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they were retreating, waiting for Chorianes with the rest of the army of Persians and Alans, and not long after they joined them. 8.8.29 And already the infantry with Goubazes and Dagisthaeus had reached their own cavalry, and the battle 8.8.30 was at close quarters on both sides. Then, indeed, Philegages and John, thinking that they were too few to withstand the attacking cavalry of the barbarians, especially since they despaired of the Lazic force, leaping down from their horses, forced all the Romans and Lazi to do the same. 8.8.31 And having drawn themselves up in as deep a phalanx as possible, they all stood on foot facing the enemy head-on, 8.8.32 holding their spears ready against them. But the barbarians, not knowing what to do (for they could neither charge against the enemy who were on foot nor were they able to throw their phalanx into confusion), since their horses, vexed by the points of the spears and the clash of the shields, were rearing up, all looked to their bows, confident in the hope that with a multitude of missiles they would most easily turn the enemy to flight. 8.8.33 And the Romans with all the Lazi were doing this same thing. And from both sides many arrows went against each other, and from both sides many were falling. 8.8.34 The Persians and Alans, then, were shooting their arrows especially continuously, much more so than their opponents. But it happened that most of their arrows were turned aside by the shields. But in this struggle, it happened that Chorianes, the leader of the Persians, 8.8.35 was hit. By whom, however, this man was struck has become clear to no one; for by some chance the dart, coming from the crowd and having been fixed in the man's neck, killed him instantly, and by the death of one man the battle was decided and the victory went to the 8.8.36 Romans. For he, having fallen from his horse face-down onto the ground, lay there, and the barbarians went at a great run to their stockade, and the Romans, along with the Lazi, following after, were killing many, having the hope of taking the enemy's camp by storm. 8.8.37 But a certain one of the Alans, being well-endowed in courage and bodily strength, and being pre-eminently skilled in shooting many arrows in either direction, had taken his stand at the entrance to the stockade, which was very narrow, and for a very long time, contrary to expectation, became an obstacle to those attacking. 8.8.38 But John, the son of Thomas, alone coming as near as possible to him, suddenly killed the man with his spear, and thus the Romans and Lazi gained control of the camp. And of the barbarians, most were destroyed there, but the rest were carried off to their ancestral homes, as 8.8.39 it became possible for each one. This invasion of the Persians, then, which took place into the land of Colchis, came to this end. And another army of Persians, having reinforced the garrison in Petra with a quantity of provisions and all other things, withdrew. 