Avar ‘Surprises’ of 618 and 623 and their Reception in Byzantine Sources

This contribution focuses on the two surprise attacks by the Avars on the Eastern Roman Empire and their reception in both contemporary and later Greek sources. The Avar 'surprises' under consideration are the 618 siege of Thessaloniki and the 623 raid on southern Thrace. Through a close analysis of contemporary sources such as the Miracles of St. Demetrius and the Paschal Chronicle, this contribution proposes new insights into Emperor Heraclius’ approach to managing external threats as well as into the nature and limits of “Byzantine crisis management.”