Άλλες Ονομασίες Iznikmit (mean. into Nicomedia ), Iznimit, modern Izmit. Γεωγραφική Θέση Northeastern Asia Minor, mod. northeastern Turkey

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1 Περίληψη : City in Bithynia situated at the heart of the bay of Astacus, second capital of the Roman Empire until the foundation of Constantinople in 330 AD. Nicomedia suffered great catastrophes throughout its history due to powerful earthquakes. It was a centre of great administrative, commercial and military importance. It was the capital of the province of Bithynia and later on the capital of the theme of Optimaton, situated on major routes. In 1337 AD, it was conquered by the Ottomans. Only the city s fortifications survive nowadays. Άλλες Ονομασίες Iznikmit (mean. into Nicomedia ), Iznimit, modern Izmit Γεωγραφική Θέση Northeastern Asia Minor, mod. northeastern Turkey Ιστορική Περιοχή Bithynia Διοικητική Υπαγωγή Province of Bithynia, theme of Opsikion, theme of Optimaton 1. General information Nicomedia was built on the northeast side of the bay of Astacus, which became known as the bay of Nicomedia ever since. The city was situated 91 kms east of Chrysoupolis, 96 kms northeast of Prousa and 55,5 kms from the confluence of the rivers Saggarios and Gallos. Its geographical location was of great commercial, administrative and strategic importance. Nicomedia was referred to in coins and inscriptions as the greatest and foremost metropolis of Bithynia and the Pontos even as early as the Late Roman period. It was the administrative and ecclesiastical metropolis of the province of Bithynia in the Early Byzantine period, as registered in Hierokles Synekdemos 1 in the 6 th cent. AD. However, Nicaea challenged its pre-eminence. The conflict between the two cities is reflected in historical sources and continued throughout the byzantine period, when Nicaea flourished considerably. 2 Nicomedia, on the other hand, is presented in the sources as a major port and transport junction. 2. Nicomedia as a transport junction Nicomedia was easily accessible by land or water from Constantinople as well as the other cities in Asia Minor. The road connecting Chalcedon and Nicomedia, a part of which Ramsay calls pilgrims itinerary, was used by the emperors and the army and was critical for the defence of the byzantine capital during the Late Byzantine period, as can be established by the number of fortresses along the road. 3 In the Tabula Peutingeriana, compiled around 200 AD, Nicomedia appears on the route leading from Western Europe, most particularly Bordeaux, to Jerusalem. 4 Another road led from Nicomedia to Amaseia through River Sangarius. A bridge was constructed on this road by Justinian I ( AD), some time prior to 560 AD, and the iron fortress, constructed by Alexios I ( AD), was probably somewhere along the same road, west of lake Vaani (Sapanca). 5 Nicomedia was also connected by land with Nicaea. During the 6 th cent. AD, this road led to Eribolos, registered as an emporion, allowing access to the south side of the bay of Nicomedia. Later on, this road became obsolete. In 1097, a part of this road was repaired by the crusaders of Crusade I The commercial nature of Nicomedia Seals available to modern day research illustrate the commercial activity in Nicomedia. The kommerkiarioi of Nicomedia Sergios (8 th cent. AD), Georgios (of 8 th - beginning of 9 th cent. AD) and Andronikos (end of 8 th - beginning of 9 th cent. AD) are already known by their seals. Another seal dating from the 9 th cent. AD, belonging to a man named James, royal spatharios and xenodochos Δημιουργήθηκε στις 23/1/2017 Σελίδα 1/20

2 (hotelier) of Nicomedia, 7 proves the existence of a state hospice in the city during the 9 th cent. AD. 8 Ablikalamos, 9 the tax collector of the region around the bay of Nicomedia during the years AD, is also known, whereas a century later, the book of the eparch (around 895 AD) depicts Nicomedia as a supply centre of the capital Seismic activity in Nicomedia The region of Nicomedia and Bithynia in general is characterized by a great seismic activity throughout the centuries. 11 At the time of Vitellius Augustus (69-70 AD), Nicomedia was destroyed by a powerful earthquake and rebuilt by means of imperial donation. On 24 th August 358 AD, at the time of Constantius II ( AD), another powerful earthquake occurred, described most vividly by Ammianus Marcellinus. As a result, the city was destroyed and many of its citizens died, including Kekropios, the city s bishop. On 2 nd December 363, another powerful earthquake completed the destruction of the city. Nicomedia was again destroyed by a powerful earthquake at the time of Theodosios II ( AD), who reconstructed a number of public buildings, baths, galleries, boxes in the arenas, temples, as well as the martyrion of St. Anthimos. At the time of Zeno ( AD), another destructive earthquake occurred, whereas in 554 AD, a destructive earthquake of great magnitude is recorded with post-seismic activity which lasted 40 days. Much later, around 740 AD, Nicomedia was again hit by a powerful earthquake and suffered great damage History of Nicomedia 5.1 Early Christian times The history of Nicomedia is closely associated with the story of protector Diocles, who was proclaimed Emperor by the military officials in the city on 20 th November 284 AD and was renamed Diocletian ( AD). 13 His visits to the city became more frequent, 14 until 293 AD when he established Nicomedia as the second capital of the Roman Empire and stayed there for long periods of time. The city, in which a mint and an arms workshop already existed, was reconstructed. A number of public buildings and palaces, along with a naval dockyard were built and the city was fortified with new walls. 15 In 294 AD, Galerius Maximianus (Galerius Valerius Maximianus) and Constantius (Flavius Valerius Constantius) were proclaimed caesars in Nicomedia. There followed a period during which the christian community of the city suffered many hardships due to the persecutions against christians by Diocletian in 303 AD, Maximinus ( AD) and Licinius ( AD) Nicomedia at the time of Constantine the Great ( AD) Constantine, later known as Constantine I (the Great), was trained in Nicomedia under the supervision of Diocletian ( AD). 