31

having on the right, and the Saracens on the left. And immediately both came to blows. And the battle was 1.18.31 very fierce. For the arrows, shot frequently from both sides for a very long time, caused great slaughter on both sides, and some, getting in the space between the armies, displayed against each other deeds worthy of valor, but rather many of the Persians were dying from the 1.18.32 arrows. For their missiles were simply more numerous, since the Persians are nearly all archers and are taught 1.18.33 to make their shots much more quickly than all other men, but being shot from bows that were soft and not very taut, upon striking perhaps the corselet or helmet or even the shield of a Roman soldier, they were broken and were in no way able to harm 1.18.34 the one they hit. But the arrows of the Romans are always slower, but since they are shot from bows that are exceedingly stiff and terribly taut, and one might add, by men who are much stronger than the Persians, whatever they strike, they easily damage, with no armour getting in the way 1.18.35 of their force. So then two parts of the day had already passed, and the battle was still evenly matched. Then, having agreed, all the best men in the Persian army charged against the right wing of the enemy, where Arethas and the Saracens 1.18.36 were stationed. But they, thus breaking up their formation, were divided, so that they also got the reputation of having betrayed the Roman cause to the Persians. For not withstanding the attackers, they all immediately turned to flight. 1.18.37 So the Persians, having thus broken the battle-line of their opponents, were immediately at the rear of the Roman cavalry. And the Romans, already weary from the journey and the toil of the battle, and all being without food up to this point of the day, and being harassed by the enemy from both sides, no longer held out, but the majority, fleeing at full speed, went to the islands of the river, which were somewhere very near, while some, remaining on the spot, wrought deeds against the enemy that were both amazing and worthy of much account. 1.18.38 Among them was also Ascan, who, after killing many of the notable men among the Persians, was hacked to pieces little by little and fell with difficulty, leaving behind a great story of himself among the enemy. And with him another eight hundred men, proving themselves brave in this struggle, died, and the Isaurians with their leaders, almost all of them, not even 1.18.39 daring to raise their weapons against the enemy. For they were seized with a great inexperience of this business, since, having just left their farming, they had entered into the danger of war, 1.18.40 things which were previously unknown to them. And yet these very men, swelling with ignorance of war, had just recently been reproaching Belisarius for his cowardice in regard to the battle. However, they were not all Isaurians, but the majority were Lycaonians. 