{"id":4825,"date":"2015-12-24T21:29:16","date_gmt":"2015-12-24T21:29:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.jassa.org\/?p=4825"},"modified":"2015-12-26T22:16:25","modified_gmt":"2015-12-26T22:16:25","slug":"de-administrando-imperio-all-of-its-slavs-part-i","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.jassa.org\/?p=4825","title":{"rendered":"De Administrando Imperio &#038; All of its Slavs &#8211; Part I"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Earlier we posted a summary of the versions of the story about the <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.jassa.org\/?p=336\">arrival of the Croats<\/a> <\/span>as found in <em>De Administrando Imperio<\/em>\u00a0(Of the Administration of an Empire). \u00a0However, \u00a0we never included the actual text or portions relevant to other Slavic peoples. \u00a0We correct that here (generally following the 1967 Moravcsik\/Jenkins translation except where its terminology was archaic) with all the chapters from that book that deal with Slav matters (mostly in full, except where they deviate too extensively into non-Slav stories). \u00a0This first part includes:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>stories of the Rus and some Slavs (chapters 2, 4 and 9);<\/li>\n<li>a mention of Moravia (chapter 13);<\/li>\n<li>story of Dalmatia (chapter 29, which includes the mention of an Avar\/Slav ruse which is familiar to those who know the Polish chronicles of Lestko II\/Lethek II &#8211; the same ruse is described in another chapter of the book &#8211; chapter 30);<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The remaining\u00a0DAI parts that include Slavic references are in <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.jassa.org\/?p=4918\">Part II here<\/a><\/span>.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.jassa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/jenkins.jpg\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-4845 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.jassa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/jenkins.jpg?resize=625%2C867\" alt=\"jenkins\" width=\"625\" height=\"867\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.jassa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/jenkins.jpg?w=632&amp;ssl=1 632w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.jassa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/jenkins.jpg?resize=216%2C300&amp;ssl=1 216w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.jassa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/jenkins.jpg?resize=624%2C866&amp;ssl=1 624w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 625px) 100vw, 625px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><strong>Chapter 2<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><strong>Of the Pechenegs and the Rus<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p>&#8220;The Pechenegs are neighbours to and march with <strong>the Rus<\/strong>\u00a0also,\u00a0and often, when the two are not at peace with one another, raid Russia,\u00a0and do her considerable harm and outrage.<br \/>\nThe Rus\u00a0also are much concerned to keep the peace with the\u00a0Pechenegs. For they buy of them horned cattle and horses and sheep,\u00a0whereby they live more easily and comfortably, since none of the aforesaid\u00a0animals is found in Russia. Moreover, the Rus\u00a0are quite unable to<br \/>\nset out for wars beyond their borders unless they are at peace with the\u00a0Pechenegs, because while they are away from their homes, these [Pechengs] may come\u00a0upon them and destroy and outrage their property. \u00a0And so the Rus,\u00a0both to avoid being harmed by them and because of the strength of that\u00a0nation, are the more concerned always to be in alliance with them and\u00a0to have them for support, so as both to be rid of their enmity and to enjoy\u00a0the advantage of their assistance.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.jassa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/pechenegs.jpg\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-4897\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.jassa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/pechenegs.jpg?resize=300%2C208\" alt=\"pechenegs\" width=\"300\" height=\"208\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.jassa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/pechenegs.jpg?resize=300%2C208&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.jassa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/pechenegs.jpg?resize=624%2C432&amp;ssl=1 624w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.jassa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/pechenegs.jpg?w=928&amp;ssl=1 928w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Nor can the Rus\u00a0come at this imperial city of the Romans, either\u00a0for war or for trade, unless they are at peace with the Pechenegs, because\u00a0when the Rus\u00a0come with their ships to the barrages of the river and\u00a0cannot pass through unless they lift their ships off the river and carry them\u00a0past by portaging them on their shoulders, then the men of this nation of the\u00a0Pechenegs set upon them, and, as they cannot do two things at once, they\u00a0are easily routed and cut to pieces.