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being in charge of the supervision of all things, held him back in those places. But as the generals were quarreling with one another, Kouades, having come to Nisibis 147 and having learned of the generals' dissension, being himself numerous in multitude and dividing his own army in many places, overran, so to speak, all the Roman land and pursued as far as Syria itself, sending many ambassadors in the meantime to Areobindus concerning peace and saying that he would end the war for money. Thus, therefore, he also overran especially the region around Edessa, where Areobindus was; except he did not fare well there, but contrary to expectations he was defeated in the battle with Areobindus. And learning that Glones, the guardian of Amida, his general, was devising to be corrupted, he returns, having been worsted, by another road, despising the hostages whom he had given to Areobindus during the peace talks; and contrary to the agreements they held both that good Alypius and Basil the Edessene; so that after his withdrawal to his own lands, winter having already set in, the Roman generals were divided among various cities of Euphratesia and Osroene and Mesopotamia and Syria and Armenia to spend the winter season. In the same year, while a horse race was being held, a riot occurred between the two factions, and many from both sides died, among whom was also the son of the emperor Anastasius, whom he had by a concubine; and Anastasius, being greatly grieved, punished many and sent others into exile. Year of the world 5998. Year of the divine incarnation 498. Emperor of the Romans, Anastasius, 27 years. 15th. King of the Persians, Kavadh, 30 years. 11th. Bishop of Rome, Symmachus, 12 years. 5th. Bishop of Constantinople, Macedonius, 16 years. 10th. Bishop of Jerusalem, Salustius, 8 years. 3rd. Bishop of Alexandria, John, 9 years. 9th. Bishop of Antioch, Flavian, 13 years. 7th. In this year, Celer the magister having been sent by the emperor with the very large force with him, and having received almost the entire 148 authority along with Areobindus the general, to these the emperor entrusted the administration of the whole war. But he hastily summons Appion and Hypatius to Byzantium, not considering them to be necessary to the army because of their enmity toward Areobindus the general, and having appointed Calliopius the general to the office of expenditure. Celer, therefore, having managed the entire war excellently together with Areobindus and Patricius