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they were taking the Persians captive and were giving over the cities and villages to the fire. And the emperor, having departed from Lazica, met them. And Ziebel, seeing him and running up, embraces his neck and did obeisance to him, while the Persians from the city of Tiflis were watching. And all the people of the Turks, having fallen prone to the ground, stretched out on their faces, honored the emperor with a strange honor among the gentiles. Likewise also their rulers, having gone up on rocks, fell in the same manner. And Ziebel also brought his son, just getting a beard, to the emperor, being pleased by his words and astounded at his appearance and his wisdom. And Ziebel, having chosen 40,000 valiant men, gave them to the emperor as an alliance and he himself returned to his own country. And the emperor, having taken these, proceeded against Chosroes. And Sarbarus, having attacked Chalcedon, and the Avars from Thrace having approached the city, wished to take it, and having moved many engines against it and having brought from the Ister an infinite multitude, greater than number, in hollowed-out boats, they filled the gulf of the Horn. But after besieging the city for ten days by both land and sea, they were defeated by the power and cooperation of God and by the intercessions of the undefiled and God-bearing virgin; and having lost great multitudes on both land and sea, they returned to their own places with great shame. But Sarbarus, besieging Chalcedon, did not depart, but wintered there, raiding and plundering the parts across the straits and their cities. 317 Years of the world 118. Years of the divine incarnation 613. Heraclius, emperor of the Romans, for 31 years. 17th. Chosroes, king of the Persians, for 39 years. 39th. Sergius, bishop of Constantinople, for 29 years. 18th. Zacharias, bishop of Jerusalem, for 22 years. 18th. George, bishop of Alexandria, for 14 years. 8th. In this year, from the month of September, Heraclius, having invaded Persia with the Turks unexpectedly on account of the winter, threw Chosroes into consternation when he learned this. But the Turks, seeing the winter and the continuous attacks of the Persians, not enduring to toil along with the emperor, began to slip away little by little, and all of them, having abandoned him, returned. And the emperor addressed his own people, saying: "Know, brothers, that no one wishes to be our ally, but only God and his mother who bore him without seed, so that he might show his own power, since salvation is not in the multitude of peoples or of arms, but