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><strong>Chapter 4<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><strong>Of the Pechenegs and the\u00a0Rus\u00a0and the Turks<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p>&#8220;So long as the emperor of the Romans [i.e., the Byzantine Emperor] is at peace with the Pechenegs,\u00a0neither<strong> the Rus<\/strong> nor Turks [i.e., Hungarians] can come upon the Roman dominions by force\u00a0of arms, nor can they exact from the Romans large and inflated sums in\u00a0money and goods as the price of peace, for they fear the strength of this\u00a0nation which the emperor can turn against them while they are campaigning\u00a0against the Romans.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-4903\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.jassa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/europe900.jpg?resize=300%2C239\" alt=\"europe900\" width=\"300\" height=\"239\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.jassa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/europe900.jpg?resize=300%2C239&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.jassa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/europe900.jpg?resize=768%2C612&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.jassa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/europe900.jpg?resize=1024%2C816&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.jassa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/europe900.jpg?resize=624%2C497&amp;ssl=1 624w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.jassa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/europe900.jpg?w=1962&amp;ssl=1 1962w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.jassa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/europe900.jpg?w=1250 1250w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.jassa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/europe900.jpg?w=1875 1875w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>&#8220;For the Pechenegs, if they are leagued in friendship\u00a0with the emperor and won over by him through letters and gifts, can <strong>easily\u00a0come upon the country both of the Rus\u00a0and of the Turks, and enslave\u00a0their women and children and ravage their country<\/strong>.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><strong>Chapter 9<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><strong>Of the coming of the Rus\u00a0in \u2018monoxyla\u2019\u00a0from Russia to Constantinople<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p>&#8220;The \u2018monoxyla\u2019 which come down from outer Russia to Constantinople\u00a0are from <strong>Novgorod<\/strong>, where <strong>Sviatoslav<\/strong>, son of <strong>Igor<\/strong>, prince of Russia, had\u00a0his seat, and others from the city of <strong>Smolensk<\/strong> and from <strong>Teliutza<\/strong> and <strong>Chernigov<\/strong> and from <strong>Yyshegrad<\/strong>. \u00a0All these come down the river Dnieper, and\u00a0are collected together at the city of <strong>Kiev<\/strong>, also called <strong>Sambatas<\/strong>. \u00a0Their <strong>Slav\u00a0<\/strong>tributaries, the so-called <strong>Krivichians<\/strong> and the <strong>Lenzanenes<\/strong> and the rest of\u00a0the <strong>Slavonic<\/strong> regions, cut the \u2018monoxyla\u2019 on their mountains in time of\u00a0winter, and when they have prepared them, as spring approaches, and the\u00a0ice melts, they bring them on to the neighbouring lakes. \u00a0And since these\u00a0lakes debouch into the river <strong>Dnieper<\/strong>, they enter thence on to this same\u00a0river, and come down to <strong>Kiev<\/strong>, and draw the ships along to be finished and\u00a0sell them to the Rus. \u00a0The Rus\u00a0buy these bottoms only, furnishing\u00a0them with oars and rowlocks and other tackle from their old \u2018monoxyla\u2019,\u00a0which they dismantle; and so they fit them out. And in the month of June<br \/>\nthey move off down the river Dnieper and come to <strong>Vitichev<\/strong>, which is a\u00a0tributary city of the Rus, and there they gather during two or three\u00a0days; and when all the \u2018monoxyla\u2019 are collected together, then they set\u00a0out, and come down the said Dnieper river. And first they come to the first\u00a0barrage, called <em><strong>Essoupi<\/strong><\/em>, which means in <strong>Russian<\/strong> and <strong>Slavonic<\/strong> \u2018Do not<br \/>\nsleep!\u2019; the barrage itself is as narrow as the width of the Polo-ground;\u00a0in the middle of it are rooted high rocks, which stand out like islands. \u00a0Against\u00a0these, then, comes the water and wells up and dashes down over the other\u00a0side, with a mighty and terrific din. Therefore the Rus do not venture\u00a0to pass between them, but put in to the bank hard by, disembarking the\u00a0men on to dry land leaving the rest of the goods on board the \u2018monoxyla\u2019;\u00a0they then strip and, feeling with their feet to avoid striking on a rock, ***.