Delphi complete works of.., p.426
Delphi Complete Works of Procopius, page 426
XIV
But while Vittigis was carrying on these negotiations, Belisarius was preparing to go to Rome. He accordingly selected three hundred men from the infantry forces with Herodian as their leader, and assigned them the duty of guarding Naples. And he also sent to Cumae as large a garrison as he thought would be sufficient to guard the fortress there. For there was no stronghold in Campania except those at Cumae and at Naples. It is in this city of Cumae that the inhabitants point out the cave of the Sibyl, where they say her oracular shrine was; and Cumae is on the sea, one hundred and twenty-eight stades distant from Naples. Belisarius, then, was thus engaged in putting his army in order; but the inhabitants of Rome, fearing lest all the calamities should befall them which had befallen the Neapolitans, decided after considering the matter that it was better to receive the emperor’s army into the city. And more than any other Silverius, the chief priest of the city, urged them to adopt this course. So they sent Fidelius, a native of Milan, which is situated in Liguria, a man who had been previously an adviser of Atalaric (such an official is called “quaestor” by the Romans), and invited Belisarius to come to Rome, promising to put the city into his hands without a battle. So Belisarius led his army from Naples by the Latin Way, leaving on the left the Appian Way, which Appius, the consul of the Romans, had made nine hundred years before and to which he had given his name.
Now the Appian Way is in length a journey of five days for an unencumbered traveller; for it extends from Rome to Capua. And the breadth of this road is such that two waggons going in opposite directions can pass one another, and it is one of the noteworthy sights of the world. For all the stone, which is mill-stone and hard by nature, Appius quarried in another place far away and brought there; for it is not found anywhere in this district. And after working these stones until they were smooth and flat, and cutting them to a polygonal shape, he fastened them together without putting concrete or anything else between them. And they were fastened together so securely and the joints were so firmly closed, that they give the appearance, when one looks at them, not of being fitted together, but of having grown together. And after the passage of so long a time, and after being traversed by many waggons and all kinds of animals every day, they have neither separated at all at the joints, nor has any one of the stones been worn out or reduced in thickness, — nay, they have not even lost any of their polish. Such, then, is the Appian Way.
But as for the Goths who were keeping guard in Rome, it was not until they learned that the enemy were very near and became aware of the decision of the Romans, that they began to be concerned for the city, and, being unable to meet the attacking army in battle, they were at a loss; but later, with the permission of the Romans, they all departed thence and proceeded to Ravenna, except that Leuderis, who commanded them, being ashamed, I suppose, because of the situation in which he found himself, remained there. And it so happened on that day that at the very same time when Belisarius and the emperor’s army were entering Rome through the gate which they call the Asinarian Gate, the Goths were withdrawing from the city through another gate which bears the name Flaminian; and Rome became subject to the Romans again after a space of sixty years, on the ninth day of the last month, which is called “December” by the Romans, in the eleventh year of the reign of the Emperor Justinian. [V] Now Belisarius sent Leuderis, the commander of the Goths, and the keys of the gates to the emperor, but he himself turned his attention to the circuit-wall, which had fallen into ruin in many places; and he constructed each merlon of the battlement with a wing, adding a sort of flanking wall on the left side, in order that those fighting from the battlement against their assailants might never be hit by missiles thrown by those storming the wall on their left; and he also dug a moat about the wall of sufficient depth to form a very important part of the defences. And the Romans applauded the forethought of the general and especially the experience displayed in the matter of the battlement; but they marvelled greatly and were vexed that he should have thought it possible for him to enter Rome if he had any idea that he would be besieged, for it cannot possibly endure a siege because it cannot be supplied with provisions, since it is not on the sea, is enclosed by a wall of so huge a circumference, and, above all, lying as it does in a very level plain, is naturally exceedingly easy of access for its assailants. But although Belisarius heard all these criticisms, he nevertheless continued to make all his preparations for a siege, and the grain which he had in his ships when he came from Sicily he stored in public granaries and kept under guard, and he compelled all the Romans, indignant though they were, to bring all their provisions in from the country.
DATE:
[V]536 A.D.
