he enemy. So both armies were
gathered together and came in full force to the scene of the building
operations, the Persians in order to hinder the work with all their
power, and the Romans to defend the labourers. And a fierce battle took
place in which the Romans were defeated, and there was a great slaughter
of them, while some also were made captive by the enemy. Among these was
Coutzes himself. All these captives the Persians led away to their own
country, and, putting them in chains, confined them permanently in a
cave; as for the fort, since no one defended it any longer, they razed
what had been built to the ground.

After this the Emperor Justinian appointed Belisarius General of the
East and bade him make an expedition against the Persians. And he
collected a very formidable army and came to Daras. Hermogenes also came
to him from the emperor to assist in setting the army in order, holding
the office of magister; this man was formerly counsellor to Vitalianus
at the time when he was at war with the Emperor Anastasius. The emperor
also sent Rufinus as ambassador, commanding him to remain in Hierapolis
on the Euphrates River until he himself should give the word. For
already much was being said on both sides concerning peace. Suddenly,
however, someone reported to Belisarius and Hermogenes that the Persians
were expected to invade the land of the Romans, being eager to capture
the city of Daras. And when they heard this, they prepared for the
battle as follows. [July, 530] Not far from the gate which lies opposite
the city of Nisibis, about a stone's throw away, they dug a deep trench
with many passages across it. Now this trench was not dug in a straight
line, but in the following manner. In the middle there was a rather
short portion straight, and at either end of this there were dug two
cross trenches at right angles to the first; and starting from the
extremities of the two cross trenches, they continued two straight
trenches in the original direction to a very great distance. Not long
afterwards the Persians came with a great army, and all of them made
camp in a place called Ammodios, at a distance of twenty stades from the
city of Daras. Among the leaders of this army were Pityaxes and the
one-eyed Baresmanas. But one general held command over them all, a
Persian, whose title was "mirranes" (for thus the Persians designate
this office), Perozes by name. This Perozes immediately sent to
Belisarius bidding h