Tactica of Emperor Leo VI the Wise

(1)

CORPUS FONTIUM

HISTORIAE BYZANTINAE

CONSILIO SOCIETATIS INTERNATIONALIS STUDIIS BYZANTINIS PROVEHENDIS

DESTINATAE EDITUM

VOLUMEN XLIX

LEONIS VI TACTICA

EDIDIT, ANGLICE VERTIT, ADNOTAVIT GEORGE DENNIS

SERIES WASHINGTONIENSIS,

EDIDIT JOHN DUFFY

In aedibus Dumbarton Oaks Washingtoniae, D.C.

MMX

THE TAKTIKA

OF LEO VI

TEXT, TRANSLATION, AND COMMENTARY

by

GEORGE DENNIS

DUMBARTON OAKS RESEARCH LIBRARY AND COLLECTION

WASHINGTON, D.C. 2010

(2)

LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGING-IN-PUBLICATION DATA Leo VI, Emperor of the East, 866-912.

[Tactica. English & Greek] The Taktika of Leo VI I text, translation, and commentary by George Dennis. 1st ed.

p. em. - (Dumbarton Oaks texts; 12) Greek text and English translation on facing pages;

notes and commentary in English. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-o-88402-359-3 (hardcover: alk. paper) 1. Military art and science-Early works to 1800.

2. Tactics-Early works to 18oo. 3. Military art and science-Byzantine Empire. 4. Byzantine Empire-History, Military-527-1081.

I. Dennis, George T. II. Title. Ul01.L42313 2010

355.4'2-dc22 2009075248

In accordance with the rules adopted by the International Commission for the Edition of Sources of Byzantine History, the text and translation of this volume have been verified

by John Duffy, John Haldan, and Alice-Mary Talbot.

Preface Introduction Select Bibliography Acronyms Sigla

PREFACE

My dissertation director, Raymond-J. Loenertz, OP, once told me that, in old age, one should not undertake a critical edition of a Greek text. Perhaps I should have followed his advice. When I began work on the present edition, however, old age was off in the distant future and I could still distinguish an acute ac-cent from a grave. But, owing to unforeseen circumstances, the work took much longer than I had anticipated and I came to realize the pertinence of Fr. Loen-ertz's cautionary advice. Despite our best efforts, there surely remain imperfec-tions and mistakes. That they are not too numerous is due largely to the careful, time-consuming work of John Duffy in reading and correcting my typescript. To him I express my heartfelt thanks. My thanks also to John Haldon for his helpful suggestions and, among other things, his corrections of the equine ter-minology. My sincere thanks go to Alice-Mary Talbot, ofDumbarton Oaks, for her kind and constant support and for expediting the production of this book. My thanks, as well, to Joel Kalvesmaki, a former student, who so efficiently pre-sided over the editorial process, and to Lionel Yaceczko who moved that process along carefully and professionally.

I must, as any scholar must, acknowledge the gracious, professional assis-tance of the librarians at Biblioteca Medicea Laurenziana, Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana, Biblioteca de El Escorial, Biblioteca Ambrosiana, as well as those at Dumbarton Oaks, The Catholic University of America, and Santa Clara Uni-versity.

Los Gatos, California September, 2009

(4)

INTRODUCTION

Although he probably never set foot on a battlefield, the Byzantine emperor Leo VI (r. 886-912) appears to have had a lively interest in military matters and the conduct of war. He was after all the supreme commander of the Byzantine or, as he would prefer, Roman armed forces. Successor to Caesar Augustus, Tra-jan, Constantine, and Justinian, he was expected to be victorious in war and to subject barbarian peoples to the authority of Rome. He soon realized that he could not do this without a solid knowledge of military equipment and prac-tice. This is precisely what Leo set about to acquire. The Byzantines had inher-ited a voluminous series of military treatises from antiquity: diagrams of battle formations and instructions for improving one's archery, for besieging or de-fending a city, and for nearly every aspect of warfare. Leo went through all this, summarized it, and presented what he considered to be an elementary hand-book for his officers on how to prepare soldiers for war and how to move them about on campaign and on the battlefield. The Tactical Constitutions, or Takti-ka, were the result.

Preceded by a prologue and concluding with an epilogue, the twenty Con-stitutions, or chapters, offer little that is original. But the Byzantines were not interested in original compositions; they revered the authority of the ancients. Apart, then, from sections devoted to the Saracens and to naval warfare, the Taktika consist largely of adaptations and paraphrases of previous authors, the most obvious of which are Onasander (first century A.D.), Aelian (second cen-tury A.D.), and Maurice (ca. A.D. 6oo). Leo must have compiled the Taktika during his reign as emperor, for he refers to his father, Basil I, as deceased. As with any work attributed to an emperor, it is not clear how much was written by Leo himself (although there are some very personal remarks) and how much by his secretaries or research assistants. At any rate, copies were made and, some-time before the death of his son, Constantine VII, in 959, it was incorporated

(5)

x Introduction

into a large volume of Greek military treatises, a sort of military encyclopedia, and deposited in the imperial library. This, or a copy of it, is the mid-tenth-century codex Mediceo-Laurentianus graecus, 55, 4 (M).

This manuscript, written by one hand on good parchment, has been the subject of several detailed studies.' Alphonse Dain claims that it exemplifies the first manuscript family, which he designates as the authentic tradition. In its present state, it is made up of 404 folios, mostly quaternions, although some folios are now missing, as will be noted suo loco. Each page measures 32.5 x 26 em., 32 lines to a page. The script is a clear and somewhat elegant minuscule, with the titles in semi-uncial. The ink is dark brown, fading in places, with red ink used for the titles, which are preceded by ornamental bands.

It seems that not many copies were made of M, and much of its subse-quent history is not clear. Early in the fifteenth century, it was owned by a high-ranking army officer in the service of Emperor Manuel II Palaiologos, De-me-trios Laskaris Leontares, who made use of blank spaces to record births and deaths in his family from 1408 to 1439. His grandson, also named Demetrios, made further notations for the years 1448 to 1450.2 After the fall of Constanti-nople, in 1453, the volume found its way to Thessaly, where it was purchased in 1491 by Janus Laskaris and brought to Florence.

The Tactical Constitutions, beginning on folio 281, originally consisted of sixteen constitutions, which were followed by an assortment of maxims; an epi-logue; and three treatises on surprise attacks, siege warfare, and naval warfare. These three treatises, as well as a collection of concise sayings, were soon in-corporated into the main body of the work, as can be seen in the codex Vin-dobonensis phil. graecus 275 (W), resulting in the following order for the fi-nal sections: Constitution XIV, The Day of Battle; XV, Siege Warfare; XVI, The Day after Battle; XVII, Surprise Attacks; XVIII, Customs of Different Nations; XIX, Naval Warfare; XX, Concise Sayings; Epilogue. This is the plan, perhaps the original plan, given in the prologue (lin. 103-19). One should also note that, in the manuscripts, Constitutions III and IV are in reverse order.

In addition to the above changes in the order of the chapters, W made a few other changes, mostly minor ones, indicated below. It is, in essence, an

expand-1. A. M. Bandini, Catalogus codicum manuscriptorum graecorum Bibliothecae

Lauren-tianae (Florence, 1768), 1:218-38; Dain, "Strategistes," 382-85, with bibliography; also his

Histoire, 183-85.

2. P. Schreiner, Die byzantinischen Kleinchroniken, 3 vols. (Vienna, 1975), 1:641-49.

Introduction xi

Nl copy of M, a sort of second edition. Although mutilated in the beginning and at the end, and missing several folios, it must be consulted to establish the au-thentic text of the Taktika. W is a small (octavo) parchment volume consisting presently of 249 folios. The script is clear, 24 lines to a page, although the ink has faded in several places. Especially in the earlier chapters, there are numerous brief, crudely written marginal notations, perhaps by a later hand, often without diacritical marks (reproduced as such in this edition), meant to clarify certain terms in the text. When W was written is not clear, probably early in the second half of the tenth century.

A thorough study of the two manuscripts indicates that W may have been copied directly from M or, at least, from a manuscript very closely linked to it. The differences between the two are minimal, and a survey of the first fourteen chapters reveals some 220 common errors, such as KOUTou~epvtv and T6A.oov (seep. xiii below). And, of course, each manuscript has some unique errors, with W having a few more than M, including some omissions. Both seem to regard indicative and subjunctive as interchangeable, o <-->-w, et <-->- '1· M tends to pre-sent numerals as such, whereas W tends to spell them out, e.g., tW versus

6wOeKa. Both prefer o to w in words such as KoupmiTope<;. In a few instances, W has the correct reading whereas M does not, but these are usually due to simple scribal corrections of mistakes in M. W generally adds final v before a word be-ginning with K or T.

The second family of manuscripts, as identified by scholars, is headed by co-dex Ambrosianus B 119 sup. (139) (A), a parchment manuscript consisting of 347 folios, mostly quaternions, 29.5 x 22.5 em, with 31 lines to a page.3 _{The Taktika}

of Leo begins on folio 189. The manuscript has been dated to early in the second half of the tenth century.4

The text, however, is not the same as that found in M

and W, but is a paraphrase, with words often transposed. One cannot therefore speak of common or unique errors in A with any precision. While it cannot be ignored, it is, for the most part, not very helpful in reconstituting the original text; on occasion, when M is faulty or lacking, A provides the correct reading. A glance at the apparatus of this edition, however, makes it obvious that A has

3. A. Martini and D. Bassi, Catalogus codicum graecorum Bibliothecae Ambrosianae (Milan, 1906), 1:157-60. See now B. Leoni, La Parafrasi Ambrosiana della Strategicon di

Mau-rizio: l'arte della guerra a Bisanzio (Milan, 2003).

4· C. Mazzuchi, "Dagli anni di Basilio Parakimomenos (Cod. Ambros. B 119 sup.),"

(6)

xii Introduction

much more in common with the third manuscript family than with the first, al-though it is difficult to be more exact about their relationship. Whether it is a paraphrase based directly on M or on a common ancestor, or on perhaps a sib-ling, is not clear.

