Delphi Complete Works of Procopius

by Procopius of Caesarea

  [11] But the Emperor Justinian brought the stream within the wall by means of an aqueduct, and adorned the city with ever-flowing fountains, so that he might justly be called its founder. All this, then, is what was done by the Emperor Justinian for these cities.

  [6] [6] [1] Ἦν δὲ Ῥωμαίων φρούριον παρὰ ποταμὸν Εὐφράτην ἐν τοῖς Μεσοποταμίας ἐσχάτοις, ἵνα ]δὴ Ἀβόρρας ποταμὸς τῷ Εὐφράτῃ ἀναμιγνύμενος τὴν ἐκβολὴν ἐνταῦθα ποιεῖται.

  [1] And there was a Roman fortress beside the Euphrates River on the frontier of Mesopotamia at the point where the Aborrhas River mingles with the Euphrates, into which it empties.

  [2] τοῦτο Κιρκήσιον μὲν ὀνομάζεται, βασιλεὺς δὲ αὐτὸ Διοκλητιανὸς ἐν τοῖς ἄνω χρόνοις ἐδείματο.

  [2] This is called Circesium, and was built by Emperor Diocletian in ancient times.

  [3] Ἰουστινιανὸς δὲ τανῦν βασιλεὺς χρόνου τε μήκει εὑρὼν συντριβὲς γεγονός, ἀπημελημένον δὲ καὶ ἄλλως ἀφύλακτον ὄν, ἐς ὀχύρωμα βεβαιότατον μετεστήσατο, πόλιν τε διεπράξατο μεγέθει καὶ κάλλει περιφανῆ εἶναι.

  [3] And our present Emperor Justinian, finding it dilapidated through the passage of time and neglected besides and in general unguarded, transformed it into a very strong fortress and brought it about that it became a city conspicuous for its size and beauty.

  [4] Διοκλητιανὸς μὲν γὰρ τηνικάδε τὸ φρούριον πεποίηται τοῦτο οὐχ ὅλον ἐν κύκλῳ τείχει περιβαλών, ἀλλὰ μέχρι μὲν ἐς ποταμὸν Εὐφράτην ἐπεξαγαγὼν τὴν τοῦ περιβόλου οἰκοδομίαν καὶ πύργον ἑκατέρωθι ἀπεργασάμενος ἔσχατον, ἀπολιπὼν δὲ τὴν ἐνθένδε τοῦ χωρίου πλευρὰν ἀτείχιστον ὅλως, ἀποχρῆναι, οἶμαι, τὸ τοῦ ποταμοῦ ὕδωρ ἐς τὸ τοῦ φρουρίου ὀχύρωμα τῇδε ἡγούμενος.

  [4] For Diocletian, when he constructed this fortress, did not surround it with a wall on all sides, but carried out the construction of the circuit-wall only as far as the River Euphrates, and he finished off the work at each of the two ends with a terminal tower, but after that he left that side of the site wholly unwalled, believing, I suppose, that the water of the river would serve as a protection for the fort on that side.

  [5] προϊόντος δὲ χρόνου τὸν ἔσχατον πύργον, ὃς δὴ ἐτέτραπτο πρὸς ἄνεμον νότον, τὸ τοῦ ποταμοῦ ῥόθιον παραξύον ἐνδελεχέστατα κατέσεισεν ὅλον, ἔνδηλός τε ἦν ὡς, εἰ μὴ βοηθοίη τις ὅ τι τάχιστα, καταπεσεῖται αὐτίκα δὴ μάλα.

  [5] However, as time went on, the terminal tower which faced toward the south was undermined by the ceaseless wash of the water, and entirely wrecked, and it became evident that, unless someone brought help with the greatest speed, it would collapse immediately.

  [6] ἐφάνη τοίνυν Ἰουστινιανὸς βασιλεὺς τοῦτο πρὸς τοῦ θεοῦ κεκομισμένος ἀξίωμα, πάσης ἐπιμελεῖσθαι καὶ ὡς ἔνι μάλιστα μεταποιεῖσθαι τῆς Ῥωμαίων ἀρχῆς·

  [6] Then appeared the Emperor Justinian, entrusted by God with this commission, to watch over the whole Roman Empire and, so far as was possible, to remake it.

