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in no way, and in some places the heights of the cliffs, 2.10.4 and from this was subject to more plots. But the Emperor Justinian, having contracted it in a way that suited the need, made it so as not to guard these same parts as before, but only the city precisely. 2.10.5 For the parts below the circuit-wall, where the city spread out dangerously, lying on a soft plain and being unguarded because of the excessive length of its wall, he moved as far inward as possible, most opportunely narrowing the city there, which was drawn in by being compressed. 2.10.6 And the Orontes river, which previously flowed past it at a distance, he diverted, making its stream run adjacent to the circuit-wall. 2.10.7 Again, by means of a channel, having made the stream wind as close as possible, by this he both removed for the city the danger of its immoderate size and recovered the security afforded by the Orontes. 2.10.8 And here, having built new bridges, he placed other new spans upon the river; and after diverting it as far as possible from where it was needed, he then restored its former course to the stream. 2.10.9 The upper parts, however, toward the precipitous area, were elaborated by him as follows. On the height of the mountain, which they call Orocassias, a certain rock happened to be outside the wall, as close as possible, lying opposite the circuit-wall at this point and making it exceedingly vulnerable to attack. 2.10.10 Indeed, it was from here that the city was captured by Chosroes, as was related by me in the appropriate account. But the area inside the circuit-wall was for the most part desolate and difficult of access. 2.10.11 For high rocks and impassable ravines had been allotted that space, making the paths from there impossible to traverse, as if the wall here belonged to some foreigner and not to the people of Antioch. 2.10.12 Bidding a long farewell, therefore, to the rock which, being a neighbor to the wall, had clearly rendered it vulnerable, he decided to enclose the city as far away from it as possible, having learned from the experience of the actual events about the folly of those who had built it before. 2.10.13 And having made the land inside the wall, which was formerly precipitous, exceedingly level, he made ascents here passable not only for foot-soldiers, but indeed for horsemen, and, what is more, even for wagons from then on. 2.10.14 But he also built baths and reservoirs of water inside the wall on these mountains. And he dug a well in each tower, curing the former lack of water there with rainwater. 