An ''episkepsis'' ( , pl. ''episkepseis'', ) was a fiscal district in the middle

Byzantine Empire The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived History of the Roman Empire, the events that caused the ...

(10th–13th centuries). In its strict technical sense, it refers to a domain or other property, in some cases including entire villages or towns, allocated for the support of individuals of the imperial family (), noble houses or churches and monasteries. As the historian Paul Magdalino shows, these ''episkepseis'' were overwhelmingly situated in the coastlands around the

Aegean Sea The Aegean Sea is an elongated embayment of the Mediterranean Sea between Europe and Asia. It is located between the Balkans and Anatolia, and covers an area of some . In the north, the Aegean is connected to the Marmara Sea, which in turn con ...

, which comprised the Empire's best arable land, or in fertile inland areas such as

Thrace Thrace (, ; ; ; ) is a geographical and historical region in Southeast Europe roughly corresponding to the province of Thrace in the Roman Empire. Bounded by the Balkan Mountains to the north, the Aegean Sea to the south, and the Black Se ...

and Thessaly. In the 12th century, the term refers also to the fiscal divisions of the themes. As an institution, the ''episkepsis'' existed as early as the ninth century, with regards citing ''episketites'' - the position overseeing such territory - as a function of the ''oikeiakon'', a sekreton created by Basil II. It is noted that an ''episkepsis'' is designated as an imperial holding throughout its existence in the Byzantine history. These holdings or estates were classified into three: imperial, personal, and ecclesiastical. Some of the examples of these territories include Macedonia, Miletos, and Alopekai. An episkepsis may be transformed into a ''kouratoria'' in the event of stability and expanded revenue. For instance, Seleukia was an ''episkepsis'' during the tenth century but later constituted the grand ''kouratoria'' of Tarsos.

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Types of administrative division Subdivisions of the Byzantine Empire {{Byzantine-stub