Procopius of Caesarea
φρουρίοις ὀχυρωμάτων τὰ στρατόπεδα πάντα 12εἰργάσαντο. καὶ χαρακώματος μὲν τοῦ ἐν Νέρωνος πεδίῳ Μαρκίας ἦρχεν (ἤδη γὰρ ἐκ Γαλλιῶν ξὺν τοῖς ἑπομένοις ἀφῖκτο, ξὺν οἷς ἐνταῦθα ἐστρατοπέδευσε), τῶν δὲ δὴ ἄλλων Οὐίττιγις ἡγεῖτο ἕκτος αὐτός· ἄρχων γὰρ ἦν εἷς κατὰ χαράκωμα 13ἕκαστον. Γότθοι μὲν οὖν1 οὕτω ταξάμενοι διεῖλον τοὺς ὀχετοὺς ἅπαντας, ὅπως δὴ ὕδωρ ὡς ἥκιστα ἐς τὴν πόλιν ἐνθένδε εἰσίοι. Ῥώμης δὲ ὀχετοὶ τεσσαρεσκαίδεκα μὲν τὸ πλῆθός εἰσιν, ἐκ πλίνθου δὲ ὠπτημένης τοῖς πάλαι ἀνθρώποις πεποίηνται, ἐς τοσοῦτον εὔρους καὶ βάθους διήκοντες ὥστε ἀνθρώπῳ ἵππῳ ὀχουμένῳ ἐνταῦθα ἱππεύειν δυνατὰ 14εἶναι. Βελισάριος δὲ τὰ ἐς τὴν φυλακὴν τῆς πόλεως διεκόσμει ὧδε. πυλίδα μὲν αὐτὸς τὴν Πιγκιανὴν καὶ πύλην τὴν ταύτης ἐν δεξιᾷ εἶχεν, 15ἣ Σαλαρία ὠνόμασται. κατὰ ταύτας γὰρ ἐπίμαχος ἦν ὁ περίβολος,2 καὶ Ῥωμαίοις ἐξιτητὰ ἐπὶ τοὺς πολεμίους ὄντα ἐτύγχανε. Πραινεστίναν δὲ 16Βέσσᾳ ἔδωκε. καὶ τῇ Φλαμινίᾳ, ἣ Πιγκιανῆς ἐπὶ θάτερά ἐστι, Κωνσταντῖνον3 ἐπέστησε, τάς τε πύλας ἐπιθεὶς πρότερον, καὶ λίθων μεγάλων οἰκοδομίᾳ ἔνδοθεν αὐτὰς ἀποφράξας ὡς μάλιστα, ὅπως 17δὴ αὐτὰς μηδενὶ ἀνακλίνειν δυνατὰ εἴη. τῶν γὰρ χαρακωμάτων ἑνὸς ἀγχοτάτω ὄντος ἔδεισε μή τις ἐπὶ τῇ πόλει ἐνέδρα πρὸς τῶν πολεμίων ἐνταῦθα 18ἔσται. τὰς δὲ λειπομένας τῶν πεζικῶν καταλόγων τοὺς ἄρχοντας διαφυλάσσειν ἐκέλευε. τῶν τε ὀχετῶν ἕκαστον ὡς ἀσφαλέστατα οἰκοδομίᾳ
History of the Wars, V. xix.
thus making all their camps in no way inferior to fortified strongholds. And the camp in the Plain of Nero was commanded by Marcias (for he had by now arrived from Gaul with his followers, with whom he was encamped there), and the rest of the camps were commanded by Vittigis with five others; for there was one commander for each camp. So the Goths, having taken their positions in this way, tore open all the aqueducts, so that no water at all might enter the city from them. Now the aqueducts of Rome are fourteen in number, and were made of baked brick by the men of old, being of such breadth and height that it is possible for a man on horseback to ride in them1 And Belisarius arranged for the defence of the city in the following manner. He himself held the small Pincian Gate and the gate next to this on the right, which is named the Salarian. For at these gates the circuit-wall was assailable, and at the same time it was possible for the Romans to go out from them against the enemy. The Praenestine Gate he gave to Bessas. And at the Flaminian, which is on the other side of the Pincian, he put Constantinus in command, having previously closed the gates and blocked them up most securely by building a wall of great stones on the inside, so that it might be impossible for anyone to open them. For since one of the camps was very near, he feared least some secret plot against the city should be made there by the enemy. And the remaining gates he ordered the commanders of the infantry forces to keep under guard. And he closed each of the aqueducts as securely as possible by filling their channels with masonry for a considerable