Taken from my timeline: Dunes of the Desert. This is a geography chapter, with the various dioceses desribed by the geographer Heracleus Staurakius
I shall describe the different administrative areas and insert quotes by Heracleus Staurakius
[1].
Administrative map of Rhomania
Magistrate of Constantinople
“The City of Constantinople, also called the City of the World´s Desire, Tzaregrades by the Serbs and Karvonians and by a handful of other names was founded anew by the Emperor Constantine on the place of the ancient Hellene colony of Visantion. It has been described to be the most marvellous city on earth, dominated by the Imperial Palace and the Hagia Sophia.
The city is situated on the easternmost extremity of Thrace, by the bay of the Golden Horn where it enters the Bosporus strait connecting the Marble Sea with the Black Sea” Heracleus Staurakius then goes on to describe the various dominants of the city, its history as well as the Theodosian Walls, which, as he notes, are considered to be the outer borders of the jurisdiction of the city.
“The Walls of Theodosius, an impressive project built by the emperors to protect the city from barbaric raids now mark the border between the Magistrate of Constantinople and the Diocese of Thrace”.
Constantinople is a multicultural city, overwhelmingly Greek, but populated by people from all over the Empire; especially visible communities include Romaniote Jews, Latin
[2] merchants, Varangians
[3], but also Vlachs and Armenians.
Hagia Sophia
Diocese of Thrace
“
Thrace is the name of the diocese beyond the walls of Theodosius. The name Thrace is from that of the ancient tribe of Thracians, who were related to Dacians further north; and they had their kingdom under Odrysus. Now, there are no more Thracians, as either they adopted the customs of the Romans and became scattered into the mountains when the Bulgars came, thus becoming one tribe with the Vlachs, or they learnt Greek.”
The chief town of Thrace is labelled as Adrianopolis
[4] on the Evros River
[5], also Philippopolis is labelled as being an important town, as well as Heraclea on the coast of the Marmara Sea. The northern border of Thrace is said to be the Haemus, and again Staurakius describes the people as being mainly Greek, with a few Vlachs here and there. Quite a long passage deals with the original wars against the Bulgars, and Staurakius also notes that there is a distinct people living in the mountains:
“In the mountains called Rhodope, there dwells a secretive folk, who are not Thracians. They were settled here from the border regions of Armenia, as they were heretics called Paulikians. They now adopted Rhomaic language, but in secrecy continue to practise the God as their grandfathers did”.
Macedonia
“Macedonia is known to be the birthplace of Alexander the Great, Lord of Asia and the nemesis of Persians; many claim that is so because it lies beneath the shadow of the Olympus. Be it as it is, the metropolis of Macedonia is Thessaloniki, and Macedonia covers the entire valley of Axios, called also Vardarios by many, as well as the Thessalian plain” Much of the description speaks about Thessaloniki, and then of particular notice is taken Mount Athos. The population are said to be mainly Greeks, with considerable Vlach presence in the northwest, but the “
uppermost reaches of the Axios are populated by the Arnautes, a secretive Hillman people perhaps descended from the Illyrians of old”. Furthermore, Staurakios speaks of nomads, who were resettled to Upper Macedonia where they train to serve as light cavalry skirmishers, and are said to be
“Turks from a great multitude of tribes”.
Bithynia
“Opposite Constantinople is the land of Bithynia, which encompasses also Paphlagonia and Galatia”. The geographer then speaks of the great cities of Chalcedon and Nicaea, which held great ecumenical councils, but also about Ancyra. The population is said to be almost entirely Greek, although
“a small shepherd-folk persist in a few easternmost villages of Galatia, speaking a peculiar tongue”.
Asiana
“
At the west of Anatolia is the diocese of Asiana, with its great cities as Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamon, Sardes and ancient Troy; home to many river valleys”. Ephesus is identified as the former metropolis of the region, but now many have moved to Smyrna. Staurakios also speaks of the city of Miletus and its history during the Greco-Persian wars, as well as Apostle Paul´s ministry in the region. Pergamun is also mentioned as the place where the tradition of writing on o skins began. As general observation, he states that
“the towns in Asiana are larger and more numerous than in other lands of the empire”. Of recent history, he has mentioned some resettlements of Slavs into the regions of Mysia
[6].
