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it makes a turn like a starting-post around the eastern parts of the city, and becoming much more slanting it rushes into a strait, making an isthmus of Thrace, as is natural, both in front and 4.9.3 behind. Not that the sea is divided here into two outlets, as is customary in other isthmuses, but twisting wonderfully as if to throw itself around from both sides both the rest of Thrace and especially all the suburbs of Byzantium. 4.9.4 And the people there build and adorn the suburbs not so much for need, but for insolence and luxury that has no limit, and whatever else the power 4.9.5 of wealth, coming to men, produces. And they place much furniture there and they carry on their most constant occupations in them; so whenever it should happen that some of the enemy suddenly overrun the land of the Romans, it happens that the damage is not inflicted here in the same way as in other places, but that the places there are weighed down with utterly incurable 4.9.6 evils. This indeed the emperor Anastasius, being eager to check, built long walls in places distant from Byzantium not less than forty miles, and joined both shores of the sea, where they are distant from each other by a journey of about two days; and in this way he thought that everything within had been placed 4.9.7 in security. But this, it turned out, was a cause of greater misfortunes. For it was not possible for a building of such great size either to have been built securely, or to be guarded 4.9.8 with precision. And whenever the enemy attacked some portion of these long walls, they made all the guards prisoners with no trouble, and falling upon the others unexpectedly they wrought evils not easy to describe. 4.9.9 But the emperor, having rebuilt the damaged parts of these walls, and having strengthened the weak points to be most secure for the sake of the guards, devised the following in addition. 4.9.10 He blocked up all the exits, which lead out from each tower to the 4.9.11 ones next to it. And he constructed one ascent for each one from the ground within; which the guards there, by closing at the right moment, despise the enemy who have gotten inside the circuit-wall; since each tower by itself 4.9.12 alone is sufficient for the guards for security. And within these walls he most constantly attended to matters of security, both having done the other things as has been recently related by me and having renewed whatever parts of the circuit-wall of the city of Selybria 4.9.13 happened to be damaged. So in the case of the Long Walls, these things have been done by the Emperor Justinian. 