  [7] ὃς δὴ οὐ μόνον τὸν πεπονθότα πύργον ἐσώσατο, ἀνοικοδομησάμενος αὐτὸν μυλίῳ λίθῳ καὶ φύσει σκληρῷ, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῦ φρουρίου τὴν ἀτείχιστον πλευρὰν ξύμπασαν ὀχυρωτάτῳ περιβέβληκε τείχει, διπλασιάσας αὐτῇ πρὸς τῷ ποταμῷ τὴν ἐκ τοῦ περιβόλου ἀσφάλειαν.

  [7] Indeed he not only preserved the damaged tower by rebuilding it with hard stone, such as would be suitable for making mill-stones, but he also enclosed the entire unwalled side of the fortress with a wall of the greatest strength, thus doubling its stability by adding the protection given by the circuit-wall to that afforded by the river.

  [8] πρὸς ἐπὶ τούτοις δὲ καὶ προτείχισμα ἐχυρώτατον προσεποίησεν ]αὐτὸς τῇ πόλει, καὶ διαφερόντως οὗ δὴ τοῖν ποταμοῖν ἡ ἐς ἀλλήλους ἐπιμιξία τρίγωνον ἀποτελεῖ σχῆμα, ταύτῃ τε τὰς ἐνθένδε τῶν πολεμίων ἐπιβουλὰς ἀπεκρούσατο.

  [8] In addition to this, he added very strong outworks to the defences of the city, and especially where the junction of the two rivers forms a triangle he thus made any attack by the enemy impossible.

  [9] καὶ στρατιωτικῶν δὲ καταλόγων ἄρχοντα τῇδε καταστησάμενος, ὃν δοῦκα καλοῦσι, διηνεκὲς ἐνταῦθα καθιζησόμενον, ἀποχρῶν φυλακτήριον πεποίηκεν εἶναι τῇ τῆς πολιτείας ἀρχῇ.

  [9] And he stationed here a commander of select troops, one whom they call a Duke or “leader,” who was to be stationed there permanently, and he thus constituted the place an adequate bulwark of the government of the State.

  [10] καὶ τὸ βαλανεῖον δέ, ὅπερ δημοσίᾳ τὴν χρείαν τοῖς τῇδε ᾠκημένοις παρέχεται, ἀνόνητον ὅλως τῇ τοῦ ποταμοῦ ἐπιρροῇ γεγενημένον ἐνεργεῖν τε τὰ ξυνειθισμένα οὐκέτι ἔχον, ἐς τὸν νῦν ὄντα μετέθηκε κόσμον.

  [10] The bath, too, which serves the common use of all the people living in the city, had become entirely useless because of the incursion of the river, with the result that it was no longer capable of providing its usual service; and so he transformed it to its present state of splendour.

  [11] ὅσα μὲν γὰρ αὐτοῦ ἀπεκρέματο πρότερον ἐπὶ στερρᾶς τῆς οἰκοδομίας ἑστῶτα κατὰ τὸ τῶν λουτρῶν τῇ χρείᾳ συνοῖσον (ὧν δὴ ἔνερθε τὸ πῦρ καίεται, χυτρόποδάς τε καλεῖν αὐτὰ νενομίκασι), ταῦτα δὴ ἅπαντα τῇ τοῦ ὕδατος ἐπιρροῇ ἀποκείμενα πρόσθεν εὑρών, καὶ ἀπ᾽ αὐτοῦ τὴν χρείαν τῷ βαλανείῳ διεφθαρμένην, λίθων μὲν αὐτὸς ἐμπεδώσας ἐπιβολαῖς ὅσα πρότερον ἀπεκρέματο, ᾗπέρ μοι εἴρηται, ἑτέραν καθύπερθεν ἀποκρεμάσας οἰκοδομίαν, ἵνα δὴ ἀπρόσοδα τῷ ποταμῷ ἐστιν, ἀνεσώσατο τὴν ἐνθένδε εὐπάθειαν τοῖς τῇδε φρουροῖς. τὰ μὲν δὴ τοῦ Κιρκησίου ἐς τόνδε τὸν τρόπον δεδημιούργηται τῷ βασιλεῖ τούτῳ.

