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having a small river nearby; and having made a trench there they scattered iron caltrops around the trench for a great distance, leaving one entrance 462 for themselves. And when Sunicas the dux came behind them with four thousand men, and having found some of the Persians and Saracens plundering the neighboring places and having pursued them, he killed a few of them, capturing also some of them; whom he examined and learned about their plans. The magister of the Romans, having occupied Hierapolis, and having learned that the Persians had encamped in Roman territory, went out to Belisarius who was near the Persians with Stephen and Apscal the exarchs and Simmas the dux with four thousand men, to the city of Barbalissus; and as Belisarius was indignant with Sunicas, because on his own authority he had attacked the Persian army, and when the magister arrived he made them become friends, urging them to advance against the Persians. and the Persians with the Saracens having been intercepted at the village called Beselathon and Batnae and the surrounding cities, and the Persians, having made engines of wood and having dug tunnels, overturned the wall of Gabbula, and entering, they killed as many as they found, taking captives also. And they also took other places by making sudden raids. But the Antiochenes, hearing what had happened, fled to the 463 coastal region of Syria. And the Roman generals having indicated to each other that they were ready to engage with them; for it had been indicated by the Persians that the battle would be joined, and taking all the plunder, they fled by night; and when Belisarius and the Roman exarchs learned these things, they pursued and overtook them; and the Persians, turning, stood their ground, and drawing themselves up, they encamped on the frontier beyond the Euphrates, taking counsel. Likewise the Roman exarchs, having mustered their army, took their stand opposite the Persians, placing the Euphrates at their own backs, Belisarius having permitted the boats to stand by the banks of the river. And in the southern part Aretas encamped with Dorotheus and Mamantus, exarchs of the Isaurians, and in the northern part Sunicas and Simmas, having their army. And on the 19th of April on the Holy Saturday of Easter the clash of battle took place. For when the Persians rushed against Sunicas and Simmas, and the Romans resisted, the Persians by a trick turned their backs toward their own men. And the Persians, having become one body, having noticed that the Romans had the Euphrates at their backs, rushed with the Saracens and joined the battle, and with many falling on both sides, among whom fell from the Persians Andrazes, a chiliarch, and Naaman, son of Alamundarus, and from the Roman Saracens a dux named Abros was taken; and Stephanacius also fell, having been struck. For when the 464 confusion occurred, Apscal, rushing into the midst of the Persians, and his horse having stepped on a corpse, perished in their midst; and the Phrygians, seeing their exarch had fallen and his standard had been captured by the Persians, were turned to flight, and with them also the Saracens of the Romans. But others remained fighting with Aretas. But some supposed that the Saracens had openly turned their backs through the treachery of their phylarchs. And the Isaurians standing near them and knowing that the Saracens were fleeing, threw themselves into the Euphrates, thinking to cross. But Belisarius, seeing what had happened, taking his own standard with him, went up in a boat; and having crossed the Euphrates he came to Callinicum. And his army also followed him; and some embarking in boats, others wishing to swim across with their horses, filled the river with corpses. But Sunicas and Simmas remained fighting with the Persians; and

