And in the year nine hundred.and sixty of the GREEKS (A.D. 649) MU'AWIYAH collected an army, and he brought one thousand seven hundred ships from ALEXANDRIA, and they went down into the sea and arrived at the island of CYPRUS. And they sent a message to the people of the island that they should [come] and take a pledge as to [the safety of] their lives. And when they would not do this, the armed men went on the island, and they destroyed and looted [the villages]; and also defiled the episcopal house, and then they went away. And after a little while ABU AL-'UR, another captain of the host, went to CYPRUS a second time. and he plundered the whole island; and the ARABS also expelled the men from the caves in the earth. And he camped about the city of LAPATHUS, and he took the gold and the silver which he found therein, but he did not harm the people. because they had taken [from him] a pledge for [the safety of] their lives. And after these things MU'AWIYAH camped about 'ARVAD, which is also an island, and when he had captured it he expelled the people, and ploughed it up so that it might never again be inhabited.
And in the year nine hundred and sixty-five of the GREEKS (A.D. 654) ABU AL-'UR and his army sailed round the island of COS, and through the treachery of the bishop thereof captured it; and they plundered and looted and slew the inhabitants, and razed its fortress to the ground. And he went to CRETE and plundered it, and laid waste RHODES. And a great number of men hauled on strong ropes which were tied round the brass COLOSSUS which was in the city and pulled it down. And they weighed from it three thousand loads of Corinthian brass, and they sold it to a certain JEW from EMESA.
And in the year thirty-seven of the ARABS (A.D. 657) MU'AWIYAH prepared ships that they might sail against CONSTANTINOPLE. Then two zealous men, together with their followers, came to them, and they burnt the ships of the ARABS and many [106] of the ARABS perished; and the rest swam away on rafts (or, little floats) and fled to the territory of the RHOMAYE. Then MU'AWIYAH was angry, and he sent away ABU AL-'UR with the army. And when they came to the place which is called PHOENlCIA he found there king KUSTANS and his brother THEODOSIUS. And whilst they were preparing to make war on the following day, king KUSTANS slept, and he saw in his dream that he was in THESSALONICA. And when he related his dream to an interpreter of dreams, he replied to him, 'Would that thou hadst not slept, O king, and seen this dream. THESSALONICA is to be interpreted: THIS ALLIO TIN NIKI, that is, "is allotted the victory to others"'. And when the king, scorning the interpretation of the dream, set the ships on the sea in the order of battle the RHOMAYE were defeated. And, moreover, the king himself would have been killed if the son of the trumpeter had not leaped on to the royal ship, and carried the king across to another ship so that he might be saved (or, escape). And he himself remained on the royal ship, and he killed many [men] and was himself killed. And KUSTANS and his brother fled to the royal city. And about twenty thousand dead bodies of the RHOMAYE were found floating about on the waters.
And when the ARABS had again made ready to go up to CONSTANTINOPLE, PTOLEMY went out and gave [them] gold, and concluded peace for a period of three years. Now KUSTANS killed his brother THEODOSIUS, and was on account of this hated by his troops. And he was afraid and went to RHOMI. And as he tarried [there] his troops raged angrily, saying, 'It is not seemly for the king to be in RHOMI, because he is far away from the ARABS' ; then KUSTANS came to the island of SICILY. And when he arrived at SYRACUSE, it was pleasing to him to dwell there. And he sent for his sons, but the citizens were unwilling [to let them go], saying, 'We will not permit our kings to go away from us'. Then he made his three sons Autocrators, viz. CONSTANTINE, TIBERIUS, and HERCULES. And he made them to dwell in the royal city whilst he himself was dwelling in SYRACUSE. For he was afraid lest his troops would kill him; now they used to call him the 'Second CAIN'.
