With this work, we end a small cycle dedicated to the palace units of the Byzantine army in the 6th century. It will be about scholaries and candidates.
Miniature. Iliad. 493-506 biennium Library-Pinakothek Ambrosian. Milan. Italy
Scholarii (σχολάριοι) - warriors from schola, a unit originally intended to guard the emperor, the imperial palace and to carry the guard in the city. Schols were created in the 4th century. The privileged part of them received the names of candidates. It was separated from the schol in the 6th century. Quite a lot has been written about the schols, this palace guard existed for several hundred years, but if in the 6th century. there is a slight drop in the importance of these combat units and their transformation into palace guards, beautifully and powerfully armed, then in the subsequent period one can observe the resuscitation of these regiments.
Initially (in the 5th century) there were eleven palace scholas, numbered, the catalog composition (staff) consisted of 3500 scholaries, thus, the schola had, in the average, 300 - 320 staff units, and the schola corresponded to the army tagma, arithma or gang VI century Procopius of Caesarea confirmed this identity by calling them tagmas in the army manner. His contemporary poet Koripp called them cohorts (500 warriors), but perhaps this was only an artistic comparison. At the beginning of the VI century. the schola, in contrast to the catalog units of the army, were or should have been parts of constant combat readiness: if catalog soldiers were recruited from their units into expeditionary units, then the schola acted in full force as a single unit. But gradually this principle was canceled, perhaps with the aim of "saving" on army expenses, naturally, to the detriment of the army's combat capability, and perhaps because of the situation when the scholaries themselves were not eager to go to war. In 578. Mauritius, as we wrote about, recruited soldiers for the expedition among the palace guards.
Silver dish. Kerch. V century Hermitage Museum. St. Petersburg. Russia
This corps was subordinate to the Magister officiorum, initially he was the commander of the cavalry under the emperor, in the VI century. supervised foreign policy, arms workshops, post office, guarding the emperor's palace, city and arsenal, in modern terms, was the first minister of state. The master formally supervised the offices: civil and military schols. The commander of a separate schola was the tribune or primicerius. The detachments were located both in the capital and in the cities of Asia Minor, in Chalcedon and were divided into "old" and "young". In the V century. in their ranks were enrolled soldiers who had served active service, they were paid more than the catalog soldiers, but the emperor Zeno, an Isaurian by birth, included among them numerous of his fellow tribesmen who were unfamiliar with military affairs. Later, under Justin I, his nephew and future emperor, Justinian brought in two thousand "over-standard" guards, selling positions for money. Thus, any wealthy person who has nothing to do with military affairs could get into these units. Procopius of Caesarea wrote that under the pretext of sending them to the theater of hostilities, the emperor extorted money from the credited.
It is noteworthy that in Rome the Western schols were disbanded by Theodoric, but with the preservation of pensions for the soldiers and their descendants.
Agathius of Mirinei described these soldiers. In 559, when the Huns threatened Constantinople, the scholarii were led out to guard the city:
“Such terrible and great dangers seemed undeniable that on the walls, in Sikka and the so-called Golden Gates, suckers, taxiarchs and many warriors were really placed to bravely repel enemies if they attacked. In fact, however, they were incapable of combat and were not even sufficiently trained in military affairs, but were from those military units that were assigned to keep guard day and night, which are called scholarii. They were called warriors and were recorded in the military lists, but for the most part they were townspeople, brilliantly dressed, but selected only to increase the dignity and splendor of the emperor when he spoke in public … the kind that guarded them."
Nevertheless, Theophanes the Byzantine reported that the schols fought with the Avars and many died.
The situation changes towards the end of the century, when the need for constant combat readiness units arises more and more and the schols lose their decorative patina.
Candidates (сandidati) - "white" guard, sixth schola and officer reserve. This detachment consisted of 400-500 soldiers. It was created as part of the schol by Constantine the Great in the 4th century. The candidates were almost constant participants in the ceremonies for the enthronement of emperors in the 5th - early 6th centuries. The candidates in the "table of ranks" were in fifth place, and their barracks was located on the territory of the Grand Palace, next to the Hulk Palace, opposite Augustaion, next to the tricliniums of the scholarii and exubitors. Naturally, as an "officer's reserve" they were entrusted with the most important functions. Candidate Asbad, for example, was entrusted in 550 with command of a detachment of regular cavalry from the Thracian fortress Tzurule or Tsurula.
Clothing. The appearance of the scholarii is understandable, known and can be traced back for several centuries: it is found in images from the beginning of the 5th century, such as on a platter from Kerch and Madrid, on the column of Marcian (450-457) or on the base of the column of Theodosius. Researchers argue whether there are exubitors or scholarii depicted there. All these images were made before the formal emergence or restoration of the unit of exubitors (468), which means that they are scholarii and there is no need to identify the soldiers depicted in Ravenna not with scholarii.
Silver dish. V century National Library. Madrid. Spain
Everywhere, where in the VI century. we see the emperor with soldiers, we can assume that these soldiers are scholarii.
As we know, the ceremonial combat equipment of the scholaria and the candidates consisted of spears and shields, the exubitors also had swords, and the protectors were axes.
The garments of the palace guards date back to the scarlet Roman army tunics, such as that of the guard from the miniatures of the Syrian Bible of the 6th-7th centuries, but we see the scholarii from the mosaics of Ravenna in multi-colored tunics.
Tunic. Egypt. III-VIII centuries Inv. 90.905.53 Metro. New York. USA. Photo by the author
As for the candidates, their chitons and mantles were exclusively white. White tunics and cloaks personified Christian purity. White was very popular, and combining it with shades of purple was the trend of this period. No wonder the guardsmen from the mosaics are dressed and outwardly look like the angels depicted next to them. Archangel Michael of Saint Apollinare in Class VI, as the highest official, wears a white tunic. In 559, Emperor Justinian I, at the ceremonial exit, was accompanied by protectors and scholaries, possibly candidates, since they were in white cloaks. The candidates of Justin II were dressed in the same way, and the guardsman from the retinue of Vasilisa Theodora, depicted in the mosaic of San Vitale, is dressed in a white robe.
A tunic or chiton during this period is a T-shaped single-woven or composite shirt, underneath it was worn underwear: a line or kamision (linea, kamision). It was made of wool, cotton, less often silk. This "dress" was the main type of men's clothing: depending on the width and length, tunics had different names:
• Laticlavia - with vertical stripes (angels from San Apollinare Nova from Ravenna).
• Dalmatika - tight clothes with long sleeves;
• Colovius - tight clothes with short sleeves (Abraham sacrificing his son from San Vitale in Ravenna, plate "Ajax and Odyssey Dispute" from the Hermitage);
• Divitis - narrow dress with wide sleeves (priests next to Emperor Justinian and Bishop Maximinus of San Vitale in Ravenna).
Over the tunic, the guards wore a chlamyd or lacerna, this is a cloak or mantle, in the form of a piece of oblong fabric, often to the heels, fastened with a clasp on the right, so that the chest and left part of the body are completely covered with the cloak, and only the right hand and forearm remain open …
Military insignia. Orbicules and tablions. The military tunics were the same as those of the civilians, but they had military insignia, about which we do not know much. Military belts and cloak clasps also distinguished the military from the civilian.
Fragment of the orbicula. Egypt. V-VII centuries. Inv. 89.18.124. Metro. New York. USA. Photo by the author
Orbits were sewn on the shoulders of shirts. This is a large chevron indicating military rank. Cloaks were sewn with fabric squares of different colors, with embroidery, including gold threads. This square patch is called a tabula or tablion.
