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for the barbarians had no place from which to launch an assault on the wall, being pelted from above both from the rock and from the wall; but now (for it was fated that the Antiochians should be destroyed by this army of the Medes) this occurred to no one. 2.8.15 So with the Persians, since Chosroes was present with them and was urging them on with a great shout, forcing their way beyond their strength and giving their opponents no opportunity to consider or to guard against the volleys of arrows, and with the Romans defending themselves still more with their great numbers and clamor, the ropes, by which the wooden beams had been bound together, not bearing the weight, suddenly broke apart, and along with the beams all who were standing on them fell to the ground with a great crash. 2.8.16 When other Romans, who were fighting from the adjoining towers, perceived this, and having no way to comprehend what had happened, but thinking that the wall had been breached in this place, 2.8.17 they rushed into flight. So many of the young men of the populace, who previously had been accustomed to riot against one another in the hippodromes, when they came down from the circuit-wall, did not flee at all, but remained where they were, but the soldiers with both Theoctistus and Molatzes immediately leaped upon their horses, which happened to have been prepared somewhere there, and rode off toward the gates, shouting repeatedly to them that Bouzes had come with an army and was willing to receive them into the 2.8.18 city with all speed and with them to fight off the enemy. There many of the men of Antioch, and all the women with their children, went to the gates at a great run; then, being pushed by the horses, since they were in a 2.8.19 very narrow space, they kept falling. And the soldiers, sparing no one at all in their path, even more than before all rode over those who were lying there, and a great slaughter occurred there, especially at the gates themselves. 2.8.20 But the Persians, with no one resisting them, placed ladders against the wall and ascended with no trouble. And having quickly reached the battlements, for some time they were by no means willing to descend, but seemed to be looking about and at a loss, it seems to me, because they suspected that the difficult terrain was prepared with some ambushes of the 2.8.21 enemy. For the area inside the circuit-wall, as one descends straight from the acropolis, is for the most part an uninhabited region. Very high rocks rise there 2.8.22 and precipitous places. But some say that the delay on the part of the Persians came about by the will of Chosroes. 