A Biarchus was a military position in the

army An army, ground force or land force is an armed force that fights primarily on land. In the broadest sense, it is the land-based military branch, service branch or armed service of a nation or country. It may also include aviation assets by ...

of the

Late Roman Empire In historiography, the Late or Later Roman Empire, traditionally covering the period from 284 CE to 641 CE, was a time of significant transformation in Roman governance, society, and religion. Diocletian's reforms, including the establishment of t ...

that was created after the military reforms of Diocletian. Although the

Code of Justinian The Code of Justinian (, or ) is one part of the ''Corpus Juris Civilis'', the codification of Roman law ordered early in the 6th century AD by Justinian I, who was Eastern Roman emperor in Constantinople. Two other units, the Digest and the I ...

mentions the position of Biarchus as part of the ''

Agentes in Rebus The ''agentes in rebus'' (, or , ''magistrianoí'', ' magister's men'.) were the late Roman imperial and Byzantine courier service and general agents of the central government from the 4th to the 7th centuries. History The exact date of their ...

'', which were the Imperial

courier A courier is a person or organization that delivers a message, package or letter from one place or person to another place or person. Typically, a courier provides their courier service on a commercial contract basis; however, some couriers are ...

s, other sources mention their presence in a variety of military positions in the Roman military: they appear in the ''scholae palatina'', ''

auxilia palatina ''Auxilia palatina'' (: ''auxilium palatinum'') were infantry units of the Late Roman army, first raised by Constantine the Great, Constantine I as part of the new field army he created in about 325 AD. Some of the senior and probably oldest of th ...

'', '' fabricae'', ''

vexillatio A ''vexillatio'' (: ''vexillationes'') was a detachment of a Roman legion formed as a temporary task force created by the Roman army of the Principate. It was named from the standard carried by legionary detachments, the ''vexillum'' (: ''vexill ...

nes'', and in the '' stratores''. Their duties are unknown, but they may have related to

food supply Food security is the state of having reliable access to a sufficient quantity of affordable, healthy food. The availability of food for people of any class, gender, ethnicity, or religion is another element of food protection. Similarly, househo ...

. The biarchus was subordinate to the centenarius and the ducenarius but above the ''circitor'' in the command structure of the Roman military. This position may have replaced the role of the

Optio In a Roman army an (, from , 'to choose', so-called because superior officers chose the ; : ) held a rank in a (century) similar to that of an executive officer. The main function of an was as an , the second-in-command of a century, alth ...

. It is possible that the Biarchus commanded a ''

contubernium In ancient Rome, ''contubernium'' was a quasi-marital relationship between two Slavery in ancient Rome, slaves or between a slave (''Slavery in ancient Rome#The slave in Roman law and society, servus'') and a free person who was usually a form ...

'', which was a Roman military unit consisting of ten men. Historian Michael Speidel argued that Roman texts on military formations and ancient inscriptions indicate that in the Late Roman military the biarchus was synonymous with the

decanus ''Decanus'' means "chief of ten" in Late Latin. The term originated in the Roman army and became used thereafter for Subaltern (military), subaltern officials in the Byzantine Empire, as well as for various positions in the Church, whence derives ...

, who commanded the ''contubernium''. Spiedel argues that, since the biarchus is often interpreted as a type of mess-leader, and the author

Vegetius Publius (or Flavius) Vegetius Renatus, known as Vegetius (), was a writer of the Later Roman Empire (late 4th century). Nothing is known of his life or station beyond what is contained in his two surviving works: ''Epitoma rei militaris'' (also r ...

refers to the mess-leader as the ''caput contubernii'' ("head of cavalry"), the biarchus may have been equivalent to the decanus. Historian

Warren Treadgold Warren T. Treadgold (born April 30, 1949, Oxford, England) is an American historian and specialist in Byzantine studies. He is the National Endowment for the Humanities Professor of Byzantine Studies at Saint Louis University. His interest in the p ...

argued that Biarchus also held the same powers as a ''decurion''. Speidel also proposed that the rank of Biarchus derived from the rank of ''exarchus''. He argued that soldiers could earn the title of ''Bis Exarchus'', and that this title was shortened to Biarchus. Speidel cited an inscription which rewarded soldiers with the title ''Bis exarchi''. According to Speidel, this theory provides an explanation as for why the title of ''exarchus'' is primarily used in the third century, whilst the title of Biarchus is used throughout the fourth and fifth centuries. Speidel states that the Greek etymology of the word ''exarchus'' implies the position has eastern roots and potentially originated from new units being created from preexisting horseman and decurions. The position is mentioned in the text '' Ad Pannachium'' by

Saint Jerome Jerome (; ; ; – 30 September 420), also known as Jerome of Stridon, was an early Christian priest, confessor, theologian, translator, and historian; he is commonly known as Saint Jerome. He is best known for his translation of the Bible ...

. Saint Jerome listed officer ranks in the Roman army, including those of the biarchus. In the

Codex Theodosianus The ''Codex Theodosianus'' ("Theodosian Code") is a compilation of the laws of the Roman Empire under the Christian emperors since 312. A commission was established by Emperor Theodosius II and his co-emperor Valentinian III on 26 March 429 an ...

it is stated that no one is allowed to achieve the rank of Biarchus through

patronage Patronage is the support, encouragement, privilege, or financial aid that an organization or individual bestows on another. In the history of art, art patronage refers to the support that princes, popes, and other wealthy and influential people ...

. Instead, it mandates that an individual must achieve the rank through merit. The code prohibits more than 250 Biarchi serving on duty. Furthermore, the code mandates that if a Biarchus or anyone of a lower rank dies in battle, then their son is obligated to take their place in the army and earn their pay. One edict issued in the year 534 found in the Code of Justinian directed towards

Belisarius BelisariusSometimes called Flavia gens#Later use, Flavius Belisarius. The name became a courtesy title by the late 4th century, see (; ; The exact date of his birth is unknown. March 565) was a military commander of the Byzantine Empire under ...

outlines the annual payment of eight Biarchi in

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...

. It decrees that each of the Biarchi was to be given 14 solidi in payment.

List of Biarchi

References

{{reflist Late Roman military ranks