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

Byzantine Foreign, Defence And Demographic Policy During the Establishment... m 71 n relation quite probable that the Mardaites, if so ever they were established at the Themes of Nikopolis and Cephalonia, they were stationed there after the reign of Justinian II, possibly after the establishment of these two Themes 1 . If they were really linked with the people deported from Lebanon toAsia Minor is a further question and remains an assumption that they had only the name of the famous marines of the Asian coastal region and no real connection with them 2 . Similarly, a later establishment of Mardaites, if at all, at Peloponnese, could be asserted again perhaps after the institutionalization of a homonymous Theme . 3 Originated possibly from another place, the al-Ĝarāĝima became sub- jects to the Arabs in their first attested region of stay in the area of Antioch. They collaborated occasionally with the Byzantines even after their subju- gation to the Arabs. Moving to the region of Lebanon the rebels and robbers, as their name qualifies them, caused serious damages to the Arabs and they were one of the reasons that some times forced them to seek for peace agree- ments with Byzantium. Their actions and war tactics became synonymous to a guerrilla way of fighting. The Mardait war tactic is reflected by Theoph- anes in a passage related to the Arab retreat after the second siege of Con- stantinople. The imperial officers “who, like Mardaites were concealed” 4 , attacked and forced the Arabs to withdraw from Nicaea and Nicomedia. Justinian II’s policy transplanted the Mardaites to a coastal region in At- taleia where they performed remarkably their new military duties, so that they became legendary as skilful marines. Perhaps it is exactly their reputation that created units of marine soldiers in the western parts of the empire called after their name. The possibility that Mardaites were transferred at those regions can neither be proved nor rejected. However, we could imagine that the Mar- daites of the coastal region in Asia Minor earned a name as admirable marines and exactly from those people should have been recruited the praised in later sources experienced and famous for their qualities in seafaring ship crews. Bibliography 1. Agapius of Menbidj, A. Vasiliev (ed.), Kitab al-  Unvan (Histoire universelle), écrite par Agapius de Menbidj, éditée et traduite en français, seconde partie (II) [Patro- logia Orientalis 8]. Paris — Fribourg-en Brisgau, 1912 (Turnhout, 1982). 1 The establishment of the Theme Nikopolis is dated between 843 and 899; the Theme Cephalonia is assumed as dated approximately to themiddle of the seventh century. SOUSTAL and KODER (1981), 52f. Lilie (1976) 241 argues for the establishment of the Mardaites units there at the time of Justinian; cf. Brandes ( 2002) 362f. 2 Amantos (1932). 3 The establishment of a Theme at Peloponnese is dated at the turn of the 8 th to the 9 th cen- tury. Koder and Hild ( 1976) 59. 4 Theophanes 397, 13–14: “… δίκην Μαρδαϊτ  ν κρυπτόμενοι βασιλικο  ρχοντες …”On the siege of Constantinople, Yannopoulos (2003), with additional literature.