The Borani raid the Black Sea coast on Bosporan ships

The raids are known above all from the New History of Zosimus (about 500), who explains why the Bosporus, which had long shielded Asia Minor from the peoples of the north, now let them through. While the old royal house ruled, he writes, the Bosporan kings kept the “Scythians” out of Asia out of friendship with Rome, for the sake of trade and of the gifts the emperors sent them every year; but when that house died out and worthless men took power, the Bosporans in their fear gave the barbarians ships and even ferried them across themselves.

On the first expedition the Borani sailed along the eastern shore of the Black Sea to Pityus (modern Pitsunda) on the very edge of the Roman Empire, a town with strong walls and a good harbour. Its commander Successianus beat them off, and fearing that other garrisons would come to his aid, the raiders hurried back to their ships with heavy losses. Soon afterwards the emperor Valerian summoned Successianus, made him praetorian prefect (“prefect of the court”, in Zosimus’ words) and consulted him on the rebuilding of Antioch. The next year the Borani again obtained ships from the Bosporans — this time they did not send them back — made a vain attempt on the temple of Artemis at Phasis, where the palace of Aeetes was also shown, then took Pityus and, with captives at the oars, reached Trapezus (Trabzon) in the summer. The city had a double wall and, according to Zosimus, ten thousand soldiers beyond its usual garrison, but the troops gave themselves up to idleness and drink: the raiders piled tree trunks against the wall, climbed it at night and took the city, destroyed temples and buildings and sailed home with a fleet laden with booty and captives.

Gregory Thaumaturgus, bishop of Neocaesarea in Pontus, mentions in his Canonical Epistle the “Boradoi and Goths” who ravaged the province and censures Christians who, having suffered from them, became “Boradoi and Goths” to others by plundering their neighbours. Tempted by the booty, other “Scythians” soon built boats of their own, went round the western shore of the Black Sea, crossed the Bosphorus in fishing boats and sacked Chalcedon, Nicomedia, Nicaea and other cities of Bithynia. The chronology is uncertain: Zosimus dates the raids only to the reign of Valerian and Gallienus, and modern authors put the attack on Pityus in 254, 255 or 256 and the fall of Trapezus a year later, some as late as 257 or 258. Who the Borani were — Sarmatians, Germans or another people — is unknown; after these raids the name no longer appears in the sources.