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And he erected anew another exceptionally strong fort, about eight milestones distant from the city of Singidonum, 4.5.17 which they call Octavum for a logical reason. And in front of it was the ancient city of Viminacium, which the emperor (for it had perished from its very foundations long before) rebuilt in its entirety and made new. 4.6.1 And going forth from Viminacium, one comes upon three strongholds on the bank of the Ister, Pincus and 4.6.2 Cupae and Novae. For these, formerly, both the structure and the name belonged to a single tower. But now the Emperor Justinian, having greatly increased both the dwellings and the defences in both number and size in these very places, has, not without reason, bestowed upon them the dignities of cities. 4.6.3 And opposite Novae on the opposite mainland stood a tower, neglected from of old, named Lite4.6.4 rata; which the men of old used to call Lederata. which indeed the emperor of our time transformed into a large and exceptionally strong fort. 4.6.5 And after Novae are the forts of Cantabaza and Smornes and Campses and Tanata and Zernes and Ducepratum. And on the opposite mainland he built many other forts, these too from their very foundations. 4.6.6 And after is named Caputbovis, the work of the Roman Emperor Trajan, 4.6.7 and next an ancient townlet, Zanes by name. all of which he has made to be unconquerable bulwarks of the state by encircling them with very strong defences. 4.6.8 And not far from this Zanes there is a fort, Pontes by name; and the river, putting out a certain channel here, and encircling with it a small portion of the bank, returns again to its own stream, and mixes back with itself. 4.6.9 And it does these things not of its own accord, but compelled by the devices of men. 4.6.10 And for what reason the place was called Pontes and they lead the Ister thither by force, I shall make clear. 4.6.11 The Roman Emperor Trajan, being both high-spirited and active, seemed to be vexed that his empire was not endless, but was bounded by the river Ister. 4.6.12 Therefore he was eager to bridge it, so that it might be crossable for him and in no way an obstacle in going against the barbarians beyond. 4.6.13 Now how he built this bridge, it would not be my concern to relate, but let Apollodorus of Damascus, who was the master-builder of the whole work, 4.6.14 describe it. However, no benefit came to the Romans from it thereafter, but the bridge was destroyed both by the Ister which later overflowed and by the passage of time. 4.6.15 And at that time Trajan built two forts as well on either side of the