Άλλες Ονομασίες Asia, province of Asianoi. Γεωγραφική Θέση Western Asia Minor, mod. western Turkey. Ιστορική Περιοχή Asia

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1 Περίληψη : The Province of Asia, as it was known during the Byzantine era, was created under the Diocletian s administrative reform. The province was governed by a proconsul and its capital was Ephesus. No troops were stationed in it and de facto the province enjoyed a privileged status vis-à-vis the other provinces created during that same period. Its economy was prosperous thanks to the fertile valleys and its commodious ports. Άλλες Ονομασίες Asia, province of Asianoi Γεωγραφική Θέση Western Asia Minor, mod. western Turkey Ιστορική Περιοχή Asia Διοικητική Υπαγωγή Diocese of Asiana 1. Administration 1.1. Early Byzantine period to the 6th century The province of Asia, in the confines it is known since the Early Byzantine period and henceforth, was created after the administrative reform of Diocletian ( ), which involved the separation of political and military powers. The large proconsularis provincia of Asia of the Roman period was divided in seven parts: the provinces of Asia, Neson, Lydia, Caria, Phrygia Pacatiana, Phrygia Salutaria and Pamphylia. 1 With this partition, the province of Asia was cut off from the eastern lands beyond the valley of Hermus and its tributaries, from the north section of the Hellespont as well as from the south section beyond the valley of Maeander. The province of Asia thus included the western coasts of Asia Minor from the gulf of Adramyttion to the estuary of the Maeander River. Diocletian created larger administrative districts which included provinces, the dioceses. These dioceses were governed by a vicarius and were, in turn, subsumed under even larger administrative districts (the praefecturae praetorio) and were controlled by the respective praetorian prefect (praefectus praetorio). The province of Asia was subsumed, territorially at least, under the Diocese of Asiana (which it terms of its extent corresponded to the earlier Roman province of Asia). In fact, however, the province of Asia was autonomous and was administratively directly subsumed to the praefectura praetorio per Orientem, to which the Asiana diocese also belonged. Late in Diocletian s reign, the governor of the province of Asia still originated from the class of the Roman senators, he possessed the title spectabilis (i.e. the same title awarded to the governors of the dioceses, that pertained to the senate's middle stratum) and the office proconsul. The governor of Asia could by-pass the authority of the vicarius and appeal directly to the praetorian prefect of the East (praefectus praetorio per Orientem). The governor, who resided in Ephesus, had functions wholly political in nature (administrative, judiciary, financial). The province of Asia at any rate did not feature an official charged with military functions, as no standing army was stationed here The transitional period: From the provinces to the themes (6th-7th centuries) Justinian I s ( ) reforms, which involved the unification of military and political functions of the officials of certain regions, mark the beginning of a process which led to the creation of the theme institution. Of all of Justinian I s reforms, only the abolition of the office of the Asiana vicarius impacted the province of Asia, due to the financial functions this official exercised throughout the areas of this diocese. It is likely -though no specific mention is made in the legislation of this emperor- that the measures taken to combat Δημιουργήθηκε στις 3/11/2017 Σελίδα 1/7

