| Keywords |
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| ID |
5677 |
| Text |
Excerpta et fragmenta (441 - 474) Priscus |
| Quotation |
Ἀποϑαυμαζόντων δὲ ἡμῶν τῆς ἀπονοίας τὸν βάρβαρον, ὑπολαβὼν ὁ Ῥωμύλος, πρεσβευτὴς ἀνὴρ καὶ πολλῶν πραγμάτων ἔμπειρος, ἔλεγε τὴν αὐτοῦ μεγίστην τύχην καὶ τὴν ἐκ τῆς τύχης δύναμιν ἐξαίρειν αὐτόν, ὥστε μὴ ἀνέχεσϑαι δικαίων λόγων, εἰ μὴ πρὸς αὐτοῦ νομίσῃ ὐπάρχειν αὐτούς. οὔπω γὰρ <τῷ> τῶν πώποτε τῆς Σκυϑικῆς ἢ καὶ ἑτέρας ἀρξάντων γῆς τοσαῦτα ἐν ὀλίγῳ κατεπρέχϑη, ὥστε καὶ τῶν ἐν τῷ Ὠκεανῷ νήσων ἄρχειν καὶ πρὸς πάσῃ τῇ Σκυϑικῇ καὶ Ῥωμαίους ἔχειν ἐς φόρου ἀπαγωγήν. ἐφιέμενον δὲ πρὸς τοῖς παροῦσι πλειόνων καὶ ἐπὶ μεῖζον αὔξοντα τὴν ἀρχὴν καὶ ἐς Πέρσας ἐπιέναι βούλεσϑαι.
Τῶν δὲ ἐν ἡμῖν τινος πυϑομένου, ποίαν ὁδὸν τραπεὶς ἐς Πέρσας ἐλϑεῖν δυνήσεται, ἔλεγεν ὁ Ῥωμύλος μὴ πολλῷ διαστήματι τὴν Μήδων ἀφεστάναι τῆς Σκυϑικῃς· οὐδὲ γὰρ Οὔννους ἀπείρους τῆς ὁδοῦ ταύτης εἶναι, ἀλλὰ πάλαι ἐς αὐτὴν ἐμβεβληκέναι, λιμοῦ τε τὴν χώραν κρατήσαντος, καὶ Ῥωμαίων διὰ τὸν τότε συνιστάμενον πόλεμον μὴ συμβαλόντων. παρεληλυϑέναι δὲ ἐς τὴν Μήδων τόν τε Βασὶχ καὶ Κουρσὶχ τοὺς ὕστερον ἐς τὴν Ῥώμην ἐληλυϑότας εἰς ὁμαιχμίαν, ἄνδρας τῶν βασιλείων Σκυϑῶν καὶ πολλοῦ πλήϑους ἄρχοντας. καὶ τοὺς διαβεβηκότας λέγειν ὡς ἔρημον ἐπελϑόντες χώραν καὶ λίμνην τινὰ περαιωϑέντες, ἣν ὁ Ῥωμύλος τὴν Μαιῶτιν εἶναι ᾤετο, πεντεκαίδεκα διαγενομένων ἡμερῶν ὄρη τινὰ ὑπερβάυτες ἐς τὴν Μηδικὴν ἐσέβαλον. ληιζομένοις δὲ καὶ τὴν γῆν κατατρέχουσι πλῆϑος Περσικὸν ἐπελϑὸυ τὸν σφῶν ὑπερκείμενον ἀέρα πλῆσαι βελῶν, ὥστε σφὰς δέει τοῦ κατασχόντος κινδύνου ἀναχωρῆσαι εἰς τοὐπίσω καὶ τὰ ὄρη ὑπεξελϑεῖν ὀλίγην ἄγοντας λείαν· ἡ γὰρ πλείστη ὑπὸ τῶν Μήδων ἁφήρητο. εὐλαβουμένους δὲ τὴν τῶν πολεμίων δίωξιν ἑτέραν τραπῆναι ὁδόν, καὶ μετὰ τὴν ἐκ τῆς ὑφάλου πέτρας ἀναπεμπομένην φλόγα ἐκεῖϑεν πορευϑέντας ἡμερῶν ὀλίγων ὁδὸν εἰς τὰ οἰκεῖα ἀφικέσϑαι καὶ γνῶναι οὐ πολλῷ διαστήματι τῶν Μήδων ἀφεστάναι τήν Σκυϑικήν. τὸν οὗν Ἀττήλαν ἐπ’ αὐτὴν ἰέναι βουλόμενον οὐ πονήσειν πολλὰ οὔτε μακρὰν ἀνύσειν ὁδόν, ὥστε καἲ Μήδους καὶ Πάρϑους καὶ Πέρσας παραστήσεσϑαι καὶ ἀναγκάσειν ἐλϑεῖν ἐς φόρου ἀπαγωγήν· παρεῖναι γὰρ αὐτῷ μάχιμον δύναμιν, ἣν οὐδὲν ἔϑνος ὑποστήσεται. |
| Translation |
When we expressed amazement at the unreasonableness of the barbarian, Romulus, an ambassador of long experience, replied that his very great fortune and the power which it had given him had made him so arrogant that he would not entertain just proposals unless he thought that they were to his advantage. No previous ruler of Scythia or of any other land had ever achieved so much in so short a time. He ruled the islands of the Ocean and, in addition to the whole of Scythia, forced the Romans to pay tribute. He was aiming at more than his present achievements and, in order to increase his empire further, he wanted to attack the Persians. When one of those amongst us asked what road Attila could take to reach Persia, Romulus replied that the land of the Medes was not a great distance from Scythia, and the Huns were not ignorant of the route. They came upon it long ago when famine was sweeping their land and the Romans did not oppose them on account of the war in which they were then involved. Basich and Kursich, members of the Scythian royalty and commanders of a large force (who later came to Rome to make an alliance), reached the land of the Medes. Those Huns who have gone over to the Romans say that, having come into a desert land and having crossed a lake (which Romulus thought was Maeotis), after fifteen days they passed over some mountains and entered Media. As they were overrunning and plundering the land, a Persian army confronted them and filled the air above them with missiles, so that they had to retreat from their immediate danger and retire across the mountains. They gained little plunder, since the Medes took most of it from them. As a precaution against enemy pursuit they took a different route and, after a journey of a few days from the flame that issues from the rock beneath the sea, they reached their own land. Thus they know that Scythia is not far from Media and, if Attila wished to go there, he would neither have much toil nor a long journey. And so, since he has a military force which no nation can withstand, he would subdue the Medes, the Parthians, and the Persians and force them to pay tribute. |
| Summary |
Description of the extent of Attila’s power by the ambassador Romulus, touching on the neighbouring peoples and lands of Scythia. |
| Quotation source |
Fr. 11.2, 586-619 (pp. 276-279) |
| Temporal Coverage |
449 - 449 |
| Associated use case(s) |
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| Comment |
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