But the Persians forbade them to build any further, threatening that, not with words alone but also with deeds, they would at no distant time obstruct the work.  When the emperor heard this, inasmuch as Belisarius was not able to beat off the Persians from the place with the army he had, he ordered another army to go thither, and also Coutzes and Bouzes, who at that time commanded the soldiers in Libanus[17].  These two were brothers from Thrace, both young and inclined to be rash in engaging with the enemy.  So both armies were gathered together and came in full force to the scene of the building operations, the Persians in order to hinder the work with all their power, and the Romans to defend the labourers.  And a fierce battle took place in which the Romans were defeated, and there was a great slaughter of them, while some also were made captive by the enemy.  Among these was Coutzes himself.  All these captives the Persians led away to their own country, and, putting them in chains, confined them permanently in a cave; as for the fort, since no one defended it any longer, they razed what had been built to the ground.

After this the Emperor Justinian appointed Belisarius General of the East and bade him make an expedition against the Persians.  And he collected a very formidable army and came to Daras.  Hermogenes also came to him from the emperor to assist in setting the army in order, holding the office of magister; this man was formerly counsellor to Vitalianus at the time when he was at war with the Emperor Anastasius.  The emperor also sent Rufinus as ambassador, commanding him to remain in Hierapolis on the Euphrates River until he himself should give the word.  For already much was being said on both sides concerning peace.  Suddenly, however, someone reported to Belisarius and Hermogenes that the Persians were expected to invade the land of the Romans, being eager to capture the city of Daras.  And when they heard this, they prepared for the battle as follows. [July, 530] Not far from the gate which lies opposite the city of Nisibis, about a stone’s throw away, they dug a deep trench with many passages across it.  Now this trench was not dug in a straight line, but in the following manner.  In the middle there was a rather short portion straight, and at either end of this there were dug two cross trenches at right angles to the first; and starting from the extremities of the two cross trenches, they continued two straight trenches in the original direction to a very great distance.  Not long afterwards the Persians came with a great army, and all of them made camp in a place called Ammodios, at a distance of twenty stades from the city of Daras.  Among the leaders of this army were Pityaxes and the one-eyed Baresmanas.  But one general held command over them all, a Persian, whose title was “mirranes” (for thus the Persians designate this office), Perozes by name.  This Perozes immediately sent to Belisarius bidding him make ready the bath:  for he wished to bathe there on the following day.  Accordingly the Romans made the most vigorous preparations for the encounter, with the expectation that they would fight on the succeeding day.