Discussion Pages

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

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

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

A type of annuity administered by monasteries which provided (elderly) laity with a regular allot...

Oikonomos: The financial officer of a large church monastery, responsible for the management of i...

Ducat: Two types of coin from the duchy of Venice: (1) the thirteenthand early fourteenth-century...

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

Diadem: originally a head-band, then imperial Roman symbol of majesty from the fourth century on;...

Egyptian population who spoke the Coptic language; after Egypt’s mid-seventh-century conquest by ...

Aktemon: A peasant with no property, no oxen or plough.

Stratiotes: A soldier; by derivation from the 10th century a holder of “military” land, subject t...

Demesne: Western form of land tenure, referring to the lands retained by a lord for his own use (...

tribunus (s.), tribuni (pl.): term for indigenous local rulers in southern Italy, which fell out ...

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

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

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

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

Confraternity: A group of laymen, clerics, and monks linked to monasteries and formed to honor pa...

Alloy containing silver and gold in a Byzantine coin.

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