He first appears in the reports of General John Troglita's campaign in the winter of 546/547, when he was defeated with Antalas and other Berber leaders by Byzantine troops.
After consulting the oracle of Amon, he resumed the war against the Byzantines and inflicted a heavy defeat on them during the Battle of Marta[1][2] In the spring of 548,[3] he and Antalas clashed again with John[4] and his ally Cusina.
Carcasan, confident after his victory last year, wishes to confront John's army immediately, but he gives way to Antalas, who advocates a more cautious tactic, withdrawing and luring the Byzantines inland, forcing them to march away from their supply bases, and across the devastated country, with the aim of exhausting and demoralizing them.
The Berber rebels put Antalas' tactics into practice, but when they camped in the plain of Caton's fields, in Latara, they decided to fight in pitched battle.
In the ensuing confrontation, the Byzantines and their Berber allies were victorious and Carcasan, during a counterattack, was killed by Jean Troglita[6][7][8] himself according to Corippe.