Now since 'UTHMAN did not by any means abandon his evil habits, the ARABS gathered together, [107] and they told him that he must live and behave continently like the kings who had preceded him. Then he replied to them, saying, 'Since I am king I am going to do everything I wish [to do]'; and they parted from him raging like panthers (or, wild beasts). And again they gathered together round about him when they were armed, and they cried out, 'Either change thy customs and works or thou shalt die straightway'. Then 'UTHMAN wrote to MU'AWIYAH [ordering him] to send an army to him, but the ARABS made haste, and they rushed upon him with great violence and killed him. Now MU'AWIYAH sent an army with HABIB, and when they arrived in BOSRA and heard that 'UTHMAN had been killed, they left [the city] and returned.
After 'UTHMAN, 'ALI BAR-ABU TALIB [ruled] for five years in YATHREB and BABEL only because SYRIA and EGYPT were with (i.e. in the hands of) MU'AWIYAH. And in the year nine hundred and sixty-eight of the GREEKS (A.D. 657), the two parties attacked each other, and many having been destroyed on both sides, MU'AWIYAH returned without having pleased 'ALI. And again they attacked each other, and many were killed among them. Then three men fired with zeal went forth to go and kill the three men because of whom war had fallen on the ARABS, viz. 'ALI, and MU'AWIYAH, and HABIB, and SA'ID, the captain of the host who was in EGYPT. Thereupon the man who went to EGYPT was seized and killed; and thus did it happen to him that went to the camp of MU'AWIYAH; and the third who went to the camp of 'ALI, one pierced him with a spear and killed him. Then the ARABS agreed that the East and the West should belong to MU'AWIYAH, and they transferred the kingdom from YATHREB to the city of DAMASCUS.
After 'ALl, MU'AWIYAH [ruled] nineteen years. For it happened also that in the days of 'OTHMAN for fifteen years MU'AWIYAH governed PALESTINE, and it was thus also during the five years of 'ALI, in all thirty-nine years (19+15+5 years).
In the year nine hundred and seventy-seven of the GREEKS (A.D. 666) SHABHOR, captain of the host of the 'ARMANIKO, rebelled against KUSTANS, and he sent to MU'AWIYAH a man whose name was SARGI (SERGIUS), saying, 'Give me help, and I will subjugate for thee the whole of RHOMANIA; (i.e. country of the GREEKS)'. Then when CONSTANTINUS, the son of the king, who was in the royal camp heard these things, he also sent to MU'AWIYAH one ANDREA, a eunuch and his cubicularius, who was renowned for his knowledge of the art [108] of war. And when, as MU'AWIYAH had commanded, SARGI came in first, and ANDREA next, SARGI trembled, and leaped up and stood bowing in homage to ANDREA. Then MU'AWIYAH struck SARGI, saying, 'If this slave terrifieth thee in this wise, how wouldst thou behave (i.e. what would happen to thee) if thou sawest his master?' And SARGI replied, 'I did this, not through fear, but because it is my habit to pay respect and to use flattery.' Then MU'AWIYAH asked ANDREA, 'Why hast thou come?' And he replied, 'The king sent us so that a rebel might not flatter thee. For if this man showed himself to his master and his benefactor in every way to be one who returneth evil [for good], how much more would he do so to thee?' Then MU'AWIYAH said, 'Ye are all our enemies. The man who multiplieth tribute for us, him will we help.'
And ANDREA replied, 'Even though it be so, still there is the possibility that one enemy may be better than another. Moreover, the slave and the lord are not equal. For the lord freely, and in most excellent fashion, goeth forth to attend to the business of the state, whilst he who liveth under servile and slavish persons [goeth forth] more servilely, and as is fitting for an inferior. Therefore that which my lord [promiseth] to give, even though it happen that it is less than that which a tyrant promiseth, it is meet that thou shouldst believe him and not seek to negotiate [with him] like a merchant.' ANDREA said these words and went out. And on the following day SARGI arrived early. And when ANDREA came SARGI did not stand up before him. And ANDREA said unto him, 'O thou hopeless one, why hast thou not stood up before me?' Then SARGI made bold and he poured out abuse upon ANDREA as if he had been a weak and contemptible man (literally, a woman-like man). And ANDREA threatened SARGI that he would remove from him his testicles. And MU'AWIYAH said to ANDREA, 'If ye will give to us the tribute of all your country, the name of kingdom (or, sovereignty) shall remain to you; and if not get thee gone'. And ANDREA plucked up courage and replied, 'So then the ARABS possess the substance and the GREEKS the shadows? Nevertheless, we have a place of refuge in God.' And he went forth and made his course against MELITENE. And he commanded the guards of the mountain passes to seize SARGI when he was passing. Now MU'AWIYAH had promised SARGI to send an army to him. And when SARGI came back the men in ambush seized him, and brought him to ANDREA. And he commanded and had the testicles of SARGI extracted and placed in his hands, and then ANDREA impaled (or, crucified) him.
