879 of Domenikos the Hetaeriarch. Zoe deposes Patriarch Nicholas along with those with him in anger, telling him to look after and care for the affairs of his own church. 9. Not long after, Constantine the parakoimomenos slanders Domenikos the Hetaeriarch to the Augusta, as one who was usurping the empire for his brother. Having made him a patrician on some pretext, when he had come down into the church, as was the custom, to receive a blessing, they urged him to stay at home. And Zoe appointed John Garidas as Hetaeriarch and Damian the eunuch as droungarios of the Watch. And Domenikos went away to his house, lamenting fruitlessly. 10. And as Symeon the Bulgarian was again plundering Thrace, and the Augusta and those in authority were concerned how they might stop his arrogance, John Bogas asked to be made a patrician, promising to lead the Pechenegs against him. And having obtained his request and having received gifts, he went away to the land of the Pechenegs, and indeed having made a treaty and having taken hostages from there, he brought them to the city, the Pechenegs having agreed to cross over and make war on Symeon. 11. And Ashot also arrived in the city, a man most famous for his strength, being the son of the archon of archons; whom they say, holding an iron rod at both ends with both hands, could with 880 surpassing strength bend it and bring it into a circular shape, the resistant nature of the iron yielding to the force of his hands. whom, upon his arrival, they received with great honor and sent him out again to his own land. 12. In the month of September, of the 3rd indiction, Pankratoukas the Armenian handed over Adrianople to Symeon. Not long after, Basil, patrician and kanikleios, and Niketas Helladikos, protospatharios, were sent by Zoe with many gifts, and he took it back again. 13. And the emir Damian also came to Strobilos with ships to make war on it with a great force, and he would have taken it, if he had not fallen sick and died, the Hagarenes having returned in vain. 14. And the inhabitants of Hellas and Athens, being constantly abused by Chasé, son of Joubé, unable to bear his profligacy, wretchedly killed this man with stones inside the sanctuary of the church in Athens. 15. But the Augusta Zoe, seeing the arrogance of Symeon and his attack against the Christians, takes counsel with those in authority to arrange a prisoner exchange and peace with the Hagarenes, and to ferry the entire army of the east over in order to fight and destroy Symeon. Therefore John Radinos the patrician and Mi 881 chael Toxaras were sent to Syria in order to make a prisoner exchange. When this was