  [11] For all the receptacles which previously were poised on solid masonry and were destined to serve the purposes of the bath (it is beneath these that fire is kept burning, and they are wont to call them cauldrons) — all these, he found, had already been exposed to the invasion of the water, and consequently the bath had been rendered useless; so he strengthened with courses of stone all that had formerly been poised there, as I have explained, and built another structure above it, where the river cannot reach it, and thus he restored to the troops there the enjoyment which they gained from the bath. In such a way was the work at Circesium carried out by this Emperor.

  [12] Μετὰ δὲ τὸ Κιρκήσιον φ�
�ούριόν ἐστι παλαιόν, Ἀννούκας ὄνομα, οὗπερ ἐρείπιον τὸ τεῖχος εὑρὼν οὕτω δὴ μεγαλοπρεπῶς ἀνῳκοδομήσατο Ἰουστινιανὸς βασιλεὺς ὡς μηδὲ τῶν τινος ἐπιφανεστάτων ]πόλεων ὀχυρώματος πέρι τὰ δευτερεῖα τὸ λοιπὸν φέρεσθαι.

  [12] Beyond Circesium is an ancient fort, Annoucas by name, whose wall, which he found a ruin, the Emperor Justinian rebuilt in such magnificent style that thereafter it took second place in point of strength to no single one of the most notable cities.

  [13] τρόπῳ δὲ τῷ αὐτῷ καὶ τὰ φρούρια, ὅσα δὴ ἀμφὶ πόλιν Θεοδοσιούπολιν κεῖται, τὰ μὲν ἀτείχιστα τὸ πρότερον ὄντα, τὰ δὲ πηλῷ τε καὶ τῇ ἐνθένδε γελωτοποιίᾳ τετειχισμένα αἱμασιᾶς τρόπον, φοβερά τε τοίνυν καὶ τὸ παράπαν ἀπρόσβατα τοῖς ἐπιοῦσιν εἰργάσατο·

  [13] In the same way those forts which lie about the city of Theodosiopolis, some of which had previously been without walls, while some were walled with mud and the ridiculous construction that goes with mud-work, like a wall made of loose stones, he made truly formidable, as they now are, and altogether unapproachable for their assailants;

  [14] τό τε Μαγδαλαθὼν σὺν ἑτέροιν δυοῖν ἅπερ αὐτοῦ ἑκατέρωθεν τυγχάνει ὄντα, καὶ Θαννούριος δύο, μικρόν τε καὶ μέγα, καὶ Βιμισδεὼν καὶ Θήμερες, ἔτι δὲ Βιδάμας καὶ Δαυσαρὼν καὶ Θιόλλα, Φιχάς τε καὶ Ζαμαρθὰς καὶ τὰ λοιπά, ὡς εἰπεῖν, ἅπαντα.

  [14] these include Magdalathôn with two others which chance to be on either side of it, and two named Thannourios, one large and one small, and Vimisdeôn, and Themeres, as well as Vidamas, Dausarôn, Thiolla, Phichas and Zamarthas, and, one may say, all the rest.

  [15] ἦν δέ τις χῶρος παρὰ Θαννούριος τὸ μέγα, ᾧ δὴ ἐπιχωριάζειν Σαρακηνοῖς τοῖς πολεμίοις διαβαίνουσι ποταμὸν Ἀβόρραν πολλὴ ἐξουσία ἐγίνετο, ἔνθεν δὲ ὁρμωμένοις διασκεδάννυσθαι μὲν ἀνά τε τὴν ὕλην δασεῖάν τε καὶ ἀμφιλαφῆ οὖσαν καὶ τὸ ὄρος ὃ ταύτῃ ἀνέχει, καταθεῖν τε ἀδεέστερον τοὺς ᾠκημένους ἀμφὶ τὰ ἐκείνῃ χωρία Ῥωμαίους.

