FlaviusAreobindus Dagalaifus Areobindus^[1][2][3] (Ancient Greek:Ἀρεόβινδος;fl. 479–512) was anEastern Roman general and politician. The scion of a distinguished line, he led troops in theAnastasian War, and served asconsul in 506. During an urban riot in 512, Areobindus evaded a mob which wanted to force a change of government by proclaiming him emperor. He died soon after.^[4]

Areobindus was born into an extremely distinguished family, which combined Roman and barbarian heritage:^[4] his father wasDagalaifus (c. 430 – after 461),consul in 461, who in turn was the son ofAreobindus, consul in 434, both ofGothic origin. His mother was Godisthea (bornc. 445), daughter ofArdabur, general and consul in 447, and granddaughter ofAspar, the powerfulAlan general and consul in 434.^[5]

Shortly after 478, Areobindus marriedAnicia Juliana (after 461 – 527/528), daughter of theWestern Roman emperorOlybrius and his wifePlacidia. Together they had a son,Olybrius (c. 480 – after 524/527), consul in 491. Another possible descendant is Dagalaiphus (perhaps by an earlier wife).[6]

In his consular diptychs, Areobindus is listed as having occupied the post ofcomes sacri stabuli (count of the imperial stable), and as having been accorded the title of an honorary consul.^[5] With the outbreak of theAnastasian War, he was sent to the East asmagister militum per Orientem along with the praesentalmagistriHypatius andPatricius.^[5] In May 503 Patricius and Hypatius besiegedAmida with the bulk of the army, while Areobindus, at the head of 12,000 men, was based atDara to keep watch on the Persian stronghold ofNisibis and the army of ShahKavadh I. He repelled an attack by a Persian army coming fromSingara and pushed them up to Nisibis.^[7][8] Eventually the Persians received reinforcements from theirHephthalite andArab allies, and Areobindus was compelled to retreat, first toConstantia and then toEdessa. He was besieged there by Kavadh in September, but the onset of winter and the approach of Roman reinforcements forced the Persian ruler to withdraw.^[7][9] In the summer of 504, Areobindus launched a major raid intoArzanene, meeting little opposition and laying waste to large swaths of land before returning to Amida. With the Roman positions stabilized and the war now being carried over into Persian territory, Kavadh agreed to a truce and hostilities ceased in the winter.^[7][10] In 505 Areobindus was recalled to Constantinople, where he was awarded theconsulship for 506, withEnnodius Messala as his colleague.^[7]

He was living in retirement at Constantinople in 512, at a time when the open advocation ofmiaphysite doctrines by EmperorAnastasius had caused great anger among the city's mostlyChalcedonian population.^[7] At one point, according to the chroniclers, the populace took up the cry "Areobindus for emperor" and marched to the house of his wife, Anicia Juliana, to proclaim him. Areobindus, however, unwilling to take part in a usurpation, had fled the house and gone into hiding. Nothing further is known of him, although, on account of his age, he must have died not long after.^[7]

Five examples of hisconsular diptychs have survived:^[4] two complete and three half ones. The two complete ones are located inLucca (CILXI, 8137) andZürich (CILXIII, 5245); two halves with the name only are located atParis andBesançon, and a further half with his titles is preserved atDijon (CILXIII, 10032, examples .3b, .3d and .3c respectively).^[5]

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• Bagnall, Roger S.;Alan Cameron;Seth R. Schwartz &Klaas A. Worp (1987).Consuls of the Later Roman Empire. Oxford University Press.ISBN 1-55540-099-X.
• Bury, John Bagnell (1958),History of the Later Roman Empire: From the Death of Theodosius I to the Death of Justinian, Volume 1, Courier Dover Publications,ISBN 978-0-486-20398-0{{citation}}:ISBN / Date incompatibility (help)
• Greatrex, Geoffrey; Lieu, Samuel N. C. (2002),The Roman Eastern Frontier and the Persian Wars (Part II, 363–630 AD), Routledge,ISBN 0-415-14687-9
• Kazhdan, Alexander, ed. (1991).The Oxford Dictionary of Byzantium. Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press.ISBN 0-19-504652-8.
• Martindale, John R., ed. (1980).The Prosopography of the Later Roman Empire: Volume II, AD 395–527. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.ISBN 0-521-20159-4.

• 5th-century births
• 510s deaths
• 5th-century Byzantine people
• Byzantine people of Gothic descent
• 6th-century eastern Roman consuls
• Alanic people
• Anastasian War
• Comites
• Gothic warriors
• Magistri militum
• People of the Roman–Sasanian Wars

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