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De bellis

PROCOPIUS OF CAESAREA, HISTORY OF THE WARS, BOOK I. 1.1.1 Procopius of Caesarea has written the history of the wars which Justinian, Emperor of the Romans, waged against the barbarians of the East and of the West, relating how it came about that each of them happened, so that deeds of surpassing greatness might not, as time went on, being bereft of a record, be consigned to oblivion and be utterly wiped out, the memory of which he himself believed would be a great thing and most beneficial both to men of the present day and to those who should come after, if ever again time should bring men into a similar plight. 1.1.2 For to those who are about to go to war or to engage in any other contest, the exposition of a relevant history is able to provide some benefit, revealing on the one hand what was the outcome of similar struggles for those who have gone before, and suggesting on the other hand what sort of end the present events will in all likelihood have for those who 1.1.3 deliberate in the best way. And he was well aware that he was better able than anyone to write this account, for no other reason than that, having been chosen as adviser to the general Belisarius, it fell to his lot to be present at practically all 1.1.4 the events that took place. And he considered that cleverness is appropriate to rhetoric, myth-making to poetry, 1.1.5 but truth to history. For this reason he has not concealed the faults even of his closest associates, but has recorded with accuracy everything that happened to everyone, whether it chanced to be done well by them or otherwise. 1.1.6 Nothing, moreover, greater or more mighty than the events of these wars will appear to one who wishes to judge truly. 1.1.7 For in these wars, more than in any others of which we have heard, wonderful things have been done, unless one who reads this account should give precedence to ancient times and not deem the events of his own day worthy of wonder. 1.1.8 Just as, for instance, some call the soldiers of the present day "archers," while they are willing to assign to the men of most ancient times the names "close-fighters" and "shield-bearers" and other such terms, and they believe that this military excellence has least of all come down to the present age, forming their opinion about them without hardship and very far from actual experience. 1.1.9 For it has never occurred to them that for the archers in Homer's time, who, as it happened, were even insulted by being named for their art, there was no horse, no spear, no shield to defend them, nor any other protection for the body, but they went into battle on foot, and it was necessary for them to be concealed, either taking cover behind the shield of some comrade 1.1.10 or leaning against a stone on some tomb, from where they were able neither to save themselves when routed nor to attack the fleeing enemy, nor indeed to fight in the open, but they always seemed to be stealing some advantage 1.1.11 from the encounter. And besides this, they used their art with so little effort that, drawing the string to their own breast, they then let fly the arrow, which would naturally be feeble and of no account to those who received it. Such, it appears, was the archery of former times. 1.1.12 But the archers of the present day go into battle equipped with a corselet and fitted with greaves up to the knee. 1.1.13 From their right side hang the arrows, and from the other the sword. And there are some who also have a lance hanging from them and a small shield on their shoulders without a handle, of a kind to cover the parts about the face and 1.1.14 neck. They are excellent horsemen and are able without difficulty to draw their bows to either side while their horse is running at full speed, and to shoot the enemy whether they are pursuing or fleeing. 1.1.15 And the bowstring is drawn by them along the forehead to about the right ear, imparting so much force to the arrow that it always kills whomever it hits, and neither

