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had occurred, and while the flight was at its height as far as the city of Theodosius, Heraclius, the father of the emperor Heraclius, was bearing the preeminence of his brave deeds very manfully and was conspicuous in prospering with the 3.6.3 spear. At any rate, the general of the Persians is slain, whom the account has shown to be Aphraates, Mebodes having already, I suppose, also been killed by a Roman missile in the battle against Philippicus. And when the Romans had carried off the glory because of the flight of the Persians, the bodies of the barbarians were rightly despoiled, 3.6.4 and their possessions became the property of the victor. And on the next day, the Romans, having attacked the Persian camp and taken control of it, sent proof of their trophies to the emperor: golden swords, Persian tiaras, and the jewel-encrusted belts, which pearls make splendid for the barbarians, and the standards of the battle-line, which it is customary for the Romans in their 3.6.5 native tongue to call *banda*. But the emperor, having received the victorious dispatches from the general, was cheered and gladdened, and he ordered horse races to be held, and he commands that there be dancing by the demes, as is customary for Romans when celebrating. 3.6.6 But since we have finished the account concerning Aphraates in our narratives, come now, come, let us also plant in the meadows of history the things done by the Romans concerning Suania; for painters too, having sketched the great and conspicuous parts of the limbs, do not cease from their artistic work before they have also sketched the smallest parts of the whole on their 3.6.7 panels. The eighth year of the reign of Maurice the emperor, and Baram, the general of the Persians, along with the barbarian forces, is sent out by Hormisdas, the king of the Persians, against Suania. And when the attack of the Persians had come unexpectedly, what was being pursued was accomplished through their 3.6.8 negligence. For Suania is plundered quite thoroughly, and the evil was unbearable; for it was bereft of a general, the Colchian region being without a leader and having been made an orphan of its guardian, since the war in the east was 3.6.9 raging. Therefore, when the Huns to the north of the east, whom it is the custom for Persians to call Turks, had been utterly subdued, so to speak, by Hormisdas, the king of the Parthians, Baram transferred the war to 3.6.10 Colchis. For the necks of the Persian kingdom were lifted up to such an extent that the Huns were taxed by the Babylonians, whereas before the Huns used to exact forty thousand gold pieces from the Medes on the pretext of peace. 