The ''logothetēs tōn agelōn'' ( el, ), in
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
the Logothete of the Herds, was the
Byzantine
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 ...
official responsible for the state-run
estates (''
mētata'') in western
Asia Minor
Anatolia, tr, Anadolu Yarımadası), and the Anatolian plateau, also known as Asia Minor, is a large peninsula in Western Asia and the westernmost protrusion of the Asian continent. It constitutes the major part of modern-day Turkey. The re ...
that reared
horse
The horse (''Equus ferus caballus'') is a domesticated, one-toed, hoofed mammal. It belongs to the taxonomic family Equidae and is one of two extant subspecies of ''Equus ferus''. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million yea ...
s and
mules for the
Byzantine army and the imperial
Public Post.
History and functions
The Byzantine office appears in the 9th century and is commonly accepted to be the evolution of the 4th-century Roman ''
praepositus gregum et stabulorum'', who was subordinate to the ''
comes res privatae''. Uniquely among the
logothetes Logothete ( el, λογοθέτης, ''logothétēs'', pl. λογοθέται, ''logothétai''; Med. la, logotheta, pl. ''logothetae''; bg, логотет; it, logoteta; ro, logofăt; sr, логотет, ''logotet'') was an administrative title ...
, the ''logothetēs tōn agelōn'' is listed among the high military officials (''
stratarchai'') in the 899 ''
Klētotologion'' of Philotheos, 40th in the hierarchy from the emperor, highlighting the office's close connection with the army.
[.][.] The importance of the office increased from the 10th century, reaching its zenith in the late 13th century, when it was held by several of the most important state officials.
Subordinate officials
The subordinates of the ''logothetēs tōn agelōn'' were:
*The ''
prōtonotarioi'' for
Asia
Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an are ...
and
Phrygia, where the ''mētata'' were apparently concentrated.
*The ''
dioikētai'' of the ''mētata'' (), the administrators of the horse farms and successors to the Roman ''procuratores saltuum''.
*The ''episkeptētai'' ("inspectors") and ''komētes'' ("counts"), the latter of unclear function.
Sigillographic
Sigillography, also known by its Greek-derived name, sphragistics, is the scholarly discipline that studies the wax, lead, clay, and other seals used to authenticate archival documents. It investigates not only aspects of the artistic design a ...
evidence also attests to the existence of ''chartoularioi'' and of an ''
ek prosōpou'' ("representative") of the department.
List of known ''logothetai tōn agelōn''
References
Sources
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{{Byzantine offices after pseudo-Kodinos
Byzantine administrative offices
Byzantine military offices
Agelon