Campaign of Caucasian Albania and Armenia 624 A.D.

III Campaign of Albania and Armenia 624 A.D. Of the three Caucasian countries which border on the north of Armenia Colchis Iberia and Albania Albania is the most easterly Bounded on the east by the Caspian on the west by Iberia it is separated from Armenia on the south by the Cyrus which mixing its waters with the great Armenian river Araxes at some distance from its mouth flows along with it into the Hyrcanian Sea In this country Heraclius recruited his army with Colchian Iberian and Abasgian allies and entered into negotiation with the Khazars a Hunnic people of the trans Caucasian steppes "

The campaign of 624 consisted of a series of movements and counter movements to and fro between Albania and Armenia wherein both sides exhibited dexterity but the Eoman Emperor proved himself superior At first he was opposed by two Persian armies one commanded by a new general Sarablagas 1 the other by the inevitable Shahr Barz The object of Sarablagas was to prevent the Romans from entering Persia and accordingly having garrisoned the passes of Azerbiyan he stationed himself on the lower Cyrus near its junction with the Araxes Heraclius however marched in a north westerly direction and crossed the river considerably higher up but his advance was retarded by a mutiny of his Caucasian allies and in the meantime Shahr Barz who had entered Armenia from the south west had arrived on the scene of action and effected a junction with his colleague Sarablagas When these tidings arrived the obstructives in the Eoman camp were pathetically penitent and bade Heraclius lead them where he would He then advanced towards the place where the Persians were stationed defeated some of their outposts and passing on marched to the Araxes "