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called Petrios, and he restored the one in Kou3.4.13karizon. And in Nikopolis the monastery called that of the forty-five saints, and he built a sanctuary to Ge3.4.14orge the martyr in Bizana. And very near Theodosiopolis he restored a monastery called after the Forty Martyrs. 3.4.15 Now there was a certain place among the so-called Lesser Armenians in ancient times, not far from the Euphrates River, on 3.4.16 which a detachment of Roman soldiers was stationed. The place was Melitene, and the detachment was named a legion. Somewhere there the Romans in earlier times had built a square fort on level ground, which was sufficient for the soldiers' quarters and for their standards to be de3.4.17posited there. But later, when it was decreed by Trajan, the Roman Emperor, the place reached the dignity of a city 3.4.18 and became the metropolis for the nation. And as time went on, the city of the Melitenes became large and populous. And since they could no longer dwell inside the fort (for it was confined to a rather small space, as I have said), they settled in its plain, where they had made for themselves their sanctuaries and the residences of the officials and the market-place, and whatever other places there are for the sale of merchandise, and all the city's streets and stoas and baths and theatres and anything else that contributes to the adornment of a great city. 3.4.19 And in this way it came about that Melitene was for the most part unwalled. Anastasius the emperor, therefore, undertook to surround the whole of it with a wall. 3.4.20 Before completing his plan, however, he measured out his life. But the Emperor Justinian, by fortifying it most securely on all sides, made Melitene a great stronghold and adornment for the Armenians. 3.5.1 These things, then, he did in Armenia, which is on the right of the Euphrates River; but as for what was done by him in Greater 3.5.2 Armenia, I shall proceed to tell. When Theodosius, the Roman Emperor, gained the domain of Arsaces, as has been recently related by me, he built a fort upon one of the hills, easy of capture for assailants, which he named Theodo-3.5.3siopolis. This Cabades, the king of the Persians at that time, when he was hastening straight for Amida, captured as he passed by. 3.5.4 But Anastasius, the Roman Emperor, not long afterwards built a city there, having included within the circuit-wall the hill on which the fort of Theodosius 3.5.5 had stood. And he gave his own name to the city, but he was quite unable to make the name of Theodosius, the former founder, fade away, since it is the nature of men always to innovate upon established customs, but it is not easy to abandon