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four straight wooden posts stand opposite and equal to one another. Into these posts they fasten eight cross-beams, fitting four at the top and 5.21.7 as many at the bases. And making the shape of a square hut, they stretch hides all around it as a covering instead of walls and a roof, so that the machine might be light for those dragging it and those inside might be in safety, so as to be 5.21.8 least hit by the enemy. Inside it they suspend another cross-beam from above by loose chains, holding it at about the middle of the machine. Making the end of this sharp, they cover it with a great deal of iron like the point of an arrow, or they make the iron square, like an anvil. 5.21.9 The machine is raised on four wheels placed at each post, and no fewer than fifty men move it from within. 5.21.10 When they bring it up against the circuit-wall, they draw back the beam, which I just mentioned, by turning it with some device, and then they release it with great force against the 5.21.11 wall. And being repeatedly driven against it, it is able to shake down wherever it strikes and to break it through very easily, and from this the machine has this name, since the projecting blow of this beam is accustomed to strike wherever it happens, just as the males among sheep do. 5.21.12 Such then are the rams of those who assault walls. 5.21.13 And the Goths had prepared a very great quantity of fascines made of wood and reeds, so that by throwing them into the moat they might make the ground level and the machines might be least hindered in crossing this way. Thus then the Goths, having prepared themselves, 5.21.14 set about to assault the wall. But Belisarius placed engines on the towers, which they call ballistae. These engines have the form of a bow, and below it a hollow wooden shaft projects, itself suspended loosely, but resting on a straight piece of iron. 5.21.15 So when men wish to shoot at the enemy from this, by the insertion of a short rope they cause the wooden parts, which happen to be the ends of the bow, to bend towards each other, and they place the bolt in the hollow shaft, which has about half the length of the other missiles which they shoot from bows, but four times the width. 5.21.16 It is not, however, furnished with the customary feathers, but by inserting thin pieces of wood in the place of the feathers they imitate the entire shape of the arrow, fitting to it a very large point, proportionate to its thickness. 