Sabiri Rams at Archaeopolis

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

The chapter belongs to the Scythian shelf because Mermeroes orders the Sabiri to reproduce the portable ram technology first used by Sabiri allied with the Romans at Petra. The full chapter preserves the Archaeopolis terrain, Persian-Sabiri assault, Dolomite auxiliaries, elephants, Roman sally, and the Colchian geography around Mocheresis, Cotais, Suania, and Scymnia.

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 8.14.1-54

Archaeopolis is situated on an exceedingly rugged hill, and a river flows beside it, coming down from the mountains above the city.

It has two gates. One is below, opening at the base of the hill; this one is not inaccessible, except insofar as the ascent to it from the plain is not smooth.

The upper gate leads out toward the steep slope and is extremely difficult to approach, for the ground before this gate is covered with brush extending indefinitely. Since the inhabitants of this city can get no other water, those who built it constructed two walls extending from the city all the way to the river, so that it would be possible for them to draw water from it in safety.

Mermeroes, eager and determined to assault the wall there with his whole strength, acted as follows. First he ordered the Sabiri to build a great number of rams, of the sort that men could carry on their shoulders, because he was quite unable to bring the customary engines up to the circuit-wall of Archaeopolis, lying as it did along the lower slopes of the hill.

He had heard what had been accomplished not long before by the Sabiri who were allies of the Romans at the wall of Petra, and he sought, by following the method they had discovered, to reap the advantage of their experience.

They carried out his orders, immediately constructing a large number of rams, such as I have said were recently made for the Romans by the Sabiri.

Next he sent the Dolomites, as they are called, to the precipitous parts of the city, directing them to harass the enemy there with all their strength.

These Dolomites are barbarians who live in the middle of Persia, but have never become subject to the king of the Persians.

Their dwelling is on sheer mountainsides, altogether inaccessible, and so they have remained autonomous from ancient times down to the present day; but they always march with the Persians as mercenaries when the Persians go against their enemies.

They are all foot soldiers, each carrying a sword and shield and three javelins in his hand. They show extraordinary nimbleness in running over cliffs and mountain peaks, just as on a level plain.

For this reason Mermeroes assigned them to attack the wall there, while he himself, with the rest of the army, went against the lower gate, bringing up the rams and the elephants.

Then the Persians and Sabiri together, shooting rapidly at the wall so that they filled the air around it with their arrows, came not far from compelling the Romans there to abandon the parapet.

The Dolomites, hurling their javelins from the crags outside the circuit-wall, inflicted still more harm upon the Romans facing them. On every side, indeed, the situation of the Romans had become bad and full of danger, for they were in an extremely evil plight.

At that point Odonachus and Babas, either making a display of courage or wishing to test the soldiers, or perhaps because some divine influence moved them, left only a few of the soldiers where they were, directing them to ward off the attackers of the wall from the parapet.

Meanwhile they called together the greater part of the soldiers and made a short exhortation, speaking as follows:

"Fellow-soldiers, you perceive the danger upon us and the necessity in which we are caught. But we must not yield in the least to these evils.

"Those who come into a situation where safety is despaired of can be saved only by not courting safety; for love of life is usually followed by destruction.

"You must also consider this fact in our present distress: simply warding the enemy off from this parapet will by no means firmly establish your safety, even if we carry on the struggle with the greatest zeal.

"For a battle waged between armies standing apart gives no one an opportunity to show himself a brave man; the outcome as a rule is determined by chance.

"But if the conflict becomes hand-to-hand, zeal will prevail in most cases, and victory will appear where courage lies.

"Apart from this, even if men fighting from the wall succeed in the conflict, they would reap no great benefit from that success; for though they have for the moment succeeded in repelling the enemy, the danger will again be sharp tomorrow.

"On the other hand, if they fail even slightly, they are naturally destroyed together with their defenses. But once they have conquered their opponents in hand-to-hand combat, thereafter their safety is secure.

"Let us then, with these thoughts in mind, advance against the enemy with all zeal, calling to our aid the assistance from above, and raising our hopes high because of the desperate situation that has now fallen to us.

"For God is always accustomed to save above all others those men who find no hope of safety in themselves."

After Odonachus and Babas had encouraged the soldiers in this way, they opened the gates and led the army out at a run, leaving a few men behind for the following reason.

One of the Lazi, a man of note in that nation and an inhabitant of Archaeopolis, had on the previous day negotiated with Mermeroes for the betrayal of his native land.

Mermeroes had sent word to him to render the Persians only this service: whenever they began the assault on the wall, he should secretly set fire to the buildings where the grain and the rest of the provisions were stored.

