Stelle οἱ Οὖννοι τὸ γένος τὸ μὲν παλαιὸν κ...; (Historiae (565 - 580), Ε.11.2-7 (pp. 176-177)) [5337]

Basic Information
Keywords
ID 5337
Text Historiae (565 - 580) Agathias of Myrina
Quotation οἱ Οὖννοι τὸ γένος τὸ μὲν παλαιὸν κατῴκουν τῆς Μαιώτιδος λίηνης τὰ πρὸς ἀπηλιώτην ἄνεμον καὶ ἦσαν τοῦ Τανάϊδος ποταμοῦ ἀρκτικώτεροι, καθάπερ καὶ τἂ ἄλλα βάρβαρα ἔθνη, ὁπόσα ἐντὸς Ἰμαίου ὄρους ἀνὰ τὴν | Ἀσίαν ἐτύγχανον ἱδρυμένα. οὗτοι δὲ ἅπαντες κοιβῇ μὲν Σκύθαι καὶ Οὖννοι ἐπωνομάζοντο· ἰδίᾳ δὲ κατὰ γένη τὸ μέν τι αύτῶν Κοτρίγουροι, τὸ δὲ Οὐτίγουροι,ἄλλοι δὲ Ούλτλιζουροι καὶ ἄλλοι Βουρούγουνδοι, καὶ ἄλλοι ὡς ἂν αὐτοῖς πάτπιόν τε ἦν καὶ εἰθισμένον. 3 γενεαῖς δὲ πολλαῖς ὕστερον διέβησαν ἐς τὴν Εύρώπην, εἴτε ὡς ἀληθῶς ἐλάφου τινὸς κατὰ τοῦτο δὴ τὸ θρυλούμενον τὰ πρῶτα ἡγησαμένης, εἴτε ξαὶ ἀλλοίᾳ χρησάμενοι τύχῃ, καὶ τὴν ἐκροὴν τῆς λίμνης τὴν τὸν Εὔξεινον Πόβτον φερομένην, ἀπορον τέως δοκοῦσαν, τότε δὴ ὁτῳοῦν τρόπῳ διαπεραιωθεντες, ἀλώμενοι δὲ ὅμως ἀνὰ τὴν ὀυνείαν, πλεῖστα ὅσα τὸ ἰθαγενὲς ἐλυμήναντο, ἀπροσδόκητα προσπρεσόντες, ὡς καὶ τοὺς προτέρους οἰκήτορας ἀπελάσαντες αὐτοὶ τὴν ἐκείνων κατέχειν. 4 ἤμελλον δὲ ἄρα οὐκ ἐπὶ μακρότατον διαμένειν, ἀλλὰ πρόρριζοι τὸ λεγόμενον ἀπολεῖσθαι. αὐτίκα γοῦν Οὐλτίζουροί ρε καὶ Βουρολυγουνδοι μέχρι μὲν Λέοντος τοῦ αὐτοκράτορος καὶ τῶν ἐν τῷ τότε Ῥωμαίων γνώριμοί τε ὑπῆρχον καὶ ἄλκιμοι εἶναι ἐδόκουν· ἡμεῖς δὲ οἱ ωῦν οὔτε ἴσμεν αὐτοὺς οὔτε, οἶμαι, εἰσόμεθα, τυχὸν μὲν διαφθαπλεντας, τυχὸν δὲ ὡς πορρωτάτω μεταναστάντας. 5 ἐκείνου γε μὴν τοῦ ἔτους, ἐν ᾧ δὴ ἔφην τῆν λοιμώδη νόσον τῇ πόλει ἐνοκῆψαι, τὰ τὰ λοιπὰ τῶν Οὔννων γένη ἐσῴζετο καὶ ἦσαν ἔτι ὀνομαστότατα. κα|τίοντες δὲ ὅμως οἱ Οὖννοι ἐς τὰ πρὸς νότον ἄνεμον οὐ πόρρω τῆς ὄχθης τοῦ Ἴστρου ποταμοῦ ηὐλίζοντο,ἡνικα ἦν αύτοῖς Βουλομένοις. 6 τότε δὴ οὖν τοῦ χειμῶνος έπιλαβομένου, τὰ μὲν ῥεῖθρα τοῦδε τοῦ ποταμοῦ κατὰ τὸ εἰωθ[ος ὑπὸ τοῦ κρύους ἐπήγνυτο ἐς βάθος καὶ ἦσαν ἤδη σκληρὰ καὶ βάσιμα καὶ ἱππήματα. Ζαβεςηὰν δὲ ὁ τῶν Κοτριγούρων Οὔννων ἡγεμὼν σὺν πλείστοις ὅσοις ἱππόταις ἐπιδραμὼν καθάπερ χέρσον τὰς δίνας ἐς τήν Ῥωμαίων ἐπικράρειαν εὐκολώτατα διαβαίνει· ἔργμά τε εὐρὼν τὰ ἐκείνῃ χωρία καὶ μηδενὸς αὐτῷ κωλύματος γιγνομένου άνὰ τὰ πρόσω πορευομένῳ, αὐτίκα ὅ γε Μυσίαν τε καὶ Σκυθίαν παραμειψάμενος τῇ Θρᾴκῃ προσέβαλλεν. 7 ἐνταῦθα δὲ διελὼν τὸν οἰκεῖον στρατὸν ἀπόμοιραν μέν τινα ἔστειλεν ἀνὰ τὴν Ἑλλάδα, καταδραμουμένους τὰ ἀφύλακτα τῶν τῇδε χωρίων καὶ λεηλατήσοντας, ἐτέρους δὲ ἐς τὴν Χερρόνησον τὴν Θρᾳκίαν.
