LSJ s.v. para/basis III; see Kranz, W., “Parabasis”, RE XVIII 3 (1949), pp. 1124-1126.
[1] From the scholia to Aristophanes, Frogs 686.
[2] From the scholia to Aristophanes, Knights 508.
[3] From the scholia to Aristophanes, Peace 733, where Plato fr.99 K.-A. (92 Kock) is quoted.
[4] George of Pisidia, De expeditione Persica 2.284-5 Tartaglia, on Heraclius's battle strategy against the Persians. However, read parabalw/n ("sent alongside" or "beyond its regular position") for sumbalw/n and a)ntistadh/n ("against the opposing detachment") for the present a)ntista/thn. This addendum to the entry illustrates the noun parabates, a warrior who stands beside the charioteer or a light-armed soldier stationed adjacent to the cavalry; cf. LSJ s.v. paraba/ths. On Heraclius (Roman emperor 610-641), see eta 465 generally.
The battle the Pisidian describes took place in late autumn 622 probably near Mount Ophlimos (Barrington Atlas map 87 grid B4), some 70 km south of the Black Sea coastline, in the Pontus region of Asia Minor; cf. Kaegi (115). Tartaglia explains (106-107, note 85) that the Persians under Shahrbaraz (cf. PLRE IIIb s.v.) occupied favorable high ground and refused to engage the Byzantines deployed on the plains below. Heraclius advanced one of his flanks, but the Persians thought they were subject to an enfilade by the entire Roman army. They fell for Heraclius's ruse and pursued the suddenly retreating flankers to lower ground, allowing the Romans' main force to seize control of the heights and completely reverse the battle front.