3.6.11 So then, when the rule of the Turks had become very rich in gold for the Persians, that nation turned to great luxury; for they hammered out golden couches and tables and cups and thrones and steps and horse ornaments and 3.6.12 full suits of armor, and whatever is devised in the intoxication of wealth. But later in time, when the Turks had broken the treaty and were demanding that money be given to them beyond the accustomed amounts and that a very heavy surcharge be added, and when the Persians could not bear the burden of the imposition of taxes, war was decided upon. 3.6.13 And when the victory for the Persians was splendid, affairs flowed in the opposite direction along with their fortune, and the Turks are taxed by the Persians, having been stripped also of the money they had previously amassed. 3.6.14 And again the affairs of the Persians flourish, and the trophies had become conspicuous for Hormisdas; for golden couches and tables and thrones and horse ornaments and amphorae and all things appointed for the honor of 3.6.15 rulers are taken as spoil. But when matters concerning the Turks had proceeded according to his mind, he raises the sword against Suania, 3.6.16 the Scythian battle-line having withered away for the Persians. Therefore Baram, having become very famous in the Turkish war, deals with Suania, and having seized conspicuous booty and sent it to Babylonia, he encamps at the Araxes 3.6.17 river, which Eras

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γενομένης, καὶ μέχρι τῆς Θεοδοσίου πόλεως τῆς ἀποδράσεως ἀκμαζούσης, ῾Ηράκλειος, ὁ ῾Ηρακλείου πατὴρ τοῦ αὐτοκράτορος, τὴν τῶν ἀνδραγαθημάτων ὑπεροχὴν λίαν ἀνδρικῶς ἀπεφέρετο καὶ κατάδηλος ἦν ἐνευδοκιμῶν ἐν τῷ 3.6.3 δόρατι. ἀναιρεῖται γοῦν ὁ τῶν Περσῶν στρατηγός, ὃν ᾿Αφραάτην ὁ λόγος ἀπέδειξεν, ἤδη που καὶ Μεβόδου ἐν τῇ πρὸς Φιλιππικὸν μάχῃ ὑπὸ ῾Ρωμαϊκῆς πεφονευμένου βολῆς. τῶν δὲ ῾Ρωμαίων διὰ τὴν φυγὴν τῶν Περσῶν ἀπενεγκαμένων τὴν εὔκλειαν, εἰκότως τὰ τῶν βαρβάρων ἐσκυλεύετο σώματα, 3.6.4 καὶ γίνεται τοῦ νενικηκότος τὰ κτήματα. τῇ δ' ἐπιούσῃ καὶ τοῦ Περσικοῦ χάρακος ἐπιβάντες ῾Ρωμαῖοι καὶ τούτου κρατήσαντες τῶν τροπαίων τὸν ἔλεγχον ἐς βασιλέα παρέπεμπον, ξίφη χρύσεα τιάρας τε Περσικὰς καὶ τὰς λιθοκολλήτους ζώνας, ἃς οἱ μαργαρῖται τοῖς βαρβάροις λαμπρύνουσιν, τά τε σημεῖα τῆς παρατάξεως, ἅπερ ῾Ρωμαίοις εἴθισται τῇ 3.6.5 πατρῴᾳ φωνῇ βάνδα ἀποκαλεῖν. ὁ δ' αὐτοκράτωρ τὰς νικηφόρους συλλαβὰς ὑπὸ τοῦ στρατηγοῦ προσδεξάμενος ἱλαρύνετο τε καὶ κατηυφραίνετο καὶ ἱππικοὺς προσέταττεν ἀγῶνας τελεῖσθαι, καὶ κατορχεῖσθαι τοῖς δημοτικοῖς ἐγκελεύεται, ὡς εἴθισται ῾Ρωμαίοις πανηγυρίζουσιν. 