Eustathios Rhomaios

Eustathios Rhomaios was a prominent Byzantine judge and jurist during the late-10th and early- to mid-11th century. He studied Roman Law and began his career under Basil II (reign 976 to 1025) and became the chief judge during the mid-1020s. His legal decisions, collected and compiled into a document called the Peira ('Experience') by a younger colleague of his, were not only celebrated during his own lifetime but also hailed in later ages as 'the most elegant and valued.' Rhomaios was not the subject of any historical writings, but he did leave an impressive career record and a unique approach to practising law where he advocated compassionate judgement and discretionary adjudication.