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1st, 10th, 11th, 2nd. In this year a sign appeared in the north, and dust fell in places. And there was also an earthquake at the Caspian Gates; and Walid was killed by the Arabs on the 10th of the month of April, on the 5th day, having ruled for 1 year, and Yazid the Deficient took power. This man, having scattered much money, took control of Damascus and received pledges of allegiance to rule from the Arabs throughout Damascus, Persia, and Egypt. Marwan, son of Muhammad, who was governing Armenia, hearing these things seized Mesopotamia, seemingly championing the children of Walid and opposing Yazid. And after 5 months Yazid died, leaving Ibrahim, his own brother, as successor in Damascus. Marwan, drawing up his forces against him with the men of Mesopotamia, came to Edessa and from there to the regions of Damascus and the Anti-Lebanon, to a plain called Garis, and there, joining battle with Sulayman [dies] by the river Litas, that is Kakos, he put him to flight and killed 20,000, and Sulayman alone with a few escaped as a fugitive to Damascus. And entering it, he killed 419 the sons of Walid, whom Marwan seemed to be championing, and left Damascus, having appropriated a considerable amount of money. And Marwan, also capturing Damascus, killed many of the prominent men and those who had cooperated in the murder of Walid and his children, and mutilated others. And he moved all the money and the treasures to Harran, the city of Mesopotamia. In the month of September, in the 12th indiction, Constantine, having come down to the region of Chalcedon, crossed over to the Thracian regions, while Sisinnius, the strategos of the Thrakesians, crossed via Abydos and laid siege to the land wall. And coming to the Charisian Gate, he rode along as far as the Golden Gate, showing himself to the crowds, and again he turned back and made camp at Saint Mamas. But those in the city began to be short of provisions, and having sent Athanasios the asekretis and Artauasdos, his domestikos, to bring provisions by boat, the fleet of the Kibyrrhaiotai found them outside Abydos, and having seized them, brought them up to the emperor; and he gave the grain to his own people, but Athanasios and Artauasdos he immediately blinded. After this Artabasdos attempted to open the gates of the land wall and to join battle with Constantine. And when the battle took place, the men of Artabasdos were routed, and many died, among them Monotes; And Artabasdos, having prepared dromons carrying cauldron-fire, sent them to Saint Mamas against the fleet of the Kibyrrhaiotai; when they approached, the men of the Kibyrrhaiotai came out and drove them away. And there was a severe famine in the city, so that a modios of barley was sold for 12 nomismata, of pulse for 19, of millet and of lupin for 8 nomismata, and 5 litrai of oil for a nomisma, and a xestes of wine for a semissis. And as the people were dying, Artabasdos was forced to let them go 420 so that they might leave the city. But watching their faces, he prevented some. Wherefore some covered their faces and put on women's clothing, while others [put on] the monastic habit and a hair-shirt; and thus they were able to escape notice and get out. And Niketas the monostrategos, having gathered his own people who had been scattered from Modrene, came as far as Chrysopolis, and as he was returning, the emperor crossed over and pursued after him, and catching him in Nicomedia, he captured him along with the curator from the episcopate, Marcellinus, whom he ordered to be beheaded immediately. But he shackled the monostrategos and displayed him to his father from the wall. And on the 2nd of the month of November, having suddenly drawn up for battle in the evening, he took the city through the land wall. And Artabasdos, together with the patrikios Baktangios, embarked on a chelandion and for the time being left for the Opsikion, and having gone away to the fort

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αʹ. ιʹ. ιαʹ. βʹ. Τούτῳ τῷ ἔτει κατὰ βορρᾶν ἐφάνη σημεῖον, καὶ κόνις κατῆλθεν εἰς τόπους. γέγονε δὲ καὶ σεισμὸς εἰς τὰς Κασπίας πύλας· καὶ ἀνῃρέθη Οὐαλὶδ ὑπὸ τῶν Ἀράβων μηνὶ Ἀπριλλίῳ ιʹ, ἡμέρᾳ εʹ, ἄρξας ἔτος αʹ, καὶ κρατεῖ τῆς ἀρχῆς Ἰζὶδ ὁ Λειψός. οὗτος χρήματα πολλὰ σκορπίσας ἐκράτησε τὴν ∆αμασκὸν καὶ δεξιὰς ἔλαβε τοῦ ἄρχειν ἐκ τῶν κατὰ τὴν ∆αμασκὸν καὶ Περσίδα καὶ Αἴγυπτον Ἀράβων. Μαρουάμ, υἱὸς Μουάμεδ, τὴν Ἀρμενίαν διέπων, ἀκούσας ταῦτα καταλαμβάνει τὴν Μεσοποταμίαν, ὑπερμαχῶν, τὸ δοκεῖν, τῶν τέκνων τοῦ Οὐαλὶδ καὶ ἐναντιούμενος τῷ Ἰζίδ. καὶ μετὰ μῆνας εʹ θνήσκει ὁ Ἰζὶδ καταλείψας Ἀβραΐμ, τὸν ἑαυτοῦ ἀδελφόν, ἐπὶ τῆς ∆αμασκοῦ διάδοχον. τούτῳ παραταξάμενος Μαρουὰμ ἔχων τοὺς τῆς Μεσοποταμίας ἔρχεται εἰς Ἔδεσαν κἀκεῖθεν εἰς τὰ μέρη ∆αμασκοῦ καὶ Ἀντιλιβάνου, εἰς κάμπον λεγόμενον Γάρις, κἀκεῖ συμβαλὼν τῷ Σουλεϊμὰν [θνήσκει] παρὰ τῷ ποταμῷ Λιτᾷ, τοῦτ' ἔστι Κακῷ, τρέπει αὐτὸν καὶ ἀναιρεῖ χιλιάδας κʹ, καὶ μόνος Σουλεϊμὰν μετ' ὀλίγων φυγὰς κατὰ τὴν ∆αμασκὸν διασώζεται. εἰσελθὼν δὲ ἐν αὐτῇ ἀνεῖλε 419 τοὺς υἱοὺς Οὐαλίδ, ὧν ὑπερμαχεῖν ἐδόκει Μαρουάμ, καὶ ἐξῆλθε τῆς ∆αμασκοῦ χρήματα σφετερισάμενος ἱκανά. καταλαβὼν