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1.16.6 "with much inactivity they hold your own territories. But as if this were not enough for you, you have also made the great city of Daras a fortress against the Persians, although it was explicitly forbidden in the treaties which Anatolius made with the Persians; and as a result of this, the affairs of the Persians are necessarily burdened by the troubles and expense of two armies, the one, so that the Massagetae may not be able to plunder the land of both with impunity, the other, so that we may check your raids. 1.16.7 When we recently complained about these things, and demanded that one of two things be done by you, either that the army at the Caspian Gates be sent by both of us, or that the city of Daras be demolished, you did not accept the understanding of what was said, but you decided to strengthen the plot against the Persians with a greater evil, if we remember anything of the building at Mindouos; and now too for the Romans the choice is between peace and arms, either by acting justly towards us, or 1.16.8 by going against them. For the Persians will not lay down their arms sooner, until the Romans either guard the gates with them justly and rightly, 1.16.9 or demolish the city of Daras." Having said so much, Cabades sent the ambassador away, making it clear that he wished both to receive money from the Romans 1.16.10 and to put an end to the causes of the war. Rufinus reported these things to the emperor when he arrived in Byzantium. Not long after him Hermogenes also arrived, and the winter was ending, and the fourth year was ending for the Emperor Justinian holding the imperial power. 1.17.1 And at the beginning of spring, a Persian army led by Azareth invaded the land of the Romans. They were fifteen thousand, all cavalry. And with them was Alamoundaras, son of Saccice, with a very great 1.17.2 multitude of Saracens. And this invasion by the Persians did not happen as was customary; for they did not invade Mesopotamia, as before, but into the land formerly called Commagene, but now called Euphratesia, from which the Persians had never before, 1.17.3 so far as we know, marched against the Romans. But I am about to tell for what reason the country was called Mesopotamia and why the Persians refrained from invading it. 1.17.4 There is a mountain in Armenia that is not very steep, forty-two stades distant from Theodosiopolis, and turned towards the north wind from it. And two springs issue from there, immediately forming two rivers, the one on the right, the Euphrates, and the other 1.17.5 named Tigris. Of these two, the one, the Tigris, neither