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to be confined to Choirobakchoi, and Aaron ..., and Theodore his brother to Anchialus. These things kept the emperor from moving forward for five days.

13.2.1 And as he was departing for Thessalonica, since the regiments were being gathered together from all sides, he thought it necessary to form a battle formation arranged in the fashion of war. And immediately the phalanxes were drawn up by companies and the captains were put in command and the rank of the rear-guards followed and those filling the middle of the phalanx stood all glittering with their arms (and that formation was a terrible sight) and fitted together like a city wall. You would have said you were seeing bronze statues and some cast-iron soldiers all standing motionless on the plain, with only their spears quivering and as if eager to touch flesh. The emperor, having made this formation and put it in motion, and having outlined how they should move to the spear and how to the shield, having selected the newly-recruited army from the entire formation and those whom he himself had rather nurtured and trained in military matters, he appointed them leaders of the forces. These were three hundred in all, all young and tall, vigorous in body and each of them with the first down on his chin, and all most skillful at drawing the bow and most steadfast in hurling the spear. They had been gathered from different races, but they were a picked force from the whole Roman army, serving under the emperor as their general; for they had the same man as emperor, general, and teacher. So, having again selected the most skillful of these and appointed them as commanders, he sends them to the passes, through which the barbarian army was about to pass. And he himself took up his winter quarters in Thessalonica. 13.2.2 But since, as we said, the tyrant Bohemond crossed over from there to our lands with a very heavy fleet, and poured out the whole Frankish army upon our plains, having drawn up his forces, he comes from there against Epidamnus, intending to take it by a single shout, if he could, but if not, to subdue the whole city with wall-fighting machines and stone-throwing engines. So this was his aim; and he encamped opposite the gate opening to the east, above which there is a bronze horseman, and after reconnoitering, he began the siege. For the whole winter, while contriving and looking from all sides where Dyrrachium was vulnerable, and when spring was smiling, since, as soon as he had crossed over, he had once and for all given over to fire his transport ships and horse transports and, so to speak, his warships, partly contriving a strategic move so that his army would not be looking towards the sea, and partly because the Roman fleet was also compelling him, he turned his whole attention to the siege. 13.2.3 Pouring the barbarian army around in a circle at first and engaging in skirmishes (and men from the Roman army shot at them sometimes from the towers of Dyrrachium, and sometimes from afar), sending out some detachments of the Frankish army, he both made war and was warred upon. For he took Petroula and the so-called fortress of Mylos situated above the river Diabolis, and all other such places around the city of Dyrrachium he acquired by the law of war. These things, then, he did with a warlike right hand; and in the meantime he was constructing war machines, building tower-bearing and ram-bearing tortoises and some digging and other mound-building machines, working all winter and summer and terrifying with both threat and action men who were already terrified. 13.2.4 But not, however, a Roman

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περιορισθῆναι εἰς Χοιροβάκχους, τὸν δὲ Ἀαρὼν ..., τὸν δὲ Θεόδωρον τὸν αὐτάδελφον αὐτοῦ εἰς Ἀγχίαλον. Ταῦτα τὸν βασιλέα τῆς πρόσω φερούσης ἐπὶ πέντε ἡμέραις ἀπεῖρξεν.

