The Prefect In The Early Roman Egypt

In the Early Roman Egypt the prefect was the legate of the emperor and directly wasappointed by the emperor. The prefect had the authority within the province in all areas. Thestudy of the prefect helps us know the changes in Egypt under the rule of Roman and theprovince system of the Roman Empire. The foreign scholars have done a great deal of discussions and comments on the topic.Moreover, their papers and books were published. The domestic scholars usually mention theprefect in the study of the system of the Roman provinces. Among the material available tome, there are most discussions on the prefect as a part of the administration system of theRoman provinces and few discussions on the origin and responsibility and tenure. The time ofmy thesis ranges from the time when Augustus led army into Egypt in 30BC to the beginningof rule of Diocletian. Studying the prefect, I aim to see the rule way of the Romans in Egyptunder a new angle. My thesis is divided into six parts. In the introduction I explain the limited time of thethesis and the historical reason. And I also introduce the reason for my thesis. In the firstchapter I explain Egypt under Roman was not a private estate of the emperor but an imperialprovince. The military sensitivity and the importance of the grain supply made the prefectspecial. In the second chapter I define the term 'prefect' from etymology. And I present an ideathat the prefect was from the equestrian rank. Moreover, the origin and the title and the tenureof the prefect were different from the other governors in the Roman provinces. So it alsoillustrates the special character of the prefect. In the third chapter I introduce the subordinatesof the prefect and their different responsibilities. For as a governor of the wealthy provincethe prefect could exert a certain influence on political situation of Rome. The emperorcontrolled the prefect and the province through correspondence and visits. In the fourthchapter I introduce briefly the responsibilities of the prefect. And his responsibilities weredivided into three parts: the military responsibility, the judicature responsibility and the taxresponsibility. My conclusion is that setting up the official position of the prefect was an important wayby which the Romans ruled Egypt. The prefect was special in the origin and responsibility etc.It also illustrates the special role of Egypt among the Roman provinces and the flexibility ofthe Roman policy.