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Justinian's Provincial Reforms of the AD 530S University of Kentucky UKnowledge Theses and Dissertations--History History 2015 The Struggle Between the Center and the Periphery: Justinian's Provincial Reforms of the A.D. 530s Mark-Anthony Karantabias University of Kentucky, [email protected] Right click to open a feedback form in a new tab to let us know how this document benefits ou.y Recommended Citation Karantabias, Mark-Anthony, "The Struggle Between the Center and the Periphery: Justinian's Provincial Reforms of the A.D. 530s" (2015). Theses and Dissertations--History. 31. https://uknowledge.uky.edu/history_etds/31 This Doctoral Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the History at UKnowledge. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses and Dissertations--History by an authorized administrator of UKnowledge. For more information, please contact [email protected]. STUDENT AGREEMENT: I represent that my thesis or dissertation and abstract are my original work. Proper attribution has been given to all outside sources. I understand that I am solely responsible for obtaining any needed copyright permissions. I have obtained needed written permission statement(s) from the owner(s) of each third-party copyrighted matter to be included in my work, allowing electronic distribution (if such use is not permitted by the fair use doctrine) which will be submitted to UKnowledge as Additional File. I hereby grant to The University of Kentucky and its agents the irrevocable, non-exclusive, and royalty-free license to archive and make accessible my work in whole or in part in all forms of media, now or hereafter known. I agree that the document mentioned above may be made available immediately for worldwide access unless an embargo applies. I retain all other ownership rights to the copyright of my work. I also retain the right to use in future works (such as articles or books) all or part of my work. I understand that I am free to register the copyright to my work. REVIEW, APPROVAL AND ACCEPTANCE The document mentioned above has been reviewed and accepted by the student’s advisor, on behalf of the advisory committee, and by the Director of Graduate Studies (DGS), on behalf of the program; we verify that this is the final, approved version of the student’s thesis including all changes required by the advisory committee. The undersigned agree to abide by the statements above. Mark-Anthony Karantabias, Student Dr. David M. Olster, Major Professor Dr. Scott Taylor, Director of Graduate Studies THE STRUGGLE BETWEEN THE CENTER AND THE PERIPHERY: JUSTINIAN'S PROVINCIAL REFORMS OF THE A.D. 530S DISSERTATION A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Kentucky By Mark-Anthony Karantabias Lexington, Kentucky Director: Dr. David M. Olster, Professor of History Lexington, Kentucky 2015 Copyright © Mark-Anthony Karantabias 2015 ABSTRACT OF DISSERTATION THE STRUGGLE BETWEEN THE CENTER AND THE PERIPHERY: JUSTINIAN'S PROVINCIAL REFORMS OF THE A.D. 530S This dissertation analyzes the struggle between the imperial court and the periphery in the context of Justinian’s reforms in the early A.D. 530s. The reforms targeting select Roman provinces sought to reduce the size of the imperial bureaucracy while simultaneously attempting to maintain imperial vertical authority. The reforms epitomize the imperial court’s struggle to rein in the imperial bureaucracy in the provinces of the Roman Empire. The analysis is framed within the cultural, social, political and economic evolution occurring in Late Antiquity. It shall be proposed that the reforms are one example of the imperial court’s attempt to limit the distance between itself and its provincial resources, particularly with regard to fiscality. The reforms also embody the political dynamics between the emperor and his bureaucracy, which is composed of the Roman elite. Roughly two centuries earlier, the Tetrarchic reforms fundamentally changed the relationship between both parties. Specifically, the upper stratum of the aristocracy saw the balance of power tilt in its favor substantially. Keywords: Justinian, Roman, Late Antiquity, Tetrarchs, Theodora, Antiquity Mark-Anthony Karantabias Student’s Signature 18 December, 2015______ Date THE STRUGGLE BETWEEN THE CENTER AND THE PERIPHERY: JUSTINIAN'S PROVINCIAL REFORMS OF THE A.D. 530S By Mark-Anthony Karantabias Dr. David M. Olster_______ Co-Director of Dissertation Dr. David Hunter_________ Thesis Committee Member Dr. Scott Taylor__________ Director of Graduate Studies TO MY WIFE AND FAMILY TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................ 1 CHAPTER II: THE TRANSFORMATION OF ROMAN SOCIAL, POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC STRUCTURES ........................................................................................... 