[2] Μάλιστα δὲ ἁπασῶν Ἀντιόχειαν, ἢ νῦν Θεούπολις ἐπικέκληται, κόσμου τε καὶ ὀχυρώματος ἐνεπλήσατο πολλῷ μείζονος ἢ πρότερον εἶναι ξυνέβαινεν.
[2] Above all he made Antioch, which is now called Theopolis, both fairer and stronger by far than it had been formerly.
[3] ἦν μὲν γὰρ αὐτῆς τὸ παλαιὸν ὁ περίβολος μακρός τε ὑπεράγαν καὶ περιόδων πολλῶν ἀτεχνῶς ἔμπλεως, πὴ μὲν τὰ πεδία περιβάλλων οὐδενὶ λόγῳ, πὴ δὲ τὰς τῶν σκοπέλων ὑπερβολάς, καὶ ἀπ᾽ αὐτοῦ πλείοσιν ἐπιβουλαῖς ὑποκείμενος.
[3] In ancient times its circuit-wall was both too long and absolutely full of many turnings, in some places uselessly enclosing the level ground and in others the summits of the mountain, and for this reason it was exposed to attack in a number of places.
[4] συστείλας δὲ αὐτὸν Ἰουστινιανὸς βασιλεὺς κατὰ τὸ χρείᾳ ξυνοῖσον, οὐ ταῦτα φρουρεῖν ἅπερ καὶ πρότερον, ἀλλὰ τὴν πόλιν ἐς τὸ ἀκριβὲς πεποίηκε μόνην.
[4] But the Emperor Justinian, contracting this wall as would best serve the need, carefully remade it so as to guard, not the same districts as before, but only the city itself.
[5] τὰ μὲν γὰρ κάτω τοῦ περιβόλου, ἔνθα ἡ πόλις ἐπικινδύνως εὐρύνετο, ἐν μαλακῷ τε πεδίῳ κειμένη καὶ περιουσίᾳ τειχίσματος ἀφύλακτος οὖσα, μεταβιβάζει ὡς ἐνδοτάτω, ἐπικαιριώτατα στενοχωρήσας ἐνταῦθα τὴν πόλιν, περιστελλομένην τῷ πεπιέσθαι.
[5] As for the lower part of the circuit-wall, where the city was dangerously spread out (since it lay in a soft plain and could not be defended because of a superfluity of wall), he changed its course by drawing it inward as much as possible, it having gained protection by being compressed.
[6] ποταμὸν δὲ Ὀρόντην, ὅσπερ αὐτὴν παρέρρει ἐν περιόδοις τὰ πρότερα οὖσαν, διωθήσατο μεταπορευθέντα τὸ ῥεῖθρον τῷ περιβόλῳ γειτονεῖν,
[6] And the River Orontes, which had flowed past the city, as it formerly was, in a winding course, he thrust over so that it ran in a new bed, hugging the circuit-wall.
[7] αὖθις ὀχεταγωγίᾳ τὸν ῥοῦν ὡς ἀγχοτάτω περιελίξας, ταύτῃ τε καὶ τὸ σφαλερὸν τῆς ἀμετρίας ἀνῆκε τῇ πόλει καὶ τὴν ἐκ τοῦ Ὀρόντου ἀσφάλειαν ἀνεσώσατο.
[7] He did this by winding the stream round again by means of an artificial channel as near the wall as possible. In this way he both relieved the city of the danger arising from its excessive size and recovered the protection afforded by the Orontes.
[8] ἐνταῦθά τε νεοχμώσας γεφύρας ἑτέρας ζεύγματα τῷ ποταμῷ νέα ἐντέθεικε, περιαγαγὼν δὲ ὡς πορρωτάτω τῆς χρείας αὐτόν, ]εἶτα τὴν προτέραν ἀπέδωκε πορείαν τῷ ῥείθρῳ.
