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devising a bulwark against them. 2.7.1 Thus were the works in Mesopotamia accomplished by the Emperor Justinian. But it is necessary for me at this point in my account to make mention of Edessa and Carrhae and Callinicus and all the other towns which happen to be 2.7.2 in that region, since they too lie between the two rivers. A river flows past Edessa, small in its stream, Scirtus by name, which indeed, gathering its current from many places, 2.7.3 is carried to the middle of the city. And going out from there it proceeds forward, after it has provided the city with sufficient for its needs through its inlets and outlets, which were made by the men of old by means of conduits along the wall. 2.7.4 This river once, when many rains had fallen upon it, grew unnaturally high and rose up as if to destroy the 2.7.5 city. Therefore, having torn down a very large portion of the outwork and the circuit-wall to the ground, it surrounded almost the whole city, and wrought irreparable deeds there. For the most beautiful of the buildings were suddenly effaced and a third part of the people 2.7.6 it destroyed. But the Emperor Justinian not only immediately restored for the city all the demolished structures, among which were the church of the Christians and the so-called Antiphorus, but also contrived that nothing of the sort should ever again befall it 2.7.7 with all his might. For he was strong enough to create a new course for the river in front of the circuit-wall, 2.7.8 outwitting it by the following device. The land on the right of the river was formerly sloping and low, but on the left was a steep mountain, not allowing it to incline anywhere or to be diverted from its accustomed path, but forcing it with all necessity against the city itself. For there was nothing on the right to obstruct it, whenever it 2.7.9 might be carried straight towards the city. So, having cut away this whole mountain, he made the land on the left of the river hollow and more spacious for its course, while on the right he constructed an enormous wall of waggon-sized stones, so that if the river should flow at a moderate level, as is customary, the city might never be deprived of its benefit therefrom, but whenever by some chance it should rise high and overflow, a moderate outflow of it might proceed towards the city according to its custom, but the additional surge of the flood would be forced to go into Justinian's new construction, to the rear of the hippodrome which is somewhere not far away, overcome unexpectedly by human skill and provident 2.7.10 forethought. But also for the river where it entered the city, by creating a sort of constraint for a straight course, and by suspending a structure over it on either side so that it could not be diverted from its path, he both preserved its usefulness to the city and freed it from the fear 2.7.11 of it. And it happened that the wall and outwork of Edessa were no less, through length of time, classed among the ruins 2.7.12 for the most part. Therefore the emperor, having rebuilt both, made them new and 2.7.13 much stronger than they were before. And a certain portion of the circuit-wall of Edessa has a fort, outside of which a hill had risen up very close to it, over-2.7.14 hanging the city there; which the inhabitants, having occupied it from of old, had made into a sort of redoubt inside the circuit-wall, 2.7.15 so that it