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When these things were brought to Lazica, they happened to be suddenly struck by lightning and reduced to ashes; and Phabrizus, having arrived in Lazica with the three hundred, was contriving how he might accomplish against Goubazes the things promised by Chosroes. 2.29.4 Now it happened that a certain one of the notables among the Colchians, Pharsanses by name, had given offence to Goubazes and had fallen into great enmity with him, and was by no means daring to come into the sight of the 2.29.5 king. When Phabrizus learned this, he sent for Pharsanses and communicated with him, and bringing forth the whole plan, he inquired of the 2.29.6 man how he should proceed with the business. It was decided, therefore, by them in common council that Phabrizus should go to the city of Petra, and summon Goubazes there, so that he might report to him all that the king 2.29.7 thought would be advantageous to the Lazi. But Pharsanses secretly signified to Goubazes what was being plotted. For this reason Goubazes in no way came to Phabrizus, 2.29.8 but openly looked to revolt. And Phabrizus instructed the other Persians to guard the garrison in Petra with all their strength and to make preparations for a siege as securely as possible, but he himself with his three hundred withdrew home, having accomplished nothing. 2.29.9 But Goubazes, reporting their present situation to the Emperor Justinian, begged him to be forgiving of what had been done before by the Lazi, and to help them with all his force as they were trying to free themselves from the rule of the Medes. For the Colchians would not be able by themselves to beat back the power of the Persians. 2.29.10 When the Emperor Justinian heard this, being overjoyed he sent seven thousand men and Dagisthaeus as commander and a thousand Tzani to the assistance of the Lazi. 2.29.11 And they, having arrived in the land of Colchis, encamped together with the Lazi and Goubazes around 2.29.12 the wall of Petra and established a siege. But since the Persians who were there defended themselves most stoutly from the wall, it happened that much time was spent in the siege, since the Persians also happened to have stored up sufficient provisions for themselves. 2.29.13 And Chosroes, being greatly disturbed by this, sent a large army of both cavalry and infantry against them, over whom he set Mermeroes as commander. When Goubazes learned of them, he consulted with Dagisthaeus and did as follows. 