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having surrounded it with the strongest fortifications, brought it into the conspicuous state in which it now appears. 2.8.1 These things, then, in the manner which I have described, have been done by the Emperor Justinian in both Mesopotamia and the so-called Osroene. 2.8.2 But in what manner things are on the right of the Euphrates River, I shall make clear. The other boundaries of the Romans and the Persians are somewhat as follows. The territories of each are neighbours to one another, and both, setting out from 2.8.3 their own lands, both fight and enter into commercial transactions, as is the way of human affairs, whenever people who are different in both customs and forms of government have a common 2.8.4 border. But in the land formerly Commagene, but now called Euphratesia, they are settled nowhere very near one another. For a land entirely desert and barren separates for a very great distance the boundaries of the Romans and the Persians, 2.8.5 and having nothing worth fighting for. However, each side in the desert, which happens to be nearest to the land inhabited by them, built some forts casually of unbaked 2.8.6 brick; which never met with any hostile design from their neighbours, but both dwelt there without jealousy, since they possessed nothing which their opponents might have coveted. 2.8.7 And the Emperor Diocletian built three forts in this manner in this desert; of which one, Mambri by name, which had been ruined by the long passage of time, the Emperor Justinian renewed. 2.8.8 And at a distance of about five stades from this fort, as one goes toward Roman territory, Zenobia, once the wife of Odonathus, ruler of the Saracens there, founded a certain small city thereabouts in former times, and gave her name 2.8.9 to the city. For she named it Zenobia, as was natural. But a very long time having flowed by after this made its circuit-wall a ruin, since the Romans did not see fit to care for it at all, and it rendered it entirely destitute 2.8.10 of inhabitants. It was therefore possible for the Persians at will, whenever they wished, to be in the midst of the Romans, who were as yet unaware of the 2.8.11 enemy's attack. But the Emperor Justinian rebuilt Zenobia completely, filled it to overflowing with inhabitants, and appointing a commander of military troops and establishing an exceedingly strong garrison, caused it to be a bulwark for the Roman empire, 2.8.12 and a fortress against the Persians; who not only restored its former appearance, but also made it very much stronger than it was before. For cliffs surround it 2.8.13 very closely. and because of this it was possible for the enemy to shoot from there down upon the heads 2.8.14 of