Praefectus urbi
Encyclopedia
The praefectus urbanus or praefectus urbi, in English the urban prefect, was prefect of the city of Rome, and later also of Constantinople
. The office originated under the Roman kings, continued during the Republic and Empire, and held high importance in late Antiquity
. The office survived the collapse of the Western Roman Empire
, and the last urban prefect of Rome, named Iohannes, is attested in 599. In the East, in Constantinople, the office survived until the 13th century.
founded the city of Rome
and instituted the monarchy
he also created the office of custos urbis (guardian of the city) to serve as the king’s chief lieutenant. Appointed by the king to serve for life, the custos urbis served concurrently as the Princeps Senatus
. As the second highest office of state, the custos urbis was the king’s personal representative. In the absence of the king from the city, the custos urbis exercised all of his powers, which included the powers of convoking the Senate
, the popular assemblies
and the exercise of force in the event of an emergency. However, the imperium
he possessed was only valid within the walls of Rome.
Under the kings, only three men held the position. The first king Romulus appointed Denter Romulius to serve as the first custos urbis, the third king Tullus Hostilius
appointed Numa Martius, and the seventh king Tarquinius Superbus appointed Spurius Lucretius.
in 509 BC, the office of custos urbis remained unaltered: having power only within the actual city of Rome and a life term appointed by the consuls
. The custos urbis exercised within the city all the powers of the Consuls if they were absent from Rome. These powers included: convoking the Senate and Comitia Curiata, and, in times of war, levying and commanding legions.
The first major change to the office occurred in 487 BC when the office became an elective magistracy. The Comitia Curiata
elected the custos urbis. The office was only open to those who had formerly served as Consul. Around 450 BC, with the coming of the Decemvirs, the office of the custos urbis was renamed the praefectus urbi (Prefect of the City of Rome). The praefectus urbi, stripped of most of its powers and responsibilities, had become a merely ceremonial role. Most of the powers and responsibilities had been transferred to the Praetor Urbanus
. The praefectus urbi was appointed each year for the sole purpose of allowing the Consuls to celebrate the Festival of the Latins. The praefectus urbi no long held the power to convoke the Senate, or the right of speaking in it, and was appointed by the Consuls instead of being elected.
Augustus
transformed the Roman Republic
into the Roman Empire
in 27 BC, he reformed the office of Prefect at the suggestion of his minister and friend Maecenas. Again elevated into a magistracy, Augustus granted the praefectus urbi all the powers needed to maintain order within the city. The office’s powers also extended beyond Rome itself to the ports of Ostia
and the Portus Romanus, as well as a zone of one hundred Roman miles (ca. 140 km) around the city. Acting as a quasi-mayor
of Rome, the Prefect was the superintendent of all guilds and corporations (collegia), held the responsibility (via the praefectus annonae
) of the city's provision with grain from overseas
, the oversight of the officials responsible for the drainage of the Tiber
and the maintenance of the city's sewers and water supply system
, as well as its monuments. The provisioning of the city's large population with the grain dole was especially important; when the Prefect failed to secure adequate supplies, riots often broke out.
To enable the Prefect to exercise his authority, the cohortes urbanae
, Rome’s police
force, and the nightwatchmen (vigiles
) under their prefect (praefectus vigilum), were placed under his command. The Prefect also had the duty of publishing the laws promulgated by the Emperor, and as such acquired a legal jurisdiction. This extended in legal cases between slaves and their masters, patrons and their freedmen, and over sons who had violated the pietas
towards their parents. Gradually, the judicial powers of the Prefect expanded, as the Prefect's office began to re-assume its old powers from the praetor urbanus. Eventually there was no appeal from the Prefect’s sentencing, except to that of the Roman Emperor
, unlike the sentencing of other officials. Even the governors
of the provinces were subject to the Prefect’s jurisdiction. The Prefect also possessed judicial powers over criminal matters. Originally these powers were exercised in conjunction with those of the quaestor
s, but by the third century, they were exercised alone.
In late Antiquity
, the office gained in effective power, as the imperial court was removed from the city, meaning that the prefects were no longer under the emperor's direct supervision. As a leading member of Italy's still largely pagan senatorial aristocracy, the Prefects of Rome were often themselves pagan: until 323, the office was monopolized by pagans, and even in the next thirty years, Christian holders were few. In such a capacity, Quintus Aurelius Symmachus
played a prominent role in the controversy over the Altar of Victory
in the late 4th century.
