Battle of the Tsurga

In 499, during the consulship of John the Hunchback, an important battle took place in Illyricum, with serious consequences for the empire. Aristus, commander of the army in Illyricum, sent an army of about 15,000 soldiers and 520 wagons loaded with weapons and equipment to confront the Bulgars who were ravaging Thrace from the Balkan Mountains to the Aegean Sea. The battle took place near the Tsurta River, probably the modern Ergene River in the area of present-day Çorlu in European Turkey.

More than 4,000 imperial soldiers died in the battle, many drowning in the river while attempting to escape. The commanders Nicostratus, Innocentius Tank and Aquilinus were among the dead. The wounded and captured far outnumbered the killed, seriously weakening the empire's military power in the region.

After this battle, the empire was left without a Roman army in the Balkans, making Bulgar occupation of these lands almost inevitable. Arcadiopolis, the site of the battle, was a city founded in 403 by Emperor Arcadius or earlier by his father Theodosius I. It played an important role in regional history and was captured by various rulers, including Attila in 442 and the Ostrogothic king Theodoric in 473.