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While Justinian the emperor was holding the imperial power, Chosroes son of Cabades invaded the land of the Romans with a great army at the very beginning of spring, and brilliantly broke the so-called endless peace. And he went not through the land between the rivers, 2.5.2 but keeping the Euphrates on his right. On the other side of the river is the outermost fortress of the Romans, which is called Circesium, being a very strong place, since the great river Aborras, having its confluence there, mingles with the Euphrates, and this fortress lies just at the very angle which 2.5.3 the meeting of the two rivers makes. And another long wall, outside the fortress, enclosing the land between each river, completes a triangular shape there about Circesium. 2.5.4 For this reason Chosroes, being unwilling either to make an attempt on so strong a fortress or intending to cross the river Euphrates, but rather to advance against the Syrians and Cilicians, without any delay drove his army forward, and after completing a journey of about three days for a lightly-equipped man along the bank of the Euphrates, he comes upon the city of Zenobia; which Zenobia, having built it long ago, gave the city its name, as was natural. 2.5.5 Now Zenobia was the wife of Odonathus, a ruler of the Saracens in that region, who from of old had been in alliance with the Romans. 2.5.6 This Odonathus recovered for the Romans the eastern empire which had fallen under the Medes. But these things 2.5.7 happened in earlier times. Chosroes at that time, having come very near Zenobia, since he learned that the place was not of consequence and perceived that the land was uninhabited and destitute of all good things, fearing lest any time wasted there for no purpose might be an obstacle to great achievements, attempted to take the place by capitulation. But when he made no progress, he drove his army forward with speed. 2.5.8 And having completed again so great a journey, he arrived at the city of Sura, which is on the river Euphrates, and coming very near to it 2.5.9 he halted. And there it happened that the horse on which Chosroes was sitting both neighed and struck the ground with its foot. And the Magi, interpreting this, declared that the place would be captured. 2.5.10 And having encamped, he led the army against the circuit-wall as if to assault it. 2.5.11 And there happened to be a certain man, Arsaces by name, an Armenian by race, commanding the soldiers there, who, having brought the soldiers up to the battlements, and from there fighting most vigorously and killing many of the enemy, 2.5.12 was struck by an arrow and died. And the Persians then (for it was late in the day), intending to assault the wall again on the next day, withdrew to their camp, but the Romans, in despair, since their commander had died, planned to become suppliants of Chosroes. 