ed to make
certain long detours, both because of the lack of provisions, and
because they preferred not to pass close to the fortresses on the
Flaminian Way, Narnia and Spolitium and Perusia, since these were in the
hands of the enemy, as has been stated above.[178]

When the Roman army arrived at Petra, they made an attack upon the
fortress there, regarding it as an incident of their expedition. Now
this fortress was not devised by man, but it was made by the nature of
the place; for the road passes through an extremely mountainous country
at that place. On the right of this road a river descends which no man
can ford because of the swiftness of the current, and on the left not
far away rises a sheer rock which reaches to such a height that men who
might chance to be standing on its summit, as seen by those below,
resemble in size the smallest birds. And in olden times there was no
passage through as one went forward. For the end of the rock reaches to
the very stream of the river, affording no room for those who travel
that way to pass by. So the men of ancient times constructed a tunnel at
that point, and made there a gate for the place.[179] And they also
closed up the greatest part of the other[180] entrance, leaving only
enough space for a small gate there also, and thus rendered the place a
natural fortress, which they call by the fitting name of Petra. So the
men of Martinus and Ildiger first made an attack upon one of the two
gates,[181] and shot many missiles, but they accomplished nothing,
although the barbarians there made no defence at all; but afterwards
they forced their way up the cliff behind the fortress and hurled stones
from there upon the heads of the Goths. And they, hurriedly and in great
confusion, entered their houses and remained quiet. And then the Romans,
unable to hit any of the enemy with the stones they threw, devised the
following plan. They broke off large pieces from the cliff and, many of
them pushing together, hurled them down, aiming at the houses. And
wherever these in their fall did no more than just graze the building,
they yet gave the whole fortress a considerable shock and reduced the
barbarians to great fear. Consequently the Goths stretched out their
hands to those who were still about the gate and surrendered themselves
and the fort, with the condition that they themselves should remain free
from harm, being slaves of the emperor and subject to Belisarius. And
Ildiger and Ma