Cambridge Ancient Hi.. - Index of

96 4. the successors of justinian
Armenia, where Roman actions had alienated local inhabitants. Discussions
stumbled on through the winter of 577/8, but the main objective was now
to observe, or deter, the opposition’s military preparations. 22
Maurice, comes excubitorum, who had been involved in secret aspects of
these negotiations at Constantinople, was now appointed supreme eastern
commander, since Justinian had died and his former subordinates were
wrangling. Maurice recruited troops in his native Cappadocia, Anzitene and
Syria, before positioning himself at Citharizon, suitably located to react to
Persian moves in both Armenia and Upper Mesopotamia when the truce
ended. The Persians Mahbodh and Tamkhusro anticipated this, at least on
the Roman interpretation of the agreement, and ravaged Constantina and
Theodosiopolis-Resaina and then Amida, but throughout most of summer
578 the initiative lay with the Romans: Maurice attacked Arzanene, captured
Aphum and closely besieged the region’s main city, Chlomaron; ravaging
was sufficiently extensive to be visible to Khusro in his summer retreat in
Carduchia, and the Romans took thousands of prisoners whom they resettled
on Cyprus.
Roman successes again prompted the Persians to negotiate, but talks
were disrupted, this time by Khusro’s death and the accession of his son
Hormizd, who was reluctant to start his reign with a surrender of territory.
Diplomatic delays prevented serious fighting during 579, though the two
sides probably attempted to consolidate their positions in Arzanene. In 580
Maurice returned to the offensive, with extensive raids across the Tigris,
and for 581 he planned an even more ambitious enterprise, an expedition
down the Euphrates towards Ctesiphon with the Ghassanid leader al-
Mundhir, while other Roman troops occupied the Persians in Armenia. His
grand plan failed, for reasons that are not clearly recorded in the sources;
Maurice extricated his forces from a position that might have been as desperate
as Julian’s in 363, but the commanders quarrelled and accusations of
treachery were levelled against al-Mundhir. The justification for these is
uncertain, but the Ghassanids withdrew from the fighting and their king
was subsequently arrested. In 582 the Persians tried to exploit the Roman
discomfiture, and Tamkhusro once again advanced towards Constantina,
but was defeated and killed. By now Maurice had his eye on events in
Constantinople, and at some point, perhaps even before the victory at
Constantina, he left the eastern army to pursue imperial ambitions. 23
3. The west and the Balkans
In the west Tiberius’ main preoccupation was to restore the Roman position
in Italy; a major expedition under Justin’s son-in-law, Baduarius, was
22 Whitby, Maurice 262–8. 23 Ibid. 268–74.
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