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he sent the spatharokandidatos Petronas with imperial transport chelandia and the chelandia of the katepano of Paphlagonia. And so this same Petronas, on reaching Cherson, left the chelandia in Cherson, but embarking the people on kamatera ships, he departed to the place of the Tanais river, where he was to build the fortress. And since the place did not have stones suitable for the building of the fortress, having made some kilns and having fired bricks in them, with these he undertook the building of the fortress, having made lime from certain small shells from the river. So this aforesaid spatharokandidatos Petronas, after building the fortress of Sarkel, came before the emperor Theophilos and said to him: "If you wish fully to have masterly control over the fortress of Cherson and the places in it, and that these not get out of your hand, appoint your own strategos, and do not trust their proteuontes and archons." For until Theophilos the emperor, there was no strategos sent from here, but the one administering all things was the so-called proteuon with the so-called fathers of the city. So when the emperor Theophilos deliberated about these things, whether to send out so-and-so as strategos or so-and-so, he later preferred to send the aforesaid spatharokandidatos Petronas, as one who had become † experienced † of the place and was not ignorant of the affairs, whom he also honored as protospatharios, and appointed strategos, and sent out to Cherson, ordering the then proteuon and everyone to be subject to him, from which time until the present day the practice has prevailed of appointing strategoi from here to Cherson. But this is how the building of the fortress of Sarkel came about. From the Danube river to the aforesaid fortress of Sarkel is a journey of 60 days. In the middle of this land there are many rivers; but two of them are the greatest, the Danastris and the Danapris. There are also other rivers, the one called Syngoul and the Hybyl and the Almatai and the Kouphis and the Bogou and many others. In the upper parts of the Danapris river dwell the Rhos, by which river they sail away and make their arrival to the Romans. And Patzinakia controls all the land up to both Rhosia and Bosporos and up to Cherson and as far as Sarat, Bourat and the 30 parts. The distance of the sea coast from the Danube river to the Danastris river is 120 miles. From the Danastris river to the Danapris river is 80 miles, the so-called golden shore. From the mouth of the