Adolius ( el, , d. 543 AD) was a Byzantine

silentiarius ''Silentiarius'', Hellenized to ''silentiarios'' ( el, σιλεντιάριος) and Anglicized to silentiary, was the Latin title given to a class of courtiers in the Byzantine imperial court, responsible for order and silence ( la, silentium) in t ...

and military officer, active in the reign of

Justinian I Justinian I (; la, Iustinianus, ; grc-gre, Ἰουστινιανός ; 48214 November 565), also known as Justinian the Great, was the Byzantine emperor from 527 to 565. His reign is marked by the ambitious but only partly realized ''renovat ...

(r. 527–565). He was a son of Acacius,

proconsul A proconsul was an official of ancient Rome who acted on behalf of a consul. A proconsul was typically a former consul. The term is also used in recent history for officials with delegated authority. In the Roman Republic, military command, or ' ...

of Armenia Prima (First Armenia). He is better known for his activities in the early stages of the

Lazic War The Lazic War, also known as the Colchidian War or in Georgian historiography as the Great War of Egrisi was fought between the Byzantine Empire and the Sasanian Empire for control of the ancient Georgian region of Lazica. The Lazic War lasted ...

. The main source about him is

Procopius Procopius of Caesarea ( grc-gre, Προκόπιος ὁ Καισαρεύς ''Prokópios ho Kaisareús''; la, Procopius Caesariensis; – after 565) was a prominent late antique Greek scholar from Caesarea Maritima. Accompanying the Roman ge ...

.Martindale, Jones & Morris (1992), p. 16-17

Biography

considers Acacius and his son Adolius to have been natives of

Roman Armenia Roman Armenia refers to the rule of parts of Greater Armenia by the Roman Empire, from the 1st century AD to the end of Late Antiquity. While Armenia Minor had become a client state and incorporated into the Roman Empire proper during the 1st c ...

. He mentions that Adolius held the rank of

, though not mentioning the circumstances of his appointment.:Martindale, Jones & Morris (1992), p. 8-9 "Adolius, the son of Acacius ... This Adolius was an

Armenian Armenian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Armenia, a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia * Armenians, the national people of Armenia, or people of Armenian descent ** Armenian Diaspora, Armenian communities across the ...

by birth, and he always served the emperor while in the palace as privy counsellor (those who enjoy this honour are called by the Romans " silentiarii"), but at that time he was commander of some Armenians. And these men did as directed."Procopius, History of the Wars, Book 2, Chapter 21 Acacius proved highly unpopular with the population of his province, gaining a reputation for cruelty and greed. He was assassinated in 538/539. A passage of Procopius names Artabanes as the killer. Adolius is mentioned urging

to act against the Armenian rebels responsible for the murder. He is implied to be very critical of Sittas, the general tasked with facing the revolt, and of Sittas' attempts to negotiate peace. The relative passages report: "So he ittascame to Armenia, but at first he entered upon the war reluctantly and exerted himself to calm the people and to restore the population to their former habitations, promising to persuade the emperor to remit to them the payment of the new tax. But since the emperor kept assailing him with frequent reproaches for his hesitation, led on by the slanders of Adolius, the son of Acacius, Sittas at last made his preparations for the conflict." Adolius is next mentioned in 542. At the time he was serving as a military officer in the

, leading his own troop of Armenians. His commanding officer was

Belisarius Belisarius (; el, Βελισάριος; The exact date of his birth is unknown. – 565) was a military commander of the Byzantine Empire under the emperor Justinian I. He was instrumental in the reconquest of much of the Mediterranean ter ...

magister militum (Latin for "master of soldiers", plural ) was a top-level military command used in the later Roman Empire, dating from the reign of Constantine the Great. The term referred to the senior military officer (equivalent to a war theatre commander, ...

per Orientem. In "a display of military strength", Adolius and Diogenes were commanded to cross the Euphrates at the head of 1000 cavalry men. Once reaching the opposite bank of the river, this force started patrolling the area. They were apparently instructed to act as if ready to prevent the forces of

