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promising to remit to them the new 2.3.10 collection of tribute. But since the emperor, much reproaching him for his delay, was reviling him, being instigated by the slanders of Adolius the son of Acacius, at that point Sittas began to make preparations for the 2.3.11 engagement. First, therefore, he attempted with promises of many good things to persuade and win over some of them as allies, so that his victory over the rest might become easier and less 2.3.12 toilsome. And the tribe of those called Aspetiani, being both great and 2.3.13 populous, was willing to come over to him. And sending to Sittas, they begged in a letter that he give them pledges that, if in the course of action they should abandon their kinsmen and come to the Roman battle-line, they would remain completely unharmed from evils, keeping their own property. 2.3.14 And he, gladly writing in a small book, just as they begged, gave them the pledges, and having sealed the letter, 2.3.15 he sent it to them. And confident that through them he would win the war without a fight, he went with his whole army to a place called Oinochalakon, where it happened that the Armenians were 2.3.16 encamped. But by some chance, those carrying the little book, going by another road, were in no way able to meet the Aspetiani. 2.3.17 However, a part of the Roman army, encountering a few of them and not knowing the arrangements, 2.3.18 treated them as enemies. And Sittas himself, capturing their children and women in some cave, killed them, either not understanding what had happened or being angry with the Aspetiani because they were not coming over to him as had been agreed. 2.3.19 And they, now possessed by anger, drew up for battle with all the others. And since both sides were in difficult and precipitous terrain, they did not fight in one place, but scattered in the foothills and ravines. It so happened, then, that a few of the Armenians and Sittas, having not many of his followers, came somewhere very near to each other, with a certain ravine between 2.3.20 them. And both sides were horsemen. So Sittas, with few following him, crossed the ravine and charged against the enemy, but the Armenians retreated back and stood still, and Sittas no longer pursued, 2.3.21 but remained where he was. And suddenly one of the Roman army, a Herul by race, having made a pursuit against the enemy, rode back from there in a rage and came to those around Sittas. It happened that Sittas had rested his spear on the ground; which indeed the horse of the Herul, 2.3.22 falling upon it with great force, broke. And this annoyed the general exceedingly, and one of the Armenians, seeing him, recognized him and insisted to all the others that it was Sittas himself. For it happened that he did not have a helmet on his head. For which reason he did not escape the notice of the enemy, having come there with a few men. 2.3.23 Sittas, therefore, when he heard the Armenian saying these things, and since his spear, as was said, lay broken on the ground, drew his sword and immediately attempted to cross the ravine. 