101

they made. And the city of Taugast is famous, and is distant from the so-called Turks by one thousand five hundred stades; it stands bordering on the Indians. The barbarians dwelling around Taugast are a most valiant and most populous nation, and unparalleled in size among the nations throughout the world. 7.7.12 Others of the Avars, because of the defeat, having inclined towards a more humble fortune, came to the so-called Moukri. This nation is naturally very near to Taugast, and it has great strength for battle both because of its daily training exercises and because of 7.7.13 its endurance of spirit in the face of dangers. The Khagan therefore undertook another enterprise, and he subdued all the Ogur. This nation is one of the strongest on account of both its great population and its armed training for war. They make their homes in the east, where the river Til flows through, which the Turks 7.7.14 are accustomed to call Black. The most ancient leaders of this nation were named Uar and Chunni; from them, some of those nations also took their name, being called Uar and Chunni. 7.8.1 Therefore, while the emperor Justinian was holding the imperial power, a small fugitive portion of those Uar and Chunni, of that original tribe, 7.8.2 came to live in Europe. These men, calling themselves Avars, glorify their leader with the title of Khagan. Why this practice of changing names occurred among them, 7.8.3 let us speak, departing in no way from the truth. The Barselt and Onogurs and Sabirs and other Hunnic nations besides these, when they saw a fugitive portion of those who were still Uar and Chunni in their own lands, fell into the greatest fear, suspecting that the Avars were the ones who had arrived. 7.8.4 For this reason, having honored the fugitives with splendid gifts, they thought to receive safety from them in return. Therefore the Uar and Chunni, when they saw the opportune beginning of their flight, taking advantage of the error of those who sent the embassies, named themselves Avars; for among the Scythian nations it is said that the tribe of the Avars is the most formidable 7.8.5 tribe. In fact, even down to our own times, the Pseudo-Avars (for it is more proper to call them so) are divided according to their lines of descent, and some are named Uar in the ancient fashion, while others are called Chunni. Since we have recounted the story of the 7.8.6 Pseudo-Avars in summary, let us make our exposition according to the continuation of the