8.13.23 εὐθὺ Ἀρχαιοπόλεως ᾔεσαν. γνοὺς δὲ ὁ Μερμερόης τοὺς πολεμίους ἀμφὶ τὰς ἐκβολὰς ἐνστρατοπεδεύεσθαι ποταμοῦ Φάσιδος ἐπ’ αὐτοὺς ἤλαυνεν.

§ 8.13.24 ἄμεινον γάρ οἱ ἔδοξεν εἶναι τούτους πρότερον ἐξελόντι οὕτω δὴ ἐς τῆς Ἀρχαιοπόλεως τὴν πολιορκίαν καθίστασθαι, ὡς μὴ ὄπισθεν αὐτοὶ ἰόντες κακουργήσωσι τὸ Περσῶν στράτευμα.

§ 8.13.25 ὡς ἀγχοτάτω δὲ τοῦ Ἀρχαιοπόλεως περιβόλου γενόμενος ἠσπάσατο ἐρεσχελῶν τε τοὺς ταύτῃ Ῥωμαίους, καί τι νεανιευσάμενος ὡς αὐτίκα δὴ μάλα ἐπανήξει σφίσι.

§ 8.13.26 βουλομένῳ γάρ οἱ αὐτῷ ἔφασκεν εἶναι Ῥωμαίους τοὺς ἄλλους προσειπεῖν πρότερον, οἳ δὴ ἐνστρατοπεδεύονται ἀμφὶ ποταμὸν Φᾶσιν.

§ 8.13.27 οἱ δὲ ἀποκρινάμενοι ἰέναι μὲν αὐτὸν ἐκέλευον ὅπη βούλοιτο, ἰσχυρίσαντο μέντοι ὡς, ἢν τοῖς ἐκείνῃ Ῥωμαίοις ἐντύχῃ, οὐ μή ποτε αὐτοῖς ἐπανήξει.

§ 8.13.28 ταῦτα ἐπεὶ οἱ τοῦ Ῥωμαίων στρατοῦ ἄρχοντες ἔμαθον, κατωρρώδησάν τε καὶ ἥσσους οἰόμενοι εἶναι ἢ φέρειν τῶν ἐπιόντων τὴν δύναμιν ἐς τὰς σφίσι παρεσκευασμένας ἀκάτους ἐμβάντες ποταμὸν Φᾶσιν διεπορθμεύσαντο ἅπαντες, τῶν σφίσι παρόντων ἐπιτηδείων, ὅσα μὲν διακομίζειν οἷοί τε ἦσαν, ἐν ταῖς ἀκάτοις ἐνθέμενοι, τὰ δὲ ἄλλα ἐς τὸν ποταμὸν ἐμβεβλημένοι, ὅπως μὴ αὐτοῖς οἱ πολέμιοι τρυφᾶν δύνωνται.

§ 8.13.29 γενόμενος οὖν ἐνταῦθα παντὶ τῷ στρατῷ ὁ Μερμερόης οὐ πολλῷ ὕστερον, ἔρημόν τε παντάπασιν ἰδὼν τὸ τῶν πολεμίων στρατόπεδον ἤσχαλλέ τε καὶ ἀπορούμενος ἐδυσφορεῖτο.

§ 8.13.30 καύσας τε τὸ Ῥωμαίων χαράκωμα καὶ τῷ θυμῷ ζέων ἀνέστρεφεν αὐτίκα καὶ τὸ στράτευμα ἐπὶ τὴν Ἀρχαιόπολιν ἦγε.

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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