364

they had by no device. 8.14.32 So indeed the Romans, striking them repeatedly, were destroying them. And it happened then that one of the elephants, being wounded, as some say, or thrown into confusion by chance, both turned about in no order and reared up, throwing off its riders, and 8.14.33 breaking the formation of the others. And from this the barbarians began to retreat, while the Romans destroyed those in their path ever 8.14.34 more fearlessly. And one might justly wonder here, if the Romans, though knowing full well how they ought to beat back the enemy's attack with the elephants, did none of the necessary things, being clearly thrown into confusion by the present situation, but such a thing happened to them by chance. And what this is, I shall immediately make clear. 8.14.35 When Chosroes and the Median army were besieging the circuit-wall of Edessa, one of the elephants, with a large group of the most warlike among the Persians mounted on it, came near the wall and it was expected that in a short time, by overpowering the defenders from the tower there, who were being hit repeatedly from above, 8.14.36 it would capture the city. For such a device seemed to be a kind of city-taker. But the Romans, by suspending a pig from the tower, escaped this 8.14.37 danger. For the pig, being suspended, as was natural, let out from there a certain squeal, at which the elephant, being distressed, reared up and, gradually retreating, went backwards. 8.14.38 That, then, proceeded in this way. But now fortune was fulfilling what had been neglected by the carelessness of the Romans. But since I have mentioned Edessa, I will not be silent about the portent that occurred there 8.14.39 before this war. For when Chosroes was about to break the so-called endless treaty, a certain woman in the city was bearing an infant that was for the most part reasonably human in form, but had two heads. 8.14.40 And this indeed has become clear from the events that have transpired. For Edessa and almost all the East and, toward the north wind, the great part of the Roman dominion became contested by two kings. These things, then, came about in this way. But I shall return to the point from which I digressed. 8.14.41 And with the confusion thus falling upon the Median army, as many of them as were drawn up in the rear, seeing the confusion of those in front, but having by no means learned what had happened, became terrified, and turned to a 8.14.42 withdrawal with great disorder. And the Dolomitae, suffering this same thing (for fighting from the higher ground on the right they saw everything that was being done), fled a shameful 8.14.43 flight, and the rout became