Aulic titulature is a term, derived from the
Greek
Greek may refer to:
Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe:
*Greeks, an ethnic group
*Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family
**Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...
''aulè'' and Latin ''
aula
Aula may refer to:
*Avola, a city in Sicily (''Àula'' in Sicilian)
*Aula, Eritrea, a village in western Eritrea
*Aula (river)
Aula is a river of Hesse, Germany. The 22.6-km Aula is a 22.6 km long tributary of the Fulda, joining it in Niederau ...
'' (in the meaning ''palace''), for hierarchic systems of titles specifically in use for court protocol. Aulic titulature is the name for a system of official rank titles, conferred – ''ex officio'' or ''nominatim'' – to actual courtiers as an honorary rank (for protocol) to various military and civilian officials. The term is most often used with reference to the
Hellenistic kingdoms
The Diadochi were the rival generals, families, and friends of Alexander the Great who fought for control over his empire after his death in 323 BC. The Wars of the Diadochi mark the beginning of the Hellenistic period from the Mediterran ...
, particularly
Ptolemaic Egypt Ptolemaic is the adjective formed from the name Ptolemy, and may refer to:
Pertaining to the Ptolemaic dynasty
* Ptolemaic dynasty, the Macedonian Greek dynasty that ruled Egypt founded in 305 BC by Ptolemy I Soter
*Ptolemaic Kingdom
Pertaining ...
.
Hellenistic kingdoms
In Ptolemaic Egypt, ''diadochos'' (διάδοχος, "substitute") was the lowest aulic rank, under ''philos
asilikos' (φίλος
ασιλικός "
oyalfriend"), ''archisomatophylax'' (ἀρχισωματοφύλαξ, "arch-bodyguard"), ''protos philos'' (πρῶτος φίλος, "first friend"), ''homotimos'' (ὁμότιμος, "
earlyequal dignitary") and ''syggeneus'' (συγγενεὺς, "cognate of the crown"), during the reign of
Ptolemy V Epiphanes
Ptolemy V Epiphanes Eucharistus (, ''Ptolemaĩos Epiphanḗs Eukháristos'' "Ptolemy the Manifest, the Beneficent"; 9 October 210–September 180 BC) was the Pharaoh, King of Ptolemaic Egypt from July or August 204 BC until his death in 180 BC.
...
(204–181 BC). A similar system of titles was in place in other Hellenistic monarchies. In the Ptolemaic court, the aulic titulature is also distinguished from the titles awarded ''honoris causa''
since several are determined by ''aulic'' functions such as the
chamberlain or the master of the hunt.
Dynamics and motivation
Scholars describe the aulic titulature as a complex system, and stress that the meanings of many of the attested titles within it are unknown.
One approach to understanding it is through the view that it is a form of formalised informality where a ''philos'' power position, for instance, at court was indicated by his title and not necessarily fixed by it.
While the
hierarchisation in the court titulature and the status differentiation is seen as advantageous to the king, it is also believed to be an instrument for the top of the court society to close their ranks as they jockey for positions and privileges. It is commonly supposed that the institution of a system of court ranks and titles was intended to reinforce the bond between the monarch and his ministers by playing on the vanity of the courtiers. There are also accounts that show how the distribution of aulic titles served as a form of gift exchange and that the recipient was awarded gifts such as purple clothing, crowns, and horse trappings in order to show his rank or to derive his status from.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Aulic Titulature
Titles
Government of the Ptolemaic Kingdom