[8] And by building other bridges there he furnished new means of crossing the river; and after changing its stream for as great a distance as was necessary, he then restored it to its former course.
[9] τὰ μέντοι ἄνω ἐς τὸ κρημνῶδες αὐτῷ κατὰ τάδε διαπεπόνηται. ἐν τῇ τοῦ ὄρους ὑπερβολῇ ἥνπερ Ὀροκασσιάδα καλοῦσι, πέτρα τις τοῦ τείχους ἐκτὸς ὡς ἀγχοτάτω ἐτύγχανεν οὖσα, ἐξ ἀντιπάλου τε τοῦ περιβόλου ἐνταῦθα κειμένη καὶ λίαν ἐπιμαχώτατον αὐτὸν τιθεμένη.
[9] The upper part, in the mountainous portion, he managed as follows: on the summit of the mountain which they call Orocassias there happened to be a rock outside the wall and very close to it, nearly matching in height the circuit-wall in this place and making it quite vulnerable.
[10] Χοσρόῃ ἀμέλει ἐνθένδε ἡ πόλις ἑάλω, ᾗπέρ μοι ἐν λόγοις τοῖς ἐπιτηδείοις ἐρρήθη. τὰ δὲ τοῦ περιβόλου ἐντὸς ἔρημός τε χώρα ἐπὶ πλεῖστον καὶ δύσοδος ἦν·
[10] It was from this point in fact that the city was taken by Chosroes, as is related in my description of the event. The region within the circuit-wall was for the most part bare and difficult to traverse,
[11] πέτραι γὰρ ὑψηλαὶ καὶ χαράδραι ἀνέκβατοι διακεκλήρωνται τὸν χῶρον ἐκεῖνον, ἀδιεξόδους τὰς ἐνθένδε ποιούμεναι τρίβους, ὥσπερ ἀλλοτρίου ἐνταῦθά τινος, ἀλλ᾽ οὐ τῶν Ἀντιοχέων τοῦ τείχους ὄντος.
[11] for high rocks and impassable ravines divide up that district, so that the paths from that place have no outlet. Thus the wall there is just as if it belonged to some other city and not to Antioch at all.
[12] χαίρειν τοίνυν πολλὰ τῇ πέτρᾳ φράσας, ἥπερ ἐν γειτόνων τῷ τείχει οὖσα εὐάλωτον αὐτὸ διαφανῶς ἐσκαιώρητο, ὡς πορρωτάτω αὐτῆς περιβάλλειν τὴν πόλιν ἔγνω, ἀβουλίας πέρι τῶν πρότερον αὐτὴν δειμαμένων ἀπὸ τῶν πραγμάτων τῆς πείρας πεποιημένος τὴν μάθησιν.
[12] So he bade a long farewell to the rock, which, being close to the wall, was fiendishly devised to make the wall easy to capture, and decided to build the defences of the city as far away from it as possible, having learned from the experience of events the folly of those who had built the city in former times.
[13] χώραν τε ὁμαλὴν μάλιστα τοῦ τείχους ἐντὸς τὴν τὰ πρότερα κρημνώδη οὖσαν ἀπεργασάμενος, ἀνόδους ταύτῃ πεποίηται οὐχ ὅσον ἀνδράσι πεζοῖς, ἀλλὰ δὴ καὶ ἱππεῦσι βασίμους, ἔτι μέντοι καὶ ἁμαξηλάτους τὸ λοιπὸν οὔσας.
[13] Moreover he made quite level the region within the wall, which formerly had been precipitous, building ascents there which would in the future be passable, not only for men on foot, but for cavalry, and would even serve as waggon-roads.
[14] ἀλλὰ καὶ βαλανεῖα καὶ ὑδάτων ταμιεῖα ἐν τοῖς ὄρεσι πεποίηται τούτοις τοῦ τείχους ἐντός. φρέαρ τε ὤρυξεν ἐν πύργῳ ἑκάστῳ, τὴν πρότερον ἀνυδρίαν ἐνταῦθα οὖσαν ὕδασιν ὑετίοις ἰώμενος.
