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The Romans found even women lying among the slain, dressed in men's clothing and having fought against the Romans alongside the men. 2.407 Since, however, the war was going badly for the barbarians and there was no hope of an alliance anywhere (for their kinsmen were far away, and the neighboring barbarian nations, fearing the Romans, refused to help; their provisions had also failed them, and it was impossible to bring any in from anywhere, as the Roman fleet was carefully guarding the banks of the river; and for the Romans, on the other hand, all good things flowed in each day as if from some abundant spring, and cavalry and infantry forces were continually being added; and it was not even possible for them to embark on their own light vessels and escape, since the ways out, as we have said, were being carefully guarded) having held a council, some advised to steal away their withdrawal by night, while others advised to ask for pledges and assurances from the Romans, since withdrawal was not otherwise possible, and thus to depart for their own lands. And while others gave advice as the occasion suggested to each, and all desired to end the war once and for all, Sviatoslav urged them rather to fight the Romans one more time, and either to fight well and become masters of their opponents, or, if defeated, to choose a glorious and blessed death over a most shameful and disgraceful life; for life would be unlivable for them if they secured their safety by flight, if they were to become objects of contempt to the neighboring nations, which before had feared them greatly. The counsel of Sviatoslav was pleasing, and they all resolved to undertake the final danger for their lives 2.408 with all their forces. So on the next day, they came out of the city in full force, and locked the gates, so that it would not be possible for anyone who turned back to be saved by reaching the city, and they engaged the Romans. And when a fierce struggle began and the barbarians fought courageously, the Romans, being scorched by the sun and suffering from thirst as men in full armor (for it was also the height of midday), began to give way. When the emperor perceived this, he quickly came to their aid with those around him, and he himself took on the brunt of the battle, while he ordered skins full of wine and water to be brought to the army that was exhausted by the sun and thirst. Making use of these, they drove off both their thirst and the heat of the sun, and having recovered themselves, they charged upon the Scythians with vehemence and force. But