d went against their
assailants, and thus became exposed to the enemy on both sides. For
those in flight before them understood what was happening and turned
back again. The Persians, on their part, with the detachment of the
Immortals, seeing the standard inclined and lowered to the earth, rushed
all together against the Romans at that point with Baresmanas. There the
Romans held their ground. And first Sunicas killed Baresmanas and threw
him from his horse to the ground. As a result of this the barbarians
were seized with great fear and thought no longer of resistance, but
fled in utter confusion. And the Romans, having made a circle as it were
around them, killed about five thousand. Thus both armies were all set
in motion, the Persians in retreat, and the Romans in pursuit. In this
part of the conflict all the foot-soldiers who were in the Persian army
threw down their shields and were caught and wantonly killed by their
enemy. However, the pursuit was not continued by the Romans over a great
distance. For Belisarius and Hermogenes refused absolutely to let them
go farther, fearing lest the Persians through some necessity should turn
about and rout them while pursuing recklessly, and it seemed to them
sufficient to preserve the victory unmarred. For on that day the
Persians had been defeated in battle by the Romans, a thing which had
not happened for a long time. Thus the two armies separated from each
other. And the Persians were no longer willing to fight a pitched battle
with the Romans. However, some sudden attacks were made on both sides,
in which the Romans were not at a disadvantage. Such, then, was the
fortune of the armies in Mesopotamia.

XV

And Cabades sent another army into the part of Armenia which is subject
to the Romans. This army was composed of Persarmenians and Sunitae,
whose land adjoins that of the Alani. There were also Huns with them, of
the stock called Sabiri, to the number of three thousand, a most warlike
race. And Mermeroes, a Persian, had been made general of the whole
force. When this army was three days' march from Theodosiopolis, they
established their camp and, remaining in the land of the Persarmenians,
made their preparations for the invasion. Now the general of Armenia
was, as it happened, Dorotheus, a man of discretion and experienced in
many wars. And Sittas held the office of general in Byzantium, and had
authority over the whole army in Armenia. These two, then, upon learn