Судан и Большой Ближний Восток

358 IV. Ближний Восток и его соседи things then, all together they leap up and striking hard they charge vigorously”. 1 The general should bear this in mind and “carry out the shooting, with proper goal… and regulate it throughout the battle”, 2 an advice of practical wisdom, applicable to both land and sea warfare. Only few paragraphs of Taktika 19 have significance for a proper naval engagement and these are only occasionally related with the Saracens. Sudden attacks and stratagems, involving the whole fleet or a part of it are commented as appropriate tactic to counter the enemy. “A pitched battle” should be avoided and here the tactic is similar to general advices addressed to war leaders not to engage in an open confrontation with the Saracens. 3 Both sides, Byzantines and Saracens, had a similar cautious approach to maritime conflicts. Leo’s admonition to avoid pitched battles at water “except where the Byzantine fleet commander has an absolute superiority in vessels and manpower”, 4 is for Haldon “indicative both of Byzantine distrust of the sea as a medium for successful warfare and of remembered defeats”. 5 The naval commander should choose the convenient time for the battle and “line up the dromons in a varied and diverse manner, as both the time and the place may call for”. Decisive is, as it is repeated, that the commander is confident and far superior to the enemy, so as to overpower the adversaries. In any case, it’s desirable to engage in battle close to the enemy’s country. The reason behind is that the soldier “under pressure of battle, fails into cowardice”; Leo promptly admits: “When the time comes for forming up for battle, few judge it better to die than to flee ingloriously, whether you are speaking of the 1 Taktika 19, 16, 104–107 (p. 510f.). Cf. Taktika 18, 116. 2 Taktika 19, 17, 108–112 (p. 510f.). Cf. Taktika 18, 129. 3 Taktika 19, 36, 210–214 (p. 516f). Cf. Taktika 18, 121, 589-591 (p. 482f.). 4 Taktika 19, 38, 219–221 (p. 518f.). On the fear of the sea, cf. among others, G. T. Dennis, “Perils of the Deep”, in Novum Millenium: Studies on Byzantine History and Culture, dedicated to Paul Speck, eds. C. Sode and S. Takacs, Aldershot 2001, 81–88. 5 Taktika 19, 36–38, 210–221 (p. 516–519). The information is based on Syrianos, Naumachiae , 9.15, who is more detailed to the point. Pryor — Jef- freys, The Age of the ΔΡΟΜΩΝ , 387–88.