He ordered him to do this reasoning that one of two things would happen: either the Romans, concerned about this fire and devoting their attention to it, would give his men the opportunity to scale the circuit-wall unmolested; or, in their eagerness to repel the Persians storming the wall, they would pay no attention to these buildings.

If in this way the grain and other provisions were burned, he would capture Archaeopolis without difficulty in a short time.

With this intention Mermeroes gave these instructions to the Laz, and he agreed to carry out the order when he saw the storming of the wall at its height, setting fire to these buildings as secretly as possible.

When the Romans saw the flames suddenly rising, a few of them went to the rescue and with great difficulty quenched the fire, which had done some damage; but all the rest, as stated, went out against the enemy.

This force, by falling upon them suddenly and terrifying them through the unexpectedness of the attack, killed many; for the Persians offered no resistance.

Indeed they did not even dare raise a hand against them.

This was because the Persians, not expecting that their enemies, few as they were, would make a sally against them, had taken up positions apart from one another with a view to storming the wall and were not arrayed for battle.

Those who were carrying the rams on their shoulders were naturally both unarmed and unprepared for battle, while the others, with only strung bows in their hands, were wholly unable to ward off an enemy pressing upon them in close formation.

Thus the Romans, slashing and turning from side to side, kept destroying them. At that moment it also happened that one of the elephants, either because he was wounded, as some say, or simply because he became excited, wheeled around out of control and reared up, throwing his riders and breaking up the lines of the others.

As a result, the barbarians began to retreat, while the Romans continued without fear to destroy those who from time to time fell in their way.

One might wonder at this point that the Romans, though knowing well by what means they ought to repel a hostile attack by elephants, did none of the necessary things, being plainly confused by the situation; yet this result was achieved for them without effort.

I shall now make clear what this means.

When Chosroes and the Median army were storming the fortifications of Edessa, one of the elephants, carrying a great number of the most warlike men among the Persians, came close to the circuit-wall and made it appear that in a short time he would overpower the men defending the tower there, since they were exposed to missiles falling thickly from above, and would thus take the city.

For it seemed that this was, in fact, an engine for capturing cities. The Romans, however, escaped this danger by suspending a pig from the tower.

As the pig hung there, it naturally gave out various squeals, and this angered the elephant so that he got out of control and, moving backward little by little, went off to the rear.

Such was the outcome in that case. But in the present case, the omission caused by the thoughtlessness of the Romans was made good by chance.

Now that I have mentioned Edessa, I shall not be silent about the portent that appeared there before this present war.

When Chosroes was about to break the so-called endless peace, a certain woman in the city gave birth to an infant who in other respects was a normally formed human being, but had two heads.

The meaning of this was made clear by the events that followed; for both Edessa and practically the whole East, and the greater part of the Roman empire toward the north, came to be fought over by two sovereigns.

Thus these things happened. But I shall return to the point from which I strayed.

When confusion thus fell upon the Median army, those stationed in the rear, seeing the disorder of those in front but having no real knowledge of what had happened, became panic-stricken and turned to retreat in great disorder.

The Dolomites also experienced a similar panic; for they were fighting from the higher positions and could see everything that happened. They too began to flee in a disgraceful manner, so that the rout became decisive.

Four thousand of the barbarians fell there, among whom, as it happened, were three of the commanders; and the Romans captured four of the Persian standards, which they immediately sent to Byzantium for the emperor.

They say, moreover, that not fewer than twenty thousand of their horses perished, not from wounds inflicted by the enemy's missiles or swords, but because, after traveling a great distance, they had become utterly exhausted and then found no sufficient fodder after they came into Lazica. So, they say, under the pressure of both starvation and weakness, they succumbed.

Having failed in this attempt, Mermeroes withdrew with his whole army to Mocheresis. For although they had failed to take Archaeopolis, the Persians still held mastery over the greater part of the rest of Lazica.

Mocheresis is one day's journey from Archaeopolis, a district that includes many populous villages.

This is truly the best land in Colchis; for both wine and the other good things are produced there, though the rest of Lazica is not of such a kind.

Along this district flows a river called Rheon. On it the Colchians in ancient times built a fortress, but in later times they themselves razed the greater part of it to the ground, because, lying as it did in a very flat plain, it seemed to them easy to approach.

In those times the fortress was named Cotiaion in the Greek language, but now the Lazi call it Cotais, having corrupted the true sound of the name because of their ignorance of the language.

Such is the account given by Arrian.

But others say that the place was a city in ancient times and was called Coetaeon, and that Aeetes was born there; as a result of this the poets both called him a Coetaean and applied the same name to the land of Colchis.

