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and the Tanaïs river, which comes from the fort of Sarkel, and the Charakoul, in which also the berzitikon is fished. And there are also other rivers, the Bal and the Bourlik, the Chader and very many other rivers. And from the Maeotic lake issues a mouth called the Bourlik, and it flows down towards the sea of Pontus, in which is the Bosporos, and opposite the Bosporos is the fort called Tamatarcha. The width of the crossing of this mouth is 18 miles. And in the middle of these 18 miles is a large, low island, called Atech. At a distance of 18 or even 20 miles from Tamatarcha is a river, called the Oukrouch, which divides Zichia and Tamatarcha, and from the Oukrouch to the river Nikopsis, on which there is also a fort of the same name as the river, is the country of Zichia; and the distance is 300 miles. And above Zichia is the country called Papagia, and above the country of Papagia is the country called Kasachia, and above Kasachia are the Caucasus mountains, and above the mountains is the country of Alania. The coast of Zichia has islands, the great island and the three islands; and inland of these are also other islands, which have been occupied and fortified by the Zichians, both Tourganerch and Tzarbaganin and another island, and in the harbor of Spatalos another island, and at Pteleai another, in which the Zichians take refuge during the raids of the Alans. The coastal region from the limit of Zichia, that is the river Nikopsis, is the country of Abasgia as far as the fort of Soteroupolis; it is 300 miles. 43 Concerning the country of Taron. But concerning the northern Scythians enough has been shown to you, beloved son, the knowledge of which will certainly be profitable and useful to you in due season; but you must not be ignorant of the lands toward the rising sun either, how they became again subject to the Romans, after they had first fallen away from their dominion. For first that Krikorikios, the ruler of Taron, bowed and submitted himself to the emperor of the Romans, but from the beginning he appeared to be playing both sides, and while in word he pretended to honor the emperor's friendship, in deed he did what was pleasing to the chief of the Saracens, and in various ways he acted as a guide for the armies coming out of Syria against the subject themes of the emperor of the Romans, and all things that were secretly planned by the Romans against their Saracen adversaries he reported to Syria, and secretly, concerning what was happening among us, he was always informing the