Hierarchies and fractals: ecclesiastical revenues as indicator for the distribution of relative demographic and economic potential within the cities and regions of the Late Byzantine Empire in the early 14th century

BYZANTINA SYMMEIKTA, ΒΥΖΑΝΤΙΝΑ SΥΜΜΕΙΚΤΑ 20

Hierarchies and fractals: ecclesiastical revenues as indicator for the distribution of relative demographic and economic potential within the cities and regions of the Late Byzantine Empire in the early 14th century

Johannes PREISER-KAPELLER, Ekaterini MITSIOU

Abstract

Until now the source material has made it impossible to reconstruct the distribution of economic power and population within the Late Byzantine Empire on a large scale. Our new analysis of a list of financial contributions from 1324, which includes those from 33 bishoprics and the Patriarchate of Constantinople, connects this data with the economic performance of the respective town and its hinterland; we demonstrate that the distribution of contributions shows characteristics which are typical for settlement hierarchies and therefore can be used to create the first models for the relative distribution of demographic and economic potential in the Byzantine Empire at this time.

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Metadata for this Document

Discipline(s)

History > Byzantine Empire. 1261-1453 Paleologi,
Social sciences > Economic history and conditions,
Social sciences > Economic theory. Demography,
Social sciences > Revenue, taxation,
Social sciences > Statistics

Keyword(s)

Late Byzantine Church, Late Byzantine Economy, Models of economic geography

Sponsor(s)

Fonds zur Förderung der wissenschaftlichen Forschung (FWF)

Type

Source Analysis; Implementation of statistical and historical geographic models

Universal Resource Indicator

http://www.byzsym.org/index.php/bz/article/view/993

Journal/conference title; vol., no. (year)

BYZANTINA SYMMEIKTA; ΒΥΖΑΝΤΙΝΑ SΥΜΜΕΙΚΤΑ 20

Geo-spatial location, chronological period, research sample (gender, age, etc.)

Geo-spatial coverage:	Byzantium, 14th century A. D.
Chronological or historical coverage:	14th century
Chronological Period:	Late Byzantine Period,
Centuries:	From: 13th Το: 14th
Chronological Intervals:	1204-1453
Research sample characteristics:	Ecclesiastical charters; Register of the Patriarchate of Constantinople

Status & genre

Peer-reviewed Article

File format

COVER, TEXT

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.