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which the Romans call Acherontis, and here having established a garrison of no fewer than four hundred men he himself with the rest of the army went to Ravenna, leaving some of the barbarians in the regions of Campania, where the Roman guard was posted, since members of the senatorial council were there. 7.24.1 But a prudent daring then came to Belisarius, which at first seemed insane both to those who saw and those who heard, but which resulted in a deed of virtue both lofty 7.24.2 and divinely immense. For leaving behind a few of the soldiers for the garrison in Portus, he himself came to Rome with the rest of the army, and wished to win it with all his strength. 7.24.3 But since he was not able to rebuild in a short time all that Totila had happened to tear down of the circuit-wall, 7.24.4 he did the following. Gathering stones that were somewhere near, he threw them together on top of each other in no order, having nothing at all inside them, since he had neither mortar nor anything else of the sort, but only so that the face of the structure might be preserved, 7.24.5 and he set up a great quantity of stakes on the outside. He had also happened to dig deep trenches around the whole circuit-wall previously, as has been related by me in the preceding account. 7.24.6 And since the whole army worked at this with the greatest eagerness, within twenty-five days all that had been demolished of the circuit-wall was completed in this manner. 7.24.7 And as many of the Romans as dwelt in the regions thereabouts gathered here, both from a desire for a dwelling in Rome and because, having been previously in want of provisions, they found an abundance there, which Belisarius was able to provide, having filled as many ships as possible with all the necessities, and having conveyed and brought them into Rome by way of the river. 7.24.8 When Totila heard this, he immediately set out with his whole army and came against both Belisarius and Rome, since Belisarius had not yet been able to fit the gates into the circuit-wall. 7.24.9 For Totila had happened to destroy them all, which Belisarius, for lack of artisans, had not managed to construct. 7.24.10 And when the army of the barbarians came near, for the time being they encamped and bivouacked by the Tiber river, and on the following day at sunrise, filled with great fury and clamor, they advanced against 7.24.11 the wall. But Belisarius, having selected the most warlike of the soldiers, stationed them in the place of the gates, and he ordered the rest to defend themselves with all their might from above, from the circuit-walls, against the attackers. 