would not make the city vulnerable to attack. But in this way they rendered it much more vulnerable to attack; for the cross-wall, being very short and lying on the undefended part of the ground, was easy to capture even for boys practising siege-2.7.16 warfare. When this had been demolished, another wall was raised on the summit of the mountain, a work of the Emperor Justinian, having no fear at all of an attack being made from above, but descending with the foothills as far as the steep slope on either side and fitting into the circuit-wall. 2.7.17 But furthermore, the walls and outworks of the cities of Carrhae and Callinicus, which the long passage of time had destroyed, he tore down, and now, having made them sound, 2.7.18 he made them most impregnable. Moreover, the fort which was in Batnae, being previously unwalled and neglected, with walls

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ἐπιτεχνησάμενος κατ' αὐτῶν πρόβολον. 2.7.1 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 2.7.2 εἶναι, ἐπεὶ καὶ αὐταὶ τοῖν ποταμοῖν μεταξὺ κεῖνται. τὴν Ἔδεσσαν ποταμὸς παραρρεῖ τὸ ῥεῦμα βραχύς, Σκιρτὸς ὄνομα, ὃς δὴ ἐκ χωρίων πολλῶν ξυνάγων τὸ ῥεῖθρον 2.7.3 ἐπὶ τὴν πόλιν φέρεται μέσην. 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. 2.7.4 οὗτός ποτε ὁ ποταμός, ὄμβρων οἱ ἐπιγενομένων πολλῶν, ὑπερπεφυκώς τε ὑψοῦ ἀνεῖχε καὶ ὡς καταλύσων τὴν 2.7.5 πόλιν ἐπῄει. 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 2.7.6 τριτημόριον διεχρήσατο. 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 2.7.7 τοιοῦτο ξυμβαίη διεπράξατο σπουδῇ τῇ πάσῃ. πορείαν γὰρ ἑτέραν πρὸ τοῦ περιβόλου τῷ ποταμῷ νεοχμοῦν 2.7.8 ἴσχυσε, τοιᾷδε αὐτὸν περιελθὼν τέχνῃ. 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 2.7.9 πόλεως εὐθὺ φέροιτο. 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 πόλις, ἐπειδὰν δὲ τύχῃ τινὶ ἐς ὕψος ἀρθεὶς ὑπερβλύζοι, μετρία 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 2.7.10 προμηθεῖ παρὰ δόξαν νενικημένον. ἀλλὰ καὶ τῷ ποταμῷ τῆς πόλεως γινομένῳ ἐντὸς ὀρθήν τινα πορείας ἀνάγκην ἀπεργασάμενος, ὕπερθέν τε οἰκοδομίαν ἑκατέρωθι ἐπικρεμάσας, ὡς μὴ ἐκτρέπεσθαι τῆς ὁδοῦ δύναιτο, καὶ τὴν χρείαν τῇ πόλει ἐσώσατο καὶ δέους αὐτὴν τοῦ ἐνθένδε 2.7.11 ἀπήλλαξεν. ἐτύγχανε δὲ τὸ Ἐδέσσης τεῖχος καὶ προτείχισμα οὐδέν τι ἧσσον διὰ χρόνου μῆκος ἐν τοῖς ἐρειπίοις 2.7.12 ταττόμενον ἐκ τοῦ ἐπὶ πλεῖστον. διὸ δὴ ἄμφω ἀνοικοδομησάμενος βασιλεύς, νέα τε αὐτὰ κατεστήσατο καὶ 2.7.13 πολλῷ ἐχυρώτερα ἢ πρότερον ἦν. μοῖρα δέ τις τοῦ Ἐδέσσης περιβόλου φρούριον κέκτηται, ἧς δὴ ἔκτοσθέν τις ἐπανειστήκει λόφος ὡς πλησιαίτατα ὑποκειμένῃ ἐπι2.7.14 κύπτων ἐνταῦθα τῇ πόλει· ὅνπερ ἐκ παλαιοῦ καταλαβόντες ἐπιτείχισμά τι οἱ ἐπιχώριοι ἐντὸς τοῦ περιβόλου 2.7.15 πεποίηνται, ὡς μὴ ἐπίμαχον ποιοίη τὴν πόλιν. ἀλλὰ ταύτῃ ἐπιμαχωτέραν αὐτὴν παρὰ πολὺ ἀπειργάσαντο· διατείχισμα γὰρ ὡς βραχύτατον ἐπὶ τῷ ἀνειμένῳ τῆς γῆς κείμενον καὶ παιδαρίοις τειχομαχίαν ἐμμελετῶσιν ἁλώ2.7.16 σιμον ἦν. οὗ δὴ ἐνθένδε καθῃρημένου ἕτερον ἐν τῇ τοῦ ὄρους ὑπερβολῇ τεῖχος ἀνέστη, βασιλέως Ἰουστινιανοῦ διαπόνημα, δέος μὲν ἐξ ἐπιθέσεως καθύπερθε γενησομένης οὐδαμῆ ἔχον, συγκαταβαῖνον δὲ τῇ ὑπωρείᾳ μέχρι ἐς τὸ πρανὲς ἑκατέρωθεν καὶ τῷ περιβόλῳ ἐναρμοζόμενον. 2.7.17 Ἀλλὰ μὴν καὶ Καρρῶν καὶ Καλλινίκου πόλεως τά τε τείχη καὶ τὰ προτειχίσματα καθελών, ἅπερ ὁ πολὺς αἰὼν μεταξὺ ἐπιρρεύσας διέφθειρε, τανῦν τε ἀκραιφνῆ ἀπερ2.7.18 γασάμενος, ἀμαχώτατα κατεστήσατο. ἔτι μέντοι καὶ φρούριον, ὃ ἐν Βάτναις ἦν, ἀτείχιστόν τε καὶ ἀπημελημένον τὰ πρότερα ὄν, τείχεσιν