Heraclius

Heraclius is spreading the word.

David is a stand-in for Heraclius, the relentlessly warring Roman sovereign.

Heraclius, in his bloody Byzantine victory over Persia, is thought to have beheaded the Sasanian commander.

“My beautiful province,” as the seventh-century Byzantine emperor Heraclius called Syria, while retreating from Muslim conquerors, “what a paradise you will be for the enemy!”

In the Atlantic several years ago, Megan Garber began a fascinating article on the subject by citing the seventh-century Roman emperor Heraclius, whose army was depleted but who still needed to impress an enemy leader with his strength.