Category: Glossary of Byzantine Terms

Illustris: Until the middle of the 6th century the highest grade of senatorial rank.

Iconoclasm: Rejection of the honoring of sacred images as a form of idolatry. Condemned as a here...

Hexagram: Silver coin introduced by Heraclius, lit. “six grams,” 12 to a nomisma. Although issued...

Genikon(sekreton): The general treasury and main fiscal department of government after the 7th ce...

Caesar: Title given to a junior emperor or – from the eleventh century onwards – to imperial rela...

Bailo (s.), Baili (pl.): general term for administrator; head of the Venetian colony in Constanti...

Augustus (m.), Augusta (f.) senior emperor within a group of coemperors, or within a single famil...

Origenism:Attempt to fuse the fundamentals ofGreek philosophy with the Christian creed, interpret...

Khazars: Turkic-speaking people who were the major power in the Black Sea steppes, with centres o...

Franks: A Germanic grouping from the lower Rhine, frequently recruited into the Roman army; unite...

despot (despot ¯ es) ‘lord, master’: High imperial title in the Palaiologan period, generally res...

Danishmend: Turkoman dynasty that ruled over Cappadocia, Sebasteia and Melitene from late elevent...

Autokrator: Greek equivalent of the Latin imperator, emperor, used especially after the 7th centu...

Sasanians: Persian ruling dynasty which overthrew the Parthian Arsacid dynasty in the early third...

Rus: People of Scandinavian origin who formed a political structure in eastern Europe, between th...

Romania: ‘land of the Romans’ (i.e. Byzantines); by the seventh century, a term for the Christian...

Ostrogoths: (eastern Goths) groupings of Goths, who adopted Arian Christianity and conquered Ital...

Opsikion: one of the earliest themes to emerge; based in north-west Asia Minor, closest to Consta...

Normans: people from north-west France, originally of Scandinavian origin; in the eleventh centur...

Monothelitism: (from monos and thelein ‘to will’) doctrine recognising the existence of one ‘will...