\u00a0This they do, some at the prow, some amidships, while others again, in the\u00a0stern, punt with poles; and with all this careful procedure they pass this\u00a0first barrage, edging round under the river-bank. When they have passed\u00a0this barrage, they re-embark the others from the dry land and sail away,\u00a0and come down to the second barrage, called in <strong>Russian <em>Oulvorsi<\/em><\/strong>, and in\u00a0<strong>Slavonic <em>Ostrovouniprach<\/em><\/strong>, which means \u2018the Island of the Barrage\u2019. This\u00a0one is like the first, awkward and not to be passed through. Once again they<br \/>\ndisembark the men and convey the \u2018monoxyla\u2019 past, as on the first occasion. \u00a0Similarly they pass the third barrage also, called <em><strong>Oelandri<\/strong><\/em>, which means in\u00a0<strong>Slavonic<\/strong> \u2018Noise of the Barrage\u2019, and then the fourth barrage, the big one,\u00a0called in <strong>Russian <em>Aeifor<\/em><\/strong>, and in <strong>Slavonic <em>Neasit<\/em><\/strong>, because the pelicans nest\u00a0in the stones of the barrage.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-4906\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.jassa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/oukleantersz-1.png?resize=194%2C300\" alt=\"oukleantersz\" width=\"194\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.jassa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/oukleantersz-1.png?resize=194%2C300&amp;ssl=1 194w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.jassa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/oukleantersz-1.png?w=382&amp;ssl=1 382w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 194px) 100vw, 194px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>&#8220;At this barrage all put into land prow foremost,\u00a0and those who are deputed to keep the watch with them get out, and off\u00a0they go, these men, and keep vigilant watch for the Pechenegs. The remainder, taking up the goods which they have on board the \u2018monoxyla\u2019,\u00a0conduct the slaves in their chains past by land, six miles, until they are\u00a0through the barrage. Then, partly dragging their \u2018monoxyla\u2019, partly portaging them on their shoulders, they convey them to the far side of the\u00a0barrage; and then, putting them on the river and loading up their baggage,\u00a0they embark themselves, and again sail off in them. When they come to the\u00a0fifth barrage, called in <strong>Russian <em>Varouforos<\/em><\/strong>, and in <strong>Slavonic <em>Voulniprach<\/em><\/strong>,\u00a0because it forms a large lake, they again convey their \u2018monoxyla\u2019 through\u00a0at the edges of the river, as at the first and second barrages, and arrive at\u00a0the sixth barrage, called in <strong>Russian <em>Leanti<\/em><\/strong><em>,<\/em> and in <strong>Slavonic <em>Yeroutzi<\/em><\/strong>, that\u00a0is \u2018the Boiling of the Water\u2019, and this too they pass similarly. And thence they\u00a0sail away to the seventh barrage, called in <strong>Russian <em>Stroukoun<\/em><\/strong>, and in <strong>Slavonic <em>Naprezi<\/em><\/strong>, which means \u2018Little Barrage\u2019. \u00a0This they pass at the so-called\u00a0ford of<strong> Vrar<\/strong>, where the Chersonites cross over from Russia and the Pechenegs to Cherson; which ford is as wide as the Hippodrome, and, measured\u00a0upstream from the bottom as far as the rocks break surface, a bow-shot in\u00a0length. \u00a0It is at this point, therefore, that the Pechenegs come down and\u00a0attack the Rus. \u00a0<strong>After traversing this place, they reach the island called\u00a0St. Gregory, on which island they perform their sacrifices because a gigantic\u00a0oak-tree stands there; and they sacrifice live cocks.<\/strong>&#8221;<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_4909\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4909\" class=\"wp-image-4909 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.jassa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/khartytsia.jpg?resize=300%2C142\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"142\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.jassa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/khartytsia.jpg?resize=300%2C142&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.jassa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/khartytsia.jpg?resize=768%2C364&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.jassa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/khartytsia.jpg?resize=1024%2C485&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.jassa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/khartytsia.jpg?resize=624%2C296&amp;ssl=1 624w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.jassa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/khartytsia.jpg?w=1509&amp;ssl=1 1509w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.jassa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/khartytsia.jpg?w=1250 1250w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-4909\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Khortytsia (Saint Gregory) Island<\/p><\/div>\n<p>&#8220;Arrows, too, they peg in\u00a0round about, and others bread and meat, or something of whatever each\u00a0may have, as is their custom. They also throw lots regarding the cocks,\u00a0whether to slaughter them, or to eat them as well, or to