The Roman History

GALLVS AND CONSTANTIVS.

...of the high-born. 3 With the situation in Isauria brought to this point, and while the King of the Persians was entangled in wars on his own borders, repelling fierce tribes from his boundaries—who often attack him with a fickle mindset and sometimes aid him when he moves arms against us—a certain man named Nohodares, one of the nobility, was appointed to raid Mesopotamia whenever the opportunity arose. He carefully scouted our defenses to see if he could find any place to break through by a sudden force. Because the whole region of Mesopotamia is prone to frequent unrest and was guarded by outposts and rural military stations, he shifted his route to the left and settled in the parts of Osrhoene original: "Osdruenae" — a province in Upper Mesopotamia, centered around Edessa. He attempted a new and rarely tried scheme, which, if it had succeeded, would have devastated everything like a bolt of lightning. The plan he was working on was of this sort:

The town of Batnae, established in Anthemusia by the hands of the ancient Macedonians, is separated from the Euphrates river by only a short distance. It is filled with wealthy merchants. Every year, around the beginning of September, a great multitude of people of every rank and fortune gathers there for a trade fair to buy and sell goods sent by the Indians and the Seres The "Seres" was the Roman name for the people of China, literally "the Silk People", along with many other things usually transported by land and sea. The aforementioned leader prepared to invade this region during the designated days of the festival, moving through the wilderness and the grassy banks of the Abora river.

However, he was betrayed by the information of his own men, who, driven by fear of their committed crime, fled to the Roman garrisons. Having failed to achieve any result from his excursion, he then remained inactive and wasted away. The Saracens original: "Saraceni" — a term used by Romans for the nomadic tribes of the Syro-Arabian desert,

however—whom we never desired either as friends or as enemies—were rushing to and fro, devastating whatever could be found in a brief moment of time. Their life is like that of rapacious kites: if these birds spot prey from on high, they snatch it with a swift flight, but they do not linger even if they catch it. Although I remember reporting on their customs during the deeds of the Emperor Marcus Marcus Aurelius, who reigned from 161–180 AD and several times thereafter, I will now also say a few words about them—