those defending themselves from the circuit-wall. Being eager to ward this off, he attached another structure to the projecting part of the circuit-wall right at the very vicinity of the cliffs, which would always be a screen for those fighting from there. They call this structure "wings" because it seems, as it were, to hang 2.8.15 from the wall. So then, all the things that the Emperor did at Zenobia it is impossible to describe, since, because it was in a place for a very great distance without neighbours and for this reason would always be in danger, and would not be able to receive help, since there were no neighbouring Romans, he deemed it worthy, as was natural, of the most secure care above all things; but a few of the things done there will be written by me. 2.8.16 The Euphrates River flows past Zenobia toward the rising sun, coming as close as possible to its circuit-wall, and since high mountains rise beside it in this place, it is unable to spread out at all, but by the necessity of the nearness of the mountains there, and being compressed by its hard banks and gathering its stream into a very narrow space, whenever it happened to overflow as a result of rains, flowing against the wall, it would immediately flood it not only around the foundations, but up to the 2.8.17 battlements. As this was soaked by the surge, it happened that the courses of the stones were thrown into confusion, 2.8.18 and that for the future their joinings stood insecurely. but having fashioned an enormous stone of millstone rock into a breakwater of equal length to the circuit-wall, so that the surging of the river would on the one hand always trouble it there

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ἐχυρωτάτοις περιβαλὼν ἐς τὸν νῦν φαινόμενον μετήνεγκε κόσμον. 2.8.1 Ταῦτα μὲν οὖν τρόπῳ, ᾧπέρ μοι ἐρρήθη, ἐπί τε Μεσοποταμίας καὶ Ὀσροηνῆς τῆς καλουμένης Ἰουστι2.8.2 νιανῷ βασιλεῖ πεποίηται. ὅντινα δὲ τρόπον Εὐφράτου ποταμοῦ τὰ ἐν δεξιᾷ ξυμβαίνει εἶναι, ἐγὼ δηλώσω. τὰ μὲν ἄλλα Ῥωμαίων τε καὶ Περσῶν ὅρια τῇδέ πη ἔχει. γειτονοῦσιν ἑκατέρων ἀλλήλοις χωρία, ὁρμώμενοί τε ἀπὸ 2.8.3 τῶν οἰκείων ἀμφότεροι καὶ διαμάχονται καὶ συμβάλλουσι τὰς συναλλαγάς, οἷά γε τὰ ἀνθρώπεια, ὁπηνίκα τοῖς τε ἤθεσι καὶ ταῖς πολιτείαις διάφοροι ὄντες χώραν τινὰ 2.8.4 ὅμορον ἔχουσιν. ἐν δέ γε τῇ πάλαι μὲν Κομμαγηνῇ χώρᾳ, τανῦν δὲ καλουμένῃ Εὐφρατησίᾳ, οὐδαμῆ ἀλλήλων ἄγχιστα ᾤκηνται. χώρα γὰρ ἔρημος καὶ ἄγονος ὅλως διορίζει ἐπὶ μακρότατον τὰ Ῥωμαίων τε καὶ Περσῶν ὅρια, 2.8.5 περιμάχητόν τε οὐδὲν ἔχουσα. ἑκάτεροι μέντοι ἐν ἐρήμῳ, ἥπερ ἄγχιστα γῆς τῆς πρὸς αὐτῶν οἰκουμένης τυγχάνει οὖσα, φρούρια παρέργως ᾠκοδομήσαντο ἐκ πλίνθου 2.8.6 ὠμῆς· ἅπερ ἐπιβουλῆς οὐδεμιᾶς παρὰ τῶν πέλας ἔτυχε πώποτε, ἀλλ' ἀνεπιφθόνως ἀμφότεροι τῇδε ᾠκήσαντο, ἐπεὶ οὐκ εἶχον οὐδὲν ὅτου ἂν καὶ οἱ ἐναντίοι ἐφεῖντο. 