amermoumnes by letters, and he wished to seem to be on the side of the Romans, but he was found to be rather preferring and honoring the side of the Saracens. Nevertheless, he always sent gifts, such as seem precious to the barbarians there, to Leo of famous memory among emperors, and he received in return more and better things from the pious emperor, who also often urged him by letters to come to the imperial city and to see the emperor and to share in his courtesies and honors. But he, fearing lest this should become a grief and a scandal to the amermoumnes, fabricated pretexts, and vainly alleged that he was unable to leave his own country bereft of his help, lest it be plundered by the Saracens. This same ruler of Taron, having once captured in war the children of Arkaïkas, that is, of Krikorikios the patrikios, the father of the protospatharios Asotios, their cousins, held them captive with him. Concerning whom Symbatios also, the then archon of archons, requested the same most blessed emperor by letter to send to the Taronite and to make haste to recover his own nephews, who were sons of the said Arkaïkas, so that they might not be sent to the amermoumnes; for Gregory the patrikios was a kinsman of Symbatios, the archon of archons. And having heeded this request of Symbatios, Leo, the most blessed emperor, sent that eunuch Sinoutes,

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τε Τάναϊς ποταμός, ὁ ἀπὸ τὸ κάστρον Σάρκελ ἐρχόμενος, καὶ τὸ Χαράκουλ, ἐν ᾧ καὶ τὸ βερζίτικον ἁλιεύεται, εἰσὶ δὲ καὶ ἕτεροι ποταμοί, ὁ Βὰλ καὶ ὁ Βουρλίκ, ὁ Χαδὴρ καὶ ἄλλοι πλεῖστοι ποταμοί. Ἐκ δὲ τῆς Μαιώτιδος λίμνης ἐξέρχεται στόμιον τὸ Βουρλὶκ ἐπονομαζόμενον, καὶ πρὸς τὴν τοῦ Πόντου θάλασσαν καταρρεῖ, ἐν ᾧ ἐστιν ἡ Βόσπορος, ἀντικρὺ δὲ τῆς Βοσπόρου τὸ Ταμάταρχα λεγόμενον κάστρον ἐστίν. Τὸ δὲ διάστημα τοῦ περάματος τοῦ τοιούτου στομίου ἐστὶν μίλια ιηʹ. Ἐν δὲ τῷ μέσον τῶν αὐτῶν ιηʹ μιλίων ἐστὶ νησίον μέγα χαμηλόν, τὸ λεγόμενον Ἀτέχ. Ἀπὸ τὸ Ταμάταρχά ἐστι ποταμὸς ἀπὸ μιλίων ιηʹ ἢ καὶ κʹ, λεγόμενος Οὐκρούχ, ὁ διαχωρίζων τὴν Ζιχίαν καὶ τὸ Ταμάταρχα, ἀπὸ δὲ τοῦ Οὐκροὺχ μέχρι τοῦ Νικόψεως ποταμοῦ, ἐν ᾧ καὶ κάστρον ἐστὶν ὁμώνυμον τῷ ποταμῷ, ἔστιν ἡ χώρα τῆς Ζιχίας· τὸ δὲ διάστημά ἐστιν μίλια τʹ. Ἄνωθεν δὲ τῆς Ζιχίας ἐστὶν ἡ χώρα ἡ λεγομένη Παπαγία, καὶ ἄνωθεν τῆς Παπαγίας χώρας ἐστὶν ἡ χώρα ἡ λεγομένη Κασαχία, ἄνωθεν δὲ τῆς Κασαχίας ὄρη τὰ Καυκάσιά εἰσιν, καὶ τῶν ὀρέων ἄνωθέν ἐστιν ἡ χώρα τῆς Ἀλανίας. Ἡ δὲ τῆς Ζιχίας παράλιος ἔχει νησία, τὸ μέγα νησὶν καὶ τὰ τρία νησία· ἔνδοθεν δὲ τούτων εἰσὶν καὶ ἕτερα νησία, τὰ καὶ ἐπινεμηθέντα καὶ παρὰ τῶν Ζιχῶν κτισθέντα, τό τε