brilliant. And four thousand of the barbarians fell there, among whom happened to be three of their commanders, and the Romans captured four of the Persian standards, which they immediately sent to the emperor 8.14.44 in Byzantium. And they say that not fewer than twenty thousand of their horses perished, not from being shot or wounded by the enemy, but having traveled a long road, and having been acquainted with great fatigue on it, and having come to satiety of provisions least of all, since they were in Lazica, they thus perished, being pressed by much hunger and weakness. 8.14.45 But Mermeroes, having failed in this attempt, withdrew with his whole army to Mocheresis, since having also failed at Archaeopolis, the Persians held control of the rest of 8.14.46 Lazica for the most part. Mocheresis is a day's journey distant from Archaeopolis, having many and populous villages. And this is especially the best land of Colchis; since both wine and the other good fruits grow there, although 8.14.47 the rest of Lazica is not like this. A river flows by this country, Rheon by name, where indeed the Colchians had built a fort from of old, most of which they themselves later razed to the ground, since, lying on a very exposed plain, it seemed to them to be easy to 8.14.48 attack. The fort was then called Cotiaïon in the Greek tongue, but now the Lazi call it Cotais, through ignorance of the language corrupting the harmony of the name. Arrian has recorded these things 8.14.49 thus. But others say that the place was a city in ancient times and Coitaeum

364

μηχανῇ οὐδεμιᾷ 8.14.32 εἶχον. οὕτω δὴ κόπτοντες Ῥωμαῖοι ἐπιστροφάδην αὐτοὺς διεχρῶντο. ξυνέβη δὲ τότε καὶ τῶν ἐλεφάντων ἕνα πληγέντα, ὡς ἔνιοί φασιν, ἢ ἀπὸ ταὐτομάτου ξυνταραχθέντα, περιστρέφεσθαί τε οὐδενὶ κόσμῳ καὶ ἀναχαιτίζειν, καὶ τοὺς μὲν ἐπιβάτας ῥίπτειν, τῶν δὲ 8.14.33 δὴ ἄλλων τὴν τάξιν ἐκλύειν. καὶ ἀπ' αὐτοῦ οἱ μὲν βάρβαροι ἀνεπόδιζον, Ῥωμαῖοι δὲ ἀδεέστερον τοὺς ἐν 8.14.34 ποσὶν ἀεὶ διεχρῶντο. θαυμάσειε δ' ἄν τις ἐνταῦθα δικαίως, εἰ Ῥωμαῖοι μὲν, ἐξεπιστάμενοι καθ' ὅ τι χρὴ ἀποκρούσασθαι τῶν πολεμίων τὴν διὰ τῶν ἐλεφάντων ἐπίθεσιν, τῶν δεόντων οὐδὲν ἔδρασαν, τοῖς παροῦσι δηλονότι ξυνταραχθέντες, ἀπὸ ταὐτομάτου δὲ τὸ τοιοῦτον σφίσι ξυνηνέχθη γενέσθαι. ὅ τι δὲ τοῦτό ἐστιν, αὐτίκα δηλώσω. 8.14.35 Ἡνίκα Χοσρόης τε καὶ ὁ Μήδων στρατὸς ἐτειχο8.14.35 μάχουν ἀμφὶ τὸν Ἐδέσσης περίβολον, τῶν τις ἐλεφάντων, ἐπιβεβηκότος οἱ ὁμίλου πολλοῦ τῶν ἐν Πέρσαις μαχιμωτάτων, ἀγχοῦ τοῦ περιβόλου γενόμενος ἐπίδοξος ἦν ὅτι δὴ δι' ὀλίγου βιασάμενος τοὺς ἀπὸ τοῦ ἐκείνῃ πύργου ἀμυνομένους ἅτε κατὰ κορυφὴν συχνὰ 8.14.36 βαλλομένους τὴν πόλιν αἱρήσει. ἐδόκει γάρ τις μηχανὴ τὸ τοιοῦτον ἑλέπολις εἶναι. ἀλλὰ Ῥωμαῖοι χοῖρον ἐκ τοῦ πύργου ἐπικρεμάσαντες τὸν κίνδυνον τοῦτον 8.14.37 διέφυγον. κραυγμὸν γάρ τινα, ὢν, ὡς τὸ εἰκὸς, ἠρτημένος, ὁ χοῖρος ἐνθένδε ἠφίει, ὅνπερ ὁ ἐλέφας ἀχθόμενος ἀνεχαίτιζε καὶ κατὰ βραχὺ ἀναποδίζων ὀπίσω ἐχώρει. 