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small ones to guard the entrances of the desert. And at that same time a certain eunuch came, giving the stipends of the soldiers, and when the Arabs came according to custom to receive their stipend, the eunuch drove them away, saying that "The master with difficulty gives stipends to the soldiers, how much more to the336se dogs?" Therefore the Arabs, being distressed, went away to their kinsmen, and they guided them to the land of Gaza, which was very rich, the entrance of the desert being near Mount Sinai. Year of the world 6124. Year of the divine incarnation 624. Emperor of the Romans, Heraclius, year 31. 23rd. Leader of the Arabs, Abubachar, year 3. 2nd. Bishop of Constantinople, Sergius, year 29. 24th. Bishop of Jerusalem, Modestus, year 2. 2nd. Bishop of Alexandria, George, year 14. 14th. In this year Abubachar sent four generals, who, being guided, as I said before, by the Arabs, came and took Hera and all the land of Gaza. And Sergius, having come with difficulty at some point from Caesarea of Palestine with a few soldiers, and having joined battle, is killed first along with his soldiers, who were three hundred. And having taken many captives and much plunder, they returned with a splendid victory. And at that time an earthquake occurred in Palestine; and a sign appeared in the sky towards the south, the so-called beam, foretelling the dominion of the Arabs; and it remained for 30 days, stretching from south to north. And it was sword-shaped. Bishop of Jerusalem, Sophronius, year 3. Bishop of Alexandria, Cyrus, year 10. 24th. 3rd. 25th. 1st. 1st. In this year Abubachar dies, having ruled as emir for two and a half years; and Umar takes up the rule; who, having sent an army against Arabia, takes the city of Bostra along with other 337 cities. And they journeyed as far as Gabitha. Theodore, the brother of the emperor Heraclius, engaging them, was defeated and comes to the emperor in Edessa. And the emperor appoints another general, named Baanes, and sends Theodore the sakellarios with a Roman force against the Arabs; and having arrived at Emesa he encounters a multitude of Saracens, and having killed them and their emir, he drives the rest as far as Damascus; and there by the river Bardanesius he makes camp. And Heraclius, having despaired, left Syria, and taking the precious wood from Jerusalem went to Constantinople. And he turns Baanes from Damascus to Emesa and Theodore the sakellarios, who had an army of 40,000, and they pursue the Arabs from Emesa to Damascus. Year of the world 6120. Year of the divine incarnation 620. Emperor of the Romans, Heraclius, year 31. 