1.18.41 But Belisarius, remaining there with a few men, for a while saw Ascan's men holding out, and 1.18.42 he himself with those present defended himself against the enemy; but when some of them had fallen, and others had turned to flight wherever they could, then he too, fleeing with his followers, came to the phalanx of the infantry, who were still fighting with Peter, not being many, since most of them also happened to have 1.18.43 fled. There he both dismounted from his horse and ordered all his followers to do the same, and on foot with the others to defend themselves against the attackers. 1.18.44 But as many of the Persians as were pursuing the fugitives, having made the pursuit for a short time, immediately returned, and charged against the infantry and Belisarius with all the others. But they, turning their backs to the river, so that they might not be encircled by the enemy, defended themselves against the attackers with what they had at hand. 1.18.45 And again the battle became fierce, although the forces were not evenly matched. For they were infantry and very few, fighting against the entire Persian cavalry. However, the enemy could neither rout them nor otherwise force 1.18.46 them. For always gathering close to one another and fencing themselves as strongly as possible with their shields, they were shooting at the Persians more effectively than they themselves were shot 1.18.47 at

31

δεξιᾷ ἔχοντας, Σαρακηνοὺς δὲ τὰ εὐώνυμα. καὶ αὐτίκα μὲν ἐς χεῖρας ἀμφότεροι ἦλθον. ἦν δὲ ἡ μάχη καρ1.18.31 τερὰ μάλιστα. τά τε γὰρ τοξεύματα ἑκατέρωθεν συχνὰ ἐπὶ πλεῖστον βαλλόμενα φόνον ἀμφοτέρων πολὺν ἐποίει καί τινες ἐν μεταιχμίῳ γινόμενοι ἔργα ἐς ἀλλήλους ἐπεδείκνυντο ἀρετῆς ἄξια, μᾶλλον δὲ Πέρσαι ἐκ τῶν 1.18.32 τοξευμάτων πολλοὶ ἔθνησκον. τὰ μὲν γὰρ αὐτῶν βέλη συχνότερα μὲν ἀτεχνῶς ἦν, ἐπεὶ Πέρσαι τοξόται τε σχεδόν τί εἰσιν ἅπαντες καὶ πολὺ θᾶσσον ἢ οἱ ἄλλοι ξύμπαντες ἄνθρωποι ποιεῖσθαι τὰς βολὰς ἐκδιδάσκον1.18.33 ται, ἐκ δὲ τόξων μαλθακῶν τε καὶ οὐ λίαν ἐντεταμένων βαλλόμενα θώρακι ἴσως ἢ κράνει ἢ καὶ ἀσπίδι ἐντυχόντα Ῥωμαίου ἀνδρὸς ἀπεκαυλίζετό τε καὶ λυπεῖν 1.18.34 τὸν προσπίπτοντα οὐδαμῆ εἶχε. Ῥωμαίων δὲ τά τε τοξεύματα βραδύτερα μὲν ἐς ἀεί ἐστιν, ἅτε δὲ ἐκ τόξων σκληρῶν τε ὑπεράγαν καὶ δεινῶς ἐντεταμένων βαλλόμενα, προσθείη δὲ ἄν τις καὶ πρὸς ἀνδρῶν ἰσχυροτέρων, πολλῷ ἔτι μᾶλλον ἢ οἱ Πέρσαι, οἷς ἂν ἐντύχοιεν, εὐπετῶς σίνονται, ὅπλου οὐδενὸς ἐμποδὼν 1.18.35 αὐτῶν γινομένου τῇ ῥύμῃ. ἤδη μὲν οὖν τῆς ἡμέρας αἱ δύο παρῳχήκεσαν μοῖραι, καὶ ἡ μάχη ἔτι ἀγχώμαλος ἦν. τότε δὲ ξυμφρονήσαντες, ὅσοι δὴ ἄριστοι ἐν τῷ Περσῶν στρατεύματι ἦσαν, ἐσήλαυνον ἐς τῶν πολεμίων τὸ δεξιὸν κέρας, οὗ δὴ Ἀρέθας τε καὶ οἱ Σαρακηνοὶ 1.18.36 ἐτετάχατο. οἱ δὲ οὕτω τὴν φάλαγγα διαλύσαντες δίχα ἐγένοντο, ὥστε καὶ δόξαν ἀπήνεγκαν ὅτι δὴ Πέρσαις τὰ Ῥωμαίων πράγματα προὔδοσαν. τοὺς γὰρ ἐπιόντας οὐχ ὑποστάντες αὐτίκα ἐς φυγὴν ἅπαντες ὥρμηντο. 