leave them alive. \u00a0From this island onwards the Rus\u00a0do not fear the Pecheneg until they\u00a0reach the river <strong>Selinas<\/strong>. \u00a0So then they start off thence and sail for four days,\u00a0until they reach the lake which forms the mouth of the river, on which is the\u00a0island of <strong>St. Aitherios<\/strong>. \u00a0Arrived at this island, they rest themselves there for\u00a0two or three days. And they re-equip their \u2018monoxyla\u2019 with such tackle as is\u00a0needed, sails and masts and rudders, which they bring with them. \u00a0Since this\u00a0lake is the mouth of this river, as has been said, and carries on down to the\u00a0sea, and the island of St. Aitherios lies on the sea, they come thence to the\u00a0<strong>Dniester<\/strong> river, and having got safely there they rest again. But when the\u00a0weather is propitious, they put to sea and come to the river called <strong>Aspros<\/strong>,\u00a0and after resting there too in like manner, they again set out and come to the\u00a0<strong>Selinas, to the so-called branch of the Danube<\/strong> river. \u00a0And until they are past\u00a0the river Selinas, the Pechenegs keep pace with them. And if it happens that\u00a0the sea casts a \u2018monoxylon\u2019 on shore, they all put in to land, in order to\u00a0present a united opposition to the Pechenegs. \u00a0But after the Selinas they\u00a0fear nobody, but, entering the territory of <strong>Bulgaria<\/strong>, they come to the mouth\u00a0of the Danube. From the Danube they proceed to the <strong>Konopas<\/strong>, and from\u00a0the Konopas to <strong>Constantia<\/strong>, and from Constantia to the river of <strong>Varna<\/strong>, and\u00a0from Varna they come to the river <strong>Ditzina<\/strong>, all of which are Bulgarian territory. \u00a0From the Ditzina they reach the district of <strong>Mesembria<\/strong>, and there at last\u00a0their voyage, fraught with such travail and terror, such difficulty and danger,\u00a0is at an end. \u00a0The severe manner of life of these same Rus\u00a0in winter-time\u00a0is as follows. \u00a0When the month of November begins, their chiefs together with\u00a0all the Rus\u00a0at once leave Kiev and go off on the \u2018<strong>poliudia<\/strong>\u2019, which means\u00a0\u2018rounds\u2019, that is, to the <strong>Slavonic regions<\/strong> of the <strong>Vervians<\/strong> and <strong>Drugovichians<\/strong>\u00a0and <strong>Krivichians<\/strong> and <strong>Severians<\/strong> and the <strong>rest of the Slavs who are tributaries\u00a0of the Rus<\/strong>. \u00a0<strong>There they are maintained throughout the winter<\/strong>, but then\u00a0once more, starting from the month of April, when the ice of the Dnieper\u00a0river melts, they come back to Kiev. \u00a0[note: this is reminiscent of the Avars &#8216;sleeping over&#8217; with the Slavs] \u00a0They then pick up their \u2018monoxyla\u2019,\u00a0as has been said above, and fit them out, and come down to Romania. \u00a0The Uzes can attack the Pechenegs.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><strong>Chapter 13 <\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><strong>Of the nations that are neighbours to the Turks [&#8220;Turks&#8221;\u00a0refers to the Hungarians]<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p>&#8220;These nations are adjacent to the Turks [i.e., Hungary]: on their western side <strong>Francia<\/strong>;\u00a0on their northern the <strong>Pechenegs<\/strong>; and on the south [?] side <strong>great Moravia<\/strong>, the\u00a0country of <strong>Sphendoplokos <\/strong>[Svatopluk I of Moravia], which has now been totally devastated by these\u00a0Turks, and occupied by them.&#8221;<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_4908\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4908\" class=\"wp-image-4908 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.jassa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/zuenta.png?resize=300%2C51\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"51\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.jassa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/zuenta.png?resize=300%2C51&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.jassa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/zuenta.png?resize=624%2C106&amp;ssl=1 624w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.jassa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/zuenta.png?w=660&amp;ssl=1 660w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-4908\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Svatopluk&#8217;s name in the Industriae Tuae text<\/p><\/div>\n<p>&#8220;On the side of the mountains the <strong>Croats<\/strong> are\u00a0adjacent to the Turks. \u00a0The Pechenegs too can attack the Turks, and plunder and harm them\u00a0greatly, as has been said above in the chapter on the Pechenegs.