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fellow-commanders, in order to prevent the enemy from making any invasion into our land; but now that matters have turned out for us better than expected, it is possible to deliberate concerning his land. 2.16.15 For which reason you have been gathered together, and it is right, I think, that you speak without any concealment whatever seems to each to be best and most advantageous.” 2.16.16 So much said Belisarius. But Peter and Bouzes urged that the army should lead the way into the enemy's country without any delay. The whole assembly immediately followed their opinion. 2.16.17 Rhecithangus, however, and Theoctistus, the commanders of the soldiers in Libanus, said that they themselves also wished the same as the others concerning the invasion, but they feared lest, when they had departed, Alamoundaras might plunder the lands of Phoenicia and Syria at his pleasure, and the emperor might be angry with them, for not having kept unravaged the land which they commanded, and for this reason they were by no means willing to invade along with the rest of the army. 2.16.18 But Belisarius said that these two men were very much mistaken in their opinion. For it was the summer solstice. And for about two months of this season, the Saracens, always bringing this time as a sacred offering to their own god, never make any raid into a foreign land. 2.16.19 Therefore, after promising to release them both with their followers within sixty days, he commanded them also to follow with the rest of the army. Belisarius, therefore, was preparing for the invasion with great haste. 2.17.1 But Chosroes and the Median army, after they had passed through Iberia and were in the territories of Lazica, with the ambassadors guiding them, began to cut down the trees with no one resisting, which there were numerous and terribly thick and high, being in precipitous places, and made the country completely impassable for the army; these they threw into the difficult passages 2.17.2 and altogether made the way easy. And when they arrived in the middle of Colchis (where the poets tell the myths about Medea and Jason took place), Goubazes, the king of the Lazi, came and did obeisance to Chosroes, son of Kavades, as to a master, handing over to him both himself with his kingdom and all of Lazica. 2.17.3 Now Petra is a coastal city in Colchis, on the sea called the Euxine, which, though it was formerly an insignificant place, the Emperor Justinian made both strong and otherwise notable by its circuit-wall and its other construction. 2.17.4 Chosroes, learning that the Roman army with John was there, sent an army and the general Aniabedes against them to take it at the first shout. 