done, having made the usual distribution of the stipend among the tagmata, these, having been taken up along with the themes, crossed over to the Thracian regions, Leo Phokas the magistros being the Domestic of the Schools, to whom courage rather than supervisory prudence was attributed. Therefore, when Constantine, protopapas of the palace, called Kephalas, and Constantine Malelias brought out the venerable and life-giving woods in Thrace, all, having venerated them and having sworn an oath to die together, set out with the whole army against the Bulgarians. And the commanders were: of the tagma of the Exkoubitoi, John Grapson, and of the Hikanatoi, the son of Maroules. And Romanos Argyros was general, and Leo his brother, and Bardas Phokas; with whom was also Melias with the Armenians and all the other strategoi of the themes. And among the others was also Constantine Lips the patrician, being an advisor to Leo the Domestic in all pertinent matters. 16 On the 20th of the month of August, of the 5th indiction, the battle between the Bulgarians and the Romans was joined near the Acheloos river; and such are the judgments of God, as they are unsearchable and untraceable, the Romans with their whole army were routed and there was a complete flight and a dreadful wail, some being trampled by each other, and others being killed by the enemy, and such a shedding of blood as had not happened since the beginning of time. Leo the Domestic escaped by fleeing to Mesembria. And there was slain among the

879 μηνίκου ἑταιρειάρχου καταβιβάζει Ζωὴ Νικόλαον πατριάρχην ἅμα τοῖς σὺν αὐτῷ μετ' ὀργῆς, τὰ τῆς ἰδίας ἐκκλησίας περιποιούμενον καὶ φροντίζειν εἰποῦσα. 9. Οὐ μετ' οὐ πολὺ δὲ Κωνσταντῖνος παρακοιμώμενος διαβάλλει τῇ Αὐγούστῃ ∆ομήνικον ἑταιρειάρχην ὡς τὴν βασιλείαν σφετεριζόμενον εἰς τὸν αὐτοῦ ἀδελφόν. τοῦτον προφάσει πατρί κιον ποιήσαντες, κατελθόντος ἐν τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ ὡς ἔθος εὐχὴν λα βεῖν, οἴκοι μένειν παρεκελεύσαντο. προεβάλετο δὲ Ζωὴ Ἰωάννην Γαριδᾶν ἑταιρειάρχην καὶ ∆αμιανὸν εὐνοῦχον τῆς βίγλης δρουγ γάριον. ∆ομήνικος δὲ ἀπῆλθεν ἐν τῷ οἴκῳ αὐτοῦ ἀνόνητα ὀλο φυρόμενος. 10. Τοῦ δὲ Βουλγάρου Συμεὼν τὴν Θρᾴκην πάλιν ληϊ ζομένου, ἐν φροντίδι οὔσης τῆς Αὐγούστης καὶ τῶν ἐν τέλει ὅπως αὐτὸν τῆς ἀλαζονείας παύσωσιν, ᾐτήσατο Ἰωάννης ὁ Βογᾶς γενέ σθαι πατρίκιος, ὑποσχόμενος ἀγαγεῖν κατ' αὐτοῦ Πατζίνακας. τῆς αἰτήσεως δὲ τυχὼν δῶρά τε λαβὼν εἰς τὴν τῶν Πατζινάκων χώραν ἀπῄει, καὶ δὴ σπεισάμενος ὁμήρους ἐκεῖθεν λαβὼν ἤγαγεν ἐν τῇ πόλει, συνθεμένων τῶν Πατζινάκων διαπερᾶσαι καὶ τὸν Συ μεὼν καταπολεμῆσαι. 