3.6.6 ᾿Επεὶ δὲ τὸν πρὸς ᾿Αφραάτην ἀπεπερατώσαμεν λόγον τοῖς διηγήμασιν, φέρε δή, φέρε καὶ τὰ περὶ Σουανίαν τοῖς ῾Ρωμαίοις πραχθέντα τοῖς τῆς ἱστορίας λειμῶσιν ἐπιφυτεύσωμεν· καὶ ζωγράφοι γὰρ τὰ μεγάλα καὶ περιφανῆ τῶν μελῶν ἐγχαράξαντες οὐ πρότερον τοῦ φιλοτεχνήματος ἀποπαύονται, πρὶν ἂν καὶ τὰ σμικρότατα μέλη τοῦ σύμπαντος 3.6.7 τοῖς πίναξιν ἐγχαράξωσιν. ἔτος ὄγδοον τῆς βασιλείας Μαυρικίου τοῦ αὐτοκράτορος, καὶ Βαράμ, ὁ τῶν Περσῶν στρατηγός, ἅμα ταῖς δυνάμεσι τοῦ βαρβαρικοῦ ὑπὸ ῾Ορμίσδα, τοῦ τῶν Περσῶν βασιλέως, κατὰ Σουανίας ἐκπέμπεται. καὶ ἀδοκήτου τῆς ἐπιστασίας τῶν Περσῶν γεγονυίας, τὸ σπου3.6.8 δαζόμενον τῇ ῥαθυμίᾳ ἐγίνετο. ληΐζεται γὰρ ἡ Σουανία κάρτα κομιδῇ, καὶ ἄσχετον ἦν τὸ κακόν· ἐχήρευε γὰρ τοῦ στρατηγήσοντος, τῆς Κολχικῆς ἀνηγεμονεύτου ὑπούσης κηδεμόνος τε ὀρφανῆς καθεστώσης, ὡς οἷα περὶ τὴν ἕω τοῦ πολέμου 3.6. σφριγῶντος. τῶν Οὔννων τοιγαροῦν τῶν πρὸς τῷ βορρᾷ τῆς ἕω, οὓς Τούρκους ἔθος Πέρσαις ἀποκαλεῖν, καταπολεμηθέντων λίαν ὡς ἔπος εἰπεῖν ἐγκρατῶς ὑπὸ ῾Ορμίσδα, τοῦ βασιλέως τῶν Πάρθων, ἐπὶ τὴν Κολχίδα ὁ Βαρὰμ τὸν πόλεμον 3.6.10 μετεβίβαζεν. ἐς τοσοῦτον γὰρ οἱ τῆς Περσικῆς ἤρθησαν βασιλείας αὐχένες, ὡς φορολογεῖσθαι ὑπὸ τῶν Βαβυλωνίων τοὺς Οὔννους, τὸ πρὶν τεσσαράκοντα χιλιάδας χρυσῶν ἠρεμίας προφάσει τοὺς Μήδους εἰσπραττόντων τῶν Οὔννων. 3.6.11 πολυχρύσου τοίνυν τῆς τῶν Τούρκων ἀρχῆς ὑπὸ τῶν Περσῶν γεγονυίας, ἐς μεγάλην τοῦτο δὴ τὸ ἔθνος ἐτέτραπτο πολυτέλειαν· κλίνας τε γὰρ ἐσφυρηλατοῦντο χρυσᾶς καὶ τραπέζας καὶ κύλικας καὶ θρόνους καὶ βήματα ἱππικούς τε κόσμους καὶ 3.6.12 πανοπλίας, καὶ ὅσα τῇ μέθῃ τοῦ πλούτου ἐπινενόηται. χρόνῳ δ' ὕστερον παρασπονδησάντων τῶν Τούρκων καὶ ἀξιούντων περαιτέρω τῶν εἰωθότων δίδοσθαι χρημάτων αὐτοῖς καὶ βαρυτάτην ἐπενθήκην γενέσθαι, τῶν τε Περσῶν τὸ τῆς ἐπιβολῆς τῶν φόρων οὐ φερόντων φορτίον, χειροτονεῖται ὁ πόλεμος. 3.6.13 καὶ λαμπρᾶς τοῖς Πέρσαις γενομένης τῆς νίκης, ἀντικαταρρεῖ μετὰ τῆς τύχης τὰ πράγματα, καὶ ὑπὸ τῶν Περσῶν φορολογοῦνται οἱ Τοῦρκοι προσαφαιρεθέντες καὶ ἃ πρότερον 3.6.14 αὐτοῖς συνήθροιστο χρήματα. καὶ πάλιν κομᾷ τὰ Περσῶν, καὶ περίβλεπτα τῷ ῾Ορμίσδᾳ καθεστήκει τὰ τρόπαια· λαφυραγωγοῦνται γὰρ κλῖναι καὶ τράπεζαι καὶ θρόνοι χρυσοῖ κόσμος τε ἱππικὸς ἀμφορεῖς τε καὶ πάντα τὰ ἐς τυράννων συντε3.6.15 ταγμένα τιμήν. ἐπεὶ δὲ κατὰ νοῦν αὐτῷ τὰ περὶ τοὺς Τούρκους ἐλήλακεν, ἀνατείνει κατὰ Σουανίας τὴν μάχαιραν, 3.6.16 τῆς Σκυθικῆς Πέρσαις ἀπομαρανθείσης ἐκτάξεως. περίδοξος τοίνυν ὁ Βαρὰμ κατὰ τὸν Τουρκικὸν γενόμενος πόλεμον τῇ Σουανίᾳ προσομιλεῖ, καὶ λείας κρατήσας περιφανοῦς καὶ ἐπὶ τὴν Βαβυλωνίαν ἐκπέμψας ἐς τὸν ᾿Αράξην στρατοπεδεύεται 3.6.17 ποταμόν, ὃν ῎Ερας