more than two centuries earlier than the times when the Byzantine official lived and
worked. We were prompted to ask ourselves whether there might be a connection
between the Bergean, from the journal, and the Ba ˘ra ˘gan, the large plains on the left
of the Danube, still bearing this name, as both of them seemed to attach to a
common, or related etymon. Thus, all of a sudden, the situation turned more
complicated and more interesting.
The much-regretted Greek historian and classical philologist N. A. Oikonomides
from Athens wrote a study on the history of the territory of the Lower Danube, at
the beginning of the Middle Ages, to which we had previously paid too little
attention, yet which guided us onto a more promising path. In this article, the
author relates of his chance of coming across a taktikon, that is a list of high
Byzantine officials from the last quarter of the tenth century, which he dated to
the years 975–979 (1965: 57, 73–74).
15 This taktikon contains vital information
about the Byzantine provinces, at a time when the empire was at its peak, after the
crushing victory over the Bulgarians, and when its north-eastern border reached the
mouths of the Danube once more. It was the period when the empire was organized
in themata, led by a duke (katepano) and a military strategos.
For the history of the province between the Danube and the Black Sea, and for
the problem we had proposed to solve, the taktikon is extremely important, because
it provides us with the names of seven dukes from the themata close to the imperial
borders, of eleven strategoi from the older, central themata, and the names of other
70 strategoi of larger territories, or settlements. A duke and a katepano of Mesopotamia (duce and katepano being synonyms!) are mentioned among others.
According to N. A. Oikonomides, the presence, on the list, of a strategos from
the Mesopotamia of the West ( o στρατηγίς μεσoπoταμία της δύσεως) seemed to
indicate that there were, in fact, two Mesopotamias: the Sumerian one, in the
Middle East, and another one, somewhere in the west, which he attempted to locate
(57 ff.). The author is convinced that the Mesopotamia of the West was a different
kind of thema, since the former was said to be ruled by a duke, while for the latter,
only its Greek equivalent was given. The Greek historian localizes the strategos in
the Mesopotamia of the West, an entirely convincing detail, in our view (57).
For the author, the western frontier of the thema is clear: it is the Danube, the
sacred river, springing from heaven, like the Tigris and the Euphrates of ancient
Mesopotamia. On the other hand, the eastern frontier needed to be located more
precisely, since the Scorialensis, the taktikon, “the only Byzantine sources of its
kind” (58) offered him no help. Fortunately, he did find some precious information
in De Administrando Imperio, the book of Emperor Constantine Constantin VII
Porphyrogennetos. It signals the presence, north of the Black Sea, of the Hungarian
migrators, who, in alliance with Byzantium attempted to defeat King Simeon of
15 This catalog of the eleventh century contains extremely important documents regarding the
Romanians. It was discovered in the library of the Escorial, the former capital of the Spanish kings.
This one, together with other documents from the ninth – eleventh centuries has inspired reversal
works, which have already been publishes. See notes 1, 2 on p. 57 and notes 3, 4, 5 on page p. 58.
2 Dobrudja, in the Mesopotamia of the West
35
worked. We were prompted to ask ourselves whether there might be a connection
between the Bergean, from the journal, and the Ba ˘ra ˘gan, the large plains on the left
of the Danube, still bearing this name, as both of them seemed to attach to a
common, or related etymon. Thus, all of a sudden, the situation turned more
complicated and more interesting.
The much-regretted Greek historian and classical philologist N. A. Oikonomides
from Athens wrote a study on the history of the territory of the Lower Danube, at
the beginning of the Middle Ages, to which we had previously paid too little
attention, yet which guided us onto a more promising path. In this article, the
author relates of his chance of coming across a taktikon, that is a list of high
Byzantine officials from the last quarter of the tenth century, which he dated to
the years 975–979 (1965: 57, 73–74).
15 This taktikon contains vital information
about the Byzantine provinces, at a time when the empire was at its peak, after the
crushing victory over the Bulgarians, and when its north-eastern border reached the
mouths of the Danube once more. It was the period when the empire was organized
in themata, led by a duke (katepano) and a military strategos.
For the history of the province between the Danube and the Black Sea, and for
the problem we had proposed to solve, the taktikon is extremely important, because
it provides us with the names of seven dukes from the themata close to the imperial
borders, of eleven strategoi from the older, central themata, and the names of other
70 strategoi of larger territories, or settlements. A duke and a katepano of Mesopotamia (duce and katepano being synonyms!) are mentioned among others.
According to N. A. Oikonomides, the presence, on the list, of a strategos from
the Mesopotamia of the West ( o στρατηγίς μεσoπoταμία της δύσεως) seemed to
indicate that there were, in fact, two Mesopotamias: the Sumerian one, in the
Middle East, and another one, somewhere in the west, which he attempted to locate
(57 ff.). The author is convinced that the Mesopotamia of the West was a different
kind of thema, since the former was said to be ruled by a duke, while for the latter,
only its Greek equivalent was given. The Greek historian localizes the strategos in
the Mesopotamia of the West, an entirely convincing detail, in our view (57).
For the author, the western frontier of the thema is clear: it is the Danube, the
sacred river, springing from heaven, like the Tigris and the Euphrates of ancient
Mesopotamia. On the other hand, the eastern frontier needed to be located more
precisely, since the Scorialensis, the taktikon, “the only Byzantine sources of its
kind” (58) offered him no help. Fortunately, he did find some precious information
in De Administrando Imperio, the book of Emperor Constantine Constantin VII
Porphyrogennetos. It signals the presence, north of the Black Sea, of the Hungarian
migrators, who, in alliance with Byzantium attempted to defeat King Simeon of
15 This catalog of the eleventh century contains extremely important documents regarding the
Romanians. It was discovered in the library of the Escorial, the former capital of the Spanish kings.
This one, together with other documents from the ninth – eleventh centuries has inspired reversal
works, which have already been publishes. See notes 1, 2 on p. 57 and notes 3, 4, 5 on page p. 58.
2 Dobrudja, in the Mesopotamia of the West
35