century aimed at making this succession a regular practice, since it would secure them the unrestricted appointment of the Patriarch.1

(4) ὁ χαρτουλάριος τοῦ κανικλείου.

This official, generally called & ènì тoû kavikλeíov, first appears in our sources in the ninth century. Under Michael II it was held by Theoktistos, and Genesios (2320) thus explains the meaning of the title: τὴν ἐπὶ τοῦ βασιλικοῦ καλάμου ἐγκεχείριστο πρόνοιαν, δι' οὗ κανίκλιος édoğácero. His duty evidently was to be present when the Imperial pen signed state documents, and he also signed for the Emperor. A bull of Manuel Comnenus (Nov. 63, p. 457) was endorsed dià ToÛ ἐπὶ τοῦ κανικλείου καὶ δικαιοδότου Θεοδώρου τοῦ Στυπειώτου. He also prepared the codicilli of the Patricians, Phil. 71014. Such duties required no officium,2 and the post was often combined with another office. Thus Theoktistos was at the same time Logothete of the Course, and A. D. 869 the post was held by Christophoros, who was protoasecretis (Acta of Fourth Council of Cple., Mansi, xvi. 409). The title xaprovλápios shows that originally this official was one of the chartularii of the σέκρετον.

(5) ὁ πρωτοστράτωρ.

3

The Protostrator was strictly the chief of the taxis of stratores, whose duty originally was to assist the Emperor in mounting his horse (cp. Hist. Aug. xiii. 7 cum illum in equum strator eius levaret) and perform the duty of grooms (iππокóμο).3 In the sixth century we meet a schola stratorum in the officium of the Praetorian Prefect of Africa (C. I. 1. 27, § 33). We meet a δομέστικος τῶν στρατώρων in the time of Justinian II along with a πρωτοστράτωρ τοῦ ὀψικίου. In A. D. 765 we meet a σπαθ. καὶ βασιλικὸς πρωτοστράτωρ (ib. 4381). See also Cont. Th. 18,, 24. Basil, the Macedonian, began his career in the Imperial service as a strator and then became Protostrator (ib. 231). He had before been protostrator (chief groom) of Theophilitzes (ib. 22510)•

The Protostrator rides beside the Emperor, with the Comes staduli, Cer. 8118. At a triumph he rides close to the Emperor, with the flamullum, ib. 60910, and places the Imperial spear on the necks of

1 Cp. the observation of Cedrenus (Skylitzes), ii. 581.

2 But there was a person described as ὁ σκευάζων τὸ κανίκλειον—the manufacturer or mixer of the ink (Cer. 79816). Kav. seems to have properly meant the inkbottle, cp. Ducange, s. v.

3 C. Th. 6. 31. 1 (a. d. 365–373?) concerns stratores in the province of Nova Epirus, but it is not clear that they belong to the Emperor's personal service.

captives, 61019. He may introduce foreign visitors, instead of the Protospatharios T. Bariλikŵv, or the Comes stabuli, 568,5. In the age of Philotheos his place in the official hierarchy was not high, but in later times it grew in dignity and importance, and in the age of the Palaeologi it was one of the highest of all (Codinus, 9). Nicetas equates it with the marshal, μapéoxaλkos, of the western kingdoms. (1) στράτωρες, τοῦ βασιλικοῦ στρατωρικίου Phil. 736. Cp. Cer. 81. Most of the seals of Baσiλikoì σrpáτopes published by Schlumberger are late, but there are two (Sig. 597) of the eighth to ninth centuries.

19 24.

ἀρμαμέντον.

(2) ἀρμοφύλακες (for ἀρματοφύλακες cp. ἀρματοφυλακείον, see Ducange, s.v.), meaning officials in charge of the apμara = õnλa, military gear in the Imperial appaμévтov. There is, however, a difficulty, for the àpμaμévτov, which was under the control of the Magister Officiorum (cp. Justinian, Nov. 108, §§ 1, 3),1 was managed under Phocas (Theoph. 297) by an official named ó èπávw тoû àpμaμévтov, and he survived till the tenth century at least: see Phil. 736, ὁ σπαθ. καὶ ἄρχων τοῦ ἀρμ., and 78821; Cer. 67320 (a protospatharios, A. D. 949) and 67615 TOÛ κатεпávш тоû ǎρμatos (so Reiske, but the MS. has apua', and we should unquestionably read appaμévrov). The difficulty is that he is not mentioned in the official lists of Philotheos. It is hardly possible to regard him as included under the ἀρμοφύλακες. One would expect

τοῦ

him to be mentioned distinctly. In the Takt. Usp. he appears, ó ǎpxwv τοῦ ἀρμαμέντου, immediately after ὁ τῆς καταστάσεως (124). The seal of an ἄρχων τοῦ βασιλικοῦ ἀρμαμέντου is published by Konstantopulos, No. 186.

