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wish 7.27.20 for the people here. But they also call some of the Pisidians Lycocranitae, not because they have the heads of wolves, but because the mountain which rises in this region was called Lycou Crana. But as for these things, let each man think and say about them as he wishes. But I shall return to the point from which I digressed. 7.28.1 Belisarius, therefore, was eager to go straight for Tarentum. And there is a certain crescent-shaped promontory there, where, as the shore recedes, the sea goes up very far into the land as if in 7.28.2 a gulf. And the entire sea-voyage around this promontory extends for a thousand stades, and on either side, by the mouth of the strait, lie two towns; the one, Croton, towards the setting 7.28.3 sun, and Tarentum towards the rising sun. And at the middle of the shore the city of Thurii is situated. But as winter was setting in and the wind was blowing violently with much roaring, in no way permitting the ships to go further, he put in at the harbour of the Crotoniates. 7.28.4 Belisarius, therefore, since he found no fortified place there nor had any place from which the soldiers might bring in provisions, he himself remained with his wife and his infantry, so that from there he might be able both to summon and 7.28.5 to manage the army with John; but he ordered all the cavalry to go forward and to make camp by the entrances to the country, placing over them both Phazas the Iberian and Barbation his guardsman 7.28.6. For in this way he thought they would most easily provide all the provisions for themselves and their horses, and would be able to repulse the enemy in the narrow pass, as was likely, 7.28.7. For the mountains of the Lucanians, extending as far as the Bruttians and coming together in a narrow space, make only two very narrow entrances there, one of which is called Petra Sanguinis in the Latin tongue, and the other 7.28.8 the natives are accustomed to call Labula. There, by the coast, is Rusciane, the port of Thurii, and above it, about sixty stades away, the ancient Romans built a very strong fortress. which John had happened to capture long before and had established in it a garrison of notable size. 7.28.9 So Belisarius' soldiers, going somewhere there, encounter an army of the enemy, which Totila had sent in order that they might make an attempt on the 7.28.10 fortress there. And immediately coming to blows with them they routed them with valour and with no trouble, although being much inferior to them in number, and they killed more than two hundred 7.28.11. And the rest, fleeing, came to Totila and reported all that had happened; and the Romans, making camp there, remained, but since they were without a commander and had been victorious, they conducted themselves with less caution. 