Simmas () was a Hunnic general in the service of the

Byzantine Empire The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...

, serving as ''

dux ''Dux'' (; plural: ''ducēs'') is Latin for "leader" (from the noun ''dux, ducis'', "leader, general") and later for duke and its variant forms (doge, duce, etc.). During the Roman Republic and for the first centuries of the Roman Empire, '' ...

'' (regional military commander). Active in the early 6th century, he fought at the

Battle of Dara The Battle of Dara was fought between the Eastern Roman Empire and the Sasanians in 530 AD. It was one of the battles of the Iberian War. Procopius's account of this engagement is among the most detailed descriptions of a late Roman battle. Bac ...

, commanding six hundred horseman along with fellow Hun commander

Ascan Ascan (died 19 April 531) was a Byzantine ''dux'' of Hunnish descent. He fought at the Battle of Dara in 530, and at the Battle of Callinicum one year later, where he put up a brave fight when his flank was exposed, dying on the field. Biograp ...

, and played a fundamental role in the Byzantine victory.

Biography

He fought for the Byzantines against the Sasanian Empire at the

in 530 AD, alongside fellow Hun commanders Aïgan,

, and

Sunicas Sunicas ( el, Σουνίκας) was a Hun who served in the Byzantine military during the Iberian War, in the early reign of Emperor Justinian I (r. 527–565). Biography According to Zacharias of Mytilene, Sunicas was a Hun who fled to the Byzant ...

. He and Ascan commanded the right-hand Hunnic cavalry force, whereas Aïgan and Sunicas commanded the left wing of the Hunnic cavalry. During the battle, the Sasanian commander, Perozes, had concentrated his

Immortals Immortality is the ability to live forever, or eternal life. Immortal or Immortality may also refer to: Film * ''The Immortals'' (1995 film), an American crime film * ''Immortality'', an alternate title for the 1998 British film '' The Wisdom of ...

against the Byzantines to his left. The Byzantine generals countered this by stopping the action of Aïgan and Sunicas on the left and sending them to the right, where they joined Simmas and Ascan. The Huns were also backed by drafts from the center of the army. The Persians charged on, driving the Roman right wing; however, by doing this they left an open space between their left and their center, also exposing the shoulder of their charging left wing. The Huns then charged, cutting the advancing Sasanians' support while penetrating the wing up to its commander directing the fight from the rear. Sunicas killed the Persian

standard-bearer A standard-bearer, also known as a flag-bearer is a person (soldier or civilian) who bears an emblem known as a standard or military colours, i.e. either a type of flag or an inflexible but mobile image, which is used (and often honoured) as a ...

, thus causing utter chaos. The advancing Persian wing was recalled. The Huns then attacked them from all parts, and Sunicas killed the Persian commander of the left wing. Next, the Roman wing counter-attacked, and the Persian army as a whole started to flee. Simmas then fought in the

Iberian War Iberian refers to Iberia (disambiguation), Iberia. Most commonly Iberian refers to: *Someone or something originating in the Iberian Peninsula, namely from Spain, Portugal, Gibraltar and Andorra. The term ''Iberian'' is also used to refer to anyt ...

. He and Sunicas led the Hun cavalry at the

Battle of Callinicum The Battle of Callinicum took place on Easter Saturday, 19 April 531 AD, between an army of the Byzantine Empire under Belisarius and a Sasanian cavalry force commanded by Azarethes. After being defeated at the Battle of Dara, the Sasanians mo ...

. In the latter part of this battle, he and Sunicas dismounted and fought alongside the infantry. The result of the battle was a Pyrrhic victory for the Sasanians. According to

Malalas John Malalas ( el, , ''Iōánnēs Malálas''; – 578) was a Byzantine chronicler from Antioch (now Antakya, Turkey). Life Malalas was of Syrian descent, and he was a native speaker of Syriac who learned how to write in Greek later in ...

, Simmas and Ascan prevented the complete rout of the Byzantines.

References

{{Huns Huns Generals of Justinian I People of the Roman–Sasanian Wars Byzantine people of Hunnic descent