The third family includes the largest number of manuscripts, but only three are relevant to our study of the text. Codex Vaticanus graecus 1164 (V) is a parchment manuscript, 23 x 31 em, with 33 lines to a page, composed of quater-nions, and written in a careful, regular minuscule. Only 281 of its original 392 folios remain. Consisting of ancient and medieval military treatises, its copy of the Taktika begins only at the end of Constitution V. This manuscript is very closely related to Parisinus graecus 2442 (P) and Neapolitanus graecus 284 (N). All three were produced in the same scriptorium, that ofEphrem, in Constanti-nople, at about the same time, probably around 1020.5

P and the codex Barberinianus graecus II 97 (276) (B) originally formed one manuscript, but the separation was poorly done and several quaternions were mixed up in both.6

It is written in a careful minuscule, "Perlschrift," on parch-ment, 125 folios in P and 240 in B, quaternions, 34 x 26 em, with 36 lines to a page. It was produced perhaps a bit later than V. The Tactical Constitutions of Leo begin in B at folio 130.

The third manuscript from the same scriptorium, also divided in two, is formed by Nand the codex Scorialensis graecus Y-III-11 (E). It is a parchment manuscript, consisting of quaternions, 22.5 x 14 em, with 38 lines to a page. In their present states, N consists of 101 folios that do not include the Taktika, and

E of 308, with the Taktika beginning on folio 160. The derivation of this manu-script has been disputed, but there are reasons to think that N E was copied from V.

Other manuscripts containing complete or partial texts of the Taktika continued to be produced through the sixteenth century-Vari counted 88 of them? They are, however, of no use in reconstituting the original text.

The Taktika has been wholly or partially edited before this. A few pages of

5· J. Irigoin, "Pour une etude des centres de copies byzantins," Scriptorium 12 (1958): 208-27; 13 (1959): 177-209.

6. Ibid. See also H. A. Omont, Inventaire sommaire des manuscrits grecs de Ia

Biblio-theque nationale et des autres biblioBiblio-theques de Paris et des Departements, vol. 2, Ancien fonds grec: Droit, histoire, sciences (Paris, 1888), 262.

7. R. Vari, Leonis imperatoris Tactica, 2 vols. (Budapest, 1917-1922) (= Va), 1:xv-xxix.

Introduction xiii

! :o11stitution IV, as found in codex Monacensis graecus 244, were printed in in 1552. The entire work, as found in three secondary manuscripts, was !ll'Nl published by Joannes Meurs (Leyden, 1612). After some mistakes were

cor-and the text compared with M, it was again published by J. Lami (Flor-1745). This edition, in turn, was incorporated by J.-P. Migne into his Pa-lrulogia graeca, vol. 107, cols. 672-1094 (= PG). Finally, a critical edition of

prologue and Constitutions I-XIV (to line 228) was published by Vari (see

n, At the top of each page are printed the sources utilized by the author, and

Itt the bottom the paraphrase of Nikephoros Ouranos under the title recensio ~:onstr:mtiniana. He also published Constitution XVIII, together with a

Hungar-translation.8

lt is clear that any scholarly edition of the Taktika must be based on M,

with what is found in W. And such is the rationale of the present edition. although a paraphrase, sometimes provides the correct reading or helps to clarify the terminology of M. It has therefore been included in the apparatus. the same reasons, the readings of V B E, although of less help, have also included. We have indicated the folio numbers of M in the margin and, where that is missing, those of W or A. In general, we have retained its arrange-ment of paragraphs and its orthography, including some inconsistencies, such ns nicppo<; +-> Tpacpo<;. There are some exceptions, such as the sequence of the hooks, noted above, and the spelling of some words. For example, instead of

l\OUTou~£pvtv of MW, we have preferred KOVTOu~£pvtv ( -10v) of the other man-uscripts (a better reflection of the Latin original contubernium), and TouA.oov rather than the incorrect ToA.oov of MW. There are very few other changes and the reasons for them should be clear from the apparatus.

TRANSLATION

Byzantine military writers, just like their modern counterparts, made no ef-l(:lft to write in an imaginative or sophisticated manner. In fact, they explicitly tell us that they have made no pretense of fine writing, of producing liter-ary masterpieces. Leo's Taktika is no exception (cf. Epilogue, 70). Intended for practical use, it is written in a straightforward and generally uncomplicated Greek. We have tried to render this in the same kind of English. A very literal,

8. "Boles Leo Hadi Taktikajanak XVIII Fejezete" in A Magyar Honfoglalds Kutfoi, edited by G. Pauler and S. Szilagyi (Budapest, 1900) (= Va,Hung.).

(7)

xiv Introduction

word-for-word translation may have some advantages, but it would not be read-able. Sometimes, therefore, we have altered sentence structure, omitted several Greek particles (yap, f.lEV, 8£), and added a few words in < >, all in an effort to make the text easier to read and to understand. We believe that the present trans-lation, while not perfect, is nonetheless an accurate, idiomatic rendition of the Greek original.

Words that have no exact equivalent in English would be awkward if trans-lated literally and so have been left in transliterated Greek, e.g., bandon, tagma, pentarch, dekarch, merarch. This has special relevance to the names given to the units and officers of the Byzantine army. Company and regiment are not the same as tagma or meros; a merarch is not really a colonel. One exception is the plural of meros: "divisions" seems preferable to mere or meroses. In the manu-scripts some numbers are written as numerals and others are spelled out. These have been regularized in the translation: round numbers and numbers up to one hundred are spelled out (e.g.,

tW

becomes "twelve"); all others are rendered in Arabic numerals.

In an effort to clarify some terms and to identify some citations or refer-ences, we have appended a few brief notes to the translation. An extended com-mentary by John Haldon is in preparation at Dumbarton Oaks.

SELECT BIBLIOGRAPHY

1\tJbreviation Texts

Aelian Aelianus' Theorie der Taktik. In Griechische Kriegsschriftsteller.

Edited by H. Kochly and W. Riistow. 2 vols. Leipzig, 1855. voL2, pt.1. AnonStrat Anonymous. "Strategy." In Three Byzantine Military Treatises. Edited

and translated by G. Dennis, 1-136. CFHB 25. Washington, DC, 1985. CampOrg Anonymous. "Campaign Organization and Tactics." In Three

Byzantine Military Treatises. Edited and translated by G. Dennis. 241-335. CFHB 25. Washington, DC, 1985.

Anonymous. "Chapitres peu connus de !'Apparatus bellicus." Edited by C. Zuckerman. TM 12 (1994): 359-89.

Anonymous. "De arcus usu." In Griechische Kriegsschriftsteller.

Edited by H. Kochly and W. Riistow, 2.2: 198-209. Leipzig, 1855. Skirmishing Anonymous. "Skirmishing." In Three Byzantine Military Treatises.

Edited and translated by G. Dennis, 137-239. CFHB 25. Washington, DC, 1985.

Arrian Arriani Tactica et Mauricii Artis militaris libri duodecim. Edited by J. Scheffer. Uppsala, 1664.

Asclepiodotus "Tactics." In Aeneas Tacticus, Onasander, Asclepiodotus. Edited and translated by the Illinois Greek Club, 229-340. Cambridge, MA, 1928.

DAI Constantine Porphyrogenitus. De administrando imperio. Vol. 1, Greek text edited by G. Moravcsik. Rev. edition and translation by R. J. Jenkins. CFHB 1. Washington, DC, 1967. Vol. 2, Commentary.

Edited by Jenkins. London, 1962.

ImpExp Constantine Porphyrogenitus. Three Treatises on Imperial Military Expeditions. Edited and translated by J. Haldon. CFHB 28. Vienna, 1990.

De cerimoniis aulae byzantinae. Edited by J. Reiske. 2 vols. Bonn, 1929-30.

(8)

xvi Select Bibliography

Siegecraft Kekaumenos Strat. Onas. Polyaen. Skylitzes Suda

Heron of Byzantium. Two Tenth Century Instructional Manuals. Edited and translated by D. Sullivan. Washington, DC, 2000.

Soviety: Raskazy Kekavmena. Edited by G. Litavrin. Moscow, 1972. Leo the Deacon. Leon is diaconi Caloensis historiae libri decem. Edited by C. B. Hase. Bonn, 1828.

- - . The History of Leo the Deacon. Translated by A.-M. Talbot and D. Sullivan. Washington, DC, 2005.

Leo VI. Leonis imperatoris Tactica. Edited by R. Vari. 2 vols. Buda-pest, 1917-22; complete in PG 107. [Contains Constitutions I-XIV] Maurice. Das Strategikon des Maurikios. Edited by G. Dennis with Germ. translation by E. Gamillscheg. CFHB 17. Vienna, 1981.

--.Maurice's Strategikon. Engl. translation by G. Dennis. Philadelphia, 1984.

Naumachica. Edited by A. Dain. Paris, 1943.

Nikephoros Phokas, Le traite sur Ia guerilla de Nicephore Phocas. Edited and translated by G. Dagron and H. Mihaescu. Paris, 1986 "The General." In Aeneas Tacticus, Onasander, Asclepiodotus. Edited and translated by the Illinois Greek Club, 341-527. Cambridge, MA, 1928.

Oracles chaldaiques. Edited and translated by E. des Places. Paris, 1971.

Polyaenus. Strategematon libri VIII. Edited by K. Woelfflin and I. Melber. Stuttgart, 1970.

- - . Polyaenus: Stratagems of War. Translated by P. Krentz and E. Wheeler. Chicago, 1994.

John Skylitzes. Joannis Scylitzae Synopsis historiarum. Edited by J. Thurn. CFHB 5. Berlin, 1973.

Suidae Lexicon. Edited by A. Adler. 5 vols. Leipzig, 1928-38.

Sylloge tacticorum. Edited by A. Dain. Paris, 1938.

7heophanis Chronographia. Edited by C. de Boor. Vol. 1. Leipzig, 1863.

7heophanis Continuatus. Edited by I. Bekker. Bonn, 1838.

Secondary Works

Ahrweiler, H. Byzance et Ia Mer. Paris, 1966.

Select Bibliography

xvii

A matuccio, G. Peri Toxeias: L'arco da guerra nel mondo bizantino e tardoantico. Bologna, 1996.

! :tuile, A., and S. Cosentino. Storia della marineria bizantina. Bologna, 2004. Cheynet, J. C. "Les Phocas." In Nikephoros Phokas, Traite, 289-315.