17 Following his victory in Chrysoupolis in 324 AD, he settled in Nicomedia as the only emperor. However, his subsequent choice of Constantinople as the capital of the Roman Empire, in the same strategic location as Byzantium, the old colony of Megara, along with the favor he showed towards Nicaea, deprived Nicomedia of its protagonist role. 18 It is possible that Constantine the Great wished to distance himself from the pagan past and anti-christian tradition of Nicomedia. In any case, his choices were not favorable for the city s progress, although he maintained his ties with Nicomedia, where he chose to stay from time to time. In 323 AD, he renovated the city s basilica and in 337 AD, just before his death, he converted to christianity and was baptized by metropolitan Eusebios in the suburban imperial villa (proasteion) Achyron at the age of Nicomedia until the 7th cent. AD In the 4 th cent. AD, Nicomedia continued to constitute a centre of philosophical and classical studies. The city s history is associated with Julian ( AD) and his mentor, the orator Libanius. In AD, young Julian came to Nicomedia to study next to his godfather, bishop Eusebios. He became a deacon of the bishopric of Nicomedia and was converted to the greek philosophy and religion by Maximos of Ephesus. 20 Libanius was also forced to come to Nicomedia due to the enmity he faced by christian philosophers in Constantinople and Nicaea. His stay in Nicomedia, which Libanius calls μουσείο = τόπο των μουσών, was Δημιουργήθηκε στις 23/1/2017 Σελίδα 2/20

3 associated with his most pleasant memories due to the Nicomedians thirst for learning and philosophical inclination. 21 The city s prosperity, reflected in the sources, came to an abrupt halt with the earthquake of 358 AD. In 362 AD, Julian ( AD) started reconstructing the city shortly after his visit there, but Nicomedia was yet again destroyed by the earthquake of 2 nd December 363 AD. 22 On 1 st March 365 AD, the byzantine army arrived in Nicomedia and Valentinianuos ( AD) proclaimed his brother Valens ( AD) Caesar and tribunus stabuli of Nicomedia. 23 Nicomedia became at that time the site of the military operations of Valens against the insurgent Prokopios, who occupied Nicaea. 24 Following his victory, Valens decided to demolish the walls of Chalkedon in order to retaliate against the supporters of Prokopios, a decision which upset the citizens of Bithynia. Citizens of Nicomedia and Nicaea went to Constantinople in order to prevent the implementation of Valens measures, since they considered them disastrous for the defence of their cities. 25 From the end of the 4 th cent. AD onwards, Nicomedia became for short periods of time the seat of emperors, such as Arcadius during the years AD and Theodosius II in 426 AD. 26 Nicomedia s prestige was reinforced at the time of Justinian I ( AD). In his work On Buildings, Prokopios mentions the renovation of the public baths of Antoninus, just after the earthquake of 554 AD. 27 One of the most important decisions of Justinian I prior to 548 AD concerning Nicomedia was the alteration of dromos (postal service), which no longer passed through Nicomedia but bypassed the city from the west. In order to compensate Nicomedia, Justinian I repaired the road which led eastwards and built a great bridge on the river Saggarios. 28 With another decree in 563 AD, Justinian I ordered the relocation of the scholae palatinae of the East from Nicomedia and other cities of Bithynia to Thrace Nicomedia from the 7th to the 11th cent. AD Little is known about Nicomedia during this period. From the second half of the 7 th cent. AD onwards, the city belonged administratively to the theme of Opsikion and from 798/9 AD onwards, to the theme of Optimaton. From then on, Nicomedia was no longer the capital city. 30 At the beginning of the 7 th cent. AD, in the Life of Theodore of Sykeon, Nicomedia is presented as a prosperous city and the villages in its outskirts as particularly fertile and highly productive. The social stratification of the city is also revealed to some degree and a mention is made to scholarioi, favrikisioi (armourers), clergymen and Jews. Citizens of Nicomedia bore high offices from time to time, such as the scholarios Theodore which was proclaimed pater Noicomedia. 31 Nicomedians also faced many hardships. The Persian invaders might have passed through Nicomedia on their way to Chalkedon in 625 and in 626 AD. In 623 AD, the byzantine army under Heraclius ( AD) camped at Nicomedia for the Easter celebration during their campaign against the Persians. 32 No coins from Nicomedia between the years 617/8 and 625/6 AD have been discovered. This gap in minting might be associated with the Persian invasions. The city s mint resumed its operation for a short period of time, from 626/7 up to 630 AD. 33 However, the city s arms workshop was still in operation in 640 AD. 34 It seems that Nicomedia was not affected by the plague epidemic which broke out in Constantinople in 747 AD, since Constantine V ( AD) sought refuge there. 35 Nicomedia is often mentioned in the 9 th cent. AD sources. The Vita of Theofylaktos, the metropolis of Nicomedia from 800 to 815 AD, who cared in various ways for the poor citizens of Nicomedia, illustrates the institution of social welfare during that period. 36 Around 845 AD, Nicomedia was described by Ibn Khordadbeh as a major city upon the road which led from the eastern regions of the empire to Constantinople, a road which was nevertheless destroyed by that time Evidence about the military importance of Nicomedia 6.1. Nicomedia as a military base from the 7th cent. AD onwards Δημιουργήθηκε στις 23/1/2017 Σελίδα 3/20

