Delphi Complete Works of Procopius

by Procopius of Caesarea

  [2] Ἦν δέ τι ἐπὶ Συρίας κομιδῇ ἀπημελημένον πολίχνιον, Κῦρος ὄνομα, ὅπερ Ἰουδαῖοι ἐν τοῖς ]ἄνω χρόνοις ἐδείμαντο, δορυάλωτοι μὲν ἐκ Παλαιστίνης ἐς τὴν Ἀσσυρίαν ἀποκεκομισμένοι πρὸς τοῦ Μήδων στρατοῦ, παρὰ Κύρου δὲ βασιλέως ἀφειμένοι πολλῷ ὕστερον· διὸ δὴ καὶ Κῦρον τὸ χωρίον ἐκάλεσαν, ταῦτα τῷ εὐεργέτῃ ἐκτίνοντες χαριστήρια.

  [2] There was a certain utterly neglected fortress in Syria, Cyrus by name, which the Jews built in early times, when they have been carried off as captives from Palestine into Assyria by the army of the Medes and were released much later by King Cyrus; and for this reason they named the place Cyrus, paying this tribute of gratitude to their benefactor.

  [3] προϊόντος δὲ τοῦ χρόνου ἡ Κῦρος τά τε ἄλλα ὑπερώφθη καὶ ἀτείχιστος ὅλως μεμένηκεν.

  [3] And as time went on this place came to be neglected in general and remained altogether without walls.

  [4] ἀλλὰ βασιλεὺς Ἰουστινιανὸς ἅμα μὲν πρόνοιαν τῆς πολιτείας ποιούμενος, ἅμα δὲ καὶ τοὺς ἁγίους Κοσμᾶν τε καὶ Δαμιανὸν τὰ μάλιστα σέβων, ὧν δὴ ἄγχιστά πη τὰ σώματα καὶ ἐς ἐμὲ κεῖται, πόλιν εὐδαίμονα καὶ λόγου ἀξίαν πολλοῦ, τείχους τε ἀσφαλείᾳ ἐχυρωτάτου καὶ φρουρῶν πλήθει καὶ οἰκοδομιῶν δημοσίων μεγέθει, καὶ τῆς ἄλλης κατασκευῆς τῷ ἐς ἄγαν μεγαλοπρεπεῖ, πεποίηται Κῦρον.

  [4] But the Emperor Justinian, both out of his forethought for the safety of the State, and at the same time shewing especial honour to the Saints Cosmas and Damian, whose bodies lie close by even up to my day, made Cyrus a flourishing city and one of great note through the safety afforded by the strongest possible wall, by the greatest strength of its garrison, by the size of its public buildings, and by the imposing scale of its other appointments.

  [5] ταύτης δὲ τῆς πόλεως τὰ μὲν ἐντὸς ὕδατος ἄπορα ἐκ παλαιοῦ ἦν, ἔκτοσθε δὲ ὑπερφυής τις ἐγεγόνει πηγή, περιουσίᾳ μὲν πλήθουσα ποτίμων ὑδάτων, ἀνόνητος δὲ τοῖς τῇδε ᾠκημένοις παντάπασιν οὖσα, ἐπεὶ οὐκ εἶχον ὅθεν ἂν ἐνθένδε ἀρύοιντο ὕδωρ, ὅτι μὴ πόνῳ τε καὶ κινδύνῳ μεγάλῳ.

  [5] The interior of this city had been destitute of water from ancient times; outside of it there had been a certain extraordinary spring which provided a great abundance of water fit for drinking, yet it was utterly useless to the inhabitants of the city, since they had no means of drawing water from the spring except with great toil and danger.

  [6] περιόδοις τε γὰρ αὐτόσε ἰοῦσιν ἀναγκαῖον ἐγίνετο χρῆσθαι, κρημνώδους χωρίου καὶ ὅλως ἀβάτου μεταξὺ ὄντος· καὶ τοῖς πολεμίοις, ἂν οὕτω τύχῃ, ἐνεδρεύουσιν ὑποχείριοι ῥᾷστα ἐγίγνοντο.

  [6] For it was necessary, in order to get to it, for them to make use of circuitous paths, since a steep and altogether impassable area lay between; thus they could easily fall into the hands of the enemy if they should happen to lie in ambush.

