they were taken alive. And the emperor, having returned to the camp after the repulse of the enemy, decided to garrison the acropolis of Hierapolis. Appointing, therefore, that Pharasmanes Apokapes, a vestes, tracing his lineage from the Iberians, he gave the enemy an opportunity both to recover from their defeat and to offer equal opposition. And as long as the Roman army was seen encamped, the Arabs seemed to remain in place; but when he broke camp and marched the army straight for the fortress of Azaz, they began to appear sporadically at a distance, as was their custom, and often attacking the rearguard, they harassed the Romans by harming those transporting the provisions, making their attacks secretly from raids and ambush. And having protected the camp with archers and peltasts, the emperor, fully armed, attacks the fortress of 132 Azaz with his whole army, having learned that the place was suitable for receiving an army. But when he drew near to it and saw that it was most defensible and very strong, standing on the summit of a hill, girt with double walls and as if bolted with rocks, and presenting a stone ascent to the gate, and that a little water flowed from it, not sufficient for the reception of so great an army, he broke camp and pitched his encampment in a place where the water flowed more abundantly. And rising up from there, he hastened towards the borders of Ausonitis, and after burning a very large place, called Katma, which had long been set apart for the emir of Aleppo, he halted at another place, named Terchola. And while the camp was being set up and the emperor was standing on the right side, two Arabs, having slipped unnoticed behind the summit and spurred on their horses, killed two of the infantrymen with their lances. But the emperor, seeing them, was the first to rouse the soldiers to pursuit. But they, arriving with an extraordinary speed of their horses, escaped to their own camp. And rising up from there they marched straight for Artach, which Saracens were holding, having driven out their own general. Nevertheless, those guarding it flee again and the town is recovered for the emperor. And having placed a garrison in it and having deposited sufficient provisions, he arranged everything suitable for the occasion. Under this emperor, then, the Romans began to look their enemies in the eye, and to be spoken of for their bravery, and to stand together in opposition, since during the reigns of his immediate predecessors, except for mere display and the gathering of a multitude, they in no