Eustathios Rhomaios (; ) was a senior judge and writer on law of the

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 ...

. Rhomaios followed in the footsteps of his grandfather, becoming a judge at the imperial court. Over the course of his career, which began in the reign of Emperor

Basil II Basil II Porphyrogenitus (; 958 – 15 December 1025), nicknamed the Bulgar Slayer (, ), was the senior Byzantine emperor from 976 to 1025. He and his brother Constantine VIII were crowned before their father Romanos II died in 963, but t ...

, he advanced from simple judge (''litos

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 interven ...

'') to the rank of '' magistros'' and the prestigious post of '' droungarios tes viglas'', being perhaps the very first holder of this title as president of the Court of the

Hippodrome Hippodrome is a term sometimes used for public entertainment venues of various types. A modern example is the Hippodrome which opened in London in 1900 "combining circus, hippodrome, and stage performances". The term hippodroming refers to fr ...

. He was highly esteemed both during his lifetime and by later legal scholars for his knowledge and skill in decision making. Rhomaios wrote several legal treatises, chiefly comprising statements of verdict, counsel's opinions etc., but most of them have been lost. One of his colleagues, however, selected some parts of his work and, arranging them by subject in 75 titles, published a compendium known as the ''Peira'' ("experience"). The ''Peira'' was intended as a textbook. It contains "in a loosely associated progression, precepts, definitions, and solutions to problems from all spheres of civil and criminal law" (D. Simon), and its compiler tried to deduce general rules that governed Rhomaios' decisions. The ''Peira'' remained a popular book until the late Byzantine period, and was often cited by later Byzantine legal scholars.

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* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Rhomaios, Eustathios 10th-century births 1030s deaths Byzantine writers Byzantine jurists 11th-century Byzantine writers Magistroi 11th-century jurists