The praetorian prefecture of the East, or of the Orient (, ) was one of four large

praetorian prefecture The praetorian prefecture (; in Ancient Greek, Greek variously named ) was the largest administrative division of the Late Antiquity, late Roman Empire, above the mid-level Roman diocese, dioceses and the low-level Roman province, provinces. Praeto ...

s into which the

Late Roman Empire In historiography, the Late or Later Roman Empire, traditionally covering the period from 284 CE to 641 CE, was a time of significant transformation in Roman governance, society, and religion. Diocletian's reforms, including the establishment of t ...

was divided. As it comprised the larger part of the

Eastern Roman Empire The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived the events that caused the fall of the Western Roman E ...

, and its seat was at

Constantinople Constantinople (#Names of Constantinople, see other names) was a historical city located on the Bosporus that served as the capital of the Roman Empire, Roman, Byzantine Empire, Byzantine, Latin Empire, Latin, and Ottoman Empire, Ottoman empire ...

, the praetorian prefect was the second most powerful man in the East, after the Emperor, in essence serving as his first minister.

Structure

The Prefecture was established after the death of

Constantine the Great Constantine I (27 February 27222 May 337), also known as Constantine the Great, was a Roman emperor from AD 306 to 337 and the first Roman emperor to convert to Christianity. He played a Constantine the Great and Christianity, pivotal ro ...

in 337, when the empire was split up among his sons and

Constantius II Constantius II (; ; 7 August 317 – 3 November 361) was Roman emperor from 337 to 361. His reign saw constant warfare on the borders against the Sasanian Empire and Germanic peoples, while internally the Roman Empire went through repeated civ ...

received the rule of the East, with a

praetorian prefect The praetorian prefect (; ) was a high office in the Roman Empire. Originating as the commander of the Praetorian Guard, the office gradually acquired extensive legal and administrative functions, with its holders becoming the Emperor's chief ai ...

as his chief aide. The part allotted to Constantius encompassed four (later five)

dioceses In Ecclesiastical polity, church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided Roman province, prov ...

, each in turn comprising several

provinces A province is an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman , which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions outside Italy. The term ''provi ...

. The authority of the prefecture stretched from the Eastern

Balkans The Balkans ( , ), corresponding partially with the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throug ...

, grouped into the

Diocese of Thrace The Diocese of Thrace (, ) was a diocese of the later Roman Empire, incorporating the provinces of the eastern Balkan Peninsula (comprising territories in modern south-eastern Romania, central and eastern Bulgaria, and Greek and Turkish Thrace) ...

, to

Asia Minor Anatolia (), also known as Asia Minor, is a peninsula in West Asia that makes up the majority of the land area of Turkey. It is the westernmost protrusion of Asia and is geographically bounded by the Mediterranean Sea to the south, the Aegean ...

, divided into the dioceses of Asiana and Pontus, and the Middle East, with the dioceses of

Orient The Orient is a term referring to the East in relation to Europe, traditionally comprising anything belonging to the Eastern world. It is the antonym of the term ''Occident'', which refers to the Western world. In English, it is largely a meto ...

and

Egypt Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...

List of known ''praefecti praetorio Orientis''

Pompeius Probus Pompeius Probus ( 307–314) was a politician of the Roman Empire during the Tetrarchy, active at the Eastern court under Emperors Galerius and Licinius. Life Probus was a member of the Petronia gens, Petronii Probi, a family of the senatorial a ...

* Ablabius (329–337/338) * Septimius Acindynus (338–340) * Philippus (344–351) * Thalassius (351–354) * Domitianus (354) * Strategius Musonianus (