Now before the army of the ARABS could reach SHABHOR, he was crushed in the gate of his palace as he was riding through it, and he died. [109] And the ARABS captured all the country as far as CHALCEDON, and they halted there.
And in the year nine hundred and eighty, one of the GREEKS (A.D. 670) CONSTANTINUS commanded that the RHOMAYE should be subject to him and his brothers, TIBERIUS and HERAKLI equally, that the effigies of the three of them should be [stamped] on the darics. And he warned every man not to make any distinction between them. And he went to GALLIA, and to ITALY, and he subjugated all the western nations. Then the ARABS went to AFRICA, and captured about eighty thousand men. A year later they also captured LYCIA and CILICIA. And they went a second time to LYCIA, and three PATRICIANS of the RHOMAYE came against them, and conquered them. And about thirty thousand of the ARABS fell; and those who were left alive went up into ships and were wrecked by storms. Then a certain man, a carpenter of BA'ALBAK, whose name was CALONICUS, compounded an inflammable mixture (i.e. 'Greek fire') and burnt the ships of the ARABS. And from this time the RHOMAYE. learned how to make an inflammable mixture with naphtha (or, pitch). Up to this time the ARABS had conquered only, but from this moment they conquered and were conquered.
And CONSTANTINUS also sent men, brigands and outlaws of the RHOMAYE, that is to say LIPORE, who are called 'GARGUMAYE' by the SYRIANS, and they seized the country from MOUNT GALILEE to BLACK MOUNTAIN and all the mountain range of LEBANON, and the ARABS suffered many afflictions at their hands. At length the ARABS gained the upper hand, and some of them they killed and some of them they blinded. Now as a son had been granted to CONSTANTINE, JUSTINIANUS, he dismissed his brethren from [their] sovereignty, and subjugated the governors by means of gifts. LEO, one of the nobles, would not agree to do so, and the king ordered his tongue and his hands and his feet to be cut off. And when DIMIOS (DIMOS, i.e. the mob?) cleaved to him, and he went about crying out, 'I do not deny the Trinity which is in heaven, and I will not reject the Trinity which is on the earth'; as he continued to cry out these things he suffered the death penalty .
And CONSTANTINE brought his brothers before the princes of the RHOMAYE, and he said unto them, 'O TIBERIUS, and thou HERAKLI, what do ye call me? Your brother, or your king? If ye call me "king" I will call you my brothers. But if ye say unto me "brother", I shall know you as enemies.' And they replied, 'we do not excuse ourselves from speaking [110] of thee as our great, elder brother, but most certainly at no time do we ever speak of thee as our "king" because we reign jointly with thee'. Then the Senate, because their eyes had been blinded by bribery, sided with CONSTANTINUS, and they cast out [the two brothers].
And in the year nine hundred and eighty-nine of the GREEKS (A.D. 678), during the third watch of the night, a perfect bow appeared [in the heavens]—when the sun was below the earth (i.e. horizon)—a supernatural occurrence! And the mice [or, rats] multiplied in SYRIA and PHOENICIA, and devoured the grain, and one year later the locust came.
After MU'AWIYAH, YAZID his son [ruled] three years and eight months. This Khalifah collected a great number artizans (kalagare), that is to say workmen, and he wished to make the river of water to flow to the place of ablutions (?); but although he laboured greatly, the end overtook him and he ceased to work, and the waters did not flow forth. At this time a great comet appeared for eleven days. And there was a severe winter, and the EUPHRATES was frozen over, and olive groves and vineyards withered, and beasts, and cattle, and birds came to an end. These things took place in the year nine hundred and ninety-four of the GREEKS (A.D. 683).
