Anatolic Theme The Anatolic Theme ( , " Anatolikon [ thema ] " ) , more properly known as the Theme of the Anatolics ( Greek : , " thema Anatolikōn " ) was a Byzantine theme ( a military - civilian province ) in central Asia Minor ( modern Turkey ) . From its establishment , it was the largest and senior - most of the themes , and its military governors ( " stratēgoi " ) were powerful individuals , several of them rising to the imperial throne or launching failed rebellions to capture it . The theme and its army played an important role in the Arab – Byzantine wars of the 7th – 10th centuries , after which it enjoyed a period of relative peace that lasted until its conquest by the Seljuk Turks in the late 1070s . Geography and administration . In its " classical " extent during the 8th and 9th centuries , the theme stretched over the ancient regions of Lycaonia , Pisidia , Isauria , as well as most of Phrygia and parts of Galatia Salutaris . Initially , the Anatolic Theme included the western and southern shores of Asia Minor as well , but by ca . 720 they were split off to form the Thracesian and Cibyrrhaeot themes . Under Theophilos ( r . 829 – 842 ) , its eastern and south - eastern portions , facing the Arab frontier zone and including the forts that guarded the northern entrance to the Cilician Gates , were detached to form two new frontier districts ( " kleisourai " ) , those of Cappadocia ( originally a " tourma " of the Anatolics ) and Seleucia . Emperor Leo VI the Wise ceded the region west of Lake Tuz ( the " banda " of Eudokias , Hagios Agapetos and Aphrazeia ) to Cappadocia . The theme ' s capital was Amorium , at least until it was sacked by the Arabs in 838 . After that , it was probably transferred to the nearby fortress of Polybotos . According to the Arab geographers Qudama ibn Ja ' far ( wrote ca . 930 ) and Ibn al - Faqih ( wrote ca . 903 ) , the Anatolic Theme , " the largest of the provinces of the Romans " , fielded 15 , 000 men in the 9th century , when it contained 34 fortresses . It and its military governor , or " stratēgos " , first attested in 690 , ranked first in precedence among the theme governors . The " stratēgos " of the Anatolics ( στρατηγός τῶν Άνατολικῶν ) was one of the few posts from which eunuchs were specifically barred . The holders of the post received an annual salary of 40 pounds of gold , and are attested as holding the senior court ranks of " patrikios " , " anthypatos " , and " prōtospatharios " . In addition , they were the only ones to be appointed to the post of " monostrategos " ( " single - general " ) , overall commander of the Asian land themes . History . The exact date of the theme ' s establishment is unknown . Along with the other original themes , it was created sometime after the 640s as a military encampment area for the remnants of the old field armies of the East Roman army , which were withdrawn to Asia Minor in the face of the Muslim conquests . The Anatolic Theme was settled and took its name from the army of the East ( Greek : , " Anatolē " ) . It is attested for the first time as a theme in 669 , while the " exercitus Orientalis " is mentioned as late as 687 . Wars with the Arabs and the Turks . During the wars with the Arabs in the 7th and 8th centuries , the Anatolic Theme — especially Cappadocia , its easternmost region — was frequently either a target of Arab invasions , or at the forefront of the Byzantine counter - raids into Arab territory , which began after the middle of the 8th century . The thematic capital , Amorium , was a frequent target . It was attacked already in 644 and taken in 646 ; briefly occupied in 669 ; the Arabs reached it again in 708 and besieged it without success in 716 . The tide of the Arab attacks ebbed in the 740s , after the Byzantine victory at the Battle of Akroinon and the turmoil of the Third Fitna and the Abbasid Revolution , and under Constantine V ( r . 741 – 775 ) , the Anatolics spearheaded the campaigns into Arab - held territory . This in turn provoked the reaction of the Abbasid Caliphate , which in the quarter - century after 780 launched repeated invasions of Byzantine Asia Minor . Thus the Anatolics suffered a heavy defeat at Kopidnadon in 788 , and Amorium was threatened again in 797 . In the early years of the 9th century , Cappadocia was the focus of Arab attacks , which culminated in the great invasion of 806 led by Harun al - Rashid himself , which took Heraclea Cybistra and several other forts . The late antique urban fabric suffered considerably from the Arab attacks and the concomitant decline of urbanization , but most of the cities in the interior of the theme , i . e . Phrygia and Pisidia , survived albeit in a reduced form . The cities of eastern Cappadocia ( the former province of Cappadocia Secunda ) , however , which bordered the Caliphate , were practically destroyed , as was Antioch in Pisidia . The foundation of the new " kleisourai " along the eastern frontier , especially Cappadocia , meant that Arab raids henceforth were absorbed there , and seldom reached the Anatolic Theme ' s territories . Apart from Caliph al - Mu ' tasim ' s great invasion in 838 , attacks that penetrated into the Anatolics ' territory are reported for 878 , 878 , 894 and 897 , always in the southeastern portion of the theme around Iconium . The 10th century was largely peaceful , with the exception of yet another sack of Amorium in 931 and a raid that reached Iconium in 961 . The first Turkish attack on the theme is recorded in 1069 , when the Turks attacked Iconium . Most of the province was overrun by the Turks after the Battle of Manzikert in 1071 , with Iconium becoming the seat of the Seljuk Sultanate of Rum in the 12th century . The last appearance of the Anatolic Theme in the historical sources is in 1077 , when its " stratēgos " , Nikephoros Botaneiates , proclaimed himself emperor ( Nikephoros III , r . 1078 – 1081 ) . The Byzantines managed to recover some western and northern portions of the theme in the subsequent decades , but the Anatolic Theme was never reconstituted . Rebellions . Directly facing the forces of the Caliphate during its first centuries of existence , and benefiting from its support of the Isaurian emperors , the Anatolic Theme was the most powerful and most prestigious of the themes . Its very power , however , also meant that it was a potential threat to the emperors : already in 669 , the thematic army revolted and forced Constantine IV ( r . 668 – 685 ) to re - install his brothers , Heraclius and Tiberius as his co - emperors , while in 695 a former " stratēgos " , Leontios ( r . 695 – 698 ) , usurped the throne from Justinian II ( r . 685 – 695 , 705 – 711 ) , and in 717 the then " stratēgos " , Leo the Isaurian , also became emperor ( Leo III , r . 717 – 741 ) . Henceforth , the Anatolics would be stalwart supporters of the Isaurians , including their iconoclastic policies , and in 742 Leo III ' s son and successor , Constantine V , found refuge and support in the theme against the usurper Artabasdos . The Anatolic Theme served as the base for several bids for the throne in later centuries as well : the failed revolt of Bardanes Tourkos in 803 was followed by the proclamation of Leo V the Armenian ( r . 813 – 820 ) by the Anatolic troops in 813 , and the almost - successful rebellion of Thomas the Slav in 820 – 823 . In the 10th century the theme appears on the sidelines of the rebellions of the time . The next and last rebellion by a " stratēgos " of the Anatolics was that of Nikephoros Xiphias in 1022 , against Basil II ( r . 976 – 1025 ) .