8.9.1 But at this time the following events chanced to happen. The Lazi, coming to Byzantium, were slandering Dagisthaeus to the emperor, 8.9.2 charging him with both betrayal and Medism. For they insisted that he, having been persuaded by the Persians, had been unwilling to make an assault when the circuit-wall of Petra had fallen, and that the enemy, having filled sacks with sand and using them for fillings instead of stones, had in this way strengthened as much of the circuit-wall as had collapsed. 8.9.3 And they said that Dagisthaeus, having been led to this either by money or by carelessness, had postponed the attack to some other time, and had immediately let slip the height of the opportunity, which he was no longer able to seize. 8.9.4 The emperor therefore, having imprisoned him in his house, was keeping him under guard; but Bessas, who had come from Italy not long before, he appointed general of the Armenians and sent to Lazica, having instructed him to command the 8.9.5 Roman army there. To which place, indeed, Venilus, the brother of Bouzes, happened to have already been sent with an army, and Odonachus and Babas from Thrace, and Ouligagus, a Herul by race. 8.9.6 And Nabedes, having invaded Lazica with an army, did nothing else worthy of mention, but having visited the Abasgi, who had revolted from both the Romans and the Lazi, with this army, he took from them sixty children of their notables 8.9.7 as hostages. But then the one who was making

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ὀπίσω ἐχώρουν, τόν τε Χοριάνην σὺν τῷ ἄλλῳ Περσῶν τε καὶ Ἀλανῶν στρατῷ ἔμενον καὶ οὐκ ἐς μακρὰν ἀνεμίγνυντο σφίσιν. 8.8.29 Ἤδη δὲ καὶ οἱ ἀμφὶ Γουβάζην καὶ ∆αγισθαῖον πεζοὶ ἐς ἱππεῖς τοὺς σφετέρους ἀφίκοντο καὶ ἡ μάχη 8.8.30 ἐν χερσὶν ἀμφοτέρωθεν ἦν. τότε δὴ Φιλήγαγός τε καὶ Ἰωάννης, ἐλάσσους εἶναι ἢ ἐνεγκεῖν ἐπιοῦσαν τὴν τῶν βαρβάρων ἵππον οἰόμενοι, μάλιστα ἐπεὶ ἀπέγνωσαν τὴν Λαζῶν δύναμιν, ἀπὸ τῶν ἵππων ἀποθορόντες ταὐτὸ ποιεῖν ἀναγκάζουσι Ῥωμαίους τε καὶ Λαζοὺς 8.8.31 ἅπαντας. ἐς φάλαγγά τε ὡς βαθυτάτην ταξάμενοι πεζοὶ μετωπηδὸν ἀντίοι τοῖς πολεμίοις ἔστησαν ἅπαντες, 8.8.32 τὰ δόρατα ἐπανατεινόμενοι σφίσιν. οἱ δὲ βάρβαροι οὐκ ἔχοντες ὅ τι γένωνται (οὔτε γὰρ ἐπιδραμεῖν πεζοῖς γε οὖσι τοῖς ἐναντίοις ἐδύναντο οὔτε αὐτῶν ξυνταράξαι τὴν φάλαγγα οἷοί τε ἦσαν) ἐπεὶ αὐτοῖς οἱ ἵπποι ταῖς τε τῶν δοράτων αἰχμαῖς καὶ τῷ τῶν ἀσπίδων πατάγῳ ἀχθόμενοι ἀνεχαίτιζον, ἐπὶ τὰ τόξα ἔβλεπον ἅπαντες, ἐλπίδι θαρσοῦντες ὡς πλήθει βελῶν ῥᾷστα τοὺς πολεμίους 8.8.33 ἐς φυγὴν τρέψονται. καὶ Ῥωμαῖοι ξὺν Λαζοῖς ἅπασι ταὐτὸ τοῦτο ἐποίουν. ἑκατέρωθέν τε συχνὰ ἐς ἀλλήλους τοξεύματα ᾔει, ἔκ τε ἀμφοτέρων πολλοὶ ἔπιπτον. 