4 Nicomedia was associated with a large number of military operations due to its strategic location. It was the base of the military operations of Justinian II (a AD, b AD) against the Arabs, who seized Tyana in 709 AD and invaded the Byzantine Empire. At that time, due to military necessities, the reception of pope Constantine of Rome ( AD) took place in Nicomedia and not in Constantinople, as the protocol demanded. 38 In 716 AD, Leo III ( AD), following his proclamation as emperor in Amorion, went to Nicomedia and arrested the son of Theodosios III ( AD) and the imperial escort. In 718 AD, during the siege of Constantinople, the Arabs attacked Nicomedia and Nicaea but were repelled successfully by the Byzantines, entrenched in mounts Livos and Sofon. In 743 AD, Nicomedia was the operational base of Artabasdos ( AD), the usurper of the throne. In 746 AD, monostrategos Niketas, son of Artabasdos, was beheaded there by Constantine V ( AD) Nicomedia as a military base during the 11th cent. AD In 1057 AD, Nicomedia was the military base of the emperor Michael VI ( AD) against his opponent Isaac Komnenos ( AD). Following the defeat of the imperial army, Isaac went to Nicomedia in order to attend the negotiations with the embassy of Michael VI from Constantinople. Following the defeat in Mantzikert in 1071, the advance of the Seljuks towards Constantinople was accelerated via the road which passed through Nicomedia. In 1073 AD, the later emperor Alexios I Komnenos ( AD) was attacked by the Seljuks in the same region during his return from Ankara to Constantinople. Next year, Roussel de Bailleul, who intended to establish his own hegemony in Asia Minor and was besieging the cities along the river Sangarios, seized Nicomedia and advanced to Chrysoupolis. In 1078 AD, Nicomedia along with all the other cities of Bithynia collaborated with the insurgent and later emperor Nikephoros III Botaneiates ( AD). In 1080 AD, Nicomedia remained the only byzantine military base, following the handing over of Nicaea and other byzantine cities to the Seljuks by the insurgent Nikephoros Melissenos Nicomedia as a military base during the Komnenoi period The Komnenoi dynasty ( AD) focused particularly on the defensive organization of the cities of Asia Minor, building fortresses in order to avoid successive enemy invasions. In Nicomedia itself, the hill of the citadel was fortified. In 1081 AD, Alexios I Komnenos ( AD) managed to take under complete byzantine control the bay of Nicomedia. In 1087 AD, Nicomedia was temporarily passed under Seljuk control and three years later, in 1090 AD, it was regained by the Byzantines. The region around Nicomedia was fortified and fortresses were built, such as the ones in Kibotus (Civetot) and west of lake Vaani (Sapanca). In 1116 AD, during the last campaign of Alexios I Komnenos against the Seljuks, Nicomedia and its outskirts were a military base and a redeployment centre of the byzantine army, 41 whereas a few years later, in 1123 AD, the populace of the entire Nicomedia region was reinforced by the relocation of Serbian prisoners of war, to whom land was given in return. 42 In 1158 AD, the assets of the monasteries in the Nicomedia region were protected by a chrysobull. 43 In 1179 Manuel I Komnenos ( AD) passed through Nicomedia on his way to Claudioupolis, which was threatened by the Seljuks. Following the premature death of Manuel I in 1180 AD and the rise to the throne of his juvenile son Alexios II ( AD) under the custody of his mother Mary of Antioch, several insurgent movements occurred in the interior of the empire and the exterior enemy was temporarily neglected due to the heavy taxation imposed upon the populace of the cities of Asia Minor and the successive wars. In 1182 AD, the suburbs of Nicomedia collaborated with the later emperor Andronikos I Komnenos ( ) during his conflict with Mary of Antioch. 44 However, the city of Nicomedia, seat of a strong imperial garrison, remained loyal to the emperor. 6.4 Nicomedia as a military base during the Crusades Nicomedia was a military base of the crusaders and is mentioned in the sources as an important replenishment port during the Crusades. In 1096 AD, during Crusade I, Peter the Hermit (Pierre l Hermite) camped in Nicomedia on his way to Kibotus (Civetot) and the remains army joined the main body of the crusaders passing by the following year. 45 Stephen of Blois refers to Nicomedia as urbem desolatam a Turchis. 46 In 1101 AD, there followed a new, yet unfortunate, attempt for a crusade with an assortment of troops, coming mainly from Δημιουργήθηκε στις 23/1/2017 Σελίδα 4/20

5 Lombardy and France. The crusaders passed through Nicomedia but were crushed later by the Seljuks between Amaseia and Sebasteia. William of Aquitaine (Guillaume d Aquitaine) also passed through Nicomedia. 47 In 1147 AD, during Crusade II, the armies of Conrad and Louis VII passed through Nicomedia. 48 Odo de Deuil, historian of Crusade II, describes Nicomedia as a destroyed, yet important, city Nicomedia at the end of the 12th beginning of the 13th cent. AD In 1198 AD, Nicomedia is mentioned as a province (eparcheia) in the chrysobull of the byzantine emperor Alexios III Angelos ( AD) granting privileges to the Venetians. (The meaning of the term eparcheia of Nicomedia is rather vague and it might be the greek translation of the latin term provincia.) Nicomedia is also mentioned in Partitio Romaniae ( AD) as being under the jurisdiction of the theme of Oprtimaton and the province of Tarsia, east of the river Sangarios Nicomedia after 1204 AD The region around Nicomedia became a battlefield following the overthrow of the Byzantine Empire by the crusaders of Crusade IV in 1204 AD. The Latins seized Nicomedia effortlessly because the Byzantines abandoned the city when they heard that Macaire de Sainte-Menehould and his crusaders were approaching. In March 1205 AD, the Latins withdrew from Nicomedia 51 and the city came under the sphere of influence of Theodore I Lascaris ( AD). Conflicts in the region were also triggered off by the byzantine pretenders to the imperial throne. Around 1205 AD, armed forces from the Empire of Trebizond besieged Nicomedia by land and water, pillaging the surrounding region. The siege was lifted only after the intervention of Theodore I Lascaris, who defeated David Komnenos ( AD) of Trebizond. 