The Siege of Chandax (1)

I am currently revising a chapter about the Cretan War, which involved the Byzantine army led by General Nikephoros Phokas and the Muslim forces in Crete. This conflict reached its climax during the siege of Chandax (960-961). My paper will be divided into 14 sections and will include a re-evaluation of key themes.

The first section, titled "The Outcasts," narrates the story of a group of Andalusian Muslims who were exiled from their homeland. In their search for a new home, they formed a naval detachment that succeeded in conquering Crete from the Byzantine Empire.

 In the second section, "The Byzantine Chronicles," I discuss my perspective on the primary sources for this narrative, including "The History of Leo the Deacon."

The third section, "The Emirate of Crete," explores the political situation on the eve of the invasion and examines the economic relations between the Muslim and Christian populations.

Additionally, I am revising the first 25 pages of my book, "The Enchanting Encounter with the East," which includes five chapters: 1. What If the Earth Is a Sphere? 2. How to Measure the Earth's Circumference? 3. How Long Does the Inhabited World Span? 4. The Trefoil of the World 5. Where Is the Heart of the World?

I am also working on the beginning of "The Enigma of the Antipodes." Unit I of this book, comprising the first three chapters, will be titled "The Three Trick Questions of Mathematical Geography."

Finally, I have continued to collect data on early naval guns in the Mediterranean to investigate their development, function, shooting range, and accuracy.

Wishing you and your families a Happy New Year! I plan to introduce new developments in my narrative next January.

The Siege of Chandax

I am re-editing a new chapter on medieval naval tactics in the Mediterranean, focusing on the final Byzantine attempt to recapture Crete from the Muslim Emirate (c. 824-961). My paper relies on both Byzantine and Arab sources to create a more balanced perspective; however, this approach also leaves some gaps in the narrative. For instance, it remains unclear what happened to the Muslim fleet, which did not participate in the defense of the island. Additionally, the accounts of the size of the East Roman fleet are often exaggerated. The Roman commander Nikephoros Phokas appears to be a solitary figure, lacking the support of senior officers. We only know the name of one officer who perished, as he disregarded his orders.

This is the chapter template: a. The Importance of Crete b. An Overview of Byzantine Chronicles c. The Emirate of Crete d. The Declaration of War e. The Voyage f. Landing g. Setting Up Camp h. The Siege i. Guerrilla Operations j. Winter k. Relations Among Muslim Allies l. The Traction Trebuchet m. The Final Assault n. The Triumph Reassessment 

On December 12, I delivered a lecture on the Vandalic War based on my article: https://www.academia.edu/122683998/The_Battle_of_Ad_Decimum. I began the talk by addressing some misconceptions about this topic. First, it's important to clarify that the Vandal polity was a state, not merely a pirate base. While the Vandal army did conduct raids across the sea, this does not automatically categorize them as pirates. After the Roman destruction, Carthage was revitalized and regained its prominence as a major Mediterranean port. It served as the capital of a Roman province, then became the center of the Vandal kingdom, followed by a Byzantine province, until it eventually fell to the Arabs.

I have decided to make another effort to find a literary agent for my book, "The Enchanting Encounter with the East." Currently, I am revising the first 25 pages, which consist of five chapters. Once I complete the revisions, I will upload them to my Academia page:

https://independent.academia.edu/BaizermanMichael.