way clashed bravely in battle, so that it is clear that success in all 133 affairs is for the most part due to the leader. And from there, the emperor, not being able to go to Antioch—for it had been worn down by both famine and much hardship—crossing ravines and certain impassable mountain passes, arrived at a city of Cilicia called Alexandros and there pitched his camp; and crossing Mount Taurus, he invades Roman territory with his whole army. But coming suddenly upon cold places from exceedingly sheltered and hot ones, they experienced a great change; for which reason both many men died and many animals perished from the cold. And as the emperor was going out to a certain place of the pass of Podandus, named Gytarion, the emperor heard of the sacking of Amorium and the unspeakable slaughter of men. And while the encampment was pitched at the station of Chalkeos, the one commanding the army in Melitene was not at all willing to attack him, even though he had his army gathered in the town of Tzamandos. At which being distressed and not being able to help in the matter, having skillfully arranged the affairs of the army as was possible, having sent the greater part of them into winter quarters, he himself hastened to Byzantium, arriving in it toward the end of the month of January. Having spent some time there, then, and having managed the civil administrations, as was possible, and honors and receptions for some of the
ἐζωώθησαν. Ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς ἐπανελθὼν εἰς τὸν χάρακα μετὰ τὴν τῶν ἐχθρῶν ἀποσόβησιν ἔγνω τὴν ἀκρόπολιν τῆς Ἱεραπόλεως ἐνοικίσαι. Καταστήσας οὖν τὸν Φαρασμάνην ἐκεῖνον βέστην τὸν Ἀποκάπην, ἐξ Ἰβήρων τὸ γένος ἕλκοντα, χώραν δέδωκε τοῖς ἐναντίοις ἀνακαλέσασθαί τε τὴν ἧτταν καὶ ἀντίπαλα φέρεσθαι. Καὶ ἕως μὲν ἐστρατοπεδευμένος ὁ τῶν Ῥωμαίων στρατὸς διεδείκνυτο, κατὰ χώραν ἐδόκουν μένειν οἱ Ἄραβες· ὡς δ' ἀναστήσας τὴν στρατιὰν εὐθὺ τοῦ φρουρίου τοῦ Ἀζᾶς ἤλαυνεν, ἤρξαντο σποράδες ἐκ διαστήματος κατὰ τὸ εἰθισμένον αὐτοῖς ἐπιφαίνεσθαι, καὶ περὶ τὴν οὐραγίαν πολλάκις ἐπιτιθέμενοι τοὺς τὰ σιτία μετακομίζοντας κακοῦντες ἐλύπουν τοὺς Ῥωμαίους, ὡς ἂν ἐξ ἐπιδρομῆς καὶ λόχου τὰς ἐπιθέσεις ἐν τῷ λεληθότι ποιούμενοι. Καταφραξάμενος δὲ ἑκηβόλοις καὶ πελτασταῖς ὁ βασιλεὺς τὸ στρατόπεδον τεθωρακισμένος τῷ φρουρίῳ 132 προσβάλλει Ἀζᾶς μεθ' ὅλης τῆς στρατιᾶς, εἰς ὑποδοχὴν στρατοῦ μαθὼν εἶναι τὸν τόπον ἐπιτήδειον. Ὡς δὲ προσεγγίσας αὐτῷ ἐρυμνότατον εἶδε καὶ ὀχυρώτατον, ἐπ' ἀκρωρείας λόφου ἱστάμενον, τείχεσι διπλοῖς περιεζωσμένον καὶ πέτραις ὥσπερ γεγομφωμένον καὶ λιθίνην τὴν ἄνοδον πρὸς τὴν