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of the whole force, at a distance of about two stades, there were some Scythian allies, equipped with barbarian arms. And the order had been given that when the enemy should appear and the trumpet should sound the war-cry, the Scythians were to fall immediately upon the rear of the enemy and attack them, and to press them with dense and continuous volleys of arrows, and the rest, having closed ranks tightly, were to fall upon their strongest point. 1.5.3 Thus he arranged the men around him; but my father, Alexios Komnenos, having surveyed the lay of the land, positioned part of the army in some hollows, and drew up the other part opposite Bryennios’ army. And having drawn up both, the one lying in wait and the one in the open, and having winged each man with words and roused him to courage, he instructed the squadron lying in ambush that, when they were behind the enemy’s back, they were to fall on them suddenly and to charge with the greatest and most violent force against the right wing. And those called the Immortals and some of the Celts he kept by his side and was stationed in front of them; and he appointed Katakalon commander of the Chomatenoi and Turks and ordered him to keep his whole attention on the Scythian contingent and to ward off their raids. 1.5.4 So these things stood. And when Bryennios' army came to the hollow places, my father Alexios immediately having given the signal, the army in ambush leaped forth with a shout and a war-cry and by their suddenness struck terror into the enemy, each man striking and killing those he happened upon, and they forced them into flight. But John Bryennios, the brother of the general, then remembering his impetuous valor and spirit, wheeled his horse with the bit and, striking down an advancing soldier of the Immortals with a single blow, steadied the wavering phalanx and, having thus reformed it, he drove back the enemy. Thus the Immortals fled headlong in some disorder, being continually slain by the soldiers from behind. 1.5.5 And my father, throwing himself into the midst of the enemy and fighting nobly, for his part shook the section wherever he happened to be, striking each one who came against him and immediately felling him, but hoping that some soldiers would follow and support him, he held on to the fight irrepressibly. But perceiving that his own phalanx was broken and already scattered in many places, he gathered the bravest (there were six in all) and decided that, having drawn their swords, when they should get near to Bryennios, to charge against him shamelessly, even if they must die with him. But a certain soldier, Theodotos, a man who had served my father from boyhood, dissuaded him from such a plan, as the undertaking was utterly reckless. Alexios therefore taking the opposite course, wished to withdraw himself a little from Bryennios' army, but having gathered some acquaintances from among the scattered, and having rallied them again, he pressed on with the task. 1.5.6 Before my father had withdrawn himself from there, the Scythians were routing the Chomatenoi around Katakalon, using a great shout and war-cry. And when they had driven these back too and had easily turned them to flight, they turned their attention to plunder [and flight] and they sought their own pastimes. For such is the Scythian nation; before they have completely routed the adversary and bound on the crown of victory, they spoil the victory by plundering. For having reached the rearguard of Bryennios' army, the entire baggage train was mingled with their ranks for fear of suffering something at the hands of the Scythians; and a continuous stream of men flowing towards them, as many as had escaped the hands of the Scythians, created no small confusion in the ranks as the standards were mixed up with one another. 1.5.7 And while my father Alexios was caught up in these things, as also before

