Domnentiolus Domnentiolus was a Byzantine military officer , active in the reign of Justinian I ( r . 527 – 565 ) . He is better known for his service in Sicily during the Gothic War . Name . Primary sources are inconsistent in the rendering of his name . The spelling " Domnentiolus " derives from Procopius . Menander Protector names him " Domenentiolus " ( ) . John Malalas reports him as " Dometiolus " , Theophanes the Confessor as " Domentziolus " . Zacharias Rhetor names him " Domitziolus " . A fragment of Theophanes of Byzantium , preserved by Patriarch Photios , calls him " Comentiolus " . Biography . Domnentiolus was born to an unnamed sister of Bouzes . The relation is reported by both Zacharias Rhetor and Procopius . His other maternal uncles included Coutzes and Venilus . His maternal grandfather was probably the general and rebel Vitalian . Domnentiolus is first mentioned in April , 531 , at about the time of the Battle of Callinicum . The Iberian War was still ongoing . His uncle Bouzes was stationed at Amida , an illness preventing him from campaigning . He tasked Domnentiolus with leading an army to Abhgarsat . This location is only mentioned once by Zacharias . The Byzantine forces faced the Sassanid army and were defeated . Domnentiolus himself was captured by his enemies and transported to the interior of the Sassanid Empire . In 532 , the Eternal Peace was concluded between the two powers . Domnentiolus was released " in an exchange of prisoners " . He resurfaces in 543 as one of the commanders of the Byzantine army in Lazic War . Domnentiolus , Justus , Peranius , John , son of Nicetas and John the Glutton led their combined forces to Phison , near Martyropolis , and from there to the Persian border . Procopius reports : " And Justus , the emperor ' s nephew , and Peranius and John , the son of Nicetas , together with Domentiolus and John , who was called the Glutton , made camp near the place called Phison , which is close by the boundaries of Martyropolis . Thus then were encamped the Roman commanders with their troops ; and the whole army amounted to thirty thousand men . Now all these troops were neither gathered into one place , nor indeed was there any general meeting for conference . But the generals sent to each other some of their followers and began to make enquiries concerning the invasion . " Other Byzantine generals led an invasion into the Sassanid Empire from another location . Procopius continues : " Suddenly , however , Peter , without communicating with anyone , and without any careful consideration , invaded the hostile land with his troops . And when on the following day this was found out by Philemouth and Beros , the leaders of the Eruli , they straightway followed . And when this in turn came to the knowledge of Martinus and Valerianus and their men , they quickly joined in the invasion . " However , Justus decided against joining the others . Procopius reports on the movements of Justus , Domnentiolus and the others " And all of them a little later united with each other in the enemy ' s territory , with the exception of Justus and his men , who , as I have said , had encamped far away from the rest of the army , and learned later of their invasion ; then , indeed , they also invaded the territory of the enemy as quickly as possible at the point where they were , but failed altogether to unite with the other commanders . As for the others , they proceeded in a body straight for Doubios , neither plundering nor damaging in any other way the land of the Persians . " Justus , Domnentiolus and the others led their forces to Taraunitis ( Taron ) . They raided the area and then retreated . Procopius reports : " As for the forces of Justus and Peranius , they invaded the country about Taraunon , and after gathering some little plunder , immediately returned . " Domnentiolus is next mentioned in 550 , during the Gothic War . He was at the time the military commander of Messana in Sicily . When Totila led the Ostrogoths in an invasion of Sicily , Messana came under attack . Domnentiolus led his forces in meeting the enemy outside the walls of the city . He defeated them on the battlefield and stopped their advance . But then retreated within the walls of Messana and concentrated on the defense of the city . Procopius notes that the countryside was left unprotected . This is the last chronological mention of Domnentiolus .