importance, bearing the name of the emperor himself. Now this place is
distant from the city of Nisibis one hundred stades lacking two, and
from the boundary line which divides the Romans from the Persians about
twenty-eight. And the Persians, though eager to prevent the building,
were quite unable to do so, being constrained by the war with the Huns
in which they were engaged. But as soon as Cabades brought this to an
end, he sent to the Romans and accused them of having built a city hard
by the Persian frontier, though this had been forbidden in the agreement
previously made between the Medes and the Romans[12]. At that time,
therefore, the Emperor Anastasius desired, partly by threats, and partly
by emphasizing his friendship with him and by bribing him with no mean
sum of money, to deceive him and to remove the accusation. And another
city also was built by this emperor, similar to the first, in Armenia,
hard by the boundaries of Persarmenia; now in this place there had been
a village from of old, but it had taken on the dignity of a city by the
favour of the Emperor Theodosius even to the name, for it had come to be
named after him[13]. But Anastasius surrounded it with a very
substantial wall, and thus gave offence to the Persians no less than by
the other city; for both of them are strongholds menacing their country.


XI

[Aug. 1, 518 A.D.] And when a little later Anastasius died, Justinus
received the empire, forcing aside all the kinsmen of Anastasius,
although they were numerous and also very distinguished. Then indeed a
sort of anxiety came over Cabades, lest the Persians should make some
attempt to overthrow his house as soon as he should end his life; for it
was certain that he would not pass on the kingdom to any one of his sons
without opposition. For while the law called to the throne the eldest of