The urban prefecture survived the fall of the Western Roman Empire
, and remained active in the periods of the Ostrogothic Kingdom
and the subsequent Byzantine reconquest. The last mention of the Roman urban prefect occurs as late as 879.
(r. 306–337) named Constantinople
the capital of the Roman Empire, he also established a proconsul
to oversee the city. In the late 350s, Constantius II
(r. 337–361) expanded the city's Senate
and set it as equal to that of Rome. Correspondingly, on 11 September or 11 December 359, Constantinople was also granted an urban prefect, commonly called in English the eparch from his Greek title . The prefect was one of the emperor’s chief lieutenants: like his Roman counterpart, the Constantinopolitan prefect was a member of the highest senatorial class, the illustres
, and came immediately after the praetorian prefects
in the imperial hierarchy. As such, the office possessed great prestige and extensive authority, and was one of the few high state offices which could not be occupied by a eunuch
. The prefect was also the formal head of the Senate, presiding over its meetings. Hence, the prefect's nomination had to be formally ratified by the Senate, and unlike the other senior administrative positions of the state (praetorian prefects
and diocesal vicars
), the office's ancient and purely civilian origins were emphasized by the prefect's wearing of the toga
as a ceremonial garb.
The prefect was solely responsible for the administration of the city of Constantinople and its immediate area. His tasks were manifold, ranging from the maintenance of order to the regulation and supervision of all guilds, corporations and public institutions. The city police, the (taxiōtai), came under the prefect's authority, and the city jail was located at the basement of his official residence, the praetorium
, located before the Forum of Constantine
. As with the Prefect of Rome, the night watch came under a subordinate prefect, the (nykteparchos, "night prefect"). In the 530s, however, some authority for the policing and regulation of the city passed to two new offices, created by Justinian I
(r. 527–565). In 535 the praitor of the demoi , who commanded 20 soldiers and 30 firemen, was put in charge of policing and firefighting, while in 539, the office of the quaesitor (κοιαισίτωρ) was established and tasked with limiting the uncontrolled immigration to the city from the provinces, with supervising public mores, and with persecuting sexual offenders and heretics. In the middle Byzantine period, the prefect was regarded as the supreme judge in the capital, after the emperor himself. His role in the economical life of the city was also of principal importance. The 10th-century Book of the Prefect
stipulates the various rules for the various guilds that fell under the prefect's authority. The prefect was also responsible for the appointment of the teachers to the University of Constantinople
, and for the distribution of the grain to the city.
According to the late 9th-century Klētorologion
, his two principal aides were the symponos
and the logothetēs tou praitōriou
. In addition, there were the heads and judges (kritai) of the city's districts (Latin regiones, in Greek , regeōnai), the parathalassitēs
(παραθαλασσίτης), an official responsible for the capital's seashore and ports, as well as their tolls, and several inspectors (epoptai), the heads of the guilds (exarchoi) and the boullōtai, whose function was to check and append the seal of the eparch on weights and scales as well as merchandise.
The office survived until the early 13th century with its functions and authority relatively intact, but following the Fourth Crusade
, it was replaced by several kephalatikeuontes (sing. kephalatikeuon, κεφαλατικεύων), who each oversaw a district in the now much less populous capital.
Constantinople
Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...
. The office originated under the Roman kings, continued during the Republic and Empire, and held high importance in late Antiquity
Late Antiquity
Late Antiquity is a periodization used by historians to describe the time of transition from Classical Antiquity to the Middle Ages, in both mainland Europe and the Mediterranean world. Precise boundaries for the period are a matter of debate, but noted historian of the period Peter Brown proposed...
. The office survived the collapse of the Western Roman Empire
Western Roman Empire
The Western Roman Empire was the western half of the Roman Empire after its division by Diocletian in 285; the other half of the Roman Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire, commonly referred to today as the Byzantine Empire....
, and the last urban prefect of Rome, named Iohannes, is attested in 599. In the East, in Constantinople, the office survived until the 13th century.
Kingly period
In 753 BC when RomulusRomulus and Remus
Romulus and Remus are Rome's twin founders in its traditional foundation myth, although the former is sometimes said to be the sole founder...
founded the city of Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
and instituted the monarchy
Roman Kingdom
The Roman Kingdom was the period of the ancient Roman civilization characterized by a monarchical form of government of the city of Rome and its territories....
he also created the office of custos urbis (guardian of the city) to serve as the king’s chief lieutenant. Appointed by the king to serve for life, the custos urbis served concurrently as the Princeps Senatus
Princeps senatus
The princeps senatus was the first member by precedence of the Roman Senate. Although officially out of the cursus honorum and owning no imperium, this office brought enormous prestige to the senator holding it.-Overview:...
