is known of Ouranos after that date, although the fact that a successor as doux of Antioch was not appointed until 1011 may mean that he continued to occupy the office until then. Works Ouranos's Taktika The 10th century saw a revival in the practice of writing encyclopedic works, including military manuals, in the Byzantine Empire. Nikephoros's Taktika () represent the final example among the latter, and were written while he was governor of Antioch. The work consists of 178 chapters, which can be divided into the following parts: Chapters 1–55 are a paraphrase of the Tactica of Emperor Leo VI the Wise (r. 886–912). Chapters 56–62 are a paraphrase of the Praecepta Militaria of Emperor Nikephoros II Phokas (r. 963–969), while the appended chapters 63–65 reflect Ouranos's own experience and are emendations of earlier texts reflecting the new circumstances of Byzantine warfare in the early 11th century. Chapters 66–74 are derived from the 1st-century author Onasander. Chapters 75–175 and 176–178 likewise are derived from ancient authors. Of Ouranos's own additions, chapter 63 deals with raids into enemy territory. Chapter 64 discusses the problem of breaking camp and setting to march when the enemy is nearby, as well as on the forced passing of a defile held by the enemy (drawn from earlier authors). Chapter 65 concerns itself with siegecraft. The latter is especially notable for the importance given to psychological and diplomatic factors during a siege. For instance, he notes the importance of taking precautions even against Christian subjects supplying a Muslim enemy with grain, cheese, or livestock because the high price offered will otherwise prove tempting. Likewise, he suggests alternating between gracious offers of clemency and harsh threats of reprisals (especially against Armenian and Syriac Christians, apostates to Islam (Greek: μαγαρίται), and other heretics) whether one plans to honor these or not, as such vacillation will produce dissension among the defenders. Oddly enough, though Ouranos refers to trebuchets, it appears he (and by extension the Byzantines) used them against the defenders along the walls, and not against the walls themselves. Apparently in ignorance of the destructive power at his command, he writes: "The men of old, in their pursuit of siege warfare, constructed many devices such as battering rams, wooden towers, scaling ladders with various features, tortoises, and all kinds of other things which our generation can hardly imagine. It has, however, tried all these devices and found