The siege of Onoguris occurred in 554 or 555 AD during 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 f ...

between 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 ...

and the

Sasanian 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. Named ...

. The Byzantine generals led by Martin needed to score a quick victory on the battlefield to redress their assassination of the Byzantine ally King

Gubazes II of Lazica Gubazes II ( ka, გუბაზ II, el, Γουβάζης) was king of Lazica (modern western Georgia) from circa 541 until his assassination in 555. He was one of the central personalities of the Lazic War (541–562). He originally ascended ...

. They launched a full-scale assault on the new Sasanian fort at Onoguris, which was located near the main Byzantine stronghold of

Archaeopolis Nokalakevi ( ka, ნოქალაქევი) also known as Archaeopolis ( grc, Ἀρχαιόπολις, "Old City") and Tsikhegoji (in Georgian "Fortress of Kuji") and according to some sources "Djikha Kvinji" in Mingrelian, is a village and ...

. The arrival of a small relief force under the new Sasanian commander

Nachoragan Nachoragan was a commander in the military of the Sasanian Empire recorded in the Lazic War by the Byzantine historians. He succeeded Mihr-Mihroe as the commander of the operations in Lazica after the latter's death. As he took the command, the pol ...

turned the tide of the battle and resulted in an easy victory for the Sasanians instead. The Byzantines subsequently abandoned their base at Archaeopolis also, which was then destroyed by the Sasanians who now gained momentum.

Background

After succeeding in dislodging the Byzantines from Telephis–Ollaria, the Persian commander in Lazica,

Mihr-Mihroe Mihr-Mihroe (died 555), in Middle Persian either ''Mihr-Mihrōē''Encyclopaedia Iranica, edited by Ehsan Yar-Shater, Routledge & Kegan Paul Volume 6, Parts 1-3, page 281a or ''Mihrmāh-rōy''; in Byzantine sources Mermeroes ( el, Μερμερόη� ...

, did not follow up the victory, but returned to Mocheresis and reinforced the Persian garrison at Onoguris on his way. The latter was near

, the main Byzantine stronghold in the region. Mihr-Mihroe died shortly afterward and was succeeded by

. After the defeat at Telephis, King

sent a complaint against the Byzantine generals to Emperor Justinian I, who then sent General

Bessas Bessas is a commune in the Ardèche department in southern France. Population See also *Communes of the Ardèche department The following is a list of the 335 communes of the Ardèche department of France. The communes cooperate in t ...

into exile.

Martin Martin may refer to: Places * Martin City (disambiguation) * Martin County (disambiguation) * Martin Township (disambiguation) Antarctica * Martin Peninsula, Marie Byrd Land * Port Martin, Adelie Land * Point Martin, South Orkney Islands Austr ...

and

Rusticus Rusticus is a Latin adjective meaning "rural, simple, rough or clownish" and can refer to: Animals * ''Aedes rusticus'', a European mosquito * Rusty crayfish (''Orconectes rusticus'') * '' Urozelotes rusticus'', a ground spider * a synonym of the b ...

(not a commander), two others criticized by Gubazes, then assassinated the Lazic king. This resulted in confusion among the Lazi who abandoned their support for the Byzantines. Martin immediately prepared a large force to capture the nearby Persian fort at Onoguris, expecting an easy victory. According to Agathias, Martin and those behind the assassination of the Lazic king wanted to gain a success which could defuse a volatile situation in case Emperor Justinian I would notice their culpability.

The siege

In 554 or 555, the Byzantine force of 50,000 fighting men under Martin besieged the Persian fort of Onoguris using wicker roofs (''spaliones''),

ballistae The ballista (Latin, from Ancient Greek, Greek βαλλίστρα ''ballistra'' and that from βάλλω ''ballō'', "throw"), plural ballistae, sometimes called bolt thrower, was an Classical antiquity, ancient missile weapon that launched ei ...

, and other siege equipment. A captured Persian revealed the approach of a Persian relief force from Mocheresis and Cutais under the new field commander

, who had just replaced the deceased

. The idea of a full-scale attack against the force was rejected; instead, a 600-strong force, under Dabragezas and Usigardus, was sent to ambush the relief force, while the main Byzantine force engaged in the siege. Agathias describes the siege to be "more like a pitched battle". The Persian relief force (or a vanguard?) was caught off-guard and was routed, but soon it became clear that the pursuing force was not the main Byzantine army. So The Persians, an all-

cavalry Historically, cavalry (from the French word ''cavalerie'', itself derived from "cheval" meaning "horse") are soldiers or warriors who fight mounted on horseback. Cavalry were the most mobile of the combat arms, operating as light cavalry in ...

force numbering 3,000, turned against them and routed the pursuers. As both parties reached the Byzantine line, the main Byzantine force was seized with panic and fled together with their commanders. The Persian garrison then sallied and further contributed to the Byzantines' wavering. As the Byzantine cavalry fled, the infantry was left behind, and the narrowness of the bridge over the Catharus River further hampered their flight, many of them being killed in the subsequent stampede. Bouzes and his cavalry noticed the situation, returned, covered their retreat, and prevented their total annihilation. As the pursuing Persians reached Archaeopolis, they found the plain abandoned and momentarily demolished the Byzantine fortifications, looted their camp, and returned back to the base.

References

{{Reflist Lazic War 554 550s conflicts 6th century in Georgia (country) Onoguris 550s in the Byzantine Empire 6th century in Iran Onoguris Onoguris Battles involving the Heruli