Anatolikon
“Under the name Anatolikon we ought to understand the central and interior parts of the Anatolian Peninsula around the city of Iconium, what was called Lycaonia and Cappadocia in the days of old. The land is an arid plain, but has many lakes, which are however salty”. While majoritarily Greek, Staurakios noticed that the tongue spoken in the area different from Constantinople
“but when listening to the villagers, I hardly understand them, for their way of speaking is different from the learnt tongue of Constantinople, and occasionally they put in words that one cannot understand”. He is clearly pointing out to the fact that Cappadocian Greek has diverged significantly from Koiné, as this area was the last refuge of the Anatolian languages.
Also Staurakios mentions a peculiar language, of which sounded not like any other he ever heard, and has been identified as Isaurian. “
And they write it with Armenian letters to hide it from their neighbours, for they do not follow the True Church, but in the custom of the Armenians”[7].
Pontus
“The last diocese in Anatolia is that of Pontus, named after the Pontic[8] Sea it faces to its north”. The historical descriptions in this chapter speak of the founding of the colonies along the Pontic coast in the Antiquity, of the wars against Mithridates na dthen of the Lazic wars. The coastal regions are described as being lush with greenery. However, Staurakios also warns any traveller before entering Pontus “
but be careful to listen, for the people of Pontus speak in a different way and you may not understand what they say; that being if they speak Greek, for there are many great Armenians in the region of Sebastea and many Iberians called Lazes in the mountains” Apparently, he noticed and felt the language barrier in the area. Pontic Greek is thus a distinguishable language already by this time, and he encountered problems as the Armenians and Lazes did not speak proper Greek.
“
Pontus is home to many Armenians; and while many in other parts of Anatolia have adopted Rhomaic style and customs, and embraced the True Faith, those in Sebastea and other parts of Pontus are stubborn in their Armenian tongue and Monophysite heresy”, meaning that the area did keep its distinctive Armenian character, despite being under Rhomaic rule for quite some time.
Morea
“
The land of Morea, called Peloponnesus in ancient times and Achaea to the Latins” is described as having the shape of a hand with stretched fingers. Noted is the ancient history of the region, especially noted is the tale of the warrior-kingdom of Sparta. Further history speaks of the settlement of the area by Slavic tribes from the north; and ultimately says
“In some parts of Morea the people speak the tongue of the ancient Spartans, especially in parts of ancient Laconia and Kynouria”[9]. Attached to this area is also the region of Attica, Boiotia and surrounding regions; noted is the history of ancient Athens.
Epirus
“
The land of Epirus lies on the western coast of Rhomania, west of the Pindic Mountains which separate it from Macedonia”. Epirus in this time is mostly rural, with Nicopolis and Dyrrhacium being the major cities; Epirus proper is said to be mostly Greek, its highlands populated by Vlachs, while the highland regions in the north are said to be populated by Arnautian tribes “
whom we think are the remnant of Illyrians of old”
Dacia
“
The name Dacia refers to the lands around the Gorge of the Danube to its south; and from there westwards into the valley of the Margos[10] towards the city of Naissus , towards its estuary into the Danube. Rhoman Dacia ought not to be confused with the Dacia of Traian, which existed in the wild lands beyond the Danube, but rather can be equated with Upper Moesia. This is so, because when the barbarians ravaged Trajan´s Dacia, the people fled t the safe side of the Danube”. Virtually all of the people of Dacia are described to be Vlachs
“who speak the tongue of the Latins in the most peculiar way; and found refuge in the mountains´, when their cities were burnt by barbarians, and they are tough Hillman folk, from amongst whom perhaps the best soldiers of the Empire are recruited”.
Paristrion
The land of Paristrion lies on the lower Danube, in Greek the word literally means “by the Danube”. This region is largely synonymous with ancient Roman Lower Moesia, but more often than not it is described also as Karvuna.
In the historical chapter about this province, much is spoken of the Bulgarians, and it is stated, that
“finally this people was destroyed and scattered, and their remnants are called Karvunans and speak a Slavic tongue; then there are the Turks of many tribes whom our Emperors settled to guard the borders on the Istros, and then the Vlachs living at the foothills of the Haemus” Finally, there were also Greeks living at the ports near the Pontic coast, and many Jews living in the towns as well.
Here again, Staurakios speaks of Paulikianism and how it spread among the Karvunians “
These sturdy people have thus listened to this nonsense and embraced the Pavlikian heresy, and while their kingdom was crushed, their hatred for the empire was not.”
