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A prosopographical note on the Hikanatoi of Byzantium: from military term to family surname

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  22 January 2016

Alexios G.C. Savvides
Alexios G.C. Savvides*
Affiliation:
Byzantine Research Centre, Athens
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Extract

Perhaps no other term/name in the Byzantine Empire ever linked so closely a military term with a family surname, as that of the hikanatoii/Hikanatoi, from the early ninth century onwards, until well within the later Byzantine period. In that sense, while the first part of the term’s history is mostly studied by military historians, its eventual evolution into a family surname (most probably from the first part of the eleventh century) is the work of the prosopographer/genealogist.

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Short Notes
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Byzantine and Modern Greek Studies , Volume 25 , 2001 , pp. 221 - 229
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Copyright © The Centre for Byzantine, Ottoman and Modern Greek Studies, University of Birmingham 2001

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References

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10. See Haldon, op. cit., 128, 252 and note c on p.560; cf. Kühn, op. cit., 117; A. Kazhdan, ‘Domestikos ton hikanaton’, ODB, 647a.

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12. Oikonomidès, op. cit.

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17. Oikonomidès, op. cit.

18. Haldon, op. cit., 246.

19. Haldon, op. cit., 245 f., 295 ff., 311 and esp. 357. On the improbability of the association of the Arab geographer Kudama’s ‘fidaratiyyin’ or ‘quantaratiyyin’/ ‘kendaratiyyin’ (foederati?) with the hikanatoi (as its possible corruption), see Haldon, J., ‘Kudama ibn Djafar and the garrison of Constantinople’, B 48 (1978), 79–90 Google Scholar, esp. 82 n. 11 and Treadgold, W., ‘Notes on the numbers and organization in the 9th-10th century Byzantine army’, GRBS 21 (1980), 269-88Google Scholar, esp. 272.

20. Kühn, op. cit., 119-21, with pertinent sources.

21. On Krateros see below, note 25; on the two anonymous cases recorded on seals see Haldon, op. cit., 623 notes 1082, 1084.

22. Oikonomidès, op. cit., 304 (chart), 332-3 and index on p.377b (detailed refs to the domestics of the hikanatoi, listed together with their deputy officers); cf. esp. 53.2, 57.8, 63.24 (Taktikon Uspensky); 103.6, 105.30, 119.1 ff., 139.31, 145.19, 157.18, 29, 175.4, 8-10 (‘... τούς αρχοντας той τάγματος τών ... Ίκανάτων’), 209.5 (Kletorologion of Philotheos); 249.20 (Taktikon Benešević); 271.1 (Taktikon Escurial). Cf. Ostrogorsky — Stein (here n.15), 193; Ahrweiler, Hélène; ‘Recherches sur 1’ administration de 1’ empire byzantin aux IXe-XIe siècles’, Bulletin de Correspondance Hellénique 84 (1960), 1–111 CrossRefGoogle Scholar here at pp.25 ff., 29 f.; Kühn, op. cit., 117-18 ns.12-15.

23. De thematibus, ed. Pertusi, A. (Vaticano 1952)Google Scholar, 70.5; cf.Koutava-Delevoria, Barbara, О γεωγραφικός коаџос Κωνσταντίνου του Πορφυρογεννητου, Ph.D.diss., I (Athens 1991), 326 Google Scholar; De administrando imperio, ed. Moravcsik — Engl. trans, G.. Jenkins, R., CFHB, 2nd ed. (Washington 1967), 238 Google Scholar = German trans.-comm. Belke, K. — Soustal, P., Byzanz und ihre Nachbarn... (Graz-Wien-Köln 1995), 243 Google Scholar (domestikos of the hikanatoi); De cerimoniis, ed. I. Reiske, CSHB I (1829), 193.12, 17, 604.9, 666.8-13, 669.3-4; also 460, 484, 489; Haldon, J. (ed. - Engl. trans.), Constantine Porphyrogenitus, Three treatises on imperial military expeditions, CFHB(Wien 1990), 321 Google Scholarb (domestikos of the hikanatoi), 324a (hikanatoi) (index). I have not been able to consult Treadgold’s, W. ‘The army in the works of Constantine Porphyrogenitus’, RSBN n.s. 29 (1992), 77–162 Google Scholar.