(3) σταβλοκόμητες. They were three in number: the σταβλοκόμης τῆς πόλεως, and οἱ δύο σταβλοκόμητες (? of Malagina), περὶ ταξ. 47820, 4791.

(6) ὁ ἐπὶ τῆς καταστάσεως.

This official, generally called & тys Kaтaσтáσews, does not appear in the list of possible patricians, but may be a protospathar, in Philotheos (in Takt. Usp. he is a spathar or lower, 124, 127). The title may be rendered Master of Ceremonies. [The use of κaτάoraσis in the sense of order is illustrated by περὶ ταξ. 503 τὴν μὲν κατάστασιν τῆς πόλεως καὶ φιλοκαλίαν ἡτοιμάσατο ὁ ἔπαρχος.] The court ceremonial in former times was controlled by the magister officiorum, and a work on the subject, entitled πeρì TŶs kataστάσews, was compiled in the sixth century by Peter the Patrician who held that office. Under the magister was the scrinium dispositionum, of which the head was the

1 τὸ θεῖον ἡμῶν ἀρμαμέντον. It contained δημόσια όπλα.

comes dispositionum (C. Th. 6. 26. 10 and 18), and it devolved on him to arrange for the details of the Emperor's daily programme. ó ènì TĤs καταστάσεως seems to descend from this functionary (κατάστασις may represent dispositio).

There was a special officium ammissionum under the magister (Not. Or. xi. 17), of which the chief was the proximus ammissionum (Peter, in Cer. 3942); but in the time of Justinian there was already a kóμns τῶν ἀδμηνσιόνων (Peter, Cer. i. 84). In one ceremony we meet 2 κόμης τῶν ἀδμησιόνων (i. 41. 209). The official named ὁ ἀδμην σovváλtos is more frequently mentioned (Cer. 8008, 238, 23921, 44210), and from 269, it appears that he might be under the orders of års tŷs KaTaσTáσews. This is what we should expect, for in the sixth century 8 àμioσivários was 'the first of the silentiaries' (Lydus, 73,9).1 In Cer. 800, 80217 he is mentioned along with the diaiтápioi of the Palace, and must have been a subordinate of one of the eunuch officials (such as the παπίας or δεύτερος).

1

Under ὁ τῆς καταστάσεως were the τάξεις of those orders of rank which Philotheos distinguishes as senatorial from Imperial in the stricter sense, namely, the Tатоι, the vestetores, the silentiaries, the apoeparchontes (for all of which see above under B, p. 23 sqq.). Besides these σvykλŋtɩkol are also mentioned in the officium, which, if the text is correct, points to a lower class of ovуKANTIKOί not belonging to those five or higher orders. It is difficult to believe that such a class existed, and it seems to me highly probable, if not certain, that συγκλητικοί is an error for στρατηλάται, who were a synklêtic order, and would naturally, along with the apoeparchontes, belong here.

We constantly find the Master of Ceremonies acting in conjunction with silentiaries, e.g. Cer. 8115, 12725, 2384, 503. From Phil. 71010 we learn that a newly elevated Patrician gave a fee of twelve nomismata to the Master of Ceremonies, avev тoû ỏɩkíov, and a fee of eighty nom. to be divided among the ỏíkov. This is explained by the ceremony of the creation of Patricians, Cer. i. 47. The silentiarii act as an escort of the new Patricians; cp. 23912, 2417-9.

(7) ὁ δομέστικος τῶν βασιλικῶν.

See above under ὁ πρωτοσπαθάριος τῶν βασιλικῶν (VI. 4).