2.3.24 But the enemy charged upon him with great haste, and one, overtaking him in the ravine, struck him on the top of the head with a sword with a transverse blow. And it took off the whole scalp, but the iron in no way touched the bone. 2.3.25 And Sittas charged forward even more than before, but Artabanes, son of John, an Arsacid, falling upon him from behind and striking him with his spear, 2.3.26 killed him. And so Sittas disappeared from among men in a senseless manner, unworthy of both his valor and his constant achievements against the enemy, a man who was exceedingly handsome in body and brave in matters of war, and a most excellent general inferior to none of his contemporaries. 2.3.27 But some say that Sittas was not killed by Artabanes, but that Solomon, a very obscure man among the Armenians, dispatched the man. 2.3.28 And when Sittas had died, the emperor ordered Bouzes to go against the Armenians; who, when he came somewhere nearby, sent to them, promising to reconcile all the Armenians to the emperor and asking that some of their notables come to him for talks about these matters. 2.3.29 The others, therefore, were neither able to trust Bouzes nor were they willing to accept his proposals. But there was a certain

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ὑποσχόμενος ἀφεῖναι αὐτοῖς τὴν καινὴν τοῦ 2.3.10 φόρου ἀπαγωγήν. ἐπεὶ δὲ αὐτὸν βασιλεὺς τῆς μελλήσεως πολλὰ ὀνειδίζων ἐκάκιζεν, ἠγμένος ταῖς Ἀδολίου διαβολαῖς τοῦ Ἀκακίου παιδὸς, ἐνταῦθα ἤδη ὁ Σίττας τὰ ἐς 2.3.11 τὴν ξυμβολὴν ἐξηρτύετο. πρῶτον μὲν οὖν ὑποσχέσεσι πολλῶν ἀγαθῶν ἀναπείθειν τε καὶ ἑταιρίζεσθαι αὐτῶν τινας ἐνεχείρησεν, ὅπως αὐτῷ ῥᾴων τε καὶ ἀπονωτέρα 2.3.12 ἡ ἐς τοὺς λοιποὺς ἐπικράτησις γένοιτο. καί οἱ τὸ τῶν Ἀσπετιανῶν καλουμένων γένος, μέγα τε ὂν καὶ 2.3.13 πολυάνθρωπον, προσχωρεῖν ἤθελε. πέμψαντές τε παρὰ τὸν Σίτταν ἐν γράμμασιν ἐδέοντο διδόναι τὰ πιστὰ σφίσιν, ὅτι δὴ, ἢν ἐν τῷ ἔργῳ τοὺς ὁμογενεῖς ἀπολιπόντες ἥξωσιν ἐς τὴν Ῥωμαίων παράταξιν, κακῶν παντάπασιν ἀπαθεῖς μείνωσι, τὰ σφέτερα αὐτῶν ἔχοντες. 