Судан и Большой Ближний Восток

356 IV. Ближний Восток и его соседи In Taktika 18, 135, Leo sums up the purpose of hismilitary collection, of all what has been written from the beginning to the end, “all that was said about weapons, armament, drills, battle formations, and other military methods in connection with the Saracen people”: transmitted information has been collected and set forth, in order to properly equip themilitary leaders with advice to fight against the Saracens, people who “cause harm to our subjects every day”. 1 In the following paragraphs of Taktika 18 (136–150) the Emperor repeats other military formations, which are material of older military manuals and Leo notices that they could possibly be employed in concrete cases, as amendment or alternative to those whichwere presented with reference to the Saracens. Leo, starting the following chapter, Taktika 19: “about naval warfare”, stresses, that he has not found relevant material in the older tactical books. 2 Even if this remark is not accurate, Leo’s contribution in collecting and systematizing the material about naval warfare was essential. 3 Most importantly, this constitution ( Taktika 19), on naval 1 Taktika 18, 133, 691–692 (p. 488): “τὰ νῦν ἡμῖν ἐνοχλεῖ καὶ παραλυπεῖ τοὺς ἡμετέρους ὑπηκόους τὸ καθεκάστην”. 2 Taktika 19, 1, 3–4 (p. 503f.): “.Ἤδη δὲ περὶ ναυμαχίας διαταξόμεθα, οὐδὲν μὲν ἐν τοῖς παλαιοῖς τακτικοῖς περὶ αὐτῆς κεκανονισμένον εὑρὀ- ντες·”. Certainly, Leo, even in the part on naval warfare of his Taktika , draws upon various ancient writers, among others Syrianos magistros , cf. above, p. 341, footnote 1. Further: C. Zuckerman, “The Military Compendium of Syrianos Magister”, JÖB 40 (1990), 209–24; S. Cosentino, “The Syrianos’ Strategikon — a 9th-century source?”, Bizantinistica: Rivista di studi bizantini e slavi 2 (2000) 243 –280; Dimitroukas, Ναυμαχικά 9–35; Ph. Rance, “The date of the military compendium of Syrianus Magister (formerly the sixth century Anonymus Byzantinus”, BZ 100/2(2007), 701–737; Haldon, A critical commentary , 389f., with additional literature. 3 “The impression that Leo was concerned with contemporary issues is further confirmed by other elements of the work (sc. the Taktika ), perhaps most obviously the constitution on naval warfare, the Naumachika ”, S. Tougher, The reign of Leo VI (886–912), politics and people (The Medieval Mediterranean, Peoples, Economies and Cultures, 400–1453, 15), Leiden-New York-Köln, 1997, 171, 190 and passim; Idem, “The Imperial Thought-World of Leo VI: the non-Campaigning Emperor of the Ninth Century,” in Byzantium in the Ninth Century: Dead or Alive? , ed. L. Brubaker, Aldershot 1998, 51–60.