since they received them nobly, the battle was evenly matched, until the emperor, observing the narrowness of the place, and understanding from this that the Scythians' stubbornness arose from the Romans being confined and not being able to display deeds worthy of their own valor, instructed the generals to give way backwards toward the plain, and to withdraw far from the city, giving the appearance of fleeing, not in a rout, however, but yielding slowly and little by little, and when they had drawn them far from the city in pursuit, they were to suddenly turn the reins, wheel their horses around and engage them. And they did what was commanded, but the Rus, thinking the Romans' withdrawal backwards was a flight, urged one another on and followed with a shout. And when the Romans reached the appointed 2.409 place, they wheeled around and charged them nobly. There a fierce battle took place, and it happened that the general Theodore from Mistheia fell to the ground when his horse was speared. A fierce contest arose over him, with the Rus trying to carry him off, and the Romans striving eagerly that he not be taken away. For this Theodore, having fallen from his horse, seized one of the Scythians by the belt and, with the strength of his hand, swung him this way and that like some small, light shield, and was warding off the spears sent against him, and little by little he was retreating toward the Romans with a backward movement. Finally the Romans, prevailing, both pushed back the Scythians and the man of the

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Ῥωμαῖοι εὗρον καὶ γυναῖκας ἐν τοῖς ἀνῃρημένοις κειμένας ἀνδρικῶς ἐσταλμένας καὶ μετὰ τῶν ἀνδρῶν πρὸς Ῥωμαίους ἀγωνισαμένας. 2.407 Ἐπεὶ δὲ τοῖς βαρβάροις κακῶς ἐφέρετο τὰ τοῦ πολέμου καὶ ξυμμαχίας ἦν ἐλπὶς οὐδαμοῦ (οἵ τε γὰρ ὁμόφυλοι ἦσαν μακράν, καὶ τὰ ὅμορα βάρβαρα τῶν ἐθνῶν δείσαντα τοὺς Ῥωμαίους ἀπεί παντο τὴν βοήθειαν· ἐπελελοίπει δ' αὐτοὺς καὶ τὰ ἐπιτήδεια, καὶ οὐδαμόθεν εἰσκομίσασθαι δυνατὸν ἦν, τοῦ Ῥωμαϊκοῦ στόλου τὰς ὄχθας ἀκριβῶς τηροῦντος τοῦ ποταμοῦ· ἐπέρρει δὲ καὶ τοῖς Ῥω μαίοις ἑκάστης ἡμέρας ὡς ἔκ τινος ἀφθόνου πηγῆς πάντα τὰ ἀγαθά, καὶ ἱππικαὶ καὶ πεζικαὶ δυνάμεις διὰ παντὸς προσετί θεντο· καὶ οὐδὲ τοῖς κελητίοις ἑαυτῶν ἐμβάντας ἀποδρᾶναι ἦν δυνατόν, τῶν διεξόδων, ὡς εἴπομεν, ἀκριβῶς φυλαττομένων) συμβουλὴν συστησάμενοι οἱ μὲν νυκτὸς συνεβούλευον κλέψαι τὴν ἀναχώρησιν, ἄλλοι δὲ δεξιὰς καὶ πίστεις παρὰ Ῥωμαίων αἰτήσα σθαι οἷα μὴ ἄλλως δυνατῆς οὔσης τῆς ὑποχωρήσεως, καὶ οὕτω πρὸς τὰ οἰκεῖα ἀπᾶραι. καὶ ἄλλων ὥς πῃ ἑκάστῳ ὁ καιρὸς ἐδίδου συμβουλευσάντων, πάντων δὲ καθάπαξ καταθέσθαι τὸν πόλεμον ἐπιθυμούντων, ὁ Σφενδοσθλάβος παρῄνει μᾶλλον ἔτι ἅπαξ πολε μῆσαι Ῥωμαίοις, καὶ ἢ καλῶς ἀγωνισαμένους ἐπικρατεῖς τῶν ἐναντίων γενέσθαι, ἢ ἡττηθέντας αἰσχίστης ζωῆς καὶ ἐπονειδί στου εὐκλεᾶ καὶ μακάριον προτιμήσασθαι θάνατον· ἀβίωτον γὰρ ἔσται αὐτοῖς δρασμῷ τὴν σωτηρίαν πορισαμένοις, εἴπερ μέλλοιεν εὐκαταφρόνητοι ἔσεσθαι τοῖς γειτονοῦσιν ἔθνεσιν, ἃ τὸ πρόσθεν αὐτοὺς ἐδεδίεσαν σφοδρῶς. ἤρεσεν ἡ τοῦ Σφενδοσθλάβου βουλή, καὶ κατέθεντο πάντες τὸν ὑπὲρ ψυχῆς ἔσχατον ἀναδέχεσθαι κίνδυ 2.408 νον ταῖς ὅλαις δυνάμεσι. τῇ γοῦν ἐπιούσῃ ἐξελθόντες τοῦ ἄστεος πανδημεί, καὶ τὰς πύλας ἀποκλείσαντες, ὡς μή τινι δυνατὸν εἴη τραπέντι διασώζεσθαι πρὸς τὴν πόλιν, συμβάλλουσι τοῖς Ῥω μαίοις. ἀγῶνος δὲ καρτεροῦ συστάντος καὶ τῶν βαρβάρων εὐψύ χως ἀγωνιζομένων, τῷ ἡλίῳ καυσούμενοι οἱ Ῥωμαῖοι καὶ δίψει πονούμενοι ὡς πανοπλῖται (ἦν γὰρ καὶ σταθηρὰ μεσημβρία) ἤρξαντο ἐνδιδόναι. ὅπερ αἰσθόμενος ὁ βασιλεὺς διὰ ταχέων μετὰ τῶν περὶ αὐτὸν ἐβοήθει, καὶ αὐτὸς μὲν τὴν ἀκμὴν ὑπεδέ ξατο τοῦ πολέμου, τῷ δὲ πεπονηκότι στρατεύματι ὑπὸ ἡλίου καὶ δίψης ἀσκοὺς οἴνου καὶ ὕδατος πλήρεις προσέταξε κομίζειν. οἷς χρησάμενοι καὶ τὴν δίψαν καὶ τὸν τοῦ ἡλίου καύσωνα ἀποκρου σάμενοι καὶ ἑαυτοὺς ἀναλαβόντες μετὰ σφοδρότητος καὶ ῥύμης τοῖς Σκύθαις ἐπέρραξαν. ἐκείνων δὲ γενναίως ὑποδεξαμένων ἦν ἡ μάχη ἰσοπαλής, μέχρις ἂν ὁ βασιλεὺς τὴν στενοχωρίαν φρασά μενος τοῦ τόπου, καὶ ἐκ τούτου κατανοήσας τοῖς Σκύθαις ἐπι γίνεσθαι τὴν καρτερίαν τῷ τοὺς Ῥωμαίους ἐστενοχωρῆσθαι καὶ μὴ οἵους εἶναι ἔργα πρέποντα τῆς ἑαυτῶν ἀλκῆς ἐπιδείκνυσθαι, ἐπέσκηψε τοῖς στρατηγοῖς εἴκειν εἰς τοὐπίσω πρὸς τὸ πεδίον, καὶ τῆς πόλεως πόρρω ἀφίστασθαι δόκησιν φευγόντων παρέχοντας, μὴ μέντοι γε προτροπάδην, ἀλλ' ἠρέμα καὶ κατ' ὀλίγον εἴκοντας, κἀπειδὰν ἄποθεν τῆς πόλεως διώκοντας ἐκκαλέσωνται, αἰφνίδιον παρενεγκόντας τοὺς χαλινοὺς ἐπιστρέφειν τοὺς ἵππους καὶ τούτοις συμπλέκεσθαι. καὶ οἱ μὲν ἐποίουν τὸ κελευσθέν, οἱ δὲ Ῥὼς τὴν εἰς τοὐπίσω ὑποχώρησιν τῶν Ῥωμαίων φυγὴν οἰηθέντες, ἀλλήλους παρακαλεσάμενοι εἵποντο σὺν ἀλαλαγμῷ. ὡς δὲ κατὰ τὸν ὡρισμέ 2.409 νον ἐγένοντο τόπον οἱ Ῥωμαῖοι, ἐπιστραφέντες προσρήγνυνται τού τοις γενναίως. ἐνταῦθα μάχης ἰσχυρᾶς γενομένης συνέβη στρα τηγὸν Θεόδωρον τὸν ἐκ Μισθείας τοῦ ἵππου αὐτοῦ λογχευθέντος πεσεῖν κατὰ γῆς. περὶ τοῦτον ἅμιλλα ἐγένετο καρτερά, τῶν μὲν Ῥὼς ἀνελέσθαι, τῶν δὲ Ῥωμαίων ὅπως μὴ ἀφαιρεθείη φιλοτιμουμένων. οὗτος γὰρ ὁ Θεόδωρος τοῦ ἵππου πεσών, ἕνα τινὰ τῶν Σκυθῶν τῆς ζώνης δραξάμενος καὶ τῇδε κἀκεῖσε τῷ χειρὸς σθένει κινῶν ὥς τι μικρὸν ἀσπιδίσκιον κοῦφον, τὰς κατ' αὐτοῦ πεμπομένας αἰχμὰς ἀπεκρούετο, καὶ κατὰ μικρὸν πρὸς τοὺς Ῥω μαίους ὑπανεχώρει ὀπισθοκινήτῳ τῇ πορείᾳ. τέλος ἐπιβρίσαντες οἱ Ῥωμαῖοι τούς τε Σκύθας ἀπώσαντο καὶ τὸν ἄνδρα τοῦ