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their country became subject to the Romans. And he found the treasures of Decebalus, although their discovery was a difficult matter. For the barbarian, having diverted a river which flowed past his palace, dug the ground over which the water used to run to a great depth, and having deposited in the excavation a great deal of gold, and more of silver, and other precious things which are not naturally destroyed by moisture, he both paved the ground there with slabs and brought earth upon them, and so turned the water back again into its original channel; and he also stored many things in a cave. And he did these things with no one else present except the captives who were laboring on these tasks; and after the hiding, he killed the captives, so that they would not make known what had been done by them. But a certain companion of Decebalus, who knew about the hidden treasures, pointed them out. And loving Licinius Sura, a rich man, and being loved by him, when some slandered the 3.68 man as plotting against him, he went uninvited to him for dinner, and having sent away his bodyguards, he summoned Sura’s physician, and through him had his eyes treated, and through that man’s barber had his beard shaved; then he also bathed and dined. And on the next day he said to those who slandered Sura, "If Sura had wanted to kill me, nothing would have prevented the man from doing this yesterday." Moreover, when appointing a prefect of the bodyguards, and handing him the sword which it was his duty to gird on, he said, "Take this, and if I rule well, use it for me, but if badly, against me." And he also made storehouses for books. And after these things he campaigned against the Parthians and Armenians, because the Armenian did not receive the diadem from him, but from the king of the Parthians. But this was a pretext; the whole thing was ambition and a love of glory. So he subdued Armenia. And the senate voted many things for him, and among the other things also named him Optimus, which, when translated into Greek, means best, and then also gave him the surname Parthicus. But he prided himself more than on the others on the title of Optimus, because it indicated his character. And when a most violent earthquake occurred during his reign, other cities also suffered, but Antioch on the Orontes suffered more than the others. at which time Trajan himself, who was staying there, would have been in grave danger; he was, however, struck by the collapse of the house in which he was living. And a multitude greater than can be numbered was buried by the collapses. And some, 3.69 being crushed by the weight of the falling things, perished, while