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was made capturable by the Romans, where also the king of the Bulgarians, Boris, was captured; The emperor treated him and all the Bulgarians leniently, releasing them freely, saying that he had not taken up arms against the Bulgarians, but rather against the Rus'. And when many Scythians had fled to a certain stronghold, the emperor ordered that this too be taken. But the soldiers were unenthusiastic because of the difficulty of capturing the place. When John realized this, he himself went on foot towards the stronghold before the others, and thereupon they all ran together there; and the stronghold was captured by their eagerness, and of those in it some were killed, and some also became captives of the Romans. So, in this city530 the emperor installed a garrison fit for battle, and he himself went towards Dorostolon, which is also called Dristra, and having taken some cities along the way and having sacked fortresses, he arrived at Dorostolon. Now, the leader of the Rus', Sviatoslav, had encamped before this city. So when the armies saw each other, they immediately clashed against one another, and for most of the day they fought an indecisive battle, but towards late afternoon the Rus', having become exhausted, turned to flight; and the Romans pursued, so very many of the barbarians perished, and no fewer were taken alive, while the rest returned to Dorostolon; and the emperor, having pitched a palisade before the city, awaited the triremes that were to guard the Ister, so that the Rus' could not escape. But Sviatoslav put all the Bulgarians whom he held, being about twenty thousand, as it is said, into chains, fearing that they might rise up against him or go over to the emperor. And when the fleet was also present, the emperor besieged the city. From Konstantia and other fortresses envoys came to the emperor asking for pardon and surrendering themselves and the fortresses to him. And the Romans took these over, but the siege of Dorostolon 531 lasted for many days, with the barbarians cou531 rageously fighting back. But as many had become wounded from the continuous battles, and their provisions had now also failed them, their spirits began to be broken. But Sviatoslav, watching for a moonless and wintry night, embarked about two thousand men in monoxyla, and having embarked with them himself, went away to forage for food and having gathered the necessities, they were returning to Dorostolon. And seeing some of the Roman servants scattered about the river on various errands, they disembarked from the boats, killed some, and having escaped notice, returned again to Dorostolon. This greatly grieved the emperor