Mermeroes was now eager to rebuild this place; but since he had no equipment for the task, and at the same time winter was already setting in, he replaced with wood as quickly as possible the parts of the fortress that had fallen down, and remained there.

Very close to Cotais is an exceedingly strong fortress named Uthimereos; in this the Lazi were maintaining strict guard.

A small number of Roman soldiers also shared with them in the defense of the fortress.

So Mermeroes settled there with his whole army, holding the fairest part of the land of Colchis and preventing his opponents from carrying any provisions into the fortress of Uthimereos, or from going into the district called Suania and Scymnia, though this was subject to them.

For when an enemy is in Mocheresis, the road into this region is cut off for both the Lazi and the Romans. Thus the armies were engaged in Lazica.

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-fourth unit in the Procopius Wars steppe and Black Sea translation dossier, and the ninth 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 8.14.1-54

Greek source text from Procopius, Wars 8.14. Presented here for reference, study, and verification alongside the English translation above.

Wars 8.14

§ 8.14.1 Κεῖται δὲ Ἀρχαιόπολις ἐπὶ λόφου τινὸς σκληροῦ ἐσάγαν, καὶ ποταμὸς αὐτὴν παραρρεῖ ἐξ ὀρῶν κατιὼν ἅπερ τῆς πόλεως καθύπερθέν ἐστι.

§ 8.14.2 πύλαι δὲ αὐτῇ αἱ μὲν κάτω εἰσί, φέρουσαι παρὰ τοῦ λόφου τὴν ὑπώρειαν, οὐκ ἀπρόσοδοι μέντοι, ἀλλ’ ὅσον ἄνοδον ἐκ τοῦ πεδίου τινὰ ἐς αὐτὰς οὐχ ὁμαλῆ εἶναι· αἱ δὲ ἄνω ἐς τὸ κρημνῶδες ἐξάγουσαι δυσπρόσοδοι ἐσάγαν εἰσί· χῶροι γὰρ λοχμώδεις πρὸ τούτων τῶν πυλῶν εἰσίν, ἐπὶ πλεῖστον διήκοντες.

§ 8.14.3 ἐπεί τε ὕδατος ἄλλου τοῖς τῇδε ᾠκημένοις οὐδαμῆ μέτεστι, τείχη δύο ἐνθένδε οἱ τὴν πόλιν δειμάμενοι ἄχρι ἐς τὸν ποταμὸν ἐτεκτήναντο, ὅπως ἂν σφίσιν ἐν τῷ ἀσφαλεῖ τὸ τοῦ ποταμοῦ ὕδωρ ἀρύεσθαι δυνατὰ εἴη. Μερμερόης οὖν παντὶ σθένει τειχομαχεῖν ἐνταῦθα σπουδάζων τε καὶ διατεινόμενος ἐποίει τάδε.

§ 8.14.4 πρῶτα μὲν τοῖς Σαβείροις ἐπήγγειλε κριοὺς παμπληθεῖς ἐργάζεσθαι, οἵους ἂν φέρειν ἄνθρωποι ἐπὶ τῶν ὤμων δυνατοὶ εἶεν, ἐπεὶ μηχανὰς μὲν τὰς συνειθισμένας τρόπῳ οὐδενὶ ἐς Ἀρχαιοπόλεως τὸν περίβολον ἐπάγεσθαι εἶχε, κατὰ τὸν τοῦ ὄρους πρόποδα κείμενον, ἠκηκόει δὲ ὅσα τοῖς Ῥωμαίων ἐνσπόνδοις Σαβείροις ἀμφὶ τὸ Πέτρας τεῖχος ἐργασθείη οὐ πολλῷ ἔμπροσθεν, καὶ τοῖς ἐπινενοημένοις ἑπόμενος τὴν ἐκ τῆς πείρας ὠφέλειαν μετῄει. οἱ δὲ τὰ ἐπαγγελλόμενα ἐποίουν.

§ 8.14.5 κριούς τε αὐτίκα συχνοὺς ἐτεκτήναντο, ᾗπέρ μοι ἔναγχος Ῥωμαίοις εἰργάσθαι Σαβείρους ἐρρήθη. ἔπειτα δὲ τοὺς μὲν Δολομίτας καλουμένους κατὰ τῆς πόλεως τὰ κρημνώδη στέλλει ἐνοχλεῖν ἐπιστείλας τοὺς ταύτῃ πολεμίους δυνάμει τῇ πάσῃ.

§ 8.14.6 οἱ δὲ Δολομῖται οὗτοι βάρβαροι μέν εἰσιν, ᾠκημένοι ἐν Πέρσαις μέσοις, οὐ μὴν κατήκοοι γεγόνασι βασιλέως τοῦ Περσῶν πώποτε.