others, being saved in certain voids that happened to occur as the materials collapsed in this way, but not being strong enough to get out from there, were perishing from hunger; for the shaking of the earth prevailed for many days. And now, when the disaster had ceased, someone, taking courage, went up on the ruins and heard a woman shouting from below. So having dug her out, they rescued the woman, carrying a nursing infant, whom she was feeding with her milk, but indeed also herself. After this they also dug up the rest; but they found no one alive except for one child, but many who had perished from hunger. And when spring arrived, Trajan again advanced against the Parthians; and he took possession of all of Adiabene, which is part of Assyria around Ninus, and of Gaugamela and Arbela, where Alexander conquered Darius; and he advanced as far as Babylon itself. And he also crossed the Tigris and entered Ctesiphon. He desired, however, also to sail into the Red Sea, which is said to be a part of the Ocean, and is so called from someone who ruled in it. And he was thinking of the Indians, and would say, "If I were still young, I would have crossed over to them also." But in the time when he was sailing down to the Ocean and putting to sea again, all the places that had previously been captured were afflicted with rebellion. And he, fearing that the Parthians might also do the same, appointed a king of their own race for them, placing the diadem on him himself. Then, since the Arabs had also revolted, he set out against them; and having accomplished nothing, he would have been almost wounded;

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χώρα σφῶν ̔Ρωμαίοις ὑπήκοος γέγονε. καὶ τοὺς θησαυροὺς δ' ευρε τοὺς ∆εκεβάλου, καίτοι δυσχεροῦς ουσης τῆς τούτων εὑρέσεως. ποταμὸν γάρ, ος τοῖς βασιλείοις αὐτοῦ παρέρρει, μετοχετεύσας ὁ βάρβαρος, τὴν γῆν ἐφ' ης διῄει τὸ υδωρ ωρυξεν εἰς βάθος πολύ, καὶ πλεῖστον μὲν χρυσόν, πλείω δὲ αργυρον, καὶ αλλα τῶν τιμίων οσα μὴ πέφυκεν ἐξ ὑγρότητος φθείρεσθαι, καταθέμενος τῷ ὀρύγματι, πλαξί τε κατέστρωσε τὴν ἐκεῖ γῆν καὶ χοῦν ταύταις ἐπήνεγκε, καὶ ουτως αυθις τὸ υδωρ εἰς τὴν πρώτην μετέστρεψε δίοδον· καὶ ἐς σπήλαιον δὲ πολλὰ ἐναπέθετο. ταῦτα δ' ἐποίει μή τινος αλλου παρόντος η αἰχμαλώτων οι περὶ ταῦτα ἐπόνουν· καὶ μετὰ τὴν κατάκρυψιν τοὺς αἰχμαλώτους ἐκτίννυεν, ινα μὴ εκφορα τὰ παρ' αὐτῶν γεγονότα ποιήσωσιν. εις δέ τις ἑταῖρος τοῦ ∆εκεβάλου συνειδὼς τὰ τεθησαυρισμένα ὑπέδειξεν αὐτά. Τὸν δὲ Λικίνιον Σούραν πλούσιον ανδρα φιλῶν, καὶ ὑπ' ἐκείνου φιλούμενος, διαβαλόντων τινῶν τὸν 3.68 ανθρωπον ὡς ἐπιβουλεύοντα αὐτῷ, ακλητος πρὸς ἐκεῖνον ἐπὶ δεῖπνον ἀπῆλθε, καὶ τοὺς δορυφόρους ἀποπέμψας τὸν ἰατρὸν τοῦ Σούρα ἐκάλεσε, καὶ δι' ἐκείνου τοὺς ὀφθαλμούς, διὰ δὲ τοῦ κουρέως ἐκείνου τὴν ὑπήνην ἐξύρατο· ειτα καὶ ἐλούσατο καὶ ἐδείπνησε. καὶ τοῖς τὸν Σούραν διαβάλλουσιν εφη τῇ ὑστεραίᾳ "εἰ ηθελέ με Σούρας ἀποκτεῖναι, οὐδὲν ἐκώλυε τὸν ανδρα χθὲς τοῦτο ποιῆσαι." Επαρχον μέντοι τῶν δορυφόρων προχειριζόμενος, καὶ ὀρέγων αὐτῷ τὸ ξίφος ο παραζώννυσθαι αὐτὸν ἐχρῆν, "λάβε τοῦτο" εφη, "καὶ εἰ μὲν αρχω καλῶς, ὑπὲρ ἐμοῦ τούτῳ χρῆσαι, εἰ δὲ κακῶς, κατ' ἐμοῦ." ἐποίησε δὲ καὶ βιβλίων ἀποθήκας. καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα κατὰ Πάρθων καὶ ̓Αρμενίων ἐστράτευσεν, οτι τὸ διάδημα ὁ ̓Αρμένιος οὐχ ὑπ' αὐτοῦ ελαβεν, ἀλλὰ παρὰ τοῦ Πάρθων βασιλέως. ην δὲ σκῆψις τοῦτο, τὸ δ' ολον φιλοτιμία καὶ δόξης ερως. ἐχειρώσατο ουν τὴν ̓Αρμενίαν. καὶ αὐτῷ ἡ βουλὴ πολλὰ ἐψηφίσατο, πρὸς δὲ τοῖς αλλοις καὶ Οπτιμον ἐπωνόμασεν, αριστον δὲ τοῦτο δηλοῖ ἐξελληνιζόμενον, ειτα καὶ Παρθικὸν αὐτῷ ἐπίκλησιν εθετο. ὁ δὲ μᾶλλον τῶν αλλων τῇ τοῦ ̓Οπτίμου προσηγορίᾳ ην σεμνυνόμενος, οτι τοὺς τρόπους ὑπεδήλου αὐτοῦ. Σεισμοῦ δὲ ἐπὶ τῆς αὐταρχίας αὐτοῦ σφοδροτάτου συμβάντος, καὶ αλλαι μὲν επαθον πόλεις, μᾶλλον δὲ τῶν αλλων ἡ πρὸς τῷ ̓Ορόντῃ πέπονθεν ̓Αντιόχεια. οτε καὶ αὐτὸς ὁ Τραιανὸς ἐκεῖ διατρίβων μικροῦ κεκινδύνευκεν αν· ἐπλήγη δὲ τέως ἐκ τοῦ τῆς οἰκίας, ἐν ῃ διῆγε, συμπτώματος. ἀριθμοῦ δὲ κρεῖττον πλῆθος συγκέχωστο τοῖς συμπτώμασι. καὶ οἱ 3.69 μὲν συντριβόμενοι τῷ βάρει τῶν καταπιπτόντων ἀπώλλυντο, οἱ δὲ ἐν διακένοις τισὶ τυχαίως συμβαίνουσιν, ουτω τῶν ὑλῶν συμπιπτουσῶν, διασωζόμενοι, ἐξελθεῖν δ' ἐκεῖθεν οὐκ ἰσχύοντες, λιμῷ διεφθείροντο· ἐπεκράτει γὰρ ὁ κλόνος τῆς γῆς ἐφ' ἡμέρας πολλάς. ηδη δὲ παυσαμένης τῆς συμφορᾶς ἐπέβη τις ἀναθαρσήσας τῶν ἐρειπίων, καὶ ηκουσε βοώσης κάτωθεν γυναικός. ἀνορύξαντες ουν τὴν ανθρωπον ἀνεσώσαντο, καὶ παιδίον φέρουσαν ὑπομάζιον, ο τῷ γάλακτι ετρεφεν, ἀλλὰ μέντοι καὶ ἑαυτήν. ἐκ τούτου καὶ τὰ λοιπὰ ἀνεχώννυον· ἀλλ' οὐχ ευρον ζῶντάς τινας πλὴν παιδίου ἑνός, τῷ λιμῷ δὲ φθαρέντας πολλούς. Εαρος δ' ἐπιστάντος κατὰ τῶν Πάρθων αυθις ἐχώρησεν ὁ Τραιανός· καὶ τῆς τε ̓Αδιαβηνῆς ἁπάσης ἐκράτησεν, η μέρος ἐστὶ τῆς ̓Ασσυρίας τῆς περὶ Νίνον, καὶ τῶν Γαυγαμήλων καὶ τῶν ̓Αρβήλων, παρ' οις ̓Αλέξανδρος τὸν ∆αρεῖον ἐνίκησε· καὶ μέχρι τῆς Βαβυλῶνος προῆλθεν αὐτῆς. ἐπεραιώθη δὲ καὶ τὸν Τίγριν καὶ εἰς τὴν Κτησιφῶντα εἰσῆλθεν. ἱμείρετο μέντοι καὶ τὴν Ἐρυθρὰν εἰσπλεῦσαι θάλασσαν, η μοῖρα μὲν τοῦ ̓Ωκεανοῦ λέγεται, κέκληται δ' ουτως ἀπό τινος ἐν αὐτῇ δυναστεύσαντος. ἐνενόει δὲ καὶ ̓Ινδούς, καὶ ελεγεν ὡς "εἰ νέος ετι ην, καὶ ἐπ' αὐτοὺς αν ἐπεραιώθην." ἐν ῳ δὲ χρόνῳ ἐπὶ τὸν ̓Ωκεανὸν κατέπλει καὶ αυθις ἀνήγετο, οσα ἑάλωσαν πρότερον ἀποστασίαν ἐνόσησαν. ὁ δὲ δείσας μὴ καὶ οἱ Πάρθοι τὸ αὐτὸ δράσωσιν, ὁμογενῆ σφίσι βασιλέα προεχειρίσατο, αὐτὸς αὐτῷ τὸ διάδημα ἐπιθέμενος. ειτα καὶ τῶν ̓Αράβων ἀφεστηκότων ωρμησε κατ' αὐτῶν· καὶ μηδὲν ἀνύσας ὀλίγου δεῖν ἐτρώθη αν·