1.18.37 οἱ γοῦν Πέρσαι διαρρήξαντες οὕτω τὴν τῶν ἐναντίων παράταξιν κατὰ νώτου εὐθὺς τῆς Ῥωμαίων ἵππου ἐγένοντο. Ῥωμαῖοι δὲ κεκμηκότες ἤδη τῇ τε ὁδῷ καὶ τῷ πόνῳ τῆς μάχης νήστεις τε ἅπαντες ἐς τόδε τῆς ἡμέρας ὄντες, καὶ πρὸς τῶν πολεμίων ἑκατέρωθεν ἐνοχλούμενοι, οὐκέτι ἀντεῖχον, ἀλλ' οἱ μὲν πολλοὶ φεύγοντες ἀνὰ κράτος ἐς τοῦ ποταμοῦ τὰς νήσους ἄγχιστά που οὔσας ἐχώρησαν, τινὲς δὲ καὶ αὐτοῦ μένοντες ἔργα θαυμαστά τε καὶ λόγου πολλοῦ ἄξια τοὺς πολεμίους 1.18.38 εἰργάσαντο. ἐν τοῖς καὶ Ἀσκὰν ἦν, ὃς δὴ πολλοὺς μὲν κτείνας τῶν ἐν Πέρσαις δοκίμων, κρεουργηθεὶς δὲ κατὰ βραχὺ μόλις ἔπεσε, λόγον αὑτοῦ πολὺν τοῖς πολεμίοις ἀπολιπών. καὶ ξὺν αὐτῷ ἄλλοι ὀκτακόσιοι ἄνδρες ἀγαθοὶ γενόμενοι ἐν τῷ πόνῳ τούτῳ ἀπέθανον, οἵ τε Ἴσαυροι ξὺν τοῖς ἄρχουσι σχεδὸν ἅπαντες, οὐδὲ 1.18.39 ὅπλα ἀνταίρειν τοῖς πολεμίοις τολμήσαντες. ἀπειρίᾳ γὰρ τοῦ ἔργου τούτου πολλῇ εἴχοντο, ἐπεὶ ἄρτι τῆς γεωργίας ἀφέμενοι ἐς κίνδυνον πολέμου κατέστησαν, 1.18.40 ἀγνῶτα σφίσι τὰ πρότερα ὄντα. καίτοι μάλιστα πάντων αὐτοὶ ἔναγχος ἐς τὴν μάχην ἀγνοίᾳ πολέμου ὀργῶντες Βελισαρίῳ τότε τὴν δειλίαν ὠνείδιζον. οὐ μὴν οὐδὲ Ἴσαυροι ἅπαντες, ἀλλὰ Λυκάονες οἱ πλεῖστοι ἦσαν. 1.18.41 Βελισάριος δὲ ξὺν ὀλίγοις τισὶν ἐνταῦθα μείνας, τέως μὲν τοὺς ἀμφὶ τὸν Ἀσκὰν ἀντέχοντας ἑώρα, καὶ 1.18.42 αὐτὸς ξὺν τοῖς παροῦσι τοὺς πολεμίους ἠμύνατο· ἐπεὶ δὲ αὐτῶν οἱ μὲν ἔπεσον, οἱ δὲ ὅπη ἐδύναντο ἐς φυγὴν ὥρμηντο, τότε δὴ καὶ αὐτὸς ξὺν τοῖς ἑπομένοις φυγὼν ἐς τῶν πεζῶν τὴν φάλαγγα ἦλθεν, οἳ ξὺν τῷ Πέτρῳ ἔτι ἐμάχοντο, οὐ πολλοὶ ὄντες, ἐπεὶ καὶ αὐτῶν ἔτυχον 1.18.43 φυγόντες οἱ πλεῖστοι. ἔνθα δὴ αὐτός τε τὸν ἵππον ἀφῆκε καὶ πάντας αὐτὸ δρᾶν τοὺς ἑπομένους ἐκέλευε, πεζούς τε ξὺν τοῖς ἄλλοις τοὺς ἐπιόντας ἀμύνασθαι. 1.18.44 Περσῶν δὲ ὅσοι τοῖς φεύγουσιν εἵποντο, δι' ὀλίγου τὴν δίωξιν ποιησάμενοι εὐθὺς ἐπανῆκον, ἔς τε τοὺς πεζοὺς καὶ Βελισάριον ξὺν τοῖς ἄλλοις ἅπασιν ὥρμηντο. οἱ δὲ τὰ νῶτα ἐς τὸν ποταμὸν τρέψαντες, ὅπως μή τις αὐτοῖς πρὸς τῶν πολεμίων κύκλωσις γένοιτο, ἐκ 1.18.45 τῶν παρόντων τοὺς ἐπιόντας ἠμύνοντο. αὖθίς τε ἡ μάχη καρτερὰ γέγονε, καίπερ οὐκ ἐξ ἀντιπάλου τῆς δυνάμεως οὖσα. πεζοί τε γὰρ καὶ λίαν ὀλίγοι πρὸς ξύμπασαν ἐμάχοντο τὴν Περσῶν ἵππον. οὐ μέντοι αὐτοὺς οἱ πολέμιοι οὔτε τρέπεσθαι οὔτε ἄλλως βιάζε1.18.46 σθαι εἶχον. ἐν χρῷ τε γὰρ ἀλλήλοις ἐς ὀλίγον ἀεὶ ξυναγόμενοι καὶ ὡς ἰσχυρότατα ταῖς ἀσπίσι φραξάμενοι ἔβαλλον μᾶλλον ἐς τοὺς Πέρσας ἐπιτηδείως ἢ αὐτοὶ 1.18.47 πρὸς