  [7] διώρυχα τοίνυν ἔκτοσθε τῆς πόλεως ἄχρι ἐς τὴν κρήνην οὐκ ἀπαρακαλύπτως, ἀλλὰ κεκρυμμένως ὡς ἔνι μάλιστα πεποιημένος, ἄπονόν τε αὐτοῖς καὶ ἀκίνδυνον τὴν τοῦ ὕδατος παρέσχετο χρείαν.

  ] [7] So he dug a channel outside the city all the way to the spring, not allowing it to be seen, but concealing it as carefully as possible, and thus he provided the inhabitants with a supply of water without toil or risk.

  [8] Καὶ Χαλκίδος δὲ πόλεως τὸν περίβολον ὅλον, ἔς τε τὸ ἔδαφος καθειμένον καὶ ἄλλως ἀφύλακτον ὄντα ἐχυρῷ διαφερόντως ἀνενεώσατο οἰκοδομίᾳ, καὶ προτειχίσματι ἐκρατύνατο.

  [8] Also he restored the entire circuit-wall of the city of Chalcis, which had fallen down to the ground and anyhow was unsuitable for defence, by means of exceptionally stout masonry, and he strengthened it with outworks.

  [9] ἔτι μέντοι καὶ τὰ ἄλλα Σύρων πολίσματά τε καὶ φρούρια τὸν αὐτὸν κεκοσμηκὼς τρόπον ζηλωτὰ ἐπιεικῶς κατεστήσατο.

  [9] Furthermore, he improved the other towns and forts of the Syrians in the same manner and made them altogether objects of envy.

  [10] Οὕτω μὲν Συρίαν Ἰουστινιανὸς βασιλεὺς ἐν τῷ ἀσφαλεῖ διεσώσατο. πόλις δέ πού ἐστιν ἐπὶ Φοινίκης τῆς παρὰ Λίβανον, Παλμύρα ὄνομα, ἐν χώρῳ μὲν πεποιημένη τοῖς πάλαι ἀνθρώποις ἀγείτονι, ἐν καλῷ δὲ τῆς τῶν πολεμίων Σαρακῆνων διόδου κειμένη.

  [10] Thus did the Emperor Justinian assure the safety of Syria. And there is a city in Phoenicia by Lebanon, Palmyra by name, built in a neighbourless region by men of former times, but well situated across the track of the hostile Saracens.

  [11] τούτου γὰρ δὴ αὐτὴν ἕνεκα καὶ ᾠκοδομήσαντο πρότερον, ὡς μὴ λάθοιεν οἱ βάρβαροι οὗτοι ἐξάπινα ἐς τὰ Ῥωμαίων ἤθη ἐμβάλλοντες.

  [11] Indeed it was for this very reason that they had originally built this city, in order, namely, that these barbarians might not unobserved make sudden inroads into the Roman territory.

  [12] ταύτην βασιλεὺς Ἰουστινιανὸς διὰ χρόνου μῆκος ἔρημον ἐπὶ πλεῖστον γεγενημένην ὀχυρώμασί τε λόγου μείζοσιν ἐπιρρώσας, πρὸς δὲ καὶ ὑδάτων περιουσίας καὶ φυλακτηρίου στρατιωτῶν ἐμπλησάμενος, τὰς τῶν Σαρακῆνων ἐπιδρομὰς ἀνεχαίτισεν.

  [12] This city, which through lapse of time had come to be almost completely deserted, the Emperor Justinian strengthened with defences which defy description, and he also provided it with abundant water and a garrison of troops, and thus put a stop to the raids of the Saracens.

  BOOK III.

  [1] [1] Χώραν μὲν τὴν ἑῴαν οὕτως Ἰουστινιανὸς βασιλεὺς ὀχυρώμασιν ἐκρατύνατο, ᾗπέρ μοι ἐν τῷ ἔμπροσθεν λόγῳ ἐρρήθη. ἀρξαμένῳ δέ μοι ἐκ τῶν παρὰ Πέρσας ὁρίων τῆς Ῥωμαίων ἀρχῆς ]περιηγεῖσθαι τὰ πρὸς αὐτοῦ ἐρύματα γεγενημένα, οὔ μοι ἀπὸ καιροῦ ἔδοξεν εἶναι ἐπὶ τοὺς Ἀρμενίους ἐνθένδε ἰέναι, οἳ δὴ ἐκ πόλεως Ἀμίδης ἄχρι ἐς Θεοδοσιούπολιν τὴν ἑτέραν προσοικοῦσι Πέρσαις.