2 corruption in the provinces pertained to the province of Asia as well. Moreover, the province of Asia is described as an unarmed province, 2 because no troops were stationed in its lands. The army that was stationed in the 7th cent. in the province of Asia and its neighbouring provinces (Lydia, Caria and part of Phrygia Pacatiana) was then under the command of the magister militum per Thracias, which later lend its name to the new administrative region, the theme of Thrakesion. It is believed that the stationing of troops in the areas of the future theme of Thrakesion occurred during the reign of Emperor Heraklios or soon after 3 and constituted the most important change in the province of Asia since the time of Diocletian. In the 8th century the consequences became apparent on a military, administrative and financial level. The transition from the early Byzantine system of administration to the Middle Byzantine system of the themes, however, was not abrupt. In a sense, the survival of the older administrative system can be seen in the inscribed seals of the commerciarii, the horrearii and the dioiketes dating to the second half of the 7th century and the first half of the 8th century. During the 7th century the horreum of Asia appears to be conjoined to the horrea of the nearby provinces or those of the Aegean islands. It is therefore possible that the provinces continued to exist, at least as financial regions. 4 At the same time, in the "taktikon Uspenskij" (a precedence list), dating to 842/3, and the work "de Ceremonii Aulae byzantini" of the Emperor Constantine VII Porphyrogennetos (10 th century), which includes a ceremonial dating to the first half of the 9th century, still mentioned are the praefectus praetorio and the proconsuls, praefects and praetors of the themes. According to Oikonomidès, these officials were civil governors of the themes, whose offices originated in the Early Byzantine period. 5 The other sources, however, make no specific mention of the province of Asia and it is in fact unknown when this province ceases to have an administrative dimension. 2. Cities 2.1. Urban network The Roman Empire took over the control of western Asia Minor from the empire of the Seleucids, who had promoted the establishment of new cities. These cities were autonomous, had their own councils, officials and their own local economy, and freely regulated their internal affairs. Notwithstanding the fact that this remained so in the Early Byzantine period, the state intensely tried to centralize administrative, judiciary and political authority in Constantinople, while it constantly intervened in the financial affairs of the cities. By the 6th century, this generalized tendency had resulted in a gradual decrease of civic autonomy. Moreover, according to Haldon, in the 7th century the cities had no real role in the administrative and financial institutional framework of the empire. A possible exception for this period (6th-7th centuries) in the province of Asia was Ephesus, which is probably attributable to the city's commercial importance. 6 The main sources on the cities of Asia Minor during the Early Byzantine period are the acta of the Ecumenical Councils of the Early Byzantine period and the Synekdemos of Hierokles (6th century). 7 During the First Ecumenical Council (325 at Nicaea), the province of Asia appears to be ecclesiastically conjoined to the province of Hellespont, notwithstanding the fact that the Hellespont was administratively separate from the province of Asia, probably as early as in Diocletian s era. During this period we have the appearance of seven bishops originating from seven cities, three of which belonged to the Hellespont province. In 431, during the Third Ecumenical Council, at Ephesus, there are mentioned 26 bishops attending from a corresponding number of cities of Asia. In the 451 Council (the Fourth Ecumenical, at Chalcedon) 19 bishops showed up, while a further 20 bishops had sent representatives. Finally, in the Synekdemos of Hierokles (6th century) 43 cities of the province of Asia are mentioned, arranged in a geographical order. These sources reveal a steady increase in the number of bishops originating from cities of the province of Asia. The importance of this piece of information rests on a law of Emperor Zeno that the bishoprics should be located in cities, i.e. in all settlements helding the status of city. Thus the province of Asia, which featured more than forty cities in the 6th century, was probably one of the most urbanized and most densely populated provinces of the empire Concilium provinciae Already before the reign of Diocletian ( ), in the province of Asia a council was convened where the representatives of the cities met (concilium provinciae). During these councils common problems the cities faced were discussed. The council could denounce an oppressive official or burdensome taxation in the province and sent representatives to Constantinople for various Δημιουργήθηκε στις 3/11/2017 Σελίδα 2/7

