Roman diocese
Dioikesis (Greek διοίκησις, latin dioecesis, German diocese ) originally referred to the administration, and particularly the State Revenue Service. In Athens is occupied as the official name in the second half of the 4th century BC epi tei dioikesei ( " the Management "). This could have been a single " top administrative official " or to a committee.
In the Roman Empire the term was sometimes used in the sense of an administrative district, as of Marcus Tullius Cicero for some small Asian districts.
Dioceses as an administrative unit in the Roman Empire
Empire outline
Larger distribution, the term used only in Late Antiquity: The Roman Empire was first divided into 46 provinces, which were increased by Diocletian essentially by dividing by 300 to 119 provinces, which in turn were grouped into dioceses. The head of the dioceses ( and provinces ) was the vicar, Deputy after 312 emerged from the military praetorian civil officials. Dating back to the Diocletian classification Veronese directory ( Laterculus Veronensis ) lists the following twelve dioceses:
- Dioecesis Africae (6 provinces )
- Dioecesis Asiana (6 )
- Dioecesis Britanniae ( 4)
- Dioecesis Galliae ( 8)
- Dioecesis Hispaniae ( 7)
- Dioecesis Italiae (13 )
- Dioecesis Moesiae (10)
- Dioecesis Orientis (13 )
- Dioecesis Pannoniarum (7)
- Dioecesis pontica ( 8)
- Dioecesis Thraciarum (6)
- Dioecesis Viennensis ( 5)
After the division of the kingdom 395 saw the structure in four prefectures, 15 dioceses and 119 provinces as follows:
- Eastern Roman Empire Prafectus Praetorian by orientem Dioecesis aegypti (6 provinces )
- Dioecesis Orientis (15 )
- Dioecesis pontica (13 )
- Dioecesis Asiana (9 )
- Dioecesis Thraciarum (6)
- Dioecesis Macedoniae (7)
- Dioecesis Daciae (5)
- Praetorian Prefect by Italiam et Africam / Italiae et Africae Dioecesis Pannoniarum (7)
- Dioecesis Italiae Annonariae ( 7)
- Dioecesis Italiae Suburbicariae (10 )
- Dioecesis Africae (6 )
- Dioecesis Britanniae ( 4)
- Dioecesis Galliae (10 )
- Dioecesis September Provinciarum ( 7)
- Dioecesis Hispaniae ( 7)
The changes: " Oriens " was split into " Oriens " and " Aegyptus ", " Moesia " in " Macedonia " and " Dacia ", and " Italia " in " Italia Annonariae " and " Italia Suburbicariae "; " Viennensis " was renamed " September Provinciae ".
In the Eastern Roman Empire, the late antique diocesan structure was only abandoned in the face of Islamic expansion ( from 630 ) in favor of the constitutional issues, earlier in the West.
Other sources of division of the empire into dioceses are the Laterculus of Polemius Silvius, the Notitia Dignitatum and Synekdemos of Hierocles.
Function of the Diocese
The diocese has in the structure of the Roman Empire in Prefecture - Diocese - Province of the position of an agent instance. Their functions are therefore:
- Court of first instance in cases that are too great for a decision at the provincial level
- Supervision and control over the provinces
- Appeal Board