Diocese of Egypt

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Dioecesis Aegypti
Διοίκησις Αιγύπτου
Diocese of Egypt
Diocese of the Roman Empire
ca. 380 – 630s
Location of Diocese of Egypt
The Diocese of Egypt ca. 400 AD.
Historical era Late Antiquity
 - Established 380
 - Arab conquest 640s

The Diocese of Egypt (Latin: Dioecesis Aegypti, Greek: Διοίκησις Αιγύπτου) was a diocese of the later Roman Empire, incorporating the provinces of Egypt and Cyrenaica. Its capital was at Alexandria, and its governor had the unique title of praefectus augustalis ("Augustal Prefect", of the rank vir spectabilis) instead of the ordinary "vicarius". The diocese was initially part of the Diocese of the East, but around the year 380, it became a separate entity, which lasted until its territories were finally overrun by the Muslim conquest in the 640s.

The diocese included originally five provinces. The three Egyptian ones were Aegyptus Iovia (the western Nile Delta, including Alexandria), Aegyptus Herculia (the eastern Delta) and the Thebais, which was bounded to the south by the First Cataract of the Nile. The Cyrenaica and the Marmarica formed the provinces of Libya Superior (or Exterior) and Libya Inferior (or Interior) respectively. Aegyptus Iovia was later renamed to "Aegyptus" and Herculia to "Augustamnica" to remove the pagan connotations. By the early 6th century, the provinces had increased to eight: Aegyptus I and II, Augustamnica I and II, Thebais Superior and Inferior and Arcadia.

During the reforms of Justinian I in the late 530s, the administrative structure changed again. The overall prefect was abolished, and five independent governors (duces), who combined military and civilian authority, were appointed instead. Two of them, the dux Alexandriae and the dux Thebaidos also held the title augustalis (dux et augustalis).[1]

[edit] List of Praefecti Augustalii

Taken from the Prosopography of the Later Roman Empire:

  • Flavius Eutolmius Tatianus (367-370)
  • Olympius Palladius (370-371)
  • Aelius Palladius (371-374)
  • Publius (ca. 376)
  • Bassianus (ca. 379)
  • Hadrianus (ca. 379)
  • Iulianus (ca. 380)
  • Antoninus (381-382)
  • Palladius (382)
  • Hypatius (383)
  • Optatus (384)
  • Florentius (384-386)
  • Paulinus (386-387)
  • Eusebius (387)
  • Flavius Ulpius Erythrius (388)
  • Alexander (388-390)
  • Evagrius (391)
  • Hypatius (392)
  • Potamius (392)
  • Petrus Marcellinus Felix Liberius (ca. 539-542)

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ The Cambridge History of Africa, p. 447
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