52 In 1206 AD, the Latins seized the entire region from Thynia to Nicomedia. Nicomedia was to be handed over to Thierry de Los by Henry of Hainault ( AD), who arrived in the city during the autumn and fortified the church of Hagia Sophia with a wall. 53 Theodore I Lascaris regained Nicomedia by agreement in 1207 AD. More specifically, the Latins, who intended to attack Bithynia, were taken by surprise by the Byzantines under Theodore I Lascaris in May 1207 AD. Suffering many casualties, the Latins sought refuge in the church of Hagia Sophia in Nicomedia. Henry of Hainault sent reinforcements in a fortified location close to Nicomedia, while Theodore I Lascaris headed to Nicaea and sent back ambassadors to negotiate a two-year truce, demanding the fortress of the church of Hagia Sophia in return for the release of Latin prisoners of war. 54 It is possible that Nicomedia was regained by the Latins in 1211 AD, following the byzantine defeat in the river Ryndakus (Orhaneli), although there is no related mention in the sources. In 1224 AD, according to the peace treaty signed between John III Vatatzes ( AD) and the Latins in Peges, the regions bordering Nicomedia remained under latin control, while the city itself possibly passed under byzantine control once again. From 1241 AD onwards, Nicomedia is mentioned as a byzantine military base against the Latins. In 1246 AD, John III Vatatzes, using Nicomedia as a military base, successfully besieged Dakivyza (Gebze). One year later, he made preparations for a military operation against the Latins in Constantinople. 55 Little is known about everyday life in Nicomedia during this period. In 1214 AD, Messarites comments on the phenomenon of piracy, following a trip he made from Nicaea to Constantinople. Nicomedia was the birthplace of Maximos Planoudes, a letter of whom survives nowadays, asking the metropolitan of Nicomedia to find accommodation inside the city for an aged relative of his. 9. Nicomedia during the 14th cent. AD At the end of the 13 th and the beginning of the 14 th cent AD, Nicomedia remained the most powerful fortress in Bithynia, guaranteeing the transportation of food and commodities to the byzantine capital via the bay of Astacus. At the same time, Nicomedia met an era of great spiritual flourishing, with John, the metropolitan of Nicomedia and later metropolitan of Heraclea, uncle of Nikephoros Gregoras, as the leading figure. 56 Δημιουργήθηκε στις 23/1/2017 Σελίδα 5/20

6 In AD, the Ottomans advanced to Nicomedia region and blocked all the land routes connecting Nicomedia with the other cities. Their numerous armies and constant reinforcements camped and systematically pillaged the fertile and densely populated region of Nicomedia. The people who sought refuge inside the city of Nicomedia were forced to choose between confronting the ottoman armies directly or enduring the pillage and the consequent famine caused by an opponent constantly growing in numbers. On 27 th July 1302 AD, a battle took place in Bapheas (Koyun Hisar), a village 5 kilometres from Nicomedia, between the Byzantines under the hetaireiarches of Mouzalon and the Ottomans under Osman. The byzantine army suffered a heavy defeat and fled. The Ottomans pillaged Bithynia up to the shores of Bosporus. 57 The emperor Andronikos II Palaiologos ( AD), unable to confront the Ottomans directly due to a lack of strong military forces, used intermarriage as a diplomatic solution. The daughter of the christianized Mongol Kuzim Paşa married Suleiman Paşa, a leader of strong ottoman forces, and Kuzim Paşa was appointed governor of Nicomedia. However, this effort did not bring permanent results. In 1304 AD, a chieftain named Ali, son of Amur, crossed the river Sangarios and pillaged Mesothynia. As a consequence, Nicomedia suffered from famine and drought, while becoming increasingly isolated and exposed to the enemies. 58 In 1333 AD, Nicomedia was besieged by the Ottomans. The emperor Andronikos III ( AD) arrived in Nicomedia with his fleet and started negotiations with Orhan. He agreed to pay perpera each year for the fortresses of Mesothynia, from Nicomedia to the byzantine capital. In 1334 AD, Nicomedia was threatened once again by the Ottomans but resisted successfully thanks to its fortified location, its strong fortifications and the import of supplies by Andronikos III. However, during the siege of 1337 AD, its citizens suffered from starvation and Nicomedia eventually surrendered to the Ottomans Monuments fortifications Nicomedia is depicted in the sources as a glorious city with wide streets, colonnades, public buildings and walls. Suburbs and monasteries were situated outside the walls. Some limited excavations have taken place on the west side of the city on the occasion of the construction of a paper factory. Marble baths, residences, a colonnaded courtyard and a number of shops were excavated near the seashore, dating from the early 4 th cent. AD. These buildings were so compact that the workers were forced to use dynamite to demolish their foundations. 60 No remains of secular or religious architecture survive in Nicomedia nowadays. However, a large part of its fortifications still survives, dating from the hellenistic period to the ottoman conquest. The walls of the early byzantine city, raised by Diocletian ( AD), extended from the hills to the seashore, coinciding in some places with the more ancient ones of the hellenistic period. Following the foundation of Constantinople, the walls were not maintained in all their length due to high maintenance costs. The walls of the byzantine fortress on the hill survive nowadays in a better condition, dating from the Komnenoi and later periods (12 th -14 th cent. AD) Συνέκδημος Ιεροκλή, Le Synekdemos d Hierokles, ed. E. Honigmann (Brussels 1939), p.33, On the conflict between the two cities in antiquity, whenever coins and sources are mentioned, see Robert, L., La titulature de Nicée et Nicomédie: la gloire et la haine, Harvard Studies in Classical Philology 81 (1977) pp. 1-39, ibid pp. 3, 5, Lefort, J. Les communications entre Constantinople et la Bithynie, in Mango, C. - Dagron, G. (ed.), Constantinople