7.24.12 So then a fierce battle took place. For the barbarians at first had the hope of taking the city by a single shout, but when the situation resisted them, and the Romans defended themselves most vigorously, they pressed upon the enemy with anger, their fury driving them to a boldness beyond their power. 7.24.13 And the Romans held out beyond expectation, the danger, as was natural, leading them to 7.24.14 courage. Therefore a great slaughter of the barbarians took place, since they were being shot at from a height, and both sides were seized with great fatigue and distress, and the battle, having begun early in the morning, ended at nightfall. 7.24.15 Then the barbarians, having returned to their camps, passed the night, tending to their own wounded, while of the Romans, the others kept guard on the circuit-wall, and those who were preeminent above all in bravery guarded the places of the gates in rotation, having placed many caltrops in front, so that the enemy might not come against them in a sudden assault. 7.24.16 The caltrops are of this sort. Having fitted the bases of four stakes of approximately equal length to one another, they make their straight parts form the shape of a pyramid from every side, and they throw them onto the ground wherever it may be. 7.24.17 And in this way three of the stakes all stand very firmly in the ground, while the remaining one, standing up alone, always becomes an obstacle for men and 7.24.18 horses. And whenever someone rolls this caltrop, the stake which until then had been allotted the upright position in the air stands in the ground, while another in its place is turned upwards and is an obstacle to those wishing to approach. Such, then, are the caltrops. And so both sides bivouacked after the battle. 7.24.19 On the

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ὅπερ Ἀχεροντίδα καλοῦσι Ῥωμαῖοι, ἐνταῦθά τε φυλακτήριον ἀνδρῶν οὐχ ἧσσον ἢ τετρακοσίων καταστησάμενος αὐτὸς ξὺν τῷ ἄλλῳ στρατῷ ἐπὶ Ῥάβενναν ᾔει, τῶν βαρβάρων τινὰς ἀπολιπὼν ἐς τὰ ἐπὶ Καμπανίας χωρία, οἷσπερ ἡ Ῥωμαίων ἐπέκειτο φυλακὴ, τῶν ἐκ τῆς συγκλήτου βουλῆς ἐνταῦθα ὄντων. 7.24.1 Βελισαρίῳ δὲ τόλμα προμηθὴς γέγονε τότε ἀρχὴν μὲν μανιώδης δόξασα εἶναι τοῖς τε ὁρῶσι καὶ ἀκούουσι πρῶτον, ἐκβᾶσα δὲ ἐς ἀρετῆς ἔργον ὑψηλόν 7.24.2 τε καὶ δαιμονίως ὑπέρογκον. τῶν γὰρ στρατιωτῶν ὀλίγους τινὰς φρουρᾶς ἕνεκα τῆς ἐν Πόρτῳ ἀπολιπὼν αὐτὸς ξὺν τῷ ἄλλῳ στρατῷ ἐς Ῥώμην ἦλθε, προσποι7.24.3 εῖσθαί τε αὐτὴν σθένει παντὶ ἤθελεν. ἐπεὶ δὲ οὐχ οἷός τε ἦν ὅσα καθελὼν τοῦ περιβόλου Τουτίλας ἔτυχε 7.24.4 βραχεῖ ἀνοικοδομήσασθαι χρόνῳ, ἐποίει τάδε. λίθους ἄγχιστά πη ὄντας ξυναγαγὼν ἐπ' ἀλλήλους οὐδενὶ κόσμῳ ξυνέβαλεν, οὐδὲν τὸ παράπαν ἐντὸς ἔχοντας, ἐπεὶ οὔτε τίτανον εἶχεν οὔτε τι ἄλλο τοιοῦτον, ἀλλ' ὅπως μόνον τὸ τῆς οἰκοδομίας σώζοιτο πρόσωπον, 7.24.5 σκολόπων τε μέγα τι χρῆμα ἔξωθεν ἵστη. ἐτύγχανε δὲ καὶ τάφρους