Τότε δὴ καὶ Πίτζας, Γότθος ἀνήρ, ἐκ Σαμνίου ἥκων, αὑτόν τε καὶ Γότθους οἳ ἐκείνῃ ξὺν αὐτῷ ᾤκηντο, καὶ Σαμνίου τοῦ ἐπιθαλασσίου μοῖραν τὴν ἡμίσειαν Βελισαρίῳ ἐνεχείρισεν, ἄχρι ἐς τὸν ποταμὸν ὃς τῆς χώρας μεταξὺ φέρεται. [2] Γότθοι γὰρ ὅσοι ἐπὶ θάτερα τοῦ ποταμοῦ ἵδρυντο, οὔτε τῷ Πίτζᾳ ἕπεσθαι οὔτε βασιλεῖ κατήκοοι εἶναι ἤθελον. στρατιώτας τέ οἱ Βελισάριος οὐ πολλοὺς ἔδωκεν, ὅπως αὐτῷ ξυμφυλάξωσι τὰ ἐκείνῃ χωρία. [3] πρότερον δὲ Καλαβροί τε καὶ Ἀπούλιοι, Γότθων σφίσι τῇ χώρᾳ οὐ παρόντων, Βελισαρίῳ ἐθελούσιοι προσεχώρησαν οἵ τε παράλιοι καὶ οἱ τὰ μεσόγεια ἔχοντες. [4] Ἐν τοῖς καὶ Βενεβεντός ἐστιν, ἣν πάλαι μὲν Μαλεβεντὸν ὠνόμασαν Ῥωμαῖοι, τανῦν δὲ Βενεβεντὸν καλοῦσι, τὴν ἀπὸ τοῦ προτέρου ὀνόματος διαφεύγοντες βλασφημίαν: βέντος γὰρ ἄνεμον τῇ Λατίνων φωνῇ δύναται. [5] ἐν Δαλματίᾳ γάρ, ἣ ταύτης καταντικρὺ ἐν τῇ ἀντιπέρας ἠπείρῳ κεῖται, ἀνέμου τι πνεῦμα σκληρόν τε καὶ ὑπερφυῶς ἄγριον ἐπισκήπτειν φιλεῖ, ὅπερ ἐπειδὰν ἐπιπνεῖν ἄρξηται, ὁδῷ ἰόντα ἔτι ἄνθρωπον ἐνταῦθα εὑρεῖν οὐδεμία μηχανή ἐστιν, ἀλλ̓ οἴκοι ἅπαντες καθείρξαντες ἑαυτοὺς τηροῦσι. [6] τοιαύτη γάρ τις ἡ τοῦ πνεύματος ῥύμη τυγχάνει οὖσα ὥστε ἄνδρα ἱππέα ξὺν τῷ ἵππῳ ἁρπάσασα μετέωρον φέρει, ἐπὶ πλεῖστόν τε περιαγαγοῦσα τῆς τοῦ ἀέρος χώρας εἶτα ὅπη παρατύχῃ ἀπορρίπτουσα κτείνει. [7] Βενεβεντὸν δὲ ἅτε καταντικρὺ Δαλματίας οὖσαν, ὥσπερ μοι εἴρηται, ἐπί τε ὑψηλοῦ τινος χώρου κειμένην μοῖράν τινα φέρεσθαι τῆς τούτου δὴ τοῦ ἀνέμου δυσκολίας συμβαίνει. [8] ταύτην Διομήδης ποτὲ ὁ Τυδέως ἐδείματο, μετὰ Ἰλίου ἅλωσιν ἐκ τοῦ Ἄργους ἀποκρουσθείς. καὶ γνώρισμα τῇ πόλει τοὺς ὀδόντας συὸς τοῦ Καλυδωνίου ἐλείπετο, οὕς οἱ θεῖος Μελέαγρος ἆθλα τοῦ κυνηγεσίου λαβὼν ἔτυχεν, οἳ καὶ εἰς ἐμὲ ἐνταῦθά εἰσι, θέαμα λόγου πολλοῦ ἰδεῖν ἄξιον, περίμετρον οὐχ ἧσσον ἢ τρισπίθαμον ἐν μηνοειδεῖ σχήματι ἔχοντες. [9] ἐνταῦθα καὶ ξυγγενέσθαι τὸν Διομήδην Αἰνείᾳ τῷ Ἀγχίσου ἥκοντι ἐξ Ἰλίου φασὶ καὶ κατὰ τὸ λόγιον τὸ τῆς Ἀθήνης