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To George the soldier, the death that overtook him in the sphendone of the hippodrome; for there, later, during the reign of Basil, having fallen under the charge of apostasy, he was beheaded. And when spring was already shining, both the Hagarenes and Theophilos set out against each other, but having been frightened of each other, they returned without accomplishing anything. But on his return, Theophilos received an embassy from the khagan of Khazaria, requesting that the fortress named 2.130 Markel be built; for this seemed to be a strong defense against the attack of the Patzinaks, separating them toward the parts of the Tanais river. The emperor, acceding to his request, sent a certain Petronas, and brought their request to completion. This man, upon returning, had given an opinion to the emperor that he would not rule Cherson securely otherwise than by appointing his own strategos; for up to that time no one of our men was sent to rule them, but a certain local man, holding the title of proteuon, was administering the affairs of the city. Therefore, the emperor, accepting his advice, sent not another but that very man himself as strategos of the country, sending orders to the then proteuon and the other local potentates to obey him without hesitation. From that time, therefore, it became established for strategoi to be sent to Cherson. In the following year, when the spring season arrived, Theophilos went out against the Hagarenes with a great force and host. He advanced far into Syria, at the same time ravaging the land and sacking and plundering everything he came upon. For he captured two cities by the law of war and enslaved their populations, and he also sacked the city called Sozopetra, which happened to be the native city of the amermoumnes; for which this man beseeched him greatly through letters, imploring him to spare his own native city, even if the emperor paid no heed to what was written. And having arranged these things, Theophilos returned to the capital, leaving Theophobos behind 2.131 in order to arrange the army's affairs well and to return to him with speed. But the Persians, being greatly distressed because of the shortage of their rations, having detained Theophobos in Sinope, proclaimed him emperor, even against his will, as he begged and beseeched them to desist from such an impulse, and threatening that they would suffer terrible things very soon on account of such a daring act. But since they did not pay heed to him but clung to the undertaking with whole mind and purpose, he secretly made known to the emperor what had been done, and informed him under oath that not he but the Persians were the cause of the daring acts. And at that time the emperor accepted his intention, and summoned him to the palace, restoring his former good fortune, and he gave a pardon to all the Persians and an amnesty for their misdeeds. The emperor decided that it was necessary to separate those who had been persuaded by his promises and had departed from Sinope, and not to let so great a multitude live together.

And since the whole multitude of the Persians amounted to thirty thousand, having considered it well, he sent out two thousand to each theme, ordering them to be under the command of the strategoi in it. This cause made the Persians suspicious, and not long after it brought Theophobos out of this life. And there was also a second cause, which the account will declare in its own time. But the amermoumnes was so wounded in his soul at the destruction of his sacked native city, that everywhere he 2.132 decreed that every age group from Babylonia and Phoenicia and Palestine and Coele-Syria, and even from farther Libya, be gathered. And he ordered everyone serving with him to write Amorion on his own shield, hinting at his impulse against it. So the whole army was gathered to him throughout Tarsus. And Theophilos also went out toward Dorylaion, a three days' journey away from Amorion. Therefore, when many were advising to relocate the one in Amorion