  [1] Thus the Emperor Justinian strengthened the territory of the East with fortifications, as I have set forth in the preceding Book. And since I began at the Persian frontier of the Roman Empire in describing the defences built by him, it has seemed to me not inappropriate to pass on from there to Armenia, which adjoins Persia from the city of Amida as far as the second Theodosiopolis.

  [2] μέλλοντι δέ μοι τῶν ἐκείνῃ οἰκοδομημάτων ἐπιμνησθῆναι
προυργιαίτατον φαίνεται εἶναι ὑπειπεῖν πρότερον ὅντινα δὴ τρόπον σφαλερῶς ἄγαν βιοτεύοντας τοὺς Ἀρμενίους ὁ βασιλεὺς οὗτος ἐς τὴν παροῦσαν ἀσφάλειαν βεβαιότατα μεθηρμόσατο.

  [2] But now that I am about to mention the buildings of that region, it seems to me highly opportune to describe first how this Emperor brought the Armenians out of a very precarious way of life into their present state of complete safety.

  [3] οὐ γὰρ δὴ ὅσον οἰκοδομίας τούτους τοὺς κατηκόους ἐσώσατο, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῇ ἄλλῃ προνοίᾳ, ᾗπέρ μοι αὐτίκα μάλα γεγράψεται. ἀρκτέον δὲ μικρὸν ἄνωθεν.

  [3] For it was not by means of buildings alone that he saved these subjects of his, but also by his foresight in other matters, as I shall presently shew. But I must go back a little to begin.

  [4] Βασιλεὺς μὲν ὁμογενὴς πάλαι τοῖς Ἀρμενίοις καθίστατο, ᾗπερ τοῖς ἀναγραψαμένοις τῶν ἱστοριῶν τὰ ἀρχαιότατα δεδιήγηται.

  [4] The Armenians of ancient times used to have a king of their own race, as is recorded by those who have written the history of the earliest period.

  [5] ἐπειδὴ δὲ Ἀλέξανδρος ὁ Μακεδὼν τὸν Περσῶν βασιλέα καθεῖλε, Πέρσαι μὲν δεδουλωμένοι ἡσυχῇ ἔμενον, Πάρθοι δὲ Μακεδόσιν ἐπαναστάντες καὶ τῷ πολέμῳ περιγενόμενοι ἐξήλασάν τε αὐτοὺς ἐνθένδε καὶ τὰ μέχρι ἐς Τίγριν ποταμὸν ἔσχον, ὑπ᾽ αὐτοῖς τε τὸ λοιπὸν ἐς ἔτη πεντακόσια ἔκειτο τὰ Περσῶν πράγματα, ἕως Ῥωμαίοις ὁ Μαμαίας Ἀλέξανδρος βασιλεὺς γέγονε.

  [5] And when Alexander of Macedon overthrew the King of the Persians, the Persians remained quietly in subjection, but the Parthians rose against the Macedonians and overcoming them in the struggle, drove them out of the country and gained the territory as far as the Tigris River, and the Persian state remained subject to them after that for five hundred years, until Alexander, son of Mamaea, became Emperor of the Romans.

  [6] καί ποτέ τις τῶν ἐν Πάρθοις βασιλέων τὸν ἀδελφὸν τὸν αὑτοῦ Ἀρμενίοις βασιλέα κατεστήσατο, Ἀρσάκην ὄνομα, ὥσπερ ἡ τῶν Ἀρμενίων ἱστορία φησί. μὴ γάρ τις Ἀρμενίους τοὺς Ἀρσακίδας οἰέσθω εἶναι.

  [6] At one time, one of the kings of the Parthians appointed his brother, Arsaces by name, King of the Armenians, as the history of the Armenians declares. I say this lest anyone think the descendants of Arsaces are Armenians.