§ 8.14.7 ἱδρυμένοι γὰρ ἐν ὄρεσιν ἀποτόμοις τε καὶ ὅλως ἀβάτοις αὐτόνομοι ὄντες ἐκ παλαιοῦ διαγεγόνασιν ἐς τόδε τοῦ χρόνου· μισθαρνοῦντες δὲ ἀεὶ συστρατεύουσι Πέρσαις ἐπὶ πολεμίους τοὺς σφετέρους ἰοῦσι.

§ 8.14.8 καὶ πεζοὶ μέν εἰσιν ἅπαντες, ξίφος τε καὶ ἀσπίδα φέρων ἕκαστος καὶ ἀκόντια ἐν ταῖς χερσὶ τρία.

§ 8.14.9 θεῖν δὲ λίαν ἔν τε τοῖς κρημνοῖς καὶ τῶν ὀρῶν ταῖς ὑπερβολαῖς ἐξεπίστανται, ὥσπερ ἐν πεδίῳ ὑπτίῳ.

§ 8.14.10 καὶ διὰ τοῦτο Μερμερόης αὐτοὺς τῇδε τειχομαχεῖν ἔταξεν, αὐτὸς δὲ παντὶ τῷ ἄλλῳ στρατῷ ἐπὶ πύλας τὰς κάτω τούς τε κριοὺς καὶ τοὺς ἐλέφαντας ἐπαγόμενος ᾔει.

§ 8.14.11 οἱ μὲν οὖν Πέρσαι ξὺν τοῖς Σαβείροις ἐς τὸ τεῖχος συχνὰ βάλλοντες, τοῖς τε τοξεύμασι καλύψαντες τὸν ταύτῃ ἀέρα, οὐ μακράν που ἐγένοντο ἀναγκάσαι τοὺς ἐνταῦθα Ῥωμαίους ἐκλιπεῖν τὰς ἐπάλξεις.

§ 8.14.12 οἱ δὲ Δολομῖται τὰ δοράτια ἐκ τῶν κρημνῶν ἐκτὸς τοῦ περιβόλου ἐσακοντίζοντες πολλῷ ἔτι μᾶλλον τοὺς κατ’ αὐτοὺς πολεμίους ἐλύπουν.

§ 8.14.13 πανταχόθι τε Ῥωμαίοις τὰ πράγματα πονηρά τε καὶ κινδύνων ἔμπλεα ἐγεγόνει, ἔσχατα ἐσχάτων κακὰ πάσχουσι.

§ 8.14.14 Τότε δὴ Ὀδόναχός τε καὶ Βάβας, εἴτε ἀρετὴν ἐνδεικνύμενοι εἴτε τῶν στρατιωτῶν ἀποπειρᾶσθαι βουλόμενοι, ἢ καί τι αὐτοὺς θεῖον ἐκίνησεν, εἴασαν μὲν τῶν στρατιωτῶν ὀλίγους τινάς, οἷς δὴ ἐπέστελλον ἀπὸ τῶν ἐπάλξεων τοὺς τειχομαχοῦντας ἀμύνασθαι, τοὺς πλείστους δὲ ξυγκαλέσαντες βραχεῖάν τινα παρακέλευσιν ἐποιήσαντο καὶ ἔλεξαν τάδε· “Τὸν μὲν παρόντα κίνδυνον, ἄνδρες συστρατιῶται, καὶ τὴν περιλαβοῦσαν ἡμᾶς ἀνάγκην ὁρᾶτε.

§ 8.14.15 δεῖ δὲ ἡμᾶς τούτοις δὴ τοῖς κακοῖς ὡς ἥκιστα εἴκειν. τοὺς γὰρ εἰς ἀπόγνωσιν σωτηρίας ἐλθόντας τοῦτο ἂν διασώσασθαι δύναιτο μόνον, τὸ μὴ τῆς σωτηρίας ἐφίεσθαι· ἐπεὶ τῷ φιλοψύχῳ τὸ διαφθείρεσθαι ἐκ τοῦ ἐπὶ πλεῖστον ἕπεσθαι πέφυκε.

§ 8.14.16 καὶ τόδε δὲ ὑμᾶς ἐννοεῖν ἐν τοῖς παροῦσι δεινοῖς δεήσει, ὡς ἐκ τῶν ἐπάλξεων τῶνδε ἀμυνομένοις τοὺς πολεμίους οὐκ ἐν βεβαίῳ τὰ τῆς σωτηρίας ἡμῖν κείσεται, ἢν καὶ τὴν ἀγωνίαν ὡς προθυμότατα διενέγκωμεν.