Taurica
“The peninsula of Taurica lies on the far side of the Pontic Sea, and on its southern shore, there were Greek towns since time immemorial; sometimes this land is called Perateia, as the far shore. Protected from cold winds and fierce tribes by the Tauric Alps, this land is good to grow wine, and were it not for the barbarous Turks in the neighbourhood, the land could be settled greatly by many peasants, for the crops grow well here”. It is thus hinted that this land could be a place of future expansion, but before, something ought to be done and pacify the neighbouring tribes.
“And the Greeks of Taurica speak the same way as in Pontus, and there are Goths in Theodoro, and Circassians and Armenians and Jews and Turks from a multitude of tribes”
Cilicia
Very little is said about Cilicia, mainly that it is the birthplace of Paul the Apostle and that it lies to the south of the Taurus
Cyprus
Not much is said about Cyprus, especially noted is its rural character.
Antioch
“The greatest city in the Orient is Antioch, founded by Antiochos the successor of Alexander in Syria; it was the place where Christians were first called Christians as such”. And then more is said that the city is Greek in character and see to the Patriarch, of whom the entire list is given.
Syria
“The hinterlands of Antioch are labelled as Syria, and include many cities of which most important are Damascus and Berroia, and then there are Emesa and Laodikia and many others”
The rivalry between Damascus and Berroia
[11] is well noted, and it is said that many speak Aramaic,
“which is believed to be the tongue of our Messiah”, but along the coast also many speak Greek.
“Those in Syria are called Antiochian Greeks, and have sided with Constantinople, while those far from the sea have held their grudges against us”. Also described are the conquests and reconquests of Syria and the kingdom of the Ghassanids.
Crete and Cyrenaica
“Cyrenaica remains the last foothold of Rhomaic power in the Lybian Continent, as Egypt proved to be far too unruly. It was combined with the southernmost island of Crete. The towns in Cyrenaaica are Greek, but the countryside saw many Lybes settle, and many adopted Greek customs, but many did not”
Etna Volcano
Sicily
“
The island of Sicily is the greatest in the Inner Sea, and is the most recent addition to the empire. Its major city is Syracuse, Greek in tongue since times immemorial”. Other cities of influence are Messina and Palermo; Sicily is noted for being the place of Punic wars, then he volcano of Etna is described in detail.
“On the eastern shore, people speak Greek, in the western parts, you hear villagers speaking a dialect of Latin”[12].
Also noted are the various smaller islands around Sicily, where Malta is said to speak a tongue “
similar to that of the Jews, perhaps that of Hannibal”
Calabria
Not much is said about Calabria other than details about the towns; only that almost everyone speaks Greek
Longobardia
“The eastern promontory of Italy is called Longobardia, for much of Italy was settled by Lombards. We should however not mistake this region around Tarent with Greater Lombardy around Mediolanum further north” Tarent is thus the chief city of this region, others mentioned are Brindisi, Otranto and Bari. It is also said that while many speak Greek, also Latin can be heard further north.
Salerno
“Salerno is also one of the most recent additions to the empire, found in southern Campania. The city was a Duchy ruled by Lombards as was neighbouring Benevento for a long time”. Described are the Dukes of Salerno and then the attempts to Hellenize the church, which resulted in the schism
Serbia
“The Diocese of Serbia is found in a mountainous region, to the north and west of Lake Skadar. The Serbs are a Slavic tribe, and used to have kings of their own; traditionally their lands are divided into coastal Zeta and mountainous Rascia”
Dalmatia
Dalmatia is the last Diocese mentioned by Staurakios. It includes:
“The coast of Dalmatia, still speaking Latin, but also the inland regions of Croatia and Bosna, which are Slavic”. The northern border of Dalmatia is described to be on the Sava River. In its history chapter, described are the kingdoms of the Croats, and most recently, that many “
Hillman adopted the Paulician heresy”
[1] This fictional 12th century geographer is known for writing
A Brief Description of the Oecumene, or a short geographic handbook describing the known world.
[2] The word „Latin“ in Rhomaic sources usually refers to Italians, and may be extended also to South Romance speakers and Dalmatians, as well as Occitans. Most likely, they were either Venetians or Genoans and Pisans
[3] Varangians refer to mercenaries, mainly from Scandinavia, Russia and the British Isles; i tis however possible that some Merya or Mordvins were among them as well.
[4] Edirne
[5] Marica
[6] Hudavedingar
[7] Luckily for them, Staurakios did not write that they are Paulicians, but assumed they are Armenian Apostolics.
[8] Black
[9] Referring mostly to Maniot peninsula and Tsakonia in the east
[10] Morava River in Serbia
[11] Aleppo
[12] Reference to the Sicilian language, belonging to the Southern Romance branch
