Sykes' History of Persia - Heritage Institute

XXXVII SHAPUR THE GREAT 453
a force with instructions to co-operate with Arsaces of
Armenia in ravaging the frontier provinces of Persia,
and then to rejoin the main body of the army before
Ctesiphon.
He himself decided to march down the Euphrates,
although steps were taken to deceive the enemy by the
collection of supplies along the Tigris route. The narra-
tive ofAmmianus Marcellinus is
thrilling
as we accompany
the Roman army southwards to the Euphrates, where the
Emperor was joined by his fleet of iioo ships, and received
the homage of the Saracens, a race which, according
to the Roman historian, "it is never desirable to have
either for friends or enemies." From Callinicus, near
the junction of the Belik with the Euphrates, to its
junction with the Khabur, the Roman army marched
down the great river to the boundary of the Empire
at Circesium, which had been strongly fortified by
Diocletian.
After crossing the Khabur by a bridge of boats, strict
military precautions were taken, the whole force keeping
together. The cavalry, which was commanded conjointly
by a certain Arinthaeus and by the Sasanian pretender
Hormisdas, patrolled to the east, a picked force maintained
touch with the fleet, and the main body marched
between, in extended order, with a view to impressing the
enemy with its numbers. Unlike Trajan, Julian was
unable to capture or secure the surrender of the majority
of the cities which he passed, and he was obliged to leave
them unsubdued in his rear. It was much to his disadvantage
that the art of fortification, neglected by the Parthians,
had been studied to advantage by the Sasanian
dynasty. As in the case of Cyrus the Younger, in whose
steps he was treading, no attempt at resistance was made
by a field army until the steppes of Mesopotamia had
been left behind and the rich irrigated lands of Babylonia
were entered. Even then no battle was fought by the
Persian Commander-in-Chief, but outlying detachments
and foraging parties were cut off.
Continuing steadily down the Euphrates, Julian
reached Perisabor, or more correctly Firuz-Shapur, an