4.9.14 And this city Heraclea, the one on the coast, the neighboring city, Perinthus (to which they formerly gave the first place in Europe, but now indeed after Constantinople they grant it second place) recently lay thirsty and very parched, not because the land about it was waterless nor because these things had been neglected by those who built the city long ago, since Europe is well-watered with springs, and the men of old took care to make aqueducts, but time, doing its usual work, has destroyed the city's water-supply, either by overlooking the structure that had grown old, or by guiding it to ruin because the people of Heraclea did not care for it. And for this reason Heraclea was all but left to be uninhabited. 4.9.15 And this same thing time was also doing to the palace there, which was reasonably worthy of seeing. 4.9.16 But the Emperor Justinian, regarding the city not as a secondary matter, but most royally, flooded it with potable and clear waters, and by no means allowed the palace to be deprived of its dignity, rebuilding it all. 4.9.17 And a day's journey away from Heraclea was a place on the sea, Rhaedestus by name, well situated for the coasting voyage to the Hellespont, and having a good harbor and being well-suited for seafaring business, for those who sail for trade to put in and unload most favorably, and again to put to sea with no trouble after filling their ships with cargo; but exposed to barbarians overrunning, if it so happened, suddenly the places there, because it was neither

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νύσσης τινὸς καμπὴν ποιεῖται ἀμφὶ τὰ πρὸς ἕω τῆς πόλεως, πλαγία τε πολλῷ ἔτι μᾶλλον γιγνομένη ἐν πορθμῷ ἵεται, ἰσθμὸν τῆς Θρᾴκης τά τε πρόσω καὶ 4.9.3 ὀπίσω, ὡς τὸ εἰκός, ἐργαζομένη. οὐχ ὅτι ἐς ἐκροὰς ἐνταῦθα ἡ θάλασσα μερίζεται δύο, ᾗπερ ἐν τοῖς ἄλλοις ἰσθμοῖς εἴωθεν, ἀλλὰ περιστρεφομένη τε θαυμασίως ὡς καὶ περιβαλλομένη ἑκατέρωθεν Θρᾴκην τε τὴν ἄλλην καὶ διαφερόντως τὰ ἐπὶ Βυζαντίου προάστεια πάντα. 4.9.4 οἰκοδομοῦνται δὲ καὶ περιστέλλουσιν οἱ ταύτῃ ἄνθρωποι τὰ προάστεια οὐχ ὅσον ἐς χρείαν, ἀλλ' ἐς ὕβριν τε καὶ τρυφὴν ὅρον οὐκ ἔχουσαν, καὶ ὅσα ἄλλα πλούτου ἐξου4.9.5 σία ἐς τοὺς ἀνθρώπους ἰοῦσα ποιεῖ. ἔπιπλά τε κατατίθενται ἐνταῦθα πολλὰ καὶ διαπονήματα ἐν αὐτοῖς ἐνδελεχέστατα ἔχουσιν· ἐπειδὰν οὖν καταθεῖν τινας τῶν πολεμίων γῆν τὴν Ῥωμαίων ἐξαπιναίως ξυνενεχθείη, οὐδὲν ὁμοίως τοῖς ἄλλοις χωρίοις προστρίβεσθαι τὴν ζημίαν ἐνταῦθα ξυμβαίνει, ἀλλὰ κακοῖς ἄγαν τοῖς ἀνη4.9.6 κέστοις βαρύνεσθαι τὰ ἐκείνῃ χωρία. ὃ δὴ ἀναστέλλειν Ἀναστάσιος βασιλεὺς διὰ σπουδῆς ἔχων ἐν χώροις οὐχ ἧσσον ἢ σημείοις τεσσαράκοντα τοῦ Βυζαντίου διέχουσι μακρὰ οἰκοδομησάμενος τείχη, ἄμφω τῆς θαλάσσης τὰς ἀκτὰς