45

the aforesaid pacts, because his brother, Apelmouze, was, as has been said before, a complete infant. That when Abderacheim died, and his brother, Apelmouze, was despised as an infant, the second brother of Aposebatas, the aforesaid Apolespouet, uncle of Abderacheim and of his brother who was despised for his infancy, Apelmouze, took possession of the fortress of Manzikert and the aforesaid lands under it. That when Apolespouet died, the third brother of Aposebatas, that is Aposelmes, took possession of the fortress of Manzikert with the aforesaid territories. But the aforesaid Achamet, both the nephew and stepson of Apolespouet, held both Chliat and Arzes and Perkri with the knowledge and will of Apolespouet; for Apolespouet, having no son, as has been said before, had this Achamet, both his nephew and stepson, as heir of all his substance and his fortresses and his territories. That when Aposelmes died, his son, Apelbart, took possession of the fortress of Manzikert together with its surrounding country. But Achmet took possession of the three fortresses, the fortress of Chliat and the fortress of Arzes and the fortress of Altzike. That Achmet himself was also a servant of the emperor, as has been said before, providing the pacts both for himself and for his uncle, Apolespouet. But Apelbart slaughtered him with deceit and mockery, and took over these three fortresses, the fortress of Chliat and the fortress of Arzes and the fortress of Altzike; and these the emperor ought to take back as being his own. That all these aforesaid fortresses and aforesaid lands have never been under the authority of Persia or under the authority of the amermoumnes, but were, as has been said, in the days of the lord Leo, the emperor, under the authority of Symbatios, the prince of princes, and after this they came under the authority of the three brothers, the aforesaid amirs, Aposebatas and Apolespouet and Aposelmes; and in their days they were also enslaved and made tributary and came under the authority of the emperors of the Romans. That if the emperor holds these three fortresses, Chliat and Arzes and Perkri, a Persian army cannot come out against Romania, since they are situated between Romania and Armenia, and are a barrier and encampment for armies. 