2.5.13 On the following day, therefore, they sent the bishop of the city to make entreaty and to beg for the place, who, taking with him some of his attendants, bearing fowl and wine and clean loaves of bread, came before Chosroes, and cast himself upon the ground and with tears besought him to spare a wretched people and a city most insignificant to the Romans, and of no account to the Persians either previously or to be at any time later; and he promised that the people of Sura would give him a ransom worthy of themselves and of the city which they inhabit. 2.5.14 But Chosroes was angry with the people of Sura, because, being the first of all the Romans they had encountered, they had not received him willingly into their city, but had even dared to take up arms against him and had killed a great crowd of notable Persians. 2.5.15 However, he did not display his anger, but concealed it carefully under his countenance, so that by inflicting punishment upon the people of Sura he might establish himself as both fearsome and invincible to the Romans. For thus he suspected that those who should always be in his path would yield to him with no trouble. 2.5.16 Therefore, with much friendliness he raised the bishop up, and accepting the gifts, he gave some appearance that, after immediately conferring with the notables of the Persians concerning the ransom of the people of Sura, 2.5.17 he would handle their petition well. And so he sent the bishop away with his followers, no part of the plot

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Ἰουστινιανῷ βασιλεῖ τὴν αὐτοκράτορα ἀρχὴν ἔχοντι, Χοσρόης ὁ Καβάδου ἐς γῆν τὴν Ῥωμαίων ἅμα ἦρι ἀρχομένῳ στρατῷ μεγάλῳ ἐσέβαλε, τήν τε ἀπέραντον καλουμένην εἰρήνην λαμπρῶς ἔλυεν. ᾔει δὲ οὐ κατὰ τὴν μέσην τῶν ποταμῶν 2.5.2 χώραν, ἀλλὰ τὸν Εὐφράτην ἐν δεξιᾷ ἔχων. ἔστι δὲ τοῦ ποταμοῦ ἐπὶ θάτερα Ῥωμαίων φρούριον ἔσχατον, ὃ Κιρκήσιον ἐπικαλεῖται, ἐχυρὸν ἐς τὰ μάλιστα ὂν, ἐπεὶ Ἀβόρρας μὲν ποταμὸς μέγας ἐνταῦθα τὰς ἐκβολὰς ἔχων τῷ Εὐφράτῃ ἀναμίγνυται, τὸ δὲ φρούριον τοῦτο πρὸς αὐτῇ που τῇ γωνίᾳ κεῖται, ἣν δὴ τοῖν ποταμοῖν 2.5.3 ἡ μίξις ποιεῖται. καὶ τεῖχος δὲ ἄλλο μακρὸν τοῦ φρουρίου ἐκτὸς χώραν τὴν μεταξὺ ποταμοῦ ἑκατέρου ἀπολαμβάνον τρίγωνον ἐνταῦθα ἀμφὶ τὸ Κιρκήσιον 2.5.4 ἐπιτελεῖ σχῆμα. διὸ δὴ ὁ Χοσρόης οὔτε φρουρίου ἐθέλων οὕτω δὴ ἐχυροῦ ἀποπειρᾶσθαι οὔτε διαβαίνειν ποταμὸν Εὐφράτην διανοούμενος, ἀλλ' ἐπὶ Σύρους τε καὶ Κίλικας ἰέναι, οὐδὲν διαμελλήσας, ἐπίπροσθεν τὸν στρατὸν ἤλαυνε, τριῶν τε σχεδόν τι ὁδὸν ἡμερῶν εὐζώνῳ ἀνδρὶ παρὰ τοῦ Εὐφράτου τὴν ὄχθην ἀνύσας πόλει Ζηνοβίᾳ ἐπιτυγχάνει· ἣν ἡ Ζηνοβία ποτὲ δειμαμένη τὴν ἐπωνυμίαν τῇ πόλει, ὡς τὸ εἰκὸς, ἔδωκεν. 