Category: Glossary of Byzantine Terms

Boukellarioi: theme formed in the later eighth century in north-west Asia Minor, taking its name ...

Theotokos ‘god-bearing’ (from theos ‘god’ and tokos ‘bringing forth’): description of the Virgin ...

Confederation of Turkicspeaking peoples who dominated the Black Sea steppes from the glossary mid...

Codex Justinianus: Codification of Roman law produced at the beginning of the reign of Justinian ...

Praetorian Prefecture: The largest administrative unit of the empire from the time of Constantine...

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

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

Thrakesioi: one of the earliest themes, based in western Anatolia with headquarters at Chonai.

Sallarid: 10th.- to 11th.-century Muslim dynasty which ruled in the eastern Caucasus and north-we...

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

Chrysotriklinos: ‘golden hall’, from ‘gold’ (chrysos) and ‘hall’ (triklinos): large reception hal...

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

Kommerkiarioi: Fiscal officials responsible for state-supervised commerce and the taxes thereon. ...

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

Kapnikon: Tax on “hearths” or households, introduced probably during the later 7th or 8th century.

Despotes: High imperial title in the later Byzantine period, generally reserved for members of th...

Turkmen (Turkoman, Turcoman): Turkish nomadic tribesmen from Central Asia who streamed into Anato...

Typikon: Document setting out the rules and regulations for the administration of a monastic comm...

Vlachs: Romance-language-speaking pastoral inhabitants of eastern and south-eastern Europe, desce...

Christian sacrament in which the body and the blood of Christ are conveyed to believers in the fo...