( gr, λογαριαστής, , accountant) was a type of financial official in the
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...
from the early 11th century onwards, with the task of controlling expenses.
The post is attested for the first time in 1012, and existed both within the financial bureaux () of the central government such as those of the , the and the as well as in the provincial administration, in monasteries or in private estates. appear in the sources until the 15th century.
Emperor
Alexios I Komnenos
Alexios I Komnenos ( grc-gre, Ἀλέξιος Κομνηνός, 1057 – 15 August 1118; Latinized Alexius I Comnenus) was Byzantine emperor from 1081 to 1118. Although he was not the first emperor of the Komnenian dynasty, it was during ...
() created the post of (, 'grand accountant'), first attested in 1094. Initially it shared the duty of general
comptroller of the fisc with the , but soon replaced the latter office entirely. The post is attested until the 14th century. In the mid-14th century ''Book of Offices'' of
pseudo-Kodinos
George Kodinos or Codinus ( el, Γεώργιος Κωδινός), also Pseudo-Kodinos, ''kouropalates'' in the Byzantine court, is the reputed 14th-century author of three extant works in late Byzantine literature.
Their attribution to him is mere ...
, the is ranked 40th in the palace hierarchy, following the and preceding the . According to peudo-Kodinos, by his time he had no function, but was merely an honorific dignity. The costume of office was identical to that of the , i.e. a turban () and the , probably a descendant of the middle Byzantine , a garment worn over armour.
In the 14th century, the special post of the (, 'accountant of the court') is attested, responsible for paying the salaries of certain courtiers. A (, 'accountant of the
chrysobulls') is also recorded, but its duties are unclear.
References
Sources
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{{Byzantine offices after pseudo-Kodinos
Byzantine fiscal offices