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they are always fed on the wild beasts they catch, and they clothe themselves in the skins, since they have neither flax nor any instrument with which to sew, but by fastening these skins to one another with the sinews of the beasts, they thus cover their whole 6.15.20 body. Moreover, their infants are not nursed in the same way as other men's. 6.15.21 For the children of the Skrithiphinoi are not fed on women’s milk, nor do they touch their mother’s breast, but they are nourished only on the marrow of the animals that are 6.15.22 caught. So as soon as a woman gives birth, she wraps the infant in a skin and immediately hangs it on a tree, and after putting marrow in its mouth she sets out with her husband for the accustomed hunt. For they do everything else in common 6.15.23 and pursue this occupation together. Such, then, is the manner of life of these barbarians. The other inhabitants of Thule, however, practically all differ not very much from other men, but they worship many gods and daemons, celestial and aerial, terrestrial and of the sea, and some other daemon-spirits said to be in the waters of springs and rivers. 6.15.24 They constantly offer all kinds of sacrifices and make sacred offerings, but the noblest sacrifice for them is a man whom they have taken captive in war for the first 6.15.25 time. For they sacrifice this man to Ares, whom they consider to be the greatest god. And they sacrifice the captive not only by slaying him, but also by hanging him from a tree, and by casting him onto thorns, and by killing him with other most pitiable forms of death. Thus do the people of Thule 6.15.26 live. One numerous nation among them are the Gautoi, next to whom the immigrant Heruli then settled. 6.15.27 Now the Heruli, who dwelt among the Romans, since the murder of their king had been accomplished by them, sent some of their notable men to the island of Thule, to search for and bring back anyone they might be able to find there of the royal 6.15.28 blood. And when these men came to the island, they found many there of the royal family, but they selected one who pleased them most, and set out with him on their return 6.15.29 journey. But when he came among the Danes, he died of a disease. So these men went to the island again and brought back another, Datius by name. He was followed by his brother Aordus and two hundred youths of the Heruli in Thule. 