[109] Most information about these nations will be found in Godefroy ad Cod. Theod., XII, xii, 2, and Act. Sanct. (Bol.) lviii, 660-762 (Mart. Arethas). For a clue to recent additions see Diehl, op. cit., p. 392 et seq., and below, chap. xiv.
[110] Jn. Malala (p. 457) indicates that the regular route to Axume was still the same as that described above from earlier writers when I was sketching the commercial activities of the age; see p. 190. He places the embassy before the action on the Euphrates, but his chronological sequence is often wrong. From Procopius (loc. cit., 19, et seq.) it seems to have been before or at least about the same time. The Berenice mentioned by Procopius (De Aedif., vi, 2) is not that on the Red Sea (see p. 190), but on the Great Syrtis.
[111] We owe this description of Soudanese pageantry to Jn. Malala (xviii, p. 457), who professes to be copying a report published by the ambassador himself.
[112] Procopius, loc. cit., 20; Malala, loc. cit.
[113] The abstract of Nonnosus's own account has been preserved by Photius.
[114] Procopius, loc. cit., 20.
[115] Ibid., 19. Further details in Tabari, for which see chap. xiv below.
[116] Procopius, loc. cit., 21. It should be noted that P. is not now relating his own experiences, as he returned to Constantinople with Belisarius.
[117] Ibid. He was at Attachae, not far from Amida; cf. Zachariah Myt., loc. cit., 6.
[118] The exploits of Bessas are dwelt on by Zachariah Myt., loc. cit., 5 et seq. Most details of the siege are given by Malala (p. 468 et seq.), which, however, I omit here as we shall have more interesting opportunities later on of studying the mode of procedure at sieges in this age.