BOOK 16 The Time of the Emperor Anastasios

1. (392) After the reign of Zeno, the most sacred Anastasios, AD491 known as Dikoros, began to reign during the consulship of Olybrius, the son of Areobindus. He ~me from Dyrrachium in Nova Epirus, and was an ex-s.ilent.it1r.ius. He reiAriadne, who had been.the wife of the previous emperor Zeno. He was very tall, with short hair, a good figure, a round face, both hair and beard greying; he had a grey pupil in his right eye and a black one in his left though his eyesight was perfect; and he shaved his beard frequent! y. 2. In his reign he made the patrician Hierios praetorian prefect, who then appointed his relative Kalliopios as comes Orientis. While Kalliopios was in office (393) the Greens of Antioch attacked him in the praetorium, but he escaped to safety. When he learned of this, the prefect Hierios reported it to the emperor Anastasios who immediately appointed Constantius of Tarsos as comes Orientis, granting him full authority over life and death since the Green faction, which was rioting in Antioch, was attacking the governors. Constantius made the AD494/5 people of Antioch obey the governors' orders. This was in the year 543 according to the era of Antioch. This emperor supported the Red faction at Constantinople and took measures against the Greens and Blues everywhere when they caused disturbances. 3. When the emperor heard that the !saurians were gathering in

1. Bo 392.1-10; LM 437.8, CP 607.5-12 (AD491), Th 136.20-22 (AD491/2); Slav: Ist 13.1-6, Soph 124. in Nova Epirus (392.2): 'in the province of Nova Epirus' CP, Slav. 27 years am three months (392.4): '27 years, nine months and nine days' LM, Slav. am was crowned ••• Holy Week (392.5): 'he was crowned in the month of Xanthikos-April ('on 14th April' Th), on Thursday of Holy Week, in the 14th indication' CP, Slav, Th. CP adds 'in the year 537 (to be corrected to '539', see 391.3 above), according to the era of Antioch'; see Patzig, 1890/1, 10. (14 April 491 was in fact Easter Day). 2. Bo 392.11-393.11; De insid 36 (167.21-23). life am death (393.4; corr Chil): 'every zone' Ba. 1be emperor supported •.• caused disturbances ( 393. 9-11 ) : Before, during or after para 2 (ie before para 3, cf JA De insid 100; see cameron, 1976, 226, note 7) we must place De insid 36, 'During the reign of Anastasios there occurred a disturbance in the hippodrome; there were many fatalities and serious fires, and the four dancers were exiled'. 3. Bo 393.12-394.10; De insid 37 (167.24-168.10), cf Th 137.23-140.7 Book 16 221

their own area intending to rebel, he immediately began a campaign against them. He made war on them and sent out as generals the 111c1qistermilitum proe.sentolis John, nicknamed the ht.mchback, and the patrician Diogenianos, the relative of the Augusta, and others, with a force of Scythians, and a band of Goths and Bessoi. He massacred the !saurians, ravaged their land, destroyed their cities and burned down their fortresses; he took prisoner the exarchs who had led their rebellion, the ex-mqLqter Longinus the bald, Athenodoros the younger, Longinines the lame and the ex-bishop of Apameia Konon, the son of Fuscianus. Longinines was the first to perish at the outset of the war when (394) the armies met each other at Kotyaion, a city in Phrygia. He was killed there and after him Konon, the son of Fuscianus, was struck by a spear and fell. The !saurians were put to flight and then captured, with their remaining exarchs taken alive. They were beheaded and their heads taken to the emperor Anastasios, After this victory he bestowed gifts on all tax-payers under his rule. The most sacred emperor Anastasios imposed on all land-holders a tax to be paid in gold, based on acreage, to prevent taxes in kind being demanded and used for their own purposes by the soldiers. 4. During his reign the supporters of the Greens at Constantinople appealed to the emperor, while the chariot-races were .being held, for the release of some people who had been arrested by the city prefect for throwing stones. The emperor did not yield to them but grew angry and ordered troops to attack them, and there was great disorder. The supporters advanced against the excubitores, and approached the JrathiSITlt!land they threw stones at the emperor Anastasios. Among them was a man called Mauros who threw a stone at the emperor, who stood up and dodged it. The excubitores, having seen the man's

(AD492/6); Slav: Ist 13,6-8. interning to rebel (393.13): De insid adds 'which they did, and advanced as far as Kotyaion; taking up arms he', as generals (393.14): cf 'three mc.,qist.ri mDitum' De insid. the patrician Diogenianos (393,16): cf 'Diogenianos and Patricius' De insid (probably incorrectly, an error which may also have motivated the 'three mqistri militum' above; see PLRE II 840, but cf i.bid. 362). Longinines (393.22): cf 'Lingines' De insid, 'Ninilingis' Th; on this difficult name, see PLRE II 683, s.v. Lilingis, URler his rule (394.7): De insid adds 'battle was joined again with the !saurians, and Longinus of Selinus (written as 'Silountios', cf PLRE II 688) and Indes and his brother were brought as prisoners from Isauria, and Longinus, the brother of the emperor Zeno, was exiled'. used for their own purposes (394.10; reading (µti) fiumptm:o0al for fiux'tpE(l)£o8al with Dihle, 1976, 5): 'nourished' Ba: cf F'estugiere, 1978, 237 who proposes for the whole phrase 'and the soldiers being nourished by them'. 4. Bo 394.11-395.5; CP 608.1-18 (AD498), Th 147.17-20 (AD504/5), De insid 38 (168,11-25), 39 (168.26-34), JN 89.19-21. they threw stones .•• Mauros who threv a stone (394.17-18; corr Dind) CP: cf 'they threw a stone' Ba, cf 'someone threw a stone' De insid; see Patzig, 1890/1,12. dodged it (394.19): CP, De insid add 'since he would have been killed'; see Patzig, 1890/1, 13.