25th. Leader of the Arabs, Umar, year 12. 1st. Bishop of Constantinople, Sergius, year 29. 20th. Bishop of Jerusalem, Sophronius, year 3. 2nd. Bishop of Alexandria, Cyrus, year 10. 2nd. In this year the Saracens marched out, having left Arabia, for the parts of Damascus, being an infinite multitude. And Baanes, having learned this, sends to the imperial sakellarios, that he should come with his own army to his aid, because the Arabs were a multitude. And the sakellarios came to Baanes, and dep338arting from Emesa they meet the Arabs, and when the battle took place on the first day, which was the third day of the week, the 23rd of the month of Lous, those with the sakellarios are defeated. And the men of Baanes, having mutinied, proclaim Baanes emperor and renounced Heraclius. Then those with the sakellarios withdrew, and the Saracens, finding them without a leader, join battle. And a south wind having blown against the Romans, being unable to face the enemy because of the dust, they are defeated. and having thrown themselves into the ravines of the Yarmuk river they were utterly destroyed there. And of both generals there were 40,000. Then the Saracens, having won a splendid victory, come to Damascus and they take it and the lands of Phoenicia; and they settle there, and they campaign

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μικρὰς πρὸς τὸ φυλάξαι τὰ στόμια τῆς ἐρήμου. ἐν αὐτῷ δὲ τῷ καιρῷ ἦλθέ τις εὐνοῦχος δίδων τὰς ῥόγας τῶν στρατιωτῶν, καὶ ἐλθόντες οἱ Ἄραβες κατὰ τὸ ἔθος λαβεῖν τὴν ῥόγαν αὐτῶν, ὁ εὐνοῦχος ἀπεδίωξεν αὐτούς, λέγων ὅτι "ὁ δεσπότης μόγις τοῖς στρατιώταις δίδωσι ῥόγας, πόσῳ μᾶλλον τοῖς κυσὶ τού336 τοις;" θλιβέντες οὖν οἱ Ἄραβες ἀπῆλθον πρὸς τοὺς ὁμοφύλους, καὶ αὐτοὶ ὡδήγησαν αὐτοὺς ἐπὶ τὴν χώραν Γάζης στομίου οὔσης τῆς ἐρήμου κατὰ τὸ Σιναῖον ὄρος πλουσίας σφόδρα. Κόσμου ἔτη ρκδʹ. Τῆς θείας σαρκώσεως ἔτη χκδʹ. Ῥωμαίων βασιλεὺς Ἡράκλειος ἔτη λαʹ. κγʹ. Ἀράβων ἀρχηγὸς Ἀβουβάχαρος ἔτη γʹ. βʹ. Κωνσταντ. ἐπίσκοπος Σέργιος ἔτη κθʹ. κδʹ. Ἱεροσολύμων ἐπίσκοπος Μόδεστος ἔτη βʹ. βʹ. Ἀλεξανδρείας ἐπίσκοπος Γεώργιος ἔτη ιδʹ. ιδʹ. Τούτῳ τῷ ἔτει ἔπεμψεν Ἀβουβάχαρος στρατηγοὺς τέσσαρας, οἳ καὶ ὁδηγηθέντες, ὡς προέφην. ὑπὸ τῶν Ἀράβων ἦλθον καὶ ἔλαβον τὴν Ἥραν καὶ πᾶσαν τὴν χώραν Γάζης. μόγις δὲ ἐλθών ποτε ἀπὸ Καισαρείας Παλαιστίνης Σέργιος σὺν στρατιώταις ὀλίγοις καὶ συμβαλὼν πόλεμον κτείνεται πρῶτος σὺν τοῖς στρατιώταις τριακοσίοις οὖσιν. καὶ πολλοὺς αἰχμαλώτους λαβόντες καὶ λάφυρα πολλὰ ὑπέστρεψαν μετὰ λαμπρᾶς νίκης. Αὐτῷ δὲ τῷ χρόνῳ σεισμὸς ἐγένετο κατὰ τὴν Παλαιστίνην· καὶ ἐφάνη σημεῖον ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ κατὰ μεσημβρίαν, ὁ λεγόμενος δοκίτης, προμηνύων τὴν τῶν Ἀράβων ἐπικράτησιν· ἔμεινε δὲ ἡμέρας λʹ διατείνων ἀπὸ μεσημβρίας ἕως ἄρκτου. ἦν δὲ ξιφοειδής. Ἱεροσολύμων ἐπίσκοπος Σωφρόνιος ἔτη γʹ. Ἀλεξανδρείας ἐπίσκοπος Κῦρος ἔτη ιʹ. κδʹ. γʹ. κεʹ. αʹ. αʹ. Τούτῳ τῷ ἔτει Ἀβουβάχαρος τελευτᾷ ἀμηρεύσας ἔτη δύο ἥμισυ· καὶ παραλαμβάνει τὴν ἀρχὴν Οὔμαρος· ὃς πέμψας στρατιὰν κατὰ τῆς Ἀραβίας παραλαμβάνει Βόστραν τὴν πόλιν μετὰ καὶ ἄλλων 337 πόλεων. ἀπεδήμησαν δὲ μέχρι τοῦ Γαβιθᾶ. τούτοις συμβαλὼν Θεόδωρος, ὁ τοῦ βασιλέως Ἡρακλείου ἀδελφός, ἡττήθη καὶ πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα ἐν Ἐδέσῃ ἔρχεται. ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς προχειρίζεται ἕτερον στρατηγόν, ὀνόματι Βαάνην, καὶ Θεόδωρον σακελλάριον μετὰ Ῥωμαϊκῆς δυνάμεως πέμπει κατὰ Ἀράβων· παραγενόμενος δὲ εἰς Ἔμεσαν συναντᾷ πλῆθος Σαρακηνῶν, καὶ ἀποκτείνας αὐτοὺς καὶ τὸν ἀμηρεύοντα αὐτῶν, τοὺς λοιποὺς ἀπελαύνει ἄχρι ∆αμασκοῦ· κἀκεῖσε παρὰ τὸν Βαρδανήσιον ποταμὸν παραφωσατεύει. Ἡράκλειος δὲ τὴν Συρίαν καταλιπὼν ὡς ἀπελπίσας, ἄρας καὶ τὰ τίμια ξύλα ἀπὸ Ἱερουσαλὴμ ἐπὶ τὴν Κωνσταντινούπολιν ἀπῄει. Βαάνην δὲ ἀπὸ ∆αμασκοῦ εἰς Ἔμεσαν στρέφει καὶ Θεόδωρον σακελλάριον ἔχοντας στρατὸν χιλιάδας μʹ, καὶ διώκουσι τοὺς Ἄραβας ἀπὸ Ἐμέσης ἕως ∆αμασκοῦ. Κόσμου ἔτη ρκʹ. Τῆς θείας σαρκώσεως ἔτη χκʹ. Ῥωμαίων βασιλεὺς Ἡράκλειος ἔτη λαʹ. κεʹ. Ἀράβων ἀρχηγὸς Οὔμαρος ἔτη ιβʹ. αʹ. Κωνσταντ. ἐπίσκοπος Σέργιος ἔτη κθʹ. κʹ. Ἱεροσολύμων ἐπίσκοπος Σωφρόνιος ἔτη γʹ. βʹ. Ἀλεξανδρείας ἐπίσκοπος Κῦρος ἔτη ιʹ. βʹ. Τούτῳ τῷ ἔτει ἐπεστράτευσαν οἱ Σαρακηνοὶ τὴν Ἀραβίαν καταλιπόντες ἐπὶ τὰ μέρη ∆αμασκοῦ πλῆθος ὄντες ἄπειρον. Βαάνης δὲ μαθὼν πρὸς τὸν βασιλικὸν σακελλάριον ἀποστέλλει, ἵνα καταλάβῃ μετὰ τοῦ ἑαυτοῦ στρατοῦ εἰς βοήθειαν αὐτοῦ διὰ τὸ πλῆθος εἶναι τοὺς Ἄραβας. κατέλαβε δὲ ὁ σακελλάριος πρὸς Βαάνην, καὶ ἀπ338 άραντες ἀπὸ Ἐμέσης συναντῶσι τοῖς Ἄραψιν, καὶ συμβολῆς γενομένης τῇ πρώτῃ ἡμέρᾳ, ἥτις ἦν τρίτη τῆς ἑβδομάδος, κγʹ τοῦ Λώου μηνός, ἡττῶνται οἱ περὶ τὸν σακελλάριον. στασιάσαντες δὲ οἱ τοῦ Βαάνους Βαάνην προχειρίζονται βασιλέα καὶ Ἡράκλειον ἀπεκήρυξαν. τότε οἱ περὶ τὸν σακελλάριον ὑπεχώρησαν, καὶ οἱ Σαρακηνοὶ εὑρόντες ἄδειαν συμβάλλουσι πόλεμον. ἀνέμου δὲ πνεύσαντος κατὰ Ῥωμαίων νότου, μὴ δυνηθέντες ἀντωπῆσαι τοῖς ἐχθροῖς διὰ τὸν κονιορτὸν ἡττῶνται. καὶ ἑαυτοὺς βαλόντες εἰς τὰς στενόδους τοῦ Ἱερμουχθᾶ ποταμοῦ ἐκεῖ ἀπώλοντο ἄρδην. ἦσαν δὲ ἀμφοτέρων τῶν στρατηγῶν χιλιάδες μʹ. τότε οἱ Σαρακηνοὶ νικήσαντες λαμπρῶς ἐπὶ τὴν ∆αμασκὸν ἔρχονται καὶ ταύτην παραλαμβάνουσι καὶ τὰς χώρας τῆς Φοινίκης· καὶ οἰκίζονται ἐκεῖ, καὶ στρατεύουσι