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were struck by them. And many times the barbarians, having given up, charged upon them, as if to throw them into confusion and break their line, but they charged back again from there without accomplishing anything. 1.18.48 For their horses, distressed by the clash of the shields, reared up and were thrown into confusion along with their riders. And so both sides continued, until it became late in the day. 1.18.49 But when night had already fallen, the Persians withdrew to their camp, and Belisarius, chancing upon a transport ship, went down to the island in the river with a few men, 1.18.50 where indeed the other Romans also came by swimming. On the next day, since many transport ships had arrived for them from the city of Callinicus, the Romans were conveyed to it, while the Persians, after despoiling the dead, all withdrew to their homes. However, they did not find their own dead to be fewer than those of the enemy. 1.18.51 But Azarethes, when he arrived in Persia with his army, although he had been successful in the battle, met with a most ungrateful Cabades 1.18.52 for the following reason. It is a custom among the Persians, whenever they are about to march against any of the enemy, for the king to be seated upon the royal throne, and for many baskets to be somewhere there for him, and for the general to be present who is expected to lead the army against the opponents, and for this army to pass into the king's sight one man at a time, and for each of them to cast one arrow into the baskets, and after this they are kept, having been marked with the king's seal, and when this army returns to Persia, for each of the soldiers 1.18.53 to take up one arrow from the wicker-baskets. Therefore, by counting how many of the arrows have not been taken up by the men, upon whom this duty is laid, they report to the king the number of the soldiers who have not returned, and in this way it becomes clear how many have died in the war. 1.18.54 So, then, the Persians have this custom from of old. But when Azarethes came into the presence of the king, Cabades inquired of him whether he had come after having subjugated any Roman territory, since he had marched against the Romans with Alamundaras with the intention of subduing Antioch. But Azarethes said that he had captured no territory, but 1.18.55 had conquered the Romans and Belisarius in battle. Cabades therefore ordered the army with Azarethes to pass by, and each man took up an arrow from the baskets, as was the custom. 1.18.56 And since many arrows were left over, the king reproached Azarethes for the victory and for the future held him among the most dishonored. So the affair of the victory ended thus for Azarethes. 