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><strong>Chapter 29<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><strong>Of Dalmatia and of the adjacent nations\u00a0in it<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p>&#8220;The emperor Diocletian was much enamoured of the country of\u00a0Dalmatia, and so he brought folk with their families from Rome and settled\u00a0them in this same country of Dalmatia, and they were called \u2018Romani\u2019\u00a0from their having been removed from Rome, and this title attaches to<br \/>\nthem until this day. \u00a0Now this emperor Diocletian founded the city of Spalato\u00a0and built therein a palace beyond the power of any tongue or pen to describe,\u00a0and remains of its ancient luxury are still preserved today, though the\u00a0long lapse of time has played havoc with them. Moreover, the city of Diocleia,\u00a0now occupied by the Diocletians, was built by the same emperor\u00a0Diocletian, for which reason those of that country have come to be called by\u00a0the name of \u2018Diocletians\u2019. The territory possessed by these Romani used\u00a0to extend as far as the river Danube, and once on a time, being minded to\u00a0cross the river and discover who dwelt beyond the river, they crossed it<br \/>\nand came upon unarmed <strong>Slavonic nations, who were also called Avars<\/strong>. \u00a0The\u00a0former had not expected that any dwelt beyond the river, nor the latter\u00a0that any dwelt on the hither side. \u00a0And so, finding these Avars unarmed\u00a0and unprepared for war, the Romani overcame them and took booty and\u00a0prisoners and returned. \u00a0And from that time the Romani formed two\u00a0alternating garrisons, serving from Easter to Easter, and used to change\u00a0their men about so that on Great and Holy Saturday they who\u00a0were coming back from the station and they who were going out to<br \/>\nthat service would meet one another. \u00a0For near the sea, beneath that same\u00a0city, lies a city called Salona, which is half as large as Constantinople,\u00a0and here all the Romani would muster and be equipped and thence start\u00a0out and come to the frontier pass, which is four miles from this same city,\u00a0and is called <strong>Kleisa<\/strong> to this day, from its closing in those who pass that\u00a0way. And from there they would advance to the river.&#8221;<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_4911\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4911\" class=\"wp-image-4911 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.jassa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/kleisa.jpg?resize=300%2C109\" alt=\"kleisa\" width=\"300\" height=\"109\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.jassa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/kleisa.jpg?resize=300%2C109&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.jassa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/kleisa.jpg?resize=768%2C278&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.jassa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/kleisa.jpg?resize=1024%2C371&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.jassa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/kleisa.jpg?resize=624%2C226&amp;ssl=1 624w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.jassa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/kleisa.jpg?w=1439&amp;ssl=1 1439w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.jassa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/kleisa.jpg?w=1250 1250w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-4911\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Kleisa Fort<\/p><\/div>\n<p>&#8220;This exchange of\u00a0garrisons went on for a number of years and <strong>the Slavs<\/strong> on the far side of\u00a0the river, <strong>who were also called Avars<\/strong>, thought it over among themselves, and\u00a0said: \u00abThese Romani, now that they have crossed over and found booty,\u00a0will in future not cease coming over against us, and so we will devise a plan\u00a0against them.\u00bb And so, therefore, <strong>the Slavs, or Avars,<\/strong> took counsel, and\u00a0on one occasion when the Romani had crossed over, they laid ambushes\u00a0and attacked and defeated them. \u00a0The aforesaid <strong>Slavs<\/strong> took the Roman arms\u00a0and standards and the rest of their military insignia and crossed the river\u00a0and came to the frontier pass, and when the Romani who were there saw\u00a0them and beheld the standards and accoutrements of their own men they\u00a0thought they were their own men, and so, when the aforesaid <strong>Slavs<\/strong> reached\u00a0the pass, they let them through. \u00a0Once through, they instantly expelled the\u00a0Romani and took possession of the aforesaid city of Salona. There they\u00a0settled and thereafter began gradually to make plundering raids and\u00a0destroyed the Romani who dwelt in the plains and on the higher ground and\u00a0took possession of their lands. The remnant of the Romani escaped to the\u00a0cities of the coast and possess them still, namely, <strong>Decatera, Ragusa, Spalato,\u00a0Tetrangourin, Diadora, Axbe, Vekla and Opsara<\/strong>, the inhabitants of which\u00a0are called Romani to this day. \u00a0Since the reign of <strong>Heraclius<\/strong>, emperor of the Romans, as will be related\u00a0in the narrative concerning the <strong>Croats and Serbs<\/strong>, the whole of <strong>Dalmatia\u00a0and the nations about it, such as Croats, Serbs, Zachlumi, Terbouniotes, Kanalites, Diocletians and Arentani, who are also called Pagani<\/strong>\u00a0***. But when the Roman empire, through the sloth and inexperience\u00a0of those who then governed it and especially in the time of Michael from\u00a0Amorion, the Lisper, had declined to the verge of total extinction, the inhabitants of the cities of Dalmatia became independent, subject neither to the\u00a0emperor of the Romans nor to anybody else, and, what is more, <strong>the nations\u00a0of those parts, the Croats and Serbs and Zachlumites, Terbuniotes and Kanalites and Diocletians and the Pagani, shook off the reins of the empire of\u00a0the Romans and became self-governing and independent, subject to none. \u00a0Princes, as they say, these nations had none, but only \u2018zupans\u2019, elders, as\u00a0is the rule in the other Slavonic regions.