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This is named Circesium, and the Emperor Diocletian built it in earlier times. 2.6.3 But Justinian, the present emperor, finding that it had become dilapidated with the length of time, and was otherwise neglected and unguarded, converted it into a very strong fortress, and 2.6.4 made it a city conspicuous for its size and beauty. For Diocletian at that time built this fort not by enclosing it all around with a wall, but by extending the structure of the circuit-wall as far as the Euphrates River and building an outmost tower on either side, leaving the side of the place from there entirely unwalled, thinking, I suppose, that the water of the river was sufficient for 2.6.5 the fortification of the fort on this side. But as time went on, the river's current, by scraping against it most constantly, shook the whole of the outmost tower, which faced the south wind, and it was clear that, unless someone came to its aid very quickly, it would fall down right away. 2.6.6 So then Emperor Justinian appeared, having received this dignity from God, to care for and as much as possible to transform 2.6.7 the Roman Empire; who indeed not only saved the damaged tower, rebuilding it with millstone and naturally hard stone, but also enclosed the entire unwalled side of the fort with a very strong wall, doubling for it by the 2.6.8 river the security from the circuit-wall. In addition to these things, he himself also added a very strong outwork to the city, and especially where the confluence of the two rivers forms a triangular shape, and by this 2.6.9 he repelled the plots of the enemy from there. And by establishing here a commander of military registers, whom they call a *dux*, to be stationed there permanently, he made it a sufficient garrison for the beginning of the 2.6.10 state. And the bath, which publicly provides for the needs of the inhabitants there, having been rendered completely useless by the influx of the river and no longer able to perform its usual functions, he restored to its present 2.6.11 order. For finding that all its parts which were formerly suspended, standing on a solid structure as befits the use of the baths (under which the fire burns, and which they are accustomed to call tripods), were previously lying ruined by the influx of water, and that because of this the usefulness of the bath had been destroyed, he himself, by reinforcing with layers of stones all that had been suspended before, as I have said, and by suspending another structure above, so that it is inaccessible to the river, restored the comfort from there to the guards there. The works at Circesium, then, were created in this manner by this emperor. 2.6.12 After Circesium is an ancient fort, Annoucas by name, whose wall Emperor Justinian found in ruins and rebuilt so magnificently that it would henceforth not take second place to any of the most illustrious cities in respect of 2.6.13 fortification. And in the same way also the forts, all those which lie around the city of Theodosiopolis, some of which were formerly unwalled, and others walled with mud and the resulting absurdity in the manner of a dry-stone wall, he made them now formidable and altogether inaccessible to 2.6.14 attackers; both Magdalathon with two others, which happen to be on either side of it, and the two Thannourios forts, the small and the great, and Bimisdeon and Themeres, and also Bidamas and Dausaron and Thiolla, Phichas and Zamarthas and, so to speak, all the rest. 2.6.15 There was a certain place near Thannourios the great, where the enemy Saracens had great opportunity to make inroads, crossing the Aborras river, and sallying forth from there to scatter both through the forest, which was thick and vast, and the mountain which rises there, and to raid with greater impunity the Romans dwelling in the regions 2.6.16 thereabouts. But now Emperor Justinian, by building a very large tower of hard stone in this place and establishing a most noteworthy garrison there, was able completely to check the raids of the enemy, this

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τοῦτο Κιρκήσιον μὲν ὀνομάζεται, βασιλεὺς δὲ αὐτὸ ∆ιοκλητιανὸς ἐν τοῖς ἄνω χρόνοις ἐδείματο. 2.6.3 Ἰουστινιανὸς δὲ τανῦν βασιλεὺς χρόνου τε μήκει εὑρὼν συντριβὲς γεγονός, ἀπημελημένον δὲ καὶ ἄλλως ἀφύλακτον ὄν, ἐς ὀχύρωμα βεβαιότατον μετεστήσατο, πόλιν τε 2.6.4 διεπράξατο μεγέθει καὶ κάλλει περιφανῆ εἶναι. ∆ιοκλητιανὸς 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 2.6.5 τὸ τοῦ φρουρίου ὀχύρωμα τῇδε ἡγούμενος. 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. 2.6.6 ἐφάνη τοίνυν Ἰουστινιανὸς βασιλεὺς τοῦτο πρὸς τοῦ θεοῦ κεκομισμένος ἀξίωμα, πάσης ἐπιμελεῖσθαι καὶ ὡς 2.6.7 ἔνι μάλιστα μεταποιεῖσθαι τῆς Ῥωμαίων ἀρχῆς· 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 πο2.6.8 ταμῷ τὴν ἐκ τοῦ περιβόλου ἀσφάλειαν. 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 2.6.9 τὰς ἐνθένδε τῶν πολεμίων ἐπιβουλὰς ἀπεκρούσατο. καὶ στρατιωτικῶν δὲ καταλόγων ἄρχοντα τῇδε καταστησάμενος, ὃν δοῦκα καλοῦσι, διηνεκὲς ἐνταῦθα καθιζησόμενον, ἀποχρῶν φυλακτήριον πεποίηκεν εἶναι τῇ τῆς 2.6.10 πολιτείας ἀρχῇ. 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 2.6.11 κόσμον. 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. 2.6.12 Μετὰ δὲ τὸ Κιρκήσιον φρούριόν ἐστι παλαιόν, Ἀννούκας ὄνομα, οὗπερ ἐρείπιον τὸ τεῖχος εὑρὼν οὕτω δὴ μεγαλοπρεπῶς ἀνῳκοδομήσατο Ἰουστινιανὸς βασιλεὺς ὡς μηδὲ τῶν τινος ἐπιφανεστάτων πόλεων ὀχυρώματος πέρι 2.6.13 τὰ δευτερεῖα τὸ λοιπὸν φέρεσθαι. 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 τανῦν καὶ τὸ παράπαν ἀπρόσβατα τοῖς 2.6.14 ἐπιοῦσιν εἰργάσατο· 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 ∆αυσαρὼν καὶ Θιόλλα, Φιχάς τε καὶ Ζαμαρθὰς καὶ τὰ λοιπὰ ὡς εἰπεῖν ἅπαντα. 2.6.15 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 χω2.6.16 ρία Ῥωμαίους. 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