3 reasons. The council also elected the sacerdos provinciae, a high priest responsible for the worship of Rome and the emperor. In the province of Asia, the sacerdos provinciae was simply called asiarches and possessed the title of sacerdotalis. The asiarches was responsible for the organization of games in the context of the celebrations of the imperial cult. These games were held in the metropolis of the province, Ephesus, but in 375 Emperor Valens ( ) passed a law with which it was decreed that the games will be hosted by rotation in the four cities of the province of Asia which bore the horary title of metropolis - the financial burden that the hosting of the games imposed on the city was very onerous. 3. Economy During the Early Byzantine period, the province of Asia was by and large a financially prosperous region, a fact attributable to the peaceful conditions that prevailed, its mild climate and fertile lands. Its economy was mainly agrarian. The land belonged to the state, the Church and large land-owners, the cities and small land-owners. The civic lands had been confiscated since the reigns of Constantine I (the Great) (306/ ) and Constantius II (337/ ), while the state missed no opportunity to seize deserted lands. The state and the large land-owners sought to increase their estates, but the lack of evidence does not allow us to say whether in the province of Asia the majority of the lands belonged to large or small land-owners. Two fragments from inscriptions dating to the early 4th century and containing lists from Magnesia on the Maeander and Tralleis, reveal that the majority of the landholdings in this region were of medium size. 8 The fertile valleys of the province of Asia produced mainly grain and barley; viticulture and oliveculture were also widespread. Along the coastline of Asia Minor several important harbours facilitated commercial activities. The port of Ephesus, the province s capital, was the largest, but there were other harbours, like those of Smyrna and Phokaea as well as several smaller ones which served their respective hinterlands. This was an important factor for the prosperity of the cities of the province of Asia, for the large roadways from the interior of Asia Minor led to these ports, allowing farmers to easily market their produce. It is unknown how the modifications of the institution of the cursus publicus, carried out by Emperor Justinian I, affected the province of Asia and commercial activity in its ports. Ioannes Lydos inveighs against this measure with respect to its implementation in the diocese of Asiana. According to this author, this measure resulted in the produce of the farmers rotting on their fields for there was no way to transport them to places where these could be sold During the reigns of Galerius and Maximinus ( ) the province of Pisidia was detached from the province of Lycaonia and annexed to the diocese of Asiana. See Jones, Α., The Later Roman Empire. A Social, Economic and Administrative Survey, vol. I (Oxford 1964), pp. 43, See Jones, Α., The Later Roman Empire. A Social, Economic and Administrative Survey, vol. I (Oxford 1964), p Haldon, J., Byzantium in the Seventh Century. The Transformation of a Culture (Cambridge 1990), pp , Haldon, J., Byzantium in the Seventh Century. The Transformation of a Culture (Cambridge 1990), p. 195ff. 5. Τακτικά Πρωτοκαθεδρίας, Oikonomides, Ν. (ed.), Les listes de preseance byzantines des IXe et Xe siecles (Paris 1972), pp. 294, 343, 344. See also Haldon, J., Byzantium in the Seventh Century. The Transformation of a Culture (Cambridge 1990), p. 201ff. According to Haldon the proconsuls and prefects of the 9th century possessed the most important political powers in the theme, while the praetors only possessed judiciary functions in the various provinces of the themes. This hypothesis does not appear to be confirmed by the taktikon Uspenskij (Precedence List). 6. Haldon, J., Byzantium in the Seventh Century. The Transformation of a Culture (Cambridge 1990), pp These conclusions are expressed with the reservation that in no council was attended by all of the bishops of a province. 8. Jones, Α., The Later Roman Empire. A Social, Economic and Administrative Survey, vol. II (Oxford 1964), p This assessment stands with the reservation that the fragments are very small and feature a small number of land-holdings. Δημιουργήθηκε στις 3/11/2017 Σελίδα 3/7

4 9. Ioannes Lydos, Powers or The Magistracies of the Roman State, ed. A. Bandy (Philadelpheia 1983), pp John Lydos, however, probably had in mind the conditions that prevailed specifically in Lydia. Βιβλιογραφία : Lilie R.J., Die byzantinische Reaktion auf die Ausbreitung der Araber Studien zur Strukturwandlung des byzantinischen Staates im 7. und 8. Jahrhundert, München 1976, Miscellanea Byzantina Monacensia 22 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 Jones A.H.M., The Cities of the Eastern Roman Provinces, 2, Oxford 1971 Jones A.H.M., The Later Roman Empire, A Social, Economic, and Administrative Survey, 1-2, Oxford 1964 Lilie R.J., "'Thrakien' und 'Thrakesion'. Zur byzantinischen Provinzorganisation am Ende des 7. Jahrhunderts", Jahrbuch der Österreichischen Byzantinistik, 26, 1977, 7-47 Lilie R.J., "Die zweihundertjährige Reform. Zu den Anfängen der Themenorganisation im 7. und 8. Jahrhundert", Byzantinoslavica, 45, 1984, 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 Ramsay W.Μ., The Historical Geography of Asia Minor, 2, London Amsterdam 1962 Culerrier P., "Les évêchés suffragantes d' Éphèse aux 5e-13e siècles", Revue des Études Byzantines, 45, 1987, Bury J.B., A History of the Later Roman Empire from Arcadius to Irene (395 AD to 800 AD), London 1889 Δικτυογραφία : Le Synekdèmos d'hiéroclès et l'opuscule géographique de Georges de Chypre, Bruxelles 1939: charted are the lands of: Europe, Asia Minor, Near East Map of the Roman Empire Provincial Reorganisation The Roman Empire in AD 305: The empire at the abdication of Diocletian The Roman Empire. Diocese of Asiana Δημιουργήθηκε στις 3/11/2017 Σελίδα 4/7

5 Γλωσσάριo : concilium provinciae The term pertained the council of the cities' representatives in late antiquity, who usually regarded with cities that formed part of a particular administrative unit. The concilium proviniciae had the duty to meet the resolution of every problem of common interest as far as the specific cities were concerned, as well as to appeal to the imperial officials at Constantinople or to denounce the provincial officials. cursus publicus Byzantine empire: the service of the public post (office), "δρόμος", dispached into carrying the official correspondence as well as articles concerning the administering of the empire, but also applied to the military and the provincial administration. Two departments, manned with slaves, performed the duty: the cursus velox, that used horses, and the cursus clabularis, that used ox carts. Ocasionaly the cooperation of individual entrepreneur was in effect. Under Justinian I ( ) the department of the cursus clabularis was abolished. The department of the cursus velox was abolished in the 12 th c. in Asia Minor and soon after in the Balcans as well. The office was administered by the Curiosus Cursus Publici Praesentalis under the Magister Officiorum, the logothetes tou dromou (λογοθέτης του δρόμου) and in the end by an interpeteur (ερμηνευτής). dioiketes Middle - Late byzantine era: an official of the fiscal service, whose jurisdiction applied to a certain territory. Fourth Ecumenical Council (Chalcedon, 451) The Fourth Ecumenical Council assembled in 451 at Chalcedon in order to retract the interpetation of the council of Ephesus (449) on the nature of Jesus Christe. horrearius 1. Rome: official in charge of the operation of the public storage spaces, that principally served the state but, occasionally, the private individuals as well. 2. Byzantium: official of the fiscal service who was in charge of the running of commodities heaped inside the horrea (storage spaces within the borders of the imperial estates). 