[14] He also built baths and reservoirs on these hills inside the wall. And he dug a cistern in each tower, remedying by means of rain-water the want of water which had previously existed there.
[15] Ὅσα δὲ καὶ ἀμφὶ τῷ χειμάρρῳ πεποίηται, ὃς ]ἐκ τούτων δὴ τῶν ὀρέων κάτεισιν, εἰπεῖν ἄξιον. ὄρη μὲν ἀπότομα δύο τῇ πόλει ἐπῆρται, ἀλλήλοιν ξυνιόντα ὡς ἀγχοτάτω.
[15] It is proper to describe also what he did with the torrent which comes down from these mountains. Two precipitous mountains rise above the city, approaching each other quite closely.
[16] τούτων θάτερον μὲν Ὀροκασσιάδα καλοῦσι, τὸ δὲ δὴ ἕτερον Σταυρὶν κέκληται. ἀπολήγοντα δέ πη αὐτὰ νάπη τις ζεύγνυσι καὶ χαράδρα μ
εταξὺ οὖσα, χειμάρρουν ἀποτελοῦσα, ἐπειδὰν ὕοι, Ὀνοπνίκτην ὄνομα, ὃς δὴ ἐξ ὑπερδεξίων κατιὼν ὕπερθέν τε τοῦ περιβόλου φερόμενος ἐπὶ μέγα τε, ἂν οὕτω τύχῃ, ἐξανιστάμενος, διεσκεδάννυτο μὲν ἐς τοὺς τῆς πόλεως στενωπούς, ἀνήκεστα δὲ κακὰ τοὺς ταύτῃ ᾠκημένους εἰργάζετο.
[16] Of these they call the one Orocassias and the other is called Staurin. Where they come to an end they are joined by a glen and ravine which lies between them, which produces a torrent, when it rains, called Onopnictes. This, coming down from a height, swept over the circuit-wall and on occasion rose to a great volume, spreading into the streets of the city and doing ruinous damage to those who lived in that district.
[17] ἀλλὰ καὶ τούτου τὴν ἄκεσιν Ἰουστινιανὸς βασιλεὺς εὕρατο τρόπῳ τοιῷδε. πρὸ τοῦ περιβόλου ὅνπερ ἄγχιστα τῆς χαράδρας ξυμβαίνει εἶναι, ἐξ ἧς ὁ χειμάρρους ἐπὶ τὸ τείχισμα ἵετο, τοῖχον ἐδείματο ὑπερμεγέθη, ἐκ κοίλης χαράδρας διήκοντα ἐς ἑκάτερον τοῖν ὀροῖν μάλιστα, ὡς μηκέτι περαιτέρω ἰέναι κυματοῦντι τῷ ποταμῷ δυνατὰ εἴη, ἀλλ᾽ ἐπὶ μακρότερον ξυνιστάμενος ἐνταῦθα λιμνάζοι.
[17] But even for this the Emperor Justinian found the remedy, in the following way: Before that part of the circuit-wall which happens to lie nearest to the ravine out of which the torrent was borne against the fortifications, he built an immense wall or dam, which reached roughly from the hollow bed of the ravine to each of the two mountains, so that the stream should no longer be able to sweep on when it was at full flood, but should collect for a considerable distance back and form a lake there.
[18] ἐν δὲ τῷ τοίχῳ θυρίδας ποιησάμενος ἐνθένδε ἀπορρέοντα ὑπολήγειν κατὰ βραχὺ ἀνάγκῃ χειροποιήτῳ τὸν χειμάρρουν διεσκευάσατο, οὐκέτι λάβρως τῷ παντὶ ῥεύματι τῷ περιβόλῳ προσβάλλοντα, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο ὑπερβλύζοντά τε καὶ τὴν πόλιν κατεργαζόμενον, ἀλλὰ πρᾴως τε καὶ προσηνῶς ὑπορρέοντα, ᾗπέρ μοι εἴρηται, ταύτῃ τε τῇ ἐκροῇ διὰ τῆς ὀχεταγωγίας ἰόντα ὅποι ἂν αὐτὸν βουλομένοις ᾖ περιάγειν οὕτω μέτριον γεγενημένον τοῖς πάλαι ἀνθρώποις.