ἄγαλμα δοῦναι ὃ ξὺν τῷ Ὀδυσσεῖ ἀποσυλήσας ἔτυχεν, ὅτε κατασκόπω ἐς τὴν Ἴλιον ἠλθέτην ἄμφω πρότερον ἢ τήνδε ἁλώσιμον γενέσθαι τοῖς Ἕλλησι. [10] λέγουσι γὰρ αὐτῷ νοσήσαντί τε ὕστερον καὶ ὑπὲρ τῆς νόσου πυνθανομένῳ χρῆσαι τὸ μαντεῖον οὔ ποτέ οἱ τοῦ κακοῦ ἀπαλλαγὴν ἔσεσθαι πλὴν εἰ μὴ ἀνδρὶ Τρωῒ τὸ ἄγαλμα τοῦτο διδοίη. [11] καὶ αὐτὸ μὲν ὅπου γῆς ἐστιν, οὔ φασι Ῥωμαῖοι εἰδέναι, εἰκόνα δὲ αὐτοῦ λίθῳ τινὶ ἐγκεκολαμμένην δεικνύουσι καὶ ἐς ἐμὲ ἐν τῷ τῆς Τύχης ἱερῷ, οὗ δὴ πρὸ τοῦ χαλκοῦ τῆς Ἀθηνᾶς ἀγάλματος κεῖται, ὅπερ αἴθριον ἐς τὰ πρὸς ἕω τοῦ νεὼ ἵδρυται. [12] αὕτη δὲ ἡ ἐν τῷ λίθῳ εἰκὼν πολεμούσῃ τε καὶ τὸ δόρυ ἀνατεινούσῃ ἅτε ἐς ξυμβολὴν ἔοικε: ποδήρη δὲ καὶ ὣς τὸν χιτῶνα ἔχει. [13] τὸ δὲ πρόσωπον οὐ τοῖς Ἑλληνικοῖς ἀγάλμασι τῆς Ἀθηνᾶς ἐμφερές ἐστιν, ἀλλ̓ οἷα παντάπασι τὸ παλαιὸν Αἰγύπτιοι ἐποίουν. [14] Βυζάντιοι δέ φασι τὸ ἄγαλμα τοῦτο Κωνσταντῖνον βασιλέα ἐν τῇ ἀγορᾷ ἣ αὐτοῦ ἐπώνυμός ἐστι κατορύξαντα θέσθαι. ταῦτα μὲν δὴ ὧδέ πη ἔσχεν. [15] Ἰταλίαν δὲ οὕτω ξύμπασαν ἣ ἐντὸς κόλπου τοῦ Ἰονίου ἐστίν, ἄχρι ἔς τε Ῥώμην καὶ Σάμνιον Βελισάριος παρεστήσατο, τοῦ δὲ κόλπου ἐκτὸς ἄχρι ἐς Λιβουρνίαν Κωνσταντιανός, ὥσπερ ἐρρήθη, [16] ἔσχεν. ὅντινα δὲ τρόπον Ἰταλίαν οἰκοῦσιν οἱ ταύτῃ ἄνθρωποι ἐρῶν ἔρχομαι. πέλαγος τὸ Ἀδριατικόν, ἐκροήν τινα πόρρω που τῆς ἠπείρου ἐκβάλλον, ποιεῖται τὸν Ἰόνιον κόλπον, οὐδὲν ὁμοίως τοῖς ἄλλοις χωρίοις ἔνθα δὴ τελευτῶσα τῆς θαλάσσης ἡ ἐς τὴν ἤπειρον ἀνάβασις ἰσθμὸν ποιεῖται. [17] ὅ τε γὰρ Κρισαῖος καλούμενος κόλπος, ἀπολήγων ἐς τὸ Λέχαιον, ἵνα δὴ Κορινθίων ἡ πόλις ἐστίν, ἐν μέτρῳ τεσσαράκοντα σταδίων μάλιστα, ποιεῖται τὸν ταύτης ἰσθμόν: [18] καὶ ὁ ἀφ̓ Ἑλλησπόντου κόλπος, ὃν Μέλανα καλοῦσιν, οὐ πλέον, ἀλλὰ κατὰ τοῦτο τὸ μέτρον ἀποτελεῖ τὸν ἐν Χερρονήσῳ ἰσθμόν. [19] ἐκ δὲ Ῥαβέννης πόλεως, οὗ δὴ τελευτᾷ ὁ Ἰόνιος κόλπος, ἐς θάλασσαν τὴν Τυρρηνικὴν οὐχ ἧσσον ἢ ὀκτὼ ὁδὸς ἡμερῶν εὐζώνῳ ἀνδρί ἐστιν. [20] αἴτιον δὲ ὅτι προϊοῦσα ἡ τῆς