Samos (Byzantine theme)

The theme of Samos ( Greek  θέμα Σάμου , thema Samou ) was a Byzantine theme in the eastern Aegean that was founded in the 9th century. As one of the three decidedly maritime themes of the Byzantine Empire ( Greek  θέματα ναυτικᾶ ) it was mainly used for the provision of ships and crews for the Byzantine fleet .

history

The exact date of the origin of the Samos theme is unclear. After the large division of the Karabisianoi fleet was split up in the early 8th century, provincial fleets were created, of which that of the Kibyrrhaoten was the most important. Emperor Constantine VII (ruled 913–959) reports that “at the time when the empire was divided into themes”, Samos became the seat of the “theme of the sailors” ( Greek  θέμα τῶν πλοϊζομένων ); the meaning of this passage is unclear. Some historians believe that Samos was the first base of the Karabisianoi fleet until it was disbanded around 727. It could also mean a command subordinate to the Karabisianoi , which was dissolved at the same time, or a later, short-lived successor unit, possibly even identical to the Kibyrrhaoten. The existence of a " Strategos of Samos" in the 8th century is proven by a preserved seal of a strategos named Theodoros. In the late 8th century the southern Aegean seems to have come under the command of the " Droungarios of the Twelve Islands ( Dodekanesos )", whom some historians equate with the post of " Droungarios of Kos " and the later " Droungarios of the Gulf ( Colpos )" , which is listed in the Taktikon Uspensky . This office later developed into the theme of Samos.

The theme of Samos, together with his strategos, is mentioned for the first time in the Cletorologion of Philotheos in 899. It comprised the islands of the eastern Aegean Sea and the west coast of Asia Minor between Adramyttion and Ephesus . The capital of the subject was Smyrna, subordinate Tourmarchai (vice-admirals) had their seat in Adramyttion and Ephesus. In 911, the Samos naval forces are said to have consisted of 3980 rowers and 600 marines, and the fleet consisted of 22 warships. The mainland part of the theme was also explicitly part of the theme of Thrakesion , which had its own tour marches to defend the coast. This suggests a division of labor : the strategos of Samos were responsible for the maintenance of the fleet and the defense of the islands, while the officials of the Thracian issue took care of the taxation and defense of the cities on the mainland. The subject remained a purely military structure until the 11th century when it was converted into a civil province in the 11th century.

literature

• Hélène Ahrweiler : Byzance et la Mer: La Marine de Guerre, la Politique et les Institutiones Maritimes de Byzance aux VIIe – XVe Siècles. Presses universitaires de France, Paris 1966.
• Alexander Kazhdan (Ed.): The Oxford Dictionary of Byzantium . 3 volumes. Oxford / New York 1991.
• John W. Nesbitt, Nicolas Oikonomides (Ed.): Catalog of Byzantine Seals at Dumbarton Oaks and in the Fogg Museum of Art. Volume 2: South of the Balkans, the Islands, South of Asia Minor. Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection, Washington DC 1994, ISBN 0-88402-226-9 .
• Warren T. Treadgold: Byzantium and Its Army, 284-1081. Stanford University Press, Stanford 1995, ISBN 0-8047-3163-2 .

Individual evidence

1. ^ Nesbitt, Oikonomides: Catalog of Byzantine Seals at Dumbarton Oaks and in the Fogg Museum of Art. 1994, p. 110.
2. ^ ^{A b} Nesbitt, Oikonomides: Catalog of Byzantine Seals at Dumbarton Oaks and in the Fogg Museum of Art. 1994, pp. 110, 134.
3. ^ Treadgold: Byzantium and Its Army, 284-1081. 1995, pp. 27, 73.
4. ↑ The name "Dodekanesos" was in use for the Cyclades in Middle Byzantine times and does not have to be confused with today's Dodecanese . (Ahrweiler: Byzance et la Mer: La Marine de Guerre, la Politique et les Institutiones Maritimes de Byzance aux VIIe – XVe Siècles. 1966, p. 80.)
5. ^ Ahrweiler: Byzance et la Mer: La Marine de Guerre, la Politique et les Institutiones Maritimes de Byzance aux VIIe – XVe Siècles. 1966, pp. 79-81, 108; Nesbitt, Oikonomides: Catalog of Byzantine Seals at Dumbarton Oaks and in the Fogg Museum of Art. 1994, pp. 110-111, 130.
6. ↑ ^{a b c} Nesbitt, Oikonomides: Catalog of Byzantine Seals at Dumbarton Oaks and in the Fogg Museum of Art. 1994, p. 131.
7. ↑ Kazhdan: The Oxford Dictionary of Byzantium. 1991, p. 1836.
8. ^ Treadgold: Byzantium and Its Army, 284-1081. 1995, pp. 67, 76.
9. ^ Ahrweiler: Byzance et la Mer: La Marine de Guerre, la Politique et les Institutiones Maritimes de Byzance aux VIIe – XVe Siècles. 1966, p. 402; Nesbitt, Oikonomides: Catalog of Byzantine Seals at Dumbarton Oaks and in the Fogg Museum of Art. 1994, pp. 109, 131.