97

having Phoenician letters engraved on them, saying these things: "we are the ones who fled from the face of Jesus the robber, son of Nave." And there were other peoples in Libya who were previously indigenous, having king 201 Antaeus at Clypea, who wrestled with Heracles, whom they said was the son of the earth, who founded Carthage. But Solomon, taking the armies from Carthage, marched against the Moors. And coming into Byzacium to the place of Rhammes, where the Moors had encamped, having made a circle of their camels and having placed the women and the children inside the circle, and the Moors coming out against him, dismounting from his horse, leading on five hundred chosen men, he ordered them to attack one part of the circle and to kill the camels. And having killed about 200, he proceeded at a run into the middle of the circle, where the women were sitting. But the barbarians, being astonished, fled to the mountain in complete disorder. And ten thousand of the Moors were killed on that day. And all the women with the children were made into slaves. And taking them along with the camels and all the booty, they entered Carthage, celebrating the victory festival. But the barbarians, gathering again, the whole people with their wives and children, leaving no one behind, marched against the Romans and were plundering the places in Byzacium. But Solomon, quickly taking up the whole army, went against them. And when he was at Bourgarion, where the enemy had encamped, he arranged the army as for battle. But the Moors on the mountain of the Bourgariones remained for a very long time, not wishing to come down to the plain. But Solomon sends Theodore during the night with a thousand foot soldiers and some of the standards, so that they might go up the mountain from behind them during the night and at the rising of the sun * having raised the standards above, they should advance against the enemy. And likewise he himself, having gone up at deep dawn, they advanced against the enemy at the same time. But the barbarians, seeing that they were in the midst of the Romans, rushed into flight, pushing themselves over cliffs and killing themselves. And fifty thousand of the Moors died in the war, 202 but of the Romans, not even one at all, indeed not even one received any wound, but all, unharmed, won the victory. And most of their rulers went over to the Romans. Indeed, the Romans took such a great multitude of women and children, that for the price of a sheep a Moorish child was sold to anyone wishing to buy. And then the ancient oracle of a prophetess came true for them, that