<\/strong>\u00a0 <strong>Moreover, the majority of these\u00a0Slavs were not even baptized<\/strong>, and remained unbaptized for long enough. But\u00a0in the time of Basil, the Christ-loving emperor, they sent diplomatic agents,\u00a0begging and praying him that those of them who were unbaptized might receive baptism and that they might be, as they had originally been, subject\u00a0to the empire of the Romans; and that glorious emperor, of blessed memory,\u00a0gave ear to them and sent out an imperial agent and priests with him and\u00a0baptized all of them that were unbaptized of the aforesaid nations, and after\u00a0baptizing them he then appointed for them princes whom they themselves\u00a0approved and chose, from the family which they themselves loved and\u00a0favoured. And from that day to this their princes come from these same\u00a0families, and from no other.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-4912\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.jassa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/chrobatia.jpg?resize=300%2C166\" alt=\"chrobatia\" width=\"300\" height=\"166\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.jassa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/chrobatia.jpg?resize=300%2C166&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.jassa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/chrobatia.jpg?resize=768%2C425&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.jassa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/chrobatia.jpg?resize=1024%2C567&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.jassa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/chrobatia.jpg?resize=624%2C345&amp;ssl=1 624w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.jassa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/chrobatia.jpg?w=1178&amp;ssl=1 1178w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>&#8220;But <strong>the Pagani, who are called Arentani<\/strong> in\u00a0the Roman tongue, were left unbaptized, in an inaccessible and precipitous\u00a0part of the country. For <strong>\u2018Pagani\u2019 means \u2018unbaptized\u2019 in the Slavonic tongue<\/strong>. [note: in the <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><strong><em>Slavonic tongue<\/em><\/strong><\/span>!] But later, they too sent to the same glorious emperor and begged that they\u00a0too might be baptized, and he sent and baptized them too. And since, as\u00a0we said above, owing to the sloth and inexperience of those in power things\u00a0had gone the wrong way for the Romans, the inhabitants of the cities of\u00a0Dalmatia also had become independent, subject neither to the emperor\u00a0of the Romans nor to anybody else.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>[note: the story here (repeated below) of the Avar subterfuge is similar to the story of &#8220;Lestek&#8221; as told in Kadlubek, the Greater Poland Chronicles and other Polish sources]<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;But after some time, in the reign of\u00a0Basil the glorious and ever-memorable emperor, Saracens from Africa,\u00a0Soldan and Saba and Kalphus, came with 36 ships and reached Dalmatia\u00a0and took the city of <strong>Butova<\/strong> and the city of <strong>Rossa<\/strong> and the lower city of\u00a0<strong>Decatera<\/strong>. \u00a0And they came also to the city of Ragusa and blockaded it fifteen\u00a0months. Then in their strait the <strong>Ragusans<\/strong> made a declaration to Basil, the\u00a0ever-memorable emperor of the Romans, saying this to him: &#8216;Have pity\u00a0on us and do not allow us to be destroyed by them that deny Christ.&#8217; The\u00a0emperor was moved with compassion and sent the patrician Nicetas, admiral\u00a0of the fleet, surnamed Ooryphas, with one hundred ships of war. \u00a0When\u00a0the Saracens learnt of the arrival of the patrician admiral of the fleet with\u00a0his squadron, they quitted the city of Ragusa and took to flight and crossed\u00a0over into Lombardy and laid siege to the city of Bari and took it. \u00a0Then\u00a0Soldan built a palace there and was for forty years master of all Lombardy\u00a0as far as Rome. On this account, therefore, the emperor sent to Lewis, king\u00a0of Francia, and to the pope of Rome, asking their cooperation with the\u00a0army which he, the emperor, had sent. The king and the pope acceded to\u00a0the emperor\u2019s request, and both of them came with a large force and joined\u00a0up with the army sent by the emperor and with<strong> the