bby_218916 - BYZANCE - SIGILLOGRAPHIE Sceau en plomb

BYZANTIUM - SIGILLOGRAPHY

(8th century)

The Klétorologion of Philothée Atriklinos informs us about the hierarchy of high Byzantine officials around the year 900. The title of patrician (created by Constantine the Great) comes in seventh position in the list of precedence comprising eighteen levels for sixty high officials administration, military, civil and aulic. There were at that time twenty-five theme strategists (territorial subdivisions of the empire), heads of administration and local troops. In the 11th century, the redesign of the titulature by Alexis I Comnenus (1081-1118) will lead to an inflation of titles: that of patrice will no longer mean much and that of strategist will disappear..