Areobindus Dagalaiphus Areobindus Flavius Areobindus Dagalaiphus Areobindus , commonly simply Areobindus or Ariovindus ( , " fl . " c . 460 – 512 ) was an East Roman ( Byzantine ) general and politician . The scion of a distinguished line , he led troops in the Anastasian War , and served as consul in 506 . During an urban riot in 512 , he was proclaimed emperor by the mob , but he had gone into hiding . He died soon after . Origins and family . Areobindus was born into an extremely distinguished family , which combined Roman and barbarian heritage : his father was Dagalaiphus ( c . 430 – after 461 ) , consul in 461 , who in turn was the son of Areobindus , consul in 434 , both of Gothic origin . His mother was Godisthea ( born c . 445 ) , daughter of Ardabur , general and consul in 447 , and granddaughter of Aspar , the powerful Alan general and consul in 434 . Shortly after 478 , Areobindus married Anicia Juliana ( after 461 – 527 / 528 ) , daughter of Western Roman emperor Olybrius ( r . 472 ) and his wife Placidia . Together they had a son , Flavius Anicius Olybrius Iunior ( c . 480 – after 524 / 527 ) , consul in 491 . Another possible descendant is Dagalaiphus ( perhaps by an earlier wife ) . Career . In his consular diptychs , he is listed as having occupied the post of " comes sacri stabuli " ( count of the imperial stable ) , and as having been accorded the title of an honorary consul . With the outbreak of the Anastasian War , he was sent to the East as " magister militum per Orientem " along with the praesental " magistri " Hypatius and Patricius . In May 503 , at the head of 12 , 000 men , he was based at Dara to keep watch at the Persian stronghold of Nisibis and the army of Shah Kavadh I , while Patricius and Hypatius , with the bulk of the army , besieged Amida . There he repelled an attack by a Persian army coming from Singara and pushed them up to Nisibis . Eventually however he was compelled to withdraw when the Persians received reinforcements from their Hephthalite and Arab allies , and retreated to Constantia and then to Edessa . 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 . In the summer of 504 , Areobindus launched a major raid into Arzanene , meeting little opposition and laying waste to large swathes 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 . In 505 , he was recalled to Constantinople , where he was awarded the consulship for 506 , with Flavius Ennodius Messala as his colleague . In 512 , he was living in Constantinople in retirement . At the time , the open advocation of miaphysite doctrines by Emperor Anastasius had caused great anger among the city ' s mostly Chalcedonian population . At one point , according to the chroniclers , the city 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 . Diptychs . Five examples of his consular diptych s have survived : two complete and three half ones . The two complete ones are located in Lucca ( ) and Zürich ( ) ; two halves with the name only are located at Paris and Besançon , and a further half with his titles is preserved at Dijon ( , examples . 3b , . 3d and . 3c respectively ) .