After YAZID, MU'AWIYAH his son [ruled] for nearly four months. Now when YAZID, the son of MU'AWIYAH, was dead, MUKHTAR, a cunning and treacherous man, and a respecter of persons, rebelled in the country of KUFAH. And those who were in YATHREB set up [as their king] a man whose name was 'ABD ALLAH BAR-ZUBAYR. And those who were in DAMASCUS set up MU'AWIYAH BAR-YAZID, the son of MU'AWIYAH. And when the year nine hundred and ninety-six ot the GREEKS began (A.D. 685), on the third day of the month of ILUL (SEPTEMBER), the ARABS fought a fierce battle with each other, and of those who were slain on both sides there fell nearly forty thousand men, on the river KHAZAR, which is in the country of NINEVEH. Therefore, when the youth MU'AWIYAH—who was called 'ABU LAYLA (i.e., 'Father of the Night') because of his timidity, for by this name the ARABS called feeble men because of their resemblance to babies who are afraid in the night—saw the great strife which existed among the ARABS, he gathered them all together, under the excuse of prayer, on the sixth day of the week (Friday), and he dismissed himself (i.e. abdicated) from the kingdom. And he sat in his house for three months and twenty days and died.
After MU'AWIYAH, the son of YAZID, MARWAN, the son of HAKAM, [ruled] four months. This Khalifah came from YATHREB to DAMASCUS in order to make the two parties [of the ARABS] conclude a peace, for he was a wise and understanding man, and he advised them [to do so]. And he wrote three names on three arrows, and placed the arrows in the hands of [111] one who had no knowledge of the business, so that they might appoint king him [whose name] he shot forth first. And they all agreed to this, and the lot of MARWAN went forth. And when he had stood four months he died. And in that year, which was the year nine hundred and ninety-seven of the GREEKS (A.D. 686), CONSTANTINE died also, and JUSTINIANUS his son reigned ten years.
After MARWAN, the son of HAKAM, 'ABD ALLAH, the son of ZUBAYR, [ruled] eight years and four months. This Khalifah lived, as we have said, in YATHREB, and in his days a great cleavage among the ARABS took place. In BABEL a man whose name was 'ABD ALLAH rebelled, and in RAS 'AYN another whose name was HUKAB (HUBAB?), and one BURIDHA in NISIBIS, and 'OMAR, the son of SA'ID in DAMASCUS, and one ZUFERA in CIRCESIUM (OSRHOENE). And the disaffected men of the RHOMAYE who were in LEBANON were robbing people everywhere. And when this cleavage had existed among the ARABS for nearly eight years, the DAMASCENES proclaimed 'ABD AL-MALIK, the son of MARWAN, the son of HAKAM, as their king.
After 'ABD ALLAH BAR ZUBAYR, 'ABD ALLAH, the son of MARWAN, [ruled] thirteen years and six months. He was called 'ABHA DIBHABHI' ('Father of Flies') because the exudations of his teeth were bloody, and when he was negligent the flies collected about his mouth. When he was proclaimed king and saw that wars surrounded him on every side, and that he was especially troubled by the marauding bands of the RHOMAYE, he made peace with JUSTINIANUS for ten years. And he made a covenant with JUSTINIANUS that he should expel his bands of robbers, who were twelve thousand in number, from the country of the ARABS. And that he, 'ABD AL-MALIK, in return for this [service] should give to the RHOMAYE each day one thousand darics, and one horse, and one slave; and that CYPRUS should be common property, and that one half of it should pay tribute to the RHOMAYE and the other half of it tribute to.the ARABS; and that ARMENIA, and GURZAN, and 'ARZAN, and 'ADHORBIGAN should belong to the RHOMAYE.
And when peace was established 'ABD AL-MALIK made war on BAR ZUBAYR and conquered him. And BAR ZUBAYR fled, and went to YATHREB, and took refuge in the house in which men prayed (i.e. the Mosque). And a certain chief who was called HAGHAGH (or, HAJAJ) pursued him, and he set up engines of war against the building, and knocked down the wall. And he went in and killed BAR ZUBAYR, and came back and [re]built the house.