. As the second highest office of state, the custos urbis was the king’s personal representative. In the absence of the king from the city, the custos urbis exercised all of his powers, which included the powers of convoking the Senate
Roman Senate
The Senate of the Roman Republic was a political institution in the ancient Roman Republic, however, it was not an elected body, but one whose members were appointed by the consuls, and later by the censors. After a magistrate served his term in office, it usually was followed with automatic...
, the popular assemblies
Roman assemblies
The Legislative Assemblies of the Roman Republic were political institutions in the ancient Roman Republic. According to the contemporary historian Polybius, it was the people who had the final say regarding the election of magistrates, the enactment of new statutes, the carrying out of capital...
and the exercise of force in the event of an emergency. However, the imperium
Imperium
Imperium is a Latin word which, in a broad sense, translates roughly as 'power to command'. In ancient Rome, different kinds of power or authority were distinguished by different terms. Imperium, referred to the sovereignty of the state over the individual...
he possessed was only valid within the walls of Rome.
Under the kings, only three men held the position. The first king Romulus appointed Denter Romulius to serve as the first custos urbis, the third king Tullus Hostilius
Tullus Hostilius
Tullus Hostilius was the legendary third of the Kings of Rome. He succeeded Numa Pompilius, and was succeeded by Ancus Marcius...
appointed Numa Martius, and the seventh king Tarquinius Superbus appointed Spurius Lucretius.
Republican period
After the expulsion of Tarquinius Superbus in 510 BC and the formation of the RepublicRoman Republic
The Roman Republic was the period of the ancient Roman civilization where the government operated as a republic. It began with the overthrow of the Roman monarchy, traditionally dated around 508 BC, and its replacement by a government headed by two consuls, elected annually by the citizens and...
in 509 BC, the office of custos urbis remained unaltered: having power only within the actual city of Rome and a life term appointed by the consuls
Roman consul
A consul served in the highest elected political office of the Roman Republic.Each year, two consuls were elected together, to serve for a one-year term. Each consul was given veto power over his colleague and the officials would alternate each month...
. The custos urbis exercised within the city all the powers of the Consuls if they were absent from Rome. These powers included: convoking the Senate and Comitia Curiata, and, in times of war, levying and commanding legions.
The first major change to the office occurred in 487 BC when the office became an elective magistracy. The Comitia Curiata
Roman assemblies
The Legislative Assemblies of the Roman Republic were political institutions in the ancient Roman Republic. According to the contemporary historian Polybius, it was the people who had the final say regarding the election of magistrates, the enactment of new statutes, the carrying out of capital...
elected the custos urbis. The office was only open to those who had formerly served as Consul. Around 450 BC, with the coming of the Decemvirs, the office of the custos urbis was renamed the praefectus urbi (Prefect of the City of Rome). The praefectus urbi, stripped of most of its powers and responsibilities, had become a merely ceremonial role. Most of the powers and responsibilities had been transferred to the Praetor Urbanus
Praetor
Praetor was a title granted by the government of Ancient Rome to men acting in one of two official capacities: the commander of an army, usually in the field, or the named commander before mustering the army; and an elected magistratus assigned varied duties...
. The praefectus urbi was appointed each year for the sole purpose of allowing the Consuls to celebrate the Festival of the Latins. The praefectus urbi no long held the power to convoke the Senate, or the right of speaking in it, and was appointed by the Consuls instead of being elected.
Rome
When the first Roman EmperorRoman Emperor
The Roman emperor was the ruler of the Roman State during the imperial period . The Romans had no single term for the office although at any given time, a given title was associated with the emperor...