Khosrau I Khosrow I (also spelled Khosrau, Khusro or Chosroes; pal, 𐭧𐭥𐭮𐭫𐭥𐭣𐭩; New Persian: []), traditionally known by his epithet of Anushirvan ( [] "the Immortal Soul"), was the Sasanian Empire, Sasanian King of Kings of Iran from ...

from retreating. Procopius narrates: Belisarius ... commanded Diogenes, the guardsman, and Adolius, the son of Acacius, to cross the river with a thousand horsemen and to move about the bank there, always making it appear to the enemy that if they wished to cross the Euphrates and proceed to their own land, they would never permit them to do so." When Khosrau I led the

Sassanid Army The Sasanian army was the primary military body of the Sasanian armed forces, serving alongside the Sasanian navy. The birth of the army dates back to the rise of Ardashir I (r. 224–241), the founder of the Sasanian Empire, to the throne. Ard ...

across the Euphrates, Belisarius instructed Adolius and Diogenes to let them pass. Procopius explains: "Now Belisarius knew well that not even a hundred thousand men would ever be sufficient to check the crossing of Chosroes. For the river at many places along there can be crossed in boats very easily, and even apart from this the Persian army was too strong to be excluded from the crossing by an enemy numerically insignificant. But he had at first commanded the troops of Diogenes and Adolius, together with the thousand horsemen, to move about the bank at that point in order to confuse the

barbarian A barbarian (or savage) is someone who is perceived to be either uncivilized or primitive. The designation is usually applied as a generalization based on a popular stereotype; barbarians can be members of any nation judged by some to be less ...

by a feeling of helplessness. But after frightening this same barbarian, as I have said, Belisarius feared lest there should be some obstacle in the way of his departing from the land of the Romans. For it seemed to him a most significant achievement to have driven away from there the army of Chosroes, without risking any battle against so many myriads of barbarians with soldiers who were very few in number and who were in abject terror of the Median army. For this reason he commanded Diogenes and Adolius to remain quiet." In 543, Adolius is mentioned serving under Peter. Peter and his forces joined Martinus, the new magister militum per Orientem, at the fortress of Citharizon. Said fortress was reportedly situated in the vicinity of Theodosiopolis (

Erzurum Erzurum (; ) is a List of cities in Turkey, city in eastern Anatolia, Turkey. It is the largest city and capital of Erzurum Province and is 1,900 meters (6,233 feet) above sea level. Erzurum had a population of 367,250 in 2010. The city uses t ...

). The Byzantine forces were gathering there to prepare for their next initiative: an invasion of Persarmenia. Eventually, Peter invaded the

Sassanid Empire The Sasanian () or Sassanid Empire, officially known as the Empire of Iranians (, ) and also referred to by historians as the Neo-Persian Empire, was the last Iranian empire before the early Muslim conquests of the 7th-8th centuries AD. Name ...

without notifying his fellow generals. Adolius presumably followed him. Meanwhile, Domnentiolus,

Justus Justus (died on 10 November between 627 and 631) was the fourth Archbishop of Canterbury. He was sent from Italy to England by Pope Gregory the Great, on a mission to Christianize the Anglo-Saxons from their native paganism, probably arriv ...

, Peranius, John, son of Nicetas and John the Glutton led their combined forces to Phison, near Martyropolis, and from there to the Persian border. Peter's campaign led to the defeat of the Byzantines at Anglon. Adolius was killed in the subsequent retreat through hostile territories. Procopius concludes: "Adolius, while passing through a fortified place during this retreat--it was situated in Persarmenia--was struck on the head by a stone thrown by one of the inhabitants of the town, and died there."Procopius, History of the Wars, Book 2, Chapter 25

References

Sources

* * {{citation , last=Procopius of Caesarea , last2=Dewing , first2=Henry Bronson , title=History of the wars. vol. 1, Books I-II , year=1914 , publisher=Cambridge University Press , isbn=0-674-99054-4 , url-access=registration , url=https://archive.org/details/procopius00proc_0 Year of birth unknown 543 deaths 6th-century Byzantine military personnel Byzantine people of Armenian descent Deaths by projectile weapons Justinian I 6th-century Armenian people