history. Since, therefore, the Ogur had been very soundly defeated, the ethnarch of the Kolkh the Khagan delivered to the mouth 7.8.7 of the sword. Therefore, thirty myriads from this very nation were slain in the war, so that the continuous line of fallen 7.8.8 bodies occupied a four days' journey. While victory was thus clearly smiling upon the Khagan, a civil war was stirred up among the Turks. A certain man named Turum, being a kinsman of the Khagan, revolted and gathered great forces. 7.8. And since in the battle the usurper's forces were stronger, the Khagan sent an embassy to three other great Khagans; these were their names, Sparzeugoun and 7.8.10 Kunaxolan and Touldich. When the whole battle line had therefore been gathered at Ikar (this is a place enclosed by great plains), and the adversaries had heroically drawn up their battle lines against them in this very place, the tyrant fell and the allied forces turned to flight, and after a great slaughter had occurred, the Khagan again became master of his own land. 7.8.11 The announcement of these victories the Khagan had made to the emperor Maurice through ambassadors. Ikar from the so-called Golden mountain is distant by four hundred stades. 7.8.12 This very mountain has its location in the east, and it is called Golden by the locals

101

ἐποιήσαντο. ἡ δὲ Ταυγὰστ πόλις ἐπιφανής, τῶν τε λεγομένων Τούρκων ἀπῴκισται χιλίοις πρὸς τοῖς πεντακοσίοις σημείοις· αὐτὴ ὅμορος καθέστηκε τοῖς ᾿Ινδοῖς. οἱ δὲ περὶ τὴν Ταυγὰστ αὐλιζόμενοι βάρβαροι ἔθνος ἀλκιμώτατον καὶ πολυανθρωπότατον, καὶ τοῖς κατὰ τὴν οἰκουμένην ἔθνεσι διὰ τὸ μέγεθος 7.7.12 ἀπαράλληλον. ἕτεροι τῶν ᾿Αβάρων διὰ τὴν ἧτταν πρὸς ταπεινοτέραν ἀποκλίναντες τύχην παραγίνονται πρὸς τοὺς λεγομένους Μουκρί. τοῦτο δὲ τὸ ἔθνος πλησιέστατον πέφυκε τῶν Ταυγάστ, ἀλκὴ δὲ αὐτῷ πρὸς τὰς παρατάξεις πολλὴ διά τε τὰ ἐκ τῶν γυμνασίων ὁσημέραι μελετήματα διά τε 7.7.13 τὴν περὶ τοὺς κινδύνους τῆς ψυχῆς ἐγκαρτέρησιν. ἐπιβαίνει τοίνυν καὶ ἑτέρας ἐγχειρήσεως ὁ Χαγάνος, καὶ τοὺς ᾿Ογὼρ ἐχειρώσατο πάντας. ἔθνος δὲ τοῦτο τῶν ἰσχυροτάτων καθέστηκε διά τε τὴν πολυανδρίαν καὶ τὴν πρὸς τὸν πόλεμον ἔνοπλον ἄσκησιν. οὗτοι δὲ πρὸς ταῖς ἀνατολαῖς τὰς οἰκήσεις ποιοῦνται, ἔνθα ὁ Τὶλ διαρρεῖ ποταμός, ὃν Μέλανα Τούρ7.7.14 κοις ἀποκαλεῖν <ἔθος>. οἱ δὲ τούτου τοῦ ἔθνους παλαίτατοι ἔξαρχοι Οὐὰρ καὶ Χουννὶ ὠνομάζοντο· ἐκ τούτων καί τινα τῶν ἐθνῶν ἐκείνων τὴν ὀνομασίαν ἀπεκληρώσαντο Οὐὰρ καὶ Χουννὶ ὀνομαζόμενα. 