461:
566:) in the great estates, "are most responsible for the impression that the Apion household, that Oxyrhynchus with its other great landlords, that late antique Egypt as a whole was 'feudal' in the medieval sense of the term, and that the great houses of Egypt were resistant to and in conflict with the imperial government". This belief has been modified in recent times towards an image of toleration and tacit approval by the imperial government of the great houses' local power, and cooperation between the two sides. For instance, the great landholding families assumed the maintenance of the irrigation works, from which depended not only the provincial economy, but also Constantinople's grain supply.
482:, of local aristocratic families using the opportunities opened up by the expansion of the state bureaucracy in the 4th century to secure positions with the imperial civil service. This new "aristocracy of service" derived from this association both prestige and wealth, which allowed it to out-compete local rivals and establish an economic and political predominance in its home localities. This was chiefly expressed in their acquisition of large estates, in which they were helped by the monetization of the economy and the introduction of the gold
203:
447:
Another important member of the family, from a collateral branch of the family resident in the
Heracleopolite and Arsinoite nomes, was another Strategius (known as "pseudo-Strategius III" in some sources). He is first attested in 591, and, like his contemporary Apion III, was an honorary consul and
427:
Flavia
Praeiecta, either the daughter of Apion II or his daughter-in-law (she appears to have been married to a Strategius), and her two sons, George and Apion III. George is last attested in 590 and Praiecta in 591, after which Apion III remained the sole heir of the Oxyrhynchus estates. Apion III
499:
nomes, as attested by hundreds of papyri relating to their administration. In the
Oxyrhynchite nome alone, the Apiones are held to have 75,000 acres (30,000 ha), or about two fifths of the available arable land. Lack of data for the estates in the neighbouring nomes, as well as the fact that
269:, dying before December of 469. He is known to have had one daughter, Isis, who may have married the man thought to be the first member of the family, Apion I, who descended from another prominent line of local aristocracy, the Septimii Flaviani of neighbouring
539:, staying in Constantinople in close proximity to the imperial court, rather than Egypt. Accordingly, the dispersed Apion estates were governed by an extensive "private bureaucracy" which included its own postal service, modelled after the imperial
531:(1931), believed that after the middle of the 6th century, the Apiones returned from Constantinople to Egypt, abandoning their imperial affiliations in favour of local offices, and even re-converting to Monophysitism. This view was rejected by
504:, does not permit a similar estimate, but their property must have been similarly extensive. Like other great land-holdings of the time, the Apion estates were divided in two categories: land directly exploited by the Apion household (
452:, as well as pagarch in the Heracleopolite and Arsinoite nomes. He was involved in the reconciliation of the Syrian and Egyptian Monophysite Churches in 616, but both he and his family disappear after the Persian conquest.
460:
139:. Beginning as a local aristocracy, it rose to prominence in the 5th, 6th and early 7th centuries when several successive heads of the family occupied high imperial offices, including the
331:
Apion I had two sons, Herakleidas and
Strategius II. Herakleidas is an obscure figure; although possibly the elder of the two, he is known only to have served as city elder (
423:
Apion II died in 578 or 579, and his inheritance was controlled collectively for eight years by mostly unnamed heirs, after which there were three named heirs: the
388:, received the ordinary consulship in the year 539 just shortly after he came of age, marking the family's political apogee. At the time, he also held the title of
404:. Earlier works considered him as having been—possibly by proxy, with Apion himself remaining at Constantinople—a provincial governor in Egypt (serving as
548:
Papyri also make clear that the
Apiones exercised extensive authority locally, possessing both a private jailhouse and a private police force (
420:
in the
Arsinoite nome ca. 556), but according to more recent research, these posts were most likely held by other members of the Apion family.
1239:
1220:
1168:
1065:
1010:
985:
444:
in the same period. There is evidence that the Apion household existed under
Persian occupation until August 626, but not after this date.