2.8.7 βασιλεὺς δὲ ∆ιοκλητιανὸς τρία φρούρια τὸν τρόπον τοῦτον ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ ταύτῃ ἐδείματο· ὧνπερ ἕν, Μαμβρὶ ὄνομα, καταπεπονηκὸς τῷ μακρῷ χρόνῳ Ἰουστινιανὸς ἀνενεώσατο βασιλεύς. 2.8.8 Τούτου δὲ τοῦ φρουρίου ἐκ σημείων μάλιστα πέντε ἐς τὰ Ῥωμαίων ἤθη ἰόντι Ζηνοβία ποτὲ Ὀδονάθου γυνὴ τῶν ἐκείνῃ Σαρακηνῶν ἄρχοντος πόλιν ᾤκισέ που ἐνταῦθά τινα ἐν τοῖς ἄνω χρόνοις βραχεῖαν, καὶ τὸ ὄνομα 2.8.9 ἀφῆκε τῇ πόλει. Ζηνοβίαν γὰρ αὐτήν, ὡς τὸ εἰκός, ἐπωνόμασεν. ἀλλὰ πολὺς ἄγαν μετὰ ταῦτα ἐπιρρεύσας ὁ χρόνος ἐρείπιον αὐτῆς τὸν περίβολον κατεστήσατο, ἅτε Ῥωμαίων αὐτῆς ἐπιμελεῖσθαι οὐδαμῆ ἀξιούντων, ἔρημόν 2.8.10 τε αὐτὴν τῶν ἐνοικούντων παντάπασι διειργάσατο. παρῆν οὖν Πέρσαις κατ' ἐξουσίαν, ἡνίκα ἂν ᾖ βουλομένοις σφίσιν, ἐν μέσοις γενέσθαι Ῥωμαίοις, ἀνηκόοις ἔτι τῆς 2.8.11 τῶν πολεμίων ἐφόδου οὖσιν. ἀλλὰ τὴν Ζηνοβίαν Ἰουστινιανὸς βασιλεὺς ἀνοικοδομησάμενος σύμπασαν, οἰκητόρων τε κατακόρως ἐμπλησάμενος, ἄρχοντά τε στρατιωτικῶν καταλόγων καὶ διαρκὲς ἄγαν καταστησάμενος φυλακτήριον, πρόβολον μὲν εἶναι τῆς Ῥωμαίων ἀρχῆς, 2.8.12 ἐπιτείχισμα δὲ διεπράξατο Πέρσαις· ὅς γε οὐχ ὅσον τὸ πρότερον ἀπέδωκε σχῆμα, ἀλλὰ καὶ πλεῖστον ἐχυρωτέραν εἰργάσατο ἢ πρότερον ἦν. σκόπελοι γὰρ αὐτὴν περι2.8.13 βάλλουσιν ὡς ἀγχοτάτω. τοῖς τε πολεμίοις διὰ ταῦτα ἐξῆν τοὺς ἐκ τοῦ περιβόλου ἀμυνομένους κατὰ κορυφὴν 2.8.14 ἐνθένδε βάλλειν. ὅπερ ἀποκρούεσθαι διὰ σπουδῆς ἔχων οἰκοδομίαν τινὰ τῇ τοῦ περιβόλου ὑπερβολῇ ἑτέραν ἐνῆψε κατ' αὐτὸ μάλιστα τὸ τῶν σκοπέλων γειτόνημα, προκάλυμμα τοῖς ἐνθένδε μαχομένοις ἀεὶ ἐσομένην. πτερὰ τὴν οἰκοδομίαν καλοῦσι ταύτην ἐπεὶ ὥσπερ ἀποκρέμασθαι 2.8.15 τοῦ τείχους δοκεῖ. ἅπαντα μὲν οὖν ὅσα βασιλεὺς ἐπὶ Ζηνοβίας εἰργάσατο φράσαι ἀμήχανον, ἐπεὶ ἐν χώρῳ ἐπὶ μακρότατον ἀγείτονι οὖσαν καὶ διὰ τοῦτο μὲν ἐν κινδύνοις ἀεὶ ἐσομένην, ἐπικουρίας δὲ τυχεῖν Ῥωμαίων πλησιοχώρων οὐκ ὄντων αὐτῇ οὐκ ἂν δυναμένην, βεβαιοτάτης, ὡς τὸ εἰκός, ἐπιμελείας μάλιστα πάντων ἠξίωσεν· ὀλίγα δέ μοι ἄττα τῶν τῇδε πεπραγμένων γεγράψεται. 2.8.16 Παραρρεῖ μὲν τὴν Ζηνοβίαν Εὐφράτης ποταμὸς πρὸς ἀνίσχοντά που τὸν ἥλιον, ὡς ἀγχοτάτω τοῦ ἐκείνῃ περιβόλου ἰών, ὀρῶν δὲ παρ' αὐτὸν ὑψηλῶν ἀνεχόντων ἐν τούτῳ τῷ χώρῳ διασκεδάννυσθαι οὐδαμῆ ἔχων, ἀλλ' ἀνάγκῃ τοῦ γειτονήματος τῶν ἐνταῦθα ὀρῶν, ταῖς τε ὄχθαις σκληραῖς οὔσαις πεπιεσμένος καὶ ἐν στενῷ μάλιστα ξυνάγων τὸ ῥεῦμα, ἐπειδὰν αὐτῷ ὄμβρων ἐπιγενομένων ὑπερβλύζειν ξυνενεχθείη, ἐπιχυθεὶς τῷ τείχει, εὐθὺς οὐκ ἀμφὶ τὰ θεμέλια μόνον, ἀλλ' ἄχρι ἐς τὰς 2.8.17 ἐπάλξεις ἐπέκλυζεν. οὗ δὴ τῷ ῥοθίῳ καταβεβρεγμένου ξυνέβαινε τὰς ἐπιβολὰς ξυγχεῖσθαι τῶν λίθων, ἐπὶ σφα2.8.18 λερᾶς τε αὐτῶν τὸ λοιπὸν τῆς ξυνθήκης ἑστάναι. ἀλλὰ λίθον παμμεγέθη ἐκ λίθου μυλίου πρόβολον τῷ περιβόλῳ ἰσομήκη ἀπεργασάμενος ἐνταῦθα μὲν ἀεὶ ἐνοχλεῖν τὸ τοῦ ποταμοῦ κλυδώνιον