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This man became the most difficult and most terrible enemy the Romans had, above all others. The reason was that Alamoundaros, holding the rank of king, alone ruled all the Saracens in Persia, and with his whole army was always able to make an attack 1.17.46 wherever he wished in the Roman domain; but no one, neither a commander of Roman soldiers, whom they call 'duces,' nor a leader of the Saracens allied to the Romans, who are called 'phylarchs,' was sufficiently able with his followers to array himself against Alamoundaros; for in each region they were stationed not as a worthy match for the enemy. 1.17.47 For this reason, indeed, the Emperor Justinian placed Arethas, the son of Gabalas, over as many tribes as possible, who ruled the Saracens in Arabia, bestowing on him the rank of king, a thing which had never before happened among the Romans. 1.17.48 Alamoundaros, however, ravaged the Roman territory no less, if not even more, with Arethas in every raid and conflict either being most unfortunate or betraying them most quickly. For we do not yet know anything certain about him. And in this way it came about that Alamoundaros, with no one opposing him, plundered the whole East for a very long time, since he also lived to a very great age. 1.18.1 Kavadhes, therefore, being pleased at that time by this man's suggestion, selected fifteen thousand men and set over them Azareth, a Persian who was exceptionally skilled in matters of war, and he ordered Alamoundaros to guide them on their march. 1.18.2 And they, having crossed the Euphrates river in Assyria, and having marched through a certain land deserted by men, suddenly and unexpectedly invaded the country of those called the Commagenians. 1.18.3 And this was the first invasion of the Persians from this direction into Roman land, so far as we know either by report or in any other way, and it struck all the Romans with terror by its unexpectedness. 1.18.4 When Belisarius learned of these things, at first he was at a loss, but then he decided to bring aid with all speed. And having established a sufficient garrison in each city, so that Kavadhes and another army of the enemy, coming there, would not find the places in Mesopotamia completely unguarded, he himself with the rest of the army went to meet them, and crossing the Euphrates river 1.18.5 they advanced with great haste. So the Roman army came to about twenty thousand infantry and cavalry, and of them the Isaurians were no fewer than two thousand. 