Augustus
Augustus
Augustus ;23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14) is considered the first emperor of the Roman Empire, which he ruled alone from 27 BC until his death in 14 AD.The dates of his rule are contemporary dates; Augustus lived under two calendars, the Roman Republican until 45 BC, and the Julian...
transformed the Roman Republic
Roman Republic
The Roman Republic was the period of the ancient Roman civilization where the government operated as a republic. It began with the overthrow of the Roman monarchy, traditionally dated around 508 BC, and its replacement by a government headed by two consuls, elected annually by the citizens and...
into the Roman Empire
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
in 27 BC, he reformed the office of Prefect at the suggestion of his minister and friend Maecenas. Again elevated into a magistracy, Augustus granted the praefectus urbi all the powers needed to maintain order within the city. The office’s powers also extended beyond Rome itself to the ports of Ostia
Ostia Antica
Ostia Antica is a large archeological site, close to the modern suburb of Ostia , that was the location of the harbour city of ancient Rome, which is approximately 30 km to the northeast. "Ostia" in Latin means "mouth". At the mouth of the River Tiber, Ostia was Rome's seaport, but, due to...
and the Portus Romanus, as well as a zone of one hundred Roman miles (ca. 140 km) around the city. Acting as a quasi-mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
of Rome, the Prefect was the superintendent of all guilds and corporations (collegia), held the responsibility (via the praefectus annonae
Praefectus annonae
The praefectus annonae was a Roman imperial official charged with the supervision of the grain supply to the city of Rome. Under the republic, the job was usually done by an aedile...
) of the city's provision with grain from overseas
Grain supply to the city of Rome
In classical antiquity, the grain supply to the city of Rome could not be met entirely from the surrounding countryside, which was taken up by the villas and parks of the aristocracy and which produced mainly fruit, vegetables and other perishable goods...
, the oversight of the officials responsible for the drainage of the Tiber
Tiber
The Tiber is the third-longest river in Italy, rising in the Apennine Mountains in Emilia-Romagna and flowing through Umbria and Lazio to the Tyrrhenian Sea. It drains a basin estimated at...
and the maintenance of the city's sewers and water supply system
Sanitation in Ancient Rome
Sanitation in ancient Rome was a complex system similar in many ways to modern sanitation systems. During the Dark Ages, the technical knowledge of the system was lost and has subsequently been investigated by modern-era historians and archeologists....
, as well as its monuments. The provisioning of the city's large population with the grain dole was especially important; when the Prefect failed to secure adequate supplies, riots often broke out.
To enable the Prefect to exercise his authority, the cohortes urbanae
Cohortes urbanae
The cohortes urbanae of ancient Rome were created by Augustus to counterbalance the enormous power of the Praetorian Guard in the city of Rome and serve as a police force...
, Rome’s police
Police
The police is a personification of the state designated to put in practice the enforced law, protect property and reduce civil disorder in civilian matters. Their powers include the legitimized use of force...
force, and the nightwatchmen (vigiles
Vigiles
The Vigiles or more properly the Vigiles Urbani or Cohortes Vigilum were the firefighters and police of Ancient Rome.-History:...
) under their prefect (praefectus vigilum), were placed under his command. The Prefect also had the duty of publishing the laws promulgated by the Emperor, and as such acquired a legal jurisdiction. This extended in legal cases between slaves and their masters, patrons and their freedmen, and over sons who had violated the pietas
Pietas
Pietas was one of the Roman virtues, along with gravitas and dignitas. It is usually translated as "duty" or "devotion."-Definition:The word pietas is originally from Latin. The first printed record of the word’s use in English is from Anselm Bayly’s The Alliance of Music, Poetry, and Oratory,...
towards their parents. Gradually, the judicial powers of the Prefect expanded, as the Prefect's office began to re-assume its old powers from the praetor urbanus. Eventually there was no appeal from the Prefect’s sentencing, except to that of the Roman Emperor
Roman Emperor
The Roman emperor was the ruler of the Roman State during the imperial period . The Romans had no single term for the office although at any given time, a given title was associated with the emperor...
, unlike the sentencing of other officials. Even the governors
Roman governor
A Roman governor was an official either elected or appointed to be the chief administrator of Roman law throughout one or more of the many provinces constituting the Roman Empire...
of the provinces were subject to the Prefect’s jurisdiction. The Prefect also possessed judicial powers over criminal matters. Originally these powers were exercised in conjunction with those of the quaestor
Quaestor
A Quaestor was a type of public official in the "Cursus honorum" system who supervised financial affairs. In the Roman Republic a quaestor was an elected official whereas, with the autocratic government of the Roman Empire, quaestors were simply appointed....
s, but by the third century, they were exercised alone.
In late Antiquity
Late Antiquity
Late Antiquity is a periodization used by historians to describe the time of transition from Classical Antiquity to the Middle Ages, in both mainland Europe and the Mediterranean world. Precise boundaries for the period are a matter of debate, but noted historian of the period Peter Brown proposed...