and he was angry with the commanders of the fleet, and he threatened that if the barbarians should again escape their notice by sailing away, death would be their punishment. And after besieging the city for sixty whole days and not yet having taken it, he decided to defeat those within by famine; and he sat down around it, watching carefully so that nothing necessary might be brought to them from anywhere. But the barbarians, having often made sallies, were defeated; and since they were also pressed by famine and had no hope of supplies of necessities, nor indeed of an alliance, 532 some advised to flee by night, others to entrust themselves to the Romans and thus return to their own lands, while others suggested something else. But Sviatoslav advised to fight the Romans one more time and either to prevail and be saved, or to prefer a glorious death to a miserable life. He said these things, and the multitude approved, and on the next day, in a death-struggle, they engaged with the Romans, and for a long time at one moment the Romans were getting the better of the Scythians, and at another the barbarians of the Romans. But when the emperor perceived that the narrowness of the place was to the advantage of the enemy, as the Romans were not able to attack them all at once, he suggested to the generals that the battalions should gently lead back to the plain, retreating little by little. This action gave the barbarians the impression of Roman cowardice and flight; and they followed, shouting war-cries. And when they came to a wider plain, the signal to the Romans was

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Ῥωμαίοις κατέστη ἁλώσιμον, ἔνθα καὶ ὁ τῶν Βουλγάρων βασιλεὺς ὁ Βορίσης ἑάλω· ᾧ καὶ πᾶσι δὲ τοῖς Βουλγάροις ἐπιεικῶς ὁ αὐτοκράτωρ ἐχρήσατο, ἀνέτους αὐτοὺς ἀφιείς, οὐ κατὰ Βουλγάρων λέγων ἄρασθαι ὅπλα, κατὰ δέ γε τῶν Ῥῶς. πολλῶν δὲ Σκυθῶν εἰς ὀχύρωμά τι προσπεφευγότων, ἐξελεῖν καὶ τοῦτο ὁ βασιλεὺς ἐκέλευσεν. οἱ δὲ στρατιῶται διὰ τὸ τοῦ τόπου δυσάλωτον ἦσαν ἀπρόθυμοι. ὃ γνοὺς ὁ Ἰωάννης αὐτὸς πρὸ τῶν ἄλλων πεζὸς ἀπῄει πρὸς τὸ ὀχύρωμα, κἀντεῦθεν ἐκεῖ συνέθεον ἅπαντες· καὶ ἥλω κἀκείνων σπουδῇ τὸ ὀχύρωμα καὶ τῶν ἐν αὐτῷ οἱ μὲν διεφθάρησαν, ἔνιοι δὲ καὶ ἁλωτοὶ Ῥωμαίοις ἐγένοντο. τούτῳ μὲν οὖν τῷ ἄστει φρουρὰν ἐγκατ530 έστησεν ὁ βασιλεὺς ἀξιόμαχον, ἐκεῖνος δὲ ἀπῄει πρὸς τὸ ∆ορόστολον, ὃ καὶ ∆ρίστρα καλεῖται, καί τινας πόλεις ἑλὼν κατὰ πάροδον καὶ φρούρια ἐκπορθήσας ἐφθάκει πρὸς τὸ ∆ορόστολον. ἦν δὲ πρὸ τῆς πόλεως ταύτης ἐστρατοπεδευκὼς ὁ τῶν Ῥῶς ἀρχηγὸς ὁ Σφενδοσθλάβος. ὡς οὖν εἶδον ἀλλήλας αἱ στρατιαί, συνερράγησαν ἐπ' ἀλλήλας εὐθύς, καὶ τὸ μὲν πολὺ τῆς ἡμέρας ἀγχωμάλως ἐμάχοντο, περὶ δὲ δείλην ὀψίαν ἀπειρηκότες οἱ Ῥῶς ἐνέκλιναν πρὸς φυγήν· καὶ οἱ Ῥωμαῖοι