45 Concerning the Iberians. It is to be known that the Iberians, that is those of the kouropalates, priding themselves, say they are descended from the wife of Uriah, who was committed adultery with by David, the prophet and king; for from the children born to David by her they say they are descended and are kinsmen of David, the prophet and king, and therefore also of the most holy Theotokos because she is descended from the seed of David. For this reason also the magnates of the Iberians freely take their kinswomen in marriage, thinking to observe the ancient legislation; and they say their birth is from Jerusalem, and that they were divinely instructed there in a dream to move and to settle in the regions of Persia, that is, in the country in which they now dwell. Those who were divinely instructed and went out from Jerusalem were that David and his brother, Spandiates, which Spandiates had received from God a gift, as they themselves assert, that in war no sword should touch him on any part of his body except for his heart, which he also guarded in wars by means of some covering. For this reason the Persians were terrified of him and feared him, and he both conquered them and prevailed over them, and settled his kinsmen the Iberians in the difficult places, which are now held by them, from which they also gradually spread and increased and became a great nation. Then, when the emperor Heraclius campaigned against Persia, they united and journeyed with him,

45

τὰ προρρηθέντα πάκτα διὰ τὸ εἶναι, καθὼς προείρηται, νήπιον παντελῶς τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὐτοῦ, τὸν Ἀπελμουζέ. Ὅτι τοῦ Ἀβδεραχεὶμ τελευτήσαντος, καὶ τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ αὐτοῦ, Ἀπελμουζὲ ὡς νηπίου καταφρονηθέντος, ἐκράτησεν τὸ κάστρον τὸ Μανζικίερτ καὶ τὰς ὑπ' αὐτῷ προρρηθείσας χώρας ὁ δεύτερος ἀδελφὸς τοῦ Ἀποσεβατᾶ, ὁ προλεχθεὶς Ἀπολεσφούετ, θεῖος δὲ τοῦ Ἀβδεραχεὶμκαὶ τοῦ διὰ τὴν νηπιότητα καταφρονηθέντος ἀδελφοῦ αὐτοῦ, τοῦ Ἀπελμουζέ. Ὅτι τοῦ Ἀπολεσφούετ τελευτήσαντος, ἐκράτησεν ὁ τρίτος ἀδελφὸς τοῦ Ἀποσεβατᾶ, ἤγουν ὁ Ἀποσέλμης τὸ κάστρον τὸ Μανζικίερτ μετὰ τῶν χωρίων τῶν προρρηθέντων. Ὁ δὲ προρρηθεὶς Ἀχάμετ ὁ καὶ ἀνεψιὸς καὶ προγονὸς τοῦ Ἀπολεσφούετ, ἐκράτει εἰδήσει καὶ βουλήσει τοῦ Ἀπολεσφούετ τό τε Χλιὰτ καὶ τὸ Ἀρζὲς καὶ τὸ Περκρί· καὶ γὰρ ὁ Ἀπολεσφούετ υἱὸν μὴ ἔχων, καθὼς προείρηται, τοῦτον τὸν Ἀχάμετ, τόν τε ἀνεψιὸν καὶ προγονὸν αὐτοῦ, εἶχεν κληρονόμον πάσης αὐτοῦ τῆς ὑποστάσεως καὶ τῶν κάστρων καὶ τῶν χωρίων αὐτοῦ. Ὅτι τελευτήσαντος τοῦ Ἀποσέλμη, ἐκράτησεν τὸ κάστρον τὸ Μανζικίερτ ὁ υἱὸς αὐτοῦ, ὁ Ἀπελβὰρτ μετὰ καὶ τῆς περιχώρου αὐτοῦ. Ὁ δὲ Ἄχμετ ἐκράτησεν τὰ τρία κάστρα, τό τε κάστρον τὸ Χλιὰτ καὶ τὸ κάστρον τὸ Ἀρζὲς καὶ τὸ κάστρον τὸ Ἀλτζικέ. Ὅτι καὶ αὐτὸς ὁ Ἄχμετ δοῦλος ἦν τοῦ βασιλέως, καθὰ καὶ προείρηται, παρέχων καὶ τὰ ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ καὶ τὰ ὑπὲρ τοῦ θείου αὐτοῦ, τοῦ Ἀπολεσφούετ, πάκτα. Ὁ δὲ Ἀπελβὰρτ μετὰ δόλου καὶ χλεύηςαὐτὸν ἔσφαξεν, καὶ ἀνελάβετο τὰ τρία αὐτὰ κάστρα, τό τε κάστρον τὸ Χλιὰτ καὶ τὸ κάστρον τὸ Ἀρζὲς καὶ τὸ κάστρον τὸ Ἀλτζικέ· καὶ ταῦτα ὀφείλει ὁ βασιλεὺς ἀναλαβέσθαι ὡς ἴδια αὐτοῦ τυγχάνοντα. Ὅτι ταῦτα πάντα τὰ προρρηθέντα κάστρα καὶ αἱ προρρηθεῖσαι χῶραι οὐδέποτε γεγόνασιν ὑπὸ τὴν ἐξουσίαν τῆς Περσίδος ἢ ὑπὸ τὴν ἐξουσίαν τοῦ ἀμερμουμνῆ, ἀλλ' ὑπῆρχον, καθὼς εἴρηται, ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις τοῦ κυροῦ Λέοντος, τοῦ βασιλέως ὑπὸ τὴν ἐξουσίαν τοῦ Συμβατίου, τοῦ ἄρχοντος τῶν ἀρχόντων, καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα ἐγένοντο ὑπὸ τὴν ἐξουσίαν τῶν τριῶν ἀδελφῶν, τῶν προρρηθέντων ἀμηράδων, τοῦ τε Ἀποσεβατᾶ καὶ τοῦ Ἀπολεσφούετ καὶ τοῦ Ἀποσέλμη· καὶ ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις αὐτῶν καὶ ἐδουλώθησαν καὶ ἐπακτώθησαν καὶ ἐγένοντο ὑπὸ τὴν ἐξουσίαν τῶν βασιλέων τῶν Ῥωμαίων. Ὅτι τὰ τρία ταῦτα κάστρα, τό τε Χλιὰτ καὶ τὸ Ἀρζὲς καὶ τὸ Περκρί, εἰ κρατεῖ ὁ βασιλεύς, Περσικὸν φοσσᾶτον κατὰ Ῥωμανίας ἐξελθεῖν οὐ δύναται, ἐπειδὴ μέσον τυγχάνουσιν τῆς τε Ῥωμανίας καὶ Ἀρμενίας, καὶ εἰσὶν φραγμὸς καὶ ἀπλίκτα τῶν φοσσάτων. 45 Περὶ τῶν Ἰβήρων. Ἰστέον, ὅτι ἑαυτοὺς σεμνύνοντες οἱ Ἴβηρες, ἤγουν οἱ τοῦ κουροπαλάτου, λέγουσιν ἑαυτοὺς κατάγεσθαι ἀπὸ τῆς γυναικὸς Οὐρίου, τῆς παρὰ τοῦ ∆αυίδ, τοῦ προφήτου καὶ βασιλέως μοιχευθείσης· ἐκ γὰρ τῶν ἐξ αὐτῆς τεχθέντων παίδων τῷ ∆αυὶδ ἑαυτοὺς λέγουσιν κατάγεσθαι καὶ συγγενεῖς εἶναι ∆αυίδ, τοῦ προφήτου καὶ βασιλέως καὶ ὡς ἐκ τούτου καὶ τῆς ὑπεραγίας Θεοτόκου διὰ τὸ ἐκ τοῦ σπέρματος ∆αυὶδ ταύτην κατάγεσθαι. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ οἱ μεγιστᾶνες τῶν Ἰβήρων ἀκωλύτως τὰς συγγενίδας αὐτῶν πρὸς γάμον ἄγουσιν, τὴν παλαιὰν οἰόμενοι φυλάττειν νομοθεσίαν· ἐξ Ἱερουσαλήμ τε λέγουσιν εἶναι τὴν γέννησιν αὐτῶν, καὶ ἐκ τῶν ἐκεῖσε χρηματισθῆναι κατ' ὄναρ μετελθεῖν καὶ κατοικῆσαι πρὸς τὰ μέρη Περσίδος, ἤγουν εἰς τὴν χώραν, εἰς ἣν νῦν οἰκοῦσιν. Οἱ δὲ χρηματισθέντες καὶ ἐξελθόντες ἐκ τῆς Ἱερουσαλὴμ ὑπῆρχον ὅ τε ∆αυὶδ ἐκεῖνος καὶ ὁ ἀδελφὸς αὐτοῦ, Σπανδιάτης, ὅστις Σπανδιάτης ἦν ἐκ Θεοῦ λαβὼν χάρισμα, ὡς αὐτοὶ φάσκουσιν, τοῦ μὴ ἐν πολέμῳ ἅπτεσθαι αὐτοῦ ξίφος εἰς οἱονδήποτε μέλος τοῦ σώματος αὐτοῦ ἄνευ τῆς καρδίας, ἣν καὶ διά τινος σκεπάσματος ἐν τοῖς πολέμοις περιεφρούρει. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ ἐπτοοῦντο τοῦτον καὶ ἐδεδίεισαν οἱ Πέρσαι, ὁ δὲ νενίκηκέ τε αὐτοὺς καὶ αὐτῶν κατεκράτησεν, καὶ τοὺς συγγενεῖς ἐνῴκισεν Ἴβηρας εἰς τὰς δυσκολίας, τὰς νῦν παρ' αὐτῶν κρατουμένας, ἐξ ὧν καὶ κατ' ὀλίγον ἐπλατύνθησαν καὶ ηὐξήθησαν καὶ εἰς μέγα ἔθνος ἐγένοντο. Εἶθ' οὕτως τοῦ βασιλέως Ἡρακλείου κατὰ Περσίδος ἐκστρατεύσαντος, ἡνώθησαν καὶ συνεταξίδευσαν αὐτῷ,