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held out, although very few were left. But since the Romans accomplished nothing by assaulting the walls, they turned again to mining. And they had reached such a point in this work that the foundations of the circuit-wall were no longer on solid ground, but for the most part were standing over an empty space, ready, as was likely, to fall at any moment. 2.29.43 And if Dagisthaeus had been willing to set fire to the foundations immediately, I think the city would have been captured by them on the spot; but as it was, eagerly awaiting promises from the emperor and always delaying and wasting time, he remained quiet. So these things were being done in this way in the Roman camp. 2.30.1 But Mermeroes, when with the whole Median army he had crossed the borders of Iberia, advanced forward, having the Phasis River on his right; for he was by no means willing to go through the regions of Lazica, lest some obstacle 2.30.2 should meet him there. For he was eager to save the city of Petra and the Persians there, even though a certain part 2.30.3 of the circuit-wall had suddenly collapsed. For it had been undermined, as I have said; and about fifty men from the Roman army, volunteers, having entered the city, 2.30.4 were shouting "Emperor Justinian, Victorious." A certain young man of Armenian descent, John by name, son of Thomas, 2.30.5 whom they called by the surname Gouzes, was their leader. This Thomas had built many of the fortifications around Lazica, at the emperor's bidding, and had commanded the soldiers there, and he seemed to the emperor to be a sensible man. 2.30.6 So John, when the Persians came to grips with them, was immediately wounded and with his followers withdrew to the camp, since no one else from the Roman 2.30.7 army came to his aid; But a Persian man, Mirranes by name, who commanded the garrison in Petra, fearing for the city, instructed all the Persians to hold to their guard duty most precisely, and he himself, being sent to Dagisthaeus, put forward flattering and deceitful words, promising to surrender the city without a struggle not long after. And in this way he was able to deceive him, so that the city was not immediately accessible to the Roman army. 2.30.8 But when Mermeroes and his men arrived at the narrow pass, the Roman garrison there, being about one hundred men, met them, and they defended themselves stoutly and 2.30.9 checked those who were attempting to enter. But the Persians did not retreat at all, but others always taking the place of those being killed, they pressed forward, forcing the 2.30.10 entrance with all their strength. More than a thousand Persians died, but the Romans grew weary of killing, and as the throng was pressing them hard, they retreated and saved themselves by running up to the passes of the 2.30.11 mountains there. When Dagisthaeus learned this, he immediately broke off the siege, having given no orders to the army, and marched to the Phasis River; and all the Romans followed him, leaving their own 2.30.12 possessions in the camp. But the Persians, seeing what was happening, opened the gates and, sallying forth, came to the huts of the enemy, intending to 2.30.13 capture the camp. But the Tzani (for they happened not to be following Dagisthaeus) came running to the rescue there, and routing the enemy with no trouble, 2.30.14 they killed many. The Persians therefore fled and got inside the circuit-wall, but the Tzani, after plundering the Roman camp, proceeded straight to Rhizaeum. And from there, coming to Athenae, they were brought back home by way of Trapezus. 2.30.15 Mermeroes and the Median army arrived there on the ninth day after the withdrawal of Dagisthaeus; where indeed they found left from the Persian garrison three hundred and fifty who were wounded and unfit for battle, and only one hundred and fifty unscathed; for all the rest had died. 2.30.16 Their bodies the survivors had by no means cast outside the circuit-wall, but, though being choked by the foul stench, they held out contrary to expectation, so that they might not provide the enemy with any eagerness for the siege, since the majority of their men 2.30.17 had perished. And Mermeroes, mocking, the Roman state worthy of tears and lamentations

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ὑφίσταντο, καίπερ ὀλίγοι ἀπολελειμμένοι ἐς ἄγαν. ἐπεὶ δὲ Ῥωμαῖοι τειχομαχοῦντες οὐδὲν ἤνυον, ἐπὶ τὸ διορύσσειν αὖθις ἐτράποντο. ἐς τόσον τε τοῦ ἔργου τούτου ἀφίκοντο, ὡς μηκέτι ἐπ' ἐδάφους τὰ τοῦ περιβόλου θεμέλια εἶναι, ἀλλ' ἐπὶ κενοῦ ἐκ τοῦ ἐπὶ πλεῖστον ἑστάναι, πεσούμενα, ὡς τὸ εἰκὸς, αὐτίκα δὴ μάλα. 2.29.43 καὶ εἰ μὲν ∆αγισθαῖος εὐθὺς ἤθελε πῦρ τοῖς θεμελίοις ἐνάψαι, οἶμαι εὐθυωρὸν σφίσι τὴν πόλιν ἁλῶναι· νῦν δὲ τὰς ἐκ βασιλέως καραδοκῶν ἐλπίδας μέλλων τε ἀεὶ καὶ τρίβων τὸν χρόνον ἡσυχῆ ἔμενε. ταῦτα μὲν οὖν ἐν τῷ Ῥωμαίων στρατοπέδῳ ἐπράσσετο τῇδε. 2.30.1 Μερμερόης δὲ, ἐπεὶ τοὺς Ἰβηρίας ὅρους παντὶ τῷ Μήδων στρατῷ ἤμειψε, πρόσω ἐχώρει, ποταμὸν Φᾶσιν ἐν δεξιᾷ ἔχων· διὰ γὰρ τῶν ἐπὶ Λαζικῆς χωρίων ἰέναι οὐδαμῆ ἤθελε, τοῦ μή τί οἱ ταύτῃ ἐμπόδισμα 2.30.2 ὑπαντιάσαι. Πέτραν γὰρ πόλιν καὶ Πέρσας τοὺς ἐνταῦθα διασώσασθαι ἐν σπουδῇ εἶχε, καίτοι καὶ μοῖρά 2.30.3 τις τοῦ περιβόλου καταπεπτώκει ἐξαπιναίως. ᾐώρητο γὰρ, ὥσπερ μοι εἴρηται· ἄνδρες τε τοῦ Ῥωμαίων στρατοῦ ἐς πεντήκοντα ἐθελούσιοι ἐν τῇ πόλει γενόμενοι 2.30.4 βασιλέα Ἰουστινιανὸν ἀνεβόων καλλίνικον. ἡγεῖτο δὲ αὐτῶν νεανίας τις Ἀρμένιος γένος, Ἰωάννης ὄνομα, 2.30.5 Θωμᾶ υἱὸς, ὅνπερ Γούζην ἐπίκλησιν ἐκάλουν. οὗτος ὁ Θωμᾶς πολλὰ τῶν ἀμφὶ τὴν Λαζικὴν ὀχυρωμάτων ἐδείματο, βασιλέως οἱ ἐπαγγείλαντος, καὶ τῶν ἐκείνῃ στρατιωτῶν ἦρξεν, ἔμφρων τε βασιλεῖ ἔδοξεν εἶναι. 