2.29.14 The Boas river issues forth somewhere very near the borders of Tzania in Armenia, where the people who dwell around Pharangium live. And at first it flows for a great distance on the right, being shallow and fordable for all with no trouble, as far as a place where on the right are the borders of Iberia, 2.29.15 and opposite ends Mount Caucasus. There dwell many other nations, including both Alans and Abasgi, who are Christians and ancient friends of the Romans, and Zichi, and after them the Huns who are called Sabiri. 2.29.16 But when this river reaches the place where the borders of both Caucasus and Iberia are, there, with other waters also flowing into it, it becomes much larger and is carried along, being called from that point Phasis instead of Boas, having become navigable as far as the sea called Euxine, where its mouths also happen to be, and on either side of it is Lazica. 2.29.17 But on the right, the whole country for a great distance is inhabited by the people there as far as the 2.29.18 borders of Iberia. For all the villages of the Lazi are there, within the river, and their towns have been built there from of old, among which is Archaeopolis, being most fortified, and Sebastopolis is there and the fortress of Pityous, and Scanda and Sarapanis toward the borders of Iberia. The most noteworthy cities there, 2.29.19 however, are Rhodopolis and Mocheresis. And on the left of the river are the borders of Lazica as far as a day's journey for an unencumbered man, but the country happens to be desolate of men. Adjoining this 2.29.20 country live Romans, who are called Pontic. Therefore, within the borders of Lazica, where no men at all lived, the Emperor Justinian built the city of Petra in 2.29.21 my times. where John, surnamed Tzibus, the monopoly

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ταῦτα ἐπεὶ ἐς Λαζικὴν ἐκομίσθη, κεραυνόβλητα ἐξαπιναίως γενόμενα τετεφρῶσθαι ξυνέβη· Φάβριζος δὲ ξὺν τοῖς τριακοσίοις ἐς Λαζικὴν ἀφικόμενος ἔπρασσεν ὅπως δὴ ἀμφὶ Γουβάζῃ τὰ πρὸς τοῦ Χοσρόου ἐπηγγελμένα ὑποτελοίη. 2.29.4 ἐτύγχανε δὲ τῶν τις ἐν Κόλχοις λογίμων, Φαρσάνσης ὄνομα, τῷ Γουβάζῃ προσκεκρουκὼς ἐς μέγα τέ οἱ ἀπ' αὐτοῦ ἐμπεπτωκὼς ἔχθος καὶ ὡς ἥκιστα θαρσῶν τῷ 2.29.5 βασιλεῖ ἐς ὄψιν ἥκειν. ὅπερ ἐπεὶ ὁ Φάβριζος ἔγνω, τὸν Φαρσάνσην μεταπεμψάμενος ἐκοινολογεῖτό τε καὶ τὸν ἅπαντα λόγον ἐξενεγκὼν ἀνεπυνθάνετο τοῦ ἀν2.29.6 θρώπου ὅπη οἱ ἐπιχειρητέα ἐς τὴν πρᾶξιν εἴη. ἔδοξε τοίνυν σφίσιν ἐπὶ κοινῆς βουλευσαμένοις Φάβριζον μὲν ἐν Πέτρᾳ τῇ πόλει γενέσθαι, μεταπέμψασθαι δὲ Γουβάζην ἐνταῦθα, ὅπως οἱ ἀγγέλλοι ὅσα δὴ βασιλεῖ 2.29.7 ἀμφὶ τῷ ξυνοίσοντι Λαζοῖς δοκοῦντα εἴη. ἀλλ' ὁ Φαρσάνσης κρύφα τῷ Γουβάζῃ ἐσήμηνε τὰ πρασσόμενα. διὸ δὴ Γουβάζης παρὰ μὲν Φάβριζον οὐδαμῆ 2.29.8 ἦλθεν, ἐκ δὲ τοῦ ἐμφανοῦς ἐς ἀπόστασιν εἶδε. Φάβριζος δὲ Πέρσαις μὲν τοῖς ἄλλοις τοῦ ἐν Πέτρᾳ φυλακτηρίου ἐπιμελεῖσθαι πάσῃ δυνάμει ἐπέστελλε καὶ τὰ ἐς πολιορκίαν ὡς ἀσφαλέστατα ἐξαρτύεσθαι, αὐτὸς δὲ ξὺν τοῖς τριακοσίοις ἐπ' οἴκου ἄπρακτος ἀνεχώρησε. 