Eds. Olga Karagiorgou, Pantelis Charalampakis, Christos Malatras

Publisher: Academy of Athens: Research Centre for Byzantine and Post-byzantine Art

Publication year: 2021

Number of pages / Dimensions: 900 / 30x22

Hardcover

ISBN: 978-960-404-392-7

This volume presents the first results of the TAKTIKON Research Project on the administration and prosopography of the Byzantine themata, which is being realised at the Academy of Athens by Olga Karagiorgou (Principal Investigator), Christos Malatras and Pantelis Charalampakis, as well as the communications delivered during a One-day International Workshop organised in the framework of the same project.

The introductory chapter (Part I) describes the aims and the methodological principles of the TAKTIKON Research Project, addresses some key questions concerning the institution of the Byzantine themata in relation to the results presented in the volume, and offers a description of the TAKTIKON online database (O. Karagiorgou). Part II includes a paper on the use of the terms “Eoa, Anatole, Anatolikoi” in the Byzantine literary tradition (A. Kontogiannopoulou), as well as detailed studies on the strategoi of Hellas (O. Karagiorgou), and the prosopography and administrative structure of Opsikion (C. Malatras), the Anatolikoi (C. Malatras), and the Kibyrraiotai (P. Charalampakis), based on the evidence provided by sigillographic and non-sigillographic sources. The studies on Hellas and the three Asia Minor themata are accompanied by appendices presenting for the first time detailed chronological lists of thematic officials, as well as complete records of a total of 1110 relevant thematic molybdoboulla. These were put together by the research team during the personal inspection of sigillographic collections and/or the meticulous study of relevant publications. More than 80 (published and unpublished) state and private sigillographic collections in 17 countries, as well as the (printed and online) sale catalogues of more than 40 auction houses have been studied, so far, for the purposes of the TAKTIKON Research Project.

Parts III and IV of the volume present papers by the participants of the One-day International Workshop at the Academy of Athens: N. Alekseienko (Correspondents of Byzantine Cherson), O. Alf’orov (Seals of Eustratios Chrysoberges), V. Bulgurlu (Seals from the Museum of Miletos), J.-C. Cheynet (Sceaux parisiens; Sceaux dans la collection Savvas Kofopoulos, Lesbos), N. Elam (Seals from eleven museums in Turkey), E. Güzel Erdoğan and V. Prigent (Sceaux au musée d’Adana), E. Stepanova (Seals from the Hermitage), I. Jordanov (Byzantine Eastern armies in the Balkans), T. Kourempanas (Σφραγίδες με απεικονίσεις αετών), V. Stepanenko (The family of Artzruni) and Z. Zhekova (Thematic seals from Bulgaria). The authors discuss more than 230 Byzantine lead seals (in their overwhelming majority previously unpublished), kept in private and state collections in Bulgaria, France, Greece, Russia, and the Ukraine, which are relevant to the administration and the prosopography of Byzantine Asia Minor.

The publication of the TAKTIKON volume was kindly supported by the Foundation Janet Zacos for the Study of Byzantium (Geneva), the John S. Latsis Public Benefit Foundation, the Capuano Insurance Brokers S.A., Eurolife FFH and Generali Hellas.

Το Μάϊο 2023, ο τόμος ΤΑΚΤΙΚΟΝ απέσπασε το Διεθνές Βραβείο "Βάσω Πέννα" που απονέμεται ετησίως στην καλύτερη δημοσίευση με αντικείμενο τη νομισματική και σφραγιστική του Βυζαντίου και των λατινοκρατούμενων περιοχών της Ελλάδας και της Κύπρου, η οποία έχει δημοσιευθεί την τελευταία πενταετία (από 1-1-2018 έως 31-12-2022) και έχει υποβληθεί στη σχετική πρόσκληση της Χριστιανικής Αρχαιολογικής Εταιρείας, Αθήνα (ΧAE).

In May 2023, the volume TAKTIKON won the "Vaso Penna" International Award, presented annually to the best publication in the field of numismatics and sigillography of Byzantium and the Latin-occupied areas of Greece and Cyprus, which has been published in the last five years (from 1-1-2018 to 31-12-2022) and has been submitted to the relevant call of the Christian Archaeological Society, Athens (ChAE).