Melias was a relative and namesake of Melias, an Armenian who entered Byzantine service in the early 900s under Leo VI the Wise, founded the border province of Lykandos, and played a major role in Byzantium's wars with its Arab neighbours until the 930s. Melias is mentioned in the sources only during the early reign of John I Tzimiskes, but is depicted on horseback along with Tzimiskes in the so-called "Pigeon House" church at Çavuşin in Cappadocia, which was built and painted during the reign of Tzimiskes' predecessor Nikephoros IIPhokas to commemorate him and his family. Melias' and Tzimiskes' presence is probably connected with their participation in Nikephoros II's conquest of Cilicia in 965. Although Melias is identified as a magistros in the "Pigeon House", this is a later emendation over the original inscription; he probably gained the rank of magistros at or after Tzimiskes' accession. Melias is mentioned in the sources as a participant in the expeditions against the Arabs in Upper Mesopotamia in 972–973. The first expedition, in autumn and winter of 972, was led by Tzimiskes in person and resulted in the capture of Nisibis and Mayyafariqin, forcing the local Arab ruler, the Hamdanid emir Abu Taghlib, to agree to pay an annual tribute in exchange for the Byzantines' withdrawal. Tzimiskes then withdrew from the area, but left Melias in his stead as Domestic of the Schools of the East. Melias then advanced against Amid with an army numbering, according to the Arab sources, 50,000 men. The commander of the local garrison, Hezarmerd, called upon Abu Taghlib for aid, and the latter sent his brother, Abu'l-Qasim Hibat Allah, who arrived before the city on 4 July 973. On the next day, a battle was fought before the walls of Amid in which the Byzantines were defeated. Melias and a group of other Byzantine generals were captured on the next day and brought captive to Abu Taghlib. Melias died soon after in captivity, but the sources disagree on the date and cause. The 11th-century historian Yahya of Antioch and Stephen of Taronrecord that he remained captive at Abu Taghlib's court until his death in February/March 974. The 13th-century Persian historian Rashid-al-Din Hamadanion the other hand states that Melias died soon after the battle before Amid of his wounds. Ibn al-Athir and others record that he died in the year 363AH of an illness, although Abu Taghlib had sent doctors to help him, while the less reliable accounts of Matthew of Edessa and Bar Hebraeus claim that he was brought to Baghdad, where he died from an ulcer.