1145:
1121:
1097:
1038:
478:), and rose to power and influence through imperial service. In this sense, the Apiones typify the phenomenon, attested across the
1029:
317:
1187:
535:
in 1985, and is no longer held. Instead, the
Apiones, or at least the heads of the family, are shown to have been mostly
1002:
1057:
441:
275:
160:
144:
1275:
1280:
1083:
259:
156:
1135:
309:
218:
1270:
1111:
501:
1087:
977:
175:
972:
270:
214:
154:, a series of manuscripts dating from 32 BC to 640 AD. Members of the family held the positions of
136:
1131:
1107:
1075:
536:
489:
347:
242:
166:
151:
1054:
The
Cambridge Ancient History, Volume XIV - Late Antiquity: Empire and Successors, A.D. 425–600
312:. Subsequently, he was exiled and forcibly ordained as a priest in 510, only to be recalled by
213:
The origin of the Apion family is uncertain. There is no evidence that
Aurelius Apion, who was
1235:
1216:
1164:
1141:
1117:
1093:
1061:
1049:
1034:
1024:
1020:
1006:
981:
967:
440:
by 604/5, Apion III died in late 619 or early January 620, a fact possibly connected with the
433:
191:
1156:
1199:
468:
464:
401:
385:
353:
171:
79:
43:
541:
305:
265:
373:
in 535–538. Among his duties in the latter post was overseeing the reconstruction of the
1079:
963:
545:, with both an "express" courier service and a slower post, both by land and by river.
484:
479:
301:
280:
187:
178:, the family dominated the political scene in Byzantine Egypt, holding vast swathes of
92:
22:
1213:
L'archivio degli Apioni: terra, lavoro, e proprieta' senatoria nell'Egitto tardoantico
1264:
325:
183:
998:
Wine, Wealth, and the State in Late Antique Egypt: The House of Apion at Oxyrhynchus
202:
496:
374:
321:
287:
254:
241:). However, Strategius I, the family's earliest known ancestor, is referenced in a
179:
140:
124:
121:
1255:
996:
532:
366:
358:
238:
207:
128:
117:
69:
558:) origin. As James G. Keenan writes, these facts, along with the existence of
550:
378:
492:, to which they, as salaried officials, had better access than their rivals.
286:
From a local position in Oxyrhynchus in 492, Apion I rose to become honorary
1203:
495:
The Apiones in particular came to hold very extensive properties in several
339:
at the time of his father's disgrace in 510. Strategius II is attested as a
296:
114:
474:
The Apion family originally belonged to the local municipal aristocracy (
341:
313:
300:
by 503. He was responsible for provisioning the Byzantine forces in the
237:, belonged to the family, despite bearing its names (Strategius being a
559:
417:
409:
234:
229:
429:
336:
132:
357:
by 518. He served as augustalian prefect sometime before 523. Under
320:. Sometime between 525 and 532, he was converted with his family to
1137:
The Prosopography of the Later Roman Empire: Volume III, AD 527–641
1052:. In Cameron, Averil; Ward-Perkins, Bryan; Whitby, Michael (eds.).
186:. Despite their influence in Egypt, the family largely remained in
1113:
The Prosopography of the Later Roman Empire: Volume II, AD 395–527
1033:. Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press. pp. 130–131.
