Supervision of weights and measures in early 7th­ century Egyptian Alexandria in the light of the Vita Joannis Eleemosynarii
Supervision of weights and measures in early 7th­ century Egyptian Alexandria in the light of the Vita Joannis Eleemosynarii

Summary/Abstract: The text discusses a short passage from Vita Joannis Eleemosynarii by Leontius from Neapolis in Cyprus, concerning the circumstances of introducing standardized measures and weights in Alexandria by Patriarch John the Almsman. According to the author of the account, it was one of the first decrees that the patriarch announced after taking the throne. Unfortunately, this fact is not confirmed by other sources. However, it cannot be ruled out that such a regulation was actually announced in Alexandria shortly after 610. Similar regulations are known to us from an earlier period (late 4th–mid 6th century), but each time they were announced by secular authorities. The author of the article, apart from analyzing the message he was interested in, explained why in this case the edict regulating the measures and weights used in Alexandria could have been introduced by the local bishop, Patriarch John. This was due to at least two reasons. Firstly, from the role that bishops played in cities in the early Byzantine period, when subsequent emperors, faced with inept and, above all, corrupt secular power, saw them as a guarantor of the functioning of the state. For this reason, they received considerable privileges, which in practice gave them the power of local managers, which was important because their opinion, unlike the position of secular authorities, was usually influenced by the inhabitants. The second issue that should be emphasized in this case is the strong position of the Alexandrian patriarchs not only in the city where John was bishop, but also in the entire region. Their political and economic importance, combined with the popularity of charismatic individuals, as was the case with John the Almighty, provided enormous opportunities for action, including replacing or even replacing local secular authorities in the efficient administration of cities.

• Details
• Contents