1.19.1 Then the thought occurred to the Emperor Justinian to make allies of the Aethiopians and the Homeritae to the detriment of the Persians. But in what part of the world these men dwell, and in what respect the emperor 1.19.2 hoped they would be of advantage to the Romans, I shall proceed to tell. The borders of Palestine towards the rising sun extend to the sea called the Red Sea. 1.19.3 And this sea, beginning from India, ends here at the Roman domain. And a city called Aelas is on its shore, where the sea, as has been said by me, ending, becomes an exceedingly narrow strait. And to one sailing into it from there, on the right are the mountains of the Egyptians turned towards the south wind, and on the other side a country desolate of men extends for a very great distance towards the north wind, and this land is visible on both sides to one sailing in, as far as the island called Iotabe, distant from the city of Aelas 1.19.4 not less than a thousand stades. There Hebrews had dwelt independent from of old, but in the reign of this Justinian they have become subject to the Romans. 1.19.5 But from here a great open sea follows. And those sailing this way no longer see the land on the right, but they always put in to shore on the left when night comes on. 1.19.6 For it is impossible to sail in this sea in the dark, since it happens to be for the most part full of reefs. 1.19.7 And there are many harbors there, not made by the hands of men, but formed by the nature of the places, and for this reason it is not difficult for sailors to anchor wherever they may chance to be. This very shore immediately

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ἐκείνων ἐβάλλοντο. πολλάκις τε ἀπειπόντες οἱ βάρβαροι ἐπ' αὐτοὺς ἤλαυνον, ὡς ξυνταράξοντές τε καὶ διαλύσοντες τὴν παράταξιν, ἀλλ' ἄπρακτοι ἐνθένδε 1.18.48 ὀπίσω αὖθις ἀπήλαυνον. οἱ γὰρ ἵπποι αὐτοῖς τῷ τῶν ἀσπίδων πατάγῳ ἀχθόμενοι ἀνεχαιτίζοντό τε καὶ ἐς ταραχὴν ξὺν τοῖς ἐπιβάταις καθίσταντο. διαγεγόνασί τε οὕτως ἑκάτεροι, ἕως ἐγεγόνει τῆς ἡμέρας ὀψέ. 1.18.49 νυκτὸς δὲ ἤδη ἐπιλαβούσης Πέρσαι μὲν ἐς τὸ στρατόπεδον ἀνεχώρησαν, Βελισάριος δὲ ὁλκάδος ἐπιτυχὼν ξὺν ὀλίγοις τισὶν ἐς τοῦ ποταμοῦ τὴν νῆσον κατῆρεν, 1.18.50 οὗ δὴ καὶ οἱ ἄλλοι Ῥωμαῖοι νηχόμενοι ἦλθον. τῇ δὲ ὑστεραίᾳ Ῥωμαῖοι μὲν ὁλκάδων σφίσιν ἐκ Καλλινίκου πόλεως παραγενομένων πολλῶν ἐς αὐτὴν ἐκομίσθησαν, Πέρσαι δὲ τοὺς νεκροὺς ἐσκυλευκότες ἐπ' οἴκου ἅπαντες ἀνεχώρησαν. οὐ μὴν τοὺς σφετέρους νεκροὺς τῶν πολεμίων ἐλάσσους εὗρον. 