1.18.6 The commanders of the cavalry were all those who had previously fought through the battle at Daras against the Persians and Mirranes, and of the infantry, one of the bodyguards of the Emperor Justinian, 1.18.7 Peter by name. Longinus and Stephanacius, however, were in command of the Isaurians. And there also Arethas came to them with the Saracen 1.18.8 army. And when they arrived at the city of Chalcis, they encamped and remained there, since they learned that the enemy were in a place called Gabboulon, one hundred and ten 1.18.9 stades distant from Chalcis. When Alamoundaros and Azareth learned this, dreading the danger, they no longer advanced, but decided to withdraw home immediately. So they, keeping the Euphrates river on their left, marched back, 1.18.10 and the Roman army followed behind. And in the place where the barbarians encamped each night, 1.18.11 the Romans always stayed on the following night. For Belisarius purposely did not allow the army to march any greater distance, since it was not his wish to come to grips with the enemy, but he thought it sufficient for them that the Persians and Alamoundaros, having invaded the Roman land and then withdrawn from there in this way, 1.18.12 should return to their own country without accomplishing anything. For this reason, indeed, all reviled him secretly, both commanders and soldiers, but no one reproached him to his face. 1.18.13 Finally the Persians encamped on the bank of the Euphrates, which is opposite the city of Callinicus. For from there they intended to march through a country inhabited by no one, and so to depart from Roman 1.18.14 land. For they no longer intended to go, as before, along the river

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εἰπεῖν χαλεπώτατός τε καὶ δεινότατος οὗτος ἀνὴρ γέγονε Ῥωμαίοις πολέμιος πάντων μάλιστα. αἴτιον δὲ ἦν, ὅτι Ἀλαμούνδαρος μὲν βασιλέως ἀξίωμα ἔχων ἁπάντων μόνος τῶν ἐν Πέρσαις Σαρακηνῶν ἦρχε, παντί τε τῷ στρατῷ οἷός τε ἦν ἀεὶ τὴν ἔφοδον 1.17.46 ποιεῖσθαι ὅπη βούλοιτο τῆς Ῥωμαίων ἀρχῆς· οὐδεὶς δὲ οὔτε Ῥωμαίων στρατιωτῶν ἄρχων, οὓς δοῦκας καλοῦσιν, οὔτε Σαρακηνῶν τῶν Ῥωμαίοις ἐνσπόνδων ἡγούμενος, οἳ φύλαρχοι ἐπικαλοῦνται, ξὺν τοῖς ἑπομένοις Ἀλαμουνδάρῳ ἀντιτάξασθαι ἱκανῶς εἶχεν· ἐν χώρᾳ γὰρ ἑκάστῃ τοῖς πολεμίοις οὐκ ἀξιόμαχοι ἐτετά1.17.47 χατο. διὸ δὴ βασιλεὺς Ἰουστινιανὸς φυλαῖς ὅτι πλείσταις Ἀρέθαν τὸν Γαβαλᾶ παῖδα ἐπέστησεν, ὃς τῶν ἐν Ἀραβίοις Σαρακηνῶν ἦρχεν, ἀξίωμα βασιλέως αὐτῷ περιθέμενος, οὐ πρότερον τοῦτο ἔν γε Ῥωμαίοις 1.17.48 γεγονὸς πώποτε. Ἀλαμούνδαρος μέντοι οὐδέν τι ἧσσον, εἰ μὴ καὶ μᾶλλον, τὰ Ῥωμαίων πράγματα ἔφθειρεν, Ἀρέθα ἐν πάσῃ ἐφόδῳ τε καὶ ἀγωνίᾳ ἢ ἀτυχοῦντος ὡς μάλιστα ἢ καταπροδιδόντος ὡς τάχιστα. οὐ γάρ πω σαφές τι ἀμφ' αὐτῷ ἴσμεν. ταύτῃ τε ξυνέβη Ἀλαμουνδάρῳ, οὐδενός οἱ ἀντιστατοῦντος, ἐπὶ μήκιστον τὴν ἑῴαν ληίζεσθαι πᾶσαν, ἐπεὶ καὶ μακροβιώτατος ἀτεχνῶς γέγονε. 