Then JUSTINIANUS waxing proud, transgressed [his] oaths, [112] and he broke the peace before it was fulfilled, and he sent and made captives the ARABS who were in CYPRUS. Because of this MAHAMMAD, the Amir of the island of KARDU, went to CAPPADOCIA, and the RHOMAYE and the 'ASKLABE (SLAVS) attacked him in battle, and the RHOMAYE were defeated near CESARAEA. And the 'ASKLABE (SLAVS) made friends with the ARABS, and about seven thousand of them went out with them to SYRIA. And they settled them in ANTIOCH and in KUROS, and gave them women and provisions (rations?).
Then JUSTINIANUS, even as he had not kept [his] oath to the ARABS, so he also began to kill the nobles of the RHOMAYE. And because of this they gathered together against him, and they seized him and cut off his nose.
And a man whose name was LEONTIUS reigned in the year one thousand and seven of the GREEKS (A.D. 696). And in that year the Amir of the city of GAZARTA impaled (or, crucified) unjustly the nobles, viz. SIMON BAR NAWLA of HALUGHA, and MARDANSHA, and his son, from NISIBIS. One year later the ARABS began to strike coins, dinars (gold), and zuze (silver), and fulse (copper), with inscriptions only and without effigies (i.e. portraits).
In the year one thousand and ten of the GREEKS (A.D. 699), the captain of the host of CILICIA, whose name was 'APSIMAROS, who is called 'TIBERIUS', came and swept away LEONTIUS from the kingdom, and reigned in his stead, but he did not kill LEONTIUS. This TIBERIUS subjugated again the SLAVS who had rebelled against the RHOMAYE. And he went out to the country of SAMOSATA and slew five thousand ARABS, and hc took captives and looted and came back. Then 'ABD AL-MALIK appointed two captains of the host, viz. MAHAMMAD over BETH NAHRIN, and ASSYRIA, and ARMENIA, and ADHORBIJAN, and his servant HAJAJ over all PERSIA and ARABIA. And when HAJAJ plundered the chiefs of the ARABS mercilessly, MAHAMMAD sent and brought MU'ED, the chief of the Thaglabite ARABS who were Christians, and urged him to become a Muslim. And when he refused to do so he cast him into a miry pit. And then he brought him out again, and flattered him, and when he would not be persuaded by any means whatsoever, he killed MU'ED. And he also collected the chiefs of the ARMENIANS and shut them up in one of the churches of ARMENIA, and then he set the church on fire and burnt them all. And he slew ANASTUS, the son of ANDREA, governor of EDESSA.
Now hitherto the Christian nobles had been managing the public affairs .of the kingdom of the ARABS. For DIONYSIUS, Patriarch of TALL MAHRE, saith, that 'ATHANASI (ATHANASIUS), who was called 'Bar Gumaye', was a very intellectual man, [113] who was well trained in the knowledge of books, and was famous in every place. When 'ABD AL-MALIK, the king of the ARABS, heard the report of him, he sent and summoned him [to his court]. And when he saw that he was qualified in every particular, he sent him with 'AZIZ, his brother's son, to EGYPT, and entrusted to him the management of the youth. And he progressed to the point that the whole kingdom of the ARABS was administered by him. And he increased [in power] and became very rich, and he possessed four thousand slaves, and mansions, and villages, and luxurious houses, and gold and silver like stones. And from the revenue of the four hundred guest houses (i.e. inns) which he had in EDESSA, there was built by his command a splendid temple to the God-bearer (i.e. the Virgin MARY). And he also built in the city of FOSTAT, which is in EGYPT, two great temples. And he also built in EDESSA a baptistery, and he placed in it the image of CHRIST which had been sent to ABHGHAR the king. And he made a fountain of water like unto that which AMONINUS ('AMOZINOS) the bishop had made in the old church in EDESSA, and he decorated it with gold and silver, and covered it with brass (or, copper). Then accusations were brought against ATHANASIUS by a certain man, a Chalcedonian Damascene whose name was SARGI (SERGIUS) BAR MANSUR. And when 'ABD AL-'AZIZ, the Amir, died, and ATHANASIUS, went out.from EGYPT, SARGI brought a lying charge against him, and said, 'BAR GUMAYE hath stolen the treasures of EGYPT and taken [them] with him'. Now 'ABD AL-MALIK was not angry with ATHANASIUS even because of these words, but he said unto him in a quiet and peaceful manner, 'We should not have held it to be true that all this wealth could belong to the Christians; give us a portion of it'. And this ATHANASIUS agreed to do willingly, and he gave and gave until the king himself said, 'It is sufficient'. And there still remained [to ATHANASIUS] much more.