Christides, V. "Ibn al-Manqali (Mangli) and Leo VI: New Evidence on Arab-Byzantine Ship Construction and Naval Warfare." In Stephanos, Studia byzantina ac Slavica

Vladimiro Vavrinek dedicata = BS/56 (1995): 83-96.

Cosentino, S. "The Syrianos Strategikon: A Ninth Century Source?" Bizantinistica.

Rivista di studi bizantini e slavi 2 (2ooo): 248-61.

r>agron, G. "Byzance et le modele islamique au Xe siecle

a

propos des constitutions tactiques de l'empereur Leon VI." Comptes rendus de l'Acad. des Inscript. et

Belles-Lettres (1983): 219-42.

Dain, A. Histoire du texte d'Elien le Tacticien. Paris, 1946. {)ain, A. "Les strategistes byzantins." TM 2 (1967): 317-92.

~~~,~-. "Touldos et Touldon dans les traites militaires." In Melanges Henri Gregoire (Brussels, 1950) 2:161-69.

Dennis, G. T. "Byzantine Battle Flags." ByzF 8 (1982): 51-59.

'"--. "Byzantine Heavy Artillery: The Helepolis." GRBS 39 (1998): 99-115.

"The Byzantines in Battle." In Byzantium at War. Edited by K. Tsinakes. 165-78. Athens, 1997.

---."Religious Services in the Byzantine Army." EYAOTHMA: Studies in Honor

of Robert Taft, S.]. Studia Anselmiana 110. Edited by E. Carr et a!. 107-17. Rome, 1993·

-~-. "Some Reflections on Byzantine Military Theory." John K. Zeender: A Festschrift. Edited by R. Calinger and T. West. 1-18. Maplecrest, NY, 2007.

Dufrenne, S. "Aux sources des gonfanons." Byzantion 43 (1973): 51-60.

Eickhoff, E. Seekrieg und Seepolitik zwischen Islam und A bend/and. Berlin, 1966. Greatrex, G., eta!. "Urbicius' Epitedeuma: An Edition, Translation and Commentary."

BZ 98 (2005): 35-74.

Grosdidier de Matons, J. "Trois etudes sur Leon VI." TM 5 (1973): 229-42. Grosse, R. "Die Fahnen in der ri:imisch-byzantinischen Armee des 4.-10.

Jahrhun-derts." BZ 24 (1924): 359-72.

Haldon, J. F. Byzantine Praetorians: An Administrative, Institutional and Social Survey of the Opsikion and Tagmata, c. 580-900. Bonn, 1984.

- - . The Byzantine Wars: Battles and Campaigns of the Byzantine Era. Gloucester-shire, 2001.

- - . Recruitment and Conscription in the Byzantine Army c. 550-950: A Study of the Origins of the Stratiotika Ktemata. Vienna, 1979.

"Some Aspects of Byzantine Military Technology from the Sixth to the Tenth Centuries." BMGS 1 (1975): 11-47.

(9)

xviii Select Bibliography

- - . "Theory and Practice in Tenth Century Military Administration: Chapters II, 45 and 46 of the Book of Ceremonies." TM 13 (2ooo): 201-352.

- - . Warfare, State and Society in the Byzantine World, 565-1204. London, 1999. Haldon, J. F. and M. Byrne. "A Possible Solution to the Problem of Greek Fire." BZ 70

(1977):

91-99-Hild, F., and M. Restle. Tabula imperii byzantini. Vol. 2, Kappadokien. Vienna, 1981. Hunger, H. Die hochsprachliche profane Literatur der Byzantiner. 2 vols. Munich, 1978. Kaegi, W. Some Thoughts on Byzantine Military Strategy. Brookline, MA, 1983. Kazhdan, A. eta!., eds. Oxford Dictionary of Byzantium. 3 vols. New York, 1991. Kolias, T. G. "The Taktika ofLeo VI the Wise and the Arabs." Graeco-Arabica 3 (1984):

129-35·

- - . Byzantinische Waffen. Vienna, 1988.

Korres, T. 'Yypov nvp· iva 6nlo TIJ<; Bv(avrtvl]<; vavrtKI]<; TaKTtKI]<;. 3rd ed. Thessalonike, 1995.

Kucma, V. "Iz istorij vizantijskogo voennogo." Vizantijskij Vremmenik 38 (1977): 94-101. Kuhn, H. J. Die byzantinische Armee im 10. und 11. Jahrhundert. Vienna, 1991.

Lexikon zur byzantinischen Griizitiit. Edited by E. Trapp et a!. Vienna, 1994. Luttwak, E. The Grand Strategy of the Byzantine Empire. Cambridge, MA, 2009. Maliaras, N. "Die Musikinstrumente des byzantinischen Heers vom 6. bis zum 12.

Jahrhundert." JOB 51 (2001): 94-95.

McGeer, E. Sowing the Dragon's Teeth: Byzantine Warfare in the Tenth Century. Wash-ington, DC, 1995.

- - . "Menaulion-Menaulatoi." Diptycha 4 (1986-87): 53-57·

--."Tradition and Reality in the Taktika ofNicephoros Ouranos." DOP 45 (1991): 29-40.

Moravcsik, G. Byzantinoturcica. 2nd ed. 2 vols. Berlin, 1958.

Pryor, J., and E. Jeffreys. The Age of the Dromon: the Byzantine Navy ca. 500-1204.

Leiden-Boston, 2006.

Rance, P. "Drungus, drouggos, and drouggisti: A Gallicism and Continuity in Late Roman Cavalry Tactics." Phoenix 58 (2004): 96-130.

- - . "Tactics and Tactica in the Sixth Century." PhD diss., University of St. Andrews, 1993.

Schilbach, E. Byzantinische Metrologie. Munich, 1970.

Vari, R. "Zur Uberlieferung mittelgriechischer Taktikern." BZ 15 (1906): 47-87. - - . "Boles Leo Hadi Taktikajanak XVIII Fejezete." In A Magyar Honfoglalas Kutfoi.

Edited by G. Pauler and S. Szilagyi. Budapest, 1900. Vasiliev, A. A. Byzance et les Arabes. 2 vols. Brussels, 1935-50.

Wiita, J. E. "The Ethnika in Byzantine Military Treatises." PhD diss., University of Minnesota, 1977.

Zuckerman, C. "The Military Compendium of Syrianus Magister." JOB 40 (1990): 216.

ACRONYMS

For bibliographical abbreviations see above, Select Bibliography.

BMGS BSl ByzF BZ CFHB DOP GRBS JQB LEG ODE PG

REB

TM

Byzantine and Modern Greek Studies Byzantinoslavica

Byzantinische Forschungen Byzantinische Zeitschrift

Corpus Fontium Historiae Byzantinae

Dumbarton Oaks Papers

Greek, Roman, and Byzantine Studies ]ahrbuch der Osterreichischen Byzantinistik Lexikon zur byzantinischen Griizitiit Oxford Dictionary of Byzantium

Patrologiae cursus completus, series graeca, edited by J.-P. Migne 161 vols. (Paris, 1855-67)

Revue des etudes byzantines Travaux et Memoires

(10)

SIGLA

M Codex Mediceo-Laurentianus graecus 55, 4. W Codex Vindobonensis phil. graecus 275.

A Codex Ambrosianus B 119 sup. (139).

V Codex Vaticanus graecus 1164.

B Codex Barberinianus graecus II 97 (276). E Codex Scorialensis graecus Y-III-11.

Dain Naumachica, edited by A. Dain (Paris, 1943).

Onas. Strategikos, in Aeneas Tacticus, Onasander, Asclepiodotus, edited and translated by the Illinois Greek Club

(Cambridge, MA, 1928), 341-527.

Strat. Das Strategikon des Maurikios, edited by G. Dennis with Germ. translation by E. Gamillscheg (Vienna, 1981). Va R. Vari, Leonis imp. Tactica, 2 vols. (Budapest 1917-22). Va,Hung. R. Vari, "Boles Leo Hadi Taktikajanak XVIII Fejezete,"

In A Magyar Honfoglalas Kutfoi, edited by G. Pauler and S. Szilagyi (Budapest, 1900). (= Const. XVIII; see Introduction).

PG Patrologiae cursus completus, Series graeca, edited by J.-P. Migne, 161 vols. (Paris, 1857-66), 107:672-1094.

De G. Dennis. Du J. Duffy.

< > suppleta ab editore. ci. coniecit.

(11)

xxii Sigla

corr. correxit. des. desinit.

fol. folium. inc. incipit.

mg. in margine.

THE TAKTIKA

om. omisit, omiserunt.

OF LEO VI

scr. scripsit.

(12)

AEONTOL EN XPILTDt AYTOKPATOPOL TON EN

ITOAEMOIL TAKTIKDN

LYNTOMOL

ITAPA~OLIL

1. 'Ev OVO!lUTl TOU TiaTpoc; KQL TOU Ylou Kal TOU Ay[ou TiveullaToc;, T~c; ayiac;

Kal 611ooucriou Kal rrpocrKUVfJT~c; Tpt0.8oc;, Tou £voc; Kal 116vou C:tA.fJ8tvou E>eou 5 ~11wv, A£wv, 6 eipfJVLKoc; f.v Xptm(i> aU-roKpaTwp, mcrT6c;, evae~~c;, aetae~aaToc;,

auyoumoc;.

2. Ou ~aatALK~ 8opu<pop[a KQL f.~oucr(a, ou T~c; f.~oucr[ac; 8uvameia Kal

rreptoucr(a, ou T~c; rreptoucr(ac; f.rr[8et~Lc; Kal arr6\.auatc;, OUOEV oaa TWV f.v av8pw-rrotc; f.<p£TWV Kal Tl!llWV T~V ~ll£T£pav oihwc; £U<ppa(V£l ~aatA.dav we; ~ TWV 10 UTrf]KOWV eip~Vf] Kal £Uf]ll£Pla Kal TWV TrOALTLKWV rrpawaTWV ~ 8t' auTWV f.rrl TO Kp£tTTOV KaTaaTacr[c; T£ KQL f.rrav6p8watc;. warrep TO f.vaVTLOV ou8f:v OtlTW T~V