former 3.5.6 names. But this wall of Theodosiopolis was extended very considerably, but did not rise to a height proportionate 3.5.7 to its breadth. For its height reached at most thirty feet; and for this reason it had become very easy to capture for an enemy assaulting the wall, and especially for the Per-3.5.8sians. And it was also vulnerable in other ways. For neither an outwork 3.5.9 nor a moat defended it. But also a certain piece of ground, encroaching very closely upon the city, rose above the circuit-wall. For this reason the Emperor Justinian devised the following countermeasures. First, having dug a very deep moat in a circle, he made it very much like the ravines of precipitous moun-3.5.10tains. Then, having cut away the overhanging ground, he changed its nature into impassable cliffs and tunnels with no exit; and so that the wall might be exceptionally high and altogether invincible, if anyone should approach, he additionally contrived all the things which he had done in the city of Dar-3.5.11as. For having constricted the battlements in a very narrow space, so that it was possible to shoot from there at the wall-assailants, and having wrapped a projection for them in the walkway with coverings of stones, he skillfully inserted other battlements, and having surrounded it with an outwork, he made it in a circle very similar to the circuit-wall in the city of Daras, having fashioned each tower into a strong 3.5.12 fortress. And having established that all the forces and the general in Armenia should be stationed there, he brought it about that for the future the Armenians should be too strong to fear that of the Persians

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καλουμένω Πέτριος, κἀν τῷ Κου3.4.13 καρίζων ἀνενεώσατο. ἔν τε Νικοπόλει τὸ τῶν ἁγίων τεσσαράκοντα πέντε καλούμενον μοναστήριον, καὶ ἱερὸν Γε3.4.14 ωργίῳ τῷ μάρτυρι ἐν Βιζανοῖς ἐδείματο. τῆς τε Θεοδοσιουπόλεως ἄγχιστα μοναστήριον ἀνενεώσατο τῶν τεσσαράκοντα μαρτύρων ἐπικαλούμενον. 3.4.15 Ἦν δέ τι χωρίον ἐν τοῖς Ἀρμενίοις τὸ παλαιὸν μικροῖς καλουμένοις οὐ πολλῷ ἄποθεν ποταμοῦ Εὐφράτου, ἐφ' 3.4.16 οὗ δὴ λόχος Ῥωμαίων στρατιωτῶν ἵδρυτο. Μελιτηνὴ μὲν τὸ χωρίον, λεγεὼν δὲ ὁ λόχος ἐπωνομάζετο. ἐνταῦθά πη ἔρυμα ἐν τετραγώνῳ ἐπὶ χώρας ὑπτίας ἐδείμαντο ἐν τοῖς ἄνω χρόνοις Ῥωμαῖοι, τοῖς τε στρατιώταις ἀποχρώντως ἐς καταλύσεις ἔχον καὶ ὅπως σφίσι τὰ σημεῖα τῇδε ἐνα3.4.17 ποκείσονται. μετὰ δὲ Τραϊανῷ τῷ Ῥωμαίων αὐτοκράτορι δεδογμένον, ἐς πόλεώς τε ἀξίωμα ὁ χῶρος ἀφῖκται 3.4.18 καὶ μητρόπολις κατέστη τῷ ἔθνει. προϊόντος δὲ τοῦ χρόνου ἐγένετο ἡ τῶν Μελιτηνῶν πόλις μεγάλη καὶ πολυάνθρωπος. ἐπεί τε ἐρύματος ἐντὸς ἐνοικήσασθαι οὐκέτι εἶχον (ἐς γὰρ ὀλίγον τινὰ ξυνῄει χῶρον, ᾗπέρ μοι εἴρηται) ἱδρύσαντο ἐν τῷ ταύτης πεδίῳ, ἵνα δὴ τὰ ἱερὰ σφίσι πεποίηται καὶ τὰ τῶν ἀρχῶν καταγώγια καὶ τήν τε ἀγοράν, ὅσα τε ἄλλα ἐμπολημάτων πωλητήριά ἐστι, τάς τε τῆς πόλεως ἀγυιὰς πάσας καὶ στοὰς καὶ βαλανεῖα καὶ θέατρα καὶ εἴ τι ἄλλο πόλεως μεγάλης ἐς κόσμον διήκει. 