Cambridge Ancient Hi.. - Index of

74 3. justin i and justinian
consulship by leading Vandal captives in another triumphal procession and
distributing Vandal spoils. 65
The ease of the success over the Vandals inspired further initiatives. In
535 Belisarius was again despatched to the west, this time to Italy; in this
case, however, reconquest was to prove a far more difficult and lengthy
business. The conquest of Sicily was the first and easy step, and Belisarius
was able to celebrate the ending of his consular year there with yet another
procession at Syracuse. 66 Interrupted by a diversion to Africa to put down
a serious military revolt which had broken out there, Belisarius proceeded
on Justinian’s orders to invade Italy and make war on the Goths. Naples fell
to him in 536 and he entered Rome on 9 December in the same year, 67 preparing
the city for a siege by Vitigis and the Goths, which began early in
537 and lasted for over a year.
From now on, problems became apparent: reinforcements were
urgently needed; Belisarius became involved in necessary dealings with the
Roman church, replacing pope Silverius with Vigilius; and he had to resort
to diversionary ploys in order to allow the passage into the city of army pay
sent from Constantinople. The siege ended after a year, in March 538, when
the Goths too ran short of provisions and heard that Ariminum had fallen
and that Byzantine troops were threatening Ravenna; however, Belisarius
and Narses (recently arrived with a new army) together foiled the Gothic
attempt to recapture Ariminum. Division between Belisarius and Narses
led to a Gothic entry into Milan and the massacre of its male citizens early
in 539, 68 and Narses was recalled on Belisarius’ request. But Justinian’s
uncertainty undermined Belisarius’ attempts to achieve total victory. In 540
the Goths of Ravenna, discontented with Vitigis and unwilling to make a
treaty with Justinian as the latter’s envoys proposed, invited Belisarius to
become emperor of the west; his loyal refusal seems to have been a turningpoint
for the historian Procopius, who became increasingly critical of him
thereafter. 69 Belisarius was able to carry the other Roman generals with
him, enter Ravenna and place Vitigis under guard (540), but the emperor,
whether influenced by Belisarius’ detractors or because he wanted to send
him to Persia, now recalled him to Constantinople.
The return of Belisarius with Vitigis and his wife and the Gothic treasures
should have been a great moment in the reign, but this time the general
was denied the glory of a triumph, and spent the winter in Constantinople
as a private citizen. 70 His career illustrates the uncertainties of Justinian’s
conduct of the wars in both east and west. Though Belisarius seemed to
65 Procop. Wars iv.9.15–16.
66 Procop. Wars v.5.17–19; there is also a fairly detailed account of the Gothic war in the continuation
of Marcellinus’ Chronicle, on which see also the notes by Croke (1995).
67 Wars iv.15; v.7.26; see PLRE iii.196. 68 Wars vi.22.1.
69 Wars vi.29.17–18; for the change in Procopius’ view see Cameron, Procopius 189; Procopius and
Antonina were also present at these events. 70 PLRE iii.207–8.
Cambridge Histories Online © Cambridge University Press, 2008