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having persuaded. and immediately it seemed best to the emperor also to advise the hoplites and he assented to the assault on the wall, and he ordered the hoplites to construct ladders, and the leaders of the army to arm the army at dawn, as they were about to assault the wall. And when it was already day, he drew up the army, and he set the barbarian contingent against the walls by the lake, from which it was impossible to take the city, so that, if Edessa should happen to be taken, the barbarians would not have a way to enter and kill anyone; but he himself, having the best of the hoplites with the nobles, took his position opposite the acropolis, where the walls were strongest, and the best of the Triballi and of the Edessenes were on guard; and he set the other commanders with their regiments against the remaining walls, as each 3.129 one chanced to be positioned, and they began the assault on the wall as soon as day began; and it was most fierce without remission until midday. For those within defended themselves stoutly from the walls, and those outside displayed marvelous deeds of daring and courage, and especially the hoplites and the light-armed troops from the triremes did not spare themselves. For the emperor proclaimed that for the first man to place a standard on the walls the prize for valor would be four minas of gold, and three for the one who went up after him, and for the third, two after them. And around midday, when many of those defending from within had been wounded, and some had even died, they set the ladders against the walls, as those within were now defending feebly, and they set fire to the gate of the acropolis; and when it was consumed, they poured in from there and from the ladders, and the city was taken, as the saying goes, by storm. And the emperor, since the capture had happened in his own sector, once he was inside, did not allow the soldiers to act disorderly, except for the first ones to enter who gained some small profit; however, of those with the emperor, Romans or barbarians, not a single one died; but many were wounded. After the capture the emperor dismissed the soldiers, as many as were Triballi, to their homes without their horses. And he held the four leaders under guard, and he drove out of the city those of the citizens who had chosen the side of Krales; and leaving a garrison for the citadel of two hundred hoplites and light-armed troops and as governor for the 3.130 city George Lyzikos, who seemed most excellent in matters of war and intelligent, he returned to Beroea. And the fortresses and towns around Edessa and Beroea also came over without a fight, the place called Staridola and Petra and Soskos and Deure, and also Ostrobos and Notia; and of