~!lWV Kap8(av avt9. Kal AUTr£l

we;

~ TWV urro Xetpa 8ucrrrpay(a Kal TWV rrepl aU-roue; aya8wv ~ 8t' Ct!l£A£iac; f.Ao.nwatc; Kal KaTarrTWatc;. ei yap evoc; av8poc;

T~c; ~!lWV ~~lW!lEVOU rrpovo(ac; ~ !lEV f.rrl TO Kp£LTTOV avaveuatc; a<paTOV ~IllY 15 eu<ppocrUVf]V f.pya(e-rat, ~ 8' f.rrl TO xeipov arr6veumc; aAyf]OOVa \j!UX~c;

avurr£p-~Af]TOV, Tl OUK av rra80L!l£V TOGOUTWV !1Upta8wv T~c; ~!lWV !leTa Eleov ~pTf]!lE VWV rrpovoiac;

wv

T~v <ppovTi8a Kal f.mll£Aetav xpewcrToiJvTec;, VUKTwp !lEV f.rraypurrvoiJ!l£V, ~11£pac; 8£ 8ta!l£A£TW!1£V rrO.crf]c; !lEV Ctf]8(ac; Kal ~Aa~f]c; i:.A.eu8£-pouc; 8taTf]p£icr8at, TrUGf]c; 8t xapac; Kal £Uf]ll£Ptac; rrpOGf]KOVTWc; f.rrarroA.auetv; 20 3· AHa TWV !lEV aAA.wv rrepl T~V TrOALTdav rrpawaTWV lllKpav nva

8e~a-!1EVWV '(awe; f.Ao.nwmv ou TocraUTf]V Ka-ravoou11ev T~v ~Aa~f]V, T~c; 8£

mpaTf]-ytK~c; 11e868ou 8tarrecroucrf]c; TocrouTq> Ka-r6mv Ta 'Pw11aiwv cruvfJA.0.8fJ rrpawa-Ta, ocrov ~ rreipa TOU vuv XPOVOU rraatv arravm KaT' 6cp8aA!10Uc; 6pw11eva rrap(-aTf]at rrp68f]Aa.

25 4. "E8et !lEV yap av8pwrrouc; arravmc;, eLKOVl Eleou Kal Aoyq> T£Tl!lfJ!1EVOUc;

T~V eip~Vf]V acrrra(ecr8at Kal T~V etc; CtAA~AOUc; rrept8aATr£LV ayartf]V KUL 11~

M W (mut.) ABE Va PG 107:672

1-6 A.eovroc; ... auyouaToc; M om. ABE 9 t<pETWV M em8Uf!TJTWV ABE 11 TE Kal tnav6p8watc; MA om. BE 15 {j' M Of ABE

I

aAyT]OOVU M OOUVTJV ABE 16 mi80lf!EV M mi8Wf!EV ABE 16-17 ~PTTJf!EVWV M i:KKpEf!Uf!evwv ABE 17 Kal MA Kal T~v BE

I

vuKTwp M vuKToc; ABE 22 •oaou•w MA •oaouTov BE 1 KaTomv ... auvTJMSTJ MA •a pwf!a[wv UUVTJAUSTJ KaT6mv BE 23 viiv MA om. BE

LEO IN CHRIST AUTOKRATOR,

SUMMARY TRANSMISSION OF THE TACTICS

EMPLOYED IN WAGING WAR

1. In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, the holy, tJ!msubstantial, and worshipful Trinity, our one and only true God, Leo, peaceful l;lUtokrator in Christ, faithful, pious, ever revered Augustus.

2. It is not the imperial pageantry and authority, not the power and extent of thttt authority, not the display and enjoyment of all that. It is not any of those things sought after and esteemed by men that brings such joy to Our Majesty as does the peace and prosperity of our subjects and the setting aright and the ~c:tmstant improvement in those matters that affect our citizens. On the contrary, nothing so grieves and pains our heart as the misfortunes of our subjects and

1my

decrease or failure <in their attaining> the good things due them, because <someone's> negligence. Now, if an improvement in the condition of just one person who has been entrusted to our care causes us ineffable happiness and the worsening of his condition brings us unsurpassed grief of soul, what would we not suffer with so many tens of thousands depending, after God, on our providence? Mindful of our obligation to take thought and to be concerned about them, we stay up at night, and during the day we deliberate on how to preserve them free of all unpleasantness and harm and on how they may enjoy all the happiness and prosperity that are rightfully theirs.1

3· When other matters affecting the state deteriorate to some small degree, we do not consider the damage to be excessive. But everyone can clearly see, with his own eyes, how the collapse of strategic knowledge has cast all the affairs of the Romans down to such a degree as we experience at this very moment.

4· For honored by the image and word of God, all men ought to embrace peace and foster love for one another instead of taking up murderous weapons

1. Leo and other emperors employ similar words to articulate t~eir overwhelming

concern, "night and day:· for the welfare of their subjects. See H. Hunger, P~ooimion: Elemente der byzantinischen Kaiseridee in den Arengen der Urkunden (Vienna, 1964), 97-99.

(13)

4 Prologue

Xdpa<; <pov[ou<;

KaLa

TWV 6f.!OY£VWV Ka8on\.[(nv. £nw5~ 0£ 6 em' apx~<; av8pw-noKT6vo<; Ota~o\.o<; Kat Tou y£vou<; ~f.!WV ex8po<; Ota T~<; <'tf.!apTta<; taxuaa<;

Kma

T~<; [O[a<; (jlUCYeW<; avnaTpaT£UW8at TOU<; av8pwnou<; napWK£UaCY£V, micra a! 283' 30 vayKf] Tal<; alJTOU ytVOf.!fVat<; Ota TWV av8pwnwv flllxavat<; av8pwnou<;

avn-mpaT£UW8at Kat tot<; £8£\.oum noA.£f.!OU<; £8vt:m fl~ £UX£tpwtou<; Ka8[aTaa8at.

ana

Tat<; mpaTfJYLKat<; f.!e860ot<; t~V CYWTf]p[av nop[(w8at Kat Ot' aUTWV <pu\.anw8at f.!EV uno TWV empxOf.!fVWV nOAefllWV, Opiiv 6£ KaT' aUTWV oaa

na8etV eKdVot av dev i:i~tOL w<; av eKKon£vto<; TOU Ota TWV nOVf]pWv eyxetpOUf.lf-35 YOU KaKOU Kat naVtWV T~V OlKelaV CYWTf]plaV aana(Of.!fVWV ~ £ip~Vf] napa niiat

CYTepx8df] Kat no\.muotTO.

s."Ew<; f.!EV yap, w<; EOLK£,

TaKaTa

noAtf.!OU<;'Pwf.!a[ot<; ev eUTa~l\l OVTa etuy-xav£, T~<; T£ en' OUK 6\.[you<; xpovou<; 8da<; an£\.au£ ~Of]8eta<; to KpaTO<; Kat Tft

eUTa~l\l KtpVWfleVO<; TWV aptm£wv 6 novo<;, TO Aaflnpov T~<; VLKf]<; ent nAtov 40 eTatVLOUTO. vuv 6£ T~<; TaKTLK~<; T£ Kat mpaTf]YLK~<; KaTaCYTUCYeW<; en' OUK 6\.[you<; XPOVOU<; afleAOUf.!fVf]<;, [va fl~ A£yw Kat d<; navTeA~ nt:pte\.8ouCYf]<;

A.~8f]V, W<; flf]OE auTa

Ta

npoxetpa TOU<; CYTpaTfjydv eyxetpouvm<; en[maa8at,

nona

Ouaxep~ Ota<p6pw<; 6pWf.!£V CYUfl~a[vovm. T~<; yap no\.Awv aya8wv

npo~£vou bnaT~flf]<; OtanWOUCYf]<;, oawv Ot' auT~<; ~ 'Pwf.!a[wv naA.at noAtTda 45 eUf.!Olpf]CY£, TOUvavt[ov 6pWfl£V T~V 8t:[av anouaav £Uf.lfV£Lav Kat T~V auv~8f]

T~<; 'Pwfla[wv noAtT£ta<; VlKf]V TWV aywvt(Of.!fVWV a<ptTITaflfVf]V. KaTa fllKpov yap afleAOUf.!fVf]<; T~<; KaTa noA.£flOU<; t:uTa~[a<; Kat yuflvaa[a<; <JUVf]fl£A~8f], w<; iiotK£, Kat TWV aptm£wv ~ £U'!JUXla. dm noT£ flEV ayUf.!VU<Jtav ~ avavop[av ahtWf.!e8a <JTpanWTWV, nOT£ 8£ ant:tp[av ~ on\.[av KaTaflefl(jlOfle8a CYTpaTf]YWV, ev[oT£ 6£ 50 <Ot'> a<Ja<petav T~<; TWV apxa[wv TaKTLKWV Otayvw<JeW<; af.!eAOUfleV. TaUTf]V ouv

44 ab eSt' aut~~ inc.

w

27-28 loan. 8:44. 40-78 Strat., praef.10-35.

27 x£Tpac; <pov[ouc; M <pOVlKU<; x£Tpa~ ABE 28 Ota~OAO~ ABE cSta~OAlKO~ M

I

icrxucrac; MA icrxupac; BE 33 opav M rrpanetv ABE 34 rra8£lv ... dev M £KeTvot rra8eTv eicriv ABE 35 rraat M TIUVTWV ABE 36 crtepx8d!] M ayarrlje~ ABE 37-38 wc; ... huyxave M oi PWf.!a"LKol TIOA€f!Ol tv £Uta~[a tyivovto (tyevovto BE) ABE 38 T£ ... xpovouc; M om. ABE

I

cmeA.aue MAB cmeA.a~e E 38-40 Kal. .. £-rmvtoiho M om. ABE 39 aptatewv Va aptcrtdwv codd. 40 n: M om. ABE 40-41 err' ... xpovouc; M trrl xpovouc; OUK oA.iyouc; ABE 42 ta ABE om. M 45 ei>f!oip!]cr£ MABE ei>f!oip!]crev W

I

touvavtiov MW to tvavtiov ABE 47 we; eotK£ MW om. ABE 48 ayuf!vacriav ... aitu.Of!e8a MW aittwf!£8a ayuf!Vacr[av ~ avavopiav ABE 49 tviot£ MW TIOAAUKl<; ABE 50 <'it' ci. Du om. codd.

I

acra<petav ... Ctf!€AOUf!€V MW t~V TWV apxaiwv taKtlKWV <'itayvwatv we; acra<p~ Kal OUOKOAOV rrapopWf!£V ABE

I

taKttKWV W ABE om. M

Prologue 5

In their hands to use against their own people. But since the devil, the killer of 1m•n from the beginning,2 _{the enemy of our race, has made use of sin to bring}

