but now there is a need of Greek history, because it is filled with falsehood. But Strabo the geographer has given its name otherwise: "for from the promontory of Aeolis, which the locals call Aega, whence the Aegaetic gulf begins, it has taken its name, homonymously with the animal." Similarly, Artemidorus also says the same things as Strabo. "There is a promontory of Aeolis, which the locals call Aega, from which the sea also has received such a name." And I say Aeolis not as the name of a nation, but as an idiom of language. For the language of the Greeks is divided into five dialects: first, that of Attica; second, that of the Ionians; third, that of the Aeolians; fourth, that of the Dorians; and fifth, the common one which we all use. And from Miletus up to the city of the Ephesians and Smyrna itself and Colophon is the dwelling of the Ionians, who use the Ionian dialect. And from Colophon up to Clazomenae and the land opposite Chios and Mytilene itself and Pergamum, is a colony of the Aeolians, who use the Aeolian dialect. And the parts beyond these, from the so-called Lectum and as far as Abydus and the Propontis itself and up to Cyzicus and the river called Granicus, all are named Graeci and use the common dialect, except the Byzantines, because it is a colony of the Dorians. And the so-called Cyclades islands and of the Sporades, of which the prominent are Mytilene and Chios and Lemnos itself, have been assigned to the strategos of the Aegean sea. But they are not of the Cyclades, but of the so-called Sporades. For the Cyclades circled the island Delos, as the Periegete [Dionysius] says: They circled Delos and their name is Cyclades. And they are called by various names: Lemnos, Scyros, Melos, Amorgos, Thera, Therasia and Rhenea. But I do not know if all are of the Cyclades, because they are near land and bordering Greece. The Aegean sea is difficult to sail and hard to cross and raises long waves resembling mountains for sailors, either because of the density of the islands, or because of the current of the Pontus descending to Abydus and dashing against the islands with a great roar. From Lectum and as far as the Propontis of both Cyzicus and Parium, and the so-called Hellespont itself and Proconnesus, and up to the Rhyndacus river and as far as Dascylium itself and the Cyanus gulf were assigned to the one ruling the Aegean sea. So much concerning the theme of the Aegean sea. europ.1 The first theme, lying in the west of the land of Europe, the so-called Thracian, in