Τουργανὴρχ καὶ τὸ Τζαρβαγάνιν καὶ ἕτερον νησίν, καὶ εἰς τὸν τοῦ Σπαταλοῦ λιμένα ἕτερον νησίν, καὶ εἰς τὰς Πτελέας ἕτερον, ἐν ᾧ ἐν ταῖς τῶν Ἀλανῶν ἐπιδρομαῖς οἱ Ζιχοὶ καταφεύγουσιν. Τὸ δὲ παραθαλάσσιον ἀπὸ τῆς συμπληρώσεως τῆς Ζιχίας, ἤτοι τοῦ Νικόψεως ποταμοῦ, ἐστὶν ἡ τῆς Ἀβασγίας χώρα μέχρι τοῦ κάστρου Σωτηριουπόλεως· εἰσὶ δὲ μίλια τʹ. 43 Περὶ τῆς χώρας τοῦ Ταρών. Ἀλλὰ περὶ μὲν τῶν βορείων Σκυθῶν ἱκανῶς σοι δεδήλωται, τέκνον ποθούμενον, ὧν ἡ γνῶσις ἐπωφελής τε καὶ εὔχρηστος ἐν καιρῷ σοι πάντως γενήσεται· δεῖ δέ σε μηδὲ τὰ πρὸς ἀνίσχοντα ἥλιον ἀγνοεῖν, ὅθεν ὑπήκοα πάλιν τοῖς Ῥωμαίοις ἐγένετο, ἀφ' οὗ τὸ πρῶτον τῆς τούτων ἐπικρατείας ἐξέπεσον. Πρῶτος γὰρ ὁ Κρικορίκιος ἐκεῖνος τοῦ Ταρὼν ἄρχων πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα Ῥωμαίων ἑαυτὸν ὑπέκλινεν καὶ ὑπέταξεν, ἀλλ' ἐξ ἀρχῆς μὲν ἐπαμφοτερίζων ἐφαίνετο, καὶ λόγῳ μὲν τὴν τοῦ βασιλέως φιλίαν προσεποιεῖτο τιμᾶν, ἔργῳ δὲ τῷ τῶν Σαρακηνῶν κατάρχοντι τὰ καθ' ἡδονὴν διεπράττετο, καὶ διαφόρως ἡγεμὼν ἐχρημάτισεν τῶν ἀπὸ Συρίας ἐξερχομένων φοσσάτων κατὰ τῶν ὑπηκόων θεμάτων τῷ βασιλεῖ Ῥωμαίων, καὶ πάντα τὰ τοῖς Ῥωμαίοις ἐν ἀπορρήτῳ μελετώμενα κατὰ τῶν ἀντιπάλων Σαρακηνῶν πρὸς Συρίαν ἐμήνυεν, καὶ λάθρᾳ περὶ τῶν παρ' ἡμῖν συμβαινόντων ἀεὶ πρὸς τὸν ἀμερμουμνῆν διὰ γραμμάτων ἐδηλοποίει, καὶ δοκεῖν μὲν ἐβούλετο τὰ τῶν Ῥωμαίων φρονῶν, εὑρίσκετο δὲ μᾶλλον τὰ τῶν Σαρακηνῶν προκρίνων τε καὶ τιμῶν. Πλὴν ἀπέστελλεν ἀεὶ δῶρα, ἅπερ τοῖς ἐκεῖσε βαρβάροις δοκεῖ τίμια, πρὸς τὸν ἐν βασιλεῦσιν ἀοίδιμον Λέοντα, καὶ ἀντελάμβανε πλείονά τε καὶ κρείττονα παρὰ τοῦ εὐσεβοῦς βασιλεύοντος, ὃς καὶ πολλάκις αὐτῷ προετρέψατο διὰ γραμμάτων πρὸς τὴν βασιλεύουσαν εἰσελθεῖν καὶ τὸν βασιλέα θεάσασθαι καὶ τῶν παρ' αὐτοῦ φιλοφρονήσεων καὶ τιμῶν μετασχεῖν. Ὁ δὲ δεδοικώς, μὴ πρὸς λύπην καὶ σκάνδαλον τοῦ ἀμερμουμνῆ γένηται τοῦτο, προφάσεις ἐπλάττετο, καὶ τὸ μὴ δύνασθαι τὴν ἑαυτοῦ χώραν ἔρημον τῆς ἐξ αὐτοῦ βοηθείας καταλιπεῖν, ἵνα μὴ ὑπὸ τῶν Σαρακηνῶν καταληϊσθῇ, μάτην ἐσκήπτετο. Ὁ δὲ αὐτὸς ἄρχων τοῦ Ταρὼν κρατήσας ἐν πολέμῳ ποτὲ τοῦ Ἀρκάϊκα τοὺς παῖδας, ἤγουν Κρικορίκου τοῦ πατρικίου, τοῦ πατρὸς τοῦ πρωτοσπαθαρίου Ἀσωτίου, τοὺς ἐξαδέλφους, εἶχε παρ' ἑαυτῷ δεσμίους. Περὶ ὧν καὶ Συμβάτιος, ὁ τότε ἄρχων τῶν ἀρχόντων, τὸν αὐτὸν μακαριώτατον βασιλέα διὰ γραμμάτων ἠξίωσεν τοῦ ἀποστεῖλαι πρὸς τὸν Ταρωνίτην καὶ ἀναλαβέσθαι σπουδάσαι τοὺς οἰκείους ἀνεψιούς, οἵτινες ἦσαν υἱοὶ τοῦ εἰρημένου Ἀρκάϊκα, ἵνα μὴ πρὸς τὸν ἀμερμουμνῆν ἀποσταλῶσιν· συγγενὴς γὰρ ἦν τοῦ Συμβατίου, τοῦ ἄρχοντος τῶν ἀρχόντων, Γρηγόριος ὁ πατρίκιος. Ἐπακούσας δὲ τῆς τοιαύτης τοῦ Συμβατίου ἀξιώσεως Λέων, ὁ μακαριώτατος βασιλεύς, τὸν Σινούτην ἐκεῖνον τὸν εὐνοῦχον ἀπέστειλε,