men to the point of waging war against their own kind, it becomes entirely llt~eessary for men to wage war making use of contrivances of the devil, tlt'Veloped through men and, without flinching, to take their stand against those nntions that want war. They must then make provision for their security by military means, employing them to defend themselves against the onslaughts of enemy, to take action against them, and to make them suffer what they may wdl deserve. In this way, the evil brought about by those wicked people will be t!Kdsed. With everyone embracing his own safety, peace will be cherished by all tmd will become a way of life.

5. For, so it seems, as long as the armed forces of the Romans were in good order, the state enjoyed divine assistance for not a few years, and the toil of the most valorous was mingled with discipline and, for the most part, was crowned with the splendor of victory. But, for many years now, the pursuit of tactics and 11trategy has been neglected, not to say fallen so completely into oblivion that those assuming the command of an army do not understand even the most t>bvious matters.3 _{We may observe that this leads to quite a number of different}

problems. For with the disappearance of this knowledge, productive of so many good things, and by means of which the commonwealth of the Romans flourished of old, we behold the opposite; divine favor is absent and the accustomed triumph of the Roman commonwealth has flown away from its fighting men. For, along with the gradual neglect of military discipline and training, the courage of our brave warriors, so it would seem, has also declined. Sometimes we attribute the cause to the lack of training and the cowardice of the soldiers; sometimes we place the blame on the inexperience and timidity of their commanders; and sometimes we neglect the clear teaching of the ancient tacticians because of its obscurity. Wishing, therefore, with God's help, to restore

2. John 8:44.

(14)

6 Prologue

T~V OVf]OlflWTUH]V f11l(JT~!lf]V avaawaaaeat (JUV 8e{i> Kal olav anwcr8eicrav EK T~<; 'Pwlla'[K~<; ~!lWV TIOALTe(a<; avaKaA£cracr8at ~OUAO!leVOl, OUK WKV~Ga!leV crnouofi TOGauTn avaM~acrem !li::V ioiw<; n6vov, KOlV~V oi:: TOt<; UTIT]KOOl<; xap(-cracrem T~V W<pfAetaV.

55 6. Tat<; yap apxatat<; Kat 0~ Kat Tal<; VeWTfpat<; GTpaTTJYLKat<; Te Kat TaKnKat<; E!l<ptAoxwp~cravTe<; !le86oot<; Kal -rai<; O.Hat<; KmaJ.oya<'ifJv £vTux6vT£<; imopi-m<;, Kal e'( Tl KaTCt xeipa<; £oo~e XP~OlflOV TWV £v TIOAE!lOl<; avayKa(wv, EKetElev

avaAe~U!leVOl Kal oiov £pavwa!leVOl, oaa Kal Ola !leTPta<; ndpa<; £nl TWV £pywv auTwv av~::llaeo!lev T(il KaEl' ~!lii<; Katp{i> Kal Tfi vuv Kmamacret np6crcpopa T£ Kai 6o ap!lOOla, TQUTQ U!llV KaTCt TO ouvaTov (JUVTOflOV Te Kai

I

ClTIA~V T~V wcp£;\nav £nl 284

TWV npawa-rwv £xov-ra

w<;

O.Hov npoxnpov VOflOV napaOtOOa!leV, £v npa~eOl !liiAAOV ~ Af~e(Jl TO GeflVOV Kai xpnwOe<; napeXOfleVOl, olov dcraywy~v nva TaKTlK~V TOL<; ~lle-r£pot<; unompa-r~yot<; Kai TU<; TIOAe!llKU<; f!lTI£11l(JT£D!lfVOl<; xpeia<;, <'it' Ui-!WV unayopeUOVTe<;

w<;

eUKOAOV EVTeUElev elvm TOt<; ~OUAOflfVOL<; 65 Kal £nl TU fleL<w TWV rraAatwv EKelVWV TaKTLKWV Kai apxaiwv <EleWPTJ!lUTWV>

Ta~n nvl Kal ~aElfl{i> npo'l£vm, <ppacrew<; fli::V aKpt~ou<; ~ KO!lnou PfJflUTWV OUOefllUV TIOlf]GUfl£VOl <ppovTIOa, npUYflUTWV

oe

!liiAAOV Kal O"U<pf]Veta<; A6you KQL Af~eW<; ClTIA~<; Tie<ppOVTlKOTe<;. o8ev TQUTU<; naAatU<; T~<; TQKTLK~<; TIOAAUKL<; 'EAAT]VLKU<; fll::v EO"U<pf]VlO'UfleV Af~et<;, 'PWflU.lKU<; oi:: 0L£P!lfJVeUO'afleV, Kat TLO'LV 70 h£pm<; aTpanwnKft auvf]Eleiq. AeAeYf.lfVat<; EXPTJO"U!le8a ;\£~wtv eveKev T~<;

aacpov<; KUTaA~\jfeW<; TWV EvTuyxav6vTWV, flOVOV TWV OUK avayKa(wv OtaTa~eWV e~nPTJflEVWV Ota T£ TO nepmov KUL ~v axpfJGTLQV Kat ~v TWV auyypafl!lUTWV CtGU<peLUV, '(v' exoteV eUO'UVOTITOV oi ~OUAOfleVOl GTpaTT]Y£lV TIOAA~V TWV KaTa

51 OVT)OLf.lWTU<T)V MW wcpeALf.lWT<iTT)V ABE

I

anwcr8dcrav MW <'mootwx8ETcrav ABE 55 Kal o~ MW om. ABE 56 Ef.lq>LAoxwp~crav<e~ MW <ptAon6vw~ tnuxov<e~ ABE 56-57 Tat~ ... icr<opiat~ MW TU~ iiHa~ icr<opia~ avepeuv~crOVTE~ AB TU~ iiHa~ KUTUAoy<'toT)V EVTUXOVTE~ E

1 scr. mg. apptavou ml>.iavou Jt£Aono~ 6vT)cr<'tvopou f.lT)VO. nol>.ua(vou cruptavou nl>.ou<apxou W 57 £l n WBE eh£ MA

I

KUla xETpa~ MW om. ABE

I

EOO~£ XP~Olf.lOV MW trsp. ABE 58 6.vaA£~Uf.l£VOl MWA tmAe~Uf.lEVOl BE

I

Kail ... tpavtCfUf.lEVOl MW om. ABE

I

ocra Kal MW trsp. ABE

I

OlU f.lETpta~ MW ot' OAlYT)~ ABE 6o CfUVTOf.lOV ABE CfUVTOf.lW~ MW 61 w~

...

VOf!OV ABE npoxeipou <a~tv v6f.1ou MW 62 dcraywy~v MW etcrooov ABE 63 noAEf.lLKa~ MW noAmKa~ ABE 65 f!Ei~w MW f.ld~ova ABE

I

8ewpT)f.lUTwv ci. Va om. codd. 66 npottvat MW npoxwpe1v ABE

I

cppacrew~ ... pT)f!Ct<wv MW Kal>.Aou~ f!Ev A6you ABE 67 notT)OCtf!EVot cppovtioa MW trsp. ABE 67-68 cracpT)vda~ ... taum~ MW(o8ev Kal) cruvt6f!OU Kal £UK6Aou ot!]y~crew~ cppon(cravte~ Stu touto ABE 68 tii~ ... noHaKt~ MW At~et~ <ii~ <aKttKii~ ABE 69-71 KaL .. tvtuyxav6vtwv MW Kal ttepat~ At~emv txp1Jcraf!E8a tv crtpa-rtwnKii cruv118eia l>.eyof.lEVat~ npo~ to EiiKoAov dvm -r~v ot~yl]crtv toT~ evtuyxavoucrtv ABE 71-78 f!Ovov ... ta~tv MW om. ABE

Prologue 7

!his most profitable knowledge and, after it had been almost driven out of our Roman commonwealth, to call it back into being, we have not hesitated, with ~rcat seriousness, to take up this task ourselves and, in this way, to graciously bestow a common benefit upon our subjects.

6. After devotedly giving our attention to the ancient, as well as to the more recent, strategic and tactical methods, and having read about further details in other accounts, if we came across anything in those sources that seemed useful ft)r the needs of war, we have, as it were, gathered it up and collected it.4 Those things, moreover, that we have learned from our own limited experience of 11ctive duty and that are applicable and serviceable in our day and in the present situation, we now pass on to you as best we can. We offer them as a modest tlSSistance in these matters, succinctly, as another Procheiros nomos, presenting In practice rather than in words what is useful and worthy of respect. It is a sort of introductory book on tactics for our subcommanders and those who have been entrusted with the responsibilities of combat.5 _{We assure you that this}

should make it easier for those who wish to advance in an orderly manner and by degrees to a better knowledge of those old tactical authors and ancient theories. We have paid no heed to the strictures of good diction or fine-sound-ing words. Our concern, rather, has been with practicality, clarity of expression, and simplicity of style. With this in mind, we have frequently clarified the ancient Greek tactical terms and we have translated the Latin ones into their Greek equivalents. We have also employed certain other expressions in common military usage to make it easier for the reader to understand them. The only thing we have done away with are formations that are no longer needed because they are superfluous, useless, and their description is not clear. Thus, those who desire to command troops may have ready access to a great store of experience concerning the requirements for combat and military campaigns. This manual

4· In the margin of W, someone (perhaps the scribe) has written the names of Arrian, Aelian, Pelops, Onasander, Menas, Polyaenus, Syrianus, Plutarch.

