The demes were chariot racing factions in the Roman and later Byzantine Empires, which over time developed into social and political factions. There were four demes; the dominant two were the Blues an
A winner of a chariot race, from the Greens
Mosaic from Lyon illustrating a chariot race with the four factions: Blue, Green, Red and White
Kom El Deka in Alexandria. 6th-century graffiti on the seats shows support for the Blues and Greens.
Charioteers in the red tunics of their faction from the Charioteer Papyrus (c. 500)
Theodora was the wife of emperor Justinian I and Eastern Roman empress from 527 until her death. Theodora was one of Justinian's chief political advisers. She is recognized as a saint in the Eastern O
Demes in the Byzantine Empire
…faction colors spread to organizers of spectacles in theaters and amphitheaters. For example, Procopius recounts that the father of the future empress Theodora was a bear-keeper for the Greens. A more fanciful origin story of the demes is given by John Malalas, who says that, when Romulus saw that the Romans…
Depiction from a contemporary portrait mosaic in the Basilica of San Vitale, Ravenna
Empress Theodora and attendants (mosaic from Basilica of San Vitale, 6th century)
Depiction of Justinian from a contemporary portrait mosaic in the Basilica of San Vitale, Ravenna
Théodora (1887), by Jean-Joseph Benjamin-Constant, Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes