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And the Romans were utterly defeated. 7.40.41 There indeed many and excellent soldiers died, and the generals, having come very close to falling into the hands of the enemy, were saved by barely escaping with the remnants, as it was possible for each. 7.40.42 And the barbarians captured the standard of Constantianus, and holding the Roman army in contempt 7.40.43 they advanced forward. And they plundered the land called Astica at will, which had been unravaged from of old, and it happened that they found there much booty from it; and so, plundering much land, they came as far as the long walls, which are a little more than 7.40.44 a day's journey distant from Byzantium. Not long afterwards, the Roman army, following these barbarians, encountering a certain portion of them and suddenly 7.40.45 coming to blows, routed them. And they killed many of the enemy, and rescued a great number of the Roman captives, and finding the standard of Constantianus, they recovered it. But the rest of the barbarians with the other booty returned home. 8.t.1 PROCOPIUS OF CAESAREA, ON THE WARS, BOOK EIGHT. 8.1.1 Whatever has been narrated by me up to this point has been written down in this way, just as it was possible, by dividing and arranging the accounts according to the places where the deeds of war happened to occur, which accounts have already been published and made known everywhere in the Roman empire. But from this point on, it will no longer be composed by me in the said manner. 8.1.2 For I could no longer fit the subsequent events into the writings which have been published as a whole, but whatever happened in these wars, and moreover with regard to the Median race, after I published the previous books, will all be written by me in this book, and it is necessary for their history to be composed in a varied manner. 8.1.3 Now indeed, all that happened up to the fourth year of the five-year truce, which had been made between the Romans and Persians, has been narrated by me in the preceding books; but in the following year a large host of the Median army 8.1.4 invaded the land of Colchis. Over whom was placed a Persian man, Chorianes by name, exceedingly experienced in many wars. And with him as allies many barbarians of the Alan 8.1.5 race followed. This army, when they arrived in the country of Lazica, which is called Mocheresis, 8.1.6 encamping in a suitable place, they waited. And a river Hippis flows somewhere here, not large nor navigable, but fordable for both cavalry and foot-soldiers, on the right of which they made their camp, not beside the bank, 8.1.7 but a great distance away. But so that the places in Lazica and the races of men