7.28.12 For they neither kept quiet in close formation nor, stationing themselves very near the narrow pass, did they guard the entrances, but turning to negligence, by night they slept quartered as far as possible from one another, and during the day they wandered about searching for provisions, neither sending any men out to scout nor having deliberated on any other matter 7.28.13 concerning their safety. Totila, therefore, when he learned everything, selected three thousand horsemen from the whole army and went against the enemy. 7.28.14 And falling upon them unexpectedly, not in formation, but wandering about in this way, as has been said, he both struck them with panic and 7.28.15 threw them all into confusion. There Phazas (for he happened to be quartered somewhere very near), meeting the enemy and displaying deeds worthy of valour, became the cause of escape for some, but he himself died along with all those around him 7.28.16. And this was a great disaster that befell the Romans, since in them, as men excelling in warfare, all had placed their hope 7.28.17. However many were strong enough to flee, as was somehow possible for each, were saved. And first Barbation, the guardsman of Belisarius, with two others, fleeing at full speed, came to Croton. And reporting the present misfortune he added that he thought that very soon now 7.28.18 the barbarians would also be present. And Belisarius, hearing these things, in great grief

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βούλονται 7.27.20 τοὺς τῇδε ἀνθρώπους. ἀλλὰ καὶ Λυκοκρανίτας καλοῦσι τῶν Πισιδῶν τινας, οὐχ ὅτι λύκων κεφαλὰς ἔχουσιν, ἀλλ' ὅτι Λύκου Κράνα τὸ ὄρος ἐκλήθη, ὃ ταύτῃ ἀνέχει. ἀλλὰ ταῦτα μὲν ὅπη ἑκάστῳ βουλομένῳ εἴη ταύτῃ δοκείτω τε καὶ λεγέσθω. ἐγὼ δὲ ὅθενπερ ἐξέβην ἐπάνειμι. 7.28.1 Βελισάριος μὲν οὖν εὐθὺ ἰέναι τοῦ Τάραντος ἐν σπουδῇ εἶχεν. ἔστι δέ τις ἀκτὴ μηνοειδὴς ἐνταῦθα, οὗ δὴ τῆς ἠϊόνος ὑποχωρούσης ἡ θάλασσα ὥσπερ ἐν 7.28.2 κόλπῳ ἐπὶ πλεῖστον τῆς γῆς ἀναβαίνει. καὶ ὁ μὲν τῆς ἀκτῆς ταύτης διάπλους ἅπας ἐς χιλίους σταδίους διήκει, ἑκατέρωθι δὲ παρὰ τοῦ ῥεύματος τὴν ἐκβολὴν κεῖται πολίσματα δύο· θάτερον μὲν ὁ Κρότων πρὸς δύοντά 7.28.3 που τὸν ἥλιον, ὁ Τάρας δὲ πρὸς ἀνίσχοντα. κατὰ δὲ τὸ μέσον τῆς ἠϊόνος Θουρίων ἡ πόλις οἰκεῖται. τοῦ δὲ χειμῶνος ἀντιστατοῦντος καὶ τοῦ πνεύματος σὺν πολλῷ ῥοθίῳ βιαζομένου, περαιτέρω δὲ τὰς ναῦς ἰέναι οὐδαμῆ ἐφιέντος, τῷ Κροτωνιατῶν λιμένι προσέσχε. 7.28.4 Βελισάριος οὖν, ἐπεὶ οὔτε τι ὀχύρωμα ἐνταῦθα εὗρεν οὔτε τοῖς στρατιώταις ὅθεν ἂν τὰ ἐπιτήδεια ἐσκομίζοιντο εἶχεν, αὐτὸς μὲν ξύν τε τῇ γυναικὶ καὶ τοῖς πεζοῖς αὐτοῦ ἔμεινεν, ὅπως ἐνθένδε μεταπέμπεσθαί τε καὶ 7.28.5 διέπειν τὸ ξὺν τῷ Ἰωάννῃ στράτευμα δύνηται· τοὺς δὲ ἱππεῖς ἅπαντας ἐπίπροσθεν ἐκέλευεν ἰόντας στρατοπεδεύεσθαι παρὰ τὰς τῆς χώρας εἰσόδους, Φάζαν τε τὸν Ἴβηρα καὶ Βαρβατίωνα τὸν δορυφόρον αὐτοῖς 7.28.6 ἐπιστήσας. οὕτω γὰρ αὐτοὺς ῥᾷστα ᾤετο σφίσι μὲν καὶ ἵπποις τοῖς σφετέροις τὰ ἐπιτήδεια πάντα πορίζεσθαι, τοὺς δὲ πολεμίους ἐν στενοχωρίᾳ, ὡς τὸ εἰκὸς, 7.28.7 ἀποκρούεσθαι δυνατοὺς ἔσεσθαι. τὰ γὰρ Λευκανῶν ὄρη μέχρι ἐς Βριττίους διήκοντα καὶ πρὸς ἄλληλα ἐν στενῷ ξυνιόντα δύο μόνας εἰσόδους στενὰς μάλιστα ἐνταῦθα ποιεῖται, ὧν ἁτέρα μὲν Πέτρα Αἵματος τῇ Λατίνων φωνῇ κέκληται, Λαβοῦλαν δὲ τὴν ἑτέραν 7.28.8 καλεῖν οἱ ἐπιχώριοι νενομίκασιν. ἐνταῦθα μὲν παρὰ τὴν ἀκτὴν Ῥουσκιανή ἐστι τὸ Θουρίων ἐπίνειον, ὕπερθεν δὲ αὐτοῦ ὅσον ἀπὸ σταδίων ἑξήκοντα φρούριον ἐχυρώτατον ἐδείμαντο οἱ πάλαι Ῥωμαῖοι. ὅπερ Ἰωάννης πολλῷ πρότερον καταλαβὼν ἔτυχε φρουράν τε λόγου ἀξίαν ἐκείνῃ καταστησάμενος. 7.28.9 Οἱ μὲν οὖν Βελισαρίου στρατιῶται ἐνταῦθά πη ἰόντες πολεμίων στρατεύματι ἐντυγχάνουσιν, οὕσπερ ὁ Τουτίλας ἔπεμψεν, ἐφ' ᾧ ἀποπειράσονται τοῦ τῇδε 7.28.10 φρουρίου. ἐς χεῖρας δὲ αὐτοῖς αὐτίκα ἐλθόντες ἀρετῇ τε οὐδενὶ πόνῳ ἔτρεψαν, καίπερ αὐτῶν τῷ πλήθει παρὰ πολὺ ἐλασσούμενοι, καὶ πλέον ἢ διακοσίους 7.28.11 διέφθειραν. οἱ δὲ λοιποὶ φεύγοντες παρὰ Τουτίλαν τε ἀφίκοντο καὶ τὰ ξυμπεσόντα πάντα ἐσήγγελλον· οἵ τε Ῥωμαῖοι αὐτοῦ ἐνστρατοπεδευσάμενοι ἔμενον, ἅτε δὲ ἄναρχοι καὶ νενικηκότες ἀδεέστερον τῇ διαίτῃ ἐχρῶντο. 7.28.12 οὔτε γὰρ ἀγηγερμένοι ἡσύχαζον οὔτε ἄγχιστα τῆς στενοχωρίας ἐγκαθεζόμενοι τὰς εἰσόδους ἐφύλασσον, ἀλλ' ἐς ὀλιγωρίαν τραπόμενοι νύκτωρ μὲν ὡς ἀπωτάτω ἀλλήλων διεσκηνημένοι ἐκάθευδον, ἐν δὲ δὴ τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τὰ ἐπιτήδεια διερευνώμενοι περιήρχοντο, οὔτε τινὰς ἐπὶ κατασκοπῇ στείλαντες οὔτε ἄλλο ὁτιοῦν 7.28.13 ἀσφαλείας πέρι βεβουλευμένοι. Τουτίλας οὖν, ἐπειδὴ ἐπύθετο ἅπαντα, ἐς τρισχιλίους ἱππεῖς τοῦ παντὸς στρατοπέδου ἀπολεξάμενος ἐπὶ τοὺς πολεμίους ᾔει. 7.28.14 καὶ αὐτοῖς ἐπιπεσὼν ἀπροσδοκήτως οὐ ξυντεταγμένοις, ἀλλ' οὕτω περιιοῦσιν, ὥσπερ εἴρηται, κατέπληξέ τε καὶ 7.28.15 συνετάραξεν ἅπαντας. ἐνταῦθα Φάζας (ἄγχιστα γάρ πη ἐσκηνημένος ἐτύγχανεν) ὑπαντιάσας τοῖς πολεμίοις ἔργα τε ἀρετῆς ἄξια ἐνδειξάμενος, τισὶ μὲν τοῦ διαφυγεῖν αἴτιος γέγονεν, αὐτὸς δὲ ξὺν τοῖς ἀμφ' αὐτὸν 7.28.16 ἅπασι θνήσκει. μέγα τε πάθος τοῦτο Ῥωμαίοις ξυνέβη, ἐπεὶ ἐς αὐτοὺς ἅτε διαφέροντας τὰ πολέμια τὴν ἐλπίδα 7.28.17 ξύμπαντες εἶχον. ὅσοι μέντοι φυγεῖν ἴσχυσαν, ὥς πη ἑκάστῳ δυνατὰ γέγονε, διεσώθησαν. πρῶτός τε Βαρβατίων ὁ Βελισαρίου δορυφόρος ξὺν ἑτέροις δυοῖν φεύγων ἀνὰ κράτος ἐς τὸν Κρότωνα ἦλθε. καὶ τύχην τὴν παροῦσαν ἀπαγγέλλων ἐπεῖπεν οἴεσθαι αὐτίκα δὴ 7.28.18 μάλα καὶ τοὺς βαρβάρους παρέσεσθαι. Βελισάριος δὲ ταῦτα ἀκούσας ἔν τε μεγάλῳ πένθει