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. magister militum Senior military commander in the Roman and Early Byzantine period. The office was given to the commander of the forces based on the province: magister militum per Armeniam: general commander of Armenia (established by Justinian I), magister militum per Illyricum: of Illyricum, magister militum per Orientem: of the eastern provinces, magister militum praesentalis: in command of the army based on the imperial court, magister utriusque militiae: the general commander of all land military forces, that is, cavalry and infantry. praetorian prefect (praefectus praetorio) Commander of the emperor's bodyguard under the principate. During the regne of Constantine I the praetorian prefect becomes a dignitary responsible for the administrative unit called the prefecture, which was subdivided into dioceses. In 400 A.D. there were four such praetorian prefectures, of Oriens, of Illyricum, of Illyricum, Italia and Africa and of Gallia. The praetorian prefects were second only to the emperor. The praetorian prefect of Oriens was the mightiest among prefects. His office is for the last time mentioned in 680. praetorian prefect of Oriens (Praefectus Praetorio per Orientem) The latest mention of the office is dated to the year 680. The absolutely high rank official was inequable only to the emperor and possesed a superior rank in compare to all praetorian prefects. He headed the administration of the praefectura praetorio per Orientem. praetorian prefecture (praefecura praitorio) In Late Roman Empire it was the basic administrative unit. Prefectures were estabished by Constantine I (4th century). The Empire was then divided to four praetorian prefectures: i) praefectura praetorio per Orientem (prefecture of Oriens), ii) praefectura praetorio Galliarum (prefecture of Galliae), iii) praefectura praetorio per Illyricum (prefecture of Illyricum), iv) praefectura praetorio Italiae, Illyrici et Africae (prefecture of Italia and Africa). Precedence List (taktikon protokathedrias) In the Middle Byzantine period the presedance lists ( τακτικά πρωτοκαθεδρίας or τακτικά της καθέδρας or κλητορολόγια or κλητοροθέσια) catalogued the officials who participated to the formal ceremonies of the imperial palace, naming the rank of the dignities with office and without office (i.e. pure titles) in order to preserve the court etiquette. Four precedence list are still preserved: Uspenskij, Philotheos', Benescevic, de l' Escurial. proconsul, -lis Δημιουργήθηκε στις 3/11/2017 Σελίδα 5/7

6 A quite high ranking official, vir spectabilis according to the rank of the senate, who was inequable only to the Domestikos of the Scholae and to the Magister Militum per Orientem. The proconsul usually served as a governor of the Imperial provinces (i.e. in Asia Minor the provinces of Asia and Cappadocia). The office was demoted from the 9th century onwards and the term was in use until the 12th century meaning a dignity. sacerdos provinciae An elect high priest active in all provinces of the Roman empire, responsible for the worship of the city of Rome and the emperor. senator, the (1. Roman, 2. Byzantine) 1. A Roman body of men that originally advised the king and then the consuls; Heredity was not the only means of joining the senate and new men or novi homines could become part of it; Augustus revised the senate and left the body with less power and bolstered hereditary claims as a means to enter the senate; it continued to make laws and conferred powers on new emperors. 2. Member of the senate. The senate, a roman institution transferred from Rome to Constantinople by Constantine I during the Byzantine period was an advisory body whose rights and responsibilities were not clearly defined. It was consisted of imperial officers coming from the upper and were ranked according to hierarchical levels: viri illustri (perfectus praetoriae and the magister), viri spectabili (proconsul, vicarius and the comes), viri clarissimi (consul praetoriae) and viri perfectissimi (praeses and duces). Since the 6th c. AD a new title was established for the upper officers (viri gloriosi). The years that followed officials were