the towns of Thessaly, the one called Lykostomion and Kastrion. And after the emperor had deemed the army worthy of some little rest, he marched out again against Servia. This is not a small city, situated on the borders of Bottiaea and Thessaly; over which Prelimpos, one of the powerful men with Krales, ruled along with the rest of Thessaly, who was especially thought to surpass the others in intelligence and courage and in experience of military matters. And that city is situated on a steep projection of the mountain, appearing and being from the very beginning higher than itself to one approaching. And it ends at the very summit, divided by three cross-walls, so as to seem from the outside to be three cities situated one above the other. And on both sides it is surrounded by deep ravines. And the area from the city down to the plain and the ravines, as much as is most suitable for habitation, is filled with the houses and people not only of the many, but also of the best of the citizens and of the soldiers, who were local, numerous, and good; and the city, having its houses one above the other because of the position of the place, seems to have few multi-storied houses. And the two sections are inhabited by the citi 3.131 zens; but the third, being the citadel, is assigned to the ruler. And it is difficult to approach from all sides, and not at all easy for an assault on the wall. Where Prelimpos was staying, he had no need of ditches, nor of any effort for fortification; for its natural state was sufficient; but being very distrustful of the citizens, the children and property and wives of those inhabiting the city into the second cross-wall

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πείσαντες. αὐτίκα τε ἐφαίνετο καὶ βασιλεῖ βέλτιστα τοὺς ὁπλίτας παραινεῖν καὶ ἐπένευε πρὸς τὴν τειχομαχίαν, ἐκέλευέ τε τοῖς μὲν ὁπλίταις κλίμακας κατασκευάζειν, τοῖς δὲ ἡγεμόσι τῆς στρατιᾶς ἅμα ἕῳ ἐφοπλίζειν, ὡς τειχομαχήσοντας, τὴν στρατιάν. ἐπεὶ δὲ ἡμέρα ἤδη ἦν, διέταττε τὴν στρατιὰν, καὶ τὸ μὲν βαρβαρικὸν τοῖς κατὰ τὴν λίμνην τείχεσιν ἐφίστη, ὅθεν ἦν ἀδύνατον ἑλεῖν, ἵν', εἰ καὶ ἁλῶναι Ἔδεσσαν συμβαίη, μὴ ἔχοιεν οἱ βάρβαροι, ὅθεν εἰσελθόντες ἀποκτείνοιέν τινας· αὐτὸς δὲ τὸ κράτιστον ἔχων τῶν ὁπλιτῶν μετὰ τῶν εὐπατριδῶν, πρὸς τὴν ἀκρόπολιν ἀντικαθίστατο, ὅθεν τείχη τε ἦσαν καρτερώτατα, καὶ Τριβαλῶν καὶ τῶν Ἐδεσσηνῶν τὸ κράτιστον ἐφρούρει· τοὺς δὲ ἄλλους ἡγεμόνας μετὰ τῶν ταγμάτων τοῖς λοιποῖς τείχεσιν, ὡς ἕκα 3.129 στος ἔτυχεν, ἀντικαθίστη, καὶ ἤρχοντο τειχομαχίας ἀρχομένης εὐθὺς ἡμέρας· ἐγένετο δὲ καρτερωτάτη ἄχρι μέσης ἀνενδότως. οἵ τε γὰρ ἔνδοθεν ἀπὸ τῶν τειχῶν ἠμύνοντο καρτερῶς, καὶ οἱ ἔξωθεν τόλμης ἔργα καὶ ἀνδρίας ἐπεδείκνυντο θαυμαστὰ, μάλιστα δὲ οἱ ὁπλῖται καὶ οἱ ἀπὸ τῶν τριηρέων ψιλοὶ ἠφείδουν ἑαυτῶν. ὁ βασιλεὺς γὰρ ἐκήρυξε τῷ πρώτως ἀναθέντι