6.15.30 But while a long time was being spent by them on this journey, it occurred to the Heruli about Singidunum that they were not acting for their own advantage in bringing in a ruler from Thule against the will of the Emperor 6.15.31 Justinian. So they sent to Byzantium and begged the Emperor to send them a ruler 6.15.32 of his own choosing. And he straightway sent them one of the Heruli who had been living there for a long time, 6.15.33 Suartuas by name. At first the Heruli saw him and gladly did him obeisance and obeyed his customary commands, but not many days later a messenger came announcing that those from the island of Thule were somewhere very 6.15.34 near. And Suartuas ordered them to go to meet them, intending to destroy them, and the Heruli, praising the plan, 6.15.35 immediately followed. But when they were a day’s journey distant from each other, at night they all abandoned him and came as deserters to the newcomers, while he alone escaped and went to 6.15.36 Byzantium. And the Emperor was making haste to restore him to his rule with all his power, but the Heruli, fearing the power of the Romans, decided to go over to the Gepids. This was the cause of the Heruli's revolt. 6.16.1 Belisarius and Narses with both their armies joined one another near the city of Firmum, which is situated on the shore of the Ionian gulf, 6.16.2 and is a day's journey distant from the city of Auximum. There, with all the commanders of the army, they held a council as to which way would be more advantageous for them to proceed first against the 6.16.3 enemy. For if they should proceed against those besieging Ariminum, they suspected that those in Auximum, coming up from the rear, would inflict irreparable harm, as was likely, upon both them and the Romans who dwelt there,

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μὲν θηρίων ἀεὶ τῶν ἁλισκομένων σιτίζονται, τὰ δέρματα δὲ ἀμφιέννυνται, ἐπεί τε αὐτοῖς οὔτε λίνον οὔτε ὄργανον ὅτῳ ῥάπτοιέν ἐστιν, οἱ δὲ τῶν θηρίων τοῖς νεύροις τὰ δέρματα ἐς ἄλληλα ταῦτα ξυνδέοντες οὕτω δὴ ἐς 6.15.20 τὸ σῶμα ὅλον ἀμπίσχονται. οὐ μὴν οὐδὲ τὰ βρέφη αὐτοῖς κατὰ ταῦτα τιθηνοῦνται τοῖς ἄλλοις ἀνθρώποις. 6.15.21 οὐ γὰρ σιτίζονται Σκριθιφίνων παιδία γυναικῶν γάλακτι οὐδὲ μητέρων ἅπτονται τιτθοῦ, ἀλλὰ ζῴων τῶν 6.15.22 ἁλισκομένων τοῖς μυελοῖς ἐκτρέφονται μόνοις. ἐπειδὰν οὖν γυνὴ τάχιστα τέκοι, δέρματι τὸ βρέφος ἐμβαλομένη κρεμᾷ μὲν εὐθὺς ἐπὶ δένδρου τινὸς, μυελὸν δέ οἱ ἐπὶ τοῦ στόματος ἐνθεμένη ξὺν τῷ ἀνδρὶ ἐπὶ τὴν εἰωθυῖαν στέλλεται θήραν. ἐπὶ κοινῇ γὰρ τά τε ἄλλα 6.15.23 δρῶσι καὶ τὸ ἐπιτήδευμα μετίασι τοῦτο. τούτοις μὲν οὖν δὴ τοῖς βαρβάροις τὰ ἐς τὴν δίαιταν ταύτῃ πη ἔχει. οἱ μέντοι ἄλλοι Θουλῖται ὡς εἰπεῖν ἅπαντες οὐδέν τι μέγα διαλλάσσουσι τῶν ἄλλων ἀνθρώπων, θεοὺς μέντοι καὶ δαίμονας πολλοὺς σέβουσιν, οὐρανίους τε καὶ ἀερίους, ἐγγείους τε καὶ θαλασσίους, καὶ ἄλλα ἄττα δαιμόνια ἐν ὕδασι πηγῶν τε καὶ ποταμῶν 6.15.24 εἶναι λεγόμενα. θύουσι δὲ ἐνδελεχέστατα ἱερεῖα πάντα καὶ ἐναγίζουσι, τῶν