river, and of them they named the one on the opposite mainland Theodora, while the one in Dacia was called Pontes, named after the work. 4.6.16 For the Romans call a bridge "pontem" in the Latin tongue. But since for ships arriving there the river was thenceforth unnavigable, with the ruins and foundations of the bridge lying there, for this very reason they force the river to change its course and to circle back its path again, so that they might have it navigable from this point on. 4.6.17 Both these forts, then, having fallen into decay both through length of time and not least because barbarians had assailed them there, it happened that they were destroyed. 4.6.18 But the Emperor Justinian, having fittingly renewed Pontes, which is on the right of the river, with new and impregnable construction, restored safety to the Illyrians; but as for the one on the other side, which they call Theodora, since it lay exposed to the barbarians there, he thought it in no way fitting for him to take care of it; and the strongholds now standing after Pontes he himself built, making them new, which are called Mareburgus and Susiana, Armata and Timena, and Theodoropolis and Stiliburgus and Alicaniburgus. 4.6.19 And there was a certain townlet lying nearby, Acues by name, some few parts of which that had become ruinous the emperor restored. 4.6.20 and after that Burgonobore and Laccoburgo, and the fort called Dorticum, which to the

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φρούριόν τε ἄλλο διαφερόντως ἐχυρὸν ἀνέστησε νέον, πόλεως Σιγγηδόνου ὀκτὼ μάλιστα σημείοις διέχον, 4.5.17 ὅπερ Ὄκταβον λόγῳ τῷ εἰκότι καλοῦσιν. ἐπίπροσθεν δὲ αὐτοῦ πόλις ἦν ἀρχαία τὸ Βιμινάκιον, ἥνπερ ὁ βασιλεὺς (ἐκ θεμελίων γὰρ ἀπωλώλει τῶν ἐσχάτων πολλῷ πρότερον) ἀνοικοδομησάμενος ξύμπασαν ἀπέδειξε νέαν. 4.6.1 Ἐκ δὲ Βιμινακίου προϊόντι ὀχυρώματα τρία πρὸς τῇ τοῦ Ἴστρου ἠϊόνι ξυμβαίνει εἶναι, Πιγκούς τε καὶ 4.6.2 Κούπους καὶ Νοβάς. οἷς δὴ πρότερον ἥ τε οἰκοδομία καὶ τὸ ὄνομα ἐπὶ πύργου ἑνὸς ἔκειτο. ἀλλὰ νῦν Ἰουστινιανὸς βασιλεὺς τά τε οἰκία καὶ τὰ ἐρύματα ἔς τε πλῆθος καὶ μέγεθος ἐν τούτοις δὴ τοῖς χωρίοις ἀνενεγκὼν μέγα, πόλεων αὐτοῖς ἀξιώματα οὐκ ἀπὸ τοῦ εἰκότος ἐν4.6.3 τέθεικε. Νοβῶν δὲ καταντικρὺ ἐν τῇ ἀντιπέρας ἠπείρῳ πύργος ἐκ παλαιοῦ ἀπημελημένος ἑστήκει, ὄνομα Λιτε4.6.4 ρατά· ὅνπερ οἱ πάλαι ἄνθρωποι Λεδέρατα ἐκάλουν. ὃν δὴ ἐς φρούριον μέγα τε καὶ διαφερόντως ἐχυρώτατον 4.6.5 ὁ καθ' ἡμᾶς βασιλεὺς μετεστήσατο. μετὰ Νοβὰς δὲ φρούρια Κανταβαζά τε καὶ Σμόρνης τε καὶ Κάμψης καὶ Τανάτα καὶ Ζέρνης καὶ ∆ουκεπράτου. ἐν δὲ τῇ ἀντιπέρας ἠπείρῳ ἄλλα τε πολλὰ φρούρια ἐκ θεμελίων καὶ 4.6.6 ταῦτα τῶν ἐσχάτων ἐδείματο. μετὰ δὲ Καπούτβοες ὠνόμασται, τοῦ Ῥωμαίων