Editing Romanos III Argyros (section)

===Family and early career===
[[File:Tetarteron_of_Romanos_III.png|thumb|''[[Tetarteron]]'' of Romanos III.|left]]

Romanos Argyros, born in 968,{{sfn|Cheynet|Vannier|2003|p=68}} was the son of Marianos, a member of the [[Argyros (Byzantine family)|Argyros family]]. Other hypotheses about his father are Pothos Argyros who defeated a [[Hungarians|Magyar]] raid in 958 (identified by some scholars with an [[Pothos Argyros (Domestic of the Schools)|older namesake]]), or Eustathios Argyros, known only for commissioning a poem in honour of [[Romanos II]] in 950.{{sfn|Cheynet|Vannier|2003|pp=64–65}} Romanos' father, Marianos, was the son of another [[Romanos Argyros (10th century)|Romanos Argyros]], who had married Agatha, a daughter of Emperor [[Romanos I Lekapenos]] (r. 919–944).{{sfn|Cheynet|Vannier|2003|pp=63–64, 68}}

Romanos had several siblings: [[Basil Argyros]], who served as general and governor under [[Basil II]] (r. 976–1025);{{sfn|Cheynet|Vannier|2003|pp=72–73}} Leo, who served under Basil and was killed in Italy in 1017;{{sfn|Cheynet|Vannier|2003|p=73}} Pulcheria Argyropoulina, who married the ''[[magistros]]'' [[Basil Skleros]];{{sfn|Cheynet|Vannier|2003|p=68}} a sister who married [[Constantine Karantenos]], who served as ''[[dux|doux]]'' of [[Antioch]] under Romanos;{{sfn|Cheynet|Vannier|2003|p=73}} and [[Maria Argyropoulina]], who married [[Giovanni Orseolo]], son of [[Doge of Venice|Doge]] [[Pietro II Orseolo]].{{sfn|Cheynet|Vannier|2003|p=73}}

He served as ''krites'' (judge) in [[Opsikion]], with the rank of ''[[protospatharios]]'' (one of the highest judicial ranks, usually awarded to senior generals and provincial governors). In this capacity he persecuted heretics at Akmoneia.{{sfn|Cheynet|Vannier|2003|p=69}} He was then promoted to the post of ''[[quaestor sacri palatii|quaestor]]'' (the senior judicial official for the imperial capital, Constantinople) and became one of the judges of the [[Covered Hippodrome|Hippodrome]], the High Court of the Empire. In this role he is mentioned in the ''Peira'', a compendium of legal decisions compiled by the noted jurist [[Eustathios Rhomaios]].{{sfn|Cheynet|Vannier|2003|pp=69–70}} He was promoted further to the rank of ''[[patrikios]]'' and the post of ''[[oikonomos]]'' (administrator) of the [[Hagia Sophia|Great Church]], while continuing to preside over the High Court.{{sfn|Cheynet|Vannier|2003|p=70}} Under Emperor [[Constantine VIII]] he held the post of [[urban prefect]] of [[Constantinople]], which made him the formal head of the Senate and one of the emperor's chief lieutenants.{{sfn|Cheynet|Vannier|2003|p=70}}