§ 8.14.17 μάχη γὰρ ἐκ διεστηκότων ξυνισταμένη ἀνδραγαθίζεσθαι οὐδενὶ ξυγχωρεῖ, ἀλλ’ ἐς τὸ τῆς τύχης ὡς τὰ πολλὰ περιίσταται κράτος.

§ 8.14.18 ἢν μέντοι ἡ ξυμβολὴ ξυσταδὸν γένηται, τά τε τῆς προθυμίας ἐκ τοῦ ἐπὶ πλεῖστον κρατήσει καὶ μετὰ τῆς ἀνδρίας ἡ νίκη χωρήσει.

§ 8.14.19 ἄνευ δὲ τούτων εὐημερήσαντες μὲν ἐν τῇ ξυμβολῇ οἱ ἀπὸ τοῦ περιβόλου μαχόμενοι οὐδὲν ἄν τι τῆς εὐημερίας ἀπόναιντο μέγα, ἐπεὶ ἐν μὲν τῷ παραυτίκα τοὺς πολεμίους σφίσιν ἀπεῶσθαι ξυμβαίνει, ἐς δὲ τὴν ὑστεραίαν ὁ κίνδυνος αὖθις ἐν ἀκμῇ γίνεται, καὶ κατὰ μικρὸν δὲ σφαλέντες αὐτοῖς, ὡς τὸ εἰκός,

§ 8.14.20 συνδιαφθείρονται τοῖς ὀχυρώμασιν. ἐκ χειρὸς δὲ τοὺς ἐναντίους νενικηκότες ἐν τῷ ἀσφαλεῖ τὴν σωτηρίαν τὸ λοιπὸν ἕξουσιν. ὧν ἐνθυμηθέντες ἴωμεν ἐπὶ τοὺς πολεμίους προθυμίᾳ τῇ πάσῃ, τὴν ἄνωθεν ἐπικουρίαν ἐπαγαγόμενοι, εὐέλπιδές τε τῇ προσπεσούσῃ τανῦν ἀπογνώσει γεγενημένοι.

§ 8.14.21 τοὺς γὰρ ἐλπίδα σωτηρίας τινὸς ἐν σφίσιν αὐτοῖς οὐδαμῆ ἔχοντας τὸ θεῖον ἀεὶ διασώζεσθαι μάλιστα εἴωθε.”

§ 8.14.22 Τοσαῦτα Ὀδόναχός τε καὶ Βάβας παρακελευσάμενοι τάς τε πύλας ἀνέῳγον καὶ τὸ στράτευμα δρόμῳ ἐξῆγον, ὀλίγων ἀπολελειμμένων ἐνταῦθά τινων ἐξ αἰτίας τοιᾶσδε.

§ 8.14.23 τῶν τις Λαζῶν τῇ προτεραίᾳ, λόγιμος μὲν ὢν ἐν τούτῳ τῷ ἔθνει, ἐν Ἀρχαιοπόλει δὲ ᾠκημένος, ἔπρασσε πρὸς Μερμερόην ἐπὶ τῇ πατρίδι προδοσίας πέρι.

§ 8.14.24 ὁ δέ οἱ ἄλλο οὐδὲν ἐπήγγελλε χαρίζεσθαι Πέρσαις, πλήν γε δὴ ὅπως, ἡνίκα ἐς τειχομαχίαν καθιστῶνται, τὰ οἰκία ἐμπρήσῃ λάθρα, ἔνθα ὅ τε σῖτος καὶ τὰ λοιπὰ τῶν ἐπιτηδείων ἀπέκειτο.

§ 8.14.25 ἐπέστελλε δὲ ταῦτα, δυοῖν γενήσεσθαι τὸ ἕτερον λογισάμενος· ἢ γὰρ Ῥωμαίους περὶ τὸ πῦρ τοῦτο σπουδάζοντάς τε καὶ διατριβὴν ποιουμένους ἐνδώσειν σφίσι κατ’ ἐξουσίαν ἐπιβατεύειν τοῦ περιβόλου, ἢ τειχομαχοῦντας ἀποκρούεσθαι βουλομένους Πέρσας ταῦτα δὴ τὰ οἰκία ἐν ὀλιγωρίᾳ ποιήσεσθαι·

§ 8.14.26 καιομένων δὲ τῷ τρόπῳ τούτῳ τοῦ τε σίτου καὶ τῶν ἄλλων ἐπιτηδείων πόνῳ σφᾶς οὐδενὶ πολιορκίᾳ ἐν χρόνῳ ὀλίγῳ Ἀρχαιόπολιν ἐξαιρήσειν.

