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to his wife, the daughter of the patrikios Asotios, also called Kiskases, as her patrimony. When they were dividing the land of the magistros Kourkenios by force of arms, both Asotios the kouropalates, and the magistros George, the ruler of Abasgia, and the magistros Pankratios, the brother of the aforesaid kouropalates, came to an agreement, and each took what was adjacent to him. And Ardanoutzin was adjacent to Symbatios, the son of the aforesaid David. Then they all seized the wife of the magistros Kourkenios, that is, the daughter of the patrikios Asotios, also called Kiskases, saying: "You, being a woman, cannot hold the castle." Then Symbatios gave lands to the woman in exchange for the castle, and he took over that castle of Ardanoutzin. It should be known that the kinship of these Iberians is of this manner. The mother of David and of Adranase the kouropalates, the father of the present Asotios the kouropalates, were the children of two brothers, that is, first cousins. And Symbatios, the son of David, had as wife the daughter of the magistros Pankratios, the father of Adranase, the present magistros, and when she died, Adranase took the sister of Symbatios, the son of David. Because the castle of Ardanoutzin is very strong, and it also has a large suburb like a country town, and merchandise from Trebizond and Iberia and Abasgia and from all the lands of Armenia and Syria arrives there, and it has an infinite commerce from such merchandise. And the land of the castle of Ardanoutzin, that is Arzyn, is both large and fertile, and it is the key to Iberia and Abasgia and the Mischi. Because the blessed emperor, the lord Romanos, sent the patrikios Constantine and droungarios of the fleet, who at that time was protospatharios and manglabites, having given him also the robe of a magistros in order to make Kourkenios the Iberian a magistros. And after the patrikios Constantine and droungarios of the fleet had gone as far as Nicomedia, the monk Agapios of Kymina entered, who at that time was in the holy city for the sake of prayer. And as he was passing through Iberia, he arrived at the castle of Ardanoutzin. And the patrikios Asotios, also called Kiskases, had an enmity with his son-in-law, Kourkenes, and he spoke to the monk Agapios, saying: "I adjure you by God and by the power of the precious and life-giving cross, that you go to the City, and tell the emperor, that he should send and take over my castle and have it under