,

to utterly destroy them. So those who invaded, together with the multitude of the army, and plundered the most fertile and flourishing part of the Persian territory, and having spent the whole summer season in Persian slaughters, they both ravaged and utterly destroyed the Median lands 3.17.5 with great mastery. But the Roman commander, when winter came on, went to Caesarea of the Cappadocians. When summer returned again, he arrived in the East at the Roman fortress of Circesium with his whole army. 3.17.6 Then through the desert of the rest of Arabia he hastened to arrive in the land of Babylonia, then to steal the war by the 3.17.7 sagacity of the enterprise. Following him was the leader of the nomad barbarians, Alamundar by name; whom they say made the Roman presence very clear to the king of the Persians; for the Saracen race has been established as most faithless and fickle, having neither a steadfast mind nor an opinion established towards what is sound. 3.17.8 And so from this the king of the Persians transferred the war to the city of Callinicum, having appointed Adormanes, 3.17. a not untalented man, as guardian of the expedition. Since, therefore, Alamundar, like a drone, destroyed the honeycombs of the bee, which is to say the same thing, he overturned Maurice’s enterprises, the movements of the expedition against the Medes became fruitless for the Romans; for they turned back to extinguish the disasters at home. 3.17.10 And indeed the general dedicated to the flame of fire the grain-transporting barges, which followed him along the Euphrates river; but he himself with the elite of the army went as quickly as possible towards the city of Callinicum. 3.17.11 And when the Parthian forces came to hand-to-hand combat, the Roman spear gained the superiority. Therefore, when the Persians took to flight, the hostilities received a truce. 3.18.1 In the following year Tamchosro, the general of the Medes, leading great forces of the Persians, advanced towards Constantina. Indeed, in this year a great and most renowned war was contrived for both the Romans and the 3.18.2 Parthians. So the general of the Medes, being in the forefront of the struggle, ended his life by a spear, and the barbarian force faltered, and the Romans were victorious. And the barbarians were persuaded to retreat to their own land, having at the same time suffered and 3.18.3 appropriated the things of shame. And so the general, having fortified the critical points of the strongholds, went up to Byzantium. And when the common end had befallen Tiberius the emperor, the