  [7] εἰρήνη γοῦν αὐτοῖς ἐς ἔτη τὰ πεντακόσια κατὰ τὸ ]ξυγγενὲς διαγέγονε.

  [7] At least peace continued between them for these five hundred years because of the kinship.

  [8] καὶ ὁ μὲν τῶν Ἀρμενίων βασιλεὺς ἐν Ἀρμενίᾳ τῇ μεγάλῃ καλουμένῃ καθῆστο, τῷ Ῥωμαίων αὐτοκράτορι ἐκ παλαιοῦ ὑποχείριος ὤν, χρόνῳ δὲ ὕστερον παῖδες ἐγένοντο Ἀρσάκῃ τινὶ Ἀρμενίων βασιλεῖ δύο, Τιγράνης τε καὶ Ἀρσάκης ὀνόματα.

  [8] And the King of the Armenians had his seat in Greater Armenia, as it was called, being subject to the Roman Emperor from an early period; but at a later time two sons were born to a certain Arsaces, King of Armenia, Tigranes and Arsaces by name.

  [9] ὅσπερ, ἐπεὶ ἔμελλε τὸν βίον διαμετρήσασθαι, διαθήκας τιθείς, ἄμφω τὼ παῖδε ποιεῖται διαδόχους αὑτῷ τῆς ἀρχῆς, οὐκ ἰσοστάσιον διορίσας ἑκατέρῳ τὸ κράτος, ἀλλὰ τῷ Τιγράνῃ τετραπλασίαν ἀπολιπὼν μοῖραν.

  [9] When this king was about to reach the end of his life, he made a will in which he made both of the boys his successors in the kingdom, not assigning an equal weight of power to each of them, but leaving to Tigranes a four-fold portion.

  [10] Ἀρσάκης μὲν οὖν ὁ πατὴρ οὕτω βασιλείαν διοικησάμενος ἐξ ἀνθρώπων ἠφάνιστο, Ἀρσάκης δὲ ὁ παῖς, ἐφ᾽ οἷς δὴ αὐτῷ ἐλασσοῦσθαι ξυνέβη ἀγανακτῶν τε καὶ δυσφορούμενος ἐπὶ τὸν Ῥωμαίων αὐτοκράτορα τὸ πρᾶγμα ἦγε, τοῦ τε ἀδελφοῦ καταλῦσαι τὴν βασιλείαν μηχανῇ πάσῃ ἐλπίδα ἔχων καὶ ἄδικον οὖσαν τὴν πατρὸς γνώμην ἀβέβαιον καταστήσεσθαι.

  [10] So the father Arsaces, having made this disposition of the royal power, departed from the world, but his son Arsaces, being resentful and angry because his portion proved to be inferior, laid the matter before the Roman Emperor, hoping that by using every device he might destroy the power of his brother and nullify his father’s purpose as being unjust.

  [11] Θεοδόσιος δὲ τότε, Ἀρκαδίου υἱὸς ἔτι παῖς ὢν κομιδῇ, Ῥωμαίων ἦρχε. τίσιν τε δειμαίνων τὴν ἐκ βασιλέως Τιγράνης Πέρσαις αὑτὸν ἐνεχείρισε, τὴν βασιλείαν παραδιδούς, περὶ πλείονός τε πεποιημένος ἰδιώτης ἐν Πέρσαις εἶναι ἢ πρὸς τὸν ἀδελφὸν τὰ δίκαια θέσθαι καὶ συμβασιλεύειν Ἀρμενίων αὐτῷ ὀρθῶς καὶ δικαίως.

  [11] At that time Theodosius, son of Arcadius, who was still quite a boy, was ruling over the Romans. And Tigranes, fearing the vengeance of the Emperor, placed himself in the power of the Persians and handed over his kingdom to them, considering it preferable to live as a private individual among the Persians, than to make a fair settlement with his brother and with him to rule over the Armenians righteously and justly.