ἔζευξεν, οὗ δὴ ἀλλήλαιν διεστήκασιν ὁδῷ ἡμέραιν δυοῖν μάλιστα· ταύτῃ τε ἅπαντα ἐν τῷ ἐχυρῷ καθεστά4.9.7 ναι τὰ ἐντὸς ᾤετο. ἦν δὲ ἄρα μειζόνων τοῦτο συμφορῶν αἴτιον. οὐδὲ γὰρ οἷόν τε ἦν οἰκοδομίαν τοσαύτην τὸ μέγεθος ἢ ἐς τὸ ἀσφαλὲς ἐξειργάσθαι, ἢ φρουρεῖσθαι 4.9.8 ξὺν τῷ ἀκριβεῖ. ἐπειδάν τε μοίρᾳ τινὶ τούτων δὴ τῶν μακρῶν τειχῶν ἐπισκήψαιεν οἱ πολέμιοι, καὶ τοὺς φρουροὺς ἅπαντας ὑποχειρίους ἐποιοῦντο οὐδενὶ πόνῳ, τοῖς τε ἄλλοις ἐπιπίπτοντες ἀπροσδόκητοι κακὰ οὐκ εὐδιήγητα ἐξειργάζοντο. 4.9.9 Ἀλλὰ βασιλεὺς τά τε πεπονθότα τούτων δὴ ἀνοικοδομησάμενος τῶν τειχῶν, τά τε σφαλερὰ ἐπὶ τὸ ἐχυρώτατον κρατυνάμενος τῶν φρουρῶν ἕνεκα, προσεπετεχνήσατο 4.9.10 τάδε. τὰς μὲν ἐξόδους, αἵπερ ἐκ πύργου ἑκάστου ἐς τοὺς 4.9.11 αὐτοῦ ἐχομένους ἐξάγουσιν, ἐφράξατο πάσας. ἄνοδον δὲ καθ' ἕκαστον ἐκ τοῦ ἐδάφους ἔντοσθεν ἐτεκτήνατο μίαν· ἥνπερ ἐπὶ καιροῦ καθειργνύντες οἱ ταύτῃ φρουροὶ τοὺς πολεμίους περιφρονοῦσι τοῦ περιβόλου ἐντὸς γενομένους· ἐπεὶ πύργος ἐς ἀσφάλειαν ἕκαστος αὐτὸς κατὰ 4.9.12 μόνας τοῖς φρουροῖς ἀπόχρη. καὶ τούτων δὴ τῶν τειχῶν ἐντὸς τὰ ἐς ἀσφάλειαν ἐνδελεχέστατα διεπράξατο, τά τε ἄλλα πεποιημένος ᾗπέρ μοι ἔναγχος εἴρηται καὶ πόλεως Σηλυβρίας ἀνανεωσάμενος ὅσα πεπονθότα τοῦ περιβόλου 4.9.13 ἐτύγχανεν. ἐπὶ μὲν οὖν τῶν μακρῶν τειχῶν ταῦτα Ἰουστινιανῷ βασιλεῖ εἴργασται. 4.9.14 Ἡράκλεια δὲ ἡ πόλις ἥδε, ἡ παραλία, ἡ ἐν γειτόνων, ἡ Πέρινθος (ᾗ πάλαι μὲν τὰ πρωτεῖα τῆς Εὐρώπης ἐδίδοσαν, νῦν δὲ δὴ μετά γε Κωνσταντινούπολιν τὰ δευτερεῖα παρέχονται) διψῶσά τε καὶ λίαν αὐχμῶσα ἔναγχος ἔκειτο, οὐχ ὅτι ἄνυδρος ἦν ἡ ἀμφ' αὐτὴν χώρα οὐδὲ ὅτι ἀπημέλητο ταῦτα τοῖς ἐκ παλαιοῦ δειμαμένοις τὴν πόλιν, ἐπεὶ καὶ κατάρρυτος Εὐρώπη ταῖς κρήναις, καὶ ποιεῖσθαι τοῖς πάλαι ἀνθρώποις ὀχετοὺς ἔμελεν, ἀλλὰ τὰ ξυνειθισμένα ποιῶν ὁ χρόνος τῇ πόλει τὴν ὀχεταγωγίαν ἀνῄρηκεν, ἢ καταγεγηρακυῖαν τὴν οἰκοδομίαν ὑπεριδών, ἢ τῷ μὴ ἐπιμελεῖσθαι τοὺς Ἡρακλεώτας αὐτῆς ἐπὶ τὴν φθορὰν ποδηγούμενος. ὀλίγου τε ἀοίκητος διὰ 4.9.15 τοῦτο Ἡράκλεια ἐλέλειπτο εἶναι. ταὐτὸ δὲ τοῦτο καὶ τὰ ἐκείνῃ βασίλεια ὁ χρόνος ἐποίει ἀξιοθέατα ἐπιεικῶς ὄντα. 4.9.16 βασιλεὺς δὲ Ἰουστινιανὸς οὐ παρέργως, ἀλλὰ βασιλικῶς μάλιστα, τὴν πόλιν ἰδών, ὕδασί τε αὐτὴν ποτίμοις καὶ διειδέσιν ἐπέκλυσε, καὶ τῶν βασιλείων ἀποστερεῖσθαι τοῦ ἀξιώματος ὡς ἥκιστα ξυνεχώρησεν, ἀνοικοδομησάμενος ἅπαντα. 4.9.17 Ἡρακλείας δὲ ἄποθεν ἡμέρας ὁδὸν χωρίον ἐπιθαλασσίδιον ἦν, Ῥαιδεστὸς ὄνομα, παράπλου μὲν ἐφ' Ἑλλησπόντου καλῶς κείμενον, εὐλίμενον δὲ καὶ τῇ κατὰ θάλασσαν ἐργασίᾳ ἐπιτηδείως ἔχον τοῖς ἐπ' ἐμπορίᾳ ναυτιλλομένοις καταίρειν τε καὶ ἀποφορτίζεσθαι προσηνῶς μάλιστα, καὶ αὖ πάλιν ἀνάγεσθαι οὐδενὶ πόνῳ ἐμπλησαμένοις τοῦ γόμου τὰ πλοῖα· βαρβάροις δὲ ἀποκείμενον καταθέουσιν, ἂν οὕτω τύχῃ, ἐξαπιναίως τὰ ἐκείνῃ χωρία, τῷ μήτε