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Krites
Throughout the fifth century, Diadochi, Hellenistic-Eastern political systems, Ancient Greek philosophy, philosophies, and Theocracy, theocratic Christian concepts had gained power in the Greek-speaking Eastern Mediterranean due to the intervention of important religious figures there such as Eusebius, Eusebius of Caesarea () and Origen, Origen of Alexandria () who had been key to developing the constant Christianized worldview of late antiquity. By the 6th century, such ideas had already influenced the definitive power of the monarch as the Vicar of Christ, representative of God on earth and of his kingdom as an imitation of Kingdom of God (Christianity), God's holy realm. The Byzantine Empire was a multi-ethnic monarchy, monarchic theocracy adopting, following, and applying the Eastern Orthodox Church, Orthodox-Hellenistic kingdoms, Hellenistic political systems and Hellenistic philosophy, philosophies. The monarch was the incarnation of the law''nomos empsychos''and his power ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Basilios II
The name Basil (''royal, kingly'') comes from the male Greek language, Greek name Vassilios (, female version ), which first appeared during the Hellenistic period. It is derived from "basileus" (), a Greek word of Pre-Greek substrate, pre-Hellenic origin, meaning "king", from which words such as basilica and basilisk (via Latin) as well as the eponymous herb basil (via Old French) derive, and the name of the Italy, Italian region Basilicata, which had been long under the rule of the List of Byzantine emperors, Byzantine Emperor (also called ''basileus''). It was brought to England by the Crusaders, having been common in the eastern Mediterranean. It is more often used in Britain and Europe than in the United States. It is also the name of Basil, a common herb. In Arabic, Bas(s)el (, ''bāsil'') is a name for boys that means "brave, fearless, intrepid". Different derived names in different languages include Barsegh in Armenian; Basile in French; Basilius in German; Basilio in It ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Euergetism
Euergetism (or evergetism, from the Greek , "do good deeds") was the ancient practice of high-status and wealthy individuals in society distributing part of their wealth to the community. This practice was also part of the patron-client relation system of Roman society. The term was coined by French historian André Boulanger and subsequently used in the works of Paul Veyne. Development in the Hellenistic period During the second half of the 4th century BC, profound changes occurred in the financing of public institutions. Without funding from wealthy individuals, at least symbolically, the legitimacy of these institutions could be called into question by the city. The idea emerged that the rich people were not contributing as they should, unless required or compelled to do so. At the same time, around 355 BC, Demosthenes mentioned the lack of contributions from the rich in his ''Against Leptines,'' as did Xenophon in ''Poroi''. At the end of the century, Demetrius Phalereu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Theme (Byzantine District)
The themes or (, , singular: , ) were the main military and administrative divisions of the middle Byzantine Empire. They were established in the mid-7th century in the aftermath of the Slavic migrations to Southeastern Europe and Muslim conquests of parts of Byzantine territory, and replaced the earlier provincial system established by Diocletian and Constantine the Great. In their origin, the first themes were created from the areas of encampment of the field armies of the East Roman army, and their names corresponded to the military units that had existed in those areas. The theme system reached its apogee in the 9th and 10th centuries, as older themes were split up and the conquest of territory resulted in the creation of new ones. The original theme system underwent significant changes in the 11th and 12th centuries, but the term remained in use as a provincial and financial circumscription until the very end of the Empire. History Background During the late 6th and ear ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Strategos
''Strategos'' (), also known by its Linguistic Latinisation, Latinized form ''strategus'', is a Greek language, Greek term to mean 'military General officer, general'. In the Hellenistic world and in the Byzantine Empire, the term was also used to describe a military governor. In the modern Hellenic Army, it is the highest officer rank. Etymology ''Strategos'' is a compound of two Greek words: ''stratos'' and ''agos''. ''Stratos'' (στρατός) means 'army', literally 'that which is spread out', coming from the proto-Indo-European root *stere-, 'to spread'. ''Agos'' (ἀγός) means 'leader', from ''agein'' (ἄγειν), 'to lead', from the pelasgic root *ag-, 'to drive, draw out or forth, move'. Classical Greece Athens In its most famous attestation, in Classical Athens, the office of ''strategos'' existed already in the 6th century BC, but it was only with the reforms of Cleisthenes in 501 BC that it assumed its most recognizable form: Cleisthenes instituted a boa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kephale (Byzantine Empire)
In the late Byzantine Empire, the term ''kephale'' () was used to denote local and provincial governors. It entered use in the second half of the 13th century, and was derived from the colloquial language. Consequently, it never became an established title or rank of the Byzantine imperial hierarchy, but remained a descriptive term.. In essence, the ''kephalē'' replaced the Komnenian-era '' doux'' as the civil and military governor of a territorial administrative unit, known as a ''katepanikion'' (κατεπανίκιον, ''katepaníkion''),Not to be confused with the very different katepanates of the 10th-11th centuries. but also termed a ''kephalatikion'' (κεφαλατίκιον, ''kephalatíkion''). In size, these provinces were small compared to the earlier '' themata'', and could range from a few villages surrounding the ''kephales seat (a ''kastron'', "fortress"), to an entire island. This arrangement was also adopted by the Second Bulgarian Empire (as , ''kefaliya'') an ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Katepano
