May I ask why military & not civil ranks?
Anyway, if the case is not closed, my contribution:
1-Byzantine Army Ranks (6th-15th Century AD)
-Commander in Chief of the Byzantine armed forces was the Emperor. When the Emperor was CiC of the armed forces on campaign, he was called Protostrator/Head of the Army.
-Second in command in the Army was the Strategos/General, of the Thema Anatolikon * (something like the Chief of Staff).
-Supreme Commander of the armed forces (Army & Navy) on campaign was the Megas Domesticos/Grand Domesticus (if the Emperor was absent). If the Emperor was in charge of the campaign then Grand Domesticus was his lieutenant.
-Supreme Commander of the land forces on campaign was the Domesticos/Domesticus (if the Emperor was absent). If the Emperor was in charge of the campaign then Domesticus was his Chief staff officer.
-Strategos/General was the military commander of the Thema (equivalent to the modern lieutenant general). This was the title of the Dukas/Duke , the civil administrator of the Thema, in war times. He was in charge of a force of 9,000 men. Generals carried a silver baton called matzuka
-Hypostrategos was the Strategos' Executive Officer.
-Stratelates (either Merarches or Turmarches, division commander) was the military commander of the Turma (infantry) or Moira (Cavalry). Equivalent to the modern rank of major general.
-Chief of Infantry was the Magistros tou Pezikou, from the roman magister peditum, master of foot .
-Chief of Cavalry was the Magistros tou Ippikou, from the roman magister equitum, master of horse .
-Megas Hetairiarches/Grand Commander of the Companion troops, was the commander of the mercenary forces.
-The Drungarios (the rank sometimes appears as Drungares or Moirarches or Phalangarches-commander of a phalanx) was a rank equivalent to colonel.
-Viglator was the CO of the garrison troops in the capital.
-Akolouthos (lit. attendant) was the CO of the Varangian Guard.
-Tagmatarches (early rank: Tribunos, from the roman Tribunus. 8th-10th century AD: Tagmatarches. 12th-13th century: Taxiarches. 14th century: Komes ton Tagmaton/Count of the Battalions. Palaeologean period: Tagmatarches) , was the CO of the Tagma , the basic Byzantine unit to conduct war (battalion).
-Mensor or Mensurator was the surveyor in charge of the troop encampment.
-Anticensor was the officer in charge of the enginners.
-Sacellarios was the army paymaster (from the latin sacellium: The Imperial Mint)
-Cleisouriarches was the officer in charge of the troops guarding the mountain passes (from the Greek Cleisoura, mountain pass)
-Komes tes Kohortes/Count of Cohort was any Staff Officer.
-Komes/Count was the CO of a unit equivalent to 300 men (Kometeia/County). Note that the County was a military unit & not a district or province.
-Kentarchos/Centurion was the CO of 100 men (from the roman centurio). This rank appears also as Ekatontarchos , the Greek translation of Centurio.
-Dekarchos was the commander of 10 men.
-Pentarchos was the commander of 5 men.
-Ouragos , the rear-rank soldier.
-Stratiotes/soldier was the common soldier.
-Spatharios (lit. sword bearer) was the heavy armed soldier of an elite tagma or kometeia.
-Hetaeros/Companion was the mercenary soldier.
-Tetimemenos Kyres was the noble Knight (lit. noble lord).
Within the various rank groups (field, superior, general officers), it was common to address rank officers as Archon/Archontes in plural (ruler). To distinguish a civil from a military archon, a military officer would be addressed Archon apo Spathiou (Ruler of the Sword). People used to call the military archontes, "kephalades" (bullheaded, a depreciative remark). In the 10th century AD, the Strategos of the Theme of Lombardy was called Katepano, while the Strategos of occupied Bulgaria, Pronoetes.
The Historian Genessios , in 873 gives us an interesting episode, when describing the last moments before the soldiers of the Armeniakon (Armenian) & Chersianon or Chersonos (Cherson in the Crimea) Thema, attack the Persians:
"This is about a quarrel among the archontes [meaning the generals], which of the two armies is more gallant; and then the soldiers of the Armeniakon, the aristocrats of our army, said: "Gallantry is not measured in speechies; let us both rush headlong to the enemy and then we'll see who is the most valiant". The two generals asked the gathered troops: "Men, are you ready to compete with each other, and attack the enemy, so Help us God?" And they answered: "Yes, in the name of our Emperor". And with the thrilling cry "Stavros Nenikeken" [The Cross is the winner], they assaulted the enemy lines"
Stratopedarches was not a rank, rather a specialty; he was the officer incharge of the camp or the barracks.
Protospatharios was also not a rank; he was the officer responsible for the Imperial Palace.
Merarches-Turmarches--> the same rank. One was for Infantry, the other for Cavalry.
Proposal for use of civil ranks:
1-Megas Logothetis
2-Magistros ton Officion/Magister Officiorum
3-Eparchos tes Poleos/Praefectus Urbi
4-Koeaestor/Quaestor
5-Koeaestor tou Ierou Palatiou/Quaestor Sacri Palatii
6-Komes ton Theion Thesavron/Comes Sacrarum Largitionum
7-Primikerios ton Notarion/Protasikrites (Imperial Secretary)
8-Protonotarios
9-Papias tou Megalou Palatiou
10-Katepano ton Vasilikon
11-Strator
12-Chartoularios ton Malanginon
13-Chartoularios ton Eso
14-Epeiktes
*Thema Anatolikon (of the Orient), including parts of Phrygia, Lycaonia, Isauria, Pamphylia and Pisidia
Source: Vlassios Feidas, "Byzantium: Life, Institutions, Society, Church, Education, Art", Athens 1991
(PS: I received an 8 in his class; US equivalent: A-, I guess)