  [12] καὶ Ἀρσάκης δὲ οὐδέν τι ἧσσον τὴν ἐκ Περσῶν τε καὶ τ᾽ ἀδελφοῦ ἐπιβουλὴν δείσας ἐξέστη τῆς βασιλείας τῆς αὐτοῦ Θεοδοσίῳ τῷ αὐτοκράτορι ἐπὶ ξυνθήκαις τισὶν αἵ μοι ἐν τοῖς ὑπὲρ τῶν πολέμων δεδήλωνται λόγοις.

  [12] Arsaces meanwhile still feared the hostility of the Persians and of his brother and resigned his own kingship in favour of the Emperor Theodosius, on certain conditions which I have described in the Books on the Wars.

  [13] καὶ χρόνον μέν τινα περιμάχητος Ῥωμαίοις τε καὶ Πέρσαις ἡ τῶν Ἀρμενίων ]γεγένηται χώρα, ἐν ὑστάτῳ δὲ ξυνέβησαν, Πέρσας μὲν τὴν Τιγράνου μοῖραν, Ῥωμαίους δὲ τὴν Ἀρσάκου ἔχειν.

  [13] And for a time the territory of the Armenians was fought over by the Romans and the Persians, but at length they reached an agreement that the Persians should hold the portion of Tigranes and the Romans that of Arsaces.

  [14] ἐπὶ τούτοις τε σπονδαὶ ἀμφοτέροις ξυνετελέσθησαν, καὶ τὸ λοιπὸν ὁ Ῥωμαίων βασιλεὺς ἄρχοντα τοῖς Ἀρμενίοις ἀεὶ καθίστη ὅντινά ποτε καὶ ὁπηνίκα ἂν αὐτῷ βουλομένῳ εἴη.

  [14] On these conditions a truce was agreed upon by both sides and thereafter the Roman Emperor always appointed a ruler for the Armenians, whomever he wished and whenever he wished.

  [15] κομητά τε Ἀρμενίας ἐκάλουν κα
ὶ εἰς ἐμὲ τὸν ἄρχοντα τοῦτον.

  [15] And they used to call this ruler even to my time the Count of Armenia.

  [16] Ἀλλ᾽ ἐπεὶ οὐχ οἷα τε ἦν ἡ τοιαύτη ἀρχὴ ἀποκρούεσθαι τὰς τῶν πολεμίων ἐφόδους, οὐ παρόντων αὐτῇ στρατιωτικῶν καταλόγων, κατανενοηκὼς Ἰουστινιανὸς βασιλεὺς οὕτως ἀτάκτως τὴν Ἀρμενίαν ἀεὶ φερομένην, ταύτῃ τε τοῖς βαρβάροις εὐάλωτον οὖσαν, ταύτην μὲν τὴν ἀρχὴν ἐνθένδε καθεῖλε, στρατηγὸν δὲ τοῖς Ἀρμενίοις ἐπέστησε, στρατιωτικῶν τε καταλόγων αὐτῷ κατεστήσατο πλῆθος ἀξιόχρεων ταῖς τῶν πολεμίων ἐπιδρομαῖς ἀντιτάξασθαι.

  [16] Such a government, however, was not able to repel the attacks of its enemies, since it had at its disposal no regular troops, and therefore the Emperor Justinian, observing that Armenia was always in a state of disorder and was, for this reason, an easy prey for the barbarians, abolished this form of administration and placed a general in charge of Armenia and assigned to him military forces sufficient to withstand the inroads of the enemy.

  [17] τὰ μὲν οὖν ἀμφὶ τῇ μεγάλῃ καλουμένῃ Ἀρμενίᾳ διῳκήσατο ὧδε, τῇ δὲ ἄλλῃ Ἀρμενίᾳ, ἥπερ ἐντὸς Εὐφράτου ποταμοῦ οὖσα διήκει ἐς Ἄμιδαν πόλιν, σατράπαι ἐφειστήκεισαν Ἀρμένιοι πέντε, καὶ κατὰ γένος μὲν ἐς ἀεὶ ἐς τὰς ἀρχὰς ἐκαλοῦντο ταύτας, ἐχόμενοι αὐτῶν ἄχρι ἐς θάνατον.

  [17] Such was the disposition he made for Greater Armenia, as it is called, but in the other Armenia, which extends inside of the Euphrates River as far as the city of Amida, five Armenian satraps held the power, and these offices were always hereditary and held for life.