βαθείας ἀμφὶ τὸν περίβολον ὅλον ὀρύξας πρότερον, ὥσπερ μοι ἐν τοῖς ἔμπροσθεν λόγοις 7.24.6 ἐρρήθη. παντὸς δὲ τοῦ στρατοῦ προθυμίᾳ τῇ πάσῃ ταῦτα ἐργαζομένου πέντε καὶ εἴκοσιν ἡμερῶν ὅσα τοῦ 7.24.7 περιβόλου καθῄρητο τῷ τρόπῳ τούτῳ τετέλεστο. τῶν τε Ῥωμαίων ὅσοι ἀμφὶ τὰ ἐκείνῃ χωρία ᾤκηντο ἐνταῦθα ἠγείροντο, τῆς τε ἐν Ῥώμῃ οἰκήσεως ἐπιθυμίᾳ καὶ ὅτι τῶν ἐπιτηδείων τέως σπανίζοντες ἀφθονίαν ἐνταῦθα εὗρον, ἥνπερ Βελισάριος ποιεῖν ἴσχυσε, ναῦς ὅτι πλείστας πάντων ἐμπλησάμενος τῶν ἀναγκαίων, ἔς τε Ῥώμην διὰ τοῦ ποταμοῦ ἐσκομίσας εἰσῆξε. 7.24.8 Ταῦτα ἐπεὶ Τουτίλας ἤκουσεν, ἄρας αὐτίκα παντὶ τῷ στρατῷ ἐπὶ Βελισάριόν τε καὶ Ῥώμην ἦλθεν, οὔπω Βελισαρίου τὰς πύλας ἐναρμόσασθαι τῷ περιβόλῳ 7.24.9 ἰσχύσαντος. πάσας γὰρ διαφθείρας Τουτίλας ἔτυχεν, ἅσπερ οὐκ ἔφθη τεχνιτῶν ἀπορίᾳ Βελισάριος τεκτηνά7.24.10 μενος. ἐπεὶ δὲ ὁ τῶν βαρβάρων στρατὸς ἀγχοῦ ἐγένοντο, τότε μὲν ἐνστρατοπεδευσάμενοι ηὐλίσαντο παρὰ Τίβεριν ποταμὸν, ἡμέρᾳ τε τῇ ἐπιγενομένῃ ἅμα ἡλίῳ ἀνίσχοντι θυμῷ τε πολλῷ καὶ θορύβῳ ἐχόμενοι ἀμφὶ 7.24.11 τὸ τεῖχος ᾔεσαν. Βελισάριος δὲ τῶν μὲν στρατιωτῶν τοὺς μαχιμωτάτους ἀπολεξάμενος ἐς τὴν χώραν τῶν πυλῶν ἔστησε, τοὺς δὲ λοιποὺς ἄνωθεν ἀπὸ τῶν περιβόλων ἀμύνεσθαι τοὺς ἐπιόντας πάσῃ δυνάμει ἐκέλευε. 7.24.12 γέγονε τοίνυν καρτερὰ μάχη. οἱ γὰρ βάρβαροι τὰ μὲν πρῶτα ἐλπίδα εἶχον αὐτοβοεὶ τὴν πόλιν αἱρήσειν, τοῦ δὲ πράγματος σφίσιν ἀντιστατοῦντος, καὶ τῶν Ῥωμαίων ἰσχυρότατα ἀμυνομένων, ὀργῇ χρώμενοι τοῖς πολεμίοις ἐπέκειντο, τοῦ θυμοῦ σφᾶς παρὰ δύναμιν 7.24.13 ἐς τὴν εὐτολμίαν ὁρμῶντος. οἵ τε Ῥωμαῖοι παρὰ δόξαν ἀντείχοντο, τοῦ κινδύνου, ὡς τὸ εἰκὸς, ἐς τὴν 7.24.14 εὐψυχίαν ἐνάγοντος. γέγονεν οὖν φόνος τῶν βαρβάρων ἅτε ἀφ' ὑψηλοῦ βαλλομένων πολὺς, κόπῳ τε πολλῷ καὶ ταλαιπωρίᾳ ἑκάτεροι εἴχοντο καὶ ἡ μάχη πρωῒ 7.24.15 ἀρξαμένη ἐτελεύτα ἐς νύκτα. ἔπειτα οἱ μὲν βάρβαροι ἐν τοῖς στρατοπέδοις γενόμενοι ἐνυκτέρευσαν, τῶν ἐν σφίσι τραυματιῶν ἐπιμελούμενοι, Ῥωμαίων δὲ οἱ μὲν ἄλλοι ἐν τῷ περιβόλῳ φυλακὴν εἶχον, οἱ δὲ ἀνδρίας πέρι μάλιστα πάντων εὖ ἥκοντες ἐν περιτροπῇ τὰς τῶν πυλῶν χώρας ἐφύλασσον, τριβόλους ἔμπροσθεν πολλοὺς θέμενοι, ὅπως μὴ ἐξ ἐπιδρομῆς οἱ πολέμιοι 7.24.16 ἐπὶ σφᾶς ἴωσιν. οἱ δὲ τρίβολοι τοιοίδε εἰσί. σκολόπων τεττάρων ἰσομήκων μάλιστα τὰ ὄπισθε πρὸς ἄλληλα ἐναρμοσάμενοι τριγώνου σχῆμα τὰς αὐτῶν εὐθείας πανταχόθεν ἐργάζονται, καὶ αὐτοὺς ἐς τὴν γῆν ὅπου 7.24.17 παρατύχῃ ῥίπτουσι. ταύτῃ τε τῶν σκολόπων οἱ μὲν τρεῖς ἐς τὸ ἔδαφος ἰσχυρότατα ἑστήκασι πάντες, ὁ δὲ λειπόμενος ἀνέχων μόνος ἐμπόδιον ἀνδράσι τε καὶ 7.24.18 ἵπποις ἐς ἀεὶ γίγνεται. ὁσάκις δέ τις τοῦτον δὴ κυλίνδει τὸν τρίβολον, ὁ μὲν τέως ἐκ τῶν σκολόπων τὴν τοῦ ἀέρος ὄρθιον κληρωσάμενος χώραν ἐς τὸ ἔδαφος ἕστηκεν, ἄλλος δὲ ἀντ' αὐτοῦ γιγνόμενος ἄνω τοῖς ἐπιέναι βουλομένοις ἐμπόδιόν ἐστιν. οἱ μὲν τρίβολοι τοιοίδε εἰσίν. ἑκάτεροι δὲ οὕτω μετὰ τὴν μάχην ηὐλίσαντο. 7.24.19 Τῇ