and its Hinterland, Papers from the 27 th Spring Symposium of Byzantine Studies, Oxford, April 1993 (London 1995), pp , ibid p See also Ramsay, W., The Historical Geography of Asia Minor (London 1890, Amsterdam 1962) pp. 197, 205. In the byzantine sources one can often find information about the communication between Nicomedia and Constantinople; Κωνσταντίνος Πορφυρογέννητος, Προς τον ίδιον υιόν Ρωμανόν, Constantine Porphyrogenitus De Administrando Imperio, ed. G. Moravcsik R. J. H. Jenkins (CFHB 1, Washington D. C. 1967), p ; Θεοφύλακτος Αχρίδος, Theofylacti Achridensis Epistulae, Lettres, ed. P. Gautier (CFHB 16, Thessaloniki 1980), nr. 4; Βραχέα Χρονικά, Chronica Byzantina Breviora, ed. P. Schreiner (CFHB 12, Vienna 1975), nr. 8/27; Ιωάννης Καντακουζηνός, Ioannis Cantacuzeni Eximperatoris Historiarum Libri IV 1, ed. L. P. Schopen, (CSHB, Bonn 1831), pp Bosio, L. (ed.), La Tabula Peutingeriana, una descrizione pittorica del mondo antico (Rimini 1983), Segm. VIII 2; Lefort, J., Les communications Δημιουργήθηκε στις 23/1/2017 Σελίδα 6/20

7 entre Constantinople et la Bithynie, in Mango, C. - Dagron, G. (ed.), Constantinople and its Hinterland, Papers from the 27 th Spring Symposium of Byzantine Studies, Oxford, April 1993 (London 1995), pp , ibid p Προκόπιος, Περί Κτισμάτων, Procopii Caesariensis opera omnia, IV: De Aedificiis, ed. J. Haury - G. Wirth (Leipzig 1964), pp (V ); Άννα Κομνηνή, Anne Comnene Alexiade 2, ed. B. Leib (Paris 1943), pp ; Lefort, J., Les communications entre Constantinople et la Bithynie, in Mango, C. - Dagron, G. (ed.), Constantinople and its Hinterland, Papers from the 27 th Spring Symposium of Byzantine Studies, Oxford, April 1993 (London 1995), pp , ibid p Βίος Θεοδώρου Συκεώνος, Vie de Théodore de Sykéôn, ed. A. J. Festugière (Subsidia Hagiographica 48, Brussels 1970), p ; Βίος Νικήτα, ed. D. Papachrysanthou, Un Confesseur du Second Iconoclasm. La Vie du patrice Nicetas, Travaux et Memoires 3 (1968), pp , ibid p ; Lefort, J., Les communications entre Constantinople et la Bithynie, in Mango, C. - Dagron, G. (ed.), Constantinople and its Hinterland, Papers from the 27 th Spring Symposium of Byzantine Studies, Oxford, April 1993 (London 1995), pp , ibid pp and p. 216 note 59: Eribolos might be a synonym of the placename Aer of Alexias. 7. Zacos, G. - Veglery, A. (ed.), Byzantine Lead Seals 1/2 (Basel 1972), nr (Sergios), nr (Andronikos), nr (Iakovos); Schlumberger, G. (ed.), Sigillographie de l empire byzantin (Paris 1884), p. 246, nr. 1 (Georgios). 8. On the hoteliers, see Τακτικά πρωτοκαθεδρίας, Oikonomides, N. (ed.), Les listes de préséance byzantine des IXe et Xe siècles (Paris 1972), pp. 123, 318. Foss wonders whether the hotel was associated with the charitable work of Theofylaktos of Nicomedia (ca ) or was the already known from the late antiquity almshouse. See Foss, C., Nicomedia and Constantinople, in Mango, C. - Dagron, G. (ed.), Constantinople and its Hinterland, Papers from the 27 th Spring Symposium of Byzantine Studies, Oxford, April 1993 (London 1995), pp , ibid p Βίος Στεφάνου Νέου, La Vie d Etienne le Jeune par Etienne le Diacre, ed. M. F. Auzepy (Birmingham Byzantine, Ottoman and Modern Greek Studies 3, Birmingham 1997), 32 cols Επαρχικόν Βιβλίο, Das Eparchenbuch Leons des Weisen, ed. J. Koder (CFHB 33, Vienna 1991), p. 124, See Ευαγγελάτου-Νοταρά, Φλ., Σεισμοί στη Μικρά Ασία (6 ος -12 ος αιώνας) in Η Βυζαντινή Μικρά Ασία (6 ος -12 ος αι.) (ΙΒΕ/ΕΙΕ Διεθνή Συμπόσια 6, Athens 1998), pp , ibid pp See also the (auxiliary) List of earthquakes in Nicomedia until the 9 th cent. AD based on the sources. 13. Foss, C., Nicomedia and Constantinople, in Mango, C. - Dagron, G. (ed.), Constantinople and its Hinterland, Papers from the 27 th Spring Symposium of Byzantine Studies, Oxford, April 1993 (London 1995), pp , ibid p. 182, note 2, p. 183; Lactantius, De Mortibus Persecutorum, ed. J. L. Creed (Oxford 1984), p , p. 100, note 4. See Foss, C., Survey of Medieval Castles of Anatolia II, Nicomedia (The British Institute of Archaelogy at Ankara, Monograph 21, Ankara 1996), p. 2, note Πασχάλιον Χρονικόν, Chronique Pascale, ed. L. Dindorf (CSHB, Bonn 1832), pp. 511, 512. See also Πασχάλιον Χρονικόν, Chronicon Pascale AD, ed. M. Whitby - M. Whitby (Liverpool 1989), p Foss, C., Nicomedia and Constantinople, in Mango, C. - Dagron, G. (ed.), Constantinople and its Hinterland, Papers from the 27 th Spring Symposium of Byzantine Studies, Oxford, April 1993 (London 1995), pp , ibid p. 182, note 2, p See Στεφανίδου, Σ., Εκκλησιαστική Ιστορία (Athens 1978), pp , 134-5; Foss, C., Survey of Medieval Castles of Anatolia II, Nicomedia (The British Institute of Archaelogy at Ankara, Monograph 21, Ankara 1996), p. 3, notes 15, 16, p. 4; Συνέκδημος Ιεροκλή, Le Synekdèmos d Hiéroklès, ed. E. Honigmann (Brussels 1939), p.33, Φώτιος, βιβλιοθήκη, Photius Bibliotheque 1, ed. R. Henry (Paris 1959), p. 61 nr. 62 cols He was a student of the christian Lactantius; See Foss, C., Nicomedia and Constantinople, in Mango, C. - Dagron, G. (ed.), Constantinople and its Hinterland, Papers from the 27 th Spring Symposium of Byzantine Studies, Oxford, April 1993 (London 1995), pp , ibid p Foss, C., Nicomedia and Constantinople, in Mango, C. - Dagron, G. (ed.), Constantinople and its Hinterland, Papers from the 27 th Spring Symposium of Byzantine Studies, Oxford, April 1993 (London 1995), pp , ibid p Δημιουργήθηκε στις 23/1/2017 Σελίδα 7/20