1

De bellis

ΠΡΟΚΟΠΙΟΥ ΚΑΙΣΑΡΕΩΣ ΥΠΕΡ ΤΩΝ ΠΟΛΕΜΩΝ ΛΟΓΟΣ ΠΡΩΤΟΣ. 1.1.1 Προκόπιος Καισαρεὺς τοὺς πολέμους ξυνέγραψεν, οὓς Ἰουστινιανὸς ὁ Ῥωμαίων βασιλεὺς πρὸς βαρβάρους διήνεγκε τούς τε ἑῴους καὶ ἑσπερίους, ὥς πη αὐτῶν ἑκάστῳ ξυνηνέχθη γενέσθαι, ὡς μὴ ἔργα ὑπερμεγέθη ὁ μέγας αἰὼν λόγου ἔρημα χειρωσάμενος τῇ τε λήθῃ αὐτὰ καταπρόηται καὶ παντάπασιν ἐξίτηλα θῆται, ὧνπερ τὴν μνήμην αὐτὸς ᾤετο μέγα τι ἔσεσθαι καὶ ξυνοῖσον ἐς τὰ μάλιστα τοῖς τε νῦν οὖσι καὶ τοῖς ἐς τὸ ἔπειτα γενησομένοις, εἴ ποτε καὶ αὖθις ὁ χρόνος ἐς ὁμοίαν τινὰ τοὺς ἀνθρώπους ἀνάγκην διάθοιτο. 1.1.2 τοῖς τε γὰρ πολεμησείουσι καὶ ἄλλως ἀγωνιουμένοις ὄνησίν τινα ἐκπορίζεσθαι οἵα τέ ἐστιν ἡ τῆς ἐμφεροῦς ἱστορίας ἐπίδειξις, ἀποκαλύπτουσα μὲν ὅποι ποτὲ τοῖς προγεγενημένοις τὰ τῆς ὁμοίας ἀγωνίας ἐχώρησεν, αἰνισσομένη δὲ ὁποίαν τινὰ τελευτὴν τοῖς γε ὡς ἄριστα 1.1.3 βουλευομένοις τὰ παρόντα, ὡς τὸ εἰκὸς, ἕξει. καί οἱ αὐτῷ ξυνηπίστατο πάντων μάλιστα δυνατὸς ὢν τάδε ξυγγράψαι κατ' ἄλλο μὲν οὐδὲν, ὅτι δὲ αὐτῷ ξυμβούλῳ ᾑρημένῳ Βελισαρίῳ τῷ στρατηγῷ σχεδόν τι ἅπασι 1.1.4 παραγενέσθαι τοῖς πεπραγμένοις ξυνέπεσε. πρέπειν τε ἡγεῖτο ῥητορικῇ μὲν δεινότητα, ποιητικῇ δὲ μυθο1.1.5 ποιΐαν, ξυγγραφῇ δὲ ἀλήθειαν. ταῦτά τοι οὐδέ του τῶν οἱ ἐς ἄγαν ἐπιτηδείων τὰ μοχθηρὰ ἀπεκρύψατο, ἀλλὰ τὰ πᾶσι ξυνενεχθέντα ἕκαστα ἀκριβολογούμενος ξυνεγράψατο, εἴτε εὖ εἴτε πη ἄλλῃ αὐτοῖς εἰργάσθαι ξυνέβη. 1.1.6 Κρεῖσσον δὲ οὐδὲν ἢ ἰσχυρότερον τῶν ἐν τοῖσδε τοῖς πολέμοις τετυχηκότων τῷ γε ὡς ἀληθῶς τεκμη1.1.7 ριοῦσθαι βουλομένῳ φανήσεται. πέπρακται γὰρ ἐν τούτοις μάλιστα πάντων ὧν ἀκοῇ ἴσμεν θαυμαστὰ οἷα, ἢν μή τις τῶν τάδε ἀναλεγομένων τῷ παλαιῷ χρόνῳ τὰ πρεσβεῖα διδοίη καὶ τὰ καθ' αὑτὸν οὐκ ἀξιοίη 1.1.8 θαυμαστὰ οἴεσθαι. ὥσπερ οὖν ἀμέλει τοὺς μὲν νῦν στρατευομένους ἔνιοι καλοῦσι τοξότας, ἀγχεμάχους δὲ καὶ ἀσπιδιώτας καὶ τοιαῦτα ἄττα ὀνόματα τοῖς παλαιοτάτοις ἐθέλουσι νέμειν, ταύτην τε τὴν ἀρετὴν ἐς τοῦτον ἐληλυθέναι τὸν χρόνον ἥκιστα οἴονται, ἀταλαίπωρόν γε καὶ τῆς πείρας ἀπωτάτω τὴν περὶ αὐτῶν 1.1.9 ποιούμενοι δόξαν. οὐ γάρ τις πώποτε αὐτοῖς ἔννοια γέγονεν ὅτι δὴ τοῖς μὲν παρ' Ὁμήρῳ τοξεύουσιν, οἷσπερ καὶ ὑβρίζεσθαι ἀπὸ τῆς τέχνης ὀνομαζομένοις ξυνέβαινεν, οὐχ ἵππος ὑπῆν, οὐ δόρυ, οὐκ ἀσπὶς ἤμυνεν, οὐκ ἄλλο οὐδὲν τοῦ σώματος φυλακτήριον ἦν, ἀλλὰ πεζοὶ μὲν ἐς μάχην ᾔεσαν, ἀποκεκρύφθαι δὲ αὐτοῖς ἦν ἀναγκαῖον, ἑταίρου του ἐκλεγομένοις ἀσπίδα 1.1.10 ἢ στήλῃ ἐπὶ τύμβῳ τινὶ κεκλιμένοις, ἔνθα οὔτε τρεπόμενοι διασώζεσθαι οὔτε φεύγουσι τοῖς πολεμίοις ἐπιτίθεσθαι οἷοί τε ἦσαν, οὐ μὴν οὐδὲ ἀπὸ τοῦ ἐμφανοῦς διαμάχεσθαι, ἀλλά τι κλέπτειν ἐδόκουν ἀεὶ τῶν 1.1.11 ἐν τῇ ξυμβολῇ γινομένων. ἄνευ δὲ τούτων οὕτως ἀταλαιπώρως ἐχρῶντο τῇ τέχνῃ, ὥστε πελάσαντες τῷ σφετέρῳ μαζῷ τὴν νευρὰν εἶτα τὸ βέλος ἀφίεσαν κωφόν τε καὶ οὐτιδανὸν εἰκότως τοῖς δεχομένοις ἐσόμενον. τοιαύτη μέν τις οὖσα ἡ τοξεία φαίνεται πρότερον. 1.1.12 οἱ δέ γε τανῦν τοξόται ἴασι μὲν ἐς μάχην τεθωρακισμένοι τε καὶ κνημῖδας ἐναρμοσάμενοι μέχρι ἐς γόνυ. ἤρτηται δὲ αὐτοῖς ἀπὸ μὲν τῆς δεξιᾶς πλευρᾶς 1.1.13 τὰ βέλη, ἀπὸ δὲ τῆς ἑτέρας τὸ ξίφος. εἰσὶ δὲ οἷς καὶ δόρυ προσαποκρέμαται καὶ βραχεῖά τις ἐπὶ τῶν ὤμων ἀσπὶς ὀχάνου χωρὶς, οἵα τά τε ἀμφὶ τὸ πρόσωπον καὶ 1.1.14 τὸν αὐχένα ἐπικαλύπτειν. ἱππεύονται δὲ ὡς ἄριστα καὶ θέοντος αὐτοῖς ὡς τάχιστα τοῦ ἵππου τὰ τόξα τε οὐ χαλεπῶς ἐντείνειν οἷοί τέ εἰσιν ἐφ' ἑκάτερα καὶ διώκοντάς τε βάλλειν τοὺς πολεμίους καὶ φεύγοντας. 1.1.15 ἕλκεται δὲ αὐτοῖς κατὰ τὸ μέτωπον ἡ νευρὰ παρ' αὐτὸ μάλιστα τῶν ὤτων τὸ δεξιὸν, τοσαύτης ἀλκῆς ἐμπιπλᾶσα τὸ βέλος, ὥστε τὸν ἀεὶ παραπίπτοντα κτείνειν, οὔτε