[23] He also rendered secure all the cities of Greece which are inside the walls at Thermopylae, renewing their circuit-walls in every case. [24] For they had fallen into ruin long before, at Corinth because of terrible earthquakes which had visited the city; and at Athens and Plataea and the towns of Boeotia they had suffered from the long passage of time, while no man in the whole world took thought for them. [25] But he left nothing vulnerable or unguarded, for after vigilantly caring for the safety of his subjects, he felt convinced that even if the barbarians should chance to overrun the country about Thermopylae, they would, as soon as they learned that after surmounting this obstacle they would have gained no advantage (the rest of Greece having been fortified at every point), give up immediately in despair, knowing that it would be necessary for them to besiege each individual city. [26] For when expectation is prolonged, it cannot endure the strain, nor does it even desire a profit which is delayed; but it simply abandons the contingent chance of success through waiting.
[27] When the Emperor Justinian, after he had accomplished all this, learned that all the cities of the Peloponnesus were unwalled, he reasoned that obviously a long time would be consumed if he attended to them one by one, and so he walled the whole Isthmus securely, because much of the old wall had already fallen down. [28] And he built fortresses there and established garrisons. In this manner he made all the towns in the Peloponnesus inaccessible to the enemy, even if somehow they should force the defences at Thermopylae. Thus were these things done.
[3] [1] There was a certain city in Thessaly, Diocletianopolis by name, which had been prosperous in ancient times, but with the passage of time and the assaults of the barbarians it had been destroyed, and for a very long time it had been destitute of inhabitants; and a certain lake chances to be close by which was named Castoria. There is an island in the middle of the lake, for the most part surrounded by water; [2] but there remains a single narrow approach to this island through the lake, not more than •fifteen feet wide. [3] And a very lofty mountain stands above the island, one half being covered by the lake while the remainder rests upon it. [4] Wherefore this Emperor passed over the site of Diocletianopolis, since it was manifestly easy of access and had long been in a state of collapse, as has been stated, and built a very strong city on the island, and, as was right, he allowed it bear his own name. [5] Furthermore, he restored the circuit-walls of Echinaeus and of Thebes and Pharsalus and of all the other cities of Thessaly, including Demetrias and Metropolis, as it is called, and Gomphi and Tricca, making them safe and strong, since they had all suffered with the passage of time and could be captured easily, if anyone should attack them.
[6] But now that we have reached Thessaly, let us direct our account at once to Mt. Pelion and the Peneus River. [7] This river flows from Mt. Pelion with a gentle stream which encircles and beautifies the city of Larissa; Phthia is no longer in existence, this being the work of the long passage of time. [8] And this river flows on with a very easy descent all the way to the sea. The country is indeed productive of all kinds of crops and has a surfeit of drinking-water, yet the inhabitants of the region could not derive the least enjoyment from these things because they were in a state of constant terror and ever expected the barbarians to fall upon them, since there was no stronghold anywhere in this district where they might take refuge and find safety. [9] Even Larissa and Caesarea, since their defences had suffered excessively, had come to be practically unwalled. [10] But the Emperor Justinian made the defences of both very strong, and in this way brought the blessings of true prosperity to the region. [11] And not far away rise precipitous mountains, covered with lofty trees — the home of the Centaurs. [12] This was the spot where the battle of the Lapiths took place against the race of the Centaurs, as our myths have it from of old, childishly pretending that in early times a strange race of men existed, compounded of the nature of two creatures. [13] Ancient times have also left a certain testimony to the myth in a name applied to a fort in the mountains there; for the place is called Centauropolis even to my day. [14] The wall of this fort, which had already fallen down, as well as the fortress of Eurymenê, near by, which was in the same state, was rebuilt and strengthened by the Emperor Justinian. [15] This Emperor restored also many other forts in Thessaly, the names of which I shall include a little further on in the list of towns in Macedonia which have been provided with walls.