5· Subcommander: hypostrategos, also lieutenant general (see 4.8-9). At one time all generals were called lieutenant generals, the emperor being considered the one supreme general, with the others as his delegates. In Leo's time, the term was applied to the senior merarch.

(15)

8 Prologue

JtOAE!lOU<; Kat EK0Tpan:[ac; avayKa[wv T~V n:dpav, ou A.6yq> !lOVOV TO XP~<Jl!lOV 7; exouaav, aA.A.a 0~ Kat auTolc; £pyote; n:apa TWV rraA.mwv £yyullvaa8£1aav Kat

axptc; ~!lWV, ei Kat ll~ £pyote; auTolc; ole;

Ta

'Pwlla[wv ET!t ll£ya ~p8Tj OUVCt!lfW<;, rrapam:!l<p8daav, aAA.' ouv Tole; A.6yOLc; Ot' dJv avaA.a!l~CtVETaL Kal ava!lt!lV~(JKf TaL Ta A.~ en rrapaT!f!l<p8£vm Kat eic; T~V apxaiav T!CtAtV UT!OKa8[ama8at TCt~LV.

7· AAA.' £<p' OCJ(jl !lEV £v Tole; pT]8Tj00!1EVOL<; TO £DXPTJ0TOV avaoetx8fi, xaptc; So Ttp T!CtVTWV aya8wv OOT~pt Xpt0Ttp, Ttp ~aCJLAfL TOU rraVToc; Kat ee(il ~llWV, Ttp Kat TOte; ~!lETEpOLc; A.6yotc; 0WpT]0a!lEV(jl T~V xaptv. ei o£ nc; Kat £npoc; Ot' aUT~c;

T~c; ET!l!lfAflac; Kat m[pac; KpeLTTova T01JTWV £<peupn, xaptc; Kat oihwc; Ttp rrava-ya8q> ee(il, auyyvW!lTJ o£ ~IlLY T~c; rrpo8u!l[ac; EVfKfV.

8. IT<ivTwc; 0£ xp~, ehe ET!t T!AEOV ehe err' £A.anov, muc; ~OUA0!1EVOU<; mpa-8; TTjydv Talc; TaKTLKalc; Tf Kat cnpmTjytKalc; evOtaTpl~flV !lfAETatc;. oM£ yap, we; TtVf<; TWV arre[pwv exoum, Ota T!A~8ouc; avopwv Kat 8paaouc; ol T!OAf!lOt Kp[vov-TaL, aAA.a Ot' fU!lfVeLac; ewu Kat 0TpaTT]yiac; Kat T<i~ewc;, ~c; !lCtAAOV ET!l!lfAT]TEOV

~ au:\Aoy~c; T!A~8ouc; aKa[pou· ~ !lEV yap Kat aCJ<pUAftav Kat w<p£:\aav ayet Tole; KaA.wc; auTfi KfXPTJ!lEVOL<;, ~ 0£ Kat auvTpt~~v Kat £m(~!lt0V oan:CtVTJV.

90 9. 'Dan:ep yap ouK £aTtv 6:\Kaoa rreA<iyTJ Otarrop811euw8m Ku~epVTJTLK~c; ET!LCJT~!lTJ<;

I

xwp[c;, oihwc; ouo£ T!OAf!llOU<; Kamywvi(w8m T<i~ewc; Kat mpaTTj-yiac; £KT6c;, ot' ~c; ou 116vov Tou iaopporrouvToc; rrA.~8ouc; Twv rroA.e11iwv rreptyev-£a8m auv 8e(il OuvaTOV ECJTLV, aHa Kat TOU T!OAAtp T!AEOV Ttp apt8!l4J

dmep>-~UAAOVTO<;. warrep ouv O.Hov TtVa rrpoxapov VO!lOV DilLY,

we;

e'lpT]TaL,

mpaTTj-95 ytKov T~v rrapouaav rrpay!laTeiav urrayopeuovTec; rrpoaexwc; T£ Kal £mrr6vwc; aKouav ~11wv n:apaK£AfUO!l£8a.

100

10. Xpeov Toivuv rrp6Tepov 11£v imoyp<i\jiat T~v £v rroA.£11mc; TaKTtK~v, Kat Ti £an 0TpaTTjy6c;, eha Tiva Kat OT!OLOV TOY mpaTTJYOV elVaL Oe'i Kat orrwc; Mov ~ouA.euw8at, £~~c; o£ T~V eic; apxovTac; Kat apxoll£vouc; TOU 0TpaTOU Ota8£lvat Ota[pemv, T~v Tf aAAT]V arroaKeu~v Kal TWV orrA.wv KaTaaKeu~v Kat T~v eK<iCJTou

90-96 Strat., 7.A.1.

79 e<p' ... avaonxe~ MW d !lfV XP~<H!lU TCt rrap' ~!lWV p!]6!]00!l£VU <pUVW(Jl ABE 82 Kal rrdpa~ MWA om. BE

I

e<p£up!] MWA om. BE

I

oihw~ MWA oihw BE 83 Of: MWA om. BE 86 TLV£~ ... £xouat MW TWV a7!dpwv {mOAU!l~UVOU(Jl nv£~ A {JTIOAU!l~avoum nv£~ TWV arrdpwv BE 87 ot' £U!l£V£ia~ MW OlCt <ptAav6pw1![a~ ABE

I

ETil!l£A!]TEOV MW E1ll!l£A£icr6at

XP~ ABE 88 iiyn MWBE EX£l A 90 6\Kaoa MW rr\o1ov ABE

I

8ta7!op6!l£U£06at MW

OLUTI£piiv ABE 90-91 KU~£pV!]TLK~~···XWPl~ MW xwpl~ KU~£pV!]TlK~~ emcrT~!ll]~ ABE

92 icropporroiiVTo~ W icropporrowiivTo~ M 'lcrou ABE 93-94 rr\eov ... ~O.HovTo~ MW 1!A£iovo~ ABE urr£p suppl. Lami (PG) 94 v6!lov ABE om. MW 95 11pocrqw~ ABE v61lov rrpocr£xw~ MW 97 XP£<'>v MW xpda ABE 98 Tov MW A om. BE

Prologue 9

th•rives its usefulness not only from what has been written down but also from !he fact that it has been put into practice by ancient authorities and has been transmitted down to our own day. Even if it had not been accompanied by those at~tions that had raised the situation of the Romans to great power, at least the words that had been consigned to oblivion have been brought back to life, remembered, and again restored to their ancient position.

7· To the extent that something useful may be discovered in what we are ~:~bout to say, thanks be to Christ, the giver of all good things, the king of all and our God, who has bestowed his favor upon our words. If anyone else, through his own diligence and experience, should improve upon these words, likewise, thwks be to the all-good God, and may we be pardoned for being so enthusiastic.

8. It is absolutely essential, to a greater or less degree, that men who intend to command troops should spend their time in tactical and strategic exercises. For it is not true, as some inexperienced persons may hold, that wars are decided by a multitude of men wd courage, but by the favor of God and by generalship and discipline; one must be concerned about this rather than assem-bling an unreasonable multitude. For the former brings safety and advwtage to those who make good use of it, while the latter brings trouble wd harmful expenditure.

9. Just as it is not possible to sail a ship over the sea without knowledge of navigation, neither is it possible to overcome the enemy without discipline wd generalship.6 _{Whereas, with these, and with God's help, not only is it possible to}

prevail over an enemy force of equal strength but also over one which greatly outnumbers yours. We submit the present treatise on generalship, as we have said, like another Procheiros nomos and we earnestly advise you to listen to us attentively and very seriously.

10. First, it is necessary to outline the tactics employed in warfare. Then, what is a general? Who and what sort of person should he be? How should he make his plans? After that, explain the division of the army into officers wd the troops they command, as well as their equipment, the weapons provided them,

(16)

10 Prologue

TWV f.WXOflEVWV OTIAL<HV, itpO<; T01JTOL<; T~V itpo TWV CtATj0LVWV aywvwv TOU a-rpaTOU YUflVU<J(av, emma o£ Kal TCt K£lfl£Va imavayvwae~vm tmTLfllU. £ha it£pt ooomop(a<; dTI£lV Tfj<; T£ tv Tfi tOL<;l Kat Tfj<; tv Tfi it0A£fll<;l, it£p( T£ TOU A£YOflEVOU TouA.oou Kal o~ Kal it£pl CtTIALKTWV Tf]<; T£ itpOKata<JK£U~<; Kal Tiapay-105 y£Ata<;. Kat Tl Oct ycv£a0m itpO Tfj<; TOU itOAtflOU ~fl£pa<; Kat oaa tv Tfi TOU

TIOAtflOU ~fl£p<;t tTiocpdA.nm; Kal ETL it£pl TIOALopKia<;, £ha Kal Ta flETCt TOV itOA£flOV 6<p£LA0fl£Va Kal TCt<; ot' tvtopwv CtOOK~TOU<; tcp6oou<; TWV T£ ~fl£TEpwv Kal TWV TIOA£flLWV. Kal tTil TOUTOL<; otacp6pwv TiapaT6.~£wv fl£AEta<; t0vLKWV T£ Kal 'Pwfla"iKWV. dm itpo<; TOt<; dpT]flEVOL<; Kal it£pl vauflax[a<; otaT6.~m fl£Tptw<;. 110 Kal brl TouToL<; <litam yvc.ilfla<; Ttv<':t<; TaKTLK6.<; T£ Kal a-rpatT]YLKa<; io[w<; tv tK0£-<J£L auvayay£lv, oaa<; OT]AOVOTL KaTCt xwpav tvT6.~m TO £U<JUVOTITOV Kal itpOX£L-pov TWV OlaTCt~£WV ou auyxwp£l, acp' wv 6pf1Wfl£VOV aocpov OVTa Kal 6~uv Tfi otavo(<;t Tov mpmT]yov ao<pWT£pov ycvtaem tA.Tii(of1£V.

11. Kal itpWTOV flEV apKTEOV tvT£U0£V.

I

105 ad yev£cr8m des. W

I

inter ff. 2 et 3 remanet fol. pars exigua, in qua }egitur: recto: rrpo

T~<~> .. . oaa E<V> ... E7IO<p£<iA£TUL> ... <TrOAl>OpKLU~ ... rr6A. <qwv> ... 8t' e<vellpwv> ... TWV .. . WV ... rr ... T£. verso: <<JT>pctTTlYOU ... TrOAEf.llKWV ... 1tOA£!.llKct\. .. <a[> I) I; KUTU ... <<JTpUTI]Yl>K~ .. . KUL Kl <V~<JEWV> ... aya <BWV> ... <f.!EA>ETI] ... <<JTpUTI]Yl]f.l<lT>WV.

112-113 Prov. 1:5.

101 Twv' MWAB om. E lrrpo Twv MWA rrpo~ Tov BE 102 crTpaToii Va crTpm!]you codd.

103 rroAEf.!LU MWAB rroA£f.!LU y~ E 104 Kal 6~ MW om. ABE 106 £rrocp£LA.nm W imocp£LA.nm MABE

