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The annual giving of money.
“And when the Khagan, the leader of the Avars,[1] asked for the cyclical wealth,[2] which they would get each year from the Romans...”
And again: “the general made the cyclical distributions of money to them.”[3] Theophylactus Simocatta [says this].
And again. “the cyclical largess[4] of money was poured out for the Roman corps.”[5]
Poetry is also called cyclical.

Ἐγκύκλιος: ἡ ἐτήσιος τῶν χρημάτων δόσις. τοῦ δὲ Χαγάνου τοῦ ἡγεμόνος τῶν Ἀβάρων ἐξαιτοῦντος τὸν ἐγκύκλιον πλοῦτον, ὃν ἀν' ἔτος ἕκαστον παρὰ Ῥωμαίων ἐλάμβανον. καὶ αὖθις: ὁ δὲ στρατηγὸς τὰς ἐγκυκλίους διανομὰς τῶν χρημάτων αὐτοῖς ἐποιήσατο. Θεοφύλακτος Σιμοκάτης. καὶ αὖθις: ἡ ἐγκύκλιος τῶν χρημάτων ἐπίδοσις τῷ Ῥωμαικῷ ἐχεῖτο συντάγματι. Ἐγκύκλια λέγεται καὶ τὰ ποιητικά.

[1] Theophylactus Simocatta, Histories 7.8.2, says that the Avars (Ἄβαροι ) called their leaders Khagans or Khans (Χαγάνοι : see chi 2, chi 3). For more on Theophylactus, see the article (in German) at web address 1.
[2] The use of “ἐγκύκλιον πλοῦτον ” in Theophylactus Simocatta in Histories 1.8.7-8 confirms that this is a fragment, or more likely an adaptation, from him -- as are the next two extracts also (see notes 3 and 5 below).
[3] cf. Theophylactus Simocatta, Histories 6.6.4: "τὰς δυνάμεις διαριθμησάμενος, τὰς ἐγκυκλίους τῶν χρημάτων αὐτοῖς διανομὰς ἐποιήσατο. "
[4] An ἐπίδοσις or donativum was a bonus, usually of money, given out to soldiers over and above their wages in order to encourage loyalty. Here the general seems to have made an annual payment of this sort; this is similar to the way modern companies will give a Christmas bonus to keep employees happy.
[5] Theophylactus Simocatta, Histories 2.10.5.

David Whitehead (restored pre-translation vetting status) on 29 November 2005@08:38:07.
David Whitehead (tweaked translation and n.1) on 30 November 2005@04:49:10.
Abram Ring (cosmetics, bibliographic format) on 27 March 2006@12:53:28.

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