1.18.51 Ἀζαρέθης δὲ, ἐπεὶ ξὺν τῷ στρατῷ ἐς Πέρσας ἀφίκετο, καίπερ ἐν τῇ μάχῃ εὐημερήσας, ἀχαρίστου Κα1.18.52 βάδου μάλιστα ἔτυχεν ἐξ αἰτίας τοιᾶσδε. νόμος ἐστὶ Πέρσαις, ἡνίκα ἐπὶ τῶν πολεμίων τινὰς στρατεύεσθαι μέλλωσι, τὸν μὲν βασιλέα ἐπὶ θρόνου τοῦ βασιλείου καθῆσθαι, κοφίνους δέ οἱ πολλοὺς ἐνταῦθά πη εἶναι, καὶ παρεῖναι μὲν τὸν στρατηγὸν, ὃς δὴ τῷ στρατῷ ἐπὶ τοὺς ἐναντίους ἐξηγήσεσθαι ἐπίδοξός ἐστι, παριέναι δὲ τὸ στράτευμα τοῦτο ἐς τοῦ βασιλέως τὴν ὄψιν κατ' ἄνδρα ἕνα, καὶ αὐτῶν ἕκαστον βέλος ἓν ἐς τὰς ταρπὰς ῥιπτεῖν, μετὰ δὲ αὐτὰς μὲν τῇ βασιλέως σφραγῖδι κατασεσημασμένας φυλάττεσθαι, ἐπειδὰν δὲ ἐς Πέρσας ἐπανίοι τὸ στράτευμα τοῦτο, τῶν στρατιωτῶν ἕκαστον 1.18.53 ἐκ τῶν ἀρρίχων ἓν ἀναιρεῖσθαι βέλος. ἀριθμοῦντες οὖν τῶν βελῶν ὅσα πρὸς τῶν ἀνδρῶν οὐκ ἀνῄρηται, οἷς ἐπίκειται ἡ τιμὴ αὕτη, ἀγγέλλουσι τῷ βασιλεῖ τὸ πλῆθος τῶν οὐκ ἐπανηκόντων στρατιωτῶν, ταύτῃ τε ὅσοι ἐν τῷ πολέμῳ τετελευτήκασιν ἔνδηλοι γίνονται. 1.18.54 οὕτω μὲν οὖν Πέρσαις ὁ νόμος ἐκ παλαιοῦ ἔχει. ἐπεὶ δὲ Ἀζαρέθης ἐς ὄψιν τῷ βασιλεῖ ἦλθεν, ἀνεπυνθάνετο αὐτοῦ ὁ Καβάδης εἴ τι χωρίον παραστησάμενος Ῥωμαϊκὸν ἥκοι, ἐπεὶ ξὺν τῷ Ἀλαμουνδάρῳ ὡς Ἀντιόχειαν καταστρεψόμενος ἐπὶ Ῥωμαίους στρατεύσειεν. ὁ δὲ Ἀζαρέθης χωρίον μὲν ἑλεῖν οὐδὲν ἔφασκε, Ῥωμαίους 1.18.55 δὲ καὶ Βελισάριον μάχῃ νενικηκέναι. Καβάδης μὲν οὖν παριέναι τὸ ξὺν τῷ Ἀζαρέθῃ ἐκέλευε στράτευμα, ἔκ τε τῶν ταρπῶν βέλος ἕκαστος ἀνῃρεῖτο ᾗπερ εἰώ1.18.56 θει. πολλῶν δὲ ἀπολελειμμένων βελῶν ὠνείδιζέ τε τῷ Ἀζαρέθῃ ὁ βασιλεὺς τὴν νίκην καὶ ἐν τοῖς ἀτιμοτάτοις τὸ λοιπὸν εἶχε. τὰ μὲν οὖν τῆς νίκης ἐς τοῦτο ἐτελεύτα τῷ Ἀζαρέθῃ. 1.19.1 Ἔννοια δὲ τότε Ἰουστινιανῷ βασιλεῖ γέγονεν Αἰθίοπάς τε καὶ Ὁμηρίτας ἐπὶ τῷ Περσῶν πονηρῷ ἑταιρίσασθαι. ὅπη δὲ τῆς γῆς οἱ ἄνθρωποι οἵδε ᾤκηνται καὶ καθ' ὅ τι αὐτοὺς Ῥωμαίοις ξυνοίσειν βα1.19.2 σιλεὺς ἤλπισεν, ἐρῶν ἔρχομαι. τὰ Παλαιστίνης ὅρια πρὸς ἀνίσχοντα ἥλιον ἐς θάλασσαν τὴν Ἐρυθρὰν κα1.19.3 λουμένην διήκει. αὕτη δὲ ἡ θάλασσα ἐξ Ἰνδῶν ἀρχομένη ἐνταῦθα τελευτᾷ τῆς Ῥωμαίων ἀρχῆς. καὶ πόλις Αἰλὰς καλουμένη πρὸς τῇ ταύτης ἠϊόνι ἐστὶν, ἔνθα ἡ θάλασσα, ὥσπερ μοι εἴρηται, ἀπολήγουσα πορθμός τις ἐς ἄγαν στενὸς γίνεται. καὶ αὐτὸν ἐνθένδε ἐσπλέοντι ἐν δεξιᾷ μὲν ὄρη τὰ Αἰγυπτίων πρὸς νότον ἄνεμον τετραμμένα ἐστὶν, ἐπὶ θάτερα δὲ χώρα ἔρημος ἀνθρώπων ἐπὶ πλεῖστον διήκει πρὸς βορρᾶν ἄνεμον, ἥ τε γῆ αὕτη τῷ ἐσπλέοντι ἑκατέρωθεν ὁρατὴ γίνεται, μέχρι ἐς τὴν Ἰωτάβην καλουμένην νῆσον, Αἰλᾶ πόλεως στα1.19.4 δίους οὐχ ἧσσον ἢ χιλίους διέχουσαν. ἔνθα Ἑβραῖοι αὐτόνομοι μὲν ἐκ παλαιοῦ ᾤκηντο, ἐπὶ τούτου δὲ Ἰουστινιανοῦ βασιλεύοντος κατήκοοι Ῥωμαίων γεγένην1.19.5 ται. πέλαγος δὲ τὸ ἐνθένδε μέγα ἐκδέχεται. καὶ γῆν μὲν τὴν ἐν δεξιᾷ οἱ ταύτῃ ἐσπλέοντες οὐκέτι ὁρῶσιν, ἐς μέντοι τὴν εὐώνυμον νυκτὸς ἀεὶ ἐπιγι1.19.6 νομένης ὁρμίζονται. ἐν σκότῳ γὰρ ναυτίλλεσθαι ἐν ταύτῃ δὴ τῇ θαλάσσῃ ἀδύνατά ἐστιν, ἐπεὶ βράχους 1.19.7 αὐτὴν ἔμπλεων ἐπὶ πλεῖστον ξυμβαίνει εἶναι. ὅρμοι δέ εἰσιν ἐνταῦθα πολλοὶ οὐ χερσὶν ἀνθρώπων, ἀλλὰ τῇ φύσει τῶν χωρίων πεποιημένοι, καὶ ἀπ' αὐτοῦ τοῖς πλέουσιν οὐ χαλεπόν ἐστιν ὅπη παρατύχοι ὁρμίζεσθαι. Ταύτην δὴ τὴν ἠϊόνα εὐθὺς