Translation 5.11.2-7 (pp. 146-147): 2 In ancient times the Huns inhabited the region east of lake Maeotis to the north of the river Don, as did the rest of the barbarian peoples established in Asia on the near side of Mt. Imaeus. All these peoples were referred to by the general name of Scythians or Huns, whereas individual tribes had their own particular names, rooted in ancestral tradition, such as Cotrigurs, Utigurs, Ultizurs, Burugundi and so on and so forth. 3 Several generations later either following the lead of a hind as popular tradition would have it or as a result of some other fortuitous occurrence, they crossed over into Europe and were somehow conveyed across the point where lake Maeotis flows into the Euxine, which had hitherto been considered impossible. However, they crossed it and wandered far and wide over foreign territory. By their sudden and unexpected raids they did incalculable damage to the local populations, even to the extent of displacing the original inhabitants and occupying their lands. 4 But their stay was destined to be a brief one, and at the end of it they vanished without leaving any trace themselves. This fact is illustrated by the case of the Ultizurs and Burugundi who were well-known right up to the time of Emperor Leo and were considered a force to be reckoned with, but whom we in our day and age neither know nor, I imagine, are likely to, since they have either perished or migrated to the ends of the earth. 5 However, during the year in question when the plague reached the capital all other Hunnic tribes were in existence and indeed were still at the height of their fame though for some reason best known to themselves they had chosen to move south at this time and had encamped not far from the banks of the Danube. 6 As usual, with the approach of winter, the river froze to a considerable depth and the ice was already hard enough to be crossed on horseback. Whereupon Zabergan, the leader of the Cotrigurs galloped across the frozen waters with a huge force of cavalry and crossed over without difficulty into the territory of the Romans. Finding the area deserted and advancing unopposed, he passed through Moesia and Scythia and invaded Thrace. 7 At this point he split up his army, sending one part into Greece to raid and plunder the unprotected places there and a second detachment into the Thracian Chersonese.
Summary After touching on the origin of the Huns and enumerating the names of the individual tribes, Agathias describes their arrival in Europe, the damage they did to the local population and their eventual disappearance. This sets the stage for Zabergan, leader of the Cutrigurs, crossing over into Roman territory ahead of his march on Constantinople.
Quotation source Ε.11.2-7 (pp. 176-177)
Temporal Coverage 457 - 559
Associated use case(s)
Spatial Coverage Objects
Comment