555:
223:
201:
106:
1089:
The Prosopography of the Later Roman Empire: Volume I, AD 260–395
432:, and had at least one son, Strategius IV. From letters of Pope
1188:"Apion et Praejecta: hypothèses anciennes et nouvelles données"
428:
married Eusebia, a scion of the Roman senatorial family of the
406:
249:) in the 430s, eventually rising to head administrator of the
942:
940:
436:, the family lived at Constantinople. An honorary consul and
245:. He served as an administrator in the imperial estates (the
100:
594:
592:
590:
21:
This article is about the Roman family. For the weevil, see
384:
Strategius II was married to a certain Leontia. Their son,
705:
703:
174:) obtaining the role of consul. After the collapse of the
891:
889:
828:
826:
400:, which placed him among the senior-most members of the
18:
5th/7th century clan of landholders in Byzantine Egypt
622:
610:
150:
The history of the Apion family is chronicled in the
75:
65:
57:
49:
39:
30:
365:, was sent as an envoy to the Persians during the
1157:"Social Relations and the Land: The Early Period"
527:Earlier studies, based on Edward Rochie Hardy's
335:) at Heracleopolis, and to have been ordained a
33:
8:
257:. Strategius later advanced to the title of
1232:Economy and Society in the Age of Justinian
392:like his father. In later life he became a
273:. His father, Flavianus, had served as the
856:
844:
769:
733:
670:
1140:. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
1116:. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
1092:. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
459:
351:in 497 and honorary consul and honorary
598:
574:
113:) was a wealthy clan of landholders in
946:
931:
919:
907:
895:
880:
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832:
817:
805:
793:
781:
757:
745:
721:
709:
694:
682:
658:
634:
581:
308:, but fell out of favour with Emperor
27:
646:
7:
1163:. Wiley-Blackwell. pp. 92–111.
529:The Large Estates of Byzantine Egypt
221:before 328, and Flavius Strategius,
182:property through the acquisition of
623:Martindale, Jones & Morris 1971
611:Martindale, Jones & Morris 1971
1030:The Oxford Dictionary of Byzantium
14:
512:) leased to farmers of villages (
243:series of papyri from Oxyrhynchus
1215:(in Italian). Bari: Edipuglia.
377:, after its destruction in the
170:, with Apion II (also known as
1234:. Cambridge University Press.
318:praetorian prefect of the East
1:
1161:A Social History of Byzantium
413:
1256:Peter Sarris on Google Books
1003:University of Michigan Press
1192:Revue des études byzantines
524:) belonging to the estate.
253:in the entire Oxyrhynchite
1297:
1058:Cambridge University Press
554:), often of foreign (e.g.
442:Sassanid conquest of Egypt
371:comes sacrarum largitionum
276:comes sacrarum largitionum
161:comes sacrarum largitionum
147:, the family disappeared.
145:Sasanian conquest of Egypt
101:
20:
1186:Beaucamp, Joëlle (2001).
1159:. In Haldon, John (ed.).
1048:Keenan, James G. (2000).
96:
500:their holdings were not
456:Social position in Egypt
381:. He died in early 542.
1211:Mazza, Roberta (2001).
1204:10.3406/rebyz.2001.2241
973:The Coptic Encyclopedia
260:comes sacri consistorii
157:comes sacri consistorii
1230:Sarris, Peter (2006).
1155:Sarris, Peter (2009).
471:
210:
995:Hickey, Todd (2012).
859:, pp. 1203–1204.
736:, pp. 1034–1036.
463:
205:
1060:. pp. 612–637.
1023:(1991). "Apion". In
978:Macmillan Publishers
949:, pp. 631, 633.
324:orthodoxy, abjuring
176:Western Roman Empire
120:, especially in the
1132:Martindale, John R.
1108:Martindale, John R.
1076:Martindale, John R.
934:, pp. 629–630.
922:, pp. 100–104.
808:, pp. 627–628.
748:, pp. 626–627.
673:, pp. 110–112.
625:, pp. 858–859.
601:, pp. 130–131.
564:coloni adscripticii
508:), and allotments (
271:Heracleopolis Magna
215:augustalian prefect
137:Heracleopolis Magna
1025:Kazhdan, Alexander
1021:Kazhdan, Alexander
968:Atiya, Aziz Suryal
760:, pp. 14, 16.
