Satala lies. Dorotheus with the rest of the army he ordered to stay
inside the fortifications, because they thought that they were by no
means able to withstand the enemy on level ground, since their number
was not fewer than thirty thousand, while their own forces scarcely
amounted to half that number. On the following day the barbarians came
up close to the fortifications and busily set about closing in the town.
But suddenly, seeing the forces of Sittas who by now were coming down
upon them from the high ground, and having no means of estimating their
number, since owing to the summer season a great cloud of dust hung over
them, they thought they were much more numerous than they were, and,
hurriedly abandoning their plan of closing in the town, they hastened to
mass their force into a small space. But the Romans anticipated the
movement and, separating their own force into two detachments, they set
upon them as they were retiring from the fortifications; and when this
was seen by the whole Roman army, they took courage, and with a great
rush they poured out from the fortifications and advanced against their
opponents. They thus put the Persians between their own troops, and
turned them to flight. However, since the barbarians were greatly
superior to their enemy in numbers, as has been said, they still offered
resistance, and the battle had become a fierce fight at close quarters.
And both sides kept making advances upon their opponents and retiring
quickly, for they were all cavalry. Thereupon Florentius, a Thracian,
commanding a detachment of horse, charged into the enemy's centre, and
seizing the general's standard, forced it to the ground, and started to
ride back. And though he himself was overtaken and fell there, hacked to
pieces, he proved to be the chief cause of the victory for the Romans.
For when the barbarians no longer saw the standard, they were thrown
into great confusion and terror, and retreating, got inside their camp,
and remained quiet, having lost many men in the battle; and on the
following day they all returned homeward with no one following them up,