THE SYNTAXIS ARM ΑΤΟ RUM QUAD RATA: A TENTH-CENTURY TACTICAL BLUEPRINT
Eric McGEER
Syntaxis armatorum quadrata is a Latin title bestowed by a sixteenth- century editor on a short tenth-century work entitled in Greek Σύνταξις οπλιτών τετράγωνος έχουσα εντός καβαλλαρίους, which consists of a text and a diagram of a square infantry formation with explanatory passages placed before, inside, and after the diagram. 1 The Synlaxis is of interest for the study of military science and tactics in tenth-century Byzantium since the diagram depicts the standard battle formation for Byzantine infantry of the time, while the text was evidently known to and used by Nikephoros II Phokas in preparing his Prae- cepta militaria (ca. 965). 2 Although the Greek text of the Syntaxis has been published three times in the past,3 the previous editions leave
1. F. Robortello, Aeliani de rnilitaribus ordinibus instituendis, Venice 1553, p. 61-3, published the Syntaxis with a woodcut diagram in which depictions of contemporary soldiers replace the symbols representing each type of Byzantine soldier in the MSS (shown below).
2. Praecepta militaria is the Latin title commonly used to refer to a military treatise entitled Στρατηγική έκθεσις και σύνταξις Νικηφόρου δεσπότου, or "presentation and composition on warfare by the emperor Nikephoros" (i.e. Nikephoros II Phokas, 963-969), ed. Ju. A. Kulakovsky, Strategika imperatora Nikifora, Zapiski Imperatorskoi Akademii Nauk 8, 9, St. Petersburg 1908, p. 1-58 (Grk. text, p. 1-21; commentary and index, p. 23-58). References herein are to Kulakovsky's edition and commentary (infra, Kulakovsky, ZIAsS). I have prepared a new edition of the Praecepta accompanied by the revised and expanded version of the treatise contained in chapters 56-65 of the Taktika of Nikephoros Ouranos (ca. 1000).
3. There are two editions besides Robortello's; H. Köchly, W. Rüstow, Griechische Kriegschriftsteller, II. 1, Leipzig 1855, p. 552 (text only); A. Dain, L'histoire du texte d'Élien le Tacticien (infra, Dain, Élien), Paris 1946, p. 156-7 (text only). See also Dain's brief comments on the Syntaxis in his survey of classical and Byzantine military writings (brought to completion by J.-A. de Foucault), Les stratégistes byzantins (infra. Dain. Stratégistes). TM '2. 1967. p. 317-92. p. 367.
Revue des Études Bvzantmes 50. 1992, p. 219-229.