2.10.15 And what things he did concerning the torrent, which comes down from these very mountains, is worthy of mention. Two steep mountains rise over the city, coming together as closely as possible. 2.10.16 One of these they call Orocassias, and the other is called Staurin. And where they end, a certain glen and a ravine between them joins them, forming a torrent when it rains, Onopnictes by name, which, coming down from the heights and borne along above the circuit-wall, and rising to a great height if it so happened, would scatter into the narrow streets of the city and work incurable harm to the inhabitants there. 2.10.17 But for this too Emperor Justinian found a remedy in the following manner. In front of the circuit-wall, which happens to be very near the ravine from which the torrent rushed against the fortification, he built an enormous wall, extending from the hollow ravine to each of the two mountains, so that it would no longer be possible for the surging river to go further, but, collecting for a longer time, it would form a lake there. 2.10.18 And having made openings in the wall, he contrived for the torrent, flowing out from here, to subside little by little by an artificial constraint, no longer striking the circuit-wall violently with its whole stream, and for this reason overflowing and overwhelming the city, but flowing under gently and mildly, as has been said by me, and by this outflow going through the channel wherever the people of old might wish to lead it, having been made so moderate. 2.10.19 Such, then, were the things done by Emperor Justinian concerning the circuit-wall of Antioch. And the entire city, which had been burned down by the enemy

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οὐδενὶ λόγῳ, πὴ δὲ τὰς τῶν σκοπέλων ὑπερβολάς, 2.10.4 καὶ ἀπ' αὐτοῦ πλείοσιν ἐπιβουλαῖς ὑποκείμενος. συστείλας δὲ αὐτὸν Ἰουστινιανὸς βασιλεὺς κατὰ τὸ χρείᾳ ξυνοῖσον, οὐ ταῦτα φρουρεῖν, ἅπερ καὶ πρότερον, ἀλλὰ τὴν 2.10.5 πόλιν ἐς τὸ ἀκριβὲς πεποίηκε μόνην. τὰ μὲν γὰρ κάτω τοῦ περιβόλου, ἔνθα ἡ πόλις ἐπικινδύνως εὐρύνετο, ἐν μαλακῷ τε πεδίῳ κειμένη καὶ περιουσίᾳ τειχίσματος ἀφύλακτος οὖσα, μεταβιβάζει ὡς ἐνδοτάτω, ἐπικαιριώτατα στενοχωρήσας ἐνταῦθα τὴν πόλιν, περιστελλομένην τῷ 2.10.6 πεπιέσθαι. ποταμὸν δὲ Ὀρόντην, ὅσπερ αὐτὴν παρέρρει ἐν περιόδοις τὰ πρότερα οὖσαν, διωθήσατο μεταπο2.10.7 ρευθέντα τὸ ῥεῖθρον τῷ περιβόλῳ γειτονεῖν. αὖθις ὀχεταγωγίᾳ τὸν ῥοῦν ὡς ἀγχοτάτω περιελίξας, ταύτῃ τε καὶ τὸ σφαλερὸν τῆς ἀμετρίας ἀνῆκε τῇ πόλει καὶ τὴν ἐκ 2.10.8 τοῦ Ὀρόντου ἀσφάλειαν ἀνεσώσατο. ἐνταῦθά τε νεοχμώσας γεφύρας ἑτέρας ζεύγματα τῷ ποταμῷ νέα ἐντέθεικε, περιαγαγὼν δὲ ὡς πορρωτάτω τῆς χρείας αὐτόν, εἶτα τὴν 2.10.9 προτέραν ἀπέδωκε πορείαν τῷ ῥείθρῳ. τὰ μέντοι ἄνω ἐς τὸ κρημνῶδες αὐτῷ κατὰ τάδε διαπεπόνηται. ἐν τῇ τοῦ ὄρους ὑπερβολῇ, ἥνπερ Ὀροκασσιάδα