Anonymus 37 | Prosopography of the Byzantine Empire |
| Sex | M |
| Floruit | M IX |
| Dates | 829 (tpq) / 842 (taq) |
| Locations | Opsikion; Opsikion (officeplace); Constantinople |
| Titles | Komes, Opsikion (office); Strategos (office) |
| Textual Sources | Georgius Monachus Continuatus, in Theophanes Continuatus, ed I Bekker (Bonn, 1839), pp. 761-924 (history); Leo Grammaticus, Chronographia, ed. I. Bekker (Bonn, 1842) (chronicle); Pseudo-Symeon, Chronographia, ed. I. Bekker (Bonn, 1838), pp. 603-760 (history); Theophanes Continuatus, ed. I. Bekker (Bonn, 1838) (history) |
Anonymus 37 was a komes of the Opsikion recorded in an anecdote about the emperor Theophilos 5; while riding in Blachernai the emperor was approached by a man (Anonymus 38) who claimed that the horse which the emperor was riding at the time belonged to him; on enquiry the emperor was informed by the comes stabuli (Anonymus 36) that the horse had been sent to the emperor by the komes of the Opsikion (ὁ κόμης τοῦ Ὀψικίου: Leo. Gramm. 223); the latter (Anonymus 37) happened to be in Constantinople and the emperor Theophilos 5 summoned him the next day to confront Anonymus 38, who claimed that the strategos (i.e. the komes, Anonymus 37) had taken the horse from him by force, giving no money or compensation; Anonymus 37 the komes defended himself, alleging that Anonymus 38 had wanted to become a scholarios (implying that the horse was payment for the appointment) but that he was not suitable, and so he offered him one hundred solidi instead, which the man refused to take; the emperor Theophilos 5 did not believe Anonymus 37 and ordered him to be beaten by his guards (τὸν μὲν στρατηλάτην τοῖς προσήκοις μαγκλαβίοις ἐσωφρόνισεν) and told Anonymus 37 to assess Anonymus 38 and if he was suitable make Anonymus 38 a scholarios; Anonymus 37 the komes did so, but Anonymus 38 when sent to war was killed while fleeing in battle: Leo Gramm. 223, Georg. Mon. Cont. 803-804, Ps.-Symeon 637-638.
A similar story but differing in many details is recorded in Theophanes Continuatus; the offending officer is there called strategos (ὁ στρατηγὸς: Theoph. Cont. III, 7, p. 92) and Anonymus 37 was dismissed from office after Anonymus 38's widow (Anonyma 106) disclosed the truth about the horse which the emperor was riding; his property was then apparently divided up as if he had actually died and the widow and her family were treated as if they were legitimate heirs, receiving portions of it: Theoph. Cont. III 7 (pp. 92- 94) and see Anonymus 38.
The two stories are probably variants of the same basic fictional story invented to illustrate the emperor Theophilos 5's care for his subjects and his regard for justice.
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