πύλην ἀποφερόμενον, μικρόν τε ὕδωρ ἀπορρέον καὶ μὴ ἐξαρκοῦν πρὸς ὑποδοχὴν τοσούτου στρατοῦ, ἀναζεύξας εἰς τόπον ἐπήξατο τὴν παρεμβολὴν ἔνθα τὸ ὕδωρ ἀφθονώτερον ἔρρεεν. Ἀναστὰς δὲ ἐκεῖθεν ὥρμησε πρὸς τὰ τῆς Αὐσονίτιδος ὅρια καὶ πυρπολήσας χωρίον μέγιστον , Κάτμα λεγόμενον, τῷ ἀμηρᾷ τοῦ Χάλεπ ἀφωρισμένον ἐκ παλαιοῦ, εἰς ἕτερον χωρίον κατέλυσε, Τερχολὰ κατονομαζόμενον. Κοπτομένου δὲ τοῦ χάρακος καὶ τοῦ βασιλέως ἱσταμένου κατὰ τὸ δεξιὸν μέρος, Ἄραβες δύο λαθόντες κατόπιν τῆς ἀκρωρείας καὶ τοὺς ἵππους ἀπὸ ῥυτήρων ἐλάσαντες δύο τῶν πεζῶν ταῖς λόγχαις ἀναιροῦσιν. Ὁ βασιλεὺς δὲ τούτους θεασάμενος πρῶτος διανέστησε τοὺς στρατιώτας εἰς δίωξιν. Οἱ δὲ φθάσαντες ἐξαισίῳ δρόμῳ τῶν ἵππων εἰς τὸ οἰκεῖον στρατόπεδον διεσώθησαν. Ἐκεῖθεν δὲ ἀναστάντες εὐθὺ τοῦ Ἀρτὰχ ἐβάδισαν, κατεῖχον δὲ τοῦτο Σαρακηνοὶ τὸν αὐτῶν στρατηγὸν ἐξελάσαντες. Πλὴν ἀλλὰ καὶ πάλιν φεύγουσιν οἱ τοῦτο φυλάσσοντες καὶ τῷ βασιλεῖ τὸ οἰκεῖον ἀνασῴζεται πόλισμα. Φρουρὰν δ' ἐν αὐτῷ βαλὼν καὶ σιτήσεις ἀποχρώσας ἐναποθέμενος, πάντα τὰ τῷ καιρῷ πρόσφορα διετάξατο. Ἐπ' αὐτοῦ τοίνυν τοῦ βασιλέως ἤρξαντο Ῥωμαῖοι πολεμίοις ἀντοφθαλμίζειν καὶ πρὸς γενναιότητος ἀναφέρειν λόγον καὶ συνίστασθαι πρὸς ἀντίθεσιν, ἐπεὶ τά γε κατὰ τοὺς προσεχῶς βασιλεύσαντας, πλὴν ἐπιδείξεως μόνης καὶ πλήθους συναγωγῆς, ἐν οὐδενὶ καρτερῶς πρὸς μάχην συνέρραξαν, ὡς εἶναι δῆλον ὅτι τοῦ ἡγεμόνος ἐστὶν ὡς ἐπίπαν τὸ κατορθούμενον ἐν πᾶσι τοῖς 133 πράγμασι. Κἀκεῖθεν μὴ δυνηθεὶς ὁ βασιλεὺς εἰς Ἀντιόχειαν ἀπελθεῖνπροκατείργαστο γὰρ λιμῷ τε καὶ κακώσει πολλῇ ὑπερβὰς αὐλῶνας καὶ κλεισούρας τινὰς ἀδιεξοδεύτους εἰς πόλιν τῆς Κιλικίας λεγομένην Ἀλέξανδρον καταντᾷ κἀκεῖσε τὸν χάρακα πήγνυσι· καὶ τὸν Ταῦρον τὸ ὄρος ὑπερβὰς πανστρατιᾷ εἰσβάλλει τῇ Ῥωμαίων. Ἐντυχόντες δ' ἀθρόον τόποις ψυχροῖς ἐξ ἄγαν ἀλεεινῶν καὶ θερμῶν πολλῆς μεταβολῆς ᾔσθοντο· διὸ καὶ ἄνθρωποι πολλοὶ ἀπέθανον καὶ ζῷα πολλὰ ἐναπέψυξαν. Ἐξιόντος δὲ τοῦ βασιλέως εἴς τι χωρίον τῆς τοῦ Ποδανδοῦ κλεισούρας , Γυτάριον κατονομαζόμενον, ἤκουσεν ὁ βασιλεὺς τὴν τοῦ Ἀμορίου λαφυραγωγίαν καὶ φόνον ἀνδρῶν ἀμύθητον. Κατεσκηνωκυίας δὲ τῆς παρεμβολῆς ἐν τῷ τοῦ Χαλκέως σταθμῷ ὁ ἐν Μελιτηνῇ κρατῶν τοῦ στρατοῦ οὐδόλως αὐτῷ προσβαλεῖν ἠθέλησεν, ἔχων καὶ ταῦτα τὴν στρατιὰν ἐν τῷ τοῦ Τζαμανδοῦ συνηθροισμένην πολίσματι. Ἐφ' οἷς καὶ ἀνιαθεὶς καὶ μὴ δυνηθεὶς βοηθῆσαι τῷ πράγματι, τὰ κατὰ τὸν στρατόν, ὡς ἐνῆν, δεξιῶς διαθέμενος, εἰς παραχειμασίαν τὸ πλεῖον αὐτῶν ἀποστείλας, αὐτὸς ἐπὶ τὸ Βυζάντιον ἵετο, πρὸς τῷ τέλει τοῦ Ἰανουαρίου μηνὸς καταλαβὼν ἐν αὐτῷ. ∆ιαγαγὼν τοίνυν ἐν αὐτῷ χρόνον τινὰ καὶ τὰς πολιτικὰς διοικήσεις, ὡς ἐνόν, διοικησάμενος καὶ τιμὰς καὶ δεξιώσεις εἴς τινας τῶν