537:absentee landlords
472:
390:comes domesticorum
348:comes domesticorum
304:(502–506) against
294:) by 497 and then
211:
192:absentee landlords
167:comes domesticorum
152:Oxyrhynchus Papyri
1241:978-0-521-86543-2
1222:978-88-7228-332-5
1170:978-1-4443-0591-3
1067:978-0-521-32591-2
1012:978-0-472-11812-0
987:978-0-02-897036-3
847:, pp. 98–99.
820:, pp. 17–18.
796:, pp. 16–17.
772:, pp. 96–98.
724:, pp. 12–14.
712:, pp. 10–14.
434:Gregory the Great
85:
84:
76:Connected members
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480:late Roman world
469:Strategius Apion
465:Consular diptych
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402:Byzantine Senate
369:, and served as
354:magister militum
316:in 518 and made
263:and the rank of
172:Strategius Apion
104:
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80:Strategius Apion
44:Byzantine Empire
28:
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1276:Byzantine Egypt
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1198:(59): 165–178.
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1182:
1180:Further reading
1177:
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1124:
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1086:, eds. (1971).
1080:Jones, A. H. M.
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976:. Vol. 1.
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734:Martindale 1980
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671:Martindale 1980
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665:
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641:
637:, pp. 8–9.
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588:
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542:cursus publicus
497:Middle Egyptian
458:
306:Sasanian Persia
266:vir spectabilis
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180:Middle Egyptian
122:Middle Egyptian
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361:, he became a
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599:Kazhdan 1991
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494:
488:as the main
483:
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416:548–550 and
405:
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375:Hagia Sophia
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346:
345:in 489, was
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332:
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322:Chalcedonian
310:Anastasius I
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251:domus divina
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247:domus divina
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149:
143:. After the
110:
89:Apion family
88:
86:
15:
947:Keenan 2000
932:Keenan 2000
920:Sarris 2009
908:Sarris 2009
896:Keenan 2000
881:Sarris 2009
869:Hickey 2012
833:Keenan 2000
818:Hickey 2012
806:Keenan 2000
794:Hickey 2012
782:Keenan 2000
758:Hickey 2012
746:Keenan 2000
722:Hickey 2012
710:Hickey 2012
695:Hickey 2012
683:Keenan 2000
659:Hickey 2012
635:Hickey 2012
582:Hickey 2012
533:Jean Gascou
367:Iberian War
359:Justinian I
333:principalis
292:apo hypaton
239:maiden name
208:Roman Egypt
129:Oxyrhynchus
70:Oxyrhynchus
1265:Categories
647:Frend 1991
570:References
551:bucellarii
502:contiguous
379:Nika riots
141:consulship
99:, plural:
58:Final head
506:autourgia
450:patrikios
438:patrikios
425:hypatissa
410:Thebaidos
394:patrikios
363:patrikios
297:patrikios
115:Byzantine
966:(1991).
490:currency
476:curiales
386:Apion II
342:curialis
314:Justin I
1050:"Egypt"
1027:(ed.).
970:(ed.).
956:Sources
518:epoikia
510:ktemata
485:solidus
418:pagarch
235:Thebais
230:praeses
206:Map of
198:History
133:Arsinoe
111:Apiones
102:Ἀπίωνες
53:Apion I
50:Founder
40:Country
1238:
1219:
1167:
1144:
1120:
1096:
1064:
1037:
1009:
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556:Gothic
514:choria
430:Anicii
337:deacon
288:consul
164:, and
560:serfs
522:komai
520:, or
224:comes
219:Egypt
125:nomes
118:Egypt
107:Latin
97:Ἀπίων
93:Greek
34:Ἀπίων
31:Apion
1236:ISBN
1217:ISBN
1165:ISBN
1142:ISBN
1118:ISBN
1094:ISBN
1062:ISBN
1035:ISBN
1007:ISBN
982:ISBN
396:and
255:nome
227:and
135:and
87:The
1200:doi
467:of
407:dux
283:.
279:in
233:of
217:of
190:as
127:of
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414:c.
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