5.21.17 And men on both sides draw it taut with great force by certain devices, and then the hollow shaft, moving forward, shoots out, and the arrow shoots out with such force that its range is no less than twice a bowshot, and hitting a tree or a stone it easily splits it. 5.21.18 Such is this engine, named after this word, because it shoots as far as possible. And they set up other engines on the battlements of the circuit-wall suitable for 5.21.19 throwing stones. These are similar to a sling and are called onagers. And at the gates they placed "wolves" on the outside, which they make in the following manner. 5.21.20 They stand two beams reaching from the ground up to the battlements, and placing worked timbers one upon another, they fit them together, some upright and some crosswise, so that the holes for the insertions in the middle appear to go into one another. 5.21.21 And from each joint a sort of point projects, being very similar to a thick goad. And having fixed the crosswise timbers into each beam, extending from the top down to the halfway mark, they lean the beams back 5.21.22 upon the gates. And whenever the enemy comes nearer to them, the men above, taking hold of the ends of the beams, push them, and these, falling suddenly on the attackers with their projecting points, easily kill as many as they may catch. Belisarius, then, was doing these things. 5.22.1 But the Goths, on the eighteenth day from the beginning of the siege, with Vittigis leading them, came against the circuit-wall about sunrise to assault it, and the sight of the towers and rams as they advanced

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κίονες ὀρθοὶ ξύλινοι τέσσαρες ἀντίοι τε καὶ ἴσοι ἀλλήλοις ἑστᾶσι. τούτοις δὲ τοῖς κίοσι δοκοὺς ὀκτὼ ἐγκαρσίας ἐνείροντες τέσσαρας μὲν ἄνω, 5.21.7 τοσαύτας δὲ πρὸς ταῖς βάσεσιν ἐναρμόζουσιν. οἰκίσκου τε σχῆμα τετραγώνου ἐργαζόμενοι προκάλυμμα πανταχόθεν ἀντὶ τοίχων τε καὶ τείχους διφθέρας αὐτῷ περιβάλλουσιν, ὅπως ἥ τε μηχανὴ τοῖς ἕλκουσιν ἐλαφρὰ εἴη καὶ οἱ ἔνδον ἐν ἀσφαλεῖ ὦσιν, ὡς πρὸς τῶν ἐναντίων 5.21.8 ἥκιστα βάλλεσθαι. ἐντὸς δὲ αὐτῆς δοκὸν ἑτέραν ἄνωθεν ἐγκαρσίαν ἀρτήσαντες χαλαραῖς ταῖς ἁλύσεσι κατὰ μέσην μάλιστα τὴν μηχανὴν ἔχουσιν. ἧς δὴ ὀξεῖαν ποιούμενοι τὴν ἄκραν, σιδήρῳ πολλῷ καθάπερ ἀκίδα καλύπτουσι βέλους, ἢ καὶ τετράγωνον, ὥσπερ ἄκμονα, 5.21.9 τὸν σίδηρον ποιοῦσι. καὶ τροχοῖς μὲν ἡ μηχανὴ τέσσαρσι πρὸς κίονι ἑκάστῳ κειμένοις ἐπῆρται, ἄνδρες δὲ αὐτὴν οὐχ ἧσσον ἢ κατὰ πεντήκοντα κινοῦσιν ἔνδοθεν. 5.21.10 οἳ ἐπειδὰν αὐτὴν τῷ περιβόλῳ ἐρείσωσι, τὴν δοκὸν, ἧς δὴ ἄρτι ἐμνήσθην, μηχανῇ τινι στρέφοντες ὀπίσω ἀνέλκουσιν, αὖθίς τε αὐτὴν ξὺν ῥύμῃ πολλῇ ἐπὶ τὸ 5.21.11 τεῖχος ἀφιᾶσιν. ἡ δὲ συχνὰ ἐμβαλλομένη κατασεῖσαί τε ὅπη προσπίπτοι καὶ διελεῖν ῥᾷστα οἵα τέ ἐστι, καὶ ἀπ' αὐτοῦ τὴν ἐπωνυμίαν ταύτην ἡ μηχανὴ ἔχει, ἐπεὶ τῆς δοκοῦ ταύτης ἡ ἐμβολὴ προὔχουσα πλήσσειν ὅπου παρατύχοι, καθάπερ τῶν προβάτων τὰ ἄρρενα, εἴωθε. 