The epi tōn deēseōn (Ancient Greek: ὁ ἐπὶ τῶν δεήσεων, lit.
[2] In the Taktikon Uspensky of c. 842, its holders had the lowly court rank of spatharios,[2] and did not rise above prōtospatharios until the mid-11th century.
[1] From the latter half of the 11th century however and during the 12th, the office rose much in importance, with its holders receiving higher titles and being drawn from among the Empire's most senior noble families.
[1] It is unknown if he had a dedicated staff, or what its composition may have been; it is absent in the Kletorologion,[2] but a seal of a probably subordinate "notary of the petitions" (notarios tōn deēseōn) is known.
[1] Seals also attest to the existence of provincial officials titled epi tōn deēseōn, among others in Sicily and the Peloponnese, as well as for the Patriarch of Constantinople.