his authority." And the monk Agapios, having entered the City, related to the emperor all that the patrikios Asotios, also called Kiskases, had said to him. And while the aforesaid patrikios Constantine and droungarios of the fleet was at Nicomedia for the aforesaid matter of the promotion of Kourkenes the Iberian to magistros, by order of the emperor he received a note from the patrikios Symeon, the protoasekretis, to this effect: "Our holy emperor commands you to leave all your duties and go with haste to the patrikios Asotios, also called Kiskases, and take over his castle of Ardanoutzin, since through the monk Agapios he has informed our holy emperor that a faithful and trusted man should be sent to take over his castle of Ardanoutzin; and when you go into Chaldia, take with you useful archons, whom you know to be brave and faithful, and enter and seize that castle." And when the patrikios Constantine and droungarios of the fleet had gone to Chaldia and taken with him useful tourmarchs and archons and people up to the number of 300, he entered Iberia, and the blessed David, the brother of Asotios, the present kouropalates, detained him, saying to him: "Where have you been sent by the emperor, and what service are you to perform, because

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τῇ γυναικὶ αὐτοῦ, τῇ τοῦ πατρικίου Ἀσωτίου, τοῦ καὶ Κισκάση, θυγατρὶ ὡς πατρικὸν αὐτῆς. Ὅτε δὲ διεμέριζον τὴν χώραν τοῦ μαγίστρου Κουρκενίου μεθ' ὅπλων, ὅ τε Ἀσώτιος ὁ κουροπαλάτης καὶ ὁ μάγιστρος Γεώργιος, ὁ ἐξουσιαστὴς Ἀβασγίας καὶ ὁ μάγιστρος Παγκράτιος, ὁ ἀδελφὸς τοῦ προρρηθέντος κουροπαλάτου, ἦλθον εἰς συμβίβασιν, καὶ ἐπῆρεν ἕκαστος τὸ πλησιάζον αὐτῷ. Τὸ δὲ Ἀρδανούτζιν ἐπλησίαζεν τῷ Συμβατίῳ, τῷ τοῦ προρρηθέντος ∆αυὶδ υἱῷ. Τότε ἐκράτησαν πάντες τὴν γυναῖκα τοῦ μαγίστρου Κουρκενίου, ἤγουν τὴν θυγατέρα τοῦ πατρικίου Ἀσωτίου, τοῦ καὶ Κισκάση, λέγοντες, ὡς ὅτι· "Σὺ γυνὴ οὖσα οὐ δύνασαι κρατεῖν τὸ κάστρον." Τότε δέδωκεν ὁ Συμβάτιος εἰς ἀντισήκωσιν τοῦ κάστρου χωρία τῇ γυναικί, καὶ ἀνελάβετο τὸ τοιοῦτον κάστρον τὸ Ἀρδανούτζιν. Ἰστέον, ὅτι ἡ συγγένεια τῶν τοιούτων Ἰβήρων τοῦτον ἔχει τὸν τρόπον. Τοῦ ∆αυὶδ ἡ μήτηρ καὶ τοῦ Ἀδρανασὲ τοῦ κουροπαλάτου, τοῦ πατρὸς τοῦ ἀρτίως Ἀσωτίου τοῦ κουροπαλάτου, ὑπῆρχον δύο ἀδελφῶν παιδία, ἤγουν ἐξαδέλφαι. Εἶχεν δὲ Συμβάτιος, ὁ τοῦ ∆αυὶδ υἱός, γυναῖκα τὴν θυγατέρα τοῦ μαγίστρου Παγκρατίου, τοῦ πατρὸς τοῦ Ἀδρανασῆ, τοῦ ἀρτίως μαγίστρου, καὶ τελευτησάσης, ἔλαβεν ὁ Ἀδρανασὴ τὴν ἀδελφὴν τοῦ Συμβατίου, τοῦ υἱοῦ τοῦ ∆αυίδ. Ὅτι τὸ κάστρον τὸ Ἀρδανούτζιν ἐστὶν ὀχυρὸν