] [18] And by constructing sluice-gates in this wall he contrived that the torrent, flowing through these, should lose its force gradually, checked by this artificial barrier, and no longer violently assault the circuit-wall with its full stream, and so overflow it and damage the city, but should gently and evenly glide on in the manner I have described and, with this means of outflow, should proceed through the channel wherever the inhabitants of former times would have wished to conduct it if it had been so manageable.
[19] Τὰ μὲν οὖν ἀμφὶ τῷ Ἀντιοχείας περιβόλῳ τῇδε Ἰουστινιανῷ βασιλεῖ εἴργασται. καὶ ξύμπασαν δὲ πρὸς τῶν πολεμίων καταφλεχθεῖσαν ἀνῳκοδομήσατο τὴν πόλιν αὐτός.
[19] This, then, was what the Emperor Justinian accomplished concerning the circuit-wall of Antioch. He also rebuilt the whole city, which had been completely burned by the enemy.
[20] τετεφρωμένων γὰρ πανταχόσε καὶ καθῃρημένων ἁπάντων, λόφων τε μόνον ἐκ πόλεως ἐξηνθρακωμένης ἐπανεστηκότων πολλῶν, ἄπορον τοῖς Ἀντιοχεῦσιν ἐγίνετο τήν τε χώραν ἐπιγνῶναι τῆς ἑκάστου ἰδίας οἰκίας γενομένης τὰ πρῶτα ἐκφορήσασι τὸ συμπτωθὲν ἅπαν, οἰκίας τε πυρκαϊᾶς περικαθῆραι τὰ λείψανα, ἔτι μέντοι δημοσίων στοῶν ἢ περιστύλων αὐλῶν οὐδαμῆ οὐσῶν, οὐδὲ ἀγορὰς πη καθισταμένης, οὐδὲ τῶν στενωπῶν τὰς ἀγυιὰς διαιρούντων τῇ πόλει, οἰκίας τινὸς οἰκοδομίαν ἀπαυθαδιάσασθαι.
[20] For since everything was everywhere reduced to ashes and levelled to the ground, and since many mounds of ruins were all that was left standing of the burned city, it became impossible for the people of Antioch to recognise the site of each person’s house, when first they carried out all the debris, and to clear out the remains of a burned house; and since there were no longer public stoas or colonnaded courts in existence anywhere, nor any market-place remaining, and since the side-streets no longer marked off the thoroughfares of the city, they did not any longer dare to build any house.
[21] ἀλλὰ βασιλεὺς οὐδεμίᾳ μελλήσει ὡς ἀπωτάτω τῆς πόλεως τὰ καθῃρημένα μετενεγκών, ἐλεύθερόν τε τὸν ταύτῃ ἀέρα ξὺν τοῖς ἔνερθεν τῶν ἐνοχλούντων καταστησάμενος, πρῶτα μὲν τὰ ἐδάφη πανταχόθι τῆς πόλεως λίθοις ἁμαξιαίοις ἐκάλυψεν·
[21] But the Emperor without any delay transported the debris as far as possible from the city, and thus freed the air and the ground of all encumbrances; then he first of all covered the cleared land of the city everywhere with stones each large enough to load a waggon.
