Anthemius (praetorian prefect)
Theodosian Walls
, first constructed under the supervision of AnthemiusAnthemius (
Theodosian Walls
.
Biography
Anthemius was the grandson of
praetorian prefect of the East in 346.[1] He rose to prominence during the reign of Arcadius, when he was appointed comes sacrarum largitionum ("Count of the Sacred Largesses") around or in 400 and later magister officiorum ("Master of the Offices") in 404.[2] He occupied the latter position during the disturbances which followed John Chrysostom's final deposition from the patriarchate (Easter, 404). John's enemies demanded troops from him with which to disperse the crowd. At first he refused, but then yielded, declaring that they were responsible for the consequences.[3]
In 405 he was appointed
Asia Minor.[6]
Furthermore, Anthemius passed a number of new laws against paganism, Judaism and heresy.
When Arcadius died in 408, his son and successor Theodosius II was a child of seven years. Anthemius assumed leadership, and showed remarkable longevity as praetorian prefect. He initiated a new peace treaty with
He furthermore regulated the grain supply of Constantinople, which came chiefly from
urban prefect. In the past, shortages had occurred due to the lack of available ships, resulting in famines, the most recent one being in 408. In 409 therefore, Anthemius reorganized the grain transport and granted tax remits to the transporters, took measures to procure grain from elsewhere, and created an emergency fund for the procurement and distribution of corn to the citizens.[7][8] He also took measures to ensure the regular collection of taxes (409), but in 414, he also gave a tax remit of all arrears for the years 368–407.[9]
The one work of Anthemius' that is still standing today is the main wall of the
Bury later called him "in a sense, the second founder of Constantinople".[10]
In 414, Anthemius suddenly disappeared from the scene, while the prefecture was assumed by
Apolinaria who lived as a monk.[13]
Footnotes
- ^ "A Dictionary of Greek and Roman biography and mythology, Abaeus". www.perseus.tufts.edu. Retrieved June 9, 2023.
- ^ Bury, p.155
- ^ Catholic Encyclopedia
- ^ Codex Theodosianus, Book IX, 34.10
- ^ a b Bury, Ch. VII
- ^ Bury, p.159-160
- ^ Codex Theodosianus, Book XIII, 5.32
- ^ Codex Theodosianus, Book XIV, 16.1
- ^ Codex Theodosianus, Book XI, 28.9
- ^ Bury, p. 70
- ^ Holum, Theodosian Empresses: Women and Imperial Dominion in Late Antiquity (1982), pp. 94; Harries, in Theodosius II: Rethinking the Roman Empire in Late Antiquity (2013) pp. 72
- ^ Martindale, PLRE II, pp. 93-95
- ^ Ada B. Teetgen, The Life and Times of the Empress Pulcheria, A.D. 399–A.D. 452 (London: Swan Sonnenschein, 1907), p. 38.
Sources
- John Bagnell Bury, History of the Later Roman Empire Vol. I, Macmillan & Co., Ltd. 1923
- Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). . Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.