7.8.1 ᾿Ιουστινιανοῦ τοίνυν τοῦ αὐτοκράτορος τὸ βασίλειον κράτος ἐπέχοντος, ἐκ τούτων τῶν Οὐὰρ καὶ Χουννὶ ὀλίγη ἀποδράσασα μοῖρα τοῦ ἀρχεγόνου φύλου 7.8.2 ἐκείνου ἐνδημεῖ τῇ Εὐρώπῃ. οὗτοι ᾿Αβάρους ἑαυτοὺς ὀνομάσαντες τὸν ἡγεμόνα τῇ τοῦ Χαγάνου προσηγορίᾳ φαιδρύνουσιν. ὅθεν αὐτοῖς ὁ τρόπος πρὸς μετάθεσιν ὀνομάτων ἐχώρησεν, 7.8.3 λέξωμεν τῆς ἀληθείας κατὰ μηδὲν ἀφιστάμενοι. Βαρσὴλτ καὶ Οὐννουγοῦροι καὶ Σαβίροι Οὐννικά τε πρὸς τούτοις ἕτερα ἔθνη, ὁπηνίκα τῶν Οὐὰρ καὶ Χουννὶ ἔτι ἀπόμοιραν κατὰ τοὺς τόπους αὐτῶν ἀποδιδράσκουσαν ἐθεάσαντο, εἰς μέγιστον καταπίπτουσι φόβον, ὑποτοπήσαντες ᾿Αβάρους ὑπεῖναι τοὺς 7.8.4 ἐνδημήσαντας. διὰ τοῦτο δώροις λαμπροῖς τοὺς φυγάδας τιμήσαντες ἔδοξαν ἀντιλαμβάνειν παρ' αὐτῶν τὴν ἀβλάβειαν. οἱ τοίνυν Οὐὰρ καὶ Χουννὶ ὡς εἶδον τὴν τῆς ἀποφυγῆς ἐπιδέξιον ἔναρξιν, τὴν πλάνην τῶν πρεσβευσαμένων οἰκειωσάμενοι ᾿Αβάρους ἑαυτοὺς κατωνόμασαν· λέγεται γὰρ ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσι τοῖς Σκυθικοῖς τὸ τῶν ᾿Αβάρων ὑπεῖναι ἐντρεχέστατον 7.8.5 φῦλον. ἀμέλει τοι καὶ μέχρι τῶν χρόνων τῶν καθ' ἡμᾶς οἱ Ψευδάβαροι (λέγειν γὰρ οὕτως αὐτοὺς οἰκειότερον) ταῖς γενεαρχίαις διῄρηνται, καὶ οἱ μὲν Οὐὰρ ἀρχαιοπρεπῶς ὀνομάζονται, οἱ δὲ Χουννὶ προσαγορεύονται. ἐπεὶ δὲ τὰ περὶ τῶν 7.8.6 Ψευδαβάρων ὡς ἐν ἐπιτομῇ διεξήλθομεν, πρὸς τὰ συνεχῆ τῆς ἱστορίας τὴν ἔκθεσιν ποιησώμεθα. τοῦ τοίνυν ᾿Ογὼρ λίαν ἐγκρατῶς νενικημένου, τὸν τοῦ Κὸλχ ἐθνάρχην στόματι 7.8.7 ῥομφαίας ὁ Χαγάνος παρέδωκεν. ἀναιροῦνται τοίνυν ἐκ τούτου δῆτα τοῦ ἔθνους κατὰ τὸν πόλεμον μυριάδες τριάκοντα, ὡς ὁδὸν ἡμερῶν τεττάρων ἐπέχειν τὴν τῶν καταπεπτω7.8.8 κότων σωμάτων συνέχειαν. οὕτω δῆτα τῆς νίκης τῷ Χαγάνῳ μειδιώσης ἐπιφανῶς, συγκροτεῖται τοῖς Τούρκοις ἐμφύλιος πόλεμος. ἀνήρ τις Τουροὺμ ὀνομαζόμενος, πρὸς γένος καθεστὼς τῷ Χαγάνῳ, νεωτερίσας δυνάμεις μεγάλας συνήθροισεν. 7.8. ἐπεὶ δὲ κατὰ τὴν μάχην τὰ τοῦ τετυραννηκότος ἦν ἐγκρατέστερα, πρεσβεύεται ὁ Χαγάνος πρὸς ἑτέρους τρεῖς μεγάλους Χαγάνους· ταῦτα δὲ τούτοις ὀνόματα, Σπαρζευγοῦν καὶ 7.8.10 Κουναξολὰν καὶ Τουλδίχ. συναθροισθείσης τοίνυν τῆς ὅλης ἐκτάξεως εἰς τὸ ᾿Ικὰρ (χῶρος δὲ οὗτος πεδίοις ἐνειλημένος μεγάλοις), τῶν τε ἀντιθέτων κατὰ τοῦτον δῆτα τὸν τόπον ἀντιταξαμένων ἡρωϊκῶς, πίπτει ὁ τύραννος καὶ εἰς φυγὴν αἱ συμμαχοῦσαι δυνάμεις ἐξέκλιναν, καὶ πολλοῦ γενομένου τοῦ φόνου πάλιν κύριος τῆς ἑαυτοῦ ὁ Χαγάνος χώρας ἐγένετο. 7.8.11 τούτων τῶν ἐπινικίων τὴν μήνυσιν διὰ τῶν πρέσβεων ὁ Χαγάνος πρὸς τὸν αὐτοκράτορα Μαυρίκιον ἐπεποίητο. τὸ δὲ ᾿Ικὰρ τοῦ ὄρους τοῦ λεγομένου Χρυσοῦ τετρακοσίοις σημείοις 7.8.12 ἀπῴκισται. τοῦτο δῆτα τὸ ὄρος ἐπὶ τὰς ἀνατολὰς ἔχει τὴν ἵδρυσιν, Χρυσοῦν δὲ παρὰ τῶν ἐγχωρίων κατονομάζεται