A number of such stripes have come down to us, which can be identified with military ranks. The most common, of course, is the imperial "chevron" on the shoulder of the emperors Justinian II of San Vitale, Constantine IV and Archangel Michael of San Apollinare in Class, who is dressed as a basileus. We also have the distinctive mark of the Master of Offices (the first minister, and earlier the chief of all cavalry), the stratilate (master of the millitum) from San Vitale and, similarly, from San Apollinare in Class. Perhaps the stratilate of the regional army, but the orbicul on the shoulder of Pontius Pilate of Ravenna can be defined as a distinctive sign of a comitus or ducum for the 6th century.
Christ and Pontius Pilate. Mosaic. Basilica of Saint Apollinare Nuova. VI century Ravenna. Italy. Photo by the author
Belt. In Byzantium, as in Rome, the wearing of belts (cingulum militiae) was strictly regulated. The belt (cingulum, ζώνη) was a distinctive sign for everyone who carried out public service: from a soldier to the highest ranks. The Codex of Theodosius and Justinian regulated the rules for wearing belts, their color and decoration. The praetorian prefect had a belt of double red leather, richly ornamented and with a gold buckle. The Komits had gilded leather belts. The same was given to foreign ambassadors. In the mosaics we see that the scholarii wore golden belts.
The loss of a belt or sash meant the loss of power or rank: so Akaki Archelaus arrives at the troops besieging the Sassanian Nisibis in 573, as John of Ephesus writes about, and deprives the commander in charge of the siege, Patrician Markivian of the belt, with the use of violence, i.e. carries out a symbolic rite of deprivation of power.
Brooches and insignia. Among the insignia, fibule or cornucopion played an important role both as a utilitarian item and as a sign of military distinction. The most expensive clasps can be seen on the mosaics of Ravenna: in the cathedrals of Saint Vitale and Saint Apollinare by Justinian I and at Saint Apollinard in Class by the Archangel Michael, as well as by Christ the warrior from the Archbishop's Chapel: “A gold buckle is attached to this chlamydis, in the middle of which embedded in a precious stone; from here hung three stones - hyacinth (blood-red zircon), attached to flexible gold chains. Such a fibula could only be worn by an emperor, who even had a fibula. All the guards walked around with gold and silver fibulae of various types. Several of these golden brooches have come down to us. In the army, they wore various brooches, which are simpler, which we will talk about later.
Decoration. Byzantium. IV-VI centuries Museum Island. Berlin. Germany. Photo by the author
Another important mark of distinction from Roman times, which at the same time was also a decoration, was the torque. Torquest was originally made of twisted gold (from Latin torquere - to twist), often with a bulla with an enamel insert, Vegetius wrote about it in the 5th century. [Veg., II.7]. It was an adornment similar to a hryvnia, indicating the status of the person wearing it. In the Palatine regiments, officers had torquests, and "privates" wore gold chains. The ordinary candidate had a triple chain, in contrast to the campiductors or standard-bearers of the army, who had only one chain. On the mosaic from the Church of San Vitale or by the guards of the Pharaoh of the Vienna Codex, on the bull of the torquest, you can see the image of a bird: a crow or an eagle? The image of birds was often found during this period, as a unifying principle for the Roman and barbarian military attributes. Perhaps, each of the participants saw what he wanted to see in this bird: the Romans - an eagle, as a symbol of Roman military glory, once the eagle of Jupiter, and the Germans - Wotan's crow.
Military symbols. The court regiments guarded and carried out on solemn occasions state and army symbols, which were kept in the palace, in their barracks: labarums, crosses, banners, banners, icons, dragons, etc. In the Roman army, banners were the most important cult and sacred objects.
