Discussion Pages

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

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

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

Scyths: Classical name for Iranian-speaking nomads of Black Sea steppes; used by Byzantines of se...

Charistikiarios: A person or institution that was granted administrative responsibilities over a ...

Gastald: Lombard royal official in Italy in charge of a gastaldate, with civil and military power...

Berbers: name given to several ethnic groups indigenous to north-west Africa; known in Arab sourc...

Turmarch: commander of a tourma; senior military commander with fiscal and judicial responsibilit...

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

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

Doux: Originally in the later Roman period a commander of a military unit; commander of a unit of...

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

Diocese: Lat. dioecesa, Gk. Dioikêsis, an administrative unit consisting of several provinces; fr...

Ecumenical councils: (from oikoumenikos, ‘worldwide’) conferences of the bishops of the whole chu...

Davidic of or pertaining to David, king of Israel, or to his family

Turkic-speaking nomadic warriors who appeared in the north Black Sea steppe in the sixth century,...

Synodikon: An inventory in a church or monastery that registered items donated and the commemorat...

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

Laura: A type of monastery in which monks lived as solitaries during the week, but assembled on w...