1 Cp. Pet. Patr. in Cer. 404,, 15, 40515°

D. DIGNITIES AND OFFICES OF THE EUNUCHS.

In the fifth century the cubicularii were the most important class of the Palace servants and were under the Praepositus. The other court servants were under the Castrensis s. palatii, so far as they were not under the Master of Offices.1 The castrensis seems to have disappeared by the sixth century.2 The cubicularii included the chief officials who had charge of the private wardrobe, the Imperial table and cellars, as well as the Imperial bedchamber.

The history of these domestic offices is parallel to the history of the offices of state in the principles of its development. (1) A number of the subordinate officials are elevated to independent, co-ordinate positions, and (2) titles of office are adopted as grades of rank.

3

The cubicularii of the bedchamber, who were specially distinguished as koιTwvîтaι,3 are separated from the rest of the cubiculum, under their chief the Parakoimômenos, who becomes a high official. The private wardrobe becomes an independent office under the Protovestiarios, and similarly the service of the table under ὁ ἐπὶ τῆς τραπέζης.

The rest of the cubiculum (οἱ κουβικουλάριοι τοῦ κουβουκλείου, distinguished from οἱ κ. τοῦ βασιλικοῦ κοιτῶνος) seem to have remained under the Praepositus, and the primicerius s. cubiculi of the fifth century (Not. Dig., Or. i. 17) continued to be their chief (Phil. 72121, Cer. 79817).

The servants who attended to the cleaning, heating, lighting of the Palace, the porters of the gates, &c., had probably been under the control of the castrensis. In the later period we find that two have been raised to the dignity of independent officials, the Papias and the Deuteros.

In a wide sense of the term all the eunuch officials belonged to the cubiculum. They were graded in eight ranks, and of these the praepositi, protospathars, primicerii, and ostiarii are described as οἱ προεστῶτες τοῦ μυστικοῦ κουβουκλείου (Phil. 75016). ἡ τάξις τοῦ κ., Phil. 70520 seems to be used in the wide sense.

20

4

The term olkelakós (privy, domestic) may be explained here. We find it used of the Parakoimômenos (Phil. 7845), and of the private vestiarion (see above under à XаρT. тоû ẞEσT.). In the latter case it distinguishes the private from the public Imperial Wardrobe, and its most important significance is to limit the term Bariλikós. There

'Cp. Mommsen, 513.

* Mommsen, ib., suggests that his place was taken by the cura paluti.

were many Baoiλikoí, of various ranks, who were not eunuchs and did not belong to the cubiculum, but were engaged in the more personal and domestic service of the Emperor in the Palace. These (protospathars, spatharocandidates, spathars, &c.) were distinguished as οἰκειακοί. Compare Cer. 1001, τῶν ἀρχόντων τοῦ κουβουκλείου καὶ βασιλικῶν οἰκειακῶν (and 1031). So in Takt. Usp. 118 οἱ οἰκ. πρωτοσπαθάριοι, 123 οἱ σπαθάριοι καὶ οἰκ., 128 οἱ οἰκειακοί (candidati, &c.),1 and cp. Phil. 78522. The σnaláρiot, &c., who were under the Protospatharios τῶν βασιλικῶν were of course not οἰκειακοί, nor were the protospathars, &c., of the payλáßtov. On the other hand, the protospathars, &c., of the Chrysotriklinos (Phil. 73217, 73319) probably were οἰκειακοί.

We also find the term used of κριταί, Phil. 733. οἱ σπαθαρος. οἱ οἰκ. καὶ κριταί. But 7321 οἱ πρωτοσπ. καὶ κρ., 735, οἱ σπαθ. καὶ κρ. These judges were doubtless those who were known later as the κρiτal τοῦ βήλου οι ἐπὶ τοῦ ἱπποδρόμου (Zachariä von L., Geschichte des griechisch-röm. Rechts, 358 sqq.). oikeιakoί seems to be used to distinguish them from the κpiraì tôv peyewvwv who were under the Prefect of the City.

The financial office ἐπὶ τῶν οἰκειακῶν, which was important in later times, was not instituted as early as the ninth century. The seal of Basil, a spathar who held this office, cannot be as early as Schlumberger thinks (Sig. 556).

Ι. Αξίαι διὰ βραβείων.

Of the eight orders by which the eunuchs of the Palace were graded, they shared two in common with barbati, namely, the protospathariate and the patriciate. The others are, as already observed, names of office which have become grades of rank.

(1) νιψιστιάριος Insigne (βραβείον): linen καμίσιον with purple