  [15] And there was a certain spot near the larger Thannourios at which the hostile Saracens, after crossing the Aborrhas River, had complete freedom to resort, and making that their headquarters they would scatter through the thick leafy forest and over the mountain which rises there, and then they would descend with impunity upon the Romans who lived in the places round about.

  [16] ἀλλὰ νῦν πύργον κομιδῇ μέγαν ἐκ λίθου σκληροῦ Ἰουστινιανὸς βασιλεὺς ἐν τῷ χώρῳ τούτῳ δειμάμενος ἐνταῦθά τε φρουρὰν ἀξιολογωτάτην καταστησάμενος ἀναστέλλειν τὰς τῶν πολεμίων ἐπιδρομὰς παντελῶς ἴσχυσε, τοῦτον ἐπιτεχνησάμενος κατ᾽ αὐτῶν πρόβολον.

  [16] But now the Emperor Justinian has built a very large tower of hard stone at this point, in which he has established a very considerable garrison, and thus has succeeded completely in checking the inroads of the enemy by devising this bulwark against them.

  [7] [7] [1] Τὰ μὲν ἐπὶ Μεσοποταμίας τῇδε Ἰουστινιανῷ βασιλεῖ εἴργασται. ἀναγκαῖον δέ μοι ἐνταῦθα τοῦ λόγου Ἐδέσσης τε καὶ Καρρῶν καὶ Καλλινίκου καὶ τῶν ἄλλων πολιχνῶν ἁπασῶν ]ἐπιμνησθῆναι, ἅσπερ ἐκείνῃ ξυμβαίνει εἶναι, ἐπεὶ καὶ αὐταὶ τοῖν ποταμοῖν μεταξὺ κεῖνται.

  [1] Such were the works of the Emperor Justinian in Mesopotamia. And it is necessary for me at this point in my narrative to mention Edessa and Carrhae and Callinicum and all the other towns which chance to lie in that region, for these too are situated between the two rivers.

  [2] τὴν Ἔδεσσαν ποταμὸς παραρρεῖ τὸ ῥεῦμα βραχύς, Σκιρτὸς ὄνομα, ὃς δὴ ἐκ χωρίων πολλῶν ξυνάγων τὸ ῥεῖθρον ἐπὶ τὴν πόλιν φέρεται μέσην.

  [2] The city of Edessa is situated on a river of small volume, Scirtus by name, which collects its water from a wide area and flows into the middle of the city.

  [3] ἐνθένδε τε ἐξιὼν ἐπίπροσθεν ἵεται, ἐπειδὰν αὐτάρκη παρέχηται τῇ πόλει τὴν χρείαν τῶν τε εἰσόδων αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐκβολῶν δι᾽ ὀχεταγωγίας κατὰ τὸ τεῖχος πεποιημένων τοῖς πάλαι ἀνθρώποις.

  [3] And after leaving the city, it flows on further, after it has furnished the city with an abundant supply, effecting its entrance and its exit through channels in the wall constructed by men of former times.

  [4] οὗτός ποτε ὁ ποταμός, ὄμβρων οἱ ἐπιγενομένων πολλῶν, ὑπερπεφυκώς τε ὑψοῦ ἀνεῖχε καὶ ὡς καταλύσων τὴν πόλιν ἐπῄει.

  [4] On one occasion this river, swollen by heavy rains, rose to an altogether extraordinary height and came upon the city as if bent on destroying it.

  [5] τοῦ τοίνυν προτειχίσματος καὶ τοῦ περιβόλου καθελὼν ἐς τὸ ἔδαφος πολλήν τινα μοῖραν τὴν πόλιν περιεβάλετο σχεδόν τι ὅλην, ἔργα τε ἀνήκεστα τῇδε εἰργάσατο. τῶν τε γὰρ οἰκοδομημάτων τὰ κάλλιστα ἐξίτηλα ἐξαπιναίως πεποίηται καὶ τῶν ἀνθρώπων τὸ τριτημόριον διεχρήσατο.

  [5] Consequently it levelled to the ground a large part of the outworks and of the circuit-wall and covered practically the whole city, doing irreparable damage. For in a moment it wiped out completely the finest of the buildings and caused the death of one third of the population.