he sends down his help to those who hope in his mercy." And Chosroes, having gathered all his armies, appointed Razates as general over them, a most warlike and brave man, and sent him against Heraclius. And the emperor was setting fire to the cities and villages of Persia, and was consuming the captured Persians with the sword. And on the 9th of the month of October of the 15th indiction he arrived in the region of Chamaetha and rested the people for one week. But Razates, having come to Gazakon, got behind him and followed, as the Romans were consuming the provisions ahead. But he himself behind, like a hungry dog, was barely nourished from his crumbs; and from his not finding supplies, many of his beasts perished. And on the 1st of the month of December the emperor 318 arrived at the great river Zaban, and having crossed it, he pitched camp near the city of Nineveh. And Razates also arrived at the crossing, following him, and having gone down about three miles, he found another crossing and passed over. And the emperor, having sent Baanes the Stratelates with a few select soldiers, found a bandon of the Persians, and having killed its comes, he brought his head and his all-gold sword; and having killed many, he brought 20 alive, among whom was also the spatharios of Razates; who also announced to the emperor that Razates wished to fight him, having been so ordered by Chosroes, and

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τούς τε Πέρσας ᾐχμαλώτευον καὶ τὰς πόλεις καὶ κώμας τῷ πυρὶ παρεδίδουν. ἀπάρας δὲ καὶ ὁ βασιλεὺς ἀπὸ Λαζικῆς τούτοις συνήντησεν. ὁ δὲ Ζιέβηλ τοῦτον ἰδὼν καὶ προσδραμὼν κατασπάζεται αὐτοῦ τὸν τράχηλον καὶ προσεκύνησεν αὐτόν, ὁρώντων τῶν Περσῶν ἐκ τῆς πόλεως τοῦ Τιφίλιος. πᾶς δὲ ὁ λαὸς τῶν Τούρκων εἰς γῆν πεσόντες πρηνεῖς, ἐκταθέντες ἐπὶ στόμα τὸν βασιλέα ἐτίμων τιμὴν τὴν παρ' ἔθνεσι ξένην. ὁμοίως καὶ οἱ ἄρχοντες αὐτῶν ἐπὶ πετρῶν ἀναβάντες τῷ αὐτῷ σχήματι ἔπεσον. προσήνεγκε δὲ ὁ Ζιέβηλ καὶ τὸν ἑαυτοῦ υἱὸν ἀρχιγένειον τῷ βασιλεῖ, ἡδυνόμενος τοῖς τούτου λόγοις καὶ ἐκπληττόμενος τήν τε θέαν καὶ τὴν φρόνησιν αὐτοῦ. ἐπιλεξάμενος δὲ ὁ Ζιέβηλ χιλιάδας μʹ ἀνδρῶν γενναίων ἔδωκε τῷ βασιλεῖ πρὸς συμμαχίαν καὶ αὐτὸς ὑπέστρεψεν εἰς τὴν ἰδίαν χώραν. τούτους δὲ λαβὼν ὁ βασιλεὺς κατὰ Χοσρόου ἐχώρει. ὁ δὲ Σάρβαρος τῇ Χαλκηδόνι προσβαλών, καὶ οἱ Ἄβαρεις ἐκ τῆς Θρᾴκης τῇ πόλει πλησιάσαντες, ταύτην ἑλεῖν ἐβούλοντο, καὶ πολλὰς μηχανὰς κατ' αὐτῆς κινήσαντες καὶ εἰς σκάφη γλυπτὰ ἐκ τοῦ Ἴστρου πλῆθος ἄπειρον καὶ ἀριθμοῦ κρεῖττον ἐνέγκαντες τὸν κόλπον τοῦ Κέρατος ἐπλήρωσαν. δέκα δὲ ἡμέρας τῇ πόλει παρακαθίσαντες διά τε γῆς καὶ θαλάττης τῇ τοῦ θεοῦ δυνάμει καὶ συνεργίᾳ καὶ ταῖς πρεσβείαις τῆς ἀχράντου καὶ θεομήτορος παρθένου ἡττήθησαν· καὶ πλήθη πολλὰ ἀποβαλόντες ἔν τε γῇ καὶ θαλάττῃ, μετὰ μεγάλης αἰσχύνης εἰς τοὺς ἑαυτῶν τόπους ὑπέστρεψαν. ὁ δὲ Σάρβαρος τῇ Χαλκηδόνι παρακαθεζόμενος οὐ μετέστη, ἀλλ' αὐτόθι ἐχείμασε κουρσεύων καὶ πραιδεύων τὰ περατικὰ μέρη καὶ τὰς πόλεις αὐτῶν. 