Entrepreneurial Aspects in East Roman Empire - The Imperial Kommerkiarioi as Quasi-entrepreneurs

The entrepreneurial activity in the East Roman Empire (Byzantium) is for many reasons almost «en enfant terrible”. The main reason is doubtfully the availability of data and information based on commercial and even literal sources. Secondly the existent research on this topic is made mainly by those who especially are interested in the middle Ages, like byzantinologists, numismaticians, sigillographians and theologians. Unfortunate research coming especially from economists is not as much. Especially in the 20th Century the related outcome is not very much compared to those works made between 18th and 19th Century. Our intention is to shed, so far as possible, more light on a special aspect of entrepreneurial activity within the East Roman Empire («Byzantine Empire»), to the Kommerkion (Kομμέρκιον) and to the related persons, the kommerkiarii (Kομμɛρκιάριοι).