πάνυ, ἔχει δὲ καὶ ῥαπάτιν μέγα ὡς χωρόπολιν, καὶ αἱ πραγματεῖαι τῆς τε Τραπεζοῦντος καὶ τῆς Ἰβηρίας καὶ τῆς Ἀβασγίας καὶ ἀπὸ πάσας τὰς χώρας τὰς Ἀρμενικὰς καὶ τῆς Συρίας ἐκεῖσε ἀφικνοῦνται, ἔχει δὲ καὶ κομμέρκιον ἐκ τῶν τοιούτων πραγματειῶν ἄπειρον. Ἡ δὲ χώρα τοῦ κάστρου Ἀρδανουτζίου, ἤτοι τὸ Ἀρζῦν ἐστιν καὶ πολλὴ καὶ εὔφορος, καὶ ὑπάρχει κλειδὶν τῆς τε Ἰβηρίας καὶ Ἀβασγίας καὶ τῶν Μισχιῶν. Ὅτι ὁ μακάριος βασιλεύς, ὁ κύρις Ῥωμανὸς ἀπέστειλεν τὸν πατρίκιον Κωνσταντῖνον καὶ δρουγγάριον τοῦ πλωΐμου, τῷ τότε καιρῷ πρωτοσπαθαρίου καὶ μαγγλαβίτου τυγχάνοντος, δεδωκὼς αὐτῷ καὶ ἱμάτιον μαγιστράτου πρὸς τὸ ποιῆσαι τὸν Κουρκένιον τὸν Ἴβηρα μάγιστρον. Μετὰ δὲ τὸ ἐξελθεῖν τὸν πατρίκιον Κωνσταντῖνον καὶ δρουγγάριον τοῦ πλωΐμου μέχρι Νικομηδείας εἰσῆλθεν ὁ μοναχὸς Ἀγάπιος ὁ τοῦ Κυμινᾶ, ὃς ἦν τῷ τότε καιρῷ εἰς τὴν ἁγίαν πόλιν εὐχῆς ἕνεκα. Καὶ διερχομένου αὐτοῦ τὴν Ἰβηρίαν, κατήντησεν εἰς τὸ κάστρον τὸ Ἀρδανούτζιν. Καὶ εἶχεν ὁ πατρίκιος Ἀσώτιος, ὁ καὶ Κισκάσης καλούμενος, ἔχθραν μετὰ τοῦ γαμβροῦ αὐτοῦ, τοῦ Κουρκένη, καὶ ἐλάλησεν εἰς τὸν μοναχὸν Ἀγάπιον, ὅτι· "Ἐνορκῶ σε εἰς τὸν Θεὸν καὶ εἰς τὴν δύναμιν τοῦ τιμίου καὶ ζωοποιοῦ σταυροῦ, ἵνα ἀπέλθῃς ἐν τῇ πόλει, καὶ εἴπῃς τὸν βασιλέα, ἵνα ἀποστείλῃ καὶ παραλάβῃ τὸ κάστρον μου καὶ ἔχῃ ὑπὸ τὴν ἐξουσίαν αὐτοῦ." Ὁ δὲ μοναχὸς Ἀγάπιος εἰσελθὼν ἐν τῇ πόλει, διηγήσατο τὸν βασιλέα, ὅσα ἐλάλησεν πρὸς αὐτὸν ὁ πατρί κιος Ἀσώτιος, ὁ καὶ Κισκάσης. Τοῦ δὲ προρρηθέντος πατρικίου Κωνσταντίνου καὶ δρουγγαρίου τοῦ πλωΐμου ἐν Νικομηδείᾳ τυγχάνοντος διὰ τὴν προρρηθεῖσαν τῆς προβολῆς τοῦ μαγίστρου τοῦ Κουρκένη Ἴβηρος ὑπόθεσιν, ἐκ προστάξεως τοῦ βασιλέως ἐδέξατο πιττάκιον τοῦ πατρικίου Συμεών, τοῦ πρωτοασηκρῆτις, ὡς ὅτι· "Κελεύει ὁ βασιλεὺς ἡμῶν ὁ ἅγιος καταλιπεῖν σε πάσας σου τὰς δουλείας καὶ ἀπελθεῖν ἐν συντομίᾳ πρὸς τὸν πατρίκιον Ἀσώτιον, τὸν καὶ Κισκάσην λεγόμενον, καὶ παραλαβεῖν τὸ κάστρον αὐτοῦ τὸ Ἀρδανούτζιν, ἐπειδὴ διὰ τοῦ μοναχοῦ Ἀγαπίου ἐδηλοποίησεν τὸν βασιλέα ἡμῶν τὸν ἅγιον τοῦ ἀποσταλῆναι πιστὸν ἄνθρωπον καὶ οἰκεῖον τοῦ παραλαβεῖν τὸ κάστρον αὐτοῦ τὸ Ἀρδανούτζιν· καὶ ἀπερχομένου σου ἐν Χαλδίᾳ, ἀναλαβοῦ ἄρχοντας χρησίμους, οὓς ἐπίστασαι εἶναι ἠνδρειωμένους καὶ πιστούς, καὶ εἴσελθε καὶ κράτησον τὸ τοιοῦτον κάστρον." Τοῦ δὲ πατρικίου Κωνσταντίνου καὶ δρουγγαρίου τοῦ πλωΐμου ἀπελθόντος ἐν Χαλδίᾳ καὶ ἀναλαβομένου τουρμάρχας χρησίμους καὶ ἄρχοντας καὶ λαὸν μέχρι τῶν τʹ, εἰσῆλθεν ἐν Ἰβηρίᾳ, καὶ ἐκράτησεν αὐτὸν ὁ μακάριος ∆αυίδ, ὁ ἀδελφὸς Ἀσωτίου, τοῦ ἀρτίως κουροπαλάτου, λέγων πρὸς αὐτόν· "Ποῦ ἀπεστάλης παρὰ τοῦ βασιλέως, καὶ τί δουλείαν ὀφείλεις ἐκτελέσαι, ὅτι