entitled to officers regardless their position as senators or if they were about to be admitted to this body. theme A Byzantine term that signifies wide military and administrative units under the administration of a strategos (general). The institution was consolidated in the 7th century and was characteristic for the organization and the division of Byzantine Empire at the Middle Byzantine period. The term applies also to the army unit that resided in each administrative unit and was staffed by farmer-soldiers. The thematic system was maintained until the end of Byzantine period. However, in the Later Byzantine period it was used in order to declare mostly tax units. vicarius Τhe term refers to the substitute of various officials. Since the 3rd century, the vicarius replaced mostly procuratores from the equestrian class. The most important vicarii were those who replaced the Praetorian eparchs in the dioceses set up by Diocletian. In addition, the vicarii could have military (like the command of the garrison in Egypt) or even judicial responsibilities. Πηγές N. Oikonomidès (ed.) Les listes de preseance byzantines des IXe et Xe siècles (Paris 1972), pp. 294, 343, 344. A. Bandy (ed.) Ioannes Lydus on Powers or The Magistracies of the Roman State (Philadelpheia 1983), pp Zacos, A. Veglery, G. (ed.), Byzantine Lead Seals, vol. I/1 (Basel 1972) Zacos, A. Veglery, G. (ed.), Byzantine Lead Seals, vol. I/3 (Basel 1972). H. Geltzer H. Hilgenfeld O. Kuntz (eds) Patrum Nicaenorum Nomina, letine graece, coptice, syriace arabice armeniace (Leipzig 1995). E. Honigmann (ed.) Le Synekdèmos d Hiéroklès et l opuscule géographique de Georges de Chypre, (Corpus Bruxellense Historiae Byzantinae, Forma Imperii Byzantini fasc. I, Bruxelles 1939). The Verona List The Notitiae Dignitatum, in: Jones, A. (ed.), The Later Roman Empire, A Social Economic and Administrative Survey, τόμ. III, Appendix III: Dioceses and Provinces (Oxford 1964). Concilium Universale Ephesenum, in: Schwartz, E. (ed.), Acta Conciliorum Oecumenicorum. I, t. I/2 (Berlin, Leipzig 1927). G. Moravcsik R. Jenkins (eds), Constantinus Prphyrogennitus, De Administrando Imperio (Corpus Fontium Historiae Byzantinae, Washington DC 1967). Παραθέματα The consequences of Justinian I's measures on the Diocese of Asiana Νόμος άνωθεν εκράτησε πλατύν άμα και οξύν δρόμον ενιδρύσθαι ταις επαρχίαις, ων ο μεν πλατύς οχήμασιν εχρήτο, ο δε οξύς Δημιουργήθηκε στις 3/11/2017 Σελίδα 6/7

7 υποζυγίοις ίπποις (βεραίδους αυτούς οι κρατούντες ωνόμασαν, και την αιτίαν εν τοις Περί Μηνών ίσμεν αποθέμενοι). Της γαρ ηπείρου σχεδόν απάσης <μη τελούσης> υπ αυτοίς, ουκ ην ευχερές τα προς την έω συμβαίνοντα επί τους κυρίους του πολιτεύματος ως θάττον αναφέρειν, έστιν οτε και αυτόν ωκεανόν τοις όπλοις υπάγοντας. Τω γ ουν οξεί δρόμω τα της μηνύσεως προ της ακοής εγίνετο. Και ταύτην την ούτω σωτηριώδη τοις πράγμασιν επίνοιαν συνείδεν ο πλατύγναθος απαλείψαι δι οικείας μηνύσεως, αναπείσας τον ομόγνιον και ομόψυχον της αυτού βδελυρίας ύπαρχον, περιττήν είναι διαγνούς την των δημοσίων ίππων υπηρεσίαν, ου συνορών ο Νιόβης αυτής λιθωδέστερος το του πράγματος χρήσιμον. Ο δε ύπαρχος αγνοούσης της βασιλείας (πως γαρ ενεδίδου τοις κοινοίς ατυχήμασιν;) και ταύτην την όψιν της πολιτείας ηφάνισεν. Ένθεν των ειδών απράτων ενσηπομένων ταις κτήσεσιν, εξαλίου σχεδόν της Ασιανής τυγχανούσης, ο συντελεστής απώλετο, χρυσίον προς των δασμολογούντων αντί των ειδών εισπραττόμενος, μηδέ διαπωλείν τα είδη δυνάμενος, πόρρω θαλάσσης απωκισμένος, μηδέ δαπαναν, ως πάλαι, τω δημοσίω συγχωρούμενος. Τούτοις ηκολούθησε και η των ιδρυμένων τοις τόποις στρατευμάτων μετάθεσις προς το χρειώδες υπό των κοινών γενομένη, ως και τούτου του συγκυρήματος των καρπών εναπομενόντων τη χώρα, και τους μέν φόρους εις χρυσίον μεταβληθήναι, τους δε καρπούς απογεούσθαι κατ έτος. Και είθε μόνος αυτός και μόνην εκείνην την επαρχίαν έτυχε διατρώγων και μη καθ εκάστην πόλιν τε και χώραν, οίος αυτός, άλλοι και χείρους αυτού τον οποία δ αν κατορωρυγμένον οβολόν ανασπώντες παρήλθον, στρατόν αλαστόρων και στίφη Καππαδοκών επισυρόμενοι. A. Bandy, Ioannes Lydus on Powers or The Magistracies of the Roman State, (Philadelpheia 1983), pp Δημιουργήθηκε στις 3/11/2017 Σελίδα 7/7