who are settled around it may be clear to those who read these things, and they may not be forced to speak about matters unknown to them like those who fight shadows, it seemed to me not out of place to write down here in my account in what manner men inhabit the so-called Euxine Pontus, not being ignorant that these things have also been written by some of the ancients, but thinking that not all has been said by them with accuracy; 8.1.8 for some of them said that the neighbors of the Trapezuntines were either the Sani, who are now called the Tzani, or the Colchians, calling the Lazi another people, who even now by 8.1.9 this name are addressed. And yet it is neither of these. For the Tzani, being as far as possible from the coast, live next to the Armenians in the interior, and many mountains hang between, exceedingly impassable and altogether precipitous, and much country is always desert of men, and impassable ravines and wooded hills and inescapable gorges, by all of which, not being on the sea, 8.1.10 the Tzani are separated. But it is not possible that the Colchians are not the Lazi, since they dwell beside the river Phasis; but only the name of the Colchians, as of many other nations of men, has now to that of the Lazi 8.1.11 been changed. And apart from these things, a great age which has passed since those who wrote those accounts, and which is always innovating in affairs, has had the power to change much of what was previously established, both by migrations of nations and 8.1.12 by successions of rulers and names. which for me to measure out

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ἡσσῶνται δὲ κατὰ κράτος Ῥωμαῖοι. 7.40.41 ἔνθα δὴ στρατιῶται μὲν πολλοί τε καὶ ἄριστοι θνήσκουσιν, οἱ δὲ στρατηγοὶ παρ' ὀλίγον ἐλθόντες ὑπὸ τοῖς πολεμίοις γενέσθαι ξὺν τοῖς καταλοίποις μόλις διαφυγόντες ἐσώθησαν, ὥς πη ἑκάστῳ δυνατὰ γέγονε. 7.40.42 καὶ Κωνσταντιανοῦ δὲ τὸ σημεῖον οἱ βάρβαροι εἷλον, τοῦ τε Ῥωμαίων στρατοῦ ἐς ὀλιγωρίαν τραπόμενοι 7.40.43 πρόσω ἐχώρουν. καὶ χώραν τὴν Ἀστικὴν καλουμένην ἐληΐζοντο κατ' ἐξουσίαν, ἀδῄωτον ἐκ παλαιοῦ οὖσαν, καὶ ἀπ' αὐτοῦ λείαν αὐτοὺς πολλήν τινα ἐνταῦθα εὑρεῖν ξυνηνέχθη· οὕτω δὲ χώραν πολλὴν ληϊζόμενοι ἄχρι ἐς τὰ μακρὰ τείχη ἀφίκοντο, ἅπερ ὀλίγῳ πλέον 7.40.44 ἢ ἡμέρας ὁδὸν Βυζαντίου διέχει. οὐ πολλῷ δὲ ὕστερον ὁ Ῥωμαίων στρατὸς τούτοις δὴ ἐπισπόμενοι τοῖς βαρβάροις, μοίρᾳ τε αὐτῶν ἐντυχόντες τινὶ καὶ ἐξαπιναίως 7.40.45 ἐς χεῖρας ἐλθόντες ἐτρέψαντο. καὶ τῶν μὲν πολεμίων πολλοὺς ἔκτειναν, Ῥωμαίων δὲ τῶν αἰχμαλώτων μέγα τι διεσώσαντο χρῆμα, τό τε Κωνσταντιανοῦ σημεῖον εὑρόντες ἀνείλοντο. οἱ δὲ λοιποὶ βάρβαροι ξὺν τῇ ἄλλῃ λείᾳ ἐπ' οἴκου ἀπεκομίσθησαν. 8.