2.29.9 Γουβάζης δὲ ἀνενεγκὼν ἐς Ἰουστινιανὸν βασιλέα τὰ παρόντα σφίσι τῶν μὲν τὰ πρότερα πεπραγμένων Λαζοῖς ἐδεῖτο συγγνώμονα εἶναι, ἀμῦναι δὲ σφίσι δυνάμει τῇ πάσῃ ἀπαλλαξείουσι τῆς Μήδων ἀρχῆς. οὐ γὰρ κατὰ μόνας δυνήσεσθαι Κόλχους ἀποκρούσασθαι τὴν Περσῶν δύναμιν. 2.29.10 Ταῦτα ἐπεὶ βασιλεὺς Ἰουστινιανὸς ἤκουσε, περιχαρὴς γενόμενος ἄνδρας ἑπτακισχιλίους καὶ ∆αγισθαῖον ἄρχοντα καὶ Τζάνους χιλίους ἐς ἐπικουρίαν Λαζοῖς 2.29.11 ἔπεμψεν. οἳ δὴ ἐν γῇ τῇ Κολχίδι γενόμενοι ἅμα Λαζοῖς τε καὶ τῷ Γουβάζῃ ἐνστρατοπεδευσάμενοι ἀμφὶ 2.29.12 τὸν Πέτρας περίβολον ἐς πολιορκίαν καθίσταντο. Περσῶν δὲ τῶν ἐνταῦθα ὄντων καρτερώτατα ἐκ τοῦ περιβόλου ἀμυνομένων, χρόνον τῇ προσεδρείᾳ πολὺν τετρίφθαι ξυνέβη, ἐπεὶ καὶ τὰ ἐδώδιμα ἐναποθέμενοι 2.29.13 σφίσιν οἱ Πέρσαι διαρκῶς ἔτυχον. τούτοις δὲ ὁ Χοσρόης ξυνταραχθεὶς στρατιὰν πολλὴν ἱππέων τε καὶ πεζῶν ἐπ' αὐτοὺς ἔστελλεν, οἷς δὴ ἄρχοντα Μερμερόην ἐπέστησεν. ὧνπερ ὁ Γουβάζης αἰσθόμενος τῷ ∆αγισθαίῳ ἐπίκοινα βουλευσάμενος ἐποίει τάδε. 2.29.14 Βόας ὁ ποταμὸς ἔξεισιν ἄγχιστά πη τῶν Τζανικῆς ὁρίων ἐν Ἀρμενίοις, οἳ δὴ ἀμφὶ τὸ Φαράγγιον ᾤκηνται. καὶ τὰ μὲν πρῶτα ἐν δεξιᾷ ἐπὶ πλεῖστον χωρεῖ, βραχύς τε ἰὼν καὶ πόνῳ οὐδενὶ γινόμενος ἐσβατὸς ἅπασιν ἄχρι ἐς χῶρον, οὗ δὴ ἐν δεξιᾷ μὲν Ἰβήρων τὰ ὅριά 2.29.15 ἐστι, καταντικρὺ δὲ τελευτᾷ ὄρος ὁ Καύκασος. ἐνταῦθα ἔθνη ἄλλα τε πολλὰ καὶ Ἀλανοί τε καὶ Ἀβασγοὶ ᾤκηνται Χριστιανοί τε καὶ Ῥωμαίοις φίλοι ἐκ παλαιοῦ ὄντες, Ζῆχοί τε καὶ μετ' αὐτοὺς Οὖννοι, οἳ Σάβειροι 2.29.16 ἐπικαλοῦνται. ἐπειδὰν δὲ ὁ ποταμὸς οὗτος ἀφίκηται ἵνα δὴ τοῦ τε Καυκάσου καὶ Ἰβηρίας τὰ ὅριά ἐστιν, ἐνταῦθα ἐπιγινομένων οἱ καὶ ἄλλων ὑδάτων μείζων τε παρὰ πολὺ γίνεται καὶ Φᾶσις ἀντὶ Βόα τὸ ἐνθένδε καλούμενος φέρεται, ναυσίπορος γεγενημένος ἄχρι ἐς τὸν Εὔξεινον καλούμενον πόντον, οὗ δή οἱ καὶ τὰς ἐκβολὰς ξυμβαίνει εἶναι, καὶ αὐτοῦ ἐφ' ἑκάτερα Λαζική 2.29.17 ἐστιν. ἀλλ' ἐν δεξιᾷ μὲν ξύμπασα ἐπὶ πλεῖστον ἡ χώρα πρὸς τῶν τῇδε ἀνθρώπων οἰκεῖται μέχρι τῶν 2.29.18 Ἰβηρίας ὁρίων. κῶμαί τε γὰρ αἱ Λαζῶν πᾶσαι τοῦ ποταμοῦ ἐντὸς ἐνταῦθά εἰσι καὶ πολίσματα ἐκ παλαιοῦ σφίσι ταύτῃ πεποίηνται, ἐν τοῖς Ἀρχαιόπολις, ἐχυρωτάτη οὖσα, Σεβαστόπολίς τε ἐνταῦθα καὶ τὸ Πιτιοῦντος φρούριόν ἐστι Σκάνδα τε καὶ Σαραπανὶς πρὸς τοῖς Ἰβηρίας ὁρίοις. πόλεις μέντοι ἀξιολογώταται ἐνταῦθά 2.29.19 εἰσι Ῥοδόπολις καὶ Μοχήρησις. τοῦ δὲ ποταμοῦ ἐν ἀριστερᾷ Λαζικῆς μὲν τὰ ὅριά ἐστι μέχρι ἐς ἡμέρας ὁδὸν εὐζώνῳ ἀνδρὶ, ἔρημον δὲ ξυμβαίνει ἀνθρώπων τὴν χώραν εἶναι. ταύτην προσοικοῦσι Ῥωμαῖοι τὴν 2.29.20 χώραν, οἳ Ποντικοὶ ἐπικαλοῦνται. ἐν μὲν οὖν τοῖς Λαζικῆς ὁρίοις, ἔνθα δὴ ἄνθρωποι οὐδαμῆ ᾤκηντο, Πέτραν Ἰουστινιανὸς ὁ βασιλεὺς τὴν πόλιν ἐν τοῖς 2.29.21 κατ' ἐμὲ χρόνοις ἐδείματο. οὗπερ Ἰωάννης, ὁ Τζίβος ἐπικαλούμενος, τὸ μονοπώλιον