11. Παρεγένετο δὲ ἐν τῇ πόλει καὶ Ἀσώτιος, ἀνὴρ ἐπὶ ῥώμης ὀνομαστότατος, υἱὸς ὢν τοῦ ἄρχοντος τῶν ἀρχόντων· ὅν φασι σιδηρᾶν ῥάβδον ἐκ τῶν ἄκρων ἑκατέραις χερσὶ κρατοῦντα τῇ 880 ὑπερβαλλούσῃ ἀλκῇ διακάμπτειν καὶ πρὸς τὸ κυκλικὸν σχῆμα μετάγειν, τῆς ἀντιτύπου τοῦ σιδήρου φύσεως τῇ βίᾳ τῶν χειρῶν ὑπεικούσης. ὃν παραγενόμενον μετὰ πολλῆς τιμῆς ὑπεδέξαντο καὶ πάλιν εἰς τὴν ἰδίαν χώραν ἐξέπεμψαν. 12. Σεπτεμβρίῳ μηνί, ἰνδικτιῶνος γʹ, Παγκρατούκας ὁ Ἀρμένιος τὴν Ἀδριανούπολιν τῷ Συμεὼν παρέδωκεν. μετ' οὐ πολὺ δὲ ἀπεστάλη Βασίλειος πατρίκιος καὶ κανίκλειος καὶ Νικήτας πρωτοσπαθάριος Ἐλαδικὸς παρὰ Ζωῆς μετὰ δώρων πολλῶν, καὶ ἀντιπαρέλαβεν αὐτὴν πάλιν. 13. Ἦλθε δὲ καὶ ἀμερᾶς ὁ ∆αμιανὸς εἰς Στρόβιλον μετὰ πλοίων τοῦ πολεμῆσαι αὐτὴν μετὰ πολλῆς τῆς δυνάμεως, καὶ ταύτην παρέλαβεν ἄν, εἰ μὴ νοσήσας ἐτελεύτησεν, ὑποστρεψάν των διακενῆς τῶν Ἀγαρηνῶν. 14. Οἱ δὲ τῆς Ἑλλάδος καὶ τῶν Ἀθηνῶν οἰκήτορες συνεχῶς ἐπηρεαζόμενοι παρὰ Χασὲ υἱοῦ τοῦ Ἰούβη, τὴν αὐτοῦ ἀσω τείαν μὴ ἐνεγκόντες, λίθοις τοῦτον ἀνεῖλον κακῶς ἔνδοθεν τοῦ θυσιαστηρίου τοῦ ἐν Ἀθήναις ναοῦ. 15. Βλέπουσα δὲ ἡ Αὐγοῦστα Ζωὴ τὴν ἔπαρσιν Συμεὼν καὶ τὴν κατὰ τῶν Χριστιανῶν αὐτοῦ ἐπίθεσιν, βουλὴν μετὰ τῶν ἐν τέλει βουλεύεται ἀλλάγιον καὶ εἰρήνην μετὰ τῶν Ἀγαρηνῶν δια πράξασθαι, διαπερᾶσαι δὲ πάντα τὸν τῆς ἀνατολῆς στρατὸν πρὸς τὸ πολεμῆσαι καὶ ἀφανίσαι τὸν Συμεών. ἀπεστάλη οὖν ἐν Συρίᾳ πρὸς τὸ ποιῆσαι ἀλλάγιον Ἰωάννης πατρίκιος ὁ Ῥαδινὸς καὶ Μι 881 χαὴλ ὁ Τοξαρᾶς. οὗ γεγονότος τὴν συνήθη τῆς ῥόγας διανομὴν ποιησάμενοι ἐν τοῖς τάγμασι, ταῦτα ἀναλαβόμενοι σὺν τοῖς θέ μασι πρὸς τὰ Θρᾳκῷα μέρη διεπέρασαν, Λέοντος μαγίστρου τοῦ Φωκᾶ δομεστίκου τῶν σχολῶν τυγχάνοντος, ᾧ ἀνδρία μᾶλλον ἢ ἐπιστατικὴ φρόνησις προσανέκειτο. ἐξαγαγόντων οὖν τὰ σεβάσμια καὶ ζωοποιὰ ξύλα Κωνσταντίνου πρωτοπαπᾶ τοῦ παλατίου, τοῦ Κεφαλᾶ λεγομένου, καὶ Κωνσταντίνου τοῦ Μαλελία ἐν τῇ Θρᾴκῃ, ἅπαντες προσκυνήσαντες καὶ ἐπομοσάμενοι συναποθνήσκειν ἀλλή λοις πανστρατὶ κατὰ Βουλγάρων ἐξώρμησαν. ἦρχον δὲ τοῦ μὲν τάγματος τῶν ἐξκουβίτων Ἰωάννης ὁ Γράψων, τοῦ δὲ ἱκανάτου ὁ τοῦ Μαρούλη υἱός. Ῥωμανὸς δὲ ὁ Ἀργυρὸς ἐστρατήγει καὶ Λέων ὁ ἀδελφὸς αὐτοῦ καὶ Βάρδας ὁ Φωκᾶς· οἷς συνῆν καὶ ὁ Μελίας μετὰ τῶν Ἀρμενίων καὶ οἱ ἄλλοι πάντες στρατηγοὶ τῶν θεμάτων. συνῆν δὲ πρὸς τοῖς ἄλλοις καὶ Κωνσταντῖνος πατρίκιος ὁ Λίψ, Λέοντι δομεστίκῳ σύμβουλος ὢν αὐτῷ ἐν πᾶσι τοῖς ἀνήκουσι. 16 μηνὶ δὲ Αὐγούστῳ κʹ, ἰνδικτιῶνος εʹ, ὁ πόλεμος μεταξὺ Βουλγάρων τε καὶ Ῥωμαίων πρὸς τῷ Ἀχελῴῳ συγκεκρότητο ποταμῷ· καὶ οἷα τὰ τοῦ θεοῦ κρίματα, ὡς ἀνερεύνητα καὶ ἀνεξ ιχνίαστα, τρέπονται οἱ Ῥωμαῖοι πανστρατὶ καὶ γέγονε φυγὴ παν τελὴς καὶ φρικώδης ὀλολυγή, τῶν μὲν ὑπ' ἀλλήλων συμπατουμέ νων, τῶν δὲ ὑπὸ τῶν πολεμίων ἀναιρουμένων, αἵματός τε χύσις οἵα ἐξ αἰῶνος οὐκ ἐγένετο. Λέων ὁ δομέστικος ἐν Μεσημβρίᾳ διεσώθη φυγών. ἐσφάγη δὲ πρὸς τοῖς