And in the year ten hundred and fifteen [of the GREEKS] (A.D.704), ABD AL-MALIK dispatched MASLIMA, and he captured MOPSUESTIA. And in that year the ARABS who were in KUFAH and BO$RA rebelled, and they made war on 'ABD AL-MALIK. And in that year also JUSTINIANUS escaped from exile, and he fled to the KHAKAN, the king of the KHAZARAYE, and the KHAN rejoiced in him, and gave him his daughter to wife, and she bore him a son, and he called his name 'TIBERIUS'. And having obtained soldiers from the KHAKAN and from the BULGARIANS, he came against CONSTANTINOPLE, and 'APSIMAROS fled. And JUSTINIANUS reigned again for six years, after the [114] ten years in which he lived in exile. And he killed LEONTIUS and 'APSIMAROS, and many of the nobles, and he made [anew] the administration of the RHOMAYE which had been destroyed by the TARKE. He found six thousand ARAB prisoners and he set them free [to go] to their own country . And he sent a large army to bring his wife and also his son, and all the soldiers perished through storms and tempests at sea.
Now when the KHAKAN heard [these things] he sent and rebuked him, and said, 'It was meet for thee to send a few soldiers only. What didst thou think, That I was holding her back from thee? Nay, life of thy .madness! I am not holding her back.' Then JUSTINIANUS was ashamed, and he sent a few soldiers and brought her back with her son.
And in the year ten hundred and seventeen (A.D. 706) the ARABS built the walls of MOPSUESTIA, and placed an army therein, and they made it a garrison post on the frontier of the RHOMAYE. And the king 'ABD AL- MALIK himself.went there and there he finished [his life].
After ABD AL-MALIK, the son of MARWAN, WALID his son [ruled] nine years and five months. This Khalifah sent an army with MASLIMA, and they pitched their tents at TUANA ('ADANA ?), a city of CAPPADOCIA., and they fought against it for nine months. And JUSTINIANUS sent an army of the RHOMAYE, and when they engaged with the ARABS the RHOMAYE could not stand, and about forty thousand of them fell. And the ARABS captured the city and looted it. And in the year one thousand and twenty-two of the GREEKS (A..D. 711) MASLIMA captured TURANDA and placed therein a garrison of ARABS. And he also captured many other fortresses. I think that 'ABLASTIN is the BHASIPOLIS (?) which is on the frontier of the RHOMAYE. And in the sixth year of WALID, which is the year ten hundred and twenty-two of the GREEKS, PHILIPICUS rebelled and killed JUSTINIANUS, the king of the RHOMAYE, and TIBERIUS his son, and he himself reigned. And he also drove out the ARMENIANS who were in his dominion, and the ARABS settled them in MELITENE and the district thereof and in 'ARMAN of 'ARBA. And the ARMENIANS became allies of the ARABS, and enemies of the RHOMAYE. This Khalifah [Byzantine emperor] was well versed in outside (i.e. alien or profane) learning, and he wished to disregard the Sixth Synod (or, Council) which affirmed the dogma of MAXIMUS concerning the Two Wills [of CHRIST]. And when he had reigned two years and six months the RHOMAYE swept him aside and blinded his eyes.
Return to Chronography's Table of Contents
Return to Historical Sources Menu
Return to History Workshop Menu