I

Ta MA om. BE 107 £v£6pwv M eyKpUf.!f.!UTWV ABE

I

MoK~TOu~ M arrpocrlloK~TOU~ A arrpocrlloK~TW~ BE 108 f.IEAETU~ MBE f.IEAETUL~ A 109 rrpo~ M errl ABE

I

Kal rrepl ABE om. M

I

OtaTa~m f.!ETpiw~ M Elrrdv ABE 110 cmam M om. ABE

110-112 tlliw~ ... cruyxwpe1 M EKBdvm ABE

Prologue 11

tllld the armament of each one of the fighting men. In addition, the training of lht: army before actual combat. Then, the official reading of the penalties in There follows a discussion about the army on the march, both in our own in hostile territory, and about the so-called baggage train and, of course,

about

preparation and instructions regarding encampments. What must be done the day before battle and what has to be done on the day of battle? Further, about siege warfare. Then, what is to be done after battle? What about

unexpect-attacks and ambushes both of our own troops and of the enemy? In addition t(l these, training in various battle formations, foreign and Roman. Our compi-lation is then followed by a limited exposition of naval warfare. Concluding all this, certain tactical and strategic maxims have been collected and set forth Individually, those, that is, that the summary, handbook nature of the chapters does not permit to insert in their place. We hope that the study of these will lead the wise and sharp-witted commander to become even wiser.?

11. We must first begin here.

(17)

ITOAEMIKON ITAPA1:KEYON lliATASI1: A'

Ilepl -raKnK~~ Kal mpaTJwou

1. TaKTLK~ E<HLV ETtl<H~flT] TtOAefllKWV KlV~ereWV· KLV~erw; o£ TtOAeflLKal

oma(, a[ flEV KaTa y~v, a[ 0£ KUTU eaA.aererav.

5 2. TaKnK~ eerTt T£XV'l mpat'lYLK~ rcapaTa~t:wv Kal 6rcA.terfl<Dv Kal Ktv~ert:wv

erTpanWTLKWV.

3· LTpaTTJYLK~ o£ £ern erTpaT'lYWV aya9wv eruvaerKf]CYL<; ~youv fleA£TT] Kal yuflvaer(a flETCt mpaTTJY'lflCtTWV ~TOL Tporca(wv eruva9poterf.16<;.

4· LKOTCO<; Tfl TaKTLKfl OLU TWV EVO£XOfl£VWV empoA.wv Kal rcpa~eWV VLK~erat

10 Tou<; rcoAefllou<;.

s. Xp~CYLflOV 0£ £ern Tfl TaKTLKfl TOot' ellTCtKTOU <em>9£erew<; erUflTtA£Kw9at TOi<; TtOAeflLOL<;.

6. T£A.o<; Tfl mKnKfl KaTa £vO£x6fleVov O.vt:mA.~mw<; otata~m To erTpaTeufla. 7· A[ 0£ ei<; wu<; rcoA£flOU<; T£A£Lat rcap£TOLflaer(m ouo t:ier(v· ~ flEV KaTa y~v 15 Tte(LK~, ~

oe

KaTCt 96.A.aererav vaunK~. rtepl flEV oi>v T~<; vaunK~<; i\erTepov

£pou-fl£V. TWV o£ KaTCt y~v ercl rcoA£flOU<; 0.9pot(Ofl£VWV O.vopwv TO TtA~9o<;, TO fl£V £ern flCtXLflOV ~youv TtOAefllKOV, TO o£ OLU TU<; TOUTOU xpda<; eruvepx6fleVOV <'iflaxov. Kal rcoAeflLKov flEV -ro rcapaTaerer6flevov rcpo<; -rou<; rcoAefllou<; mpanw-nK6v· Uflaxov o£ TO AOLTCOV, oiov iaTpwv, OOUAWV, EflTCOpwv, Kal <'iAA.wv, oerOL OL<l

20 Ta<; Urtf]pw(a<; ercaKoAou9oumv. TOU o£ flaXLflOU fl£pou<; ~youv TtOAefllKOU

erTpa-TOU TO fl£V eerTL Tte(LKOV, TO o£ KapaAA.aptKOV. Kal TO flEV io(w<; Tte(LKOV TO ercl y~<; LaTCtfleVOV, TO o£ KapaAA.aptKOV TO ercl TWV LTCTCWV OXOUfleVOV. ~v 0£ TCOT£ Kal ercl apflCtTWV arcA.wv KUL apflCtTWV opercav'lc:p6pwv Kal ercl EAe<pCtVTWV rcupyou<;

M A B E Va PG 107:68o 3-25 Aeliani Tact. 7heoria, 2.1.

1 TIOAEfllKWV TiapaaKeuwv MA om. BE

I

a' MB 11pw-r!] AE 4 Olna[ M Mo ABE 5 ea-rt MA eanv BE 9 VlK~OUl De KlVTJOUl codd. 11 eon MA eanv BE

I

emSeaew<; De etaew<; codd. 13 avemA~mw<; M Ctf!Ef!mW<; ABE 14 TIOAEf!OU<; A TIOAef![ou<; MBE 19 oiov MA olot BE 1 ia-rpwv ... iiUwv De ia-rpwv oouAwv Ef!Tidpwv Kal iiAAwv M ia-rpol oouAot Ef!7tOpot Kal iiUot A ia-rpol oouAOL Ef!1!dpot Kal iiAAOL BE 20 ETIUKOAouSoiiatv M eJtaKoAouSoiiat

ABE 21 Ka~aUaptK6v ABE Ka~aAMptov M 23 Kall M Kal eJtl ABE

285

PREPARATION FOR WAR, CONSTITUTION I

About Tactics and the General

1. Tactics is the science of movement in warfare. Movements in warfare are twofold, those on land and those on sea.1

2. Tactics is the military skill <that is concerned with> battle formations, 1\rmament, and troop movements.

3· Strategy is how good commanders put their military training into prac-tice, their drilling with stratagems, and putting together ways of defeating <the enemy>.2

4· The aim of tactics is to defeat the enemy by all possible means of assaults and actions.

s.

The usefulness of tactics lies in engaging the enemy in combat by means of a well disciplined attack.

6. The purpose of tactics is, inasmuch as possible, to draw up the army in an unassailable formation.

7. Complete preparation for warfare is twofold: infantry on land and naval forces at sea. About naval warfare we will discourse later. Of the mass of men mobilized for warfare on land, one part consists of fighting men or warriors, the other of non-combatants who are to see to their needs. The fighting men are drawn up as an army confronting the enemy. The rest are noncombatants such as doctors, slaves, merchants, and others, all those who follow along to provide services. Of the fighting units, that is, the army in the field, some are infantry and some cavalry. The infantry, specifically, take their stand on the ground, the cavalry are mounted on horses. There was a time when war involved plain chariots and chariots armed with scythes, as well as elephants carrying towers

1. Much of this chapter is derived from Aelian, Tactical Theory, 2. See also AnonStrat, 14.

(18)

14 Constitution 1

<p£p6VTWV 1tA~p£t~ avopwv, ana TOlrtWV oUO£lc; ~!llV A.6yo~ vuv Ota T£ T~V 25 axpfJaTlUV KUL T~V 1tUVT£A~ apyiav TWV TOlOlrtWV Jtapa<JK£UWV.

30

8. T~c; oDv mKTlK~~ !1£Tpiw~ rrwc; oihw~ unoypa<pd<Jf]~ 6£[ KUL TOV <JTpUTf]-yov avaoaxe~vat. Tl TE E<Jll Kal Tl~ 6 T~~ TOlUUTf]~ £yxap~<J£W~ a~tO~;

9· ITpUTfJYO~ TOtVtJV E<JTLV 6 T~~ urr' UUTOV CtltCt<Jf]~ f:napxia~ lld~ova JtCtVTWV

f:~ouaiav £xwv 11na Tov ~amA.£a.

10. ITpaTfJYO~ E<JTlV 6 TOU uno x£Lpa mpaTtWTlKOD e£!1UTO~ Kopu<pato~ apxwv,

I

EK ~a<JlAEW~ !lfV rrpoxapt~0!1£VO~, TOU~ o£ urr' auTOV apxovm~ TOU~ !lfV

'\f~<p<.p Tfi £auTOU, EK ~(l<JlAEW~ 6£ KUmlt£!11t0!1EVOtJ~, TOU~ o£ f:~ouaiq ioiq

npo~aAAO!lEVOuc;.

ll."Iotov 6£ <JTPUTfJYOD TO Kpdnova dvat TICtVTWV TWV UltO x£Lpa <ppov~<J£l 35 Kal avopiq Kal OtK(llO<JUVn Kal aw<ppoauvn, TO d~ auTOV ava<p£pwem T~~ KaT' QUTOV f:napxia~ TCt~ OlOlK~<J£l~, O<Jat T£ mpaTtWTtKal Kal O<J(ll iOtWTtKal Kal Of]!lO<JlOl, TO napaA.a~6vTa aTpa-rov amKTOV EKTCt~at 0£0VTW~ KUTU T~V

ap!16-~ouaav n:p Katp(i> mKnK~v Otam~tv.

12. LKOTIO~ 6£ mpaTfJYli> TO !lfV urr' UUTOV

ee!la

au~~(Jat Kal a~Aa~£~ an6 T£ 40 1tOA£!1lWV Kal TWV UAAWV CtOlKf]!lCtTWV Kal 0~ Kal QT(l~lWV Kal <JTCt<J£WV

Ota<pUACt-~at, TOU~ 6£ noA£!1iou~ rravTl Tp6n<.p, ~ JtOAE!l<.f) ~ £<p60ot~ CtOoK~Tot~, mrr£t-vwaat, Kal arr£p 1t0l~<J£l KUTU TWV exepwv, mum <puA<i~aaem, 11~ rraedv em' aU-rwv.

13. T£A.o~ T(i> OlpaTfJYli> T(i> £U00Kl!l~<J(lVTl Ota JtCtVTWV T~~ T£ eda~ Kal 45 ~(l<JlAlK~~ QJtOAUU£lV £UVOta~ ~ KUTOAtywp~aavn TWV np£1tOVTWV KUL apllo~6v

TWV rrpay11aTWV T£U~£<J0at TOU EVUVTtOU. oihw TOtVUV KUL T~~ TOD OTpUTfJYOD

npo-runw0d<Jf]~ ElKOVO~ 0£1 Ka0an£p Ota XPW!lCtTWV ~!lii~ ava~wypa<p~<Jat T~V

TouTou rrot6TT]m Kal &i~m <pav£pw~ Ti~ Kal nomno~ £lvm 6<p£iA£L Kal 6noio~ £LVat 6 T~~ TOtaUTT]~ f:~ouaia~ npoX£lpt~0!1£VO~ apxwv.

26 ouv mKTlK~~ M trsp. ABE

I

rrw~ ME om. AB

I

oihw~ ABE oihw M 27 tan MA tanv BE 1 T~~ BE om. MA 28 o ABE om. M 1 trrapxia~ ABE urrapxia~ M 30 aTpm!]yo~ tanv