2.8.23 For when he perceived the difficult terrain and saw the soldiers fleeing, he feared lest by some necessity they might turn back from their retreat and cause trouble for his men, and become an obstacle, as might happen, to his capturing a city that was both ancient and noteworthy, and for the Romans the first of all the cities in the East in wealth and size and population and beauty and its other prosperity. 2.8.24 For this reason, indeed, considering all other things of less importance, he wished to give the Roman soldiers the opportunity to make use of their flight unhindered. And so for this reason the Persians, signaling with their hands to the fugitives, were urging them to flee 2.8.25 as quickly as possible. So the Roman soldiers, along with the other commanders, all departed, going out through the gate which leads to Daphne, the suburb of the Antiochians. 2.8.26 For the Persians kept away from this gate alone, since the others had been seized; and a few of the populace 2.8.27 escaped along with the soldiers. But when the Persians saw that all the Roman soldiers had gone far away, they descended from the acropolis and were in the midst of the 2.8.28 city. And there many young men of the Antiochians came to blows with them and at first seemed to be superior in the engagement. Some of them were armed soldiers, but the majority were unarmed and used only volleys of 2.8.29 stones. And having pushed back the enemy, they both raised a paean and cried out that Emperor Justinian was victorious, as if they had won. 2.8.30 Meanwhile Chosroes, sitting in a tower on the acropolis, wishing to say something, sent for the ambassadors. And one of his commanders, Zaberganes, thinking that he wished to enter into discussions with the ambassadors about a settlement, to

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γὰρ εἶχον ὅθεν ὁρμώμενοι τειχομαχοῖεν οἱ βάρβαροι, κατὰ κορυφὴν ἔκ τε τῆς πέτρας καὶ ἀπὸ τοῦ τείχους βαλλόμενοι· νῦν δὲ (καὶ γὰρ ἔδει Ἀντιοχέας τούτῳ τῷ Μήδων στρατῷ ἀπολέσθαι) οὐδενὶ τοῦτο ἐς ἔννοιαν ἦλθε. 2.8.15 τῶν μὲν οὖν Περσῶν, ἅτε Χοσρόου παρόντος σφίσι καὶ κραυγῇ ἐγκελευομένου μεγάλῃ, ὑπὲρ δύναμιν βιαζομένων καὶ οὐδένα τοῖς ἐναντίοις ἐνδιδόντων καιρὸν, ὥστε διασκοπεῖσθαι ἢ φυλάσσεσθαι τὰς τοξευμάτων βολὰς, τῶν δὲ Ῥωμαίων ἔτι μᾶλλον πλήθει τε πολλῷ καὶ θορύβῳ ἀμυνομένων, οὐκ ἐνεγκοῦσαι τὸ ἄχθος αἱ σχοῖνοι, αἷς αἱ δοκοὶ ξυνδεδέατο, διερράγησαν ἐκ τοῦ αἰφνιδίου καὶ ξὺν ταῖς δοκοῖς ἅπαντες ὅσοι αὐταῖς ἐφεστήκεσαν ἐς τὸ ἔδαφος ἐξέπεσον πατάγῳ πολλῷ. 