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Γεωργίῳ τῷ στρατιωτικῷ τὸν κατειληφότα αὐτὸν θάνατον ἐν τῇ σφενδόνῃ τοῦ ἱπποδρομίου· ἐκεῖσε γὰρ μετέπειτα τοῦ Βασιλείου βασιλεύοντος ἀποστασίας ἐγκλήματι περιπεσὼν ἀπετμήθη. Ἤδη δὲ τοῦ ἦρος διαλάμποντος οἵ τε Ἀγαρηνοὶ καὶ Θεόφιλος κατ' ἀλλήλων ἐξώρμησαν, ἀλλήλους δὲ πτοηθέντες ὑπέστρεψαν ἄπρακτοι. ὑποστρέψας δὲ ὁ Θεόφιλος πρεσβείαν ἐδέξατο τοῦ χαγάνου Χαζαρίας, ἐξαιτουμένου κτισθῆναι τὸ Μάρκελ ὀνομα 2.130 ζόμενον φρούριον· τοῦτο γὰρ ἐδόκει ἔρυμα καρτερὸν εἶναι τῆς τῶν Πατζινακῶν ἐφόδου, διεῖργον αὐτοὺς πρὸς τὰ μέρη τοῦ Τανάϊδος ποταμοῦ. οὗ ὑπακούσας τῇ αἰτήσει ὁ βασιλεὺς ἐξαπέ στειλέ τινα Πετρωνᾶν, καὶ τὴν τούτων αἴτησιν εἰς πέρας ἤγαγεν. οὗτος ὑποστρέψας γνώμην ἐδεδώκει τῷ βασιλεῖ ὡς οὐκ ἄλλως ἄρξει τῆς Χερσῶνος βεβαίως ἢ στρατηγὸν προχειριζόμενος ἴδιον· μέχρι γὰρ ἐκείνου τοῦ χρόνου οὐδεὶς τῶν ἡμετέρων ἄρξων ἐκείνων ἐστέλλετο, ἀλλ' ἐγχώριός τις πρωτεύων τὴν προσηγορίαν τὰ τῆς πόλεως ἦν διοικῶν. προσδεξάμενος οὖν τὴν αὐτοῦ συμβουλὴν ὁ βασιλεὺς οὐκ ἄλλον ἀλλ' ἐκεῖνον αὐτὸν ἐξαπέστειλε στρατηγὸν τῆς χώρας, διατάγματα πέμψας τῷ τότε πρωτεύοντι καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις αὐτόχθοσι δυνατοῖς ὑπείκειν αὐτῷ ἀνενδοιάστως. ἔκτοτε οὖν ἐκράτησε στρατηγοὺς εἰς Χερσῶνα πέμπεσθαι. Τῷ δ' ἐπιόντι ἐνιαυτῷ τῆς ἐαρινῆς ἐπιστάσης ὥρας ἔξεισι κατὰ τῶν Ἀγαρηνῶν ὁ Θεόφιλος μετὰ δυνάμεως καὶ χειρὸς πολλῆς. πρόεισι δὲ πορρωτέρω τῆς Συρίας, κείρων ὁμοῦ τὴν γῆν καὶ πορ θῶν καὶ πᾶν τὸ προστυχὸν ληϊζόμενος. πόλεις τε γὰρ πολέμου νόμῳ κατέσχε δύο καὶ ἠνδραποδίσατο, καὶ αὐτὴν δὲ τὴν λεγομένην Σωζόπετραν ἐξεπολιόρκησε, πατρίδα τυγχάνουσαν τοῦ ἀμερ μουμνῆ· ὑπὲρ ἧς πολλὰ κατεδεήθη διὰ γραμμάτων οὗτος, φεί σασθαι ἐκλιπαρήσας τῆς ἑαυτοῦ πατρίδος, εἰ καὶ μὴ προσέσχε τοῖς γραφομένοις ὁ βασιλεύς. καὶ ταῦτα διοικησάμενος ἐπάνεισι πρὸς τὴν βασιλεύουσαν ὁ Θεόφιλος, τὸν Θεόφοβον κατόπιν λιπὼν 2.131 ἐφ' ᾧ τε διαθέσθαι τὰ τοῦ στρατοῦ καλῶς καὶ διὰ τάχους πρὸς αὐτὸν ἐπαναδραμεῖν. ἀλλ' οἱ Πέρσαι διὰ τὴν τῶν σφῶν σιτηρε σίων ὑστέρησιν ὄντες περιαλγεῖς ἐν Σινώπῃ συσχόντες τὸν Θεό φοβον βασιλέα καὶ ἄκοντα ἀνεκήρυξαν, πολλὰ λιπαροῦντα καὶ ποτνιώμενον ἀποσχέσθαι τῆς τοιαύτης ὁρμῆς, καὶ ἐπαπειλοῦντα δεινὰ πείσεσθαι τούτους ὅσον οὔπω χάριν τοῦ τοιούτου τολμήμα τος. ὡς δ' οὐ προσεῖχον αὐτῷ ἀλλ' ὅλῃ γνώμῃ καὶ προαιρέσει τοῦ ἐγχειρήματος εἴχοντο, λάθρᾳ τὰ τελεσθέντα γνωρίζει τῷ βασιλεῖ, καὶ ἐνόρκως πληροφορεῖ ὡς οὐκ αὐτὸς οἱ Πέρσαι δὲ τῶν τολμηθέντων αἴτιοι. καὶ τότε μὲν τὴν ἐκείνου προαίρεσιν ὁ βα σιλεὺς ἀποδέχεται, καὶ πρὸς τὰ βασίλεια αὐτὸν εἰσκαλεῖ, τὴν προτέραν εὐκληρίαν ἀποδιδούς, συγγνώμην δὲ ἅπασι τοῖς Πέρ σαις δίδωσι καὶ κακῶν ἀμνηστίαν. οὓς καὶ πεισθέντας ταῖς ὑπο σχέσεσι καὶ τῆς Σινώπης ἀποδημήσαντας ἔγνω δεῖν ὁ βασιλεὺς διαστῆσαι καὶ μὴ τοσοῦτον πλῆθος ὁμοῦ διάγειν.

Καὶ ἐπείπερ εἰς τρεῖς μυριάδας τὸ πᾶν ἐκορυφοῦτο τῶν Περσῶν πλῆθος, κα λῶς σκεψάμενος ἑκάστῳ θέματι χιλιάδας ἐξαπέστειλε δύο, ὑπὸ χεῖρα τελεῖν προστάξας τοῖς ἐν αὐτῷ στρατηγοῦσιν. αὕτη ἡ αἰτία ὑπόπτους τε τοὺς Πέρσας ἐποίησε, καὶ μετ' οὐ πολὺ τὸν Θεό φοβον ἐξήγαγε τῆς ζωῆς. ἐγένετο δέ τις καὶ δευτέρα αἰτία, ἣν ὁ λόγος δηλώσει κατὰ τὸν οἰκεῖον καιρόν. Ὁ δ' ἀμερμουμνῆς τοσοῦτον ἐτρώθη τὴν ψυχὴν ἐπὶ τῇ καταλύσει τῆς ἐκπορθηθείσης πατρίδος αὐτοῦ, ὡς πανταχοῦ θε 2.132 σπίσαι πᾶσαν ἡλικίαν ἔκ τε Βαβυλωνίας καὶ Φοινίκης καὶ Παλαι στίνης καὶ κοίλης Συρίας, ἔτι δὲ καὶ τῆς πορρωτέρω Λιβύης ἀθροίζεσθαι. πάντα δὲ τὸν στρατευόμενον σὺν αὐτῷ γράφειν ἐπὶ τῆς οἰκείας ἀσπίδος Ἀμώριον ἐκέλευσε, τὴν κατ' αὐτοῦ ὁρμὴν αἰνιττόμενος. συνήχθη γοῦν αὐτῷ πᾶς ὁ στρατὸς ἀνὰ τὴν Ταρσόν. ἐπεξῄει δὲ καὶ ὁ Θεόφιλος κατὰ τὸ ∆ορύλαιον, τριῶν ἡμερῶν ὁδὸν Ἀμωρίου ἀπέχον. πολλῶν οὖν συμβουλευόντων μετοικίσαι τὸν ἐν Ἀμωρίῳ