The ''hypatos tōn philosophon'' ( gr, ὕπατος τῶν φιλοσόφων, , chief of the philosophers) was a

Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...

title given to senior scholars in the 11th–14th centuries. The title first appears in 1047, and was probably introduced then or slightly earlier, for Michael Psellos. In the 11th and 12th centuries, the title recognized the head of the school of philosophy in the imperial capital,

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 ( ...

. While Psellos and his successors,

John Italos John Italus or Italos ( el, , ''Iōánnēs ho Italós''; la, Johannes Italus) was a neoplatonic Byzantine philosopher of the eleventh century. He was Calabrian in origin, his father being a soldier. He came to Constantinople, where he became a ...

and

Theodore of Smyrna Theodore may refer to: Places * Theodore, Alabama, United States * Theodore, Australian Capital Territory * Theodore, Queensland, a town in the Shire of Banana, Australia * Theodore, Saskatchewan, Canada * Theodore Reservoir, a lake in Saskatche ...

, were themselves distinguished scholars, however, the appointment of Michael of Anchialus (the future Patriarch

Michael III of Constantinople Michael III of Anchialus ( el, Μιχαὴλ Γ´), (? – March 1178) was Patriarch of Constantinople from January 1170 to March 1178. Michael was appointed patriarch by the Byzantine emperor Manuel I Komnenos, culminating what had been a highl ...

) to the post in 1165/67 was an attempt by Emperor Manuel I Komnenos to clamp down on "pagan" tendencies among the philosophers and reaffirm the primacy and purity of Orthodox doctrine. The office is still mentioned in the 14th century, ranked in the imperial hierarchy between the ''

logothetes tou dromou The ( gr, λογοθέτης τοῦ δρόμου), in English usually rendered as Logothete of the Course/Drome/ or Postal Logothete, was the head of the department of the Public Post ( la, cursus publicus, gr, δημόσιος δρόμος, de ...

'' and the ''

megas chartoularios Magnús Þór Jónsson (born 7 April 1945), better known by the stage name Megas, is a vocalist, songwriter, and writer who is well known in his native Iceland. Interest in music Being an admirer of Elvis Presley, Megas welcomed the arrival of ...

''. During the 13th and 14th century, the holders of the office were senior teachers under the supervision of the patriarchate.

References

Sources

* {{Oxford Dictionary of Byzantium, last=Kazhdan, first=Alexander, authorlink=Alexander Kazhdan, title=Hypatos ton philosophon, page=964 Education in the Byzantine Empire Byzantine titles and offices