Danapris river are the Adara, and there is a great gulf, the so-called Nekropyla, through which it is utterly impossible for anyone to pass. And from the Danapris river to Cherson is 300 miles, and in between there are lakes and harbours, in which the Chersonites produce salt. From Cherson to Bosporos are the fortresses of the Klimata, and the distance is 300 miles. And from Bosporos is the mouth of the lake Maiotis, which is also called a sea by everyone on account of its size. Into this same Maiotis sea flow many and great rivers; towards its northern part, the Danapris river, from which the Rhos also pass through to both black Bulgaria and Khazaria and Syria. And this same gulf of Maiotis comes opposite the Nekropyla, which are near the Danapris river, at a distance of about 4 miles, and mingles, in which the ancients, having made a ditch, crossed the sea, having blocked off in the middle all the land of Cherson and of the Klimata and the land of Bosporos, extending up to 1000 miles or even some more. But over many years this same ditch has been silted up and has become a dense forest, and there are in it but two roads, on which the Patzinakitai pass through to both Cherson and Bosporos and the Klimata. Into the more eastern part of the lake Maiotis enter many rivers, which

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σπαθαροκανδιδᾶτον Πετρωνᾶ μετὰ χελανδίων βασιλικῶν πλωΐμων ἀπέστειλεν καὶ χελάνδια τοῦ κατεπάνω Παφλαγονίας. Καὶ δὴ ὁ αὐτὸς Πετρωνᾶς τὴν Χερσῶνα καταλαβὼν τὰ μὲν χελάνδια ἔλιπεν ἐν Χερσῶνι, τὸν δὲ λαὸν εἰσαγαγὼν εἰς καματερὰ καράβια, ἀπῆλθεν ἐν τῷ τόπῳ τοῦ Τανάϊδος ποταμοῦ, ἐν ᾧ καὶ τὸ κάστρον ἔμελλεν κτίσαι. Καὶ ἐπειδὴ ὁ τόπος λίθους οὐκ εἶχεν πρὸς κτίσιν τοῦ κάστρου ἐπιτηδείους, καμίνιά τινα ποιησάμενος καὶ βήσσαλον ἐν αὐτοῖς ἐγκαύσας, μετ' αὐτῶν τὴν τοῦ κάστρου κτίσιν ἐποιήσατο, ἐκ μικρῶν τινων τῶν ἐκ τοῦ ποταμοῦ κοχλιδίων ἄσβεστον ἐργασάμενος. Οὗτος οὖν ὁ προρρηθεὶς σπαθαροκανδιδᾶτος Πετρωνᾶς μετὰ τὸ κτίσαι τὸ κάστρον τὸ Σάρκελ πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα Θεόφιλον εἰσελθών, εἶπεν αὐτῷ, ὅτι· "Εἰ θέλῃς ὅλως τὸ τῆς Χερσῶνος κάστρον καὶ τοὺς ἐν αὐτῇ τόπους κυρίως ἐξουσιάσαι καὶ τούτους μὴ τῆς σῆς ἐκτὸς γενέσθαι χειρός, προβάλλου στρατηγὸν ἴδιον, καὶ μὴ τοῖς ἐκείνων καταπιστεύσῃς πρωτεύουσί τε καὶ ἄρχουσι." Μέχρι γὰρ Θεοφίλου τοῦ βασιλέως οὐκ ἦν στρατηγὸς ἀπὸ τῶν ἐντεῦθεν ἀποστελλόμενος, ἀλλ' ἦν ὁ τὰ πάντα διοικῶν ὁ λεγόμενος πρωτεύων μετὰ καὶ τῶν ἐπονομαζομένων πατέρων τῆς πόλεως. Τοῦ οὖν βασιλέως Θεοφίλου πρὸς ταῦτα βουλευσαμένου τὸν ὁ δεῖνα ἐξαποστεῖλαι στρατηγὸν