and Bonosus and Timostratus and Romanus and the others in various places; (for the man was filled with reason and all education and much grace of God, and was brave, an Illyrian by race, whence Anastasius also came;) many of the Persian country and fortresses * raids, some were destroyed by fire, and others by other means; so that even Nisibis itself almost came to be under the Romans; for at that time a famine also prevailed among the Persians; then also a national revolt of the so-called Cadusii and other nations befell them, and so the Romans simply prevailed in Persian affairs, that Kouades sent Aspetius the general to discuss peace earnestly with the Romans, and, receiving either nothing or a small amount, to return Amida to them as well, they not yet having been able, after countless labors and a great famine already overcoming the guards, to capture it from the Persians, both because of the position of the place and the impregnability of the walls. However, the generals, seeing winter approaching again and judging it preferable to ransom the Roman army for a few talents from the harsh winter of the places, where the talks with Aspetius were taking place, having provided three talents and having recovered Basil the Edessene, who was still a hostage among the Persians, (for the good Alypius had died, having fallen ill among them,) and having given back 149 the hostages they held, they both receive back Amida and the

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ἐποψίας πάντων προεστηκώς, ἐπέσχεν αὐτὸν ἐν τοῖς τόποις. διαφερομένων δὲ τῶν στρατηγῶν πρὸς ἀλλήλους, Κουάδης εἰς Νισίβιν 147 ἐλθὼν καὶ τὰ τῆς διχονοίας τῶν στρατηγῶν μαθὼν αὐτός τε πολὺς ὢν τῷ πλήθει καὶ πολλαχοῦ τὴν ἑαυτοῦ στρατιὰν κατακερματίζων πᾶσαν ὡς εἰπεῖν τὴν Ῥωμαϊκὴν κατέδραμε γῆν καὶ ἐδίωξε μέχρι Συριῶν αὐτῶν, πολλοὺς μεταξὺ πρὸς Ἀρεόβινδον ὑπὲρ εἰρήνης ἐκπέμψας πρέσβεις καὶ ἐπὶ χρήμασι καταλύειν τὸν πόλεμον λέγων. οὕτω τοίνυν καὶ τὰ περὶ τὴν Ἔδεσαν μάλιστα καταδραμών, καθ' ἣν ὁ Ἀρεόβινδος ἦν· πλὴν οὐ πράξας ἐκεῖ δεξιῶς, ἀλλὰ παρ' ἐλπίδας ἐλαττοῦται τῆς Ἀρεοβίνδου μάχης. γνοὺς δὲ καὶ τὸν Ἀμίδης φύλακα Γλώνην, τὸν στρατηγὸν αὐτοῦ, διαφθαρῆναι μηχανώμενον, ἐπανέρχεται κακωθεὶς διὰ ἑτέρας ὁδοῦ, καταφρονήσας τῶν ὁμήρων, οὓς δεδώκει τῷ Ἀρεοβίνδῳ κατὰ τοὺς εἰρήνης λόγους· καὶ κατέσχον παρὰ τὰς συνθήκας Ἀλύπιόν τε τὸν χρηστὸν ἐκεῖνον καὶ Βασίλειον τὸν Ἐδεσηνόν· ὥστε μετὰ τὴν ἀναχώρησιν αὐτοῦ τὴν ἐπὶ τὰ οἰκεῖα, χειμῶνος ἤδη καταλαβόντος, τοὺς μὲν στρατηγοὺς Ῥωμαίων ἐν διαφόροις τῆς Εὐφρατησίας καὶ Ὀσροηνῆς καὶ Μεσοποταμίας