317 Κόσμου ἔτη ριηʹ. Τῆς θείας σαρκώσεως ἔτη χιγʹ. Ῥωμαίων βασιλεὺς Ἡράκλειος ἔτη λαʹ. ιζʹ. Περσῶν βασιλεὺς Χοσρόης ἔτη λθʹ. λθʹ. Κωνσταντ. ἐπίσκοπος Σέργιος ἔτη κθʹ. ιηʹ. Ἱεροσολύμων ἐπίσκοπος Ζαχαρίας ἔτη κβʹ. ιηʹ. Ἀλεξανδρείας ἐπίσκοπος Γεώργιος ἔτη ιδʹ. ηʹ. Τούτῳ τῷ ἔτει ἀπὸ μηνὸς Σεπτεμβρίου εἰσβαλὼν ἐν Περσίδι Ἡράκλειος σὺν τοῖς Τούρκοις ἀπροσδοκήτως διὰ τὸν χειμῶνα εἰς ἔκστασιν ἐνέβαλε τὸν Χοσρόην τοῦτο μαθόντα. οἱ δὲ Τοῦρκοι τόν τε χειμῶνα ὁρῶντες καὶ τὰς συνεχεῖς ἐπιδρομὰς τῶν Περσῶν, μὴ ὑποφέροντες συγκοπιᾷν τῷ βασιλεῖ ἤρξαντο κατ' ὀλίγον ὑπορρέειν, καὶ πάντες ἀφέντες αὐτὸν ὑπέστρεψαν. ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς διελάλησε τῷ ἑαυτοῦ λαῷ, λέγων· "γνῶτε, ἀδελφοί, ὅτι οὐδεὶς ἡμῖν συμμαχῆσαι θέλει, ἀλλ' ἢ μόνος ὁ θεὸς καὶ ἡ τοῦτον τεκοῦσα ἀσπόρως μήτηρ, ἵνα δείξῃ τὴν ἑαυτοῦ δυναστείαν, ἐπειδὴ οὐκ ἐν πλήθει λαῶν ἢ ὅπλων ἡ σωτηρία ἐστίν, ἀλλ' εἰς τοὺς ἐλπίζοντας ἐν τῷ ἐλέει αὐτοῦ καταπέμπει τὴν βοήθειαν αὐτοῦ." ὁ δὲ Χοσρόης ἐπισυνάξας πάντα τὰ στρατεύματα αὐτοῦ προβάλλεται στρατηγὸν ἐπ' αὐτοὺς Ῥαζάτην, ἄνδρα πολεμικώτατον καὶ ἀνδρεῖον, καὶ κατὰ Ἡρακλείου τοῦτον ἀπέστειλεν. ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς τάς τε πόλεις τῆς Περσίδος ἐπυρπόλει καὶ τὰς κώμας, καὶ τοὺς καταλαμβανομένους Πέρσας ἀνήλισκε ῥομφαίᾳ. τῇ δὲ θʹ τοῦ Ὀκτωβρίου μηνὸς τῆς ιεʹ ἰνδικτιῶνος κατέλαβεν εἰς τὴν χώραν Χαμαηθᾶ καὶ διανέπαυσε τὸν λαὸν ἑβδομάδα μίαν. ὁ δὲ Ῥαζάτης ἐλθὼν εἰς τὸ Γαζακὸν ἐγενήθη ὀπίσω αὐτοῦ καὶ ἠκολούθει, τῶν Ῥωμαίων δαπανώντων ἔμπροσθεν τὰς τροφάς. αὐτὸς δὲ ὀπίσω ὡς κύων πεινῶν μόλις ἐκ τῶν ψιχίων αὐτοῦ ἐτρέφετο· καὶ ἐκ τοῦ μὴ εὑρίσκειν αὐτὸν δαπάνας πολλὰ τῶν ἀλόγων αὐτοῦ διεφθάρησαν. τῇ δὲ αʹ τοῦ ∆εκεμβρίου μηνὸς κατέλαβεν ὁ βασι318 λεὺς ποταμὸν μέγαν Ζάβαν, καὶ τοῦτον περάσας ἠπλήκευσε πλησίον Νινευὶ τῆς πόλεως. κατέλαβε δὲ καὶ ὁ Ῥαζάτης εἰς τὸ πέραμα ἐπακολουθῶν αὐτῷ καὶ κατελθὼν ἀπὸ τριῶν μιλίων εὗρεν ἄλλο πέραμα καὶ ἐπέρασεν. ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς ἀποστείλας Βαάνην τὸν στρατηλάτην μετὰ ἐπιλέκτων στρατιωτῶν ὀλίγων εὗρε βάνδον τῶν Περσῶν, καὶ φονεύσας αὐτοῦ τὸν κόμητα ἤνεγκεν αὐτοῦ τὴν κεφαλὴν καὶ τὸ σπαθὶν αὐτοῦ ὁλόχρυσον· καὶ πολλοὺς φονεύσας ζῶντας ἤνεγκεν κʹ, ἐν οἷς ἦν καὶ ὁ σπαθάριος τοῦ Ῥαζάτου· ὅστις καὶ ἀνήγγειλε τῷ βασιλεῖ, ὅτι πολεμῆσαι αὐτὸν βούλεται ὁ Ῥαζάτης, οὕτω κελευσθεὶς παρὰ Χοσρόου, καὶ