δὲ καὶ Μαρουὰμ τὴν ∆αμασκὸν ἀνεῖλε πολλοὺς τῶν ὑπερεχόντων καὶ τοὺς συνεργήσαντας τῷ φόνῳ τοῦ Οὐαλὶδ καὶ τῶν τέκνων αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἄλλους ἠκρωτηρίασεν. τὰ δὲ χρήματα καὶ τοὺς θησαυροὺς ἅπαντας μετέστησεν εἰς Χαρρὰν τὴν πόλιν Μεσοποταμίας. Τῷ δὲ Σεπτεμβρίῳ μηνί, ιβʹ ἰνδικτιῶνος, κατελθὼν Κωνσταντῖνος ἐπὶ τὰ μέρη Χαλκηδόνος ἀντεπέρασεν ἐν τοῖς Θρᾳκῴοις μέρεσιν, Σισιννίου τοῦ στρατηγοῦ τῶν Θρᾳκησίων διὰ τῆς Ἀβύδου περάσαντος καὶ τῷ χερσαίῳ τείχει παρακαθίσαντος. καὶ ἐλθὼν ἐπὶ τὴν Χαρσίου πόρταν διέδραμεν ἕως τῆς Χρυσῆς πόρτης ἑαυτὸν τοῖς ὄχλοις ἐπιδεικνύων, καὶ πάλιν ὑπέστρεψε καὶ ἠπλήκευσεν εἰς τὸν ἅγιον Μάμαντα. οἱ δὲ τῆς πόλεως ἤρξαντο στενοῦσθαι εἰς τὰς δαπάνας, καὶ ἀποστείλας Ἀθανάσιον τὸν ἀσηκρήτην καὶ Ἀρτάυασδον, τὸν δομέστικον αὐτοῦ, πρὸς τὸ κομίσαι δαπάνας διὰ σκαφῶν, εὗρε τούτους ὁ στόλος τῶν Κιβυραιωτῶν ἔξω τῆς Ἀβύδου, καὶ τούτους κατασχὼν πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα ἀνήγαγεν· καὶ τὸν μὲν σῖτον τοῖς ἰδίοις λαοῖς ἐδωρήσατο, Ἀθανάσιον δὲ καὶ Ἀρτάυασδον παραυτὰ ἐτύφλωσεν. μετὰ ταῦτα ἐδοκίμασεν Ἀρτάυασδος ἀνοῖξαι τὰς τοῦ χερσαίου τείχους πόρτας καὶ συμβαλεῖν πόλεμον μετὰ τοῦ Κωνσταντίνου. καὶ γενομένης συμβολῆς, ἐτράπησαν οἱ τοῦ Ἀρταυάσδου, καὶ πολλοὶ ἀπέθανον, ἐν οἷς καὶ ὁ Μονώτης· κατασκευάσας δὲ ὁ Ἀρτάυασδος διήρεις κακκαβοπυρφόρους ἀπέστειλεν εἰς τὸν ἅγιον Μάμαντα κατὰ τοῦ στόλου τῶν Κιβυραιωτῶν, ὧν ἀπελθόντων, ἐξῆλθον οἱ τῶν Κιβυραιωτῶν καὶ ἀπήλασαν αὐτούς. ἐγένετο δὲ λιμὸς ἰσχυρὰ ἐν τῇ πόλει, ὥστε πραθῆναι τὸν μόδιον τῆς κριθῆς νομισμάτων ιβʹ, τοῦ δὲ ὀσπρίου ιθʹ, τοῦ δὲ κέγχρου καὶ τοῦ λουπίνου νομισμάτων ηʹ, τὸ δὲ ἔλαιον εʹ λίτραι τοῦ νομίσματος, καὶ ὁ ξέστης τοῦ οἴνου σημισίου. τοῦ δὲ λαοῦ θνήσκοντος, ἠναγκάσθη Ἀρτάυασδος ἀπο420 λύειν αὐτοὺς πρὸς τὸ ἐξέρχεσθαι τῆς πόλεως. ἐπιτηρῶν δὲ τὰ πρόσωπα τοὺς μὲν ἐκώλυεν. ὅθεν τινὲς ἐκώλυσαν τὰ ἑαυτῶν πρόσωπα καὶ γυναικείαν στολὴν περιεβάλοντο, οἱ δὲ μοναδικὸν σχῆμα καὶ τριχίνην στολήν· καὶ οὕτως ἠδύναντο λαθεῖν καὶ ἐξελθεῖν. Νικήτας δὲ ὁ μονοστράτηγος ἐπισωρεύσας τὸν ἴδιον λαόν, τὸν ἀπὸ Μοδρινῆς σκορπισθέντα, ἦλθεν ἕως Χρυσοπόλεως, καὶ ὑποστρέφοντος αὐτοῦ, περάσας ὁ βασιλεὺς κατεδίωξεν ὀπίσω αὐτοῦ, καὶ καταλαβὼν αὐτὸν ἐν Νικομηδείᾳ ἐχειρώσατο αὐτὸν σὺν τῷ ἀπὸ ἐπισκόπων κουράτορι Μαρκελλίνῳ, ὃν παραυτὰ ἀποτμηθῆναι ἐκέλευσεν. τὸν δὲ μονοστράτηγον πεδήσας διὰ τοῦ τείχους τῷ πατρὶ ἐπεδείκνυεν. τῇ δὲ βʹ τοῦ Νοεμβρίου μηνὸς ἄφνω παραταξάμενος τῇ δείλῃ διὰ τοῦ χερσαίου τείχους τὴν πόλιν παρέλαβεν. ὁ δὲ Ἀρτάυασδος ἅμα τῷ πατρικίῳ Βακταγγίῳ εἰς χελάνδιν εἰσελθὼν πρὸς τὸ παρὸν ἐξῆλθεν εἰς τὸ Ὀψίκιν, καὶ ἀπελθὼν εἰς τὸ κάστρον