ABE tan M 31 apxovm~ De apxovT£~ codd. 32 i:aUTOU M aUTOU ABE

I

Kam-T!Ef.lT!Of.lEVOU~ ABE KaTart£f1TtOf1£VO~ M 33 rrpo~aAAOf.LEVou~ De rrpo~aAAOf1£Vo~ codd. 34 TO Kpdnova MA Tw Kpdnw BE

I

dvm rravTwv MA trsp. BE 40 a8tK!]f1UTWV Kal Mom. ABE 44 TW £UOOKlf1~aavn BE To EUOOKlf.l~am Ta M TO EUOOKlf.l~aavm A 45 KaTOAtywp~aavn Va KaToA.tywp~aavTa codd. 46 T£U~£aElm wu tvavT[ou Va T£U~aa8m

wu £vavTiou M TU £vavT[a rra8£Tv ABE

I

oihw M oihw~ ABE 47 XPWf.lUTWV BE XP!]f16.Twv MA 48 Kal rroTarro~ dvm ABE om. M 48-49 Kal orro1o~ clvm M om. ABE 49 o MA 6 d~ BE

I

T~~ TOlaUT!]~ £~oua[a~ M T~V TotaUT!]V £~oua[av ABE

Tactics and the General 15

filled with men. But we will not discuss these now because such armament is no

longer

employed and has gone completely out of use.

8. After this more or less brief outline of tactics, it is necessary to present the What is he? Who is fit for such an undertaking?

9· The general is the person who, after the emperor, has greater authority than anyone else over the entire province subject to him.

10. The general is the chief officer of the military theme under his command.

He

is appointed by the emperor; as far as the officers under him are concerned, tome are promoted by his decision, although sent to him by the emperor, and tlthers directly on his own authority.

11. It is characteristic of the general that he be superior to all under his com-mand in practical wisdom, bravery, righteousness, and discretion, reserving to himself the administration of the province assigned to him, including military, private, and public matters. Having received an undisciplined army, he must dutifully dispose it for battle according to the tactical formation suited to the occasion.

12. The goal of the general is to strengthen the theme under his command and to preserve it free from harm caused by enemies and from other wrong-doing, especially from disorder and mutiny. He is to bring down the enemy by every means, whether by battle or by unexpected attacks. Whatever action he will take against the enemy, he must be on his guard so that he does not suffer the same thing from them.

13. The ultimate objective of the highly esteemed general is to enjoy in all

things the divine and the imperial favor rather than, by paying little account to fitting and suitable matters, to arrive at the opposite. So then, having made this preliminary sketch of the general, we must now paint his qualities as though it were a portrait in color. We must demonstrate clearly who and what sort of person he ought to be and what should characterize the officer who has been entrusted with such authority.

(19)

ITOAEMIKON ITAPALKEYON

~IATASIL

B'

Tirpl TOU oiov dvm

o£1

TOV a-rpanwov

1. K£A£UOf.1£V TOLVUV dvm TOV mpa-rfjyov aw<ppova rrt:pl TO OWflU, rrt:pl T~V

OlaLTav tyKpaT~, Vfj<j)CtAlOV Kal typ~yopov, AlTOV Kal cm£pmov Ttepl -rae; XP£iac;, 5 <pt:p£rrovov rrt:pl -roue; tmK6rrouc; KailaTouc;, VO~flOVa Kal <pp6vt11ov, flLOouvTa <ptf..apyup[av, EVOO~OV Ttepl T~V <j)~flfjV, fl~T£ VfOV fl~T£ y£povTa, LKUVOV 0£ KUL rrpoc; TO A.£y£Lv arro OTOilaToc;

tv

f.lfO<.p A.aou, av -ruxn 0£, Kal rra-r£pa rraiowv, fl~ tflTtOpdac; <ptAOUVTa ~ Tl TOlOUTOV, flfjOE fllKpO\I'DXOV,

we;

Kal TWV O!llKpwv rrpawa-rwv tm9Uf.1£tV, Kal cmAwc; t:uyt:v~ Tft \I'DXft, £i ouvaT6v, Kal TtP OWflUTl Kal 10

tv

iirram ilfYUAO\I'DXOV.

2. Iw<ppova flEV Yva

I

fl~ Tate; T~c; <pUCi£wc; KaTaaup6f.1£VOc; ~oovatc; arro.\drrn 286

T~V Ttepl TWV avayKaiwv <ppov-rioa Kal tmf.1fA£laV.

3· 'EyKpaT~ 0£ trr£t0~ TfjAtKaUTfjc; apx~c; f.1fAA£l TDYXCtV£lV. a[ yap CtKpan:tc; Kal CtKOAUCiTOl 6pf.1Ul, o-r' ilv rrpooAa~wm OUVafllV KaT' t~ouoiav TOU rrotdv

a

1₅ ~OUAOVTat, CtKpCtTfjTOl yiVOVTal rrpoc; Tac; tm9uf.1[ac;.

4· Nfj<pCtAlOV 0£ Kal typ~yopov orrwc; trraypurrvft

tv

Tate; f.1£YlOTatc; rrpa~WlV.

tv

VUKTi yap, o-r' ilv ~ \I'DX~ ~P£1-lft flCtALOTa, TtOAAaKtc; ~ TOU OTpaTfjyou yvWilTJ Kal arreu9uv£Tat Kal T£A£lOUTat.

s. AtTOV o£ Kal arr£ptTTOV rrt:pl -rae; xpdac;· Kal yap Ka-raoarravwmv a[

TtOAU-20 T£Adc; Kal 1tOAAal 9t:parrdat Kai XPOVOV anpaKTOV Kat avayKa[ac; t~ooouc; de;

T~V TWV apxovTWV TpD<p~V.

M W (mut.) ABE Va PG 107:681 3-70 Onas. 1.1-14.

1

w

MBE oeuntpa A 4 VT]<jlCtALOV M VT]<jlUAEOV ABE I Kal amtprrrov M om. ABE 5 <pEptltovov M UTIOj.Htvov-ra ABE ITiepl ... KUj.!CtTOU<; M Tou<; TI6vou<; ABE 6 TIEpl. .. <p~j.!T]V M om. ABE 8 Ej.lTIOpda<; M 1lpUYf.laTELa<; ABE I <jllAOUVTa M ayamiJVTU ABE I Gj.llKpwv M f.lLKpwv ABE 9 T~ \jlux~ M T~v \jlux~v ABE I Tw crwj.laTL M To crwj.la ABE 12 TIEpl MA om. BE 14 Mvaj.!LV MA OUVCtj.l<E>t<; BE I KaT' ... TIOLELV M trsp. ABE 16 VT]<jlCtAtov M VT]cpaAtov ABE 19 Kal amtptnov Mom. ABE

PREPARATION FOR WAR, CONSTITUTION II

About the Qualities Required in the General

1. We insist that the general should be discreet in bodily matters and ~£l<crcise self-control in his mode of life. He should be sober and vigilant, frugal 'nd unpretentious when it comes to necessities, bearing up under the toil of heavy labor. He should be endowed with intelligence and practical wisdom, a man who hates avarice and is of excellent repute, neither a youth nor an old man. He should be capable of speaking extemporaneously in the midst of his troops. Let him also be, when it so turns out, a father of children. He should not

be

overly fond of commerce or anything of that sort, nor should he be niggardly, iS if setting his heart on petty matters.1 _{Quite simply, he should be noble in soul}

and, if possible, in body and, in every respect, greathearted.

2. Let him be discreet and not so dragged down by physical pleasures that he

neglects to attend to necessary matters and shows no concern about them. 3. As a man entrusted with such great authority, he will exercise self-control. Unrestrained and licentious impulses, when combined with the power and ability to do whatever one wants, become uncontrollable in seeking gratification. 4· Let him be sober and vigilant so that he may remain alert when dealing with truly important projects. It is often at night, when the soul is more at rest, that the plans of the general assume their final, definitive shape.

s.

Let him be frugal and unpretentious regarding his needs. Very costly and continual attendance upon the luxurious tastes of commanders wastes time without accomplishing anything and eats away at necessary expenses.

Tactica of Emperor Leo VI the Wise

CORPUS FONTIUM

HISTORIAE BYZANTINAE

LEONIS VI TACTICA

SERIES WASHINGTONIENSIS,

EDIDIT JOHN DUFFY

THE TAKTIKA

OF LEO VI

by

CONTENTS

PREFACE

INTRODUCTION

tW

SELECT BIBLIOGRAPHY

xvi Select Bibliography

Select Bibliography

xvii

a

xviii Select Bibliography

ACRONYMS

REB

SIGLA

THE TAKTIKA

OF LEO VI

AEONTOL EN XPILTDt AYTOKPATOPOL TON EN

ITOAEMOIL TAKTIKDN

LYNTOMOL

we;

wv

I

I

LEO IN CHRIST AUTOKRATOR,

SUMMARY TRANSMISSION OF THE TACTICS

EMPLOYED IN WAGING WAR

1my

KaLa

Kma

ana

TaKaTa

Ta

nona

w

I

I

I

I

I

6 Prologue

I

w<;

w<;

oe

I

I

I

I

I

I

...

I

I

Prologue 7

Ta

I

we;

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

about

ITOAEMIKON ITAPA1:KEYON lliATASI1: A'

oe

I

I