ieving ▁Ale ppo , ▁taking ▁over ▁the ▁Or ont es ▁valley , ▁and ▁ra iding ▁further ▁south . ▁Although ▁he ▁did ▁not ▁have ▁the ▁force ▁to ▁drive ▁into ▁Palest ine ▁and ▁rec laim ▁Jerusalem , ▁his ▁vict ories ▁did ▁restore ▁much ▁of ▁Sy ria ▁to ▁the ▁emp ire ▁— ▁including ▁the ▁larger ▁city ▁of ▁Ant io ch ▁which ▁was ▁the ▁seat ▁of ▁its ▁e pon ym ous ▁Patri arch . ▁ ▁No ▁By z antine ▁em peror ▁since ▁Her ac lius ▁had ▁been ▁able ▁to ▁hold ▁these ▁lands ▁for ▁any ▁length ▁of ▁time , ▁and ▁the ▁Empire ▁would ▁retain ▁them ▁for ▁the ▁next ▁ 1 1 0 ▁years ▁until ▁ 1 0 7 8 . ▁P iers ▁Paul ▁Read ▁writes ▁that ▁by ▁ 1 0 2 5 , ▁By z antine ▁land ▁" st retch ed ▁from ▁the ▁Stra its ▁of ▁Mess ina ▁and ▁the ▁northern ▁Adri atic ▁in ▁the ▁west ▁to ▁the ▁River ▁Dan ube ▁and ▁Crime a ▁in ▁the ▁north , ▁and ▁to ▁the ▁cities ▁of ▁Mel it ene ▁and ▁Ed essa ▁beyond ▁the ▁Eu phr ates ▁in ▁the ▁east ." ▁ ▁Under ▁Bas il ▁II , ▁the ▁By z ant ines ▁established ▁a ▁sw ath ▁of ▁new ▁them ata , ▁stretch ing ▁n ortheast ▁from ▁Ale ppo ▁( a ▁By z antine ▁prote ctor ate ) ▁to ▁Man zik ert . ▁Under ▁the ▁Th eme ▁system ▁of ▁military ▁and ▁administrative ▁government , ▁the ▁By z ant ines ▁could ▁raise ▁a ▁force ▁at ▁least ▁ 2 0 0 , 0 0