Adolius Adolius ( , d . 543 ) was a Byzantine silentiarius and military officer , active in the reign of Justinian I ( r . 527 - 565 ) . He was a son of Acacius , proconsul of Armenia Prima ( First Armenia ) . He is better known for his activities in the early stages of the Lazic War . The main source about him is Procopius . Biography . Procopius considers Acacius and his son Adolius to have been natives of Roman Armenia . He mentions that Adolius held the rank of silentiarius , though not mentioning the circumstances of his appointment . : " Adolius , the son of Acacius . . . This Adolius was an Armenian by birth , and he always served the emperor while in the palace as privy counsellor ( those who enjoy this honour are called by the Romans " silentiarii " ) , but at that time he was commander of some Armenians . And these men did as directed . " Acacius proved highly unpopular with the population of his province , gaining a reputation for cruelty and greed . He was assassinated in 538 / 539 . A passage of Procopius names Artabanes as the killer . Adolius is mentioned urging Justinian I to act against the Armenian rebels responsible for the murder . He is implied to be very critical of Sittas , the general tasked with facing the revolt , and of Sittas ' attempts to negotiate peace . The relative passages report : " So he [ Sittas ] came to Armenia , but at first he entered upon the war reluctantly and exerted himself to calm the people and to restore the population to their former habitations , promising to persuade the emperor to remit to them the payment of the new tax . But since the emperor kept assailing him with frequent reproaches for his hesitation , led on by the slanders of Adolius , the son of Acacius , Sittas at last made his preparations for the conflict . " Adolius is next mentioned in 542 . At the time he was serving as a military officer in the Lazic War , leading his own troop of Armenians . His commanding officer was Belisarius , magister militum per Orientem . In " a display of military strength " , Adolius and Diogenes were commanded to cross the Euphrates at the head of 1000 cavalry men . Once reaching the opposite bank of the river , this force started patrolling the area . They were apparently instructed to act as if ready to prevent the forces of Khosrau I from retreating . Procopius narrates : Belisarius . . . commanded Diogenes , the guardsman , and Adolius , the son of Acacius , to cross the river with a thousand horsemen and to move about the bank there , always making it appear to the enemy that if they wished to cross the Euphrates and proceed to their own land , they would never permit them to do so . " When Khosrau I led the Sassanid Army across the Euphrates , Belisarius instructed Adolius and Diogenes to let them pass . Procopius explains : " Now Belisarius knew well that not even a hundred thousand men would ever be sufficient to check the crossing of Chosroes . For the river at many places along there can be crossed in boats very easily , and even apart from this the Persian army was too strong to be excluded from the crossing by an enemy numerically insignificant . But he had at first commanded the troops of Diogenes and Adolius , together with the thousand horsemen , to move about the bank at that point in order to confuse the barbarian by a feeling of helplessness . But after frightening this same barbarian , as I have said , Belisarius feared lest there should be some obstacle in the way of his departing from the land of the Romans . For it seemed to him a most significant achievement to have driven away from there the army of Chosroes , without risking any battle against so many myriads of barbarians with soldiers who were very few in number and who were in abject terror of the Median army . For this reason he commanded Diogenes and Adolius to remain quiet . " In 543 , Adolius is mentioned serving under Peter . Peter and his forces joined Martinus , the new magister militum per Orientem , at the fortress of Citharizon . Said fortress was reportedly situated in the vicinity of Theodosiopolis ( Erzurum ) . The Byzantine forces were gathering there to prepare for their next initiative : an invasion of Persarmenia . Eventually , Peter invaded the Sassanid Empire without notifying his fellow generals . Adolius presumably followed him . Meanwhile , 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 . Peter ' s campaign led to the defeat of the Byzantines at Anglon . Adolius was killed in the subsequent retreat through hostile territories . Procopius concludes : " Adolius , while passing through a fortified place during this retreat - - it was situated in Persarmenia - - was struck on the head by a stone thrown by one of the inhabitants of the town , and died there . "