αὐτοκράτορος Τραϊανοῦ ἔργον, 4.6.7 καὶ πολίχνιον ἐφεξῆς παλαιόν, Ζάνες ὄνομα. οἷσπερ ἅπασιν ἐρύματα περιβαλὼν ἐχυρώτατα προβόλους εἶναι 4.6.8 τῆς πολιτείας ἀνανταγωνίστους πεποίηται. τούτου δὲ τοῦ Ζάνες οὐ πολλῷ ἄποθεν φρούριον μέν ἐστι, Πόντες ὄνομα· ὁ δὲ ποταμὸς ἐκροήν τινα ἐνταῦθα ἐκβάλλων, ταύτῃ τε περιπολῶν ὀλίγην τινὰ τῆς ἀκτῆς μοῖραν, ἐπιστρέφει αὖθις ἐς ῥοῦν τὸν οἰκεῖον, καὶ ἐφ' ἑαυτὸν ἀνα4.6.9 μίγνυται. ποιεῖ δὲ ταῦτα οὐκ αὐτόματος, ἀλλ' ἀνθρώ4.6.10 πων ἐπινοίαις ἀναγκασθείς. ὅτου δὲ δὴ ἕνεκα Πόντες τε ὁ χῶρος ἐκλήθη καὶ ἀναγκαστὸν περιάγουσιν αὐτόσε τὸν Ἴστρον, ἐγὼ δηλώσω. 4.6.11 Ὁ Ῥωμαίων αὐτοκράτωρ Τραϊανός, θυμοειδής τε ὢν καὶ δραστήριος, ὥσπερ ἀγανακτοῦντι ἐῴκει, ὅτι δὴ οὐκ ἀπέραντος αὐτῷ ἡ βασιλεία εἴη, ἀλλὰ ποταμῷ Ἴστρῳ 4.6.12 ὁρίζεται. ζεῦξαι οὖν αὐτὸν γεφύρᾳ διὰ σπουδῆς ἔσχεν, ὡς διάβατός τε αὐτῷ καὶ οὐδαμῆ ἐμπόδιος εἴη ἐς τοὺς 4.6.13 ἐπέκεινα βαρβάρους ἰόντι. ὅπως μὲν οὖν τὴν γέφυραν ἐπήξατο ταύτην, ἐμοὶ μὲν οὐκ ἂν ἐν σπουδῇ γένοιτο, Ἀπολλόδωρος δὲ ὁ ∆αμασκηνός, ὁ καὶ παντὸς γεγονὼς 4.6.14 ἀρχιτέκτων τοῦ ἔργου, φραζέτω. οὐ μέντοι τις τὸ λοιπὸν γέγονεν ὄνησις ἐνθένδε Ῥωμαίοις, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὴν γέφυραν ὅ τε Ἴστρος ἐπιχυθεὶς ὕστερον καὶ ὁ χρόνος 4.6.15 ἐπιρρεύσας καθεῖλον. πεποίηται δὲ Τραϊανὸς τότε καὶ φρούρια δύο τοῦ ποταμοῦ ἐφ' ἑκάτερα, καὶ αὐτοῖν Θεοδώραν μὲν ἐπωνόμασαν τὸ ἐν τῇ ἀντιπέρας ἠπείρῳ, Πόντες δὲ τὸ ἐπὶ ∆ακίας ὁμωνύμως τῷ ἔργῳ ἐκλήθη. 4.6.16 πόντην γὰρ τὴν γέφυραν Ῥωμαῖοι τῇ Λατίνων καλοῦσι φωνῇ. ἀλλ' ἐπεὶ ἐνταῦθα γινομέναις ναυσὶν ἄπλους τὸ λοιπὸν ὁ ποταμὸς ἦν, τῶν τῆς γεφύρας αὐτόθι ἐρειπίων τε καὶ θεμελίων ἐνταῦθα κειμένων, τούτου δὴ ἕνεκα τὸν ποταμὸν ἀναγκάζουσι μεταπορεύεσθαι τὸν αὑτοῦ δρόμον καὶ τὴν πορείαν ἀνακυκλεῖν αὖθις, ὅπως ἂν 4.6.17 πλώϊμον καὶ τὸ ἐνθένδε αὐτὸν ἔχοιεν. ἄμφω μὲν οὖν καταπεπονηκότα τὰ φρούρια ταῦτα διά τε χρόνου μῆκος καὶ οὐχ ἥκιστα ἐπισκηψάντων ἐνταῦθα βαρβάρων διε4.6.18 φθάρθαι ξυνέβη. βασιλεὺς δὲ Ἰουστινιανὸς Πόντην μέν, ὅπερ ἐστὶ τοῦ ποταμοῦ ἐπὶ δεξιᾷ, νέᾳ τε καὶ ἀμάχῳ ἐπιεικῶς ἀνανεωσάμενος οἰκοδομίᾳ, τὴν ἀσφάλειαν Ἰλλυριοῖς ἀνεσώσατο· τοῦ δὲ αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ θάτερα ὄντος, ὅπερ Θεοδώραν καλοῦσιν, ἅτε ἀποκειμένου τοῖς ἐκείνῃ βαρβάροις, προσήκειν οἱ ἐπιμελεῖσθαι οὐδαμῆ ᾤετο· τὰ δὲ νῦν ἑστῶτα μετὰ τὴν Πόντην ὀχυρώματα ᾠκοδομήσατο καινουργήσας αὐτός, ἅπερ καλεῖται Μαρεβούργου τε καὶ Σουσίανα, Ἁρμάτα τε καὶ Τιμένα, καὶ Θεοδωρούπολίς τε καὶ Στιλιβούργου καὶ Ἁλικανιβούργου. 4.6.19 Ἦν δέ τι πολίχνιον ἐγγὺς κείμενον, Ἀκυὲς ὄνομα, οὗπερ ὀλίγα ἄττα σαθρὰ γεγονότα ὁ βασιλεὺς ἐπηνώρθωσε. 4.6.20 καὶ μετ' ἐκεῖνο Βουργονόβορε καὶ Λακκόβουργο, καὶ τὸ ∆ορτικὸν ἐπικαλούμενον φρούριον, ὅπερ τῷ