Anastasius I Dicorus in the context of "Scupi"

The Gepids (Latin: Gepidae, Gipedae; Ancient Greek: Γήπαιδες, romanized: Gḗpaides) were an East Germanic tribe who lived in the area of modern Romania, Hungary, and Serbia, roughly between the Tisza, Sava, and Carpathian Mountains. They were said to share the religion and language of the Goths and Vandals.

They are first mentioned by Roman sources in the third century. In the fourth century, they were among the peoples incorporated into the Hunnic Empire, within which they formed an important part. After the death of Attila, the Gepids under their leader Ardaric, led an alliance of other peoples who had been in the empire, and defeated the sons of Attila and their remaining allies at the Battle of Nedao in 454. The Gepids and their allies subsequently founded kingdoms on the Middle Danube, bordering on the Roman Empire. The Gepid Kingdom was one of the most important and long-lasting of these, centered on Sirmium, and sometimes referred to as Gepidia. It covered a large part of the former Roman province of Dacia, north of the Danube, and compared to other Middle Danubian kingdoms it remained relatively uninvolved with Rome.

Justin I (Latin: Iustinus; Ancient Greek: Ἰουστῖνος, romanized: Ioustînos; c. 450 – 1 August 527), also called Justin the Thracian (Latin: Iustinus Thrax; Ancient Greek: Ἰουστῖνος ὁ Θρᾷξ, romanized: Ioustînos ho Thrâix), was Roman emperor from 518 to 527. Born to a peasant family, he rose through the ranks of the army to become commander of the imperial guard and when Emperor Anastasius I Dicorus died, he out-maneouvered his rivals and was elected as his successor, in spite of being around 68 years old. His reign is significant for the founding of the Justinian dynasty that included his nephew, Justinian I, and three succeeding emperors. His consort was Empress Euphemia.

Justin was noted for his strongly Chalcedonian Christian views. This facilitated the ending of the Acacian schism between the churches of Rome and Constantinople, resulting in good relations between Justin and the papacy. Throughout his reign, he stressed the religious nature of his office and passed edicts against various Christian groups seen at the time as non-Orthodox. In foreign affairs, he used religion as an instrument of state. He endeavoured to cultivate client states on the borders of the Empire, and avoided any significant warfare until late in his reign.

Zosimus (Ancient Greek: Ζώσιμος [ˈzosimos]; fl. 490s–510s) was a Greek historian who lived in Constantinople during the reign of the eastern Roman Emperor Anastasius I (491–518). According to Photius, he was a comes, and held the office of "advocate" of the imperial treasury. Zosimus was also known for condemning Constantine’s rejection of the traditional polytheistic religion.

Little more is known about the life of Zosimus except that he was Greek and a pagan. He was not a contemporary of the events of his books.

The staurogram (⳨), also monogrammatic cross or tau-rho, is a ligature composed of a superposition of the Greek letters tau (Τ) and rho (Ρ).

Selymbria (Greek: Σηλυμβρία), or Selybria (Σηλυβρία), or Selybrie (Σηλυβρίη), was a town of ancient Thrace on the Propontis, 22 Roman miles east from Perinthus, and 44 Roman miles west from Constantinople, near the southern end of the wall built by Anastasius I Dicorus for the protection of his capital. Its site is located at Silivri in European Turkey.

Anicius Probus (fl. 525) was a Roman senator living in the Ostrogothic Kingdom who served as the consul of the year 525. He is called "Junior" or "Iunior" in some sources, probably for confusion with Olybrius, a child who served as consul in 491.

He married Proba, daughter of Olybrius and wife Irene, a niece of Eastern Roman Emperor Anastasius I. With her he had a daughter, Juliana, who married Anastasius, son of Anastasius Paulus Probus Sabinianus Pompeius Anastasius, consul in 517, by his marriage to Empress Theodora's illegitimate daughter, whose name has not survived.