1.18.1 Τούτου οὖν τότε τοῦ ἀνδρὸς τῇ ὑποθήκῃ ἡσθεὶς Καβάδης ἄνδρας πεντακισχιλίους τε καὶ μυρίους ἀπολεξάμενος Ἀζαρέθην αὐτοῖς ἄνδρα Πέρσην ἐπέστησε διαφερόντως ἀγαθὸν τὰ πολέμια, καὶ σφίσιν Ἀλαμούν1.18.2 δαρον τῆς πορείας ἐξηγεῖσθαι ἐκέλευεν. οἱ δὲ τὸν Εὐφράτην ποταμὸν διαβάντες ἐν Ἀσσυρίοις, γῆν τε πορευθέντες τινὰ ἔρημον ἀνθρώπων, ἄφνω ἐς τῶν Κομμαγηνῶν καλουμένων τὴν χώραν παρὰ δόξαν ἐσέ1.18.3 βαλλον. αὕτη τε πρώτη ἐνθένδε Περσῶν ἐσβολὴ ἐς γῆν τὴν Ῥωμαίων ἐγένετο, ὅσα γε ἡμᾶς ἀκοῇ ἢ τρόπῳ τῳ ἄλλῳ ἐπίστασθαι, καὶ πάντας Ῥωμαίους τῷ ἀπροσ1.18.4 δοκήτῳ κατέπληξεν. ἃ δὴ ἐπεὶ Βελισάριος ἔμαθε, τὰ μὲν πρῶτα διηπορεῖτο, μετὰ δὲ βοηθεῖν κατὰ τάχος ἔγνω. φυλακήν τε αὐτάρκη ἐν πόλει ἑκάστῃ καταστησάμενος, ὅπως μὴ Καβάδης τε καὶ στράτευμα τῶν πολεμίων ἄλλο ἐνταῦθα ἰόντες ἀφύλακτα τὸ παράπαν εὑρήσουσι τὰ ἐπὶ Μεσοποταμίας χωρία, αὐτὸς τῷ ἄλλῳ στρατῷ ὑπηντίαζεν, Εὐφράτην τε ποταμὸν διαβάντες 1.18.5 σπουδῇ πολλῇ πρόσω ἐχώρουν. ὁ μὲν οὖν Ῥωμαίων στρατὸς ἐς δισμυρίους μάλιστα πεζούς τε καὶ ἱππέας ξυνῄει, καὶ αὐτῶν Ἴσαυροι οὐχ ἧσσον ἢ δισχίλιοι 1.18.6 ἦσαν. ἄρχοντες δὲ ἱππέων μὲν ἅπαντες ἦσαν, οἳ τὰ πρότερα τὴν ἐν ∆άρας μάχην πρός τε Πέρσας καὶ Μιρράνην διήνεγκαν, πεζῶν δὲ τῶν τις δορυφόρων 1.18.7 Ἰουστινιανοῦ βασιλέως, Πέτρος ὄνομα. τοῖς μέντοι Ἰσαύροις Λογγῖνός τε καὶ Στεφανάκιος ἐφειστήκεσαν. ἐνταῦθα δὲ καὶ Ἀρέθας αὐτοῖς ξὺν τῷ Σαρακηνῶν 1.18.8 στρατεύματι ἦλθεν. ἐπεί τε ἐς Χαλκίδα πόλιν ἀφίκοντο, ἐνστρατοπεδευσάμενοι αὐτοῦ ἔμενον, ἐπεὶ τοὺς πολεμίους ἐν χωρίῳ Γαββουλῶν εἶναι ἐπύθοντο, δέκα 1.18.9 καὶ ἑκατὸν σταδίοις Χαλκίδος διέχοντι. ὃ δὴ γνόντες Ἀλαμούνδαρός τε καὶ Ἀζαρέθης τόν τε κίνδυνον κατορρωδήσαντες ἐπίπροσθεν οὐκέτι ἐχώρουν, ἀλλ' ἐπ' οἴκου αὐτίκα δὴ ἀποχωρεῖν ἔγνωσαν. αὐτοί τε γοῦν Εὐφράτην ποταμὸν ἐν ἀριστερᾷ ἔχοντες ὀπίσω ἀπή1.18.10 λαυνον καὶ ὁ Ῥωμαίων στρατὸς ὄπισθεν εἵπετο. ἔν τε τῷ χώρῳ, οὗ δὴ οἱ βάρβαροι ἐς νύκτα ἑκάστην ηὐλί1.18.11 ζοντο, ἀεὶ Ῥωμαῖοι τῇ ἐπιγινομένῃ νυκτὶ ἔμενον. Βελισάριος γὰρ ἐξεπίτηδες ὁδόν τινα πλείω πορεύεσθαι τὸ στράτευμα οὐδαμῆ εἴα, ἐπεί οἱ οὐκ ἦν βουλομένῳ τοῖς πολεμίοις ἐς χεῖρας ἰέναι, ἀλλ' ἀποχρῆν ᾤετο σφίσι Πέρσας τε καὶ Ἀλαμούνδαρον ἐς γῆν τὴν Ῥωμαίων ἐσβεβληκότας, εἶτα ἐνθένδε οὕτω δὴ ἀποκεχω1.18.12 ρηκότας, ἀπράκτους εἰς τὰ οἰκεῖα κομίζεσθαι. διὸ δὴ ἅπαντες αὐτῷ λάθρα ἐλοιδοροῦντο, ἄρχοντές τε καὶ στρατιῶται, ἐκάκιζε μέντοι αὐτὸν ἐς ὄψιν οὐδείς. 1.18.13 Τελευτῶντες δὲ Πέρσαι μὲν ἐν τῇ τοῦ Εὐφράτου ἠϊόνι ηὐλίσαντο, ἣ δὴ πόλεως Καλλινίκου ἀντιπέρας ἐστίν. ἐνθένδε γὰρ διὰ χώρας πρὸς οὐδενὸς ἀνθρώπων οἰκουμένης πορεύεσθαι ἔμελλον, οὕτω τε τῆς Ῥω1.18.14 μαίων γῆς ἀπαλλάσσεσθαι. οὐ γὰρ ἔτι διενοοῦντο ἰέναι, ὥσπερ τὰ πρότερα, τῆς τοῦ ποταμοῦ