τ.1 ΠΡΟΚΟΠΙΟΥ ΚΑΙΣΑΡΕΩΣ ΥΠΕΡ ΤΩΝ ΠΟΛΕΜΩΝ ΛΟΓΟΣ ΟΓ∆ΟΟΣ. 8.1.1 Ὅσα μὲν ἄχρι τοῦδέ μοι δεδιήγηται, τῇδε ξυγγέγραπται ᾗπερ δυνατὰ ἐγεγόνει ἐπὶ χωρίων ἐφ' ὧν δὴ ἔργα τὰ πολέμια ξυνηνέχθη γενέσθαι διελόντι τε καὶ ἁρμοσαμένῳ τοὺς λόγους, οἵπερ ἤδη ἐξενεχθέντες πανταχόθι δεδήλωνται τῆς Ῥωμαίων ἀρχῆς. τὸ δὲ ἐνθένδε οὐκέτι μοι τρόπῳ τῷ εἰρημένῳ ξυγκείσεται. 8.1.2 γράμμασι γὰρ τοῖς ἐς τὸ πᾶν δεδηλωμένοις οὐκέτι εἶχον τὰ ἐπιγινόμενα ἐναρμόζεσθαι, ἀλλ' ὅσα κατὰ τοὺς πολέμους τούσδε γεγονέναι ξυνέβη, ἔτι μέντοι καὶ ἐς τὸ Μήδων γένος, ἐπειδὴ τοὺς ἔμπροσθεν λόγους ἐξήνεγκα, ἐν τῷδέ μοι τῷ λόγῳ πάντα γεγράψεται, ἱστορίαν τε αὐτῶν ἐπάναγκες ποικίλην ξυγκεῖσθαι. 8.1.3 ἤδη μὲν οὖν ὅσα ξυνέβη ἄχρι ἐς τὸ τέταρτον ἔτος τῆς πενταετηρίδος ἐκεχειρίας, ἣ Ῥωμαίοις ἐγεγόνει καὶ Πέρσαις, ἐν τοῖς ἔμπροσθέν μοι δεδιήγηται λόγοις· τῷ δὲ ἐπιγινομένῳ ἐνιαυτῷ Μηδικῆς στρατιᾶς πολὺς 8.1.4 ὅμιλος ἐς γῆν τὴν Κολχίδα ἐσέβαλον. οἷσπερ ἐφειστήκει Πέρσης ἀνὴρ, Χοριάνης ὄνομα, πολέμων ἐσάγαν πολλῶν ἔμπειρος. καὶ αὐτῷ ξύμμαχοι βάρβαροι τοῦ Ἀλανῶν 8.1.5 γένους πολλοὶ εἵποντο. οὗτος ὁ στρατὸς ἐπειδὴ ἀφίκοντο ἐς χώραν τῆς Λαζικῆς, ἣ ἐπικαλεῖται Μοχήρησις, 8.1.6 ἐν ἐπιτηδείῳ στρατοπεδευσάμενοι ἔμενον. ῥεῖ δέ πη ἐνταῦθα ποταμὸς Ἵππις, οὐ μέγας οὐδὲ ναυσίπορος, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἱππεῦσι καὶ ἀνδράσι πεζοῖς ἐσβατὸς, οὗ δὴ ἐν δεξιᾷ τὸν χάρακα ἐποιήσαντο, οὐ παρὰ τὴν ὄχθην, 8.1.7 ἀλλὰ κατὰ πολὺ ἄποθεν. ὅπως δὲ τοῖς τάδε ἀναλεγομένοις ἔκδηλα τὰ ἐπὶ Λαζικῆς χωρία ἔσται ὅσα τε γένη ἀνθρώπων ἀμφ' αὐτὴν ἵδρυνται, καὶ μὴ ὑπὲρ τῶν ἀφανῶν σφίσιν ὥσπερ οἱ σκιαμαχοῦντες διαλέγεσθαι ἀναγκάζωνται, οὔ μοι ἀπὸ καιροῦ ἔδοξεν εἶναι ἀναγράψασθαι ἐνταῦθα τοῦ λόγου ὅντινα δὴ τρόπον ἄνθρωποι οἰκοῦσι τὸν Εὔξεινον καλούμενον Πόντον, οὐκ ἀγνοοῦντι μὲν ὡς καὶ τῶν παλαιοτέρων τισὶ γέγραπται ταῦτα, οἰομένῳ δὲ οὐκ ἐς τὸ ἀκριβὲς αὐτοῖς 8.1.8 πάντα εἰρῆσθαι· ὧν γέ τινες Τραπεζουντίων ὁμόρους ἢ Σάνους ἔφασαν, οἳ τανῦν Τζάνοι ἐπικαλοῦνται, ἢ Κόλχους εἶναι, Λαζοὺς ἑτέρους καλέσαντες, οἳ καὶ νῦν ἐπὶ 8.1.9 τούτου προσαγορεύονται τοῦ ὀνόματος. καίτοι ἔστι τούτων οὐδέτερον. Τζάνοι μὲν γὰρ τῆς παραλίας ὡς ἀπωτάτω ὄντες προσοικοῦσι τοὺς Ἀρμενίους ἐν τῇ μεσογείᾳ καὶ ὄρη πολλὰ μεταξὺ ἀποκρέμαται, λίαν τε ἄβατα καὶ ὅλως κρημνώδη, χώρα τε πολλὴ ἔρημος ἀνθρώπων ἐς ἀεὶ οὖσα καὶ χαράδραι ἀνέκβατοι καὶ λόφοι ὑλώδεις καὶ σήραγγες ἀδιέξοδοι, οἷς δὴ ἅπασι μὴ ἐπιθαλάσσιοι 8.1.10 εἶναι διείργονται Τζάνοι. Κόλχους δὲ οὐχ οἷόν τέ ἐστι μὴ τοὺς Λαζοὺς εἶναι, ἐπεὶ παρὰ Φᾶσιν ποταμὸν ᾤκηνται· τὸ δὲ ὄνομα μόνον οἱ Κόλχοι, ὥσπερ ἀνθρώπων ἔθνη καὶ πολλὰ ἕτερα, τανῦν ἐς τὸ Λαζῶν 8.1.11 μεταβέβληται. χωρὶς δὲ τούτων καὶ μέγας αἰὼν μετὰ τοὺς ἐκεῖνα ἀναγραψαμένους ἐπιγενόμενος ἀεί τε συννεωτερίζων τοῖς πράγμασι τὰ πολλὰ τῶν καθεστώτων τὰ πρότερα νεοχμῶσαι ἴσχυσεν, ἐθνῶν τε μεταστάσεσι καὶ 8.1.12 ἀρχόντων καὶ ὀνομάτων διαδοχαῖς. ἅπερ μοι διαμετρήσασθαι