The Illyrian Wars

​The Romans, having twice before invaded the Segestan territory, had taken neither hostages nor anything else; wherefore the Segestani were of high spirit. But Caesar marched against them through the land of the Paeonians, which was not yet subject to the Romans either. The Paeonians’ land is woody and extends long from the Iapodes to the Dardani. And these Paeonians did not inhabit cities, but fields or villages according to kinship; nor did they meet in common council-chambers, nor did they have rulers over all of them. And those of military age amounted to a hundred thousand. But not even these came together in a body on account of anarchy. And as Caesar approached them, fleeing into the woods they killed those of the soldiers who straggled. But Caesar, as long as he hoped they would come to him, injured neither the villages nor the fields; but when they did not meet him, he burned and ravaged everything for eight days, until he passed through into the land of the Segestani, this also being Paeonian, on the river Saus, in which there is also a strong city, protected by both the river and a very large trench; for which reason especially Caesar desired it, intending to use it as a storehouse for the war against the Dacians and Bastarnae, who are beyond the Ister, which is called Danube here, but shortly after becomes the Ister. The Saus empties into the Ister; and the ships were being prepared for Caesar on the Saus, which were to carry supplies for him into the Danube.

​For these reasons indeed Caesar desired Segesta; and as he was approaching, the Segestani sent to him, asking what he wanted. And he said he wanted to introduce a garrison and to take a hundred hostages, so that he might safely use the city as a storehouse against the Dacians. He also asked for grain, as much as they could bring. These things the leading men thought right to give; but the common people, growing wild, tolerated the giving of hostages, because perhaps they were not their own children but those of the leading men; but when the garrison approached, unable to bear the sight, they closed the gates again in a mad rush and stationed themselves on the walls. Therefore Caesar bridged the river, and constructed palisades and trenches on all sides, and having shut them off, he constructed two mounds. Against which the Segestani often made sallies, but not being able to capture them, they threw down torches and much fire from above. And as another force of Paeonians was coming to help them, Caesar met and ambushed it; and some of them were killed, others fled, and no one of the Paeonians came to help anymore.

​And the Segestani, having endured every kind of siege, were taken by storm on the thirtieth day, and then for the first time began to supplicate. And Caesar, both praising their courage and pitying their supplication, neither put them to death nor displaced them, but fined them in money, and having walled off a part of the city, introduced into it a garrison of twenty-five cohorts. And having done these things, he marched back to Rome, intending to return to Illyria in the spring. But when a rumor spread rapidly that the Segestani had destroyed the garrison, he rushed out in winter. And he found the end of the rumor false, but the cause true; for they had been in danger, the Segestani having suddenly surrounded them, and the sudden attack had destroyed many, but on the following day, sallying out, they overcame the Segestani. Therefore Caesar went against the Dalmatians, another tribe of Illyrians, neighboring the Taulantii.