καλοῦσι, πέτρα τις τοῦ τείχους ἐκτὸς ὡς ἀγχοτάτω ἐτύγχανεν οὖσα, ἐξ ἀντιπάλου τε τοῦ περιβόλου ἐνταῦθα κειμένη καὶ λίαν ἐπι2.10.10 μαχώτατον αὐτὸν τιθεμένη. Χοσρόῃ ἀμέλει ἐνθένδε ἡ πόλις ἑάλω, ᾗπέρ μοι ἐν λόγοις τοῖς ἐπιτηδείοις ἐρρήθη. τὰ δὲ τοῦ περιβόλου ἐντὸς ἔρημός τε χώρα ἐπὶ πλεῖστον 2.10.11 καὶ δύσοδος ἦν. πέτραι γὰρ ὑψηλαὶ καὶ χαράδραι ἀνέκβατοι διακεκλήρωνται τὸν χῶρον ἐκεῖνον, ἀδιεξόδους τὰς ἐνθένδε ποιούμεναι τρίβους, ὥσπερ ἀλλοτρίου ἐνταῦθά 2.10.12 τινος, ἀλλ' οὐ τῶν Ἀντιοχέων τοῦ τείχους ὄντος. χαίρειν τοίνυν πολλὰ τῇ πέτρᾳ φράσας, ἥπερ ἐν γειτόνων τῷ τείχει οὖσα εὐάλωτον αὐτὸ διαφανῶς ἐσκαιώρητο, ὡς πορρωτάτω αὐτῆς περιβάλλειν τὴν πόλιν ἔγνω, ἀβουλίας πέρι τῶν πρότερον αὐτὴν δειμαμένων ἀπὸ τῶν πραγμάτων 2.10.13 τῆς πείρας πεποιημένος τὴν μάθησιν. χώραν τε ὁμαλὴν μάλιστα τοῦ τείχους ἐντὸς τὴν τὰ πρότερα κρημνώδη οὖσαν ἀπεργασάμενος, ἀνόδους ταύτῃ πεποίηται οὐχ ὅσον ἀνδράσι πεζοῖς, ἀλλὰ δὴ καὶ ἱππεῦσι βασίμους, ἔτι μέν2.10.14 τοι καὶ ἁμαξηλάτους τὸ λοιπὸν οὔσας. ἀλλὰ καὶ βαλανεῖα καὶ ὑδάτων ταμιεῖα ἐν τοῖς ὄρεσι πεποίηται τούτοις τοῦ τείχους ἐντός. φρέαρ τε ὤρυξεν ἐν πύργῳ ἑκάστῳ, τὴν πρότερον ἀνυδρίαν ἐνταῦθα οὖσαν ὕδασιν ὑετίοις ἰώμενος. 2.10.15 Ὅσα δὲ καὶ ἀμφὶ τῷ χειμάρρῳ πεποίηται, ὃς ἐκ τούτων δὴ τῶν ὀρέων κάτεισιν, εἰπεῖν ἄξιον. ὄρη μὲν ἀπότομα δύο τῇ πόλει ἐπῆρται, ἀλλήλοιν ξυνιόντα ὡς ἀγχο2.10.16 τάτω. τούτων θάτερον μὲν Ὀροκασσιάδα καλοῦσι, τὸ δὲ δὴ ἕτερον Σταυρὶν κέκληται. ἀπολήγοντα δέ πη αὐτὰ νάπη τις ζεύγνυσι καὶ χαράδρα μεταξὺ οὖσα, χειμάρρουν ἀποτελοῦσα, ἐπειδὰν ὕοι, Ὀνοπνίκτην ὄνομα, ὃς δὴ ἐξ ὑπερδεξίων κατιὼν ὕπερθέν τε τοῦ περιβόλου φερόμενος ἐπὶ μέγα τε, ἂν οὕτω τύχῃ, ἐξανιστάμενος, διεσκεδάννυτο μὲν ἐς τοὺς τῆς πόλεως στενωπούς, ἀνήκεστα 2.10.17 δὲ κακὰ τοὺς ταύτῃ ᾠκημένους εἰργάζετο. ἀλλὰ καὶ τούτου τὴν ἄκεσιν Ἰουστινιανὸς βασιλεὺς εὕρατο τρόπῳ τοιῷδε. πρὸ τοῦ περιβόλου, ὅνπερ ἄγχιστα τῆς χαράδρας ξυμβαίνει εἶναι, ἐξ ἧς ὁ χειμάρρους ἐπὶ τὸ τείχισμα ἵετο, τοῖχον ἐδείματο ὑπερμεγέθη, ἐκ κοίλης χαράδρας διήκοντα ἐς ἑκάτερον τοῖν ὀροῖν μάλιστα, ὡς μηκέτι περαιτέρω ἰέναι κυματοῦντι τῷ ποταμῷ δυνατὰ εἴη, ἀλλ' 2.10.18 ἐπὶ μακρότερον ξυνιστάμενος ἐνταῦθα λιμνάζοι. ἐν δὲ τῷ τοίχῳ θυρίδας ποιησάμενος ἐνθένδε ἀπορρέοντα ὑπολήγειν κατὰ βραχὺ ἀνάγκῃ χειροποιήτῳ τὸν χειμάρρουν διεσκευάσατο, οὐκέτι λάβρως τῷ παντὶ ῥεύματι τῷ περιβόλῳ προσβάλλοντα, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο ὑπερβλύζοντά τε καὶ τὴν πόλιν κατεργαζόμενον, ἀλλὰ πρᾴως τε καὶ προσηνῶς ὑπορρέοντα, ᾗπέρ μοι εἴρηται, ταύτῃ τε τῇ ἐκροῇ διὰ τῆς ὀχεταγωγίας ἰόντα ὅποι ἂν αὐτὸν βουλομένοις ᾖ περιάγειν οὕτω μέτριον γεγενημένον τοῖς πάλαι ἀνθρώποις. 2.10.19 Τὰ μὲν οὖν ἀμφὶ τῷ Ἀντιοχείας περιβόλῳ τῇδε Ἰουστινιανῷ βασιλεῖ εἴργασται. καὶ ξύμπασαν δὲ πρὸς τῶν πολεμίων καταφλεχθεῖσαν