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ἔχον παρακείμενον καὶ μικρὸν ποταμόν· καὶ ποιήσαντες ἐκεῖ φοσσᾶτον ἐσκόρπισαν πέριξ τοῦ φοσσάτου τριβόλους σιδηροῦς ἐπὶ πολὺ διάστημα, μίαν ἑαυτοῖς 462 ἐάσαντες εἴσοδον. καὶ ἐλθόντος ὄπισθεν αὐτῶν Σουνίκα τοῦ δουκὸς μετὰ χιλιάδων τεσσάρων, καὶ εὑρηκώς τινας ἐκ τῶν Περσῶν καὶ Σαρακηνῶν πραιδεύοντας τὰ παρακείμενα χωρία καὶ καταδιώξας, ἐφόνευσεν ἐξ αὐτῶν ὀλίγους, συλλαβόμενος καί τινας ἐξ αὐτῶν· οὕστινας ἐξετάσας ἔμαθε περὶ τῶν βεβουλευμένων. Ὁ δὲ μάγιστρος Ῥωμαίων καταλαβὼν τὴν Ἱεράπολιν, καὶ μαθὼν ὅτι εἰς τὰ Ῥωμαϊκὰ ἐσκήνωσαν οἱ Πέρσαι, ἐξελθὼν πρὸς Βελισάριον πλησίον ὄντα τῶν Περσῶν μετὰ Στεφάνου καὶ Ἄψκαλ ἐξάρχων καὶ Σίμμα τοῦ δουκὸς μετὰ χιλιάδων τεσσάρων, ἐπὶ Βαρβαισισσὸν τὴν πόλιν· καὶ ἀγανακτήσαντος Βελισαρίου κατὰ Σουνίκα, διότι αὐθεντήσας ἐπῆλθε τῷ Περσικῷ στρατῷ, καὶ φθάσαντος τοῦ μαγίστρου ἐποίησεν αὐτοὺς γενέσθαι φίλους, προτρεψάμενος ὁρμῆσαι κατὰ Περσῶν. καὶ μεσολαβηθέντων τῶν Περσῶν σὺν τοῖς Σαρακηνοῖς ἐπὶ τὴν κώμην τὴν λεγομένην Βεσελαθὼν καὶ Βατνῶν καὶ τῶν πέριξ πόλεων, καὶ ποιήσαντες οἱ Πέρσαι διὰ ξύλων μηχανήματα καὶ διορύξαντες, ἔστρεψαν τὸ τεῖχος Γαββουλῶν, καὶ εἰσελθόντες ὅσους ηὗρον ἐφόνευσαν, ἐπαρόντες καὶ αἰχμαλώτους. καὶ ἄλλους δὲ τόπους παρέλαβον ποιήσαντες αἰφνιδίους καταδρομάς. Οἱ δὲ Ἀντιοχεῖς ἀκούσαντες τὰ γενόμενα, ἔφυγον ἐπὶ τὴν 463 πάραλον τῆς Συρίας. τῶν δὲ στρατηγῶν Ῥωμαίων δηλωσάντων ἑαυτοῖς τοῦ ἑτοίμως ἔχειν συγκροῦσαι μετ' αὐτῶν· ἦν γὰρ δηλωθὲν ἐκ τῶν Περσῶν τοῦ συναφθῆναι τὸν πόλεμον, καὶ παραλαβόντες πᾶσαν τὴν πραῖδαν, νυκτὸς ἔφυγον· καὶ μαθὼν ταῦτα Βελισάριος καὶ οἱ ἔξαρχοι Ῥωμαίων, ἐπιδιώξαντες κατέλαβον αὐτούς· καὶ στραφέντες οἱ Πέρσαι ἔστησαν, καὶ τάξαντες ἑαυτοὺς ἐσκήνωσαν ἐπὶ τὸ λίμιτον πέραν τοῦ Εὐφράτου βουλευόμενοι. ὁμοίως δὲ καὶ οἱ ἔξαρχοι Ῥωμαίων στρατολογήσαντες ἔστησαν κατέναντι τῶν Περσῶν, κατὰ νώτου ἑαυτῶν τάξαντες τὸν Εὐφράτην, Βελισαρίου ἐπιτρέψαντος τὰ πλοῖα παρὰ τὰς ὄχθας τοῦ ποταμοῦ ἑστάναι. εἰς δὲ τὸ κατὰ μεσημβρίαν μέρος ἐσκήνωσεν Ἀρέθας μετὰ ∆ωροθέου καὶ Μάμαντος, ἐξάρχων Ἰσαύρων, εἰς δὲ τὸ ἀρκτῷον Σουνίκας καὶ Σίμμας ἔχοντες στρατόν. καὶ τῇ ιθʹ τοῦ ἀπριλλίου ἐν ἁγίῳ σαββάτῳ τοῦ πάσχα ἐγένετο ἡ συμβολὴ τοῦ πολέμου. ὁρμησάντων γὰρ τῶν Περσῶν κατὰ Σουνίκα καὶ Σίμμα, καὶ ἀντιστάντων Ῥωμαίων, δόλῳ δέδωκαν οἱ Πέρσαι νῶτα ἐπὶ τοὺς ἰδίους ἑαυτῶν. καὶ ὑφ' ἓν γενόμενοι Πέρσαι, προσεσχηκότες ὅτι Ῥωμαῖοι κατὰ νώτου ἔχουσι τὸν Εὐφράτην, ὁρμήσαντες σὺν τοῖς Σαρακηνοῖς συνέκρουσαν τὸν πόλεμον, καὶ πολλῶν πεσόντων ἐξ ἀμφοτέρων τῶν μερῶν, ἐν οἷς ἔπεσον ἀπὸ μὲν Περσῶν Ἀνδράζης, χιλίαρχος, καὶ Νααμάν, υἱὸς Ἀλαμουνδάρου, ἐκ δὲ Ῥωμαίων Σαρακηνῶν ἐλήφθη Ἄβροςὀνόματι δούξ· καὶ Στεφανάκιος δὲ πληγεὶς ἔπεσε. τῆς γὰρ 464 ἀμιξίας γενομένης, ὁ Ἄψκαλ εἰς μέσον Περσῶν ὁρμήσας, καὶ τοῦ ἵππου αὐτοῦ πατήσαντος λείψανον, εἰς μέσον αὐτῶν ἀπώλετο· οἱ δὲ Φρύγες ἑωρακότες τὸν ἔξαρχον ἑαυτῶν πεσόντα καὶ τὸ βάνδον αὐτοῦ ὑπὸ Περσῶν συλληφθέντα εἰς φυγὴν ἐτράπησαν, σὺν αὐτοῖς δὲ καὶ οἱ Σαρακηνοὶ Ῥωμαίων. ἄλλοι δὲ ἐπέμειναν σὺν Ἀρέθᾳ μαχόμενοι. ὑπέλαβον δέ τινες ὅτι κατὰ προδοσίαν τῶν φυλάρχων αὐτῶν δέδωκαν νῶτα φανεροὶ τῶν Σαρακηνῶν. Ἴσαυροι δὲ πλησίον αὐτῶν ἑστῶτες καὶ εἰδότες τοὺς Σαρακηνοὺς φεύγοντας, ἔῤῥιψαν ἑαυτοὺς ἐν τῷ Εὐφράτῃ, νομίζοντες περᾶν. Βελισάριος δὲ ἑωρακὼς τὸ γενόμενον, λαβὼν μεθ' ἑαυτοῦ τὸ ἴδιον βάνδον ἀνῆλθεν ἐν πλοίῳ· καὶ περάσας τὸν Εὐφράτην ἦλθεν εἰς Καλλίνικον. συνηκολούθησε δὲ αὐτῷ καὶ ὁ στρατὸς αὐτοῦ· καὶ οἱ μὲν εἰς πλοῖα ἐμβάντες, οἱ δὲ μετὰ τῶν ἵππων ἐκκολυμβῆσαι βουλόμενοι, ἐπλήρωσαν τὸν ποταμὸν λειψάνων. Σουνίκας δὲ καὶ Σίμμας ἐπέμειναν μετὰ Περσῶν μαχόμενοι· καὶ