2.5.5 ἦν δὲ ἡ Ζηνοβία Ὀδονάθου γυνὴ, τῶν ἐκείνῃ Σαρακηνῶν ἄρχοντος, οἳ Ῥωμαίοις ἔνσπονδοι ἐκ παλαιοῦ 2.5.6 ἦσαν. οὗτος ὁ Ὀδονάθος ἀνεσώσατο Ῥωμαίοις τὴν ἑῴαν ἀρχὴν ὑπὸ Μήδοις γεγενημένην. ἀλλὰ ταῦτα 2.5.7 μὲν ἐν τοῖς ἄνω χρόνοις ἐγένετο. Χοσρόης δὲ τότε ἄγχιστά που τῆς Ζηνοβίας ἥκων, ἐπειδὴ τὸ χωρίον οὔτε ἀξιόλογον ἔμαθεν εἶναι καὶ τὴν χώραν κατενόησεν ἀοίκητόν τε καὶ πάντων ἀγαθῶν ἔρημον οὖσαν, δείσας μή τίς οἱ χρόνος ἐνταῦθα τριβεὶς πράξεσι μεγάλαις ἐπ' οὐδενὶ ἔργῳ ἐμπόδιος εἴη, ἀπεπειράσατο μὲν ὁμολογίᾳ τὸ χωρίον ἑλεῖν. ὡς δὲ οὐδὲν προὐχώρει, πρόσω κατὰ τάχος τὸν στρατὸν ἤλαυνεν. 2.5.8 Ὁδόν τε αὖθις τοσαύτην ἀνύσας ἀφίκετο ἐς πόλιν Σούρων, πρὸς τῷ Εὐφράτῃ ποταμῷ οὖσαν, ἧς δὴ 2.5.9 ἀγχοτάτω γενόμενος ἔστη. ἐνταῦθα δὲ τῷ ἵππῳ ξυνέβη, ἐφ' οὗ ὁ Χοσρόης ἐκάθητο, χρεμετίσαι τε καὶ τῷ ποδὶ τὸ ἔδαφος κρούειν. ὃ δὴ οἱ μάγοι ξυμβαλόντες ἁλώσε2.5.10 σθαι τὸ χωρίον ἀπέφαινον. ὁ δὲ στρατοπεδευσάμενος ἐπὶ τὸν περίβολον ὡς τειχομαχήσων τὸ στράτευμα 2.5.11 ἐπῆγεν. ἐτύγχανε δέ τις ὄνομα μὲν Ἀρσάκης, Ἀρμένιος δὲ γένος, τῶν ἐνταῦθα στρατιωτῶν ἄρχων, ὃς τοὺς στρατιώτας ἐς τὰς ἐπάλξεις ἀναβιβάσας, ἐνθένδε τε μαχόμενος ἰσχυρότατα καὶ πολλοὺς τῶν πολεμίων 2.5.12 κτείνας, τοξεύματι βληθεὶς ἐτελεύτησε. καὶ Πέρσαι μὲν τότε (ἦν γὰρ τῆς ἡμέρας ὀψὲ) ὡς αὖθις τῇ ὑστεραίᾳ τειχομαχήσοντες ἐπὶ τὸ στρατόπεδον ἀνεχώρησαν, Ῥωμαῖοι δὲ ἀπογνόντες, ἅτε τετελευτηκότος σφίσι τοῦ ἄρχοντος, ἱκέται διενοοῦντο Χοσρόου γενέ2.5.13 σθαι. τῇ οὖν ἐπιούσῃ ἡμέρᾳ τὸν τῆς πόλεως ἐπίσκοπον δεησόμενόν τε καὶ τὸ χωρίον ἐξαιτησόμενον ἔπεμψαν, ὃς τῶν ὑπηρετῶν τινας ἐπαγόμενος, ὄρνις τε φέροντας καὶ οἶνον καὶ καθαροὺς ἄρτους, παρὰ Χοσρόην ἀφίκετο, ἐς δὲ τὸ ἔδαφος καθῆκεν αὑτὸν καὶ δεδακρυμένος ἱκέτευε φείδεσθαι ἀνθρώπων οἰκτρῶν καὶ πόλεως Ῥωμαίοις μὲν ἀτιμοτάτης, Πέρσαις δὲ ἐν οὐδενὶ λόγῳ οὔτε τὰ πρότερα γεγενημένης οὔτε ὕστερόν ποτε ἐσομένης· λύτρα τέ οἱ τοὺς Σουρηνοὺς δώσειν σφῶν τε αὐτῶν καὶ πόλεως ἧσπερ οἰκοῦσιν ἐπαξίως ὑπέσχετο. 2.5.14 Χοσρόης δὲ Σουρηνοῖς μὲν χαλεπῶς εἶχεν, ὅτι δὴ αὐτῷ πρῶτοι περιπεπτωκότες Ῥωμαίων ἁπάντων οὔτε τῇ πόλει ἐδέξαντο ἐθελούσιοι, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀνταίρειν οἱ ὅπλα τολμήσαντες πολύν τινα δοκίμων Περσῶν ὅμι2.5.15 λον ἔκτειναν. τὴν μέντοι ὀργὴν οὐκ ἐξήνεγκεν, ἀλλ' ὑπὸ τῷ προσώπῳ ἀκριβῶς ἔκρυψεν, ὅπως τὴν κόλασιν ἐς Σουρηνοὺς ποιησάμενος φοβερόν τε Ῥωμαίοις αὑτὸν καὶ ἄμαχόν τινα καταστήσηται. οὕτω γάρ οἱ προσχωρήσειν οὐδενὶ πόνῳ ὑπετόπαζε τοὺς ἐν ποσὶν ἀεὶ 2.5.16 γενησομένους. διὸ δὴ ξύν τε φιλοφροσύνῃ πολλῇ τὸν ἐπίσκοπον ἐξανέστησε, καὶ τὰ δῶρα δεξάμενος παρείχετό τινα δόκησιν ὡς ἀμφὶ τοῖς Σουρηνῶν λύτροις αὐτίκα κοινολογησόμενος Περσῶν τοῖς λογί2.5.17 μοις εὖ τὴν δέησιν διαθήσεται. οὕτω τε ξὺν τοῖς ἑπομένοις τὸν ἐπίσκοπον ἀπεπέμψατο, οὐδεμίαν τῆς ἐπιβουλῆς