ἐδίωκον, πλεῖστοι μὲν οὖν τῶν βαρβάρων ἀπώλοντο, οὐ μείους δὲ ἐζωγρήθησαν, οἱ δ' εἰς τὸ ∆ορόστολον ἐπανήλθοσαν· καὶ ὁ βασιλεὺς πρὸ τῆς πόλεως πηξάμενος χάρακα τὰς τριήρεις τὸν Ἴστρον φυλαξούσας προσέμενεν, ἵνα μὴ οἱ Ῥῶς ἀποδράσαιεν. ὁ δὲ Σφενδοσθλάβος οὓς κατεῖχε Βουλγάρους, εἰς εἴκοσι χιλιάδας ὄντας, ὡς λέγεται, πάντας ὑπὸ δεσμοῖς ἐποιήσατο, δείσας μὴ ἐπανασταῖεν αὐτῷ ἢ τῷ βασιλεῖ προσχωρήσωσιν. ὡς δὲ καὶ ὁ στόλος παρῆν, ἐπολιόρκει τὴν πόλιν ὁ βασιλεύς. ἐκ Κωνσταντείας δὲ καὶ φρουρίων ἑτέρων πρέσβεις πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα ἀφίκοντο αἰτοῦντες συγγνώμην καὶ ἑαυτοὺς παραδιδόντες αὐτῷ καὶ τὰ φρούρια. καὶ ταῦτα μὲν οἱ Ῥωμαῖοι παρέλαβον, ἡ δὲ τοῦ ∆οροστόλου 531 πολιορκία ἐφ' ἡμέρας διήρκεσε πλείονας, τῶν βαρβάρων εὐ531 ψύχως ἀνταγωνιζομένων. ὡς δ' ἐκ τῶν πολέμων τῶν συνεχῶν πολλοὶ τραυματίαι γεγόνασιν, ἤδη δὲ αὐτοὺς καὶ τὰ ζωαρκῆ ἐπιλέλοιπεν, ἤρξαντο σφίσι θραύεσθαι τὰ φρονήματα. ἀλλ' ὁ Σφενδοσθλάβος νύκτα φυλαξάμενος ἀσέληνον καὶ χειμέριον, ἐν μονοξύλοις ἄνδρας ἐμβιβάσας ὡσεὶ δισχιλίους καὶ αὐτὸς ἐκείνοις συνεμβεβηκώς, ἀπῆλθεν ἐπισιτίσασθαι καὶ συλλέξαντες τὰ χρειώδη εἰς τὸ ∆ορόστολον ἐπανῄεσαν. καί τινας τῶν Ῥωμαίων θεράποντας περὶ τὸν ποταμὸν ἐσκεδασμένους κατ' ἄλλας καὶ ἄλλας χρείας ἰδόντες, ἐκβάντες τῶν πλοίων ἐνίους ἀπέκτειναν καὶ λαθόντες αὖθις εἰς τὸ ∆ορόστολον ἐπανήλθοσαν. τοῦτο πάνυ τὸν βασιλέα ἐλύπησε καὶ τοῖς τοῦ στόλου κατάρχουσιν ἐπιχόλως εἶχε, καὶ εἰ ἔτι λάθοιεν αὐτοὺς οἱ βάρβαροι ἀποπλεύσαντες, ἠπείλησε θάνατον εἶναι σφίσι τὸ ἐπιτίμιον. ἐφ' ὅλαις δὲ ἡμέραις ἑξήκοντα πολιορκήσας τὴν πόλιν καὶ μήπω ταύτην ἑλὼν ἔγνω λιμῷ τοὺς ἔνδον καταγωνίσασθαι· καὶ περικάθηται ταύτην, ἐπιτηρῶν ἀκριβῶς ἵνα μή ποθεν αὐτοῖς χρειῶδές τι κομισθῇ. οἱ δὲ βάρβαροι πολλάκις ἐκδρομὰς ποιησάμενοι ἥττηντο· ἐπεὶ δὲ καὶ τῷ λιμῷ ἐπιέζοντο καὶ οὔτε τῶν ἀναγκαίων ἦν αὐτοῖς χορηγίας ἐλπίς, οὐδὲ μέντοι γε συμμαχίας, 532 οἱ μὲν ἀποδρᾶναι νυκτὸς συνεβούλευον, οἱ δὲ Ῥωμαίοις ἑαυτοὺς πιστεῦσαι καὶ οὕτως ἐπανελθεῖν εἰς τὰ ἴδια, οἱ δ' ἄλλο τι ὑπετίθουν. Ὁ δέ γε Σφενδοσθλάβος ἔτι ἅπαξ Ῥωμαίοις παρῄνει μαχέσασθαι καὶ ἢ περιγενέσθαι τε καὶ σωθήσεσθαι ἢ προτιμῆσαι θάνατον εὐκλεᾶ ζωῆς δυστυχοῦς. ταῦτα ὁ μὲν εἶπε, τὸ δὲ πλῆθος ἐπῄνεσε καὶ τῇ ἑξῆς θανατῶντες τοῖς Ῥωμαίοις προσπλέκονται, καὶ μέχρι πολλοῦ ποτὲ μὲν οἱ Ῥωμαῖοι περιεγένοντο τῶν Σκυθῶν, ποτὲ δὲ τῶν Ῥωμαίων οἱ βάρβαροι. ὡς δ' ἐφράσατο τὴν τοῦ τόπου στενοχωρίαν ὁ βασιλεὺς τοῖς ἐναντίοις εἶναι πρὸς λυσιτέλειαν, μὴ οἵων τε ὄντων τῶν Ῥωμαίων ἐπιέναι αὐτοῖς ἀθρόον, τοῖς στρατηγοῖς ὑπέθετο τὰ τάγματα πρὸς τὸ πεδίον ἠρέμα ὑπάγειν χωροῦντα κατὰ βραχύ. τοῦτο γενόμενον τοῖς βαρβάροις δειλίας τῶν Ῥωμαίων καὶ φυγῆς παρέσχετο δόκησιν· καὶ εἵποντο ἀλαλάξαντες. ὡς δὲ πρὸς εὐρύτερον πεδίον ἐγένοντο, σύνθημα τοῖς Ῥωμαίοις ὁ