Armenian Hexapolis

The Hexapolis ({{langx|el|Ἑξάπολις}}) was a district in Armenia Minor, mentioned in the early Byzantine period (7th–8th centuries). It comprised the cities of Melitene, which was the district capital, Arka, Arabissos, Kukusos, Komana and Ariaratheia. It formed part of the Roman province of Armenia Secunda, renamed to Armenia Tertia after Justinian I's provincial reorganization in 536.

The Hexapolis sustained several attacks from the Arabs beginning in 661.{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9lHeh36S8ooC&dq=armenian+hexapolis+district+militene&pg=PT671|title=The Cambridge Medieval History volumes 1-5|publisher=Plantagenet Publishing|language=en}} An emir called Busr attacked the area west of Militene in 667 while, in 695, the Arabs - disregarding all treaties - raided Hexapolis and took many of its inhabitants captive.{{Cite book|title=A History of the Byzantine State and Society|url=https://archive.org/details/historybyzantine00trea_749|url-access=limited|last=Treadgold|first=Warren T.|date=1997|publisher=Stanford University Press|isbn=9780804726306|location=Stanford, CA|pages=[https://archive.org/details/historybyzantine00trea_749/page/n354 336]}} Justinian was about to launch an expedition to Hexapolis to counter the Arab attack but this was prevented after he was deposed by a mob led by Leontios,{{Cite book|title=The Chronicle of Theophanes: Anni Mundi 6095-6305 (A.D. 602-813)|url=https://archive.org/details/chronicletheopha00theo|url-access=limited|last=Turtledove|first=Harry|date=1982|publisher=University of Pennsylvania Press|isbn=9780812211283|location=Philadelphia, PA|pages=[https://archive.org/details/chronicletheopha00theo/page/n46 67]}} his previously appointed strategos of the Hellas Theme.{{Cite book|title=Medieval Maritime Warfare|last=Stanton|first=Charles D.|date=2015-06-30|publisher=Pen and Sword|isbn=9781781592519|location=South Yorkshire|pages=26}}