having drowned. For it is said that, being possessed by Greek 150 orgies, they perform sacrifices and libations for the dead in the Greek manner, having been initiated into these rites either by Anacharsis and Zalmoxis, their own philosophers, or by the companions of Achilles. For Arrian says in his Periplous that Achilles, son of Peleus, was revealed to be a Scythian, from the little town called Myrmekion, situated by the Maeotian Lake; and having been driven out by the Scythians on account of the harsh, savage, and arrogant nature of his temper, he came to dwell in Thessaly. Clear proofs of this account are the fashion of his clothing with its brooch, his fighting on foot, his reddish-blond hair, his gleaming eyes, and his desperate, passionate, and savage nature; which Agamemnon, reproaching him, mocked, speaking thus: "For ever is strife dear to thee, and wars, and battles." For even to this day the Tauroscythians are accustomed to settle their quarrels with slaughter and blood. And that the nation is desperate, warlike, and powerful, attacking all its neighboring nations, many testify, as does the divine Ezekiel, making mention of it in what he says: "Behold, I am bringing upon you Gog and Magog, the prince of Rhos." But this is enough about the sacrificial rites of the Tauri. 7. Then, as day was already dawning, Sphondosthlabos convened a council of his nobles, which they call a komenton in their own dialect. When they had just gathered around him and had been asked by him what 151 must be done, some advised that in the dead of night, boarding their ships, they should steal away in flight by every contrivance; for they were not in a state to engage with men who were fully-armored cavalrymen, having lost, moreover, those champions by whom the army was invigorated and the spirits of the men were whetted. But others advised the opposite: to give their right hands to the Romans and receive pledges, and thus save the remaining army. For they would not be able to steal away by sea easily, since the fire-bearing ships were guarding the straits from both sides of the Ister's terraces, so that whenever they should try to sail out of the river, they would immediately burn them all. But Sphondosthlabos, groaning deeply and bitterly, said, "Gone is the glory which followed the Rhos panoply, as it effortlessly subjugated neighboring nations and bloodlessly enslaved whole countries, if we now ingloriously yield to the Romans. But having inherited the valor of our ancestors, and considering that the might of the Rhos has remained invincible even to this day, let us contend eagerly for our own salvation. For it is not our custom to go to our fatherland as fugitives, but either to live as victors or to die gloriously, having displayed the deeds of noble men." Such were the counsels of Sphondosthlabos. 8. This too is said about the Tauroscythians, that never, even to this day, do they surrender themselves to their enemies when defeated; but having already despaired of their safety, they thrust their 152 swords into their own entrails, and so destroy themselves. They do this, holding such a belief: for they say that those slain by their enemies in wars, after death and the separation of their souls from their bodies, serve their slayers in Hades. The Tauroscythians, therefore, fearing such servitude and abominating the thought of serving those who killed them, become the perpetrators of their own slaughter. But such is the belief that prevails among them. Then, however, having heard the words of their leader, they resolved, very much loving their own lives, to choose the danger for the sake of their salvation, and to fight eagerly against the Roman power. Therefore on the