τοῖς τείχεσι σημαίαν τέτταρας μνᾶς ἀριστεῖον ἔσεσθαι χρυσίου, τρεῖς δὲ τῷ μετ' ἐκεῖνον ἀναβάντι, καὶ τῷ τρίτῳ δύο μετ' αὐτούς. κατὰ μέσην δὲ ἡμέραν, πολλῶν ἀπὸ τῶν ἔνδοθεν ἀμυνομένων τραυματιῶν γενομένων, ἐνίων δὲ καὶ ἀποθανόντων, τάς τε κλίμακας προσήρεισαν τοῖς τείχεσιν, ἀδρανῶς ἤδη τῶν ἔνδοθεν ἀμυνομένων, καὶ τῇ πύλῃ τῆς ἀκροπόλεως πῦρ ὑφῆπτον· δαπανηθείσης δὲ, ἐκεῖθέν τε καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν κλιμάκων εἰσεχέοντο, καὶ εἴχετο ἡ πόλις τοῦτο δὴ τὸ λεγόμενον κατάκρας. καὶ ὁ βασιλεὺς, ἐπεὶ κατ' αὐτὸν ἐγένετο ἡ ἅλωσις, ἔνδον γενόμενος, οὐκ εἴα ἀτακτεῖν τοὺς στρατιώτας, πλὴν τῶν πρώτως εἰσελθόντων τινὰ μικρὰ ὠφεληθέντων· ἀπέθανε μέντοι ἐκ τῶν μετὰ βασιλέως Ῥωμαίων ἢ βαρβάρων οὐδὲ εἷς· τραυματίαι δὲ ἐγένοντο πολλοί. μετὰ δὲ τὴν ἅλωσιν ὁ βασιλεὺς τοὺς στρατιώτας, ὅσοι ἦσαν Τριβαλοὶ, ἀπέλυσε πρὸς τὴν οἰκίαν ἄνευ ἵππων. τέτταρας δὲ τοὺς ἡγεμόνας εἶχεν ἐν φρουρᾷ, καὶ τῶν πολιτῶν τοὺς τὰ Κράλη ᾑρημένους ἐξήλασε τῆς πόλεως· φρουράν τε πρὸς τὴν ἄκραν διακοσίους ὁπλίτας καὶ ψιλοὺς καταλιπὼν καὶ ἡγεμόνα τῇ 3.130 πόλει Λυζικὸν Γεώργιον, κράτιστον δοκοῦντα τὰ πολέμια καὶ συνετὸν, εἰς Βέῤῥοιαν ἐπανῄει. προσεχώρουν δὲ καὶ ἀμαχεὶ τὰ περὶ Ἔδεσσαν καὶ Βέῤῥοιαν φρούρια καὶ αἱ πολίχναι, τά τε Σταρίδολα λεγόμενον καὶ ἡ Πέτρα καὶ ὁ Σωσκὸς καὶ ἡ ∆εύρη, ἔτι τε ὁ Ὀστροβὸς καὶ τὰ Νότια· καὶ ἐκ τῶν Θετταλίας πολιχνίων τὸ Λυκοστόμιον λεγόμενον καὶ τὸ Καστρίον. ἀναπαύλης δὲ μικρᾶς τινος ὁ βασιλεὺς ἀξιώσας τὴν στρατιὰν, ἐξεστράτευσεν αὖθις κατὰ Σερβίων. πόλις δὲ ταῦτα οὐ μικρὰ, ἐν μεθορίοις Βοττιαίας κειμένη καὶ Θετταλίας· ἧς ἦρχε μετὰ τῆς ἄλλης Θετταλίας Πρεάλιμπος τῶν παρὰ Κράλῃ δυνατῶν, ὃς μάλιστα ἐδόκει συνέσει καὶ εὐτολμίᾳ καὶ τῇ περὶ τὰ πολέμια τῶν ἄλλων προέχειν ἐμπειρίᾳ. κεῖται δὲ ἡ πόλις ἐκείνη ἐπί τινος ἀνάντους τοῦ ὄρους προβολῆς εὐθὺς ἐξαρχῆς αὐτὴ ἑαυτῆς μετεωροτέρα φαινομένη καὶ οὖσα προϊόντι. ἐπ' αὐτήν τε τὴν ἀκρώρειαν καταλήγει τρισὶ διατειχίσμασι διῃρημένη, ὡς δοκεῖν ἔξωθεν τρεῖς εἶναι πόλεις κειμένας ἐπαλλήλους. ἑκατέρωθέν τε φάραγγας περιβέβληται βαθείας. τὸ δ' ἀπὸ τῆς πόλεως ἄχρι τοῦ ἐπιπέδου καὶ τῶν φαράγγων, ὅσον μάλιστα οἰκεῖσθαι ἐπιδέχεται, οἰκιῶν πεπλήρωται καὶ ἀνθρώπων οὐ τῶν πολλῶν μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῶν ἀρίστων ἐκ τῶν πολιτῶν καὶ ἐκ τῶν στρατιωτῶν, οἳ ἦσαν ἐγχώριοι πολλοί τε καὶ ἀγαθοί· ἥ τε πόλις, ἐπαλλήλους τὰς οἰκίας ἔχουσα διὰ τὴν ἀπὸ τοῦ τόπου θέσιν, ὀλίγας ἔχειν δοκεῖ οἰκίας πολυορόφους. οἰκεῖται δὲ τὰ μὲν δύο τμήματα ὑπὸ τῶν πολι 3.131 τῶν· τὸ δὲ τρίτον, ἄκρα ὂν, τῷ ἄρχοντι ἀνεῖται. ἔστι δὲ δυσπρόσοδος πανταχόθεν, καὶ οὐ πάνυ ῥᾳδία πρὸς τειχομαχίαν. ᾗ ὁ Πρεάλιμπος ἐνδιατρίβων, τάφρων μὲν οὐκ ἐδεήθη, οὐδέ τινος πρὸς ὀχυρότητα σπουδῆς· ἤρκει γὰρ ἡ προσοῦσα φύσει· τοῖς πολίταις δὲ καὶ πάνυ ἀπιστῶν, τῶν μὲν τὴν πόλιν οἰκούντων παῖδας καὶ χρήματα καὶ γυναῖκας εἰς τὸ δεύτερον διατείχισμα