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they were no longer able to discern the difficult terrain for themselves 8.9.24 nor how to proceed easily from there. But the Romans, following them on both sides and overtaking them, killed many. And arriving at a run with the fugitives at the fort, they happen upon the gate on this side still open. For the guards were in no way able to shut the doors, 8.9.25 but were still admitting the fugitives. And with the fugitives having mixed with their pursuers, they all rushed for the gates, some with the desire to be saved, 8.9.26 others to take the fort. Finding the gates open, therefore, they rushed into them together. For the gatekeepers were able neither to distinguish the Abasgians from the enemy, nor to shut the gates as the crowd forced its way through. 8.9.27 And the Abasgians, having gladly gotten inside the enclosure, were captured along with the fort, while the Romans, thinking they had mastered the enemy, 8.9.28 encountered a more difficult struggle there. For since the houses were numerous and not very far apart from one another, but also fenced in together on all sides in the manner of a wall, the Abasgians, climbing onto them and defending themselves with all their might, were throwing missiles down on the enemy from above, driven by toil and fear and pity for their children and wives and by the hopelessness of their situation, until 8.9.29 it came into the minds of the Romans to set fire to the houses. So, having lit a fire against them from all sides, they completely won this contest. Opsites, then, the ruler of the Abasgians, managed to flee with a few men, and he withdrew to the neighboring Huns and the Caucasus mountain. 8.9.30 As for the others, it befell them either to be burned to ashes along with their houses, or to fall into the hands of the enemy. 8.9.31 And the Romans took captive also the wives of the rulers with all their offspring, and they razed the wall of the fort to the ground and laid waste to most of the country. Thus, then, for the Abasgians the affair of the revolt ended in this way, but among the Apsilians the following events took place. 8.10.1 The Apsilians happen to be subjects of the Lazi from of old. And there is a certain fortress in this country, a very strong one, which the natives call Tzibile. 