5.21.12 τῶν μὲν οὖν τειχομαχούντων οἱ κριοὶ τοιοίδε εἰσί. 5.21.13 Γότθοι δὲ πάμπολύ τι φακέλλων χρῆμα ἔκ τε ξύλων καὶ καλάμων ποιησάμενοι ἐν παρασκευῇ εἶχον, ὅπως δὴ ἐς τὴν τάφρον ἐμβαλόντες ὁμαλόν τε τὸν χῶρον ἐργάσωνται καὶ ταύτῃ διαβαίνειν αἱ μηχαναὶ ἥκιστα εἴργωνται. οὕτω μὲν δὴ Γότθοι παρασκευασά5.21.14 μενοι τειχομαχεῖν ὥρμηντο. Βελισάριος δὲ μηχανὰς μὲν ἐς τοὺς πύργους ἐτίθετο, ἃς καλοῦσι βαλλίστρας. τόξου δὲ σχῆμα ἔχουσιν αἱ μηχαναὶ αὗται, ἔνερθέν τε αὐτοῦ κοίλη τις ξυλίνη κεραία προὔχει, αὐτὴ μὲν χαλαρὰ ἠρτημένη, σιδηρᾷ δὲ εὐθείᾳ τινὶ ἐπικειμένη. 5.21.15 ἐπειδὰν οὖν τοὺς πολεμίους ἐνθένδε βάλλειν ἐθέλουσιν ἄνθρωποι, βρόχου βραχέος ἐνέρσει τὰ ξύλα ἐς ἄλληλα νεύειν ποιοῦσιν, ἃ δὴ τοῦ τόξου ἄκρα ξυμβαίνει εἶναι, τόν τε ἄτρακτον ἐν τῇ κοίλῃ κεραίᾳ τίθενται, τῶν ἄλλων βελῶν, ἅπερ ἐκ τῶν τόξων ἀφιᾶσι, μῆκος μὲν ἔχοντα ἥμισυ μάλιστα, εὖρος δὲ κατὰ τετραπλάσιον. 5.21.16 πτεροῖς μέντοι οὐ τοῖς εἰωθόσιν ἐνέχεται, ἀλλὰ ξύλα λεπτὰ ἐς τῶν πτερῶν τὴν χώραν ἐνείροντες ὅλον ἀπομιμοῦνται τοῦ βέλους τὸ σχῆμα, μεγάλην αὐτῷ λίαν καὶ τοῦ πάχους κατὰ λόγον τὴν ἀκίδα ἐμβάλλον5.21.17 τες. σφίγγουσί τε σθένει πολλῷ οἱ ἀμφοτέρωθεν μηχαναῖς τισι, καὶ τότε ἡ κοίλη κεραία προϊοῦσα ἐκπίπτει μὲν, ξὺν ῥύμῃ δὲ τοσαύτῃ ἐκπίπτει τὸ βέλος ὥστε ἐξικνεῖται μὲν οὐχ ἧσσον ἢ κατὰ δύο τῆς τοξείας βολὰς, δένδρου δὲ ἢ λίθου ἐπιτυχὸν τέμνει ῥᾳδίως. 5.21.18 τοιαύτη μὲν ἡ μηχανή ἐστιν ἐπὶ τοῦ ὀνόματος τούτου, ὅτι δὴ βάλλει ὡς μάλιστα, ἐπικληθεῖσα. ἑτέρας δὲ μηχανὰς ἐπήξαντο ἐν ταῖς τοῦ περιβόλου ἐπάλξεσιν ἐς 5.21.19 λίθων βολὰς ἐπιτηδείας. σφενδόνῃ δὲ αὗταί εἰσιν ἐμφερεῖς καὶ ὄναγροι ἐπικαλοῦνται. ἐν δὲ ταῖς πύλαις λύκους ἔξω ἐπετίθεντο, οὓς δὴ ποιοῦσι τρόπῳ τοιῷδε. 5.21.20 δοκοὺς δύο ἱστᾶσιν ἐκ γῆς ἄχρι καὶ ἐς τὰς ἐπάλξεις ἐξικνουμένας, ξύλα τε εἰργασμένα ἐπ' ἄλληλα θέμενοι τὰ μὲν ὀρθὰ, τὰ δὲ ἐγκάρσια ἐναρμόζουσιν, ὡς τῶν ἐνέρσεων τὰ ἐν μέσῳ εἰς ἀλλήλους τρυπήματα φαίνε5.21.21 σθαι. ἑκάστης δὲ ἁρμονίας ἐμβολή τις προὔχει, κέντρῳ παχεῖ ἐς τὰ μάλιστα ἐμφερὴς οὖσα. καὶ τῶν ξύλων τὰ ἐγκάρσια ἐς δοκὸν ἑκατέραν πηξάμενοι, ἄνωθεν ἄχρι ἐς μοῖραν διήκοντα τὴν ἡμίσειαν, ὑπτίας τὰς 5.21.22 δοκοὺς ἐπὶ τῶν πυλῶν ἀνακλίνουσι. καὶ ἐπειδὰν αὐτῶν ἐγγυτέρω οἱ πολέμιοι ἵκωνται, οἱ δὲ ἄνωθεν ἄκρων δοκῶν ἁψάμενοι ὠθοῦσιν, αὗται δὲ ἐς τοὺς ἐπιόντας ἐκ τοῦ αἰφνιδίου ἐμπίπτουσαι τοῖς προέχουσι τῶν ἐμβολῶν, ὅσους ἂν λάβοιεν, εὐπετῶς κτείνουσι. Βελισάριος μὲν οὖν ταῦτα ἐποίει. 5.22.1 Γότθοι δὲ ὀκτωκαιδεκάτῃ ἀπὸ τῆς προσεδρείας ἡμέρᾳ, Οὐιττίγιδος σφίσιν ἡγουμένου, ἀμφὶ ἡλίου ἀνατολὰς ὡς τειχομαχήσοντες ἐπὶ τὸν περίβολον ᾔεσαν, καὶ Ῥωμαίους ἅπαντας προϊοῦσα ἡ τῶν πύργων τε καὶ κριῶν ὄψις