Pinkernes was a high Byzantine

Byzantine Empire

The Byzantine Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire during the periods of Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, centred on the capital of Constantinople. Known simply as the Roman Empire or Romania to its inhabitants and neighbours, the Empire was the direct continuation of the Ancient Roman State...

 court position

Byzantine aristocracy and bureaucracy

The Byzantine Empire had a complex system of aristocracy and bureaucracy, which was inherited from the Roman Empire. At the apex of the pyramid stood the Emperor, sole ruler and divinely ordained, but beneath him a multitude of officials and court functionaries operated the administrative...

. The term, deriving from the Greek

Greek language

Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...

 verb ("to mix [wine]"), signified the Byzantine emperor's cup-bearer

Cup-bearer

A cup-bearer was an officer of high rank in royal courts, whose duty it was to serve the drinks at the royal table. On account of the constant fear of plots and intrigues, a person must be regarded as thoroughly trustworthy to hold this position. He must guard against poison in the king's cup, and...

. The position is attested in Philotheos's

Philotheos

- People :* Philotheos Bryennios , Greek Orthodox bishop* Pope Philotheos of Alexandria, in office 979-1003* Philotheus of Pskov , Russian abbot* Philotheus of Samosata, a companion in martyrdom of Romanus of Samosata...

 Kletorologion

Kletorologion

The Klētorologion of Philotheos , is the longest and most important of the Byzantine lists of offices and court precedence . It was published in September of 899 during the reign of Emperor Leo VI the Wise by the otherwise unknown prōtospatharios and atriklinēs Philotheos...

of 899, where a pinkernes of the Byzantine emperor (Greek: ) and of the Augusta

Augusta (honorific)

Augusta was the imperial honorific title of empresses. It was given to the women of the Roman and Byzantine imperial families. In the third century, Augustae could also receive the titles of Mater castrorum and Mater Patriae .The title implied the greatest prestige, with the Augustae able to...

(Greek: ) are listed amongst the eunuchs of the palace staff. The position was also imitated in the staff of the Patriarch of Constantinople

Patriarch of Constantinople

The Ecumenical Patriarch is the Archbishop of Constantinople – New Rome – ranking as primus inter pares in the Eastern Orthodox communion, which is seen by followers as the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church....

 and in the households of great magnates. In literary sources, the more descriptive terms oinochoos ("wine-pourer") and kylikiphoros ("bearer of the kylix

Kylix (drinking cup)

A kylix is a type of wine-drinking glass with a broad relatively shallow body raised on a stem from a foot and usually with two horizontal handles disposed symmetrically...

") are often used instead. In the Komnenian period, the post ceased to be restricted to eunuchs, and gradually became a title of distinction, even awarded to the Byzantine emperor's relatives. Several senior generals of the Palaiologan period, such as Michael Tarchaneiotes Glabas, Alexios Philanthropenos

Alexios Philanthropenos

Alexios Philanthropenos was a Byzantine nobleman and notable general of the early Byzantine-Ottoman wars, scoring some of the last Byzantine successes against the Turkic emirates in Asia Minor.- Early life and family :...

 and Syrgiannes Palaiologos, were awarded the title.