2.17.5 But John, knowing of the attack, commanded that no one go outside the circuit-wall nor appear to the enemy from the battlements, but arming the whole force, he stationed it somewhere near the gates, ordering them to keep silent, 2.17.6 letting out neither a sound nor any voice. The Persians, therefore, having come very near the circuit-wall, since nothing hostile was either seen or heard by them, thought the city was deserted of men, the Romans having abandoned it. 2.17.7 Therefore they came still closer to the circuit-wall, in order to place ladders immediately, since no one was defending it. 2.17.8 And seeing and hearing nothing hostile, they sent to Chosroes and reported to him the present situation. 2.17.9 And he sent the greater part of the army and ordered them to make an attempt on the circuit-wall from all sides, and he commanded one of the officers to use the engine, the ram, against the gates, and sitting on the hill, which lies very close to the city, 2.17.10 he became a spectator of the proceedings. But immediately the Romans suddenly threw open the gates and falling upon them unexpectedly killed very many of the enemy, and especially those stationed around the ram; and the rest barely escaped with their general and were saved. 2.17.11 And Chosroes, seized with anger, impaled Aniabedes, because he had been outgeneraled by John, a man who was a shopkeeper and altogether unwarlike. 2.17.12 But some say that not Aniabedes, but the officer who was in charge of those working the ram, was impaled. 2.17.13 But he himself

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ξυνάρχοντες, ὡς διακωλύσοντες τὸν «πολέμιον ἐσβολήν τινα ἐς τὴν ἡμετέραν ποιήσασθαι, «νῦν δὲ τῶν πραγμάτων ἡμῖν ἄμεινον ἢ κατ' ἐλπίδας «κεχωρηκότων πάρεστι περὶ τῆς ἐκείνου βουλεύεσθαι. 2.16.15 «ἐφ' ᾧ δὴ ξυνειλεγμένους ὑμᾶς δίκαιον, οἶμαι, οὐδὲν «ὑποστειλαμένους εἰπεῖν ἅπερ ἂν ἄριστά τε δοκῇ καὶ «ξυμφορώτατα ἑκάστῳ εἶναι.» 2.16.16 Βελισάριος μὲν τοσαῦτα εἶπε. Πέτρος δὲ καὶ Βούζης ἐξηγεῖσθαι τῷ στρατῷ οὐδὲν μελλήσοντα ἐπὶ τὴν πολεμίαν ἐκέλευον. ὧν δὴ τῇ γνώμῃ εἵποντο εὐθὺς 2.16.17 ὁ ξύλλογος ἅπας. Ῥεκίθαγγος μέντοι καὶ Θεόκτιστος, οἱ τῶν ἐν Λιβάνῳ στρατιωτῶν ἄρχοντες, ταὐτὰ μὲν τοῖς ἄλλοις ἀμφὶ τῇ ἐσβολῇ βούλεσθαι καὶ αὐτοὶ ἔφασαν, δεδιέναι δὲ μὴ σφῶν ἐκλελοιπότων τά τε ἐπὶ Φοινίκης καὶ Συρίας χωρία κατ' ἐξουσίαν μὲν Ἀλαμούνδαρος ταῦτα ληίζηται, βασιλεὺς δὲ σφᾶς δι' ὀργῆς ἔχοι, ἅτε οὐ φυλάξαντας ἀδῄωτον τὴν χώραν ἧς ἦρχον, καὶ δι' αὐτὸ συνεισβάλλειν τῷ ἄλλῳ στρατῷ οὐδαμῆ 2.16.18 ἤθελον. Βελισάριος δὲ τὼ ἄνδρε τούτω ὡς ἥκιστα ἀληθῆ οἴεσθαι ἔλεγε. τοῦ γὰρ καιροῦ τροπὰς θερινὰς εἶναι. ταύτης δὲ τῆς ὥρας δύο μάλιστα μῆνας ἀνάθημα τῷ σφετέρῳ θεῷ Σαρακηνοὺς ἐς ἀεὶ φέροντας ἐν ταύτῃ ἐπιδρομῇ τινι οὔποτε χρῆσθαι ἐς γῆν ἀλλο2.16.19 τρίαν. διὸ δὴ ἑξήκοντα ἡμερῶν ὁμολογήσας ξὺν τοῖς ἑπομένοις ἄμφω ἀφήσειν, ἐκέλευε καὶ αὐτοὺς ξὺν τῷ ἄλλῳ στρατῷ ἕπεσθαι. Βελισάριος μὲν οὖν τὰ ἐς τὴν ἐσβολὴν σπουδῇ πολλῇ ἐξηρτύετο. 