2.30.6 ὁ μὲν οὖν Ἰωάννης, Περσῶν σφίσιν ἐς χεῖρας ἐλθόντων, πληγεὶς αὐτίκα ξὺν τοῖς ἑπομένοις ἐς τὸ στρατόπεδον ἀνεχώρησεν, ἐπεὶ οὐδείς οἱ τῶν ἐκ τοῦ Ῥωμαίων 2.30.7 στρατοῦ ἕτερος ἀμύνων ἦλθε· Πέρσης δὲ ἀνὴρ, Μιρράνης ὄνομα, ὅσπερ τοῦ ἐν Πέτρᾳ φυλακτηρίου ἦρχεν, ἀμφὶ τῇ πόλει δείσας, Πέρσαις μὲν πᾶσιν ἐπέστελλε τῆς φυλακῆς ἐς τὸ ἀκριβὲς μάλιστα ἔχεσθαι, αὐτὸς δὲ παρὰ ∆αγισθαῖον σταλεὶς θῶπάς τε καὶ ἀπατηλοὺς προὐτείνετο λόγους, οὐδενὶ πόνῳ ὁμολογῶν οὐ πολλῷ ὕστερον ἐνδώσειν τὴν πόλιν. ταύτῃ τε παρακρούσασθαι ἴσχυσεν, ὡς μὴ ἐς τὴν πόλιν αὐτίκα τῷ Ῥωμαίων στρατῷ ἐσιτητὰ εἶναι. 2.30.8 Οἱ δ' οἱ ἀμφὶ Μερμερόην ἐπειδὴ ἀφίκοντο ἐς τὸν στενωπὸν, ἐνταῦθα σφίσι τὸ Ῥωμαίων φυλακτήριον ὑπηντίαζον ἐς ἑκατὸν ὄντες, καρτερῶς τε ἠμύνοντο, καὶ 2.30.9 τοὺς τῆς εἰσόδου ἀποπειρωμένους ἀνέστελλον. Πέρσαι δὲ οὐδαμοῦ ὑπεχώρουν, ἀλλὰ τοὺς κτεινομένους ἀεὶ ἕτεροι ἐκδεχόμενοι πρόσω ἐχώρουν, παντὶ σθένει τὴν 2.30.10 εἴσοδον βιαζόμενοι. θνήσκουσι μὲν Πέρσαι πλέον ἢ χίλιοι, κτείνοντες δὲ Ῥωμαῖοι ἀπεῖπον, τοῦ τε ὁμίλου σφᾶς βιαζομένου ὑπεχώρησάν τε καὶ ἐς τῶν ἐκείνῃ 2.30.11 ὀρῶν τὰς ὑπερβολὰς ἀναδραμόντες ἐσώθησαν. ταῦτα ∆αγισθαῖος μαθὼν αὐτίκα τὴν προσεδρείαν διέλυσεν, οὐδὲν τῷ στρατῷ ἐπιστείλας, ἐπὶ Φᾶσιν τε ποταμὸν ἤλαυνε· καί οἱ Ῥωμαῖοι ξύμπαντες εἵποντο, τὰ σφέτερα 2.30.12 αὐτῶν ἐν τῷ στρατοπέδῳ ἀπολιπόντες. Πέρσαι δὲ τὰ ποιούμενα κατιδόντες τάς τε πύλας ἀνέῳγον καὶ ἐπεξελθόντες ἀμφὶ τὰς καλύβας τῶν πολεμίων ἦλθον, ὡς 2.30.13 τὸ στρατόπεδον ἐξαιρήσοντες. Τζάνοι δὲ (οὐ γὰρ ∆αγισθαίῳ ἐπισπόμενοι ἔτυχον) ἐβοήθουν ἐνταῦθα δρόμῳ, τρεψάμενοί τε πόνῳ οὐδενὶ τοὺς πολεμίους 2.30.14 πολλοὺς ἔκτειναν. Πέρσαι μὲν οὖν φεύγοντες ἐντὸς τοῦ περιβόλου ἐγένοντο, Τζάνοι δὲ ληισάμενοι τὸ Ῥωμαίων στρατόπεδον εὐθὺ τοῦ Ῥιζαίου ἐχώρησαν. ἔνθεν δὲ ἐς Ἀθήνας ἐλθόντες διὰ Τραπεζουντίων ἐπ' οἴκου ἀπεκομίσθησαν. 2.30.15 Μερμερόης δὲ καὶ ὁ Μήδων στρατὸς ἐνταῦθα ἦλθον ἡμέρᾳ μετὰ τὴν ∆αγισθαίου ὑπαγωγὴν ἐνάτῃ· οὗ δὴ ἀπολελειμμένους ἐκ τοῦ Περσῶν φυλακτηρίου τραυματίας μὲν καὶ ἀπομάχους γεγενημένους πεντήκοντα καὶ τριακοσίους εὗρον, ἀκραιφνεῖς δὲ πεντήκοντα καὶ ἑκατὸν μόνους· οἱ γὰρ ἄλλοι ἅπαντες ἐτεθνήκεσαν. 2.30.16 ὧνπερ τὰ σώματα οἱ περιόντες τοῦ περιβόλου ἐκτὸς οὐδαμῆ ἔρριψαν, ἀλλὰ τῷ τῆς ὀσμῆς δυσώδει ἀποπνιγόμενοι παρὰ δόξαν ἀντεῖχον, ὡς μή τινα ἐς τὸ πολιορκεῖν προθυμίαν τοῖς πολεμίοις, ἅτε τῶν πλείστων 2.30.17 ἀπολωλότων σφίσι, παρέχωνται. ὅ τε Μερμερόης ἐπιτωθάζων δακρύων τε καὶ θρήνων ἀξίαν Ῥωμαίων τὴν πολιτείαν