24. Kühn, op. cit., 121.

25. Cf. Treadgold (here n.11), 298 ff.

26. See Vlysidou, V., ‘Ή συνωμοσία TOO Κουρκούα στό Bio Βασιλείου’, Συμμεικτα 6 (1985), 53-8Google Scholar; eadem (here n.11), 50-51; 190 n.1; Savvides, A., Μελετήματα βυζαντινής προσωπογραφίας και тоткгјс ιστορίας. Ανατνπωση άρθρων 1981-1991 (Athens 1992), [168-9]Google Scholar; Kühn, op. cit., 120 n.29 for pertinent sources (the coup here is dated to 885); see also Mpourdara, Kalliopé, Καθοσίωσκ καϊ Tvpavvïç ката τούς μέσους βυζαντινούς χρόνους ... 867-1056 (Athens-Komotene 1981), 41-3Google Scholar n.6.

27. Haldon, op. cit., 357 nos.12 and 7; Kühn, op. cit., 120 n.31 for sources.

28. Haldon, op. cit., 357 no.8; Kühn, op. cit., 120 n.32 (for sources). The 919 Constantine Barys, ‘chef du tagma des Hicanates pendant la minorité de Constantine VII’ according to Cheynet, J.-CI., Pouvoir et contestations à Byzance, 963-1210 (Paris 1990), 65 Google Scholar no.74 with note 1 (ref. to Skylitzes, ed. Thurn, J., CFHB, Berlin 1973, 210 Google Scholar), is in all probability identical to KUhn’s Konstantinos Barymichael.

29. De Cerimoniis (here n.23), 666.8-13, 668-9; cf. Bury (note 11), 52, 54, 64; Ostrogorsky-Stein, op. cit., 193; Toynbee, op. cit., 287; Haldon, op. cit., 281, 311; Kühn, op. cit., 118; Treadgold (here n.8), list on p.67; Whittow, M., The making of Orthodox Byzantium, 600-1025 (London 1996), 186 CrossRefGoogle Scholar.

30. Bury (note 11), 64; idem (n.15), 228 n.1.

31. Ensslin (n.8), 41.

32. See Kühn, op. cit., 119 n.22; Hohlweg, A., Beiträge zur Verwaltungsgeschichte des oströmischen Reiches unter der Komnenen (Miscellanea Byzantina Monacensia 1) (München 1965)Google Scholar, 52 notes 1-3.

33. See below nos.i andii.

34. See below no.x.

35. Barenses, Annales, ed. Pertz, G., MGH/Scriptores 5 (Hannover 1844, repr. Stuttgart 1963); 151 Google Scholar; cf. Kühn, op. cit., 119.

36. Lupus protospatharius, ed Pertz, loc. cit., 56; Ignoti civis Barensis chronicon, ed. Muratori, L., Rerum Italicarum Scriptores 5 (Milano 1729), 150 Google Scholar f.; cf. Kühn, op. cit., 119.

37. Ed. Sathas, C., Μεσαιωνικη βιβλιοθήκη 5 (Venice-Paris 1876, repr Athens 1972)Google Scholar, cf.; Oikonomidès, op. cit., 332 note 262 (making also reference to ‘mentions rares et douteuses au XIe siècle’, which is incorrect).

