Anatolius ( gr, Ανατόλιος; died 14 December 557) was a Byzantine official, active in the reign of

Justinian I Justinian I (; la, Iustinianus, ; grc-gre, Ἰουστινιανός ; 48214 November 565), also known as Justinian the Great, was the Byzantine emperor from 527 to 565. His reign is marked by the ambitious but only partly realized ''renova ...

(). He held the titles of '' curator domus divinae'' and

honorary consul A consul is an official representative of the government of one state in the territory of another, normally acting to assist and protect the citizens of the consul's own country, as well as to facilitate trade and friendship between the people ...

. He was killed in the Constantinople earthquake of 557.Martindale (1992), p. 72

Biography

According to

Agathias Agathias or Agathias Scholasticus ( grc-gre, Ἀγαθίας σχολαστικός; Martindale, Jones & Morris (1992), pp. 23–25582/594), of Myrina (Mysia), an Aeolian city in western Asia Minor (Turkey), was a Greek poet and the principal histo ...

, Anatolius was responsible for the care (administration) of the houses and lands owned by the emperor

( el, έπιμέλειαν τῶν βασιλέως οίκων τε καί κτημάτων). His rank is given as curator and equal to a consul. This would make him a '' curator domus divinae'' (administrator of the private property of the imperial family) and

. The latter title means that Anatolius was a member of the Byzantine Senate with the rank of ''

vir illustris The title ''vir illustris'' ('illustrious man') is used as a formal indication of standing in late antiquity to describe the highest ranks within the senates of Rome and Constantinople. All senators had the title ''vir clarissimus'' ('very famous ...

''. He was unpopular because of his conduct. He claimed the goods of many wealthy houses, under the pretext of collecting what was due to the emperor. This allowed him to ignore the terms specified in the

wills Wills may refer to: * Will (law) A will or testament is a legal document that expresses a person's (testator) wishes as to how their property ( estate) is to be distributed after their death and as to which person (executor) is to manage the pr ...

of recently deceased owners. The seized property fell under his control as a curator. Agathias implies that Anatolius added parts of the seized property to his own estate. Anatolius probably became one of the wealthiest men of his time. His private residence in

Constantinople la, Constantinopolis ota, قسطنطينيه , alternate_name = Byzantion (earlier Greek name), Nova Roma ("New Rome"), Miklagard/Miklagarth (Old Norse), Tsargrad ( Slavic), Qustantiniya ( Arabic), Basileuousa ("Queen of Cities"), Megalopolis ( ...

is described decorated with

marble Marble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or dolomite. Marble is typically not foliated (layered), although there are exceptions. In geology, the term ''marble'' refers to metamorphose ...

, a material quite expensive. The decorative material's role was to exhibit the wealth and refined taste of the residence's owner. "Adorned with a variety of marble plaques attached to the wall, of the kind that are lavishly and ostentatiously displayed by those who are inordinately fond of such superfluous and unnecessary

bric-à-brac Bric-à-brac () or bric-a-brac (from French), first used in the Victorian era, around 1840, refers to lesser objets d'art forming collections of curios. The French phrase is now obsolete, dating from the 16th century, then meaning "at random, ...

."Frendo (1975), pp. 137-139 On 14 December 557, Constantinople was hit by a great earthquake. The date is estimated based on the accounts of John Malalas and

Theophanes the Confessor Theophanes the Confessor ( el, Θεοφάνης Ὁμολογητής; c. 758/760 – 12 March 817/818) was a member of the Byzantine aristocracy who became a monk and chronicler. He served in the court of Emperor Leo IV the Khazar before taking ...

. Anatolius was killed by a falling piece of marble, evidently within his own residence. "Anatolius was sleeping at the time in his customary bedchamber. ... One of these arbleplaques, which was fastened to the wall next to the bed, was shaken loose from its fittings and wrenched off by the violence of the tremors. It came down with all its weight on his head, and smashed his skull. He had barely enough time to utter a deep and muffled groan of pain and then sank back on his bed. Death had overtaken him." Agathias notes that Anatolius was the only high-ranking individual to perish in the disaster. He notes contemporary belief that Anatolius had been punished for the injustice of his conduct. Agathias himself doubted that the death of Anatolius was an instance of

divine judgment Divine judgment means the judgment of God or other supreme beings within a religion. Ancient beliefs In ancient Sumerian religion, the sun-god Utu and his twin sister Inanna were believed to be the enforcers of divine justice. Utu, as ...

: "I doubt it, for an earthquake would be a most desirable and excellent thing if it knew how to discriminate the bad from the good, slaying those and passing these by. But, even granting that he natoliuswas unjust, there were many more like him and worse, who escaped unharmed."Bury (1889), p. 474

References

Sources

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Anatolius 557 deaths 6th-century Byzantine people Deaths in earthquakes Year of birth unknown Byzantine officials