11 THE TETRARCHIC REFORMS ................................................................................. 15 A FLIGHT OF CURIALES? ........................................................................................ 24 THE RESTRUCTURING OF ROMAN SOCIETY ..................................................... 28 UNFETTERED SOCIAL MOBILITY, ITS CONSEQUENCES AND THE IMPERIAL RESPONSE ............................................................................................... 41 THE INSTITUTIONAL SOLUTIONS ........................................................................ 52 CHAPTER III: THE EVOLUTION OF THE ROMAN ELITE AFTER THE TETRARCHIC REFORMS .............................................................................................. 66 THE EVOLUTION OF CAPITAL: SOCIAL CAPITAL ............................................ 72 THE EVOLUTION OF CAPITAL: CULTURAL CAPITAL ..................................... 80 THE EVOLUTION OF CAPITAL: SYMBOLIC CAPITAL ...................................... 91 CHAPTER IV: THE ROMAN EMPIRE ON THE EVE OF JUSTINIAN’S REFORMS ......................................................................................................................................... 111 A SURVEY OF THE ROMAN GOVERNMENT’S MACHINERY ........................ 125 EVALUATING THE BUREAUCRACY’S PERFORMANCE: ............................... 137 I) THE JUDICIAL SYSTEM ..................................................................................... 137 II) THE GOVERNORSHIP ........................................................................................ 143 CHAPTER V: JUSTINIAN’S PROVINCIAL REFORMS ........................................... 169 I) RHETORIC IN IMPERIAL LEGISLATION ......................................................... 171 II) THE PROVINCIAL REFORMS OF THE A.D. 530s ........................................... 208 CHAPTER VI: CONCLUSION ..................................................................................... 230 LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ......................................................................................... 240 BIBLIOGRAPHY ........................................................................................................... 241 iii CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION The reign of Justinian is one of the most studied periods in Late Antiquity. This is the case for many reasons. The sources are rather plentiful for the period and that cannot be said of the reign of Anastasius, for example. Within thirty-eight years many developments could be noted. However, many of these developments did not take root in the sixth century, even less during Justinian’s reign. As E.H. Carr effectively contended, the individual can only be a factor and not a primary causative force in the course of history.1 I do believe that this is an appropriate statement with which this analysis should begin. Justinian can only be understood as one piece in a complex jigsaw collection. In the A.D. 530s, Justinian’s administration sought to reform select provinces drastically, roughly in and around Asia Minor. Why these reforms were enacted serves as the founding question of this inquiry. Asking that very question implies a multitude of facets, which are bound to one another. The Roman capacity to administer an empire effectively is one of the most eminent and fiscality is surely one of the most important factors involved therein. However, the question implies much more than that. The evolution of Roman social, economic and cultural dynamics are embedded in this discussion. This includes changes to the fabric of Roman high society, the view of effective governance, the emperor and his power, and political rhetoric. The composition of the Roman elite underwent substantial change in Late Antiquity and the catalyst of this evolution occurred under the Tetrarchs. In that same period, the nature of governance changed significantly, altering the relationships between the summit of Roman society, 1 E.H. Carr, What is History? (Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1987). 1 the emperor, and his government. With respect to the reforms themselves, the discussion cannot negate the importance of the rhetoric involved. The legal discourse therein is a testament to the relationships between the emperor and his court, and his bureaucracy. With that, it is important to visit the scholarly views of the emperor in question. In many cases, Justinian is regarded as a ruthless dictator, an absolute monarch and an autocrat. These views are in part truthful, but in large part inaccurate. The image of the emperor profoundly changed over the course of Roman history. At the inception
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