Roman province
The Roman provinces were administrative units of the Roman Empire.
For each of the provinces and a total overview, see:
- List of Roman provinces to Diocletian
- List of Roman provinces from Diocletian
- List of provinces of the Roman Empire
Historical Development
Originally, the Latin term describing provincia ( " task commitment" ) a task pane in the administration of the city of Rome. With the acquisition of additional areas used for our own state administration tasks, ie provinces were in the later sense. By the 1st century BC, there was no fixed administrative units, but the magistrates were each given a task pane ( provincia) assigned its cutting could change. Administrators of the provinces were in the time of the Roman Republic consuls or praetors usually either still in their term of office or in direct connection to it, then as propraetors or proconsuls.
The first provinces were 241 BC the island of Sicily, which had been conquered during the First Punic War, and from 237 BC Sardinia. Rome sent a praetor each with a small contingent of security on these islands. It was followed by the Iberian Peninsula. 81 BC Lucius Cornelius Sulla Felix passed a law that praetors and consuls to committed after the clothing of their municipal office, in the following year to take over a province. Pompey established in 52 BC with the Provincial Law finally the governorship as an independent office. Towards the end of the Roman Republic at death Gaius Julius Caesar in 44 BC Rome decreed regularly over 18 provinces.
In imperial times the provincial division of the kingdom has been amended several times and reformed. Augustus divided the provinces into imperial and (modern so-called ) " senatorial ". These were still administered by proconsuls, while the governors were in the imperial provinces Legato Augusti per praetore ( " envoys of the emperor instead of a praetor " ), prefects or procurators.
Under Emperor Diocletian were from 285 as a higher outline level 12 (later 14) introduced dioceses, which presided vicars, and under Constantine I. Moreover, the Prätorianerpräfektur. The hierarchical sequence here was Prefecture - Diocese - province. The currently Diocletian and his successors often newly defined Late Antique provinces were smaller by dividing than the older administrative units in general, the total number was increased to about 120, almost doubled. With the end of antiquity then came the end of the Roman provinces in the west in the 5th / 6th Century, in the east only in the decades following the Arab expansion ( from 632 ).
Principles of Roman provincial administration
One of the principles of Roman provincial administration it was, the existing administrative and legal institutions in the respective area / country to get as far as possible (if such were ever available, which was not usually the case in the provinces outside the Mediterranean ).
Subject to the Roman administration
- The decision on taxes,
- The imposition of the death penalty and
- The military in the respective province.
These tasks were organized by a small rod about the governor. The tax collection, the cause of Quaestors or procurators had been so comprehensively difficult to enforce, especially in large provinces, which is why you granted licenses for the collection of funds to the local elites, who therefore invited the tax liability of their environment and the charges for the further discharge itself moved in.
For the population of the provinces - unless they belonged to the upper class, who lost their privileges - this was usually an improvement in the situation, but she was no longer at the mercy of local despots exposed. Just the fact that local authorities could not impose the death penalty - every Roman citizen could appeal ( to the emperor in the imperial period ) (such as the Apostle Paul) to propraetor, each free provincials to the governor - introduced before for many provincials a Roman rule unprecedented legal certainty.
On the fact that there the vast majority of the population under Roman rule was better off than before, is also due that in the nearly 700 years of Roman provincial administration only a few rebellions against Rome came (eg Pannonian revolt, the Boudicca uprising and also Jewish riots ).
Exploitation
Main problem of Roman provincial administration was the exploitation of the provinces by the governor in the Republican era.
Since Roman government officials based no salary, had to pay the very expensive election campaign and the official guidance from their own pockets, they were often penniless after their reign. Then came they, as governor in a province, they tried to renovate there financially. The Romans said this: ". Arm he entered the rich province, rich he left the poor " The province could, however, while complaining in Rome, but if they do not have such a good process - lawyer like Marcus Tullius Cicero, in the case of the Sicilian governor Gaius Verres in 70 years could commit BC, their chances were often low. In imperial times, the position of the provinces improved, since the emperor controlled his governor in their own interest.