Croat and Serb and\u00a0Zachlumian chiefs and the Terbouniotes and Kanalites and the men of\u00a0Ragusa and all the cities of Dalmatia<\/strong> (for all these were present by imperial\u00a0mandate); and they crossed over into Lombardy, and laid siege to the\u00a0city of Bari and took it. \u00a0<strong>The Croats and the other chiefs of the Slavs were carried over into\u00a0Lombardy by the inhabitants of the city of Ragusa in their own vessels. \u00a0<\/strong>The city of Bari and the country and all the prisoners were taken by the\u00a0emperor of the Romans, but Soldan and the rest of the Saracens were taken\u00a0by <strong>Lewis, the king of Francia<\/strong>, who carried them off to the city of Capua\u00a0and the city of Beneventum. And no one saw Soldan laughing. \u00a0And the king\u00a0said: &#8216;If anybody truly reports to me or shows me Soldan laughing, I will\u00a0give him much money.&#8217; Later, someone saw him laughing and reported it\u00a0to king Lewis. He summoned Soldan and asked him, how he had come to\u00a0laugh? And he said: &#8216;I saw a cart and the wheels on it turning round and\u00a0therefore I laughed because I too was once at the top and am now lowest\u00a0of all, but God may raise me up again&#8230;'&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>[more adventures of Soldan the Saracen follow here which we will ignore]<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;&#8230; The city of <strong>Ragusa<\/strong> is not called Ragusa in the tongue of the Romans\u00a0but, because it stands on cliffs, it is called in Roman speech \u2018the cliff, lau\u2019;\u00a0whence they are called \u2018<strong>Lausaioi<\/strong>\u2019, i. e. \u2018those who have their seat on the\u00a0cliff\u2019. But vulgar usage, which frequently corrupts names by altering their\u00a0letters, has changed the denomination and called them <strong>Rausaioi<\/strong>. These\u00a0same Rausaioi used of old to possess the city that is called <strong>Pitaura<\/strong>; and\u00a0since, when the other cities were captured by <strong>the Slavs<\/strong> that were in the\u00a0province, this city too was captured, and some were slaughtered and others\u00a0taken prisoner, those who were able to escape and reach safety settled in\u00a0the almost precipitous spot where the city now is; they built it small to\u00a0begin with, and afterwards enlarged it, and later still extended its wall\u00a0until the city reached its present size, owing to their gradual spreading out\u00a0and increase in population. Among those who migrated to Ragusa are:\u00a0Gregory, Arsaphius, Victorinus, Vitalius, Valentine the archdeacon, Valentine\u00a0the father of Stephen the protospatharius. From their migration from<strong>\u00a0Salona<\/strong> to Ragusa, it is 500 years till this day, which is the 7th indiction,\u00a0the year 6457. In this same city lies St. Pancratius, in the church of St.\u00a0Stephen, which is in the middle of this same city.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-4915\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.jassa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/maps.jpg?resize=234%2C300\" alt=\"maps\" width=\"234\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.jassa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/maps.jpg?resize=234%2C300&amp;ssl=1 234w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.jassa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/maps.jpg?w=472&amp;ssl=1 472w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 234px) 100vw, 234px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>&#8220;The city of <strong>Spalato<\/strong> which means \u2018little palace\u2019, was founded by the emperor Diocletian; he made it his own dwelling-place, and built within\u00a0it a court and a palace, most part of which has been destroyed. But a few\u00a0things remain to this day, e. g. the episcopal residence of the city and the\u00a0church of St. Domnus, in which lies St. Domnus himself, and which was\u00a0the resting-place of the same emperor Diocletian. Beneath it are arching\u00a0vaults, which used to be prisons, in which he cruelly confined the saints\u00a0whom he tormented. St. Anastasius also lies in this city. \u00a0The defence-wall of this city is constructed neither of bricks nor of\u00a0concrete, but of ashlar blocks, one and often two fathoms in length by a\u00a0fathom across, and these are fitted and joined to one another by iron cramps\u00a0puddled into molten lead. In this city also stand close rows of columns,<br \/>\nwith entablatures above, on which this same emperor Diocletian proposed\u00a0to erect arching vaults and to cover over the city throughout, and to build\u00a0his palace and all the living-quarters of the city on the top of those vaults,\u00a0to a height of two and three stories, so that they covered little ground-space\u00a0in the same city. The defence-wall of this city has neither rampart nor<br \/>\nbulwarks, but only lofty walls and arrow-slits.