Dokeianos, who had just reimposed order in Bari and the surrounding region, marched to meet them with a hastily assembled and incomplete force: most of the imperial army was still in Sicily, so that Skylitzes writes that Dokeianos only took the Opsician and part of the Thracesian contingents with him, while other sources also add that his army comprised elements of the Varangian Guard.
Dokeianos, having restored order to Bari and its surroundings, marched to meet them with a hastily assembled and incomplete force: most of the imperial army remained in Sicily, so Skylitzes states that Dokeianos only took the Opsician and part of the Thracesian contingent, while other sources also indicate his army included elements of the Varangian Guard.