their multitude would be destroyed by a beardless man. For Solomon was a eunuch from childhood, having been made so unintentionally, having lost his generative parts through an accident. And taking all the booty, he returned to Carthage. And at this time, a portent happened to occur in the sky. For the sun, without its rays, its brightness was dim like the moon for the entire year; and it seemed to be in eclipse for the most part, not shining clearly, as it was accustomed. And it was the tenth year of the reign of Justinian. At this time, neither war nor death brought upon men ceased. And at the beginning of spring, Belisarius was sent by Justinian to make Sicily tributary to the Romans. And while he was wintering in Sicily, the festival of Easter having arrived, the Romans in Libya mutinied against Solomon in the following way: for having taken the wives of the slain Vandals, they held their fields as their own and did not want to pay the taxes for them to the emperor; but Solomon advised them not to rise up against the emperor, but to render to him what was fitting. And some of them, and especially of the Goths, had fallen away to the doctrine of Arius, whom the priests of the church excommunicated, and they were unwilling even to baptize their children; for which reason the sedition occurred at the festival. And the soldiers plotted to kill Solomon in the sanctuary. And going out of the city they plundered its lands and the Libyans as enemies

97

ἐγκεκολαμμένα ἐχούσας γράμματα Φοινικικὰ λέγοντα τάδε· "ἡμεῖς ἐσμεν οἱ φυγόντες ἀπὸ προσώπου Ἰησοῦ τοῦ λῃστοῦ, υἱοῦ Ναυῆ." ἦσαν δὲ καὶ ἄλλα ἔθνη ἐν Λιβύῃ πρότερον αὐτόχθονες, ἔχοντες βασιλέα 201 Ἀνταῖον εἰς Κλιπέαν, ὃς Ἡρακλεῖ ἐπάλαισεν, ὃν τῆς γῆς υἱὸν ἔφασκον εἶναι, οἵ τινες Καρχηδόνα ἔκτισαν. Σολόμων δὲ λαβὼν ἐκ Καρχηδόνος τὰ στρατεύματα κατὰ Μαυρουσίων ἐχώρει. ἐλθὼν δὲ εἰς Βυζάκιον εἰς Ῥαμμῆς τὸ χωρίον, ἔνθα οἱ Μαυρούσιοι ἐστρατοπέδευσαν κύκλον ἐκ τῶν καμήλων ποιησάμενοι τάς τε γυναῖκας καὶ τοὺς παῖδας ἐντὸς τοῦ κύκλου ἀποθέμενοι, καὶ τοὺς Μαυρουσίους κατ' αὐτοῦ ἐξερχομένους, ἀποβὰς τοῦ ἵππου, πεντακοσίους ἐπιλέκτους ἐπαγόμενος εἰς ἓν τοῦ κύκλου ἐπισκῆψαι μέρος καὶ τὰς καμήλους κτείνειν ἐκέλευσεν. φονεύσας δὲ ἀμφὶ σʹ δρόμῳ εἰς τὸ τοῦ κύκλου μέσον ἐχώρησεν, ἔνθα αἱ γυναῖκες ἐκάθηντο. οἱ δὲ βάρβαροι ἐκπλαγέντες ἐπὶ τὸ ὄρος ἔφυγον σὺν πάσῃ ἀκοσμίᾳ. κτείνονται δὲ Μαυρουσίων ἐν ταύτῃ τῇ ἡμέρᾳ μύριοι. αἱ δὲ γυναῖκες πᾶσαι σὺν τοῖς παισὶν ἐν ἀνδραπόδων λόγῳ ἐγένοντο. καὶ τούτους λαβόντες σὺν ταῖς καμήλοις καὶ πάσῃ τῇ λείᾳ εἰς Καρχηδόνα εἰσῄεσαν τὴν ἐπινίκιον ἑορτὴν ἄγοντες. οἱ δὲ βάρβαροι πάλιν συναθροισθέντες πανδημεὶ σὺν