  [6] βασιλεὺς δὲ Ἰουστινιανὸς μὴ ὅτι ἀνεσώσατο τῇ πόλει τὰ καθῃρημένα εὐθὺς ἅπαντα, ἐν οἷς ἥ τε τῶν Χριστιανῶν ἐκκλησία καὶ ὁ καλούμενος Ἀντίφορος ἦν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὅπως μή τι αὐτῇ καὶ αὖθις τοιοῦτο ξυμβαίη διεπράξατο σπουδῇ τῇ πάσῃ.

  [6] But the Emperor Justinian immediately not only restored all the ruined parts of the city, including the church of the Christians and the structure called Antiphorus, but also made effective provision that such a calamity should not occur again.

  [7] πορείαν γὰρ ἑτέραν πρὸ τοῦ περιβόλου τῷ ποταμῷ νεοχμοῦν ἴσχυσε, τοιᾷδε αὐτὸν περιελθὼν τέχνῃ.

  [7] For he succeeded in making a new channel for the river before the circuit-wall, circumventing it by the following device.

  [8] τὰ μὲν ἐν δεξιᾷ τοῦ ποταμοῦ ὕπτιά τε καὶ χθαμαλὰ πρότερον ἦν, τὰ δὲ δὴ ἐν ἀριστερᾷ ὄρος ἀπότομον, οὐκ ἐπιχωροῦν αὐτῷ ἐπικλίνειν που ἢ ἐκτρέπεσθαι τῆς ξυνειθισμένης ]ὁδοῦ, ἀλλ᾽ ἐπὶ τὴν πόλιν αὐτὴν διωθούμενον ἀνάγκῃ τῇ πάσῃ. οὐ γὰρ ἦν τι αὐτὸν ἐπὶ δεξιᾷ ξυμποδίζον, ἡνίκα ἂν τῆς πόλεως εὐθὺ φέρ�
�ιτο.

  [8] The land on the right of the river was formerly both flat and low, while on the left stood a steep hill, which did not permit the stream to turn aside at all or deviate from its customary course, but drove it against the city by sheer compulsion; for on the right there was nothing to check it when it rushed straight towards the city.

  [9] τοῦτο οὖν τὸ ὄρος ἀποτεμὼν ὅλον κοῖλα μὲν τοῦ ποταμοῦ τὰ ἐν ἀριστερᾷ καὶ γλαφυρώτερα τῆς αὐτοῦ πορείας κατεσκεύαστο, ἐν δεξιᾷ δὲ τοῖχον ὑπερμεγέθη ἐκ λίθων ἁμαξιαίων συνέστησεν, ὥστε, εἰ μὲν κατὰ τὰ εἰωθότα ὁ ποταμὸς μέτριος φέρηται, μήποτε ἀποστεροῖτο τῆς ἐνθένδε ὠφελείας ἡ πολίς, ἐπειδὰν δὲ τύχῃ τινὶ ἐς ὕψος ἀρθεὶς ὑπερβλύζοι, μέτρια μέν τις αὐτοῦ ἐκροὴ ἐπὶ τὴν πόλιν κατὰ τὰ ξυνειθισμένα χωροίη, τοῦ δὲ ῥοθίου τὸ ἐπιγινόμενον ἐς τὴν Ἰουστινιανοῦ ἐπιτέχνησιν ἀναγκαστὸν ἴοι, ἐς τοῦ ἱπποδρόμου τὰ ὄπισθεν οὐ μακράν που ὄντος, τέχνῃ τε ἀνθρωπείᾳ καὶ γνώμῃ προμηθεῖ παρὰ δόξαν νενικημένον.

  [9] So he cut down this whole hill, and while making the land on the left of the river hollow deeper than its own bed, on the right he set up a huge wall of stones, each a load for a waggon, so that as long as the river flowed with its usual temperate stream, the city would never be deprived of its benefit, but whenever by any chance it rose to a great height and overflowed, a moderate portion of it would flow as usual into the city, while the excess of the stream would pass under constraint into the channel devised by Justinian and be led behind the hippodrome which is not far away, thus being vanquished, contrary to all expectation, by human skill and foresight.