καταποντώσαντες. λέγεται γὰρ Ἑλληνικοῖς 150 ὀργίοις κατόχους ὄντας, τὸν Ἑλληνικὸν τρόπον θυσίας καὶ χοὰς τοῖς ἀποιχομένοις τελεῖν, εἴτε πρὸς Ἀναχάρσεως ταῦτα καὶ Ζαμόλξιδος, τῶν σφετέρων φιλοσόφων, μυηθέντες, εἴτε καὶ πρὸς τῶν τοῦ Ἀχιλλέως ἑταίρων. Ἀῤῥιανὸς γάρ φησιν ἐν τῷ Περίπλῳ, Σκύθην Ἀχιλλέα τὸν Πηλέως πεφηνέναι, ἐκ τῆς Μυρμηκιῶνος καλουμένης πολίχνης, παρὰ τὴν Μαιῶτιν λίμνην κειμένης· ἀπελαθέντα δὲ πρὸς τῶν Σκυθῶν διὰ τὸ ἀπηνὲς, ὠμὸν, καὶ αὔθαδες τοῦ φρονήματος, αὖθις Θετταλίαν οἰκῆσαι. τεκμήρια τοῦ λόγου σαφῆ ἥ, τε τῆς ἀμπεχόνης σὺν τῇ πόρπῃ σκευὴ, καὶ ἡ πεζομαχία, καὶ ἡ πυρσὴ κόμη, καὶ οἱ γλαυκιῶντες ὀφθαλμοὶ, καὶ τὸ ἀπονενοημένον, καὶ θυμοειδὲς, καὶ ὠμόν· ἃ καὶ ὀνειδίζων Ἀγαμέμνων ἐπέσκωπτεν, οὑτωσὶ λέγων· Αἰεὶ γάρ τοι ἔρις τε φίλη, πόλεμοί τε, μάχαι τε. φόνῳ γὰρ εἰσέτι καὶ αἵματι τὰ νείκη Ταυροσκύθαι διακρίνειν εἰώθασιν. ὅτι δὲ τὸ ἔθνος ἀπονενοημένον, καὶ μάχιμον, καὶ κραταιὸν, πᾶσι τοῖς ὁμόροις ἐπιτιθέμενον ἔθνεσι, μαρτυροῦσι πολλοὶ, καὶ ὁ θεῖος δὲ Ἰεζεκιὴλ, μνήμην τούτου ποιούμενος, ἐν οἷς ταῦτά φησιν· Ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ ἐπάγω ἐπὶ σὲ τὸν Γὼγ καὶ Μαγὼγ, ἄρχοντα Ῥώς. Ἀλλ' ἀπόχρη μὲν ταῦτα περὶ τῶν Ταύρων ἐναγισμῶν. ζʹ. Τότε δὲ ἤδη διανισχούσης ἡμέρας βουλὴν ὁ Σφενδοσθλάβος τῶν ἀρίστων ἐκάθιζεν, ἣν καὶ κομέντον τῇ σφετέρῳ διαλέκτῳ φασίν. ἄρτι δὲ συναθροισθέντων περὶ αὐτὸν, καὶ ὅ,τι 151 δεῖ καὶ δρᾷν πρὸς αὐτοῦ διερωτηθέντων, οἱ μὲν ἀωρὶ συνεβούλευον τῶν νυκτῶν, ἐπιβάντες τῶν πλοίων, πάσῃ μηχανῇ κλέψαι τὴν φυγήν· μὴ γὰρ οἵους τε καθεστάναι ἱππόταις πανσιδήροις ἀνδράσι συμπλέκεσθαι, ἀποβαλόντας καὶ ταῦτα τοὺς πρωταγωνιστὰς, ὑφ' ὧν τὸ στρατόπεδον ἀνεῤῥώννυτο, καὶ οἱ θυμοὶ τῶν ἀνδρῶν παρεθήγοντο. οἱ δὲ τοὔμπαλιν δεξιὰς ἐμβάλλειν Ῥωμαίοις ἐξυνεβούλευον, καὶ πίστεις λαμβάνειν, καὶ οὕτω διασώζειν τὴν περιλειφθεῖσαν στρατιάν. οὐδὲ γὰρ ἔχειν εὐχερῶς κλέψαι τὸν ἀπόπλουν, τῶν πυρφόρων νεῶν παρὰ τοῦ Ἴστρου ἄνδηρα ἑκατέρωθεν φρουρουσῶν τὰ πορθμεῖα, ὡς, ἡνίκα πειραθεῖεν ἐκπλεῦσαι τὸν ποταμὸν, πυρπολήσειν ἐξαυτῆς ἅπαντα. ὁ δὲ Σφενδοσθλάβος, μύχιον καὶ πικρὸν ἀνοιμώξας, οἴχεται τὸ κλέος, ἔφη, ὃ τῇ Ῥωσικῇ πανοπλίᾳ συνείπετο, τὰ πρόσοικα καταστρεφομένῃ ἔθνη ἀπονητὶ, καὶ χώρας ὅλας ἀνδραποδιζομένῃ ἀναιμωτὶ, εἰ νῦν ἀκλεῶς Ῥωμαίοις ὑπείξομεν. ἀλλὰ γὰρ, τὴν ἐκ προγόνων ἀνειληφότες ἀρετὴν, ἀναλογισάμενοί τε, ὡς ἀκαταγώνιστος ἡ Ῥωσικὴ μέχρι καὶ τήμερον καθέστηκεν ἀλκὴ, ἐκθύμως ὑπὲρ τῆς σφῶν σωτηρίας διαγωνισώμεθα. οὐδὲ γὰρ ἔθιμον ἡμῖν φεύγουσιν ἐς τὴν πατρίδα φοιτᾷν, ἀλλ' ἢ νικῶντας ζῇν, ἢ εὐκλεῶς τελευτᾷν, ἔργα ἐπιδεδειγμένους γενναίων ἀνδρῶν. τοσαῦτα μὲν ὁ Σφενδοσθλάβος ἐβούλευσεν. ηʹ Λέγεται δὲ καὶ τοῦτο περὶ Ταυροσκυθῶν, μήποτε μέχρι καὶ νῦν ἑαυτοὺς ἐγχειρίζειν τοῖς δυσμενέσιν ἡττωμένους· ἀλλ' ἤδη τῆς σωτηρίας ἀπαγορεύσαντας ὠθεῖν τε κατὰ τῶν σπλάγχνων 152 τὰ ξίφη, καὶ οὕτως ἑαυτοὺς ἀναιρεῖν. τοῦτο δὲ πράττουσι, δόξαν κεκτημένοι τοιαύτην· φασὶ γὰρ τοὺς πρὸς τῶν ἐναντίων κατακτεινομένους ἐν τοῖς πολέμοις, μετὰ τὸν μόρον καὶ τὴν ἐκ τῶν σωμάτων διάζευξιν τῶν ψυχῶν ἐν ᾅδου τοῖς αὐθένταις ὑπηρετεῖν. Ταυροσκύθαι δὲ, τὴν τοιαύτην δεδιότες λατρείαν, ἀποστυγοῦντες δὲ καὶ τοῖς ἀναιροῦσιν αὐτοὺς ἐξυπηρετεῖν, τῆς ἑαυτῶν σφαγῆς αὐτόχειρες γίνονται. ἀλλὰ τοιαύτη μὲν ἡ ἐπικρατήσασα ἐν αὐτοῖς δόξα. τότε δὲ, τῶν τοῦ ἄρχοντος λόγων ἀκούσαντες, φιλοψυχότατα τὸν ὑπὲρ τῆς σφῶν σωτηρίας αἱρεῖσθαι κίνδυνον κατετίθεντο, ἐκθύμως τε πρὸς τὴν Ῥωμαϊκὴν ἀντιτάξασθαι δύναμιν. τῇ γοῦν