8.10.2 But a certain man of note among the Lazi, Terdetes by name, who held the office of the so-called magister in this nation, having clashed with Gubazes, the king of the Lazi, and being hostile toward him, secretly agreed with the Persians to surrender this very fortress, 8.10.3 and bringing in a Persian army for this deed he went to Apsilia. And when they came very near the fortress, he himself went ahead with his Lazic followers and got inside the enclosure, since those who held the garrison there were in no way able to distrust the Lazic commander, being held by no suspicion toward him. And thus Terdetes received the Persian 8.10.4 army when it arrived at the fortress. And from that moment the Medes thought that not only Lazica, but also Apsilia was then held by them. But neither the Romans nor the Lazi, being pressed by their preoccupation with Petra and the Median army, were able to assist the Apsilians. 8.10.5 Now the commander of the garrison there had a certain wife, an Apsilian by birth, most comely in appearance. The commander of the Persian army, having suddenly fallen extraordinarily in love with this woman, at first began to make advances, then, since he was getting nowhere with the woman, 8.10.6 he attempted without any delay to violate her. Enraged by these things, the woman's husband killed him at night and all those who had entered the fortress with him, who had become casualties of the commander's lust, and he himself took possession of the fortress. And the Apsilians revolted from the Colchians for this reason, alleging that they had in no way been willing to take notice of them when they were being abused by the Persians. 8.10.7 But Gubazes sent a thousand Romans and John the son of Thomas, whom I recently mentioned, against them; who, by greatly pacifying them, was able to win them over without a fight and made them subjects of the Lazi once more. So the affairs concerning both the Apsilians and the fortress of Tzibile proceeded in this way. 8.10.8 About this time it happened that Chosroes not even the

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σφίσι δυσχωρίαν ἔτι διαγινώσκειν ἐδύναντο 8.9.24 οὔτε πη εὐπετῶς ἐνθένδε ἰέναι. Ῥωμαῖοι δὲ αὐτοῖς ἑκατέρωθεν ἐπισπόμενοί τε καὶ καταλαβόντες πολλοὺς ἔκτειναν. δρόμῳ τε ξὺν τοῖς φεύγουσιν ἐς τὸ φρούριον ἀφικόμενοι ἀνακεκλιμένης ἔτι ἐπιτυγχάνουσι τῆς ταύτῃ πυλίδος. οἱ γὰρ φύλακες ἐπιθεῖναι τὰς θύρας 8.9.25 οὐδαμῆ εἶχον, ἀλλὰ τοὺς φεύγοντας ἔτι ἐδέχοντο. τῶν τε φυγόντων τοῖς διώκουσιν ἀναμιχθέντων ἐπὶ τὰς πύλας ἵενται ἅπαντες, οἱ μὲν ἐπιθυμίᾳ τοῦ σώζεσθαι, 8.9.26 οἱ δὲ τοῦ τὸ φρούριον ἐξελεῖν. ἀνακεκλιμένας οὖν τὰς πύλας εὑρόντες συνεισέβαλον ἐς ταύτας ἀλλήλοις. οἱ γὰρ πυλωροὶ οὔτε διακρίνειν ἀπὸ τῶν πολεμίων τοὺς Ἀβασγοὺς εἶχον οὔτε τὰς πύλας ὑπερβιαζομένου 8.9.27 τοῦ ὁμίλου ἐπιτιθέναι. καὶ οἱ μὲν Ἀβασγοὶ ἄσμενοι ἐντὸς τοῦ περιβόλου γενόμενοι ξὺν τῷ φρουρίῳ ἡλίσκοντο, Ῥωμαῖοι δὲ τῶν ἐναντίων κεκρατηκέναι οἰό8.9.28 μενοι πόνῳ δυσκολωτέρῳ ἐνταῦθα ὡμίλουν. τῶν γὰρ οἰκιῶν συχνῶν τε οὐσῶν καὶ οὐ λίαν διεχουσῶν ἀλλήλων, ἀλλὰ καὶ τρόπον τείχους πανταχόθεν συμπεφραγμένων, Ἀβασγοὶ ἐς αὐτὰς ἀναβάντες καὶ σθένει παντὶ ἀμυνόμενοι, τοὺς