"Cyprus in Justinian times"

--- CONTENT ---
The taking over of power by Justinian (527) was accompanied by a large-scale administrative reform, the most important since Constantine's time. The main axis of the new administrative reform was the unification in the various tiers of the administration of military and political power, to become more effective and to eliminate rivalries between military and political officials.

One of Justinian's innovative and at the same time paradoxical administrative reforms directly involved Cyprus. With Young 41 (XLI) of 18 May 536 AD, which is not preserved and our content is known by later Young women, Justinian went on to form a new administrative district joining the traditional provinces of Moses Monday, Small Scythia and the Mediterranean provinces of Karia, Cyclades and Cyprus. The upper provinces were taken from their former provinces. The name of the new administrative district was Quaestura Ioustiniana Exercitus. As its head was placed Quaestor Justiniani Exercitus (the sources are mainly found as "the governor of the islands"), who had as its seat the port of Moses Monday, Odessa (now Varna), and had financial, administrative and judicial responsibilities similar to those of the Provincials of the Praetoria, while also exercising the highest military command in the areas under his responsibility. He was accountable directly to the Emperor, as his title implies.

The motives and objectives of this reform are discussed among researchers. The new district was actually a set of naval provinces. Cyprus, Karia and the Aegean islands (Ionisi islands of the springs) were naval bases and therefore flourishing trade centers. It was therefore one of the richest provinces in the Empire. On the contrary, the paradise provinces were poor because they were hit by enemy raids and their agricultural production was destroyed. Guarding these areas required the continued presence of strong military forces, whose maintenance was a burden to bear for the populations of these areas. The sources of the time highlight the military character of Quaestura. The single administration would facilitate the maintenance of the Danube army (mainly food) from the resources of its southern provinces through the Aegean-Constance-Dunavis sea road. According to sources, Quaestura's financial service defined the needs of the troops in its northern provinces, which were covered by the taxes of residents of southern provinces, who paid in kind or in cash. To handle the supply of the Danube army there was a network of state facilities in various ports along the naval road leading to the paradise provinces.

The inclusion of Cyprus in the 'supporting' provinces of