[22] ἔπειτα δὲ στοαῖς τε καὶ ἀγοραῖς αὐτὴν διακρίνας, καὶ διελὼν μὲν τοῖς στενωποῖς ἀμφόδους ἁπάσας, ὀχετοὺς δὲ καὶ κρήνας καὶ ὑδροχόας καταστησάμενος, ὅσοις ἡ πόλις κεκόμψευται, θέατρά τε αὐτῇ καὶ βαλανεῖα πεποιημένος, καὶ ταῖς ἄλλαις δημοσίαις οἰκοδομίαις ἁπάσαις κοσμήσας, αἷσπερ εὐδαιμονία διαφαίνεσθαι πόλεως εἴωθε· τεχνιτῶν δὲ καὶ ἐπιδημιούργων ]πλῆθος ἐπαγαγὼν ῥᾷόν τε καὶ ἀπονώτερον τοῖς ἐνοικοῦσι παρέσχετο δείμασθαι τὰς αὐτῶν ἰδίας οἰκίας.
[22] Next he laid it out with stoas and market-places, and dividing all the blocks of houses by means of streets, and making water-channels and fountains and sewers, all those of which the city now boasts, he built theatres and baths for it, ornamenting it with all the other public buildings by means of which the prosperity of a city is wont to be shewn. He also, by bringing in a multitude of artisans and craftsmen, made it more easy and less laborious for the inhabitants to build their own houses.
[23] οὕτω τε Ἀντιόχειαν ἐπιφανεστέραν γεγονέναι τανῦν ἢ πρότερον ἦν ξυνηνέχθη.
[23] Thus it was brought about that Antioch has become more splendid now than it formerly was.
[24] ἀλλὰ καὶ ἱερὸν ἐνταῦθα τῇ θεοτόκῳ πεποίηται μέγα, οὗ δὴ τό τε κάλλος καὶ τὸ ἐς ἅπαντα μεγαλοπρεπὲς ἐπελθεῖν λόγῳ ἀμήχανον· ὃ δὴ καὶ προσόδῳ ἐτίμησε χρημάτων μεγάλων.
[24] Moreover, he built there a great Church to the Mother of God. The beauty of this, and its magnificence in every respect, it is impossible to describe; he also honoured it with an income of a very large sum.
[25] ἔτι μέντοι καὶ Μιχαὴλ τῷ ἀρχαγγέλῳ νεὼν παμμεγέθη ἐδείματο. προὐνόησε δὲ καὶ τῶν ἀρρωστήμασι πονουμένω�
� ἐνταῦθα πτωχῶν, οἰκία τε σφίσι καὶ τὰ ἐς τὴν ἐπιμέλειαν καὶ τῶν νοσημάτων ἀπαλλαγὴν ἐν ἐπιτηδείῳ καταστησάμενος ἅπαντα, χωρὶς μὲν ἀνδράσι, χωρὶς δὲ γυναιξί, καὶ οὐδέν τι ἧσσον τοῖς ξένοις ἐπὶ καιροῦ γενομένοις ἐνταῦθα ἐνδήμοις.
[25] Moreover, he built an immense Church for the Archangel Michael. He made provision likewise for the poor of the place who were suffering from maladies, providing buildings for them and all the means for the care and cure of their ailments, for men and women separately, and he made no less provision for strangers who might on occasion be staying in the city.
[11] [11] [1] Οὕτω δὲ καὶ Χαλκίδος πόλεως τὸν περίβολον, ἐπισφαλῶς τε ἀρχὴν γεγονότα καὶ ὑπὸ τῶν ἐτῶν κατερρακωμένον, σὺν τῷ προτειχίσματι ἀνανεωσάμενός τε καὶ πολλῷ ἐχυρώτερον καταστησάμενος ἢ πρότερον ἦν, ἐς τὸν νῦν φαινόμενον πεποίηται τρόπον.
[1] In the same manner he also repaired the circuit-wall of the city of Chalcis, which had been faultily built in the first place and had been wrecked by the years; he restored this along with the outworks and rendered it much more defensible than before, and gave it the form which we now see.
Delphi Complete Works of Procopius Page 594