γυναιξὶ καὶ τέκνοις μηδένα καταλιπόντες ἐστράτευσαν κατὰ Ῥωμαίων καὶ τὰ ἐν Βυζακίῳ χωρία ἐληΐζοντο. Σολόμων δὲ ἄρας κατὰ τάχος πᾶν τὸ στράτευμα ἐπ' αὐτοὺς ᾔει. γενόμενος δὲ ἐν Βουργαρίωνι, ἔνθα οἱ πολέμιοι ἐστρατοπεδεύσαντο, διεκόσμησε τὸ στράτευμα ὡς εἰς μάχην. οἱ δὲ Μαυρούσιοι ἐν τῷ ὄρει τῶν Βουργαρίων ἐπὶ πλεῖον ἔμενον εἰς τὸ πεδίον κατελθεῖν μὴ βουλόμενοι. Σολόμων δὲ ἀποστέλλει Θεόδωρον διὰ τῆς νυκτὸς σὺν χιλίοις πεζοῖς καὶ τῶν σημείων τινά, ὅπως εἰς τὸ ὄρος ἐκ τῶν ὄπισθεν αὐτῶν διὰ τῆς νυκτὸς ἀνέλθωσι καὶ ἅμα τῷ ἡλίῳ ἀνίσχοντι * τὰ σημεῖά τε ὕπερθεν ἄραντες κατὰ τῶν πολεμίων χωρήσωσιν. ὁμοίως δὲ καὶ αὐτὸς ὄρθρου βαθέος ἀνελθών, ἅμα κατὰ τῶν πολεμίων ἐχώρησαν. ἰδόντες δὲ οἱ βάρβαροι, ὅτι ἐν μέσῳ τῶν Ῥωμαίων γεγόνασιν, εἰς φυγὴν ὥρμησαν κατὰ κρημνῶν ὠθίζοντες ἑαυτοὺς καὶ ἀναιροῦντες. ἀπέθανον δὲ ἐν τῷ πολέμῳ Μαυρουσίων μυριάδες εʹ, 202 τῶν δὲ Ῥωμαίων τὸ παράπαν οὐδὲ εἷς, οὐ μὴν οὐδὲ πληγήν τινα ἔλαβεν, ἀλλὰ πάντες ὑγιεῖς τὴν νίκην ἤραντο. οἱ δὲ πλεῖστοι τῶν ἀρχόντων αὐτῶν τοῖς Ῥωμαίοις προσερρύησαν. γυναικῶν μέντοι καὶ παίδων τοσοῦτον πλῆθος οἱ Ῥωμαῖοι ἔλαβον, ὥστε προβάτου τιμῆς παῖδα Μαυρούσιον ὠνήσασθαι βουλομένῳ ἀπεδίδοντο. καὶ τότε αὐτοῖς τὸ παλαιὸν λόγιον γυναικὸς μάντιδος ἀπέβη, ὡς ἄρα τὸ πλῆθος αὐτῶν παρὰ ἀνδρὸς ἀγενείου ὄλλυται. ὁ γὰρ Σολόμων εὐνοῦχος ἐκ παίδων παρὰ γνώμην καθέστηκεν ὑπὸ πάθους τὰ γεννητικὰ μόρια ἀποβαλών. λαβὼν δὲ τὴν λείαν πᾶσαν εἰς Καρχηδόνα ὑπέστρεψεν. Ἐν τούτῳ δὲ τῷ χρόνῳ τέρας ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ συνέβη γενέσθαι. ὁ γὰρ ἥλιος ἀκτίνων χωρὶς τὴν αἴγλην ὥσπερ ἡ σελήνη ἐστύγναζεν ἅπαντα τὸν ἐνιαυτόν· ἐπὶ πλεῖστον δὲ ἐκλείποντι ἐῴκει, οὐ καθαρῶς φαίνων, ὥσπερ εἰώθει. χρόνος δὲ ἦν δέκατος τῆς βασιλείας Ἰουστινιανοῦ. ἐν τούτῳ τῷ χρόνῳ οὔτε πόλεμος, οὔτε θάνατος ἐπιφερόμενος τοῖς ἀνθρώποις ἐπέλειπεν. ἔαρι δὲ ἀρχομένῳ Βελισάριος ἀπεστάλη παρὰ Ἰουστινιανοῦ τὴν Σικελίαν ὑπόφορον ποιῆσαι Ῥωμαίοις. χειμάσαντος δὲ αὐτοῦ ἐν Σικελίᾳ, τῆς ἑορτῆς τοῦ πάσχα καταλαβούσης, ἐστασίασαν οἱ ἐν Λιβύῃ Ῥωμαῖοι κατὰ Σολόμωνος τρόπῳ τοιῷδε· λαβόντες γὰρ τῶν ἀναιρεθέντων Οὐανδήλων τὰς γυναῖκας κατέσχον τοὺς ἀγροὺς αὐτῶν ὡς ἰδίους καὶ τελεῖν τῷ βασιλεῖ τὰ ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν τέλη οὐκ ἤθελον· ὁ δὲ Σολόμων παρῄνει αὐτοῖς μὴ ἀνταίρειν κατὰ τοῦ βασιλέως, ἀλλὰ τὰ ὁρῶντα τούτῳ ἀποδιδόναι. μετέπεσον δέ τινες αὐτῶν, καὶ μάλιστα τῶν Γότθων, πρὸς τὴν Ἀρείου δόξαν, οὓς οἱ ἱερεῖς τῆς ἐκκλησίας ἠφόριζον, καὶ οὐδὲ τὰ τέκνα αὐτῶν βαπτίζειν ἤθελον· ὅθεν ἐν τῇ ἑορτῇ γέγονεν ἡ στάσις. ἐβουλεύσαντο δὲ οἱ στρατιῶται Σολόμωνα ἐν τῷ ἱερῷ κτεῖναι. ἐξελθόντες δὲ τῆς πόλεως ἐληΐζοντο τὰ ἐκείνης χωρία καὶ τοὺς Λίβυας ὡς πολεμίους