Male dress in Rômania
Governor of the city
The Governor of Constantinople (Eparkhos tês poleôs)
The regalia of the Eparkhos tês Poleôs, or Governor of Constantinople, in the tenth to twelfth century has the distinction of being the most precisely described and most precisely depicted ensemble of all Byzantine regalia, except, perhaps, that of the Emperor himself. Its state in the mid-tenth century is described in the Book of Ceremonies, with details of the early eleventh century revision being given in a poem by Christopher of Mitylene, and shown in several artworks. This reproduction repesents that later form, in which the old kampagia (sandals, below) dating back beyond the sixth century have been replaced by orange boots, and the original form of the lôros has been replaced by the tabard style.
The elements of the outfit are (head to foot): ceremonial hood (felonion); ceremonial apron (lôros); white Persian-sleeved tunic with black cuffs and hem (eparkhikon kamision); orange boots (eparkhika mouzakia).
A full explanation of the outfit and its pictorial and literary sources may be found in the author’s book, By the Emperor’s Hand: Court Regalia and Military Dress in the Eastern Roman Empire, Frontline Books, Barnsley 2015.
For some military ceremonial outfits see ‘Uniforms’ page in the military category.