rar um ▁larg ition um : ▁one ▁for ▁Ori ens ▁and ▁Egypt , ▁one ▁for ▁Il ly ric um , ▁and ▁one ▁for ▁Mo esia , ▁S cy th ia ▁Minor ▁and ▁Pont us ▁( i . e . ▁the ▁Dan ube ▁front ier ▁and ▁the ▁Black ▁Sea ). ▁ ▁The ▁term ▁kom mer ki arios ▁first ▁appears ▁in ▁fragment ary ▁ins cri ptions ▁of ▁a ▁law ▁issued ▁by ▁Emperor ▁An ast as ios ▁I ▁( r . ▁ 4 9 1 – 5 1 8 ). ▁The ▁kom mer ki ario i ▁were ▁station ed ▁in ▁many ▁areas ▁of ▁the ▁front ier , ▁as ▁indicated ▁by ▁their ▁se als , ▁which ▁appear ▁to ▁subst anti ate ▁the ▁statement ▁made ▁by ▁the ▁ 6 th - century ▁historian ▁Pro cop ius ▁about ▁Emperor ▁Justin ian ▁I ▁( r . ▁ 5 2 7 – 5 6 5 ) ▁installing ▁custom s ▁stations ▁" at ▁each ▁stra it " ▁and ▁sending ▁two ▁arch ont es ▁to ▁every ▁location ▁in ▁order ▁to ▁collect ▁to ll s . ▁Gabriel ▁Mil let , ▁a ▁French ▁By z antin ist , ▁considered ▁the ▁early ▁kom mer ki ario i ▁as ▁mer ch ants ▁of ▁the ▁By z antine ▁em peror , ▁but ▁his ▁views ▁are ▁de emed ▁question able . ▁▁ ▁For ▁one ▁or ▁two ▁years , ▁the ▁[ gen ik os ] ▁kom mer ki arios ▁would ▁rent ▁out ▁his ▁office ▁at ▁public ▁au ction . ▁His ▁functions ▁ent a iled ▁those ▁of ▁a ▁quarter master ▁general