The ''katepánō'' (, ) was a senior Byzantine military rank and office. The word was Latinized as ''capetanus/catepan'', and its meaning seems to have merged with that of the Italian "capitaneus" (which derives from the Latin word "caput", meaning head). This hybridized term gave rise to the English language term '' captain'' and its equivalents in other languages ( Capitan, Kapitan, Kapitän, Capitán, Capitano, Kapudan Pasha, etc.) History The ''katepáno'' first appears in the 9th century, when it was used in the generic sense of "the one in charge" by two officials: the head of the ''basilikoi anthrōpoi'' ("imperial men"), a class of low-level court functionaries, and the head of the Mardaites marine detachments of the Byzantine naval theme of the Cibyrrhaeots in southern Asia Minor. On the eve of the great eastern conquests of the 960s, however, the title acquired a more specific meaning. The reconquered frontier zones were divided into smaller '' themata'', and gro ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Exarch
An exarch (; from Ancient Greek ἔξαρχος ''exarchos'') was the holder of any of various historical offices, some of them being political or military and others being ecclesiastical. In the late Roman Empire and early Byzantine Empire, an ''exarch'' was a governor of a particular territory. From the end of the 3rd century or early 4th, every Roman diocese was governed by a vicarius, who was titled "exarch" in eastern parts of the Empire, where the Greek language and the use of Greek terminology dominated, even though Latin was the language of the imperial administration from the provincial level up until the 440s (Greek translations were sent out with the official Latin text). In Greek texts, the Latin title is spelled βικάριος (). The office of exarch as a governor with extended political and military authority was later created in the Byzantine Empire, with jurisdiction over a particular territory, usually a frontier region at some distance from the capital Co ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Viceroy
A viceroy () is an official who reigns over a polity in the name of and as the representative of the monarch of the territory. The term derives from the Latin prefix ''vice-'', meaning "in the place of" and the Anglo-Norman ''roy'' (Old French ''roi'', ''roy''), meaning "king". This denotes the position as one who acts on behalf of a king or monarch. A viceroy's territory may be called a viceroyalty, though this term is not always applied. The adjective form is ''viceregal'', less often ''viceroyal''. The term ''vicereine'' is sometimes used to indicate a female viceroy '' suo jure'', although ''viceroy'' can serve as a gender-neutral term. Vicereine is more commonly used to indicate a viceroy's wife, known as the ''viceregal consort''. The term has occasionally been applied to the governors-general of the Commonwealth realms, who are ''viceregal'' representatives of the monarch. The position of a viceroy is by royal appointment rather than a noble rank. An individual vicer ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Proskynesis
Proskynesis (), also called proscynesis () or proskinesis (; ; ), was a solemn gesture of respect towards gods and people in many societies. Among the Persians, it referred to a man prostrating himself and kissing the land or the limbs of a respected person. It was also one of the religious rites among both Greeks and Romans. In Byzantine society, it was a common gesture of supplication or reverence. The physical act ranged from full-fledged prostration or alternatively genuflection, a bow, or a simple greeting that concretized the relative positions of performer and beneficiary within a hierarchical order ( ). Etymology The Greek word is derived from the verb προσκυνέω, ''proskyneo'', itself formed from the compound words πρός, ''pros'' (towards) and κυνέω, ''kyneo'' ( kiss). It describes an attitude of humbling, submission, or worship adoration – particularly towards a sovereign ruler, God or the gods. Practice According to Herodotus in his '' Hist ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Royal Court
A royal court, often called simply a court when the royal context is clear, is an extended royal household in a monarchy, including all those who regularly attend on a monarch, or another central figure. Hence, the word ''court'' may also be applied to the wikt:coterie, coterie of a senior member of the nobility. Royal courts may have their seat in a designated place, several specific places, or be a mobile, itinerant court. In the largest courts, the royal households, many thousands of individuals constituted the court. These courtiers included the monarch or noble's camarilla and retinue, household, nobility, clergy, those with court appointments, bodyguards, and may also include emissaries from other kingdoms or visitors to the court. Prince étranger, Foreign princes and foreign nobility in exile may also seek refuge at a court. Near Eastern and Far Eastern courts often included the harem and Concubinage, concubines as well as eunuchs who fulfilled a variety of functions. At ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ecumene
In ancient Greece, the term ''oecumene'' ( UK) or ''ecumene'' ( US; ) denoted the known, inhabited, or habitable world. In Greek antiquity, it referred to the portions of the world known to Hellenic geographers, subdivided into three continents: Africa, Europe, and Asia. Under the Roman Empire, it came to refer to civilization itself, as well as the secular and religious imperial administration. In present usage, it is most often used in the context of "ecumenical" and describes the Christian Church as a unified whole, or the unified modern world civilization. It is also used in cartography to describe a type of world map ('' mappa mundi'') used in late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Etymology The Greek term cited above is the feminine present middle participle of the verb (, '(I) inhabit') and is a clipped form of (, 'inhabited world').Oxford English Dictionary. "œcumene, ''n''." Greece Ancient Greek and Roman geographers knew the approximate size of the globe, but r ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Basileus
''Basileus'' () is a Greek term and title that has signified various types of monarchs throughout history. In the English language, English-speaking world, it is perhaps most widely understood to mean , referring to either a or an . The title was used by sovereigns and other persons of authority in ancient Greece (especially during the Hellenistic period), the Byzantine emperors, and the List of kings of Greece, kings of modern Greece. The name Vassilios, Basileios (Basil (name), Basil), deriving from the term ''basileus'', is a common given name in the Eastern Orthodox Church and Syriac Orthodox Church for the Maphrian. The feminine forms are ''basileia'' (), ''basilissa'' (), ''basillis'' (), or the archaic ''basilinna'' (), meaning or . The related term ''basileia'' () has meanings such as 'sovereignty', 'royalty', 'kingdom', 'reign', 'dominion' and 'authority'. Etymology The etymology of ''basileus'' is uncertain. The Mycenean Greek, Mycenaean form was *''gʷasileus'' (L ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