8.8.34 Πέρσαι μὲν οὖν καὶ Ἀλανοὶ μάλιστα συνεχῆ τὰ βέλη πολλῷ ἔτι μᾶλλον ἢ οἱ ἐναντίοι ἀφίεσαν. ἀλλ' αὐτῶν τὰ πολλὰ ἐς τὰς ἀσπίδας ξυνέβαινεν ἀποκρούεσθαι. ἐν τούτῳ δὲ τῷ πολέμῳ Χοριάνῃ τῷ Περσῶν 8.8.35 ἄρχοντι βεβλῆσθαι ξυνέβη. ὑφ' ὅτου μέντοι οὗτος ἀνὴρ βληθείη, φανερὸν οὐδενὶ γέγονε· τύχῃ γάρ τινι ἐκ τοῦ ὁμίλου ἰὼν ὁ ἄτρακτος ἔς τε τοῦ ἀνθρώπου τὸν αὐχένα παγεὶς εὐθυωρὸν αὐτὸν διεχρήσατο, ἑνός τε θανάτῳ ἀνδρὸς ἥ τε μάχη ἐκλίθη καὶ πρὸς τοὺς 8.8.36 Ῥωμαίους ἡ νίκη ἐχώρει. ὁ μὲν γὰρ ἐκ τοῦ ἵππου ἐς τὸ ἔδαφος ἐπὶ στόμα πεσὼν ἔκειτο, δρόμῳ δὲ πολλῷ ἐπὶ τὸ χαράκωμα οἱ βάρβαροι ᾔεσαν, οἵ τε Ῥωμαῖοι ξὺν τοῖς Λαζοῖς ἐπισπόμενοι πολλοὺς ἔκτεινον, ἐλπίδα ἔχοντες αἱρήσειν αὐτοβοεὶ τὸ τῶν ἐναντίων στρατό8.8.37 πεδον. ἀλλά τις τῶν Ἀλανῶν ἐς εὐψυχίας πέρι καὶ σώματος ἰσχύος εὖ ἥκων, τοξεύειν τε συχνὰ ἐφ' ἑκάτερα διαφερόντως ἐξεπιστάμενος, ἐς τοῦ χάρακος τὴν εἴσοδον στενοτάτην οὖσαν εἱστήκει, ἐμπόδιός τε 8.8.38 τοῖς ἐπιοῦσι παρὰ δόξαν ἐπὶ πλεῖστον ἐγίνετο. Ἰωάννης δὲ, ὁ τοῦ Θωμᾶ παῖς, μόνος ὡς ἀγχοτάτω παρ' αὐτὸν ἥκων ἐξαπιναίως τὸν ἄνθρωπον δόρατι ἔκτεινεν, οὕτω τε Ῥωμαῖοι καὶ Λαζοὶ τοῦ στρατοπέδου ἐκράτησαν. καὶ τῶν βαρβάρων πλεῖστοι μὲν αὐτοῦ διεφθάρησαν, οἱ δὲ λοιποὶ ἀπεκομίσθησαν ἐς τὰ πάτρια ἤθη, ὡς 8.8.39 ἑκάστῳ δυνατὰ γέγονεν. αὕτη μὲν οὖν ἡ Περσῶν ἐσβολὴ ἐς γῆν τὴν Κολχίδα γενομένη ἐς τοῦτο ἐτελεύτα. καὶ ἄλλη δὲ Περσῶν στρατιὰ τοὺς ἐν Πέτρᾳ φρουροὺς τῷ τε τῶν ἐπιτηδείων πλήθει καὶ πᾶσι τοῖς ἄλλοις ἐπιρρώσαντες ἀνεχώρησαν. 8.9.1 Ἐν τούτῳ δὲ τάδε ξυνηνέχθη γενέσθαι. Λαζοὶ ∆αγισθαῖον ἐς βασιλέα διέβαλλον, ἐς Βυζάντιον ἥκον8.9.2 τες, προδοσίαν τε καὶ μηδισμὸν ἐπιφέροντες. Πέρσαις γὰρ αὐτὸν ἰσχυρίζοντο ἀναπεισθέντα οὐ βεβουλῆσθαι καταπεπτωκότος τοῦ Πέτρας περιβόλου ἐπιβατεῦσαι, τούς τε πολεμίους θυλάκους μεταξὺ ψάμμου ἐμπλησαμένους καὶ αὐτῶν τὰς ἐπιβολὰς ἀντὶ λίθων ποιησαμένους τοῦ περιβόλου ὅσα καταπεπτώκει ταύτῃ κρα8.9.3 τύνασθαι. ἔλεγόν τε ὡς ∆αγισθαῖος, εἴτε χρήμασιν εἴτε ὀλιγωρίᾳ ἐς τοῦτο ἠγμένος, τὴν ἐπίθεσιν ἐς ἕτερόν τινα χρόνον ἀπέθετο, καὶ τοῦ καιροῦ τὴν ἀκμὴν ἐν τῷ παραυτίκα μεθῆκεν, ἧς γε οὐκέτι ἀντιλαβέσθαι 8.9.4 οἷός τε ἐγεγόνει. αὐτὸν οὖν βασιλεὺς ἐν τῷ οἰκήματι καθείρξας ἐτήρει· Βέσσαν δὲ, ἐξ Ἰταλίας οὐ πολλῷ ἔμπροσθεν ἥκοντα, στρατηγὸν Ἀρμενίων καταστησάμενος ἐς Λαζικὴν πέμπει, ἄρχειν ἐπαγγείλας τοῦ ἐν8.9.5 ταῦθα Ῥωμαίων στρατοῦ. οὗ δὴ καὶ Βενῖλος, ὁ Βούζου ἀδελφὸς, ξὺν στρατῷ ἤδη σταλεὶς ἔτυχε καὶ Ὀδόναχός τε καὶ ὁ Βάβας ἐκ Θρᾴκης καὶ Οὐλίγαγος Ἔρουλος 8.9.6 γένος. ὅ τε Ναβέδης ἐσβαλὼν ἐς Λαζικὴν στρατῷ ἄλλο μέν τι λόγου ἄξιον οὐδὲν ἔδρασεν, Ἀβασγοῖς δὲ ἀποστᾶσιν ἀπό τε Ῥωμαίων καὶ Λαζῶν ἐπιχωριάσας τῇ στρατιᾷ ταύτῃ, παῖδας τῶν ἐν σφίσι λογίμων ἑξή8.9.7 κοντα ἐν ὁμήρων λόγῳ πρὸς αὐτῶν ἔλαβε. τότε δὲ ποιούμενος ὁ