Notes to Pages 41–44 • 129

full by Theophanes A.M. 6024 and in part by the Chron. Pasch., p. 620 (Bonn ed.). The
most recent translation is in Mango and Scott, trans., The Chronicle of Theophanes Confes-
sor, pp. 277–79. See also the discussion of M. Whitby and M. Whitby in their translation
of the Chronicon Paschale in the Liverpool Translated Texts series (1989), pp. 113–14. Kara-
giannopoulos (1995), p. 429, makes the plausible suggestion that the unsatisfactory (from
the viewpoint of the Greens) encounter with Justinian recorded in the Akta led to more
street violence, which the imperial authorities attempted to suppress with an even hand,
thereby alienating both parties.
8. See PLRE IIIA: ‘‘Calopodius 1.’’ He is otherwise unknown. The Chronicon Pas-
chale calls him spatharocubicularius, which Whitby and Whitby translate as ‘‘cubicularius
and spatharius’’ (p. 114, n. 345). His replacement as spatharius, Narses, a protégé of Theo-
dora, held the office during the Nika riot, which is, perhaps, an argument for dating this
dialogue at least a few days before the outbreak, for unless the two held the office simul-
taneously, which seems unlikely, Calopodius must have been replaced between the time
that the Akta were chanted in the Hippodrome and the Nika riot. The easiest solution
is that Calopodius (= ‘‘the man with lovely feet’’) was a sobriquet for Narses. This sug-
gestion was made by Karlin-Hayter (1973), pp. 87–88, and is attractive but cannot be
proved.
Bury (1897), p. 118, followed by Evans (1996a), p. 119, dated the Akta to Sunday, 11
January, but as Stein (1949), p. 450, n. 1, points out, no games would be held on Sun-
day. Thus he dates the dialogue to Saturday, 10 January. But that would put the Akta
and the executions of the felons on the same day. There is a serious objection to this:
the Akta show the emperor’s overt partiality, whereas the urban prefect’s action shows
that imperial policy had changed to one of neutrality and arrests had been made of both
Green and Blue malefactors. One solution is to disconnect the Akta from the Nika revolt
entirely: see discussion of Greatrex (1997), p. 68, n. 41. The other is to follow Karagian-
nopoulos (1995), p. 429, and allow enough time between the Akta and the riot, first for
renewed street violence, then a change of policy to impartial justice to counter the vio-
lence, which led to the arrest of both Blue and Green troublemakers by the urban prefect,
and, finally, the botched execution on Saturday, 10 January.
9. Only two, according to the Chron. Pasch., p. 621, three according to Malalas 18.71
(p. 475).
10. Procopius puts the dismissal of the senators on the fifth day of the riot, i.e., Satur-
day; whereas the Chron. Pasch. puts it the next day. Whitby and Whitby (1989), p. 121,
n. 359, think that Justinian, who now had troops from Thrace to quell the riot, had re-
solved on a positive strategy and wanted the senators to use their personal guards to de-
fend their homes and prevent them being used by the rioters. If so, it was an unrealistic
strategy.
11. Wars 1.24.21.
12. PLRE II, s.v. ‘‘Hypatius 6.’’ See also Greatrex (1996).
13. Cf. Gregory (1984), p. 155. Greatrex (1997) argues that Justinian’s efforts to con-
ciliate the mob until the morning of the last day of the riot made matters worse. However,
he lacked the resources to enforce a tough policy. The troops that were available in the