Dios Rome, Vol. 2 | Page 3

treasuries and most of his other possessions, and had stationed his
brother as guard over it. Lucullus reached this city in summer time, and
although he directed his attacks upon it in no half-hearted fashion, he
effected nothing. For the walls being of brick, double and of great
thickness, with a deep moat intervening, could be neither shaken down
nor dug through and consequently Tigranes was not lending them
assistance.[-7-] When winter set in, and the barbarians were behaving
rather carelessly, inasmuch as they had the upper hand and were all but
expecting to drive out the Romans, Lucullus waited for a night without
a moon, when there was a violent storm of thunder and rain, so that the
foe, not being able to see ahead or hear a sound, left the outer city (all
but a few of them) and the intervening moat. He then assailed the wall
at many points, ascending it without difficulty from the mounds, and
easily slew the guards, not many in number, who had been left behind
upon it. In this way he filled up a part of the moat--the barbarians had
broken down the bridges in advance--and got across, since in the
downpour neither archery nor fire could harm him. Immediately he
captured nearly everything, for the inner circle was not very strong by
reason of the confidence felt in the outer works beyond it. Among those
that fled to the acropolis, whom he subsequently caused to capitulate,
was the brother of Tigranes. He also obtained considerable money and
passed the winter there.
[-8-] Nisibis, then, he overpowered as described, but many localities of
Armenia and the other countries around Pontus he lost. Tigranes had
not aided the town in question through the idea that it could not be
captured, but had hurried to the aforementioned places to see if he

could acquire them before Lucullus, while the latter was occupied near
the other city. Despatching Mithridates to his native land, Tigranes
himself entered his own district of Armenia. There he was opposed by
Lucius Fannius, whom he cut off and besieged, however, until Lucullus
ascertaining it sent assistance. [-9-]Meanwhile Mithridates had invaded
the other Armenia and surrounding neighborhood, where he fell upon
and destroyed many of the Romans to whom he appeared unexpectedly
as they were wandering about the country. Others he annihilated in
battle, and thereby won back speedily most of the positions. For the
men of that land were well disposed toward him because of kinship and
because of his being hereditary monarch: they hated the Romans
because the latter were foreigners and because they had been ill treated
by those set over them. Consequently they sided with Mithridates and
afterward conquered Marcus Fabius, leader of the Romans in that place.
The Thracians, who had formerly been mercenaries under Mithridates,
but were then with Fabius, and the slaves present in the Roman camp
gave them vigorous assistance. Thracians sent ahead by Fabius to
reconnoitre brought back to him no reliable report, and later, when
Mithridates suddenly fell upon him as he was proceeding along in a
rather unguarded fashion, they joined in the attack on the Romans. At
the same instant the slaves (to whom the barbarians had proclaimed
freedom) took a hand in the work. They would have crushed their
adversaries, had not Mithridates while occupied with the
enemy--although over seventy years old he was in the battle--been hit
with a stone. This caused the barbarians to fear that he might die; and
while they halted battle on this account, Fabius and the others were
able to escape to safety.[-10-] The Roman general was subsequently
shut up and besieged in Cabira, but was rescued by Triarius. The latter
was in that vicinity on his way from Asia to Lucullus. Having learned
what had happened he collected as large a force as was possible with
the resources at hand and in his advance so alarmed Mithridates
(probably by the size of the Roman detachment) as to make him
withdraw before Triarius came in view. At this the Romans took
courage, and pursuing the enemy as far as Comana, whither he had
retired, won a victory over him. Mithridates was in camp on the
opposite side of the river from the point where the Romans approached,
and was anxious to join battle while they were worn out from the

march. Accordingly he himself met them first, and directed that at the
crisis of the battle others should cross from another direction, by a
bridge, to take part in the attack. But whereas he fought an equal
conflict a long time he was deprived of reinforcements by the confusion
on the bridge across which many were pushing at one time, crowded all,
together.
[-11-] Thereafter they both retreated to their own fortifications and
rested,