general lawfully put on the noble and glorious imperial power of the Roman rule as if a prize for excellence, 3.18.4 and he was divested of his second-rank fortune. The events, therefore, that were brought about after this for both Romans and Persians I have recorded in the preceding books. Therefore, one must go on to the continuous parts of the narrative, bringing the history, which was running a little outside somewhere, back in a circle to the consequent and easily-surveyed turning-post, from which we also digressed for a short while, putting forward in the middle the events concerning Baram that followed at that 3.18.5 time. But let there be told first, in brief, both the fatherland and the family of Baram, and the steps of his fortune, and his deeds in succession, so that the audience concerning the history may be harmonious from every side and complete. 3.18.6 I heard a certain Babylonian sacred-recorder say, a man who had obtained the greatest experience in the recording of the royal parchments, that Baram originated from the so-called Rhazacene district, and that that Persian tyrant, who became the cause of the downfall of Hormisdas the tyrant, was of the house of Mihran. 3.18.7 For he asserted that matters were not otherwise, with the most sagacious and most honorable affairs among the Medes being accomplished by seven clans, who inherited by ancient law. 3.18.8 And they say that the clan called Arsacid holds the kingship, and that this one places the diadem upon the king, another of the military

κατασκάψοντας. οἱ μὲν οὖν εἰσβαλόντες ἅμα τῇ τοῦ στρατοπέδου πληθύϊ καὶ τῶν Περσῶν ληϊσάμενοι τὸ γόνιμόν τε καὶ εὐθαλέστατον καὶ πᾶσαν τὴν τοῦ θέρους ὥραν τοῖς Περσικοῖς ἐνδιατρίψαντες φόνοις τὰ τῶν Μήδων 3.17.5 ἔκειρόν τε καὶ διωλόθρευον λίαν ἐγκρατῶς. ὁ δὲ ῾Ρωμαίων ἡγούμενος χειμῶνος ἐπελθόντος εἰς τὴν Καππαδοκῶν Καισάρειαν γίνεται. θέρους δὲ περιόντος αὖθις κατὰ τὴν ἑῴαν ἀφίκετο εἴς τε Κιρκήνσιον πόλισμα ῾Ρωμαίων πανστρατιᾷ. 3.17.6 εἶτα διὰ τῆς ἐρήμου τὸ λοιπὸν τῆς ᾿Αραβίας εἰς τὴν Βαβυλωνίαν ἠπείγετο γῆν ἀφικέσθαι, εἶτα τὸν πόλεμον παρα3.17.7 κλέψαι τῇ ἀγχινοίᾳ τοῦ ἐγχειρήματος. συνείπετο δὲ τούτῳ ὁ τῶν νομάδων βαρβάρων ἡγούμενος, ᾿Αλαμούνδαρος ὄνομα αὐτῷ· ὅν φασι κατάδηλον τῷ Περσῶν βασιλεῖ τὴν τῶν ῾Ρωμαίων ἐπιστασίαν ποιήσασθαι· ἀπιστότατον γὰρ καὶ ἀλλοπρόσαλλον τὸ Σαρακηνικὸν φῦλον καθέστηκε πάγιόν τε τὸν νοῦν καὶ τὴν γνώμην πρὸς τὸ σῶφρον ἱδρυμένην οὐκ ἔχον. 3.17.8 καὶ οὖν ἐκ τούτου ὁ τῶν Περσῶν βασιλεὺς ἐπὶ Καλλίνικον πόλιν τὸν πόλεμον μετεφύτευεν ᾿Αδορμαάνην χειροτονήσας 3.17. τῆς ἐκτάξεως κηδεμόνα οὐκ ἀφυέστατον. ἐπεὶ τοίνυν ὁ ᾿Αλαμούνδαρος κηφῆνος δίκην τοὺς τῆς μελίττης σίμβλους ἠφάνισεν, εἰπεῖν δὲ ταὐτὸν τὰ Μαυρικίου ἐπίχειρα ἀνετρέψατο, ἀνόνητα γίνεται ῾Ρωμαίοις τὰ τῆς κατὰ Μήδων ἐπιστρατείας κινήματα· παλινδρομοῦσι γὰρ τὰς οἴκοι συμφορὰς 3.17.10 ἀποσβέσοντες. καὶ δῆτα ὁ στρατηγὸς τὰς μὲν σιταγωγοὺς ὁλκάδας, αἳ κατὰ τὸν Εὐφράτην συνείποντο αὐτῷ ποταμόν, φλοξὶ πυρὸς ἀνατέθεικεν· αὐτὸς δὲ σὺν τοῖς ἐκκρίτοις τοῦ στρατοπέδου ὡς τάχιστα γίνεται πρὸς τὴν πόλιν Καλλίνικον. 3.17.11 εἰς χεῖράς τε τῶν συνταγμάτων γεγονότων τῶν Πάρθων, ὑπεροχὴν τὸ ῾Ρωμαϊκὸν ἀπεφέρετο δόρυ. φυγῆς τοίνυν τῶν Περσῶν γενομένης, ἀνακωχὴν τὰ τῆς ἐπηρείας ἐλάμβανεν. 3.18.1 Τῷ δ' ἐπιόντι ἐνιαυτῷ Ταμχοσρώ, ὁ τοῦ Μηδικοῦ στρατηγός, μεγάλας τοῦ Περσικοῦ δυνάμεις περιαγόμενος πρὸς τῇ Κωνσταντίνῃ χωρεῖ. καττύεται δῆτα ἐν τούτῳ τῷ ἐνιαυτῷ μέγας καὶ ἐξακουστότατος πόλεμος ῾Ρωμαίοις τε καὶ 3.18.2 Πάρθοις. ὁ μὲν οὖν τοῦ Μηδικοῦ στρατηγὸς ἐν τοῖς πρώτοις τῆς ἀγωνίας γενόμενος τὸν βίον κατέστρεψε δόρατι, πλημμελεῖ δὲ τὸ βάρβαρον, καὶ νικῶσι ῾Ρωμαῖοι. οἱ δὲ βάρβαροι πείθονται ἐς τὴν ἑαυτῶν ἀποκλίνειν, ἅμα τῷ παθεῖν καὶ 3.18.3 τὰ τῆς αἰσχύνης οἰκειωσάμενοι. καὶ οὖν ὁ στρατηγὸς τὰ καίρια τῶν ὀχυρωμάτων περιφραξάμενος ἐς Βυζάντιον ἄνεισιν. τοῦ κοινοῦ δὲ τέλους συντετυχηκότος Τιβερίῳ τῷ αὐτοκράτορι, τῆς ῾Ρωμαϊκῆς ἀρχῆς ὥσπερ ἆθλον ἀριστείας εὐγενῆ καὶ περίδοξον τὸ βασίλειον κράτος ὁ στρατηγὸς ἔννομόν τε 3.18.4 περιβάλλεται, καὶ τὴν δευτέραν ἀπημφίαστο τύχην. τὰ μὲν οὖν μετὰ τοῦτο παρχθέντα ῾Ρωμαίοις τε καὶ Πέρσαις ἀναγέγραφα ἐν τοῖς ἔμπροσθεν. οὐκοῦν ἰτέον ἐπὶ τὰ συνεχῆ τῆς διηγήσεως, τὴν ἱστορίαν ἔξω που μικρὸν διαθέουσαν εἰσκυκλήσαντες ἐπὶ τὴν ἀκόλουθον καὶ εὐσύνοπτον νύσσαν, ὅθεν καὶ πρὸς βραχὺ ἀπεκλίναμεν τὰ περὶ τὸν Βαρὰμ κατ' ἐκεῖνο 3.18.5 παρηκολουθηκότα καιροῦ προτιθέντες ἐν μέσῳ. ἀλλ' εἰρήσθω μὲν πρότερον ἥ τε πατρὶς καὶ τὸ γένος Βαρὰμ οἵ τε τῆς τύχης βαθμοὶ αἵ τε κατ' ὀλίγον πράξεις διὰ βραχέων, ἵνα πάντοθεν ἐναρμόνιον εἴη καὶ ἐντελὲς τὸ περὶ τὴν ἱστορίαν ἀκρόαμα. 3.18.6 ῎Ηκουσά του λέγοντος ἀνδρὸς Βαβυλωνίου ἱερομνήμονος, μεγίστην ἐμπειρίαν ἀπειληφότος τῆς περὶ τὰς βασιλικὰς διφθέρας ἀναγραφῆς, ἀπὸ μὲν τῆς ῾Ραζακηνῆς οὕτω καλουμένης ὁρμᾶσθαι μοίρας τὸν Βαράμ, οἰκαρχίας δὲ τῆς τοῦ Μιρράμου γεγονέναι τὸν Πέρσην ἐκεῖνον τὸν τύραννον, ὃς ἀφορμὴ τῆς καταλύσεως ῾Ορμίσδᾳ τῷ τυράννῳ γεγένηται. 3.18.7 δήμοις γὰρ παρὰ τοῖς Μήδοις ἑπτὰ τῶν πράξεων τὰ ἀγχίνοά τε καὶ τιμιώτατα διανυομένοις, νόμῳ πρεσβύτῃ κληροδοτου3.18.8 μένοις, μὴ ἄλλως ἔχειν τὰ πράγματα ἔφασκεν. καί φασι τὸν μὲν ᾿Αρσακίδην ἐπιλεγόμενον δῆμον τὴν βασιλείαν κατέχειν, καὶ τοῦτον ἐπιτίθεσθαι τῷ βασιλεῖ τὸ διάδημα, ἕτερον τῆς πολεμικῆς