making any circuits nor receiving any but a few 1.17.6 waters, flows straight down to the city of Amida. And passing by it on the north, it goes to the land of the Assyrians. But the Euphrates flows at first for a short distance, and then going forward it disappears, not, however, becoming subterranean, 1.17.7 but something wonderful happens to it. For over the water a very deep marsh is formed, about fifty stades in length, and twenty in width. And a great quantity of reeds grows in this mud. 1.17.8 And the soil here is so hard that to those who encounter it, it seems to be nothing other than mainland. Therefore, it happens that both infantry 1.17.9 and cavalry travel upon it fearing nothing. And indeed many wagons also pass by here each day, but they are not at all 1.17.10 able to move or expose anything of the marsh. And the local people burn the reeds every year, so that the roads may not be blocked by them, and once when an extraordinary wind fell upon the place the fire happened to reach down to the very ends of the roots, and the water appeared in 1.17.11 a small area. But after not a long time the soil grew together again and restored to the place the form it had before. And from there the river proceeds into the land called Celesene, where the temple of Artemis in Tauris was, from where they say that Iphigenia, daughter of Agamemnon, fled with both Orestes and Py1.17.12 lades, carrying the statue of Artemis. For the other temple, which indeed even to my time is in the city

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1.16.6 «πολλῇ ἀπραγμοσύνῃ τὰ ὑμέτερα αὐτῶν ἔχουσιν. ὥσπερ «δὲ οὐχ ἱκανὸν ὑμῖν τοῦτό γε, καὶ πόλιν μεγάλην «∆άρας ἐπιτείχισμα Πέρσαις πεποίησθε, καίπερ διαρ»ρήδην ἐν ταῖς σπονδαῖς ἀπειρημένον, ἅσπερ Ἀνατό»λιος πρὸς Πέρσας ἔθετο· καὶ ἀπ' αὐτοῦ δυοῖν στρα»τοπέδοιν ἀνάγκη πόνοις τε καὶ δαπάνῃ κεκακῶσθαι «τὰ Περσῶν πράγματα, τὸ μὲν, ὅπως μὴ Μασσαγέται «τὴν ἀμφοτέρων γῆν ἄγειν τε καὶ φέρειν ἀδεῶς δύ»νωνται, τὸ δὲ, ὅπως ἂν τὰς ὑμετέρας ἐπιδρομὰς 1.16.7 «ἀναστέλλοιμεν. ὑπὲρ ὧν ἔναγχος μεμφομένων ἡμῶν, «δυοῖν τε τὸ ἕτερον ἀξιούντων παρ' ὑμῶν γίγνεσθαι, «ἢ ἐξ ἀμφοτέρων τὸν ἐς πύλας τὰς Κασπίας στρατὸν «στέλλεσθαι, ἢ πόλιν ∆άρας καταλύεσθαι, τῶν μὲν «λεγομένων τὴν μάθησιν οὐ προσίεσθε, κακῷ δὲ «μείζονι κρατύνασθαι τὴν ἐς Πέρσας ἐπιβουλὴν ἔγνωτε, «εἴ τι μεμνήμεθα τῆς ἐν Μίνδουος οἰκοδομίας· καὶ «νῦν δὲ Ῥωμαίοις ἑλετὰ μὲν τὰ τῆς εἰρήνης, αἱρετὰ «δὲ τὰ ὅπλα, ἢ τὰ δίκαια πρὸς ἡμᾶς τιθεμένοις, ἢ 1.16.8 «ἀπ' ἐναντίας αὐτῶν ἰοῦσιν. οὐ γὰρ τὰ ὅπλα κατα»θήσουσι πρότερον Πέρσαι, πρὶν δὴ αὐτοῖς Ῥωμαῖοι «ἢ τὰς πύλας δικαίως τε καὶ ὀρθῶς ξυμφυλάξουσιν, 1.16.9 «ἢ πόλιν ∆άρας καταλύσουσι.» τοσαῦτα Καβάδης εἰπὼν τὸν πρεσβευτὴν ἀπεπέμψατο, παραδηλώσας ὥς οἱ βουλομένῳ εἴη χρήματά τε πρὸς Ῥωμαίων λαβεῖν 1.16.10 καὶ τὰς τοῦ πολέμου καταλύειν αἰτίας. ἅπερ Ῥουφῖνος ἐς Βυζάντιον ἥκων βασιλεῖ ἤγγειλεν. οὗ δὴ οὐ πολλῷ ὕστερον καὶ Ἑρμογένης ἀφίκετο, καὶ ὁ χειμὼν ἔληγε, καὶ τέταρτον ἔτος ἐτελεύτα Ἰουστινιανῷ βασιλεῖ τὴν αὐτοκράτορα ἀρχὴν ἔχοντι. 