δὲ ἱερείων σφίσι τὸ κάλλιστον ἄνθρωπός ἐστιν ὅνπερ δορυάλωτον ποιήσαιντο πρῶ6.15.25 τον. τοῦτον γὰρ τῷ Ἄρει θύουσιν, ἐπεὶ θεὸν αὐτὸν νομίζουσι μέγιστον εἶναι. ἱερεύονται δὲ τὸν αἰχμάλωτον οὐ θύοντες μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀπὸ ξύλου κρεμῶντες, καὶ ἐς τὰς ἀκάνθας ῥιπτοῦντες, ταῖς ἄλλαις τε κτείνοντες θανάτου ἰδέαις οἰκτίσταις. οὕτω μὲν Θουλῖται 6.15.26 βιοῦσιν. ὧν ἔθνος ἓν πολυάνθρωπον οἱ Γαυτοί εἰσι, παρ' οὓς δὴ Ἐρούλων τότε οἱ ἐπηλύται ἱδρύσαντο. 6.15.27 Νῦν δὲ Ἔρουλοι, οἳ δὴ παρὰ Ῥωμαίοις ᾤκηνται, φόνου σφίσι τοῦ βασιλέως ἐξειργασμένου ἔπεμψαν τῶν λογίμων τινὰς ἐς Θούλην τὴν νῆσον, τοὺς διερευνησομένους τε καὶ κομιοῦντας, ἤν τινα ἐνταῦθα εὑρεῖν 6.15.28 αἵματος τοῦ βασιλείου οἷοί τε ὦσιν. ἐπεί τε οἱ ἄνδρες οὗτοι ἐν τῇ νήσῳ ἐγένοντο, πολλοὺς μὲν ἐνταῦθα γένους τοῦ βασιλείου εὗρον, ἕνα μέντοι ἀπολέξαντες, ὅσπερ αὐτοῖς μάλιστα ἤρεσκεν, ὀπίσω ἀναστρέφοντες 6.15.29 ξὺν αὐτῷ ᾔεσαν. ὃς δὴ ἐπεὶ ἐν ∆ανοῖς ἐγένετο, τελευτᾷ νόσῳ. διὸ δὴ αὖθις οἱ ἄνδρες οὗτοι ἐν τῇ νήσῳ γενόμενοι ἕτερον ἐπηγάγοντο ∆άτιον ὄνομα. ᾧ δὴ ὅ τε ἀδελφὸς Ἄορδος εἵπετο καὶ τῶν ἐν Θούλῃ 6.15.30 Ἐρούλων νεανίαι διακόσιοι. χρόνου δὲ αὐτοῖς ἐν τῇ πορείᾳ ταύτῃ τριβέντος συχνοῦ Ἐρούλοις τοῖς ἀμφὶ Σιγγιδόνον ἔννοια γέγονεν ὡς οὐ τὰ ξύμφορα σφίσιν αὐτοῖς ποιοῖεν ἐκ Θούλης ἀρχηγὸν ἐπαγόμενοι Ἰουστι6.15.31 νιανοῦ βασιλέως οὔτι ἐθελουσίου. πέμψαντες οὖν ἐς Βυζάντιον βασιλέως ἐδέοντο ἄρχοντα σφίσι πέμψαι, 6.15.32 ὃν ἂν αὐτῷ βουλομένῳ εἴη. ὁ δὲ αὐτοῖς τῶν τινα Ἐρούλων ἐκ παλαιοῦ διατριβὴν ἐνταῦθα ἔχοντα εὐθὺς 6.15.33 ἔπεμψε, Σουαρτούαν ὄνομα. ὅνπερ Ἔρουλοι εἶδον μὲν τὰ πρῶτα καὶ προσεκύνησαν ἄσμενοι ἐπιστέλλοντί τε τὰ εἰωθότα ἐπήκουον, ἡμέραις δὲ οὐ πολλαῖς ὕστερον ἧκέ τις ἀγγέλλων τοὺς ἐκ Θούλης νήσου ἄγχιστά πη 6.15.34 εἶναι. καὶ Σουαρτούας μὲν ὡς ἀπολέσων αὐτοὺς ὑπαντιάζειν ἐκέλευεν, Ἔρουλοι δὲ τὸ βούλευμα ἐπαινέ6.15.35 σαντες εὐθὺς εἵποντο. ἐπεὶ δὲ ἡμέρας ὁδῷ ἀλλήλων διεῖχον, νύκτωρ μὲν ἀφέντες αὐτὸν ἅπαντες ἐς τοὺς ἐπηλύτας αὐτόμολοι ἦλθον, αὐτὸς δὲ μόνος ἐς 6.15.36 Βυζάντιον ἀποδρὰς ᾤχετο. καὶ βασιλεὺς μὲν πάσῃ δυνάμει κατάγειν ἐς τὴν ἀρχὴν αὐτὸν ἐν σπουδῇ ἐποιεῖτο, Ἔρουλοι δὲ δύναμιν τῶν Ῥωμαίων δειμαίνοντες Γήπαισι προσχωρεῖν ἔγνωσαν. αὕτη μὲν Ἐρούλοις αἰτία τῆς ἀποστάσεως γέγονε. 6.16.1 Βελισάριος δὲ καὶ Ναρσῆς ξὺν ἀμφοτέροις στρατεύμασιν ἀλλήλοις ἀνεμίγνυντο ἀμφὶ πόλιν Φίρμον, ἣ κεῖται μὲν παρὰ τὴν ἠϊόνα τοῦ Ἰονίου κόλπου, 6.16.2 ἀπέχει δὲ Αὐξίμου πόλεως ἡμέρας ὁδόν. ἐνταῦθα δὲ ξὺν πᾶσι τοῖς τοῦ στρατοῦ ἄρχουσιν ἐν βουλῇ ἐποιοῦντο, ὅπη ποτὲ σφίσι πρότερον ἐπὶ τοὺς πολεμίους 6.16.3 ἰοῦσι μᾶλλον ξυνοίσει. ἤν τε γὰρ ἐπὶ τοὺς Ἀρίμινον πολιορκοῦντας χωρήσειαν, τοὺς ἐν Αὐξίμῳ ὑπώπτευον μὴ κατὰ νώτου ἰόντες σφᾶς τε καὶ Ῥωμαίους τοὺς ταύτῃ ᾠκημένους τὰ ἀνήκεστα, ὡς τὸ εἰκὸς,