Before the summer of this, the fifth year of the war, the Goths had been driven from nearly all their principal strongholds, and Vitigis, with the bulk of his troops, had been obliged to take refuge in Ravenna. But the outposts of the Gothic capital, Faesulae and Auximum, both strong by nature, and munitioned with especial care, had to be reduced before the blockade of the regal seat could be safely undertaken.[1] Several months were consumed in these operations, and the Byzantine army was so distressed by the protracted defence of Auximum, which was attacked by the Master of Soldiers in person, that the troops were on the verge of mutiny. At length the garrison was induced to capitulate with the honours of war, and Belisarius was free to devote all his strategy to the capture of Ravenna. That city was built in a swamp near the sea-shore, about forty miles below the estuaries of the Po, and was unapproachable on all sides by an army in force.[2] It was necessary, therefore, to produce
- [Footnote: Shahinshah stamped his image on the silver currency only. The reason
of this restriction was that all but Byzantine gold, denoted by the figure and superscription of the Eastern Emperor, was excluded from commerce as suspect; Procopius, De Bel. Goth., iii, 33.]
- ↑ Here we are informed that the Byzantine infantry used a trumpet made of wood and leather, the cavalry one of brass. They were, however, merely blown on occasion to make an impressive noise. Procopius makes a great point of his having suggested that the latter should be used to sound an attack, the former a recall. Belisarius summoned a military meeting, and formally adopted his suggestion; De Bel. Goth., ii, 23.
- ↑ The description of Strabo (V, iii, 7) shows that Ravenna was a town like modern Venice, built in the brackish lagoons on piles, etc. While the vine flourished in the vicinity, potable water was scarce and valuable. Hence the joke (Martial, iii, 56, 57) that wine was cheaper than water at R. Sidonius Apol. (Epist., i, 5, 8, c. 470) inveighs against the bad water, turbid canals, stinging gnats, incessant croaking of bull-*frogs, etc. But the sea was receding, and even at that time much new land was being recovered from the water; Jordanes, De Reb. Get., 29.