1.17.1 Ἅμα δὲ ἦρι ἀρχομένῳ στράτευμα Περσῶν Ἀζαρέθου ἡγουμένου ἐσέβαλεν ἐς Ῥωμαίων τὴν γῆν. ἦσαν δὲ πεντακισχίλιοί τε καὶ μύριοι, ἱππεῖς ἅπαντες. καὶ αὐτοῖς Ἀλαμούνδαρος ὁ Σακκίκης ξυνῆν, πάμπολύν 1.17.2 τινα ὅμιλον Σαρακηνῶν ἔχων. αὕτη τε Πέρσαις ἡ ἐσβολὴ οὐ καθάπερ εἰώθει ἐγένετο· οὐ γὰρ ἐς τὴν Μεσοποταμίαν ἐσέβαλλον, ὥσπερ τὰ πρότερα, ἀλλ' ἐς τὴν πάλαι μὲν Κομμαγηνὴν, τανῦν δὲ καλουμένην Εὐφρατησίαν, ὅθεν δὴ οὐ πώποτε Πέρσαι πρότερον, 1.17.3 ὅσα γε ἡμᾶς εἰδέναι, ἐπὶ Ῥωμαίους ἐστράτευσαν. ὅτου δὲ ἕνεκα Μεσοποταμία τε ἡ χώρα ἐκλήθη καὶ οἱ Πέρσαι τῆς ἐς ταύτην ἐφόδου ἀπέσχοντο ἐρῶν ἔρχομαι. 1.17.4 Ὄρος οὐ λίαν ἀπότομον ἐν Ἀρμενίοις ἐστὶ, Θεοδοσιουπόλεως μὲν δύο καὶ τεσσαράκοντα σταδίοις διέχον, τετραμμένον δὲ αὐτῆς πρὸς βορρᾶν ἄνεμον. καὶ πηγαὶ δύο ἐνθένδε ἐξίασι, ποταμοὺς δύο ποιοῦσαι αὐτίκα, Εὐφράτην μὲν ἡ ἐν δεξιᾷ, ἡ δὲ δὴ ἑτέρα 1.17.5 Τίγρην ὄνομα. τούτοιν ἅτερος μὲν, ὁ Τίγρης, οὔτε περιόδοις τισὶ χρώμενος οὔτε ὑδάτων ὅτι μὴ ὀλίγων 1.17.6 οἱ ἐπιγινομένων, εὐθὺ Ἀμίδης πόλεως κάτεισι. καὶ αὐτῆς ἐς τὰ πρὸς βορρᾶν ἄνεμον προϊὼν χωρεῖ ἐς τῶν Ἀσσυρίων τὴν χώραν. ὁ δὲ δὴ Εὐφράτης φέρεται μὲν κατ' ἀρχὰς ἐπί τινα χῶρον ὀλίγον, εὐθὺς δὲ προϊὼν ἀφανίζεται, οὐχ ὑπόγειος μέντοι γινόμενος, 1.17.7 ἀλλά τί οἱ ξυμβαῖνον θαυμάσιον οἷον. ὑπὲρ γὰρ τοῦ ὕδατος τέλμα ἐπὶ πλεῖστον βαθὺ γίνεται, μῆκος μὲν ὅσον ἐπὶ σταδίους πεντήκοντα, εὖρος δὲ εἴκοσι. καὶ καλάμων φύεται πολύ τι χρῆμα ἐν τῷ πηλῷ τούτῳ. 1.17.8 ἐς τόσον δὲ σκληρός τις ὁ χοῦς ἐνταῦθά ἐστιν ὥστε τοῖς ἐντυγχάνουσιν οὐδὲν ἄλλο δοκεῖν ἢ ἤπειρον εἶναι. ἐπ' αὐτῷ τοίνυν ξυμβαίνει οὐδὲν δεδιότας πεζούς τε 1.17.9 καὶ ἱππέας πορεύεσθαι. καὶ μὴν καὶ ἅμαξαι παρίασιν ἐνθένδε πολλαὶ ἡμέρᾳ ἑκάστῃ, ἀλλ' οὐδὲν τὸ παράπαν 1.17.10 ἰσχύουσι κινεῖν τι ἢ ἐξελέγχειν τοῦ τέλματος. καίουσι δὲ τοὺς καλάμους οἱ ἐπιχώριοι ἀνὰ πᾶν ἔτος, τοῦ μὴ τὰς ὁδοὺς πρὸς αὐτῶν εἴργεσθαι, καί ποτε πνεύματος ἐνταῦθα ἐξαισίου ἐπιπεσόντος μέχρι ἐς τὰ τῶν ῥιζῶν ἔσχατα τὸ πῦρ ἐξικνεῖσθαι τετύχηκε, καὶ τὸ ὕδωρ ἐν 1.17.11 χωρίῳ ὀλίγῳ φανῆναι. χρόνου δὲ ὁ χοῦς αὖθις οὐ πολλοῦ ξυμφυεὶς ἀπέδωκε τῷ χωρίῳ τὸ σχῆμα, ἐφ' οὗπερ τὸ πρότερον ἦν. ἐνθένδε τε ὁ ποταμὸς πρόεισιν ἐς τὴν Κελεσηνὴν καλουμένην χώραν, οὗ δὴ τὸ ἐν Ταύροις τῆς Ἀρτέμιδος ἱερὸν ἦν, ἔνθεν λέγουσι τὴν Ἀγαμέμνονος Ἰφιγένειαν ξύν τε Ὀρέστῃ καὶ Πυ1.17.12 λάδῃ φυγεῖν, τὸ τῆς Ἀρτέμιδος ἄγαλμα φέρουσαν. ὁ γὰρ ἄλλος νεὼς, ὃς δὴ καὶ ἐς ἐμέ ἐστιν ἐν πόλει