, the office gained in effective power, as the imperial court was removed from the city, meaning that the prefects were no longer under the emperor's direct supervision. As a leading member of Italy's still largely pagan senatorial aristocracy, the Prefects of Rome were often themselves pagan: until 323, the office was monopolized by pagans, and even in the next thirty years, Christian holders were few. In such a capacity, Quintus Aurelius Symmachus
Quintus Aurelius Symmachus
Quintus Aurelius Symmachus was a Roman statesman, orator, and man of letters. He held the offices of governor of Africa in 373, urban prefect of Rome in 384 and 385, and consul in 391...
played a prominent role in the controversy over the Altar of Victory
Altar of Victory
The Altar of Victory was located in the Roman Senate House bearing a gold statue of the goddess Victory. The altar was established by Octavian in 29 BC in honor of the defeat of Antony and Cleopatra at Actium. The statue depicted a winged woman, holding a palm and descending to present a laurel...
in the late 4th century.
The urban prefecture survived the fall of the Western Roman Empire
Western Roman Empire
The Western Roman Empire was the western half of the Roman Empire after its division by Diocletian in 285; the other half of the Roman Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire, commonly referred to today as the Byzantine Empire....
, and remained active in the periods of the Ostrogothic Kingdom
Ostrogothic Kingdom
The Kingdom established by the Ostrogoths in Italy and neighbouring areas lasted from 493 to 553. In Italy the Ostrogoths replaced Odoacer, the de facto ruler of Italy who had deposed the last emperor of the Western Roman Empire in 476. The Gothic kingdom reached its zenith under the rule of its...
and the subsequent Byzantine reconquest. The last mention of the Roman urban prefect occurs as late as 879.
Constantinople
When the Emperor Constantine IConstantine I
Constantine the Great , also known as Constantine I or Saint Constantine, was Roman Emperor from 306 to 337. Well known for being the first Roman emperor to convert to Christianity, Constantine and co-Emperor Licinius issued the Edict of Milan in 313, which proclaimed religious tolerance of all...
(r. 306–337) named Constantinople
Constantinople
Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...
the capital of the Roman Empire, he also established a proconsul
Proconsul
A proconsul was a governor of a province in the Roman Republic appointed for one year by the senate. In modern usage, the title has been used for a person from one country ruling another country or bluntly interfering in another country's internal affairs.-Ancient Rome:In the Roman Republic, a...
to oversee the city. In the late 350s, Constantius II
Constantius II
Constantius II , was Roman Emperor from 337 to 361. The second son of Constantine I and Fausta, he ascended to the throne with his brothers Constantine II and Constans upon their father's death....
(r. 337–361) expanded the city's Senate
Byzantine Senate
The Byzantine Senate or Eastern Roman Senate was the continuation of the Roman Senate, established in the 4th century by Constantine I. It survived for centuries but was increasingly irrelevant until its eventual disappearance in the 13th century....
and set it as equal to that of Rome. Correspondingly, on 11 September or 11 December 359, Constantinople was also granted an urban prefect, commonly called in English the eparch from his Greek title . The prefect was one of the emperor’s chief lieutenants: like his Roman counterpart, the Constantinopolitan prefect was a member of the highest senatorial class, the illustres
Vir illustris
The title vir illustris is used as a formal indication of standing in late antiquity to describe the highest ranks within the senates of Rome and Constantinople...
, and came immediately after the praetorian prefects
Praetorian prefecture
The praetorian prefecture was the largest administrative division of the late Roman Empire, above the mid-level dioceses and the low-level provinces. Praetorian prefectures originated in the reign of Constantine I The praetorian prefecture was the largest administrative division of the late Roman...
in the imperial hierarchy. As such, the office possessed great prestige and extensive authority, and was one of the few high state offices which could not be occupied by a eunuch
Eunuch
A eunuch is a person born male most commonly castrated, typically early enough in his life for this change to have major hormonal consequences...
. The prefect was also the formal head of the Senate, presiding over its meetings. Hence, the prefect's nomination had to be formally ratified by the Senate, and unlike the other senior administrative positions of the state (praetorian prefects
Praetorian prefecture
The praetorian prefecture was the largest administrative division of the late Roman Empire, above the mid-level dioceses and the low-level provinces. Praetorian prefectures originated in the reign of Constantine I The praetorian prefecture was the largest administrative division of the late Roman...
and diocesal vicars
Roman diocese
A Roman or civil diocese was one of the administrative divisions of the later Roman Empire, starting with the Tetrarchy. It formed the intermediate level of government, grouping several provinces and being in turn subordinated to a praetorian prefecture....