πολεμίους κατὰ κορυφὴν ἔβαλλον, πόνῳ καὶ φόβῳ καὶ τῷ ἐς παῖδάς τε καὶ γυναῖκας ἐλέῳ καὶ τῇ ἐνθένδε ἀπορίᾳ ἐχόμενοι, ἕως 8.9.29 Ῥωμαίοις ἐμπρῆσαι τὰς οἰκίας ἐς ἔννοιαν ἦλθε. πῦρ τοίνυν αὐταῖς πανταχόθεν ἀνάψαντες τοῦ ἀγῶνος παντάπασι τούτου ἐκράτησαν. Ὀψίτης μὲν οὖν, ὁ τῶν Ἀβασγῶν ἄρχων, ξὺν ὀλίγοις τισὶ φυγεῖν ἴσχυσεν, ἔς τε Οὔννους τοὺς πλησιοχώρους καὶ ὄρος τὸ Καυκάσιον 8.9.30 ἀνεχώρησε. τοῖς δὲ δὴ ἄλλοις ἢ ξὺν ταῖς οἰκίαις ἐξηνθρακωμένοις τετεφρῶσθαι ξυνέβη, ἢ ὑπὸ ταῖς τῶν 8.9.31 πολεμίων γεγονέναι χερσίν. ἐζώγρησαν δὲ Ῥωμαῖοι 8.9.31 καὶ τὰς τῶν ἀρχόντων γυναῖκας ξὺν γόνῳ παντὶ, τοῦ τε φρουρίου τὸν περίβολον ἐς ἔδαφος καθεῖλον καὶ τὴν χώραν ἔρημον κατεστήσαντο ἐκ τοῦ ἐπὶ πλεῖστον. Ἀβασγοῖς μὲν οὖν τὰ τῆς ἀποστάσεως ἐς τοῦτο ἐτελεύτα, ἐν δὲ Ἀψιλίοις ἐγένετο τάδε. 8.10.1 Ἀψίλιοι μὲν ἐκ παλαιοῦ κατήκοοι Λαζῶν τυγχάνουσιν ὄντες. ἔστι δέ τι φρούριον ἐν ταύτῃ τῇ χώρᾳ ἐχυρὸν μάλιστα, Τζιβιλὴν αὐτὸ καλοῦσιν οἱ ἐπιχώριοι. 8.10.2 τῶν δέ τις ἐν Λαζοῖς λογίμων, Τερδέτης ὄνομα, ὅσπερ εἶχε τὴν τοῦ καλουμένου μαγίστρου ἀρχὴν ἐν τούτῳ τῷ ἔθνει, Γουβάζῃ τῷ τῶν Λαζῶν βασιλεῖ προσκεκρουκώς τε καὶ χαλεπῶς ἔχων, Πέρσαις ὡμολόγησε λάθρα τοῦτο δὴ ἐνδώσειν τὸ φρούριον, στράτευμά τε Περσῶν 8.10.3 ἐπαγόμενος ἐπὶ ταύτῃ τῇ πράξει ἐς Ἀψιλίαν ᾔει. καὶ ἐπεὶ ἄγχιστα τοῦ φρουρίου ἐγένοντο, προτερήσας αὐτὸς ξὺν τοῖς ἑπομένοις οἱ Λαζοῖς ἐντὸς τοῦ περιβόλου ἐγένετο, ἐπεὶ οἱ τὸ φυλακτήριον ταύτῃ ἔχοντες ἀπιστεῖν τῷ Λαζῶν ἄρχοντι οὐδαμῆ εἶχον, οὐδεμιᾷ ἐς αὐτὸν ὑποψίᾳ ἐχόμενοι. οὕτω τε ἀφικόμενον τὸ Περ8.10.4 σῶν στράτευμα τῷ φρουρίῳ ὁ Τερδέτης ἐδέξατο. καὶ ἀπ' αὐτοῦ Μῆδοι οὐ Λαζικὴν μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ Ἀψιλίαν ἔχεσθαι τότε πρὸς αὐτῶν ᾤοντο. οὔτε δὲ Ῥωμαῖοι οὔτε Λαζοὶ ἀσχολίᾳ τῇ ἀμφὶ Πέτρᾳ τε καὶ τῷ Μήδων στρατῷ πιεζόμενοι Ἀψιλίοις ἐπαμύνειν ἔσχον. 8.10.5 ἦν δέ τις γυνὴ τῷ ἄρχοντι τοῦ ἐνταῦθα φυλακτηρίου, Ἀψιλία γένος, τὴν ὄψιν εὐπρεπὴς μάλιστα. ταύτης δὴ τῆς γυναικὸς ἐκτόπως ἐρασθεὶς ἐξαπιναίως ὁ τοῦ Περσῶν στρατεύματος ἄρχων τὰ μὲν πρῶτα πειρᾶν ἤρξατο, ἔπειτα δὲ, ἐπεί οἱ πρὸς τῆς γυναικὸς οὐδὲν προὐχώρει, 8.10.6 βιάζεσθαι μελλήσει αὐτὴν οὐδεμιᾷ ἐνεχείρησεν. οἷς δὴ ὀξυθυμωθεὶς ὁ τῆς γυναικὸς ἀνὴρ, αὐτόν τε νύκτωρ καὶ τοὺς ξὺν αὐτῷ ἐς τὸ φρούριον εἰσεληλυθότας ἅπαντας ἔκτεινε, παρανάλωμα τῆς τοῦ ἄρχοντος ἐπιθυμίας γεγενημένους, καὶ τὸ φρούριον ἔσχεν αὐτός. Ἀψίλιοί τε Κόλχων διὰ τοῦτο ἀπέστησαν, ἐπικαλοῦντες ὅτι δὴ σφᾶς πρὸς Περσῶν κακουμένους προσποιεῖσθαι 8.10.7 οὐδαμῆ ἤθελον. ἀλλὰ Γουβάζης Ῥωμαίων χιλίους καὶ Ἰωάννην τὸν Θωμᾶ υἱὸν, οὗπερ ἔναγχος ἐπεμνήσθην, ἐπ' αὐτοὺς ἔπεμψεν· ὅσπερ αὐτοὺς πολλὰ τιθασσεύων ἐπαγαγέσθαι ἀμαχητὶ ἔσχε καὶ Λαζῶν κατηκόους κατεστήσατο αὖθις. τὰ μὲν οὖν ἀμφί τε Ἀψιλίοις καὶ Τζιβιλῇ τῷ φρουρίῳ τῇδε ἐχώρησεν. 8.10.8 Ὑπὸ τοῦτον δὲ τὸν χρόνον Χοσρόῃ ξυνέβη μηδὲ τὸν