Short Notes on the Prosopography of the Byzantine Theme of Koloneia (Part II)

Year 2019, , 115 - 128, 31.12.2019

Pantelis Charalampakıs

https://doi.org/10.31765/karen.668082

Abstract

This paper presents the case study of Kallistos (report-edly a member of the Melissenos family), one of the Forty-two Byzantine officials captured by the Arabs in the aftermath of the siege of Amorion in 838. The person in question has been recorded in scholarly literature as a military officer active in Koloneia (or, according to other views, in the themes of the Anatolikoi or the Armeniakoi). A closer examination of extant evidence, however, may suggest that he never existed – or at least not as a military commander in Koloneia – and his mention in the sources was the result of a misunderstanding and/or fictional writing related to hagiography, politics, or family prestige.

Keywords

Pontos, Koloneia, Byzantine Theme, Prosopography, 42 Martyrs of Amorion, Kallistos Melissenos

Supporting Institution

European Social Fund- ESF

Project Number

MIS-5001552

Thanks

This study is part of my Project on the prosopography of the Byzantine provinces in Northeastern Asia Minor. The Post-Doctoral Research under the title Mobility of people and families in Byzantium’s northeastern frontier. A contribution to the prosopography of the military and political administration in the Armeniakoi area (7th-11th c.) was conducted thanks to an IKY scholarship. This research is co-financed by Greece and the European Union (European Social Fund- ESF) through the Operational Programme «Human Resources Development, Education and Lifelong Learning» in the context of the project “Reinforcement of Postdoctoral Researchers” (MIS-5001552), implemented by the State Scholarships Foundation (ΙΚΥ). The Project was carried out under the supervision of Dr. Olga Karagiorgou (Research Centre for Byzantine and Post-Byzantine Art, Academy of Athens) from April 2017 to April 2019. I am grateful to both IKY and Dr. Karagiorgou, as well as to Professor Stephanos Efthymiadis and Dr. Christos Malatras for providing me with relevant bibliography and discussing some issues related to the topic.

Koloneia Theması Bizans Prosopografisi Üzerine Kısa Notlar (Bölüm II)

Abstract

Bu makale 838 yılında Amorion kuşatmasının ardından Araplar tarafından ele geçirilen kırk iki Bizans yetkili-sinden biri olan Kallistos’a (Melissenos ailesinin bir üyesi olduğu bildirilir) ilişkin örnek çalışmadır. Adı geçen kişi bilimsel literatürde Koloneia’da (diğer görüşlere göre Anatolikoi veya Armeniakoi Themalarında) aktif bir askeri subay olarak kayıtlıdır. Fakat mevcut kanıtlar daha yakından incelendiğinde onun hiç var olmadığı - ya da en azından Koloneia’da askeri bir subay olarak bulunmadığı - ve kaynaklarda kendisinden bahsedilmesinin hagiografi, politika ya da aile saygınlığı ile ilgili bir yanlış anlaşılmanın ve/veya kurgusal bir yazının sonucu olduğu belirtilebilir.

Keywords

Kallistos Melissenos, Pontus, Koloneia, Bizans Theması, 42 Amorion Şehiti, Prosopografi, Kallistos Melissenos

Project Number

MIS-5001552

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