8.14.38 ἐκεῖνο μὲν οὖν ταύτῃ ἐχώρησε. νῦν δὲ τὸ παρειμένον τῇ Ῥωμαίων ὀλιγωρίᾳ ἡ τύχη ἐπλήρου. ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ Ἐδέσσης ἐμνήσθην, οὐ σιωπήσομαι τὸ ἐκείνῃ τέρας 8.14.39 πρὸ τοῦδε τοῦ πολέμου ξυνενεχθέν. ἡνίκα γὰρ ὁ Χοσρόης λύειν ἔμελλε τὰς ἀπεράντους καλουμένας σπονδὰς, γυνή τις ἐν πόλει βρέφος ἐκύει τὰ μὲν ἄλλα ἐπιεικῶς ἀνθρωπόμορφον, δύο δέ τοι κεφαλὰς ἔχον. 8.14.40 ὃ δὴ τοῖς ἀποβεβηκόσι φανερὸν γέγονεν. Ἔδεσσά τε γὰρ καὶ ἡ ἑῴα σχεδόν τι πᾶσα καὶ πρὸς βορρᾶν ἄνεμον ἡ πολλὴ Ῥωμαίων ἀρχὴ βασιλεῦσι περιμάχητος δυοῖν γέγονε. ταῦτα μὲν οὖν τῇδε ξυνέπεσεν. ἐγὼ δὲ ὅθενπερ ἐξέβην ἐπάνειμι. 8.14.41 Τῆς δὲ ταραχῆς οὕτως ἐπιπεσούσης τῷ Μήδων στρατῷ, ὅσοι δὴ αὐτῶν ὄπισθεν ἐτετάχατο, τὴν μὲν ταραχὴν τῶν ἔμπροσθεν ὄντων θεώμενοι, τὸ δὲ ξυμβεβηκὸς οὐδαμῆ πεπυσμένοι, κατωρρώδησαν, ἔς τε ὑπα8.14.42 γωγὴν ξὺν πολλῇ ἀκοσμίᾳ ἐτράποντο. ταὐτὸ δὲ τοῦτο καὶ οἱ ∆ολομῖται παθόντες (ἐξ ὑπερδεξίων γὰρ μαχόμενοι τὰ ποιούμενα πάντα ἑώρων) αἰσχράν τινα φυγὴν 8.14.43 ἔφευγον, ἥ τε τροπὴ λαμπρὰ ἐγεγόνει. καὶ τετρακισχίλιοι μὲν τῶν βαρβάρων αὐτοῦ ἔπεσον, ἐν τοῖς καὶ τῶν ἀρχόντων τρεῖς τετύχηκεν εἶναι, τέσσαρα δὲ τῶν Περσικῶν σημείων Ῥωμαῖοι εἷλον, ἅπερ εὐθὺς ἐς Βυ8.14.44 ζάντιον βασιλεῖ ἔπεμψαν. ἵππους δέ φασιν αὐτῶν οὐχ ἥσσους ἢ ἐς δισμυρίους ἀπολωλέναι, οὐ βληθέντας οὐδὲ πληγέντας πρὸς τῶν πολεμίων, ἀλλὰ μακρὰν μὲν ὁδὸν πορευθέντας, κόπῳ δὲ ὡμιληκότας ἐν ταύτῃ πολλῷ, τροφῶν δὲ, ἐπεὶ ἐν Λαζικῇ ἐγένοντο, ὡς ἥκιστα ἐς κόρον ἐλθόντας, οὕτω τε λιμῷ καὶ ἀσθενείᾳ πιεζομένους πολλῇ διεφθάρθαι. 8.14.45 Ταύτης δὲ τῆς πείρας ὁ Μερμερόης ἀποτυχὼν παντὶ τῷ στρατῷ ἐς Μοχήρησιν ἀπεχώρησεν, ἐπεὶ καὶ Ἀρχαιοπόλεως ἀποτυχόντες, Λαζικῆς τῆς ἄλλης τὴν ἐπικράτη8.14.46 σιν ἐκ τοῦ ἐπὶ πλεῖστον οἱ Πέρσαι εἶχον. Ἀρχαιοπόλεως δὲ ἡ Μοχήρησις ἡμέρας μιᾶς ὁδῷ ἀπέχει, πολλὰς καὶ πολυανθρώπους κώμας ἔχουσα. καὶ γῆς τῆς Κολχίδος αὕτη μάλιστα ἡ ἀρίστη ἐστίν· ἐπεὶ καὶ οἶνος ἐνταῦθα καὶ οἱ ἄλλοι καρποὶ ἀγαθοὶ φύονται, καίτοι 8.14.47 τά γε ἄλλα τῆς Λαζικῆς οὐ ταύτῃ ἔχει. ταύτην παραρρεῖ τὴν χώραν ποταμὸς, Ῥέων ὄνομα, οὗ δὴ καὶ φρούριον ᾠκοδομήσαντο ἐκ παλαιοῦ Κόλχοι, οὗπερ ὕστερον αὐτοὶ τὸ πλεῖστον ἐς ἔδαφος καθεῖλον, ἐπεὶ ἐν πεδίῳ κείμενον ἐσάγαν ὑπτίῳ εὐέφοδον σφίσιν 8.14.48 ἔδοξεν εἶναι. Κοτιάϊον δὲ τότε τὸ φρούριον ὠνομάζετο τῇ Ἑλλήνων φωνῇ, νῦν μέντοι Κόταϊς αὐτὸ καλοῦσι Λαζοὶ τῇ τῆς φωνῆς ἀγνοίᾳ τὴν τοῦ ὀνόματος διαφθείροντες ἁρμονίαν. ταῦτα μὲν Ἀριανὸς οὕτως 8.14.49 ἱστόρησεν. ἕτεροι δέ φασι πόλιν τε γεγονέναι ἐν τοῖς ἄνω χρόνοις τὸ χωρίον καὶ Κοίταιον