§ 8.14.27 τοιαύτῃ μὲν γνώμῃ ὁ Μερμερόης τούτῳ δὴ τῷ Λαζῷ ταῦτα ἐπέστελλεν· ὁ δέ οἱ τὴν ἐπίταξιν ὡμολόγει ἐπιτελῆ δράσειν, ἡνίκα τὴν τειχομαχίαν ἀκμάζουσαν ἴδῃ, πῦρ ὡς λαθραιότατα τοῖς δωματίοις τούτοις ἐνάψας.

§ 8.14.28 αἰρομένην δὲ τὴν φλόγα ἐξαπιναίως Ῥωμαῖοι ἰδόντες ὀλίγοι μέν τινες ἐβοήθουν ἐνταῦθα, καὶ πόνῳ πολλῷ τὸ πῦρ ἔσβεσαν ἀμηγέπη λυμηνάμενον, οἱ δὲ λοιποὶ ἅπαντες, ὥσπερ ἐρρήθη, ἐπὶ τοὺς πολεμίους ἐχώρησαν.

§ 8.14.29 Ἐμπεσόντες δὲ αὐτοῖς ἐκ τοῦ αἰφνιδίου καὶ τῷ ἀπροσδοκήτῳ ἐκπλήξαντες πολλοὺς ἔκτεινον, οὔτε ἀμυνομένους οὔτε χεῖρας αὐτοῖς ἀνταίρειν τολμῶντας.

§ 8.14.30 Πέρσαι γὰρ ὀλίγους κομιδῆ τοὺς πολεμίους ὄντας ἐπεξιέναι σφίσιν ἐν ἐλπίδι οὐδεμιᾷ ἔχοντες ἀλλήλων διεστηκότες ὡς ἐς τειχομαχίαν ἐτετάχατο ξὺν ἀκοσμίᾳ.

§ 8.14.31 καὶ οἱ μὲν ἐπὶ τῶν ὤμων τοὺς κριοὺς φέροντες ἄνοπλοί τε καὶ τὰ ἐς μάχην ἀπαράσκευοι, ὡς τὸ εἰκός, ἦσαν, οἱ δὲ δὴ ἄλλοι τὰ τόξα ἐντεταμένα ἐν χερσὶν ἔχοντες συσταδὸν ἐγκειμένους τοὺς πολεμίους ἀμύνεσθαι μηχανῇ οὐδεμιᾷ εἶχον.

§ 8.14.32 οὕτω δὴ κόπτοντες Ῥωμαῖοι ἐπιστροφάδην αὐτοὺς διεχρῶντο. ξυνέβη δὲ τότε καὶ τῶν ἐλεφάντων ἕνα πληγέντα, ὡς ἔνιοί φασιν, ἢ ἀπὸ ταὐτομάτου ξυνταραχθέντα, περιστρέφεσθαί τε οὐδενὶ κόσμῳ καὶ ἀναχαιτίζειν, καὶ τοὺς μὲν ἐπιβάτας ῥίπτειν, τῶν δὲ δὴ ἄλλων τὴν τάξιν ἐκλύειν.

§ 8.14.33 καὶ ἀπ’ αὐτοῦ οἱ μὲν βάρβαροι ἀνεπόδιζον, Ῥωμαῖοι δὲ ἀδεέστερον τοὺς ἐν ποσὶν ἀεὶ διεχρῶντο.

§ 8.14.34 θαυμάσειε δ’ ἄν τις ἐνταῦθα δικαίως, εἰ Ῥωμαῖοι μέν, ἐξεπιστάμενοι καθ’ ὅ τι χρὴ ἀποκρούσασθαι τῶν πολεμίων τὴν διὰ τῶν ἐλεφάντων ἐπίθεσιν, τῶν δεόντων οὐδὲν ἔδρασαν, τοῖς παροῦσι δηλονότι ξυνταραχθέντες, ἀπὸ ταὐτομάτου δὲ τὸ τοιοῦτον σφίσι ξυνηνέχθη γενέσθαι. ὅ τι δὲ τοῦτό ἐστιν, αὐτίκα δηλώσω.

§ 8.14.35 Ἡνίκα Χοσρόης τε καὶ ὁ Μήδων στρατὸς ἐτειχομάχουν ἀμφὶ τὸν Ἐδέσσης περίβολον, τῶν τις ἐλεφάντων, ἐπιβεβηκότος οἱ ὁμίλου πολλοῦ τῶν ἐν Πέρσαις μαχιμωτάτων, ἀγχοῦ τοῦ περιβόλου γενόμενος ἐπίδοξος ἦν ὅτι δὴ δι’ ὀλίγου βιασάμενος τοὺς ἀπὸ τοῦ ἐκείνῃ πύργου ἀμυνομένους ἅτε κατὰ κορυφὴν συχνὰ βαλλομένους τὴν πόλιν αἱρήσει.