which Byzantium is founded and the kingdom of the Romans. It is just for Byzantium, which is now Constantinople, to be the first of the land of Europe, since it is also the reigning city, surpassing all the world, as having inherited its name from the great Constantine and king; and I set it as the beginning of Europe, since Byzantium itself is the most beautiful and most honorable part of Thrace. The theme of Thrace, therefore, recently received the position and name of a theme, from when the race of the Bulgars crossed the Ister river, since before it was divided into two kingdoms; and the very names of the cities testify, both Mesembria and Selymbria, cities having the names of kings before the kingdom of the Romans both grew and spread through all the fullness of the world. For from when the rule of the Romans spread its dragnet to all the ends of the world, it rearranged, so to speak, and re-fashioned everyone into one rule and forced all to render service under one yoke. But when the dragnet began to rot and be torn apart, both the affairs and the names were changed otherwise. The province of Thrace was ordered under a governor and under the so-called consularis, that is, counselor. For Taurus the proconsul ruled Thrace under the great Constantine, having under him cities under a governor and a consularis

δὲ νῦν χρεία τῆς Ἑλληνικῆς ἱστορίας, διὰ τὸ εἶναι αὐτὴν ψεύδους μεμεστωμένην. Στράβων δὲ ὁ γεωγράφος ἄλλως αὐτοῦ τὴν ὀνομασίαν τέθεικεν· "ἀπὸ γὰρ τῆς ἄκρας Αἰολίδος, ἣν Αἶγα οἱ ἐπιχώριοι ὀνομάζουσιν, ὅθεν ὁ Αἰγεατικὸς ἀπάρχεται κόλπος, τὴν ὀνομασίαν εἴληφεν, ὁμονύμως τῷ ζῴῳ". Ὁμοίως δὲ καὶ ὁ Ἀρτεμίδωρος τὰ αὐτά φησι τῷ Στράβωνι. "Ἄκρα τίς ἐστι τῆς Αἰολίδος, ἣν Αἶγα οἱ ἐπιχώριοι ὀνομάζουσιν, ἀφ' ἧς καὶ τὸ πέλαγος τὴν τοιαύτην ὀνομασίαν προσείληφεν". Αἰολίδος δὲ λέγω οὐκ ἔθνους ὀνομασίαν, ἀλλὰ γλώττης ἰδίωμα. Ἡ γὰρ τῶν Ἑλλήνων γλῶττα εἰς πέντε διαλέκτους διῄρηται· πρώτην μὲν τὴν τῆς Ἀτθίδος, δευτέραν τὴν Ἰώνων, τρίτην δὲ τὴν Αἰολέων, τετάρτην δὲ τὴν ∆ωριέων, πέμπτην δὲ τὴν κοινὴν ᾗ πάντες χρώμεθα. Καὶ ἀπὸ μὲν τῆς Μιλήτου μέχρι τῆς Ἐφεσίων πόλεως καὶ αὐτῆς Σμύρνης καὶ Κολοφῶνος Ἰώνων ἐστὶ κατοικία, οἵτινες τῇ τῶν Ἰώνωνδιαλέκτῳ χρῶνται. Ἀπὸ δὲ Κολοφῶνος μέχρι Κλαζομενῶν καὶ τῆς ἀντίπεραν τῆς Χίου γῆς καὶ αὐτῆς τῆς Μιτυλήνης καὶ τοῦ Περγάμου, Αἰολέων ἐστὶν ἀποικία, οἵτινες διαλέκτῳ χρῶνται τῶν Αἰολέων. Τὰ δὲ ἐπέκεινα τούτων, ἀπὸ τοῦ λεγομένου Λεκτοῦ καὶ ἕως Ἀβύδου καὶ αὐτῆς Προποντίδος καὶ μέχρι Κυζίκου καὶ τοῦ ποταμοῦ τοῦ λεγομένου Γρανικοῦ, πάντες Γραικοὶ ὀνομάζονται καὶ κοινῇ διαλέκτῳ χρῶνται, πλὴν Βυζαντίων, ὅτι ∆ωριέων ἐστὶν ἀποικία. Προσῳκείωνται δὲ τῷ στρατηγῷ τοῦ Αἰγαίου πελάγους αἵ τε Κυκλάδες νῆσοι καλούμεναι καὶ τῶν Σποράδων, ὧν προέχουσι, ἥ τε Μιτυλήνη καὶ Χίος καὶ αὐτὴ ἡ Λῆμνος. Οὐκ εἰσὶ δὲ τῶν Κυκλάδων, ἀλλὰ τῶν Σποράδων καλουμένων. Αἱ γὰρ Κυκλάδες ∆ῆλον τὴν νῆσον ἐκύκλωσαν, ὥς φησιν ὁ Περιηγητὴς [∆ιονύσιος]· ∆ῆλον ἐκυκλώσαντο καὶ οὔνομα Κυκλάδες εἰσίν. Καλοῦνται δὲ διαφόροις ὀνόμασι· Λῆμνος, Σκῦρος, Μῆλος, Ἀμολγός, Θήρα, Θηρασία καὶ Ῥήνεια. Οὐκ οἶδα δὲ εἰ τῶν Κυκλάδων εἰσὶ πᾶσαι διὰ τὸ εἶναι αὐτὰς προσγείους καὶ τῇ Ἑλλάδι συνομορούσας. Τὸ δὲ Αἰγαῖον πέλαγος βαρύπλουν ἐστὶ καὶ δυσπέρατον καὶ κύματα μακρὰ καὶ ὄρεσιν ἐοικότα προσανεγεῖρον τοῖς πλέουσιν, εἴτε διὰ τὸ πυκνὸν τῶν νήσων, εἴτε καὶ διὰ τὸ ῥεῦμα τοῦ πόντου τὸ καταβαῖνον εἰς Ἄβυδον καὶ προσαρασσόμενον ταῖς νήσοις μετὰ μεγάλου ῥοιζήματος. Ἀπὸ δὲ τοῦ Λεκτοῦ καὶ ἕως τῆς Προποντίδος τῆς τε Κυζίκου καὶ τοῦ Παρίου, καὶ αὐτὸς ὁ καλούμενος Ἑλλήσποντος ἥ τε Προικόννησος, καὶ μέχρι τοῦ Ῥυνδακοῦ ποταμοῦ καὶ ἕως αὐτοῦ τοῦ ∆ασκυλίου καὶ τοῦ Κυανοῦ κόλπου τῷ τοῦ Αἰγαίου πελάγους κρατοῦντι προσεκεκύρωντο. Ταῦτα μὲν περὶ τοῦ θέματος τοῦ Αἰγαίου πελάγους. ευροπ.1 Πρῶτον θέμα τὸ ἐπὶ τῆς δύσεως Εὐρώπης κείμενον γῆς τὸ ὀνομαζόμενον Θρᾳκῶον, ἐν ᾧ τὸ Βυζάντιον ἵδρυται καὶ τὸ τῶν Ῥωμαίων βασίλειον. ∆ίκαιόν ἐστι προκατάρχειν τῆς Εὐρώπης γῆς τὸ Βυζάντιον, τὴν νῦν οὖσαν Κωνσταντινούπολιν, ἐπεὶ καὶ πόλις ἐστὶ βασιλεύουσα τοῦ τε κόσμου παντὸς ὑπερέχουσα, ὡς τοῦ μεγάλου Κωνσταντίνου καὶ βασιλέως τὴν ἐπωνυμίαν κληρονομήσασα· ἀρχὴν δὲ τῆς Εὐρώπης ἐγὼ τίθημι, ἐπεὶ καὶ αὐτὸ τὸ Βυζάντιον τῆς Θρᾴκης ἐστὶ μέρος τὸ κάλλιστόν τε καὶ τιμιώτατον. Τὸ τοίνυν θέμα τῆς Θρᾴκης ἄρτι τὴν θέσιν καὶ τὴν ὀνομασίαν ἔλαχε θέματος, ἀφ' οὗ τὸ τῶν Βουλγάρων γένος τὸν Ἴστρον ποταμὸν διεπέρασεν, ἐπεὶ πρότερον εἰς βασιλείας διττὰς διῄρητο· καὶ μαρτυροῦσιν αὐτὰ τὰ ὀνόματα τῶν πόλεων, ἥ τε Μεσημβρία καὶ Σηλυμβρία, βασιλέων προσηγορίας ἔχουσαι πόλεις πρὶν ἢ τὴν τῶν Ῥωμαίων βασιλείαν αὐξηθῆναί τε καὶ διαδραμεῖν πάντα τὰ τοῦ κόσμου πληρώματα. Ἀφ' οὗ γὰρ ἡ τῶν Ῥωμαίων ἀρχὴ τὴν ἑαυτῆς σαγήνην ἐξήπλωσεν εἰς πάντα τὰ τοῦ κόσμου τέρματα, πάντας, ὡς εἰπεῖν, διεσκεύασε καὶ μετεσκεύασεν εἰς μίαν ἀρχὴν καὶ ζυγὸν ἠνάγκασε τελεῖν ἕνα πάντας. Ἀρξαμένης δὲ τῆς σαγήνης διασήπεσθαι καὶ διαρρήγνυσθαι, ἄλλως καὶ τὰ πράγματα καὶ τὰ ὀνόματα μετεποιήθησαν. Ἐπαρχία δὲ Θρᾴκης ὑφ' ἡγεμόνα ἐτέτακτο καὶ ὑπὸ τὸν λεγόμενον κονσιλάριον, τουτέστι βουλευτήν. Ταῦρος γὰρ ἀνθύπατος ἐκράτει τῆς Θρᾴκης ἐπὶ τοῦ μεγάλου Κωνσταντίνου, ἔχων ὑφ' ἑαυτὸν πόλεις ὑφ' ἡγεμόνα καὶ κονσιλάριον