2.8.16 οὗ δὴ αἰσθόμενοι καὶ ἄλλοι Ῥωμαίων, οἳ ἐκ πύργων τῶν ἐχομένων ἐμάχοντο, καὶ ξυμβάλλειν μὲν τὸ γεγονὸς οὐδαμῆ ἔχοντες, διεφθάρθαι δὲ ταύτῃ τὸ τεῖχος 2.8.17 οἰόμενοι ἐς φυγὴν ὥρμηντο. τοῦ μὲν οὖν δήμου νεανίαι πολλοὶ, ὅσοι τὰ πρότερα πρός γε ἀλλήλους στασιάζειν ἐν τοῖς ἱπποδρομίοις εἰώθεσαν, ἐπειδὴ ἀπὸ τοῦ περιβόλου κατέβησαν, οὐδαμῆ ἔφευγον, ἀλλ' αὐτοῦ ἔμενον, οἱ δὲ στρατιῶται ξύν τε Θεοκτίστῳ καὶ Μολάτζῃ εὐθὺς ἐπὶ τοὺς ἵππους ἀναθορόντες, οἳ δὴ ἐνταῦθά πη παρεσκευασμένοι ἐτύγχανον, ἐπὶ τὰς πύλας ἀπήλαυνον, Βούζην αὐτοῖς ἐπιθρυλοῦντες ξὺν στρατῷ ἥκειν, ἐθέλειν τε κατὰ τάχος δέξασθαι μὲν αὐτοὺς τῇ 2.8.18 πόλει, ξὺν αὐτοῖς δὲ τοὺς πολεμίους ἀμύνασθαι. ἐνταῦθα τῶν Ἀντιοχέων πολλοὶ μὲν ἄνδρες, γυναῖκες δὲ πᾶσαι ξὺν τοῖς παιδίοις ἐπὶ τὰς πύλας δρόμῳ πολλῷ ᾔεσαν· εἶτα πρὸς τῶν ἵππων ὠθούμενοι ἅτε ἐν 2.8.19 στενοχωρίᾳ πολλῇ ἔπιπτον. οἱ δὲ στρατιῶται τῶν ἐν ποσὶν οὐδενὸς τὸ παράπαν φειδόμενοι ἔτι μᾶλλον ἢ πρότερον ὕπερθεν τῶν κειμένων ἅπαντες ἤλαυνον, γέγονέ τε φόνος ἐνταῦθα πολὺς ἄλλως τε καὶ κατὰ τὰς πύλας αὐτάς. 2.8.20 Οἱ δὲ Πέρσαι, οὐδενὸς σφίσιν ἀντιστατοῦντος, κλίμακας ἐπιθέντες ἐπὶ τὸ τεῖχος οὐδενὶ πόνῳ ἀνέβαινον. ἔν τε ταῖς ἐπάλξεσι κατὰ τάχος γενόμενοι χρόνον τινὰ καταβαίνειν οὐδαμῆ ἤθελον, ἀλλὰ διασκοπουμένοις τε καὶ ἀπορουμένοις ἐῴκεσαν, ἐμοὶ μὲν δοκεῖ, προλοχίζεσθαι τὰς δυσχωρίας ἐνέδραις τισὶ τῶν πολε2.8.21 μίων ὑποτοπάζοντες. τὰ γὰρ ἐντὸς τοῦ περιβόλου ἀπὸ τῆς ἄκρας εὐθὺς κατιόντι λοιπὸν ἀοίκητος χώρα ἐπὶ πλεῖστόν ἐστι. πέτραι τε λίαν ὑψηλαὶ ἀνέχουσιν ἐνταῦθα 2.8.22 καὶ τόποι κρημνώδεις. ἔνιοι δέ φασι Χοσρόου γνώμῃ 2.8.23 γεγονέναι τὴν μέλλησιν Πέρσαις. ἐπειδὴ γὰρ τήν τε δυσχωρίαν κατενόησε καὶ τοὺς στρατιώτας φεύγοντας εἶδεν, ἔδεισε μή τινι ἀνάγκῃ ἐκ τῆς ὑπαγωγῆς ἀναστρέψαντες πράγματα σφίσι παράσχωνται, ἐμπόδιοί τε γένωνται, ἂν οὕτω τύχοι, πόλιν ἑλεῖν ἀρχαίαν τε καὶ λόγου ἀξίαν καὶ πρώτην Ῥωμαίοις οὖσαν τῶν κατὰ τὴν ἕω πασῶν πόλεων, πλούτῳ τε καὶ μεγέθει καὶ πολυανθρωπίᾳ καὶ κάλλει καὶ τῇ ἄλλῃ εὐδαιμονίᾳ. 2.8.24 οὗ δὴ, περὶ ἐλάσσονος τἄλλα ποιούμενος ἅπαντα, ἤθελε τοῖς Ῥωμαίων στρατιώταις καιρὸν ἐνδιδόναι, ὥστε κατ' ἐξουσίαν τῇ φυγῇ χρῆσθαι. διὸ δὴ καὶ ταῖς χερσὶ τοῖς φεύγουσι Πέρσαι σημαίνοντες ἐνεκελεύοντο φεύ2.8.25 γειν ὡς τάχιστα. οἱ μὲν οὖν στρατιῶται Ῥωμαίων ξὺν τοῖς ἄλλοις ἄρχουσιν ἀπιόντες ᾤχοντο ἅπαντες διὰ πύλης, ἣ ἐπὶ ∆άφνην ἄγει τὸ τῶν Ἀντιοχέων 2.8.26 προάστειον. ταύτης γὰρ μόνης, τῶν ἄλλων κατειλημμένων, ἀπέσχοντο Πέρσαι· τοῦ δὲ δήμου ὀλίγοι 2.8.27 τινὲς ξὺν τοῖς στρατιώταις διέφυγον. ἐπεὶ δὲ Πέρσαι ἅπαντας τοὺς Ῥωμαίων στρατιώτας εἶδον πρόσω χωρήσαντας, καταβάντες ἀπὸ τῆς ἄκρας ἐν μέσῃ πόλει 2.8.28 ἐγένοντο. ἐνταῦθα δὲ αὐτοῖς τῶν Ἀντιοχέων νεανίαι πολλοὶ ἐς χεῖρας ἐλθόντες τὰ πρῶτα καθυπέρτεροι ἔδοξαν τῇ ξυμβολῇ εἶναι. ἦσαν δὲ αὐτῶν τινες μὲν ὁπλῖται, οἱ δὲ πλεῖστοι γυμνοὶ καὶ λίθων βολαῖς χρώ2.8.29 μενοι μόναις. ὠσάμενοι δὲ τοὺς πολεμίους ἐπαιάνιζόν τε καὶ Ἰουστινιανὸν βασιλέα καλλίνικον, ἅτε νενικηκότες, ἀνέκραγον. 2.8.30 Ἐν τούτῳ δὲ Χοσρόης ἐν πύργῳ τῷ κατὰ τὴν ἄκραν καθήμενος τοὺς πρέσβεις ἐθέλων τι εἰπεῖν μετεπέμψατο. καὶ αὐτὸν τῶν τις ἀρχόντων, ὁ Ζαβεργάνης, οἰόμενος ξυμβάσεως πέρι βούλεσθαι τοῖς πρέσβεσιν ἐς λόγους ἰέναι, ἐς