§ 8.14.36 ἐδόκει γάρ τις μηχανὴ τὸ τοιοῦτον ἑλέπολις εἶναι. ἀλλὰ Ῥωμαῖοι χοῖρον ἐκ τοῦ πύργου ἐπικρεμάσαντες τὸν κίνδυνον τοῦτον διέφυγον.

§ 8.14.37 κραυγμὸν γάρ τινα, ὤν, ὡς τὸ εἰκός, ἠρτημένος, ὁ χοῖρος ἐνθένδε ἠφίει, ὅνπερ ὁ ἐλέφας ἀχθόμενος ἀνεχαίτιζε καὶ κατὰ βραχὺ ἀναποδίζων ὀπίσω ἐχώρει. ἐκεῖνο μὲν οὖν ταύτῃ ἐχώρησε.

§ 8.14.38 νῦν δὲ τὸ παρειμένον τῇ Ῥωμαίων ὀλιγωρίᾳ ἡ τύχη ἐπλήρου. ἀλλ’ ἐπειδὴ Ἐδέσσης ἐμνήσθην, οὐ σιωπήσομαι τὸ ἐκείνῃ τέρας πρὸ τοῦδε τοῦ πολέμου ξυνενεχθέν.

§ 8.14.39 ἡνίκα γὰρ ὁ Χοσρόης λύειν ἔμελλε τὰς ἀπεράντους καλουμένας σπονδάς, γυνή τις ἐν πόλει βρέφος ἐκύει τὰ μὲν ἄλλα ἐπιεικῶς ἀνθρωπόμορφον, δύο δέ τοι κεφαλὰς ἔχον. ὃ δὴ τοῖς ἀποβεβηκόσι φανερὸν γέγονεν.

§ 8.14.40 Ἔδεσσά τε γὰρ καὶ ἡ ἑῴα σχεδόν τι πᾶσα καὶ πρὸς βορρᾶν ἄνεμον ἡ πολλὴ Ῥωμαίων ἀρχὴ βασιλεῦσι περιμάχητος δυοῖν γέγονε. ταῦτα μὲν οὖν τῇδε ξυνέπεσεν. ἐγὼ δὲ ὅθενπερ ἐξέβην ἐπάνειμι.

§ 8.14.41 Τῆς δὲ ταραχῆς οὕτως ἐπιπεσούσης τῷ Μήδων στρατῷ, ὅσοι δὴ αὐτῶν ὄπισθεν ἐτετάχατο, τὴν μὲν ταραχὴν τῶν ἔμπροσθεν ὄντων θεώμενοι, τὸ δὲ ξυμβεβηκὸς οὐδαμῆ πεπυσμένοι, κατωρρώδησαν, ἔς τε ὑπαγωγὴν ξὺν πολλῇ ἀκοσμίᾳ ἐτράποντο.

§ 8.14.42 ταὐτὸ δὲ τοῦτο καὶ οἱ Δολομῖται παθόντες ʽἐξ ὑπερδεξίων γὰρ μαχόμενοι τὰ ποιούμενα πάντα ἑώρων’ αἰσχράν τινα φυγὴν ἔφευγον, ἥ τε τροπὴ λαμπρὰ ἐγεγόνει.

§ 8.14.43 καὶ τετρακισχίλιοι μὲν τῶν βαρβάρων αὐτοῦ ἔπεσον, ἐν τοῖς καὶ τῶν ἀρχόντων τρεῖς τετύχηκεν εἶναι, τέσσαρα δὲ τῶν Περσικῶν σημείων Ῥωμαῖοι εἷλον, ἅπερ εὐθὺς ἐς Βυζάντιον βασιλεῖ ἔπεμψαν.

§ 8.14.44 ἵππους δέ φασιν αὐτῶν οὐχ ἥσσους ἢ ἐς δισμυρίους ἀπολωλέναι, οὐ βληθέντας οὐδὲ πληγέντας πρὸς τῶν πολεμίων, ἀλλὰ μακρὰν μὲν ὁδὸν πορευθέντας, κόπῳ δὲ ὡμιληκότας ἐν ταύτῃ πολλῷ, τροφῶν δέ, ἐπεὶ ἐν Λαζικῇ ἐγένοντο, ὡς ἥκιστα ἐς κόρον ἐλθόντας, οὕτω τε λιμῷ καὶ ἀσθενείᾳ πιεζομένους πολλῇ διεφθάρθαι.

