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Landolph the Sage, Miscellaneous History 20.63

   https://caesarea-maritima.org/testimonia/463

Context

Landolph the Sage (Landolphus Sagax) was a learned historian who lived and worked in the Lombard Duchy (Principality) of Benevento during the late 10th to early 11th centuries. His detailed history, which continued the narrative of Paul the Deacon down to the present, repeats much information from earlier sources but offers its own perspective on proper rulership. In this passage on events in 631/632 C.E., Landolph recount the Arab defeat of Sergius, the commander at Caesarea, and then the famous celestial harbinger of the Arab conquest.

Text

Anno imperii Heraclii vicesimo tertio cum mississet Ebubeher praetores quattuor qui ducti fuerant, ut praetuli, ab Arabibus, venerunt at ceperunt Ran et totam regionem Gazae. Tandemque aliquando cum venisset a Caesarea Palestinae cum militibus paucis, inito bello perimitur primus cum exercitu qui trecentorum erat virorum, et multis captivis acceptis et exuviis plurimis reversi sunt cum victoria splendida.Porro eodem anno terremotus factus est in Palestina, et apparuit signum, qui dicitur docetes, in caelo contra meridiem prenuntians Arabum potentatum. Perduravit autem diebus triginta extensum a mesembria usque ad arctum; erat autem in modum gladii.1

Textual Note

Ed. Crivellucci 1912-1913 with ref. to Eyssenhardt 1869

Corrigenda Note

Minor corr. (spelling)

Translation

In the 23rd year of the reign of Heraclius, when Ebubeher [i.e. Abu Bakr] had sent out four generals who had been led, as I noted earlier, by the Arabs, they went and took Ran(?) and the whole region of Gaza. And finally at some point, when (Sergius) had come from Caesarea Palestinae with a few soldiers, at the start of the war he is the first destroyed with an army of 300 men. And after (the Arabs) had taken numerous captives and abundant spoils, they returned with a splendid victory.Furthermore, in the same year an earthquake struck in Palestine, and a sign which is called δοκήτης appeared in the sky toward the south foretelling the potentate of the Arabs. And it persisted for 30 days stretching from the south as far as the north, and it was in the shape of a sword.

Translation Note

Trans. J. L. Rife

Discussion Note

Landolph gives the Latin toponym Ran for Ἥραν/Ἤραν in the Byzantine sources, which may refer to al-Hῑra the Lakhmid capital of Iraq, or Pharan in the Sinai, or somewhere else; see Mango, Scott and Greatrex 1997, p. 468 n. 2.

Works Cited

  • 1 bk: 20, ch: 63. , bk: 20, ch: 63.

Additional Bibliography

  • Landolph the Sage, Historia miscella, ed. Franz Eyssenhardt (Berlin: Guttentag, 1869), bk: 20, ch: 63.Link to Zotero Bibliographic Record
  • Theophanes the Confessor, The Chronicle of Theophanes Confessor: Byzantine and Near Eastern History, A.D. 284-813, trans. Cyril Mango and Roger Scott (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1997)Link to Zotero Bibliographic Record
About This Text

 

How to Cite This Entry

Joseph L. Rife, “Landolph the Sage, Miscellaneous History 20.63,” in Caesarea Maritima: A Collection of Testimonia, entry published June 30, 2023, https://caesarea-maritima.org/testimonia/463.

Bibliography:

Joseph L. Rife, “Landolph the Sage, Miscellaneous History 20.63.” In Caesarea Maritima: A Collection of Testimonia, edited by Joseph L. Rife., edited by Joseph L. Rife. Caesarea City and Port Exploration Project, 2023. Entry published June 30, 2023. https://caesarea-maritima.org/testimonia/463.

About this Entry

Entry Title: Landolph the Sage, Miscellaneous History 20.63

Authorial and Editorial Responsibility:

  • Joseph L. Rife, general editor, Vanderbilt University
  • Joseph L. Rife, editor, Caesarea Maritima: A Collection of Testimonia
  • David A. Michelson, Daniel L. Schwartz, and William L. Potter, technical editor, “Landolph the Sage, Miscellaneous History 20.63”
  • Joseph L. Rife, entry contributor, “Landolph the Sage, Miscellaneous History 20.63”

Additional Credit:

  • Testimonium edited by Joseph L. Rife
  • TEI record created by Joseph L. Rife
  • Testimonium translated by Joseph L. Rife
  • Testimonium transcribed by Joseph L. Rife
  • Testimonium identified by Joseph L. Rife
  • Editorial review by Joseph L. Rife
  • Testimonium edited by Joseph L. Rife
  • TEI record created by Joseph L. Rife
  • Testimonium translated by Joseph L. Rife
  • Testimonium transcribed by Joseph L. Rife
  • Testimonium identified by Joseph L. Rife
  • Editorial review by Joseph L. Rife
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