), the office's ancient and purely civilian origins were emphasized by the prefect's wearing of the toga
Toga
The toga, a distinctive garment of Ancient Rome, was a cloth of perhaps 20 ft in length which was wrapped around the body and was generally worn over a tunic. The toga was made of wool, and the tunic under it often was made of linen. After the 2nd century BC, the toga was a garment worn...
as a ceremonial garb.
The prefect was solely responsible for the administration of the city of Constantinople and its immediate area. His tasks were manifold, ranging from the maintenance of order to the regulation and supervision of all guilds, corporations and public institutions. The city police, the (taxiōtai), came under the prefect's authority, and the city jail was located at the basement of his official residence, the praetorium
Praetorium
- Etemology :The praetorium, also spelled prœtorium or pretorium, was originally used to identify the general’s tent within a Roman Castra, Castellum, or encampment. The word originates from the name of the chief Roman magistrate, known as Praetor...
, located before the Forum of Constantine
Forum of Constantine
The Forum of Constantine was built at the foundation of Constantinople immediately outside of the old city walls of Byzantium. It was circular in shape and had two monumental gates to the east and west...
. As with the Prefect of Rome, the night watch came under a subordinate prefect, the (nykteparchos, "night prefect"). In the 530s, however, some authority for the policing and regulation of the city passed to two new offices, created by Justinian I
Justinian I
Justinian I ; , ; 483– 13 or 14 November 565), commonly known as Justinian the Great, was Byzantine Emperor from 527 to 565. During his reign, Justinian sought to revive the Empire's greatness and reconquer the lost western half of the classical Roman Empire.One of the most important figures of...
(r. 527–565). In 535 the praitor of the demoi , who commanded 20 soldiers and 30 firemen, was put in charge of policing and firefighting, while in 539, the office of the quaesitor (κοιαισίτωρ) was established and tasked with limiting the uncontrolled immigration to the city from the provinces, with supervising public mores, and with persecuting sexual offenders and heretics. In the middle Byzantine period, the prefect was regarded as the supreme judge in the capital, after the emperor himself. His role in the economical life of the city was also of principal importance. The 10th-century Book of the Prefect
Book of the Prefect
The Book of the Prefect or Eparch is a Byzantine commercial manual or guide addressed to the eparch of Constantinople...
stipulates the various rules for the various guilds that fell under the prefect's authority. The prefect was also responsible for the appointment of the teachers to the University of Constantinople
University of Constantinople
The University of Constantinople, sometimes known as the University of the palace hall of Magnaura in the Roman-Byzantine Empire was founded in 425 under the name of Pandidakterion...
, and for the distribution of the grain to the city.
According to the late 9th-century Klētorologion
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...
, his two principal aides were the symponos
Symponos
The symponos was, along with the logothetes tou praitoriou, one of the two senior subalterns to the Eparch of Constantinople, the chief administrator of the capital of the Byzantine Empire. His main responsibility was the supervision of the city's guilds on the Eparch's behalf...
and the logothetēs tou praitōriou
Logothetes tou praitoriou
The logothetēs tou praitōriou was a senior official, one of the two principal aides of the Eparch of Constantinople, the capital of the Byzantine Empire. Literary and sigillographic evidence attests to the existence of this office from the late 7th or early 8th century up to the 11th century...
. In addition, there were the heads and judges (kritai) of the city's districts (Latin regiones, in Greek , regeōnai), the parathalassitēs
Parathalassites
The parathalassitēs was a Byzantine judicial and administrative office which, as its name implies, exercised control over maritime traffic and the imports and tolls on goods conveyed thereby....
(παραθαλασσίτης), an official responsible for the capital's seashore and ports, as well as their tolls, and several inspectors (epoptai), the heads of the guilds (exarchoi) and the boullōtai, whose function was to check and append the seal of the eparch on weights and scales as well as merchandise.
The office survived until the early 13th century with its functions and authority relatively intact, but following the Fourth Crusade
Fourth Crusade
The Fourth Crusade was originally intended to conquer Muslim-controlled Jerusalem by means of an invasion through Egypt. Instead, in April 1204, the Crusaders of Western Europe invaded and conquered the Christian city of Constantinople, capital of the Eastern Roman Empire...
, it was replaced by several kephalatikeuontes (sing. kephalatikeuon, κεφαλατικεύων), who each oversaw a district in the now much less populous capital.