§ 8.14.45 Ταύτης δὲ τῆς πείρας ὁ Μερμερόης ἀποτυχὼν παντὶ τῷ στρατῷ ἐς Μοχήρησιν ἀπεχώρησεν, ἐπεὶ καὶ Ἀρχαιοπόλεως ἀποτυχόντες, Λαζικῆς τῆς ἄλλης τὴν ἐπικράτησιν ἐκ τοῦ ἐπὶ πλεῖστον οἱ Πέρσαι εἶχον.

§ 8.14.46 Ἀρχαιοπόλεως δὲ ἡ Μοχήρησις ἡμέρας μιᾶς ὁδῷ ἀπέχει, πολλὰς καὶ πολυανθρώπους κώμας ἔχουσα—καὶ γῆς τῆς Κολχίδος αὕτη μάλιστα ἡ ἀρίστη ἐστίν· ἐπεὶ καὶ οἶνος ἐνταῦθα καὶ οἱ ἄλλοι καρποὶ ἀγαθοὶ φύονται, καίτοι τά γε ἄλλα τῆς Λαζικῆς οὐ ταύτῃ ἔχει.

§ 8.14.47 ταύτην παραρρεῖ τὴν χώραν ποταμός, Ῥέων ὄνομα, οὗ δὴ καὶ φρούριον ᾠκοδομήσαντο ἐκ παλαιοῦ Κόλχοι, οὗπερ ὕστερον αὐτοὶ τὸ πλεῖστον ἐς ἔδαφος καθεῖλον, ἐπεὶ ἐν πεδίῳ κείμενον ἐσάγαν ὑπτίῳ εὐέφοδον σφίσιν ἔδοξεν εἶναι.

§ 8.14.48 Κοτιάϊον δὲ τότε τὸ φρούριον ὠνομάζετο τῇ Ἑλλήνων φωνῇ, νῦν μέντοι Κόταϊς αὐτὸ καλοῦσι Λαζοὶ τῇ τῆς φωνῆς ἀγνοίᾳ τὴν τοῦ ὀνόματος διαφθείροντες ἁρμονίαν. ταῦτα μὲν Ἀριανὸς οὕτως ἱστόρησεν.

§ 8.14.49 ἕτεροι δέ φασι πόλιν τε γεγονέναι ἐν τοῖς ἄνω χρόνοις τὸ χωρίον καὶ Κοίταιον καλεῖσθαι· ἔνθεν τε τὸν Αἰήτην ὡρμῆσθαι, καὶ ἀπ’ αὐτοῦ τοὺς ποιητὰς αὐτόν τε Κοιταϊέα καὶ γῆν τὴν Κολχίδα Κοιταΐδα καλεῖν.

§ 8.14.50 Τοῦτο Μερμερόης τανῦν ἀνοικοδομήσασθαι ἐν σπουδῇ ἔχων, ἐπεὶ οὐδεμίαν παρασκευὴν τοῦ ἔργου εἶχεν, ἅμα δὲ καὶ ὁ χειμὼν ἤδη ἐνέκειτο, ξύλινα τοῦ φρουρίου ὅσα καταπεπτώκει ὡς τάχιστα ποιησάμενος αὐτοῦ ἔμενε.

§ 8.14.51 τοῦ δὲ Κόταϊς ἄγχιστα φρούριον ἐχυρώτατόν ἐστιν, Οὐθιμέρεος ὄνομα· ἐν ᾧ δὴ φυλακτήριον ἐς τὸ ἀκριβὲς οἱ Λαζοὶ εἶχον.

§ 8.14.52 μετεῖχον δὲ σφίσι τῆς τοῦ φρουρίου φυλακῆς καὶ Ῥωμαῖοι στρατιῶται ὀλίγοι τινές.

§ 8.14.53 ὁ μὲν οὖν Μερμερόης τῷ παντὶ στρατῷ ἐνταῦθα καθῆστο, γῆς τε τῆς Κολχίδος τὰ κάλλιστα ἔχων, ἐμπόδιός τε τοῖς ἐναντίοις γινόμενος ἐς τὸ Οὐθιμέρεος φρούριον τῶν ἐπιτηδείων τι ἐσκομίζεσθαι, ἢ ἐς χώραν τήν τε Σουανίαν καὶ τὴν Σκυμνίαν καλουμένην ἰέναι,

§ 8.14.54 καίπερ σφίσιν αὐτῆς κατηκόου οὔσης. πολεμίων γὰρ ἐν Μοχηρήσιδι ὄντων, Λαζοῖς τε καὶ Ῥωμαίοις ὁδοῦ ἀποκεκλεῖσθαι τῆς εἰς τὰ ταύτῃ χωρία ξυμβαίνει. τὰ μὲν οὖν στρατόπεδα ἐπὶ Λαζικῆς ἐφέρετο τῇδε.

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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