2.3.14 ὁ δὲ αὐτοῖς ἄσμενός τε γράψας ἐν βιβλιδίῳ, καθάπερ ἐδέοντο, τὰ πιστὰ ἔδωκε, καὶ τὸ γράμμα κατασημηνά2.3.15 μενος ἐς αὐτοὺς ἔπεμψε. θαρσῶν τε ὡς δι' αὐτῶν ἀμαχητὶ τοῦ πολέμου κρατήσει, τῷ παντὶ στρατῷ ἐς χωρίον Οἰνοχαλάκων ᾔει, ἔνθα τοὺς Ἀρμενίους ἐστρα2.3.16 τοπεδεῦσθαι ξυνέβαινε. τύχῃ δέ τινι οἱ τὸ βιβλίον ἔχοντες ἑτέρᾳ ἰόντες ὁδῷ Ἀσπετιανοῖς ἐντυχεῖν οὐδαμῆ 2.3.17 ἴσχυσαν. μοῖρα μέντοι τοῦ Ῥωμαίων στρατοῦ ὀλίγοις τισὶν αὐτῶν ἐντυχόντες, οὐκ εἰδότες τε τὰ ξυγκείμενα, 2.3.18 ὡς πολεμίοις ἐχρήσαντο. καὶ αὐτὸς Σίττας ἐν σπηλαίῳ που παῖδάς τε αὐτῶν καὶ γυναῖκας λαβὼν ἔκτεινεν, ἢ τὸ γεγονὸς οὐ ξυνιεὶς ἢ δι' ὀργῆς Ἀσπετιανοὺς ἔχων, ὅτι οἱ, καθάπερ ξυνέκειτο, οὐ προσεχώρουν. 2.3.19 Οἱ δὲ θυμῷ ἤδη ἐχόμενοι ξὺν τοῖς ἄλλοις ἅπασιν ὡς ἐς μάχην ἐτάξαντο. ἅτε δὲ ἐν δυσχωρίαις χαλεπαῖς τε καὶ κρημνώδεσιν ἑκάτεροι ὄντες οὐκ ἐν ἑνὶ χώρῳ ἐμάχοντο, ἀλλὰ διασκεδαννύμενοι ἔν τε ὑπωρείαις καὶ φάραγξι. τετύχηκεν οὖν τῶν τε Ἀρμενίων ὀλίγους τινὰς καὶ Σίτταν τῶν ἑπομένων οὐ πολλοὺς ἔχοντα ἀλλήλων πη ἄγχιστα ἰέναι, φάραγγος σφίσι τινὸς με2.3.20 ταξὺ οὔσης. ἱππεῖς δὲ ἦσαν ἑκάτεροι. ὁ μὲν οὖν Σίττας, ὀλίγων οἱ ἐπισπομένων, ἐπὶ τοὺς ἐναντίους τὴν φάραγγα διαβὰς ἤλαυνεν, Ἀρμένιοι δὲ ὀπίσω ὑποχωρήσαντες ἔστησαν, καὶ ὁ Σίττας οὐκέτι ἐδίωκεν, 2.3.21 ἀλλ' αὐτοῦ ἔμενεν. ἄφνω δέ τις τοῦ Ῥωμαίων στρατοῦ, Ἔρουλος γένος, δίωξιν ἐπὶ τοὺς πολεμίους πεποιημένος, ἐνθένδε τε ξὺν θυμῷ ἀπελαύνων παρὰ τοὺς ἀμφὶ τὸν Σίτταν ἦλθεν. ἐτύγχανε δὲ ὁ Σίττας ἐς τὸ ἔδαφος τὸ δόρυ ἐρείσας· ὃ δὴ ὁ τοῦ Ἐρούλου ἵππος 2.3.22 ἐπιπεσὼν ξὺν πολλῇ ῥύμῃ κατέαξε. τόν τε στρατηγὸν τοῦτο ἠνίασεν ἐς τὰ μάλιστα, καὶ αὐτὸν τῶν τις Ἀρμενίων ἰδὼν ἔγνω τε καὶ Σίτταν αὐτὸν τοῖς ἄλλοις ἅπασιν ἰσχυρίζετο εἶναι. ξυνέβαινε γάρ οἱ ἐν τῇ κεφαλῇ κράνος οὐκ εἶναι. διὸ δὴ τοὺς πολεμίους οὐκ 2.3.23 ἔλαθε ξὺν ὀλίγοις τισὶν ἐνταῦθα ἥκων. Σίττας μὲν οὖν, ἐπεὶ ταῦτα τοῦ Ἀρμενίου λέγοντος ἤκουσε καὶ τὸ δόρυ, ὥσπερ ἐρρήθη, οἱ ἀποκαυλισθὲν ἐς τὴν γῆν ἔκειτο, σπασάμενος τὸ ξίφος τὴν φάραγγα διαβαίνειν 2.3.24 εὐθὺς ἐνεχείρησεν. οἱ δὲ πολέμιοι σπουδῇ πολλῇ ἐπ' αὐτὸν ἤλαυνον, καί τις αὐτὸν καταλαβὼν ἐν τῇ φάραγγι ξίφει ἐς ἄκραν κεφαλὴν ἔτυψε πληγῇ ἐγκαρσίᾳ. καὶ τὸ μὲν βρέγμα ὅλον ἀφείλετο, τοῦ δὲ ὀστέου ὁ 2.3.25 σίδηρος οὐδαμῆ ἥψατο. καὶ ὁ μὲν Σίττας ἔτι μᾶλλον ἢ πρότερον πρόσω ἤλαυνεν, Ἀρταβάνης δὲ Ἰωάννου παῖς Ἀρσακίδης ὄπισθεν ἐπιπεσὼν καὶ παίσας τῷ δό2.3.26 ρατι ἔκτεινεν. οὕτω τε ὁ Σίττας ἐξ ἀνθρώπων ἠφάνιστο οὐδενὶ λόγῳ, ἀναξίως τῆς τε ἀρετῆς καὶ τῶν ἐς τοὺς πολεμίους ἀεὶ πεπραγμένων, ἀνὴρ τό τε σῶμα ἐς ἄγαν καλὸς γεγονὼς καὶ ἀγαθὸς τὰ πολέμια, στρατηγός τε ἄριστος τῶν καθ' αὑτὸν οὐδενὸς ἥσσων. 2.3.27 τινὲς δέ φασι τὸν Σίτταν οὐ πρὸς τοῦ Ἀρταβάνου ἀπολωλέναι, ἀλλὰ Σολόμωνα, λίαν ἐν Ἀρμενίοις ἀφανῆ ἄνδρα, τὸν ἄνθρωπον διαχρήσασθαι. 2.3.28 Τελευτήσαντος δὲ Σίττα Βούζην βασιλεὺς ἐπὶ τοὺς Ἀρμενίους ἐκέλευσεν ἰέναι· ὃς ἐπεὶ ἄγχιστά που ἐγένετο, ἔπεμψε πρὸς αὐτοὺς βασιλεῖ τε καταλλάξειν Ἀρμενίους ὑποσχόμενος ἅπαντας καὶ ὑπὲρ τούτων ἐς 2.3.29 λόγους οἱ ἐλθεῖν ἀξιῶν τῶν δοκίμων τινάς. οἱ μὲν οὖν ἄλλοι οὔτε πιστεύειν τῷ Βούζῃ εἶχον οὔτε τοὺς λόγους ἐνδέχεσθαι τοὺς αὐτοῦ ἤθελον. ἦν δέ τις