13.2.1 Ἐν δὲ τῷ πρὸς Θεσσαλονίκην ἀπέρχεσθαι, ἐπεὶ ἁπανταχόθεν συνηλαύνετο ἐς ταὐτὸν τὰ τάγματα, δεῖν ἐλογίσατο σύνταξιν ποιῆσαι εἰς πολέμου σχῆμα διατετυπω μένην. Καὶ αὐτίκα κατὰ λόχους αἱ φάλαγγες ἵσταντο καὶ οἱ λοχαγοὶ προὐβέβληντο καὶ τῶν οὐραγῶν ἡ τάξις ἐφεί πετο καὶ οἱ τὸ μέσον τῆς φάλαγγος ἀναπληροῦντες εἱστή κεσαν ἅπαντες τοῖς ὅπλοις μαρμαίροντες (καὶ ἦν φοβερὸν θέαμα ἐκεῖνο τὸ σύνταγμα) καὶ καθάπερ τι τεῖχος πόλεως ἀλλήλοις συνηρμοσμένοι. Εἶπες ἂν χαλκοῦς ἀνδριάντας ὁρᾶν καὶ αὐτοχύτους τινὰς στρατιώτας ἐπὶ τοῦ πεδίου σύμπαντας ἀτρεμεῖν, μόνων τῶν δοράτων κραδαινομένων καὶ ὥσπερ ἐπιθυμούντων χρωτὸς ἅψασθαι. Ταύτην τὴν σύνταξιν ὁ βασιλεὺς ποιησάμενος καὶ κινήσας αὐτήν, καὶ ὑποτυπωσάμενος πῶς μὲν ἐπὶ δόρυ, πῶς δὲ ἐπ' ἀσπίδα κινοῖντο, τὴν νέηλυν στρατιὰν ἐκ τῆς συντάξεως πάσης ἀπολεξάμενος καὶ οὓς μᾶλλον αὐτὸς ἀνεθρέψατο καὶ τὰ στρατιωτικὰ ἐξεπαίδευσεν, ἀρχηγοὺς στρατευμάτων κατέσ τησεν. Ἦσαν δ' οὗτοι ξύμπαντες τριακόσιοι, πάντες νέοι καὶ εὐμήκεις, σφριγῶντες τὸ σῶμα καὶ ἕκαστος τούτων ἀρτίχνους τὸ γένειον, πάντες δὲ καὶ τόξον ἐντεῖναι δεξιώ τατοι καὶ ἀφεῖναι δόρυ στερρότατοι. Ἐκ διαφόρου μὲν γένους ἦσαν συνηθροισμένοι, ἐξ ἁπάσης δὲ τῆς ῥωμαϊκῆς στρατιᾶς στρατιά τις ἦσαν ἔκκριτος ὑπὸ στρατηγῷ τῷ βασιλεῖ ταττόμενοι· τῷ αὐτῷ γὰρ καὶ βασιλεῖ καὶ στρατηγῷ καὶ διδασκάλῳ ἐχρῶντο. Τούτων οὖν ἀπολεξάμενος αὖθις τοὺς δεξιωτέρους καὶ ξυνταγματάρχας χειροτονήσας ἐπὶ τὰ τέμπη πέμπει, δι' ὧν ἔμελλε τὸ βαρβαρικὸν στράτευμα διελθεῖν. Ἐκεῖνος δὲ ἐν Θεσσαλονίκῃ τὴν παραχειμασίαν ἐποιεῖτο. 13.2.2 Ἐπεὶ δέ, καθάπερ ἔφημεν, ὁ τύραννος Βαϊ μοῦντος μετὰ βαρυτάτου στόλου διεπεραιώσατο ἐκεῖθεν ἐνθάδε πρὸς τὰ ἡμέτερα, καὶ τὸ φραγγικὸν ἅπαν στράτευμα κατὰ τῶν ἡμετέρων πεδιάδων ἐξέχεε, συνταξάμενος ἐκεῖ θεν ἔρχεται κατὰ τῆς Ἐπιδάμνου, εἰ μὲν δύναιτο, καὶ αὐτοβοεὶ αἱρήσων αὐτήν, εἰ δ' οὐ, ἀλλὰ τειχομάχοις μηχα νήμασι καὶ πετροβόλοις ὀργάνοις τὴν ὅλην πόλιν παραστη σόμενος. Ὁ μὲν οὖν σκοπὸς αὐτῷ οὗτος· ηὐλίσατο δὲ ἀντικρὺ τῆς πύλης τῆς κατὰ τὰς ἀνατολὰς ἀνεῳγυίας, ἧς ὕπερθεν ἱππότης ἐστὶ χαλκοῦς, καὶ κατασκοπήσας τοῦ πολιορκεῖν ἤρξατο. Χειμῶνα μὲν οὖν ὅλον ἐπινοούμενος καὶ πανταχόθεν ἐπιβλέπων, οὗπερ ἁλώσιμόν ἐστι τὸ ∆υρ ράχιον, ἔαρος δὲ διαγελῶντος, ἐπειδήπερ καθάπαξ παραυ τίκα διαπεράσας πυρὶ παραδέδωκε τάς τε φορταγωγοὺς αὐτοῦ νῆας καὶ τὰς ἱππαγωγοὺς καὶ ὡς οὕτως εἰπεῖν στρα τιώτιδας, τοῦτο μὲν καὶ στρατηγικόν τι μηχανώμενος ἵνα μὴ ὁρῷεν πρὸς θάλατταν τὸ στράτευμα τούτου, τοῦτο δ' ὅτι καὶ καταναγκάζοντος αὐτὸν τοῦ ῥωμαϊκοῦ στόλου, ὅλος πρὸς πολιορκίαν ἀπέβλεψε. 13.2.3 Κύκλῳ περιχεάμενος τὸ βαρβαρικὸν στράτευμα τὰ πρῶτα καὶ ἐν ἀκροβολισμοῖς ὤν (ἐπετοξάζοντο δὲ τούτοις καὶ οἱ ἀπὸ τοῦ ῥωμαϊκοῦ στρα τεύματος ποτὲ μὲν καὶ πυργόθεν ἀπὸ τοῦ ∆υρραχίου, ποτὲ δὲ καὶ πόρρωθεν), ἀποστέλλων τινὰς ἀποσπάδας τοῦ φραγ γικοῦ στρατεύματος, ἐπολέμει τε καὶ ἐπολεμεῖτο. Τήν τε γὰρ Πέτρουλαν ἐχειρώσατο καὶ τὸ λεγόμενον Μύλου πόλισμα ὑπερκείμενον ποταμοῦ ∆ιαβόλεως, καὶ ἄλλα τὰ τοιαῦτα πέριξ τῆς πόλεως ∆υρραχίου τυγχάνοντα πάντα πολέμου νόμῳ κατεκληρώσατο. Ταῦτα μὲν οὖν ἐποίει πολεμικῇ δεξιᾷ· ἠρχιτεκτόνει δὲ ἐν τοσούτῳ καιρῷ τὰ πολεμικὰ μηχανήματα, χελώνας κατασκευάζων πυργοφόρους καὶ κριοφόρους καί τινας ὀρυκτρίδας καὶ ἄλλας χωστρίδας, ὅλον χειμῶνα καὶ θέρος ἐργαζόμενος καὶ καταπλήττων καὶ ἀπειλῇ καὶ τοῖς πράγμασι καταπλῆγας ὄντας ἀνθρώπους. 13.2.4 Ἀλλ' οὔτι γε καὶ ῥωμαϊκὴν