2.17.1 Χοσρόης δὲ καὶ ὁ Μήδων στρατὸς, ἐπειδὴ τὴν Ἰβηρίαν ἀμείψαντες ἐν τοῖς τῆς Λαζικῆς ὁρίοις, τῶν πρέσβεων σφίσιν ἡγουμένων, ἐγένοντο, τὰ δένδρα οὐδενὸς ἀντιστατοῦντος ἐκτέμνοντες, ἅπερ ἐνταῦθα συχνά τε καὶ δεινῶς ἀμφιλαφῆ τε καὶ ὑψηλὰ ἐν χωρίοις κρημνώδεσιν ὄντα παντάπασιν ἄβατον τῇ στρατιᾷ τὴν χώραν ἐποίει, ταῦτά τε ἐς τὰς δυσχωρίας ἐρρίπτουν 2.17.2 καὶ ὅλως εὐπετῆ τὴν ὁδὸν ἀπειργάζοντο. ἀφικομένοις τε αὐτοῖς ἐς μέσην Κολχίδα (οὗ δὴ τά τε ἀμφὶ Μήδειαν καὶ Ἰάσονα οἱ ποιηταὶ γεγενῆσθαι μυθολογοῦσιν) ἐλθὼν Γουβάζης, ὁ Λαζῶν βασιλεὺς, προσεκύνησεν ἅτε δεσπότην Χοσρόην τὸν Καβάδου, αὑτόν τέ οἱ ξὺν τοῖς βασιλείοις καὶ Λαζικὴν ἐνδιδοὺς ἅπασαν. 2.17.3 Ἔστι δὲ Πέτρα πόλις ἐπιθαλασσία ἐν Κόλχοις, πρὸς τῷ Εὐξείνῳ καλουμένῳ πόντῳ, ἣν δὴ φαῦλόν τι χωρίον τὰ πρότερα οὖσαν Ἰουστινιανὸς βασιλεὺς τῷ τε περιβόλῳ καὶ τῇ ἄλλῃ κατασκευῇ ἐχυράν τε καὶ 2.17.4 ἄλλως ἐπιφανῆ κατεστήσατο. ἐνταῦθα τὸ Ῥωμαίων στράτευμα εἶναι ξὺν τῷ Ἰωάννῃ μαθὼν ὁ Χοσρόης στρατιάν τε καὶ στρατηγὸν Ἀνιαβέδην ὡς αὐτοβοεὶ 2.17.5 ἐξελοῦντας ἐπ' αὐτοὺς ἔπεμψε. γνοὺς δὲ Ἰωάννης τὴν ἔφοδον οὔτε τοῦ περιβόλου τινὰ ἔξω γενέσθαι οὔτε ἀπὸ τῶν ἐπάλξεων φανῆναι τοῖς πολεμίοις ἐκέλευσεν, ἀλλὰ πᾶν ἐξοπλίσας τὸ στράτευμα πλησίον που τῶν πυλῶν ἔστησεν, ἐπιστείλας σιγῇ ἔχεσθαι, 2.17.6 μήτε ἦχον μήτε φωνὴν ἀφιέντας τινά. οἱ γοῦν Πέρσαι ἄγχιστά που τοῦ περιβόλου γενόμενοι, ἐπεὶ οὐδὲν σφίσι πολέμιον οὔτε καθεωρᾶτο οὔτ' ἠκούετο, ἔρημον ἀνδρῶν εἶναι τὴν πόλιν, Ῥωμαίων αὐτὴν ἐκλελοι2.17.7 πότων, ἐνόμιζον. διὸ δὴ ἔτι μᾶλλον ἀμφὶ τὸν περίβολον ἦλθον, ὡς κλίμακας εὐθὺς, ἅτε οὐδενὸς 2.17.8 ἀμυνομένου, ἐπιθήσοντες. πολέμιόν τε οὐδὲν οὔτε ὁρῶντες οὔτε ἀκούοντες, πέμψαντες παρὰ Χοσρόην τὰ 2.17.9 παρόντα σφίσιν ἐδήλουν. καὶ ὃς τὸ μὲν πλεῖστον τοῦ στρατοῦ πέμψας πανταχόθεν ἀποπειρᾶσθαι τοῦ περιβόλου ἐκέλευε, κριῷ τε τῇ μηχανῇ ἀμφὶ τὰς πύλας χρῆσθαι τῶν τινι ἀρχόντων ἐπέστελλεν, ἐν δὲ τῷ λόφῳ καθήμενος, ὃς δὴ τῇ πόλει ὡς ἀγχοτάτω ἐπίκειται, 2.17.10 θεατὴς τῶν πρασσομένων ἐγίνετο. αὐτίκα δὲ Ῥωμαῖοι τάς τε πύλας ἀνέκλινον ἐκ τοῦ αἰφνιδίου καὶ ἀπροσδόκητοι ἐπιπεσόντες πλείστους τῶν πολεμίων διέφθειραν, καὶ μάλιστα τοὺς ἀμφὶ τὸν κριὸν τεταγμένους· οἱ δὲ λοιποὶ μόλις ξὺν τῷ στρατηγῷ διαφυγόντες ἐσώθησαν. 2.17.11 θυμῷ τε ὁ Χοσρόης ἐχόμενος Ἀνιαβέδην ἀνεσκολόπισεν, ἅτε καταστρατηγηθέντα πρὸς τοῦ Ἰωάννου, καπήλου 2.17.12 τε καὶ ἀπολέμου τὸ παράπαν ἀνδρός. τινὲς δὲ οὐκ Ἀνιαβέδην, ἀλλὰ τὸν ἄρχοντα, ὃς δὴ ἐφειστήκει τοῖς 2.17.13 τὸν κριὸν ἐνεργοῦσιν, ἀνασκολοπισθῆναί φασιν. αὐτὸς δὲ