Editing Theme (Byzantine district) (section)

===Origins===
The origin and early nature of the themes has been heavily disputed amongst scholars. The very name {{Lang|el-Latn|théma}} is of uncertain etymology, but most scholars follow [[Constantine Porphyrogennetos]], who records that it originates from Greek {{Lang|el|thesis|size=90%}} ("placement").<ref name="ODB2034">{{Harvnb|Kazhdan|1991|p=2034}}</ref><ref>{{Harvnb|Haldon|1990|p=215}}</ref> The date of their creation is also uncertain. For most of the 20th century, the establishment of the themes was attributed to the Emperor [[Heraclius]] (r. 610–641), during the [[Byzantine-Sassanid War of 602–628|last]] of the [[Byzantine–Sassanid Wars]].<ref>{{Harvnb|Cheynet|2006|pp=151–152}}</ref> Most notable amongst the supporters of this thesis was [[George Ostrogorsky]] who based this opinion on an extract from the chronicle of [[Theophanes the Confessor]] mentioning the arrival of Heraclius "in the lands of the themes" for the year 622. According to Ostrogorsky, this "shows that the process of establishing troops (themes) in specific areas of Asia Minor has already begun at this time."<ref>{{Harvnb|Ostrogorsky|1997|p=101}}</ref> This view has been objected to by other historians however, and more recent scholarship dates their creation later, to the period from the 640s to the 660s, under [[Constans II]] (r. 641–668).<ref>{{Harvnb|Treadgold|1997|p=316}}</ref> It has further been shown that, contrary to Ostrogorsky's conception of the {{Lang|el-Latn|thémata}} being established from the outset as distinct, well-defined regions where a {{Lang|la|stratēgos}} held joint military and civil authority, the term {{Lang|el-Latn|théma}} originally seems to have referred exclusively to the armies themselves, and only in the later 7th or early 8th centuries did it come to be transferred to the districts where these armies were encamped as well.<ref>{{Harvnb|Haldon|1990|pp=214–215}}</ref>

Tied to the question of chronology is also the issue of a corresponding social and military transformation. The traditional view, championed by Ostrogorsky, holds that the establishment of the themes also meant the creation of a new type of army. In his view, instead of the old force, heavily reliant on foreign mercenaries, the new Byzantine army was based on native farmer-soldiers living on state-leased military estates (compare the organization of the Sasanian {{Lang|pal|[[aswaran|aswārān]]|size=90%}}).<ref name="ODB2034"/><ref>{{Harvnb|Cheynet|2006|p=152}}</ref> More recent scholars however have posited that the formation of the themes did not constitute a radical break with the past, but rather a logical extension of pre-existing, 6th-century trends, and that its direct social impact was minimal.<ref name="ODB2034"/>