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ματος ὅλου ὡσανεὶ δυεῖν σταδίων διάστημα Σκύθαι τινὲς ἧσαν σύμμαχοι βαρβαρικοῖς κεκοσμημένοι τοῖς ὅπλοις. Παρήγγελτο δέ, ἐπειδὰν οἱ πολέμιοι προφανεῖεν καὶ ἡ σάλπιγξ πολέμιον ἀλαλάξειεν, εὐθὺς κατὰ νώτων ἐμπί πτειν καὶ βάλλειν τοὺς Σκύθας τοῖς πολεμίοις καὶ θλίβειν αὐτοὺς τοῖς πυκνοῖς καὶ συνεχέσι τοξεύμασι, τοὺς δὲ λοι ποὺς πυκνὰ συνασπισαμένους ἐμπίπτειν κατὰ τὸ καρτερώ τατον. 1.5.3 Οὕτω μὲν οὗτος τοὺς ἀμφ' αὐτὸν διετάξατο· ὁ δέ γε ἐμὸς πατὴρ ὁ Κομνηνὸς Ἀλέξιος τοῦ τόπου τὴν θέσιν κατασκεψάμενος τὸ μὲν τοῦ στρατεύματος κατέστησεν ἔν τισι κοιλάσι, τὸ δ' ἀντιμέτωπον ἔστησε τῆς στρατιᾶς Βρυεννίου. Ἄμφω δὲ παραταξάμενος, τὸ ὑποκαθήμενον καὶ τὸ προφανές, καὶ πτερώσας λόγοις ἄνδρα ἕκαστον καὶ εἰς ἀνδρείαν ἐπάρας τῷ μὲν ἐπέσκηπτε τῷ προλοχίζοντι τάγματι, ἐπειδὰν κατὰ νώτου γένοιντο τῶν πολεμίων, ἐξ αἰφνιδίου προσπίπτειν καὶ μετὰ ῥύμης ὅτι πολλῆς καὶ σφοδρᾶς ἐπα ράττειν κατὰ τοῦ δεξιοῦ κέρατος. Τοὺς δ' ἀθανάτους λεγομέ νους καί τινας ἀπὸ τῶν Κελτῶν ἑαυτῷ παρακατέσχε καὶ τού των προὐτέτακτο· τῶν δὲ Χωματηνῶν καὶ Τούρκων ἔξαρχον τὸν Κατακαλὼν κατέστησε καὶ πρὸς τὸ Σκυθικὸν ἅπαν ἔχειν τὸν νοῦν καὶ τὰς διεκδρομὰς αὐτῶν ἀπαλλάττειν παρεκε λεύσατο. 1.5.4 Ταῦτα μὲν οὕτως εἶχε. Καὶ ἐπεὶ κατὰ τοὺς κοιλώδεις τόπους τὸ τοῦ Βρυεννίου γέγονε στράτευμα, εὐθὺς σύνθημα δεδωκότος τοὐμοῦ πατρὸς Ἀλεξίου μετὰ βοῆς καὶ ἀλαλαγμοῦ ἐμπηδῆσαν τὸ περὶ τὴν ἐνέδραν στρά τευμα τῷ τε αἰφνιδίῳ κατέπληξαν τοὺς πολεμίους, ἕκα στος τῶν παρατυχόντων πλήττων τε καὶ φονεύων, καὶ εἰς φυγὴν κατηνάγκασαν. Ἀλλ' ὁ Βρυέννιος Ἰωάννης καὶ τοῦ ἡγεμόνος αὐτάδελφος μνησθεὶς ἐνταῦθα θούριδος ἀλκῆς καὶ θυμοῦ τῷ ψαλίῳ στρέψας τὸν ἵππον καὶ τὸν ἐπιόντα στρατιώτην ἀθάνατον πληγῇ μιᾷ καταβαλὼν ἔστησέ τε κλο νουμένην τὴν φάλαγγα καὶ οὕτω συντάξας ἀπῶσε τοῦς πολεμίους. Οὕτως οἱ ἀθάνατοι προτροπάδην μετά τινος ἀκοσμίας ἔφευγον ὑπὸ τῶν κατόπιν ἀεὶ στρατιωτῶν ἀπο κτιννύμενοι. 1.5.5 Ὁ δέ γε ἐμὸς πατὴρ εἰς μέσους ἑαυτὸν ἐμβαλὼν τῶν πολεμίων καὶ γενναίως ἀγωνιζόμενος ἐκλόνει μὲν καὶ οὗτος τὸ μέρος, ἐφ' ᾧπερ ἂν παραγίνοιτο, πλήττων ἕκαστον τὸν πρὸς αὐτὸν ἰόντα καὶ εὐθὺς καταβάλλων, ἐλπίζων δὲ ξυνέπεσθαι καί τινας ἀμύνειν αὐτῷ στρατιώτας ἀκατασχέτως εἴχετο τοῦ ἀγῶνος. Αἰσθόμενος δὲ διαρρα γεῖσαν τὴν ἑαυτοῦ φάλαγγα καὶ ἤδη πολλαχοῦ σκεδασθεῖσαν τοὺς εὐψυχοτέρους (ἓξ δὲ ἧσαν οἱ σύμπαντες) συλλεξάμε νος ἐβουλεύσατο σπασαμένους τὰ ξίφη, ἐπειδὰν ἐγγίσαιεν τῷ Βρυεννίῳ, κατ' αὐτοῦ χωρεῖν ἀναισχύντως, κἂν δέοι κἀκείνους αὐτῷ συναποθανεῖν. Ἀλλ' ἀπεῖρξε τοῦ τοιούτου βουλεύματος Θεόδοτός τις στρατιώτης, ἀνὴρ τὠμῷ πατρὶ παιδόθεν ὑπηρετήσας, ὡς ἄντικρυς παραβόλου τοῦ ἐγχειρή ματος ὄντος. Τὴν ἐναντίαν οὖν τρεπόμενος ὁ Ἀλέξιος ὀλίγον μὲν ὑπεξάγειν ἑαυτὸν τῆς τοῦ Βρυεννίου στρατιᾶς ἐβούλετο, γνωρίμους δέ τινας τῶν διασκεδασθέντων ἐπισυλ λέξας καὶ συστησάμενος αὖθις τῷ ἔργῳ ἐνέκειτο. 1.5.6 Μή πω δὲ τοὐμοῦ πατρὸς ἐκεῖθεν ἑαυτὸν ὑπεξαγαγόντος οἱ Σκύ θαι τοὺς περὶ τὸν Κατακαλὼν Χωματηνοὺς ἐκλόνουν βοῇ πολλῇ καὶ ἀλαλαγμῷ χρώμενοι. Καὶ ἐπειδὴ καὶ τούτους ἀπώσαντο καὶ εἰς φυγὴν εὐκόλως ἐτρέψαντο, πρὸς λαφυρα γωγίαν ἀπέβλεψαν [καὶ φυγὴν] καὶ τὰς ἑαυτῶν ἀνεζήτουν διατριβάς. Τοιοῦτον γὰρ τὸ ἔθνος τὸ Σκυθικόν· μήπω καθαρῶς τρεψάμενοι τὸν ἀντίπαλον καὶ τὸ κράτος ἀναδη σάμενοι διαφθείρουσι τὴν νίκην τῇ λαφυραγωγίᾳ. Τὴν γὰρ οὐραγίαν τοῦ Βρυεννικοῦ στρατεύματος καταλαβὸν ἅπαν τὸ θητικὸν ταῖς τάξεσιν αὐτῶν ξυνεμίγνυτο φόβῳ τῶν Σκυθῶν τοῦ μή τι παθεῖν ἕνεκα παρὰ τούτων· ἀεὶ δέ τι συρρέον ἐπὶ τούτους, ὅσον ἐξέφυγε τὰς χεῖρας τὰς Σκυ θικάς, σύγχυσιν οὐ μικρὰν ταῖς τάξεσιν ἐνεποίησε τῶν σημαιῶν ἀναμιχθεισῶν ἀλλήλαις. 1.5.7 Ἐν τούτοις δὲ ἐναπ ειλημμένος ὢν οὑμὸς πατὴρ Ἀλέξιος, ὡς καὶ πρόσθεν