[16] But now, in order that no portion of Greece may be left unmentioned, we must go to the island of Euboea, for it stands close to Athens and Marathôn. [17] This island of Euboea is thrown out into the sea in front of Greece, and it looks as if it had been cut off somehow from the mainland, having been one with the continent formerly, but later split off by a strait. [18] An arm of the sea breaks the continent there near the city of Chalcis, collecting itself in a narrow stream and being compressed by its banks to the breadth of a brook. [19] The portion of land which is thus cut off forms an island, and the strait is called Euripus. [20] Such then is Euboea; and a bridge over the strait is formed by a single timber laid across it. This the natives put in place whenever they wish, and thus they seem to be mainlanders when they cross on foot to the opposite shore; but when they remove it and cross the strait in boats, they become islanders again, so that by the placing or removal of one timber they may either walk or go in boats . . . they call the enclosed portion Pallenê. [1] The natives in ancient times had closed the entrance with a cross-wall, with which they had linked together the two seas; and they had built there a city which in former times they called Potidaea, but now Cassandria. [22] But time so ruined all the buildings in this place that a Hunnic tribe, in overrunning that region not long ago, destroyed the city and the wall without fear, quite as if they were doing something just by the way, though since the world began they had never stormed a wall. [23] But this too provided the Emperor Justinian with an opportunity to display his skill and his magnanimity. [24] For, by always bringing his wisdom to bear in circumventing the difficulties he meets with, he straightway uses beneficent measures, thus transforming the greatest disasters into a happier state of affairs. [25] So in this way he brought it about that both the city of Pallenê, which stands as a bulwark of the whole region, and the cross-wall at the entrance of the peninsula, became manifestly impregnable and able to defy any who should wish to attack them. [26] These things, then, were done by him as his service to Macedonia.
[27] Not far from Thessalonica flows a certain river, Rhechius by name, which wanders through a goodly land of deep soil and then empties into the sea near by. [28] The river flows with a steady current, the water is calm and drinkable, and the ground is level with many ploughed fields and bottom-lands with good pasturage. [29] In these respects the land is blessed, but it used to be completely exposed to the barbarians, having neither fortress nor any other defence in a space of •forty miles. [30] Consequently the Emperor built a new fort of great strength beside the mouth of the Rhechius River, near the shore of the sea, and it has been named Artemisium.
[4] [1] It is proper to tell also how many other strongholds he constructed in this part of Europe. If we were making this catalogue of the forts in this region — those namely which were constructed by the Emperor Justinian — for the benefit of some other nations of men who lived far away, with a different form of government, in some place where the record would lack the testimony of witnesses, I know well that my account would seem fabulous and altogether incredible because of the mere number of the forts built. [2] But as matters stand, since these things are to be seen at no great distance, and visitors from these regions are very numerous in our midst, let us, boldly telling the truth, well vouched for as it is, proceed with unbounded confidence to enumerate without any hesitation all the forts which the Emperor Justinian has built throughout the regions which I have just described, either by restoring those fortifications which were in ruins or by contriving new walls. [3] It will be preferable to set them all down together in catalogue form so that my narrative may not
become utterly irksome by interspersing a crowd of place-names here and there in it.
Now the following new forts were built by the Emperor in New Epirus:
Boulpiansus
Episterba
Sceminites
Aona
Stephaniacum
Argus
Aliula