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-4916\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.jassa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/opsara.jpg?resize=300%2C199\" alt=\"opsara\" width=\"300\" height=\"199\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.jassa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/opsara.jpg?resize=300%2C199&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.jassa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/opsara.jpg?w=570&amp;ssl=1 570w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>&#8220;The city of <strong>Tetrangourin<\/strong>\u00a0[Tetrangurium or Trau] is a little island in the sea, with a very narrow\u00a0neck reaching to the land like a bridge, along which the inhabitants pass\u00a0to the same city; and it is called Tetrangourin because it is long-shaped like\u00a0a cucumber. In this same city lies the holy martyr Lawrence the\u00a0archdeacon.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;The city of <strong>Decatera<\/strong> means in the language of the Romans \u2018contracted\u00a0and strangled\u2019, because the sea enters like a contracted tongue for 15 or 20\u00a0miles, and the city is on this marine appendix. \u00a0This city has high mountains\u00a0in a circle about it, so that the sun can be seen only in summer, because\u00a0it is then in mid-heaven, and in winter it cannot be seen at all. \u00a0In the same<br \/>\ncity lies St. Tryphon entire, who heals every disease, especially those who\u00a0are tormented by unclean spirits; his church is domed.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;The city of <strong>Diadora<\/strong> is called in the language of the Romans \u2018iam era\u2019,\u00a0which means, \u2018it was already\u2019: that is to say, when Rome was founded,\u00a0this city had already been founded before it; it is a big city. Vulgar usage\u00a0gives it the name Diadora. In the same city lies in the flesh St. Anastasia,\u00a0the virgin, daughter of Eustathius, who was on the throne at that time;\u00a0and St. Chrysogonus, monk and martyr, and his holy chain. The church of\u00a0St. Anastasia is a basilica like the church of the Chalcopratia, with green and\u00a0white columns, and all decorated with encaustic pictures in the antique\u00a0style; its floor is of wonderful mosaic. \u00a0Near it is another church, a domed\u00a0one, Holy Trinity, and above this church again is another church,\u00a0like a triforium, domed also, into which they mount by a spiral\u00a0staircase.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Under the control of <strong>Dalmatia<\/strong> is a close-set and very numerous archipelago, extending as far as Beneventum, so that ships never fear to be\u00a0overwhelmed in those parts. One of these islands is the city of <strong>Vekla<\/strong>, and\u00a0on another island <strong>Arbe<\/strong>, and on another island <strong>Opsara <\/strong>[Ozar?; recall Dlugosz&#8217; Psary castle where Lech was said to have originated from], and on another<br \/>\nisland <strong>Lumbricaton<\/strong>, and these are still inhabited. The rest are uninhabited\u00a0and have upon them deserted cities, of which the names are as follows:\u00a0<strong>Katautrebeno, Pizouch, Selbo, Skerda, Aloep, Skirdakissa, Pyrotima, Meleta,\u00a0Estiounez<\/strong>, and very many others of which the names are not intelligible.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;<strong>The remaining cities, on the mainland of the province, which were captured\u00a0by the said Slavs, now stand uninhabited and deserted, and nobody lives\u00a0in them.<\/strong>&#8221;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><em>Copyright \u00a92015\u00a0jassa.org All Rights Reserved<\/em><\/p>\n<div class=\"entry-content\"><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Earlier we posted a summary of the versions of the story about the arrival of the Croats as found in De Administrando Imperio\u00a0(Of the Administration of an Empire). \u00a0However, \u00a0we never included the actual text or portions relevant to other Slavic peoples. \u00a0We correct that here (generally following the 1967 Moravcsik\/Jenkins translation except where its [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5,3,23],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4825","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-croats","category-origins","category-serbs"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jassa.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4825","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jassa.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jassa.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jassa.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jassa.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4825"}],"version-history":[{"count":36,"href":"https:\/\/www.jassa.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4825\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4937,"href":"https:\/\/www.jassa.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4825\/revisions\/4937"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jassa.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4825"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jassa.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4825"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jassa.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4825"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}