DioikÃÂtÃÂs (), often Latinized as dioecetes, is a term applied to a variety of administrative officials.
The term derives from ôùÿïú÷ÃÂùà(dioikÃÂsis), literally "housekeeping", which already in Classical Antiquity came to mean "administration", especially connected with finances, both public and sacred (connected to the temples). Officials in charge of administration were thus designated (ho epi tàdioikÃÂsei).
The title of dioikÃÂtÃÂs is mostly attested in Ptolemaic Egypt, where it was held by the head of the kingdom's financial administration, headquartered in the capital Alexandria. In addition, provincial dioikÃÂtai existed, possibly one for every province (nome). The office survived Egypt's annexation into the Roman Empire, and is well attested, with Roman occupants, throughout the Roman period. Outside Egypt, the title is less frequently used, being attested in some Syrian cities, as well as in Corfu; in some places dioiketai are attested for smaller bodies (e.g., the ephÃÂboi of Cyzicus), or even in private households.
In Byzantine times, the term was employed more widely for a type of tax collector, being first attested in 680, in the acts of the Third Council of Constantinople. The dioikÃÂtai of this period were subordinate officials of the logothetÃÂs tou genikou, the head of the "general" (genikon) fiscal department, and detailed to provincial duties. From their surviving seals, both the older Late Roman civil provinces as well as the newer theme are attested, but most of the dioikÃÂtai were sent to individual islands orâÂÂmostly coastalâÂÂcities. The last seal for a dioikÃÂtÃÂs of this kind dates to the early 10th century, while holders from then on were assigned to specific themes. Modern scholarship suggests that the dioikÃÂtai were rewarded by the practice known as synÃÂtheia, a fee representing a fixed portion of the taxes they raised. In addition to the dioikÃÂtai of the genikon, dioikÃÂtai of the mÃÂtata () are also attested as subaltern officials of the logothetÃÂs tà Ân agelà Ân, the minister responsible for the state-run horse and mule farms (mÃÂtata).
In the fiscal administration, the dioikÃÂtÃÂs was replaced after 1109 by the praktà Âr. A variant of the title survived into the Palaiologan period as the megas dioikÃÂtÃÂs. In Modern Greek usage, the term means simply "administrator, commander".