«Тахиййат»: Сборник статей в честь Н. Н. Дьякова

m 64 n Dimitrios G. Letsios was long-standing and profitable for the regions that received the transferred Mardaites 1 . Ιt suffice to remark that a number of sources, usually interrelated, provide documentation of the events involving the Maradaites. In Greek language our main authority is Theophanes’ Chronography 2 . Literary sources in Syriac and Arab languages, usually of later date, such as Michael the Syrian, Bar Hebraeus and Balādhurī are our further authorities 3 . Information included in those sources depends in some cases on previous, no more existing historic works 4 . At the time of the early Arab conquests in Syria, the Mardaites were in- volved during the second occupation of Antiocheia and al- Balādhurī reports a treaty concluded by the Arab military leader ╟ abīb b. Maslama al-Fihrī with the al-Ĝarāĝima . The Mardaites had requested the Arab protection and they were obligated to follow the agreement of offering military assistance and es- pionage services to the Arabs, granted for their help with participation in the looting of the occupied territories 5 . According to Theophanes, the Mardaites came to Lebanon and occupied the territory between the Black Mountain and Jerusalem; natives, slaves and war prisoners flowed to them and they grew shortly to some thousands. They strengthened the defence of the front positions around Lebanon and were deemed as a “divine protection” by the Arab caliph Mu‘āwiya. This was the reason that forced him to ask the Byzantine emperor Constantine IV for peace 6 . In global presentations and hand books this reference to Mardaites is rather neglected and this information is usually evaluated in a general, not 1 A general positive assessment of Justinian’s population transfer policy by OSTROGORSKY (1963) 110. 2 English trans.: Mango and Scott (1997). 3 Information is provided by Agapius of Menbidj as well. A complete list with all sources referring to the Mardaites in: Ditten (1993) 23f., 138ff.; further Beihammer (2000) 171f. A selection of Syriac sources in English translation in Palmer (1993). An overview about this literature: Graf (1947) II 39–41; Gätje (1987) 384–393; Nagel (1990) 245–247; Strohmaier (1990 234–244. 4 On the information of the partly reconstructed Syrian Chronicle of Dionysius of Tell Mare, its sources and their relation to other later Syriac works and possibly Theophanes, cf. Breydy (1985) 137f. and passim; Witakowski (1987), 36f., 95. 5 al- Balādhurī 159, 14–18 (De Goeje); al- Balādhurī 246 (Hitti): “Terms were made pro- viding that al-Jarâjimah would act as helpers to the Moslems, and as spies and frontier gar- rison in Mount al-Lukâm. On the other hand it was stipulated that they pay no tax, and that they keep for themselves the booty they take from the enemy in case they fight with the Moslems”. BEIHAMMER (2000) 171f. 6 Theophanes 355, 6–14; Mango and Scott (1997) 496: “…Mauias and his advisers… were much afraid, realizing that the Roman Empire was guarded by God”. Cf. Leontsini (2006) 231f.