θαλάσσης ἐπιρροὴ ἐν δεξιᾷ ἐπὶ πλεῖστον ἐς ἀεὶ φέρεται. τούτου δὲ τοῦ κόλπου ἐντὸς πόλισμα πρῶτον ὁ Δρυοῦς οἰκεῖται, ὅπερ τανῦν Ὑδροῦς καλεῖται. [21] τούτου ἐν δεξιᾷ μὲν Καλαβροί τε καὶ Ἀπούλιοι καὶ Σαμνῖταί εἰσι, καὶ αὐτῶν ἐχόμενοι Πικηνοὶ ἄχρι ἐς Ῥάβενναν πόλιν ᾤκηνται. [22] ἐπὶ θάτερα δὲ Καλαβρῶν τε μοῖρα ἡ λειπομένη ἐστὶ καὶ Βρίττιοί τε καὶ Λευκανοί, μεθ̓ οὓς Καμπανοὶ ἄχρι ἐς Ταρακίνην πόλιν οἰκοῦσιν, οὓς δὴ οἱ Ῥώμης ὅροι ἐκδέχονται. [23] ταῦτα τὰ ἔθνη ἑκατέρας τε θαλάσσης τὴν ἠϊόνα καὶ τὰ ἐκείνῃ μεσόγεα ξύμπαντα ἔχουσιν. αὕτη τέ ἐστιν ἡ μεγάλη Ἑλλὰς καλουμένη τὰ πρότερα. ἐν Βριττίοις γὰρ Λοκροί τέ εἰσιν οἱ Ἐπιζεφύριοι καὶ Κροτωνιᾶται καὶ Θούριοι. [24] τοῦ δὲ κόλπου ἐκτὸς πρῶτοι μὲν Ἕλληνές εἰσιν, Ἠπειρῶται καλούμενοι, ἄχρι Ἐπιδάμνου πόλεως, ἥπερ ἐπιθαλασσία οἰκεῖται. [25] καὶ ταύτης μὲν ἐχομένη Πρέκαλις ἡ χώρα ἐστί, μεθ̓ ἣν Δαλματία ἐπικαλεῖται, καὶ τῷ τῆς ἑσπερίας λελόγισται κράτει. τὸ δὲ ἐντεῦθεν Λιβουρνία τε καὶ Ἰστρία καὶ Βενετίων ἡ χώρα ἐστὶ μέχρι ἐς Ῥάβενναν πόλιν διήκουσα. [26] οὗτοι μὲν ἐπιθαλάσσιοι ταύτῃ ᾤκηνται. ὕπερθεν δὲ αὐτῶν Σίσκιοί τε καὶ Σούαβοι ῾οὐχ οἱ Φράγγων κατήκοοι, ἀλλὰ παρὰ τούτοις ἕτεροἰ χώραν τὴν μεσόγειον ἔχουσι. [27] καὶ ὑπὲρ τούτους Καρνίοι τε καὶ Νωρικοὶ ἵδρυνται. τούτων δὲ Δᾶκαί τε καὶ Παννόνες ἐν δεξιᾷ οἰκοῦσιν, οἳ ἄλλα τε χωρία καὶ Σιγγιδόνον καὶ Σίρμιον ἔχουσιν, ἄχρι ἐς ποταμὸν Ἴστρον διήκοντες. [28] τούτων μὲν δὴ τῶν ἐθνῶν Γότθοι κόλπου τοῦ Ἰονίου ἐκτὸς κατ̓ ἀρχὰς τοῦδε τοῦ πολέμου ἦρχον, ὑπὲρ δὲ Ῥαβέννης πόλεως Πάδου τοῦ ποταμοῦ ἐν ἀριστερᾷ Λιγούριοι ᾤκηνται. [29] καὶ αὐτῶν τὰ μὲν πρὸς βορρᾶν ἄνεμον Ἀλβανοὶ ἐν χώρᾳ ὑπερφυῶς ἀγαθῇ Λαγγούβιλλα καλουμένῃ οἰκοῦσι, τούτων τε ὕπερθεν ἔθνη τὰ Φράγγοις κατήκοά ἐστι, τὰ δὲ πρὸς ἑσπέραν Γάλλοι τε καὶ μετ̓ ἐκείνους Ἱσπανοὶ ἔχουσι. [30] τοῦ δὲ Πάδου ἐν δεξιᾷ Αἰμιλία τέ ἐστι καὶ τὰ Τούσκων ἔθνη, ἄχρι καὶ ἐς τοὺς Ῥώμης ὅρους διήκοντα. ταῦτα μὲν δὴ ὧδέ πη ἔχει.