καὶ Σύρων καὶ Ἀρμενίων διαιρεθῆναι πολίσμασι τὸν χειμέριον αὐλισθησομένους καιρόν. Τῷ δ' αὐτῷ ἔτει ἱππικοῦ ἀγομένου, ἀταξία γέγονε τῶν δύο μερῶν, καὶ πολλοὶ ἀπέθανον ἐξ ἀμφοτέρων, ἐν οἷς καὶ ὁ υἱὸς Ἀναστασίου τοῦ βασιλέως, ὃν εἶχεν ἀπὸ παλλακῆς· καὶ σφόδρα λυπηθεὶς Ἀναστάσιος πολλοὺς ἐτιμωρήσατο καὶ ἄλλους ἐξορίαις παρέπεμψεν. Κόσμου ἔτη εϠϟηʹ. Τῆς θείας σαρκώσεως ἔτη υϟηʹ. Ῥωμαίων βασιλεὺς Ἀναστάσιος ἔτη κζʹ. ιεʹ. Περσῶν βασιλεὺς Καβάδης ἔτη λʹ. ιαʹ. Ῥώμης ἐπίσκοπος Σύμμαχος ἔτη ιβʹ. εʹ. Κωνσταντ. ἐπίσκοπος Μακεδόνιος ἔτη ιϛʹ. ιʹ. Ἱεροσολύμων ἐπίσκοπος Σαλούστιος ἔτη ηʹ. γʹ. Ἀλεξανδρείας ἐπίσκοπος Ἰωάννης ἔτη θʹ. θʹ. Ἀντιοχείας ἐπίσκοπος Φλαβιανὸς ἔτη ιγʹ. ζʹ. Τούτῳ τῷ ἔτει Κέλαρα τὸν μάγιστρον ὑπὸ τοῦ βασιλέως πεμφθέντα μετὰ τῆς σὺν αὐτῷ πλείστης δυνάμεως, καὶ τὴν ὅλην σχεδὸν 148 ἐξουσίαν παρειληφότα σὺν Ἀρεοβίνδῳ τῷ στρατηγῷ, τούτοις κατεπίστευσεν ὁ βασιλεὺς τὴν τοῦ παντὸς πολέμου διοίκησιν. Ἀππίωνα δὲ καὶ Ὑπάτιον μεταπέμπεται σπουδαίως εἰς τὸ Βυζάντιον, οὐκ ἀναγκαίους ἡγησάμενος εἶναι τῷ στρατοπέδῳ διὰ τὴν πρὸς Ἀρεόβινδον τὸν στρατηγὸν ἔχθραν, Καλλιόπιον δὲ τὸν στρατηγὸν ἐπιστήσας τῇ τοῦ δαπανήματος ἀρχῇ. τοῦ Κέλαρος τοίνυν ἄριστα τὸν πάντα πόλεμον ἅμα τῷ Ἀρεοβίνδῳ καὶ Πατρικίῳ καὶ Βωνόσῳ καὶ Τιμοστράτῳ καὶ Ῥωμανῷ καὶ τοῖς λοιποῖς κατὰ διαφόρους τόπους οἰκονομήσαντος· (ἦν γὰρ ὁ ἀνὴρ μετὰ λόγου καὶ παιδείας πάσης χάριτος πολλῆς θεοῦ πεπληρωμένος καὶ ἀνδρεῖος, Ἰλλύριος μὲν τὸ γένος, ὅθεν καὶ Ἀναστάσιος ὥρμητο·) πολλὰ μὲν τῆς Περσικῆς χώρας καὶ φρούρια * ἐπιδρομάς, τὰ μὲν πυρί, τὰ δὲ καὶ ἄλλοις καθῃρέθη τρόποις· ὥστε καὶ αὐτὴν Νισίβιν μικροῦ δεῖν ὑπὸ Ῥωμαίους γενέσθαι· ἐκράτει γὰρ καὶ λιμὸς τῶν Περσῶν τηνικαῦτα· εἶτα καὶ ἐπανάστασις αὐτοῖς ἐπισυμβέβηκεν ἐθνικὴ τῶν λεγομένων Καδουσίων καὶ ἑτέρων ἐθνῶν, καὶ οὕτως ἁπλῶς ἐπικρατοῦσι τῶν Περσικῶν πραγμάτων Ῥωμαῖοι, ὡς ἀποστεῖλαι Κουάδην Ἀσπέτιον τὸν στρατηγὸν περὶ εἰρήνης ἐσπουδασμένως διαλεχθῆναι Ῥωμαίοις, καὶ ἢ μηδὲν ἢ ὀλίγον τι κομιζόμενον ἀποδοῦναι καὶ Ἄμιδαν αὐτοῖς, οὔπω δυνηθεῖσι μετὰ μυρίων πόνων καὶ λιμὸν ἤδη πολὺν ἐπικρατήσαντα τῶν φυλάκων ἀπὸ Περσῶν αὐτὴν ἐξελέσθαι, καὶ διὰ τὴν τοῦ τόπου θέσιν καὶ τὸ τῶν τειχῶν ἀκατάλυτον. πλὴν οἱ στρατηγοὶ χειμῶνα πάλιν ὁρῶντες ἐπιόντα καὶ αἱρετώτερον εἶναι κρίναντες ὀλίγων ταλάντων ἐξωνήσασθαι τὸ Ῥωμαϊκὸν στρατόπεδον ἐκ τοῦ δυσχειμερίου τῶν τόπων, ἐν οἷς οἱ πρὸς Ἀσπέτιον ἐγίνοντο λόγοι, τρία τάλαντα παρασχόντες καὶ ἀναλαβόντες Βασίλειον τὸν Ἐδεσηνόν, ὁμηρεύοντα παρὰ Πέρσας ἔτι, (Ἀλύπιοςγὰρ ὁ χρηστὸς ἐτεθνήκει νόσῳ καμὼν παρ' ἐκείνοις,) καὶ ἀναδόντες 149 οὓς εἶχον ὁμήρους, Ἄμιδάν τε ἀπολαμβάνουσι καὶ τὰς