3.4.19 τῷ τε τρόπῳ τούτῳ Μελιτηνὴν ἀτείχιστον ἐκ τοῦ ἐπὶ πλεῖστον ξυνέβαινεν εἶναι. Ἀναστάσιος μὲν οὖν βασιλεὺς αὐτὴν ξύμπασαν τείχει περιβαλεῖν ἐγκεχείρηκεν. 3.4.20 οὔπω μέντοι τὸ βούλευμα ἀποτελέσας τὸν βίον συνεμετρήσατο. βασιλεὺς δὲ Ἰουστινιανὸς πανταχόθεν αὐτὴν βεβαιότατα κατατειχισάμενος μέγα τοῖς Ἀρμενίοις ὀχύρωμά τε καὶ ἐγκαλλώπισμα Μελιτηνὴν ἀπειργάσατο. 3.5.1 Ταῦτα μὲν οὖν ἐν Ἀρμενίᾳ, ἣ ἔστιν ἐν δεξιᾷ Εὐφράτου ποταμοῦ, εἰργάσατο· ὅσα δέ οἱ ἐν Ἀρμενίᾳ τῇ 3.5.2 μεγάλῃ πεποίηται, ἐρῶν ἔρχομαι. ἡνίκα Θεοδόσιος ὁ Ῥωμαίων βασιλεὺς τὴν Ἀρσάκου ἐπικράτειαν ἔσχεν, ᾗπέρ μοι ἔναγχος δεδιήγηται, φρούριον ἐπί τινος τῶν λόφων ᾠκοδομήσατο τοῖς προσιοῦσιν εὐάλωτον, ὃ δὴ Θεοδο3.5.3 σιούπολιν ἐπωνόμασε. τοῦτο Καβάδης τότε ὁ Περσῶν βασιλεύς, ἡνίκα δὴ Ἀμίδης εὐθὺ ἵετο, παριὼν εἷλεν. 3.5.4 Ἀναστάσιος δὲ ὁ Ῥωμαίων αὐτοκράτωρ οὐ πολλῷ ὕστερον πόλιν ἐνταῦθα ἐδείματο τὸν λόφον ἐντὸς τοῦ περιβόλου πεποιημένος, ἐφ' οὗ δὴ φρούριον τὸ Θεοδοσίου 3.5.5 εἱστήκει. καὶ τὸ μὲν αὑτοῦ ὄνομα τῇ πόλει ἀφῆκεν, ἐξίτηλον δὲ τὸ Θεοδοσίου ποιεῖσθαι τοῦ πρότερον οἰκιστοῦ ἥκιστα ἴσχυσεν, ἐπεὶ νεοχμοῦσθαι μὲν τὰ καθωμιλημένα τοῖς ἀνθρώποις ἐς ἀεὶ πέφυκεν, ὀνομάτων δὲ τῶν πρό3.5.6 σθεν μεθίεσθαι οὐκ εὐπετῶς ἔχει. τοῦτο δὲ τὸ Θεοδοσιουπόλεως τεῖχος εὐρύνετο μὲν ἱκανώτατα, οὐ κατὰ 3.5.7 λόγον δὲ τοῦ εὔρους ἀνεῖχε. τὸ γὰρ ὕψος αὐτῷ ἐς τριάκοντα ἐξικνεῖτο μάλιστα πόδας· ταύτῃ τε πολεμίοις τειχομαχοῦσιν, ἄλλως τε καὶ Πέρσαις ἐγεγόνει λίαν εὐάλω3.5.8 τον. ἦν δὲ καὶ ἄλλως ἐπίμαχον. οὔτε γὰρ προτείχισμα 3.5.9 οὔτε τάφρος αὐτῷ ἤμυνεν. ἀλλὰ καὶ χῶρός τις ὡς ἀγχοτάτω ἐπεμβαίνων τῇ πόλει τῷ περιβόλῳ ἐπανειστήκει. διὸ δὴ βασιλεὺς Ἰουστινιανὸς ἀντεμηχανήσατο τάδε. πρῶτα μὲν τάφρον ὡς βαθυτάτην ἐν κύκλῳ ὀρύξας, χαράδραις αὐτὴν ὀρῶν ἀποτόμων ἐμφερεστάτην εἰργά3.5.10 σατο. ἔπειτα δὲ χῶρον τὸν ὑπερπεφυκότα κατατεμὼν ἔς τε ἀνεκβάτους κρημνοὺς καὶ σήραγγας ἀδιεξόδους μετεστήσατο τὴν αὐτοῦ φύσιν· ὅπως δὲ τὸ τεῖχος ὑψηλόν τε εἴη διαφερόντως καὶ ὅλως ἀνανταγώνιστον, εἴ τις προσίοι, προσεπετεχνήσατο ἅπαντα ὅσα ἐν πόλει ∆άρας εἰρ3.5.11 γάσατο. τὰς γὰρ ἐπάλξεις ἀποσφίγξας ἐν στενῷ μάλιστα ὅσον ἐνθένδε βάλλειν τοὺς τειχομαχοῦντας δυνατὰ εἶναι, ἔμβολόν τε αὐταῖς λίθων ἐπιβολαῖς ἐν περιδρόμῳ περιελίξας, ἐντέθεικεν ἐμπείρως ἐπάλξεις ἑτέρας, προτειχίσματί τε αὐτὸ περιβαλὼν κύκλῳ ἐμφερέστατον τῷ ἐν πόλει ∆άρας περιβόλῳ πεποίηται, πύργον ἕκαστον φρούριον 3.5.12 ἐχυρὸν τεκτηνάμενος. οὗ δὴ τὰς δυνάμεις ἁπάσας καὶ τὸν ἐν Ἀρμενίαις στρατηγὸν ἱδρύσασθαι καταστησάμενος κρείσσους τοὺς Ἀρμενίους διεπράξατο τὸ λοιπὸν εἶναι ἢ δεδιέναι τὴν Περσῶν