8 19. Ιωάννης Μαλαλάς, Ioannis Malalae Chronographia, ed. I. Thurn (CFHB 35, Berlin 2000), p ; Γεώργιος Μοναχός, Georgius Monachus Chronicon 2, ed. C. de Boor (Stuttgart 1904, reprint 1978), p. 525; Βίος Κωνσταντίνου, Eusebius Werke, Über das Leben des Kaisers Konstantin, Die griechischen christlichen Schriftsteller der ersten Jahrunderte, ed.-trans. F. Winkelmann (Berlin 1975), pp (4. 62); R.W. Burgess, "Ἀχυρών or Προαστεί ον? The Location and Circumstances of Constantine's Death", JTS ns 50 (1999), pp Ammiani Marcellini, Rerum Gestarum qui supersunt 2, ed. E. H. Warmington (London 1935, reprint 1971), pp (XXII, 9); (Σκουταριώτης) Ανωνύμου Σύνοψις Χρονική, in Κ. Ν. Σάθας (ed.), Μεσαιωνική Βιβλιοθήκη 7 (Paris 1894, reprint Athens 1972), p. 56; Λιβάνιος, Libanius Selected Works 1, ed. A. F. Norman (London 1969), pp (Oratio ). 21. Λιβάνιος, αυτοβιογραφία, Libanios, Autobiographie 1 (Discours 1), ed. J. Martin - P. Petit (Paris 1979), pp , p , p Λιβάνιος, αυτοβιογραφία, Libanios, Autobiographie 1 (Discours 1), ed. J. Martin - P. Petit (Paris 1979), p See also Foss, C., Survey of Medieval Castles of Anatolia II, Nicomedia (The British Institute of Archaelogy at Ankara, Monograph 21, Ankara 1996), p. 6. A document dating from around 350 AD, Expositio Totius mundi et gentium 49. (non vidi, = op. cit.). A bas-relief dating from 351 AD depicts the five greatest cities of the empire with Rome in the centre flanked by Nicomedia and Constantinople. See Toynbee, A., Roma and Constantinopolis in Late Antique Art from , Journal of Roman Studies 37 (1947), p. 142; Foss, C., Nicomedia and Constantinople, in Mango, C. - Dagron, G. (ed.), Constantinople and its Hinterland, Papers from the 27 th Spring Symposium of Byzantine Studies, Oxford, April 1993 (London 1995), pp , ibid p. 184, note 13. See also the (auxiliary) List of earthquakes in Nicomedia until the 9 th cent. AD based on the sources. 23. Ammiani Marcellini, Rerum Gestarum qui supersunt 2, ed. E. H. Warmington (London 1935, reprint 1971), p. 585 (XXVI, 4). 24. Ammiani Marcellini, Rerum Gestarum qui supersunt 2, ed. E. H. Warmington (London 1935, reprint 1971), p. 623 (XXVI, 8). 25. Σωκράτης σχολαστικός, Socratis Historia Ecclesiastica, in Migne, J. P. (ed.), Patrologiae cursus completes, Series Greca 67 (Paris ), cols (IV.8) 26. See Foss, C., Survey of Medieval Castles of Anatolia II, Nicomedia (The British Institute of Archaelogy at Ankara, Monograph 21, Ankara 1996), p. 11, note 58, with related bibliography. 27. Προκόπιος, Περί Κτισμάτων, Procopii Caesariensis opera omnia, IV: De Aedificiis, ed. J. Haury - G. Wirth (Leipzig 1964), pp (V, 3, 7). 28. Messengers travelled from Constantinople to Chalkedon, from there to Dakivyza and the port of Helenopolis and then directly to Nicaea, thus bypassing Nicomedia. Προκόπιος, Απόκρυφος ιστορία, Procopius, Historia Arcana, ed. J. Haury (Leipzig 1906), p. 30, See Foss, C., Survey of Medieval Castles of Anatolia II, Nicomedia (The British Institute of Archaelogy at Ankara, Monograph 21, Ankara 1996), p. 11, note 63. See also Lefort, J., Les communications entre Constantinople et la Bithynie, in Mango, C. - Dagron, G. (ed.), Constantinople and its Hinterland, Papers from the 27 th Spring Symposium of Byzantine Studies, Oxford, April 1993 (London 1995), pp ; Foss, C. Nicomedia and Constantinople, pp , ibid p Θεοφάνη Χρονογραφία, Theophanis Chronographia 1, ed. C. de Boor (Leipzig 1883), p. 236; Θεοφάνης Ομολογητής, The Chronicle of Theophanes Confessor, Mango, C. - Scott, R. (ed.), (Oxford 1997), p. 347, note 11, with related bibliography on the scholarioi. 30. The main barracks of the Optimatoi theme were in Malagina. Nevertheless, some researchers argue that the importance of Nicomedia as an administrative centre was also great. See Βλυσίδου, Β., Η Μικρά Ασία των Θεμάτων (ΙΒΕ/ΕΙΕ, Ερευνητική Βιβλιοθήκη 1, Athens 1998), p Βίος Θεοδώρου Συκεώνος, Vie de Théodore de Sykéôn, ed. A. J. Festugière (Subsidia Hagiographica 48, Brussels 1970), p , p , p : on Theodore. 32. Πασχάλιον Χρονικόν, Chronique Pascale, ed. L. Dindorf (CSHB, Bonn 1832), p See also Chronicon Pascale AD, ed. M. Whitby - M. Whitby (Liverpool 1989), pp Hendy, M., Studies in the Byzantine Monetary Economy (Cambridge Mass. 1985), pp ; Haldon, J., Byzantium in the Seventh Century (Cambridge Mass., New York, Port Chester, Melbourne, Sydney 1990), p. 186: the mints of Nicomedia, Thessaloniki, Cyzicus, Cyprus, Antioch and Catania closed down, while the mints of Ravenna, Carthage and Alexandria continued their operation. Δημιουργήθηκε στις 23/1/2017 Σελίδα 8/20

9 34. Haldon, J., Byzantium in the Seventh Century (Cambridge Mass., New York, Port Chester, Melbourne, Sydney 1990), p. 239, note 95. Arms workshops also operated in Sardis, Adrianople, Thessaloniki and Caesarea of Cappadocia. Each arms workshop specialized in different kinds of weaponry. 35. Γεώρχιος Μοναχός, Georgius Monachus Chronicon 2, ed. C. de Boor (Stuttgart 1904, 1978), pp. 477, 754; Βίος Νικηφόρου πατριάρχη, S. Nicephori Patriarchae CP. Antirrheticus Tertius, in Migne, J. P. (ed.) Patrologiae cursus completes, Series Greca 100 (Paris , col. 496 B. 36. Vogt, S. (ed.), Saint Théophylacte de Nicomédie, Analecta Bollandiana 50 (1932), pp , ibid p (BHG 2451). 37. Foss, C., Nicomedia and Constantinople, in Mango, C. - Dagron, G. (ed.), Constantinople and its Hinterland, Papers from the 27 th Spring Symposium of Byzantine Studies, Oxford, April 1993 (London 1995), pp , ibid p. 188, note 27: Ibn Chordadbeh, Bibliotheca Geographorum Arabicorum 6, pp. 106, 113 (non vidi). 38. Liber Pontificalis 1, ed. L. Duchesne (Paris 1955), from p. 390 onwards. 39. Θεοφάνη Χρονογραφία, Theophanis Chronographia 1, ed. C. de Boor (Leipzig 1883), pp. 390, 420; Θεοφάνης Ομολογητής, The Chronicle of Theophanes Confessor, Mango. C. - Scott, R. (ed.) (Oxford 1997), pp. 540, 546, notes 31, 32, pp ; Γεώργιος Μοναχός, Georgius Monachus Chronicon 2, ed. C. de Boor (Stuttgart 1904, reprint 1978), p. 735; Ζωναράς, Ioannis Zonarae Epitomae Historiarum 3, ed. Th. Buttner-Wobst (CSHB, Bonn 1907), pp ; Ramsay, W., The Historical Geography of Asia Minor (London 1890, Amsterdam 1966). 