38. Bon, A., Le Péloponnèse byzantin jusqu’ en 1204 (Paris 1951), 95 Google Scholar, 98, 194 no.38 (with refs); cf. Savvides, A., ‘Варбас Ικανάτος’, forthcoming in Εγκυκλοπαιδικό προσωπογραφικό λεξικό βυζαντινής ιστορίας και πολιπσμού 4 (Athens 2001)Google Scholar. His activities were extended to 1103 by Bees, N., ‘Ίκανατος Βάρδας’,‘ Εγκυκλοπαιδικον Λεξικον Έλευθερουδάκη 6 (Athens, repr. 1965), 696 Google Scholar b.

39. Iunioris, Vita S. Meletii, ed. Vasilievsky, V., Pravoslavnij Palestinskij Sbornik 17 (St. Petersburg 1886), xxxvii and 59 Google Scholar.

40. Ed. Mordtmann, A., Revue archéologique 34 (1877), 48-9Google Scholar no.19; cf.Schlumberger, C., La sigillographie byzantine (Paris 1884), 351, 669 Google Scholar. I was unable to trace Anne Szemioth — Wasiliewski, T., ‘Sceaux byzantins du Musée National de Varsovie, 2e partie’, Studia Zrodloznawczi 14 (1964), 80-1Google Scholar, cited by Oikonomidès, op. cit., 332 n.362 (obviously referring to yet another 11th-c. Hikanatos).

41. See IRAIK 2 (1987), 42.5; cf. Hohlweg, op. cit., 52 n.2.

42. Hohlweg, ibid.

43. Magdalino, P., The Empire of Manuel 1 Komnenos, 1143-1180 (Cambridge U.P. 1993)CrossRefGoogle Scholar, list on p.501. Cf. also the date ‘between 1084 and 1103’ adopted by N. Bees (n. 38 above), certainly not applicable to the duration of a single ecclesiastical synod!

44. Rouillard, G. — Collomp, P., Actes de Lavra (Paris 1937)Google Scholar, 40.54; cf. Hohlweg, op. cit., 52 n.3, who correctly observes that the office of the domestic of the hikanatoi is not encountered beyond that date, though there are members of the Hikanatoi family bearing other military titles (as in no. ix below); cf. Kühn, op. cit., 119 n.22.

45. Grumel, V. (rev. Darrouzès, J.), Les regestes des actes du patriarcat de Constantinople, I: 715-1206, 2nd ed. (Paris 1989), no.1015 Google Scholar; cf. Magdalino, op. cit., 277 n.173. Dated to 1144 (?) by Hohlweg, op. cit., 52 n.3, who correctly points out that he should not be identified with Leon (I) (no. v here).

46. On this location see Janin, P., Constantinople byzantine..., 2nd ed. (Paris 1964), 240 Google Scholar, 274, 292, 332; cf. Kühn, op. cit., 119.

47. Dölger, F. (ed. & add. Wirth, P.), Regesten der Kaiserurkunden des oströmischen Reiches, II: 1025-1204, 2nd ed. (München-Berlin 1995), 307 Google Scholar no.1607.

48. Blemmydes, N., Autobiographia..., ed. Munitiz, J. (Brepols Turnhout 1984), 28 Google Scholar § 52.1 ff.

49. Miklosich, F. — Müller, J., Acta et diplomata graeca..., IV (Wien 1871, repr. Athens 1996), 215 Google Scholar no.128; cf. Dölger, F., in BZ 27 (1927), 308 Google Scholar; Dölger, F. (ed. & add. Wirth, P.), Regesten... (as in note 47), III: 1204-1282, 2nd ed. (München-Berlin 1977), 34 Google Scholar no. 1768; cf. also Ahrweiler, Hélène, ‘L’ histoire et la géographie de la région de Smyrně entre les deux occupations turques (1081-1317), particulièrement au XHIe siècle’, TM 1 (1965), 2-204, here at p.143 Google Scholar.

50. See alii, E. Trapp et, Prosopographisches Lexikon der Palaiologenzeit, IV (Wien 1980), no.8 Google Scholar.153.

51. Oikonomidès, op. cit., 332 n.362 (who moreover completely omitted the Hikanatoi of the 12th century onwards).