The Procheiros Nomos and the Eisagoge

The present chapter deals with the Prochiron and the Eisagoge, two law books issued by the first emperors of the Macedonian dynasty, Basil I and Leo VI. The chapter mentions the current state of their editions and subsidia (translations, dictionaries, internet accessibility), and describes their respective contents. Their dates and status (official promulgation or draft law?) are discussed. Ample attention is further given to the strong debate during the last 30 years (by the protagonists A. Schminck, J. Signes Codoñer, and the present author) concerning the date of the law books, and to issues closely connected with this debate: the purification(s) of the old laws resulting in a sequence of three large compilations of laws in 60, 40, and again 60 books, and in an single volume of abrogated laws. Finally, attention is also given to the authorship of the Eisagoge (Photius), its scholia, and its titles two and three.