40. Ιωάννης Σκυλίτζης, Ioannis Scylitzae Synopsis Historiarum, ed. I. Thurn (CFHB 5, Berolini et Novi Eboraci 1973), pp. 493, 496; Μιχαήλ Ατταλειάτης, Michaelis Attaliotae Historia, ed. I. Bekker (CSHB, Bonn 1853), pp. 54, 189, 268; Νικηφόρος Βρυέννιος, Nicephorus Bryennius Historiae, ed. P. Gautier (CFHB 9, Paris 1975), pp. 257, 2.9, 301, Άννα Κομνηνή, Anne Comnène: Alexiade, ed. B. S. J. Leib (Paris 1943), vol. 3, p. 11, vol. 2, p. 71, vol. 3, pp Νικήτας Χωνιάτης, Χρονική διήγησις, Nicetae Choniatae Historia, ed. I. A. Van Dieten (CFHB 11/1, Berolini et Noca Eboraci 1975), p Dolger, F., Regesten der Kaiserurkunden des oströmischen Reiches (Berlin 1924, Munich 1965), nr Νικήτας Χωνιάτης, Χρονική διήγησις, Nicetae Choniatae Historia, ed. I. A. Van Dieten (CFHB 11/1, Berolini et Noca Eboraci 1975), pp. 197, 245-6, 280; Brand, C. M., Byzantium confronts the West (Cambridge 1968), pp Alberti Aquensis Historia Hierosolymitana, Recueil des Historiens des Croisades, Historiens Occidentaux IV, pp. 566; Guillaume de Tyr, Chronique, R. B. C., Huygens (Corpus Christianorum LXIII, Turnhout 1986), p Gesta Francorum, ed. L. Brehier (Paris 1924), II. 7; Stephen of Blois, Epistolae, Recueil des Historiens des Croisades, Historiens Occidentaux III, pp ; Foss, C., Survey of Medieval Castles of Anatolia II, Nicomedia (The British Institute of Archaeology at Ankara, Monograph 21, Ankara 1996), p. 20, note Alberti Aquensis Historia Hierosolymitana, Recueil des Historiens des Croisades, Historiens Occidentaux IV, pp. 283, 580; Baldrici, episcopi Dolensis, Historia Hierosolymitana, Recueil des Historiens des Croisades, Historiens Occidentaux IV, p. 18; Guiberti Abbatis Gesta dei per Francos, Recueil des Historiens des Croisades, Historiens Occidentaux IV, p Guillaume de Tyr, Chronique, R. B. C., Huygens (Corpus Christianorum LXIII, Turnhout 1986), pp. 743, Odo de Deuil, de profectione Ludovici VII in orientem, ed.-trans. V. Berry (New York 1958), pp. 88, 106; Foss, C., Survey of Medieval Castles of Anatolia II, Nicomedia (The British Institute of Archaeology at Ankara, Monograph 21, Ankara 1996), p. 22, note 56; Foss, C., Nicomedia and Constantinople, in Mango, C. - Dagron, G. (ed.), Constantinople and its Hinterland, Papers from the 27 th Spring Symposium of Byzantine Studies, Oxford, April 1993 (London 1995), pp , ibid p See Tafel G. - Thomas, M. (ed.), Urkunden zur älteren Handels- und Staatgeschichte der Republik Venedig mit besonderer Beziehung auf Byzanz und die Levante 1-3 (Vienna 1856/7, reprint Amsterdam 1964), vol. 1, pp : LXXXV; Privilegium Alexii III Imperatoris Constantinopolitani, concessum inclito domino Henrico Dandulo Duci, ibid p. 270; Carile, A. (ed.), Partitio Terrarum Imperii Romaniae, Studi Δημιουργήθηκε στις 23/1/2017 Σελίδα 9/20

10 Veneziani 7, (1965), pp , ibid pp. 217, Villehardouin, La Conquete de Constantinople 2, ed. E. Faral (Paris 1939), 312, 342, Νικήτας Χωνιάτης, Χρονική διήγησις, Nicetae Choniatae Historia, ed. I. A. Van Dieten (CFHB 11/1, Berolini et Nova Eboraci 1975), p. 626; Χωνιάτης, λόγοι-επιστολές, Nicetae Choniatae Historia, ed. I. A. Van Dieten (CFHB 3, Berolini et Nova Eboraci 1972), p. 145, nr Γεώργιος Ακροπολίτης, Χρονική Συγγραφή, Georgii Acropolitae Historia, ed. A. Heisenberg (Stuttgart 1978), p. 12, col. 3; Villehardouin, Conquete de Constantinople 2, ed. E. Faral (Paris 1939), Νικήτας Χωνιάτης, Χρονική διήγησις, Nicetae Choniatae Historia, ed. I. A. Van Dieten (CFHB 11/1, Berolini et Nova Eboraci 1975), p. 640; Villehardouin, Conquete de Constantinople 2, ed. E. Faral (Paris 1939), vol. 2, 481-3, Γεώργιος Ακροπολίτης, Χρονική Συγγραφή, Georgii Acropolitae Historia, ed. A. Heisenberg (Stuttgart 1978), pp. 59 cols. 5-10, 86 cols Foss, C., Survey of Medieval Castles of Anatolia II, Nicomedia (The British Institute of Archaeology at Ankara, Monograph 21, Ankara 1996), p. 24; Fenster, E., Laudes Constantinopolitanae (Munich 1968), from p. 349 onwards; Laurent, V. (ed.), La Vie de Jean, metropolite d Heraclee du Pont, Αρχείον Πόντου 6 (1935), pp Γεώργιος Παχυμέρης, Georges Pachymeres Relations Historiques, ed. A. Failler (CFHB 24/4, Paris 1999), pp , pp , pp ; Αρνάκης, Γ. Γ., Οι πρώτοι Οθωμανοί (Athens 1947), pp Γεώργιος Παχυμέρης, Georges Pachymeres Relations Historiques, ed. A. Failler (CFHB 24/4, Paris 1999), pp , p ; Αρνάκης, Γ. Γ., Οι πρώτοι Οθωμανοί (Athens 1947), pp Ιωάννης Καντακουζηνός, Ioannis Cantacuzeni Eximperatoris Historiarum Libri IV 1, ed. L. P. Schopen (CSHB, Bonn 1831), pp ; Νικηφόρος Γρηγοράς, Nicephori Gregorae Historiae I.3, ed. L. Schopen (CSHB, Bonn 1829), p Bittel, K. - Schneider, A. M. - Dorner, F. K., Archäologische Funde aus der Türkei, Archäologischer Anzeiger (1939), pp See Foss, C., Nicomedia and Constantinople, in Mango, C. - Dagron, G. (ed.), Constantinople and its Hinterland, Papers from the 27 th Spring Symposium of Byzantine Studies, Oxford, April 1993 (London 1995), pp , ibid p Foss, C., Survey of Medieval Castles of Anatolia II, Nicomedia (The British Institute of Archaeology at Ankara, Monograph 21, Ankara 1996), pp Βιβλιογραφία : Janin R., Les églises et les monastères des Grands Centres Byzantins. Bithynie, Hellespont, Latros, Galésios, Trébizonde, Athènes, Thessalonique, Paris 1975 Brandes W., Die Städte Kleinasiens im 7. und 8. Jahrhundert, Amsterdam 1989, Berliner byzantinistische Arbeiten 56 Haldon J.F., Byzantium in the Seventh Century. The Transformation of a Culture, Cambridge 1991 Hendy M.F., Studies in the Βyzantine Μonetary Εconomy c , Cambridge Mass Robert L., "La titulature de Nicée et de Nicomédie : la gloire et la haine", Harvard Studies in Classical Philology, 81, 1977, 1-39 Δημιουργήθηκε στις 23/1/2017 Σελίδα 10/20

11 Ruge W., "Nikomedeia", RE 17. 1, 1937/ 1971, Jones A.H.M., The Cities of the Eastern Roman Provinces, 2, Oxford 1971 Βρυώνης Σ., Η παρακμή του μεσαιωνικού ελληνισμού στη Μικρά Ασία και η διαδικασία του εξισλαμισμού, ΜΙΕΤ, Αθήνα 1996, Γαλαταριώτου, Κ. (μτφρ.) Βλυσίδου Β., Λουγγής Τ., Λαμπάκης Σ., Σαββίδης Α., Κουντούρα-Γαλάκη Ε., Η Μικρά Ασία των θεμάτων. Έρευνες πάνω στη γεωγραφική φυσιογνωμία και προσωπογραφία των βυζαντινών θεμάτων της Mικράς Aσίας (7ος-11ος αι.), Αθήνα 1998, Eρευνητική Bιβλιοθήκη 1 Lefort J., "Les communications entre Constantinople et la Bithynie", Mango, C. Dagron, G. (επιμ.), Constantinople and its Hinderland, Papers from the 27th Spring Symposium of Byzantine Studies, Oxford April 1993, London 1995, Κουντούρα-Γαλάκη Ε., Ο βυζαντινός κλήρος και η κοινωνία των «σκοτεινών αιώνων», Αθήνα 1996 Αρνάκης Γ., Oι πρώτοι Oθωμανοί, Αθήναι 1947 Brand C.M., Byzantium confronts the West, , Cambridge 1968 Foss C., Survey of Medieval Castles of Anatolia II, Nicomedia, 21, Ancara 1996, The British Institute of Archaeology at Ankara Ramsay W.Μ., The Historical Geography of Asia Minor, 2, London Amsterdam 1962 Mason R.B., Mundell-Mango M., "Glazed 'Tiles of Nicomedia'", C. Mango - G. Dagron (eds.), Constantinople and its Hinterland, London 1995, Στεφανίδης Β., Εκκλησιαστική Ιστορία, Αθήνα 1978 Foss C., "Nicomedia and Constantinople", C. Mango - G. Dagron (eds.), Constantinople and its Hinterland, London 1995, Schneider A.M., Dörner F.K., Bittel K., "Archäologische Funde aus der Türkei ", Archäologischer Anzeiger, 54, 1939, Foss C., "Nicomedia", A. Kazhdan (ed.), The Oxford Dictionary of Byzantium 3, New York, Oxford 1991, Σπυρόπουλος Ν., "Νικομήδεια", Mεγάλη Eλληνική Eγκυκλοπαίδεια, τόμ. 18, Κωνσταντινίδης Ε., "Νικομήδεια", Θρησκευτική και Hθική Eγκυκλοπαιδεία, τόμ. 9, Αθήνα 1966, στ Δικτυογραφία : Historical Account of an Izmit, Turkey Earthquake in 358AD Γλωσσάριo : caesar Δημιουργήθηκε στις 23/1/2017 Σελίδα 11/20