Dyrrachin
St. Sabianus
Gemenus
Bacustê
Alistrus
Patapa
Epidunta
Bacusta
Martis
Eirenê
Speretium
Aoiôn
Stredên
Gynaecomites
Labellus
Epileum
Piscinae
Deuphracus
Dolebin
Hedonia
Titiana
Cithinas
Ulibula
Brebatê
Thesaurus
The following were restored:
St. Stephen’s
Cethreôn
Apis
Peleum
Comê
Pacuê
The city of Scydreôn
Antipagrae
Tithyra
Brebeta
Bupus
Endyneia
Dionysus
Ptocheiou
Tyrcanus
Capaza
Pupsalus
Gabraeum
Dionoia
Clementiana
Illyrin
Cilicae
Argyas
Therma
Amanteia
Paretium
And in Old Epirus the following new forts were built:
Parmus
Olbus
Cionin
Marciana
Algus
Ceimenus
Xeropotamus
Europê
Chimaerae
Helega
Homonoia
Adanum
And the following forts were restored:
Murciara
Castina
Genysius
Percus
Marmarata
Listria
Petroniana
Carmina
St. Sabinus’
And a cistern in the fort of Comê
Martius
Pezium
Onalus
And from Justinianopolis and Photicê, two forts of St. Donatus
Symphygium
Pronathidum
Hedones
Castellus
Bulibas
Palyrus
Trana
Poseidôn
Colophonia
In Macedonia:
Candida
Colobona
Basilica Amyntou
Melichiza
Pascas
Aulon
Bolbus
Brigizes
Optas
Pleurum
Caminus
Therma
Bogas
Neapolis
Calarnas
Museum
Acremba
Adrianium
Edana
Siclae
Nymphium
Metizus
Argicianum
Bazinus
Cassopas
Parthiôn
Gentianum
Priniana
Thesteum
Cyrrou
Gourassôn
Cumarciana
Limnederium
Bourboöden
Babas
Cryniana
Pelecum
Lagês
Crataea
Phasciae
Placidiana
Hygea
Limnaae
Optium
Charadrus
Cassopes
And these forts were restored in Thessaly:
Alcôn
Lossonus
Geronticê
Perbyla
Cercineou
Scidreûs
Phracellan
In Dardania the following were built. New:
Laberium
Castimum
Rhabestum
Castellium
Acrenza
Terias
Drullus
Victorias
And the following were restored:
Cesiana
Tezulê
Usiana
Besiana
Mascas
Listê
Celliriana
Zysbaes
Genzana
Petrizên
Eutychiana
Mulatô
Belas
Cattarus
Cattarecus
Pentza
Cattapheterus
Dabanus
Cubinus
Germatza
Victoriana
Azeta
Durbuliana
Suricum
Cusines
Tuttiana
Ballesiana
Bella
Catrelates
Casyella
Maniana
Priscupera
Miletês
Dardapara
Cesuna
Beriniana
Lasbarus
Castellobretara
Edetziô
Dinium
Cecola
Emastus
Castelona
Capomalba
Seretus
Ptocheium
Cuinô
Berzana
Besaïana
Arsa
Blezô
Labutza
Quintou
Bermezium
Catrasema
Rhotun
Cobenciles
Marcelliana
Primoniana
Pamilinus
Aria
Near the city Sardicê:
Scupium
Stenes
Marcipetra
Briparum
Romaniana
Struas
Protiana
Maccuniana
Scopentzana
And in the district of Cabetzus, Balbae was built new, and the following were restored:
Byrsia
Stamazô
Clesbestita
Duiana
Turicla
Medeca
Peplabius
Cunae
Bineüs
Trisciana
Parnusta
Tzimes
Bidzô
Stenecorta
Danedebae
Ardeia
. . . the following new:
Bugarama
Betzas
Bregedaba
Borbrega
Turûs
And the following were restored:
Salebries
Arcunes
Duries
Buteries
Barbaries
Arbatias
Cutzusura
Etaeries
Itaberies
Bottes
Bitzimaeas
Badziania
Banes
Bimerus
Tusudeaas
Scuanes
Scentudies
Scares
Tugurias
Bemastes
Stramentias
Lignius
Itadeba
Near the city Germenne, Scaplizo was built new, and the following were restored:
Germas
Candaras
Rolligeras
Scinzeries
Rhiginocastellum
Suegogmense
Near the city Pauta:
Tarporum
Suabastas
Cherduscera
Blebois
Zeapuries
In the district of Scassetana:
Alarum
Magimias
Lucunanta
Balausum
B
uttis
Near the city . . . the following were built new:
Calbentia
Pharanores
Stranbasta
Aldanes
Barachtestes
Sarmates
Arsena
Brarcedum
Eraria
Bercadium
Sabiniribes
Timiana
Candilar
Arsaza
Biculea
Castellium
Groffes
Garces
Pistes
Dusmanes
Bratzista
Holodoris
Cassia
Grandetum
Urbriana
Nogeto
Gurbicum
Lautzones
Duliares
Mediana
Tiuncona
Castellium
And the following were restored:
Hercula
Mutzianicastellum
Burdopes
Calis
Millareca
Dedbera
Chesdupara
In the district of Remisianisia:
Brittura
Subaras
Lamponiana
Stronges
Dalmatas
Primiana
Phrerraria
Topera
Tomes
Cuas
Tzertzenutzas
Stens
Aeadaba
Destreba
Pretzouries
Cumudeba
Deurias
Lutzolo
Rhepordenes
Spelonca
Scumbro
Briparo
Tulcoburgo
Longiana
Lupophantana
Dardapara
Burdomina
Grinciapana
Graecus
Drasimarca
In the district of Aquenisium, Timathochiôm was built new, and the following were restored:
Petres
Sculcoburgo
Vindimiola
Braeola
Arganocili
Castellonovo
Florentiana
Romyliana
Septecasae
Argentares
Auriliana
Gembero
Clemades
Turribas
Gribo
Chalaro
Tzutrato
Mutzipara
Stendas
Scaripara
Odriuzo
Cipipene
Trasiana
Potes
Amulo
Setlotes
Timaciolum
Meridio
Delphi Complete Works of Procopius Page 117