ἢ τὸν ὁ δεῖνα, ὕστερον ἀποσταλῆναι προέκρινεν τὸν προρρηθέντα σπαθαροκανδιδᾶτον Πετρωνᾶν ὡς † ἔμπειρα † τοῦ τόπου γεγονότα καὶ τῶν πραγμάτων οὐκ ἀνεπιστήμονα, ὃν καὶ πρωτοσπαθάριον τιμήσας, προεβάλετο στρατηγόν, καὶ εἰς Χερσῶνα ἐξαπέστειλεν, ὁρίσας τὸν τότε πρωτεύοντα καὶ πάντας ὑπείκειν αὐτῷ, ἐξ οὗ καὶ μέχρι τὴν σήμερον ἐπεκράτησεν ἀπὸ τῶν ἐντεῦθεν εἰς Χερσῶνα προβάλλεσθαι στρατηγούς. Ἀλλ' αὕτη μὲν ἡ τοῦ Σάρκελ τοῦ κάστρου κτίσις καθέστηκεν. Ἀπὸ δὲ τοῦ ∆ανούβεως ποταμοῦ μέχρι τοῦ προρρηθέντος κάστρου, τοῦ Σάρκελ ὁδός ἐστιν ἡμερῶν ξʹ. Μέσον δὲ τῆς τοιαύτης γῆς ποταμοὶ μέν εἰσιν πολλοί· δύο δὲ μέγιστοι ἐξ αὐτῶν ὅ τε ∆άναστρις καὶ ὁ ∆άναπρις. Εἰσὶ δὲ ἕτεροι ποταμοί, ὅ τε λεγόμενος Συγγοὺλ καὶ ὁ Ὑβὺλ καὶ ὁ Ἀλματαὶ καὶ ὁ Κοῦφις καὶ ὁ Βογοῦ καὶ ἕτεροι πολλοί. Εἰς δὲ τὰ ὑψηλότερα τοῦ ∆ανάπρεως ποταμοῦ μέρη κατοικοῦσιν οἱ Ῥῶς, δι' οὗ ποταμοῦ ἀποπλέοντες, πρὸς Ῥωμαίους ποιοῦνται τὴν ἄφιξιν. Ἡ δὲ Πατζινακία πᾶσαν τὴν γῆν μέχρι τῆς τε Ῥωσίας καὶ Βοσπόρου κατακρατεῖ καὶ μέχρι Χερσῶνος καὶ ἕως τὸ Σαράτ, Βουρὰτ καὶ τῶν λʹ μερῶν. Τὸ δὲ τῆς παραλίας τῆς θαλάσσης ἀπὸ τοῦ ∆ανούβεως ποταμοῦ διάστημα μέχρι τοῦ ∆ανάστρεως ποταμοῦ εἰσιν μίλια ρκʹ. Ἀπὸ δὲ τοῦ ∆ανάστρεως ποταμοῦ μέχρι τοῦ ποταμοῦ ∆ανάπρεώς εἰσιν μίλια πʹ, ὁ χρυσὸς λεγόμενος αἰγιαλός. Ἀπὸ δὲ τὸ στόμιον ποταμοῦ τοῦ ∆ανάπρεώς εἰσι τὰ Ἀδαρά, κἀκεῖσε κόλπος ἐστὶν μέγας, ὁ λεγόμενος τὰ Νεκρόπυλα, ἐν ᾧ τις διελθεῖν ἀδυνατεῖ παντελῶς. Καὶ ἀπὸ μὲν τοῦ ∆ανάπρεως ποταμοῦ μέχρι Χερσῶνός εἰσιν μίλια τʹ, ἐν τῷ μέσον δὲ λίμναι καὶ λιμένες εἰσίν, ἐν οἷς οἱ Χερσωνῖται τὸ ἅλας ἐργάζονται. Ἀπὸ δὲ Χερσῶνος μέχρι Βοσπόρου εἰσὶν τὰ κάστρα τῶν κλιμάτων, τὸ δὲ διάστημα μίλια τʹ. Καὶ ἀπὸ Βοσπόρου τὸ τῆς Μαιώτιδος λίμνης στόμιόν ἐστιν, ἥτις καὶ θάλασσα διὰ τὸ μέγεθος παρὰ πάντων ὀνομάζεται. Εἰς δὲ τὴν αὐτὴν Μαιώτιδα θάλασσαν εἰσρέουσιν ποταμοὶ πολλοὶ καὶ μεγάλοι· πρὸς μὲν τὸ ἀρκτῷον αὐτῆς μέρος ὁ ∆άναπρις ποταμός, ἐξ οὗ καὶ οἱ Ῥῶς διέρχονται πρός τε τὴν μαύρην Βουλγαρίαν καὶ Χαζαρίαν καὶ Συρίαν. Ὁ δὲ αὐτὸς κόλπος τῆς Μαιώτιδος ἔρχεται ἀντικρὺ τῶν Νεκροπύλων, τῶν ὄντων πλησίον τοῦ ∆ανάπρεως ποταμοῦ, ὡς ἀπὸ μιλίων δʹ, καὶ μίσγεται, ἐν ᾧ καὶ σοῦδαν οἱ παλαιοὶ ποιησάμενοι διεβίβασαν τὴν θάλασσαν, μέσον ἀποκλείσαντες πᾶσαν τὴν Χερσῶνος γῆν καὶ τῶν κλιμάτων καὶ τῆς Βοσπόρου γῆν, κρατοῦσαν μέχρι α μιλίων ἢ καὶ πλειόνων τινῶν. Ἐκ δὲ τῶν πολλῶν ἐτῶν κατεχώσθη ἡ αὐτὴ σοῦδα καὶ εἰς δάσος ἐγένετο πολύ, καὶ οὐκ εἰσὶν ἐν αὐτῷ πλὴν δύο ὁδοί, ἐν αἷς οἱ Πατζινακῖται διέρχονται πρός τε Χερσῶνα καὶ Βόσπορον καὶ τὰ κλίματα. Εἰς δὲ τὸ ἀνατολικώτερον μέρος τῆς Μαιώτιδος λίμνης εἰσέρχονται πολλοί τινες ποταμοί, ὅ