12 In the Roman Empire the title of Caesar was given to the Emperor. From the reign of Diocletian ( ) on this title was conferred on the young coemperor. This was also the highest title on the hierarchy of the Byzantine court. In the 8th c. the title of Caesar was usually given to the successor of the throne. In the late 11th c. this office was downgraded and from the 14th c. on it was mainly conferred on foreign princes. chrysobull (gold seal) Imperial document of the Byzantine state which was so named because it bore the gold seal of the emperor. dromon dromon ( runner ) - first attested in the 5th 6th C. as an oar-powered vessel with sails for auxiliary use. Although the dromon was a continuation of the Roman shipbuilding tradition, it reached such an advanced stage of development as to constitute a purely Byzantine type. In the sixth century according to Procopius, the term dromon referred to a single specific type of decked warship powered by one bank of rowers, but later sources from 9th and 10th C. indicate for dromons which had two or even three banks of rowers (these were the so called bireme and trireme ). The offensive weapons of each dromon included a ram fixed to the prow and a siphon from which Greek fire was sprayed emporion, the Places where trade was conducted, usually small settlements of urban character on the borders or along the coasts and the commercial routes. With the same term are characterized the trade districts, the markets outside the walls of a city and/or settlements being themselves trade centers. kommerkiarios (commerciarius) An official of the fiscal service in charge of the levying of the tax called commercion (δεκάτη<, 10%), that was imposed over the portage and the selling of articles. The jurisdinction of each commerciarius was exersised either over specific urban centers with vivid commercial activity or over particular widespread territories of the empire. Since the official had been appointed by the emperor himself he used to be called "royal commerciarius". In the Late Byzantine era the commerciarius acted also as an individual entrepreneur who used to merchandise silk for his own interest. megas hetaireiarches Ηead of the Hetaireia, a military officer (10th-11thC), in charge of the security of the imperial palace. monostrategos A term used in Byzantine sources to denote a theme's general when the latter, apart from leading his own troops, also took command of neighbouring themes, either to better organise defence in a broad front or to conduct offensive operations under a unified command. Partitio Romaniae The document of the treaty signed by the Latins of the IV Crusade (twelve Venetians and twelve Francs) between the 12th april and the 9th may of the year According to the text the Latin Empire of Constantinople was founded and the territories of the Byzantine Empire were divided among the Venetians and the Francs. pater civitatis (lat., mean. the Father of the City). An office dating to the Late Antiqity and Early Byzantine years. It was an office of local civil administration and designates a magistrate whose responsibility was the restoration and maintenance of the city. proasteion / proastion Estate located at a distance from any city or village and inhabited only by the dependant peasants and not by the actual landowner. scholae palatinae Scholae palatinae were created by Diocletian ( ). They were corps of the imperial guard, and to be more precise they formed the personal army of the emperor. They served under the magistri officiorum and later on under the Domesticos ton Scholon. Seven regiments were stationed in the East and five in the West. Justinian I ( ) introduced four more short-lived regiments. spatharios Early Byzantine period: Office as well as honorary title. In Early Byzantine period spatharioi were called the guards of the Emperor or other high functionaries. From the years of Theodosios II onwards, the imperial spatharioi belonged to the corps of cubicularii and they were eunuchs. Middle Byzantine period: A honorary title, probably from early 8 th c. In the 9 th c. it gradually lost its status; in the 11 th c., it is rarely to be found in the sources, while in the 12 th it is used to denote lesser personnages. As an actual functionary, spatharios had an active role in administration as well as in the affairs of the court. As an honorary title, it was conferred to courtiers, members of the administration and military dignitaries, members of notable lineages and even clerics. Synekdemos of Hierokles A geographical text book composed a little before 535 by Hierokles the Grammarian. It constitutes a list of 64 provinces and 923 (originally 935) cities of the Empire, being the most important source for the administrative and political geography of the Byzantine Empire prior to the Arab raids. It is assumed to have been based on state documents, and presents the political, administrative, and, to an extent, the ecclesiastical geography from mid- 5th c. However, it contains additions from the age of Justinian I, while some of its evidence is still under discussion. Constantine VII Porphyrogennetos used it as a major source, along with Stephen of Byzantium, for the composition of the work De thematibus. This most important Δημιουργήθηκε στις 23/1/2017 Σελίδα 12/20