The Christian apologist Tertullian certainly condemned this army pagan custom, nevertheless, the cult of army signs and banners continued in the Christian empire. Speaking about the general imperial military and state regalia, first of all we should talk about labarum and crosses. The cross, like the labarum, became a military symbol in 312, when the emperor Constantine made it the sign of his legions: “Then Constantine, who hastily built a golden cross,” wrote Theophanes the Confessor, “which still exists (IX century - V. E.), ordered to wear it before the army in battle. The cross was worn during solemn ceremonies by soldiers of the Palatine units. Several images of his images have come down to us: such a cross is held in the hands of Christ, in the form of a Roman warrior, from the Archbishop's Chapel in Ravenna, he is in the hands of the emperors on coins of this period, in the Metropolitan and Louvre museums there is such a gilded cross and its details from the city Antioch, and dates back to 500 BC.
We do not know who exactly from the Palatine units carried the cross. The same can be said about the banner-labarum.
Byzantine ceremonial cross. VI-VII centuries. Metro. New York. USA. Photo by the author
Labarum is a “sacred banner” or sacred badge (signa), first personally of the Emperor Constantine, and later of all the emperors who were present at the theater of hostilities. This is, in fact, a flamula or a banner made of fabric with the image of a chrysma or christogram - a monogram of the name of Jesus Christ in Greek. Another option, such as the one depicted on the coins, is a flamula with a chrysma top. This symbol, as reported by Socrates Scholastic, appeared to Constantine the Great on the night of October 27-28, 312:
“… During the coming night, Christ appeared to him in a dream and ordered to arrange a banner according to the model of the seen sign, so that in it he would have a ready-made trophy over the enemies. Convinced by this utterance, the tsar arranged a trophy of the cross, which is still kept in the royal palace, and thus began to work with greater confidence."
[Socrat. I. 2]
Researchers debate whether the "X" was a symbol of the Celtic legions or a Christian symbol, or both. For us, the issue of continuity in its use seems to be more important. And she was, and this is obvious. Since the time of Constantine, laburum has become the most important military state symbol of the late Roman and early Christian empires. Only Julian the Apostate refused to use it. When the emperor Leo was enthroned, a labar was used. There is a mention of the fact that in Rome at the beginning of the 5th century. there were two sacred banners. Stilicho, who was going to march on Constantinople, took one of the two Labarums in Rome. In the 10th century, five labars were kept in the treasury of the Grand Palace [Const. Porph. De cerem. S.641.]. The standard-bearers or sentries of the labarum were called labaria.
The image of the Christogram on the sarcophagus. Basilica of the Assumption of the Virgin. V-VI centuries. Pula. Croatia. Photo by the author
In the 6th century, as, indeed, later, such an exotic standard, the legacy of the Roman era, as a dragon, was used as a state symbol. The imperial dragonaries were exubitors who wore gold chains around their necks. In addition to the indicated symbols, banners of various types were used, quite possibly the Eagles. The presence of a large number of images of eagles on the columns of the 6th century, as well as the finding of a silver eagle of the 7th century. in the village of Voznesenskoye near Zaporozhye indicate that this symbol was present in the Roman troops.
Silver plate. Byzantium. 550-600 centuries Metro. New York. USA. Photo by the author
Appearance and hairstyle. Sources of the VI century. we are depicted with long-haired, with haircuts à la page, and sometimes even curled warriors, as in the case of the Barberini Diptych or Christ the Warrior from Ravenna. It is believed that the fashion for such hairstyles comes from the "barbarians" of the Germans, the researchers, speaking of the images of the Palatine warriors of the time of Theodosius I, indicate that these are young Goths. However, in the VI century. long hair was strongly discouraged for soldiers. But the soldiers neglected these prohibitions, by the way, as in earlier periods, as Plautus wrote in the comedy of the beginning of the 3rd century. about a braggart warrior, curly and oiled.
King Theodoric. VI century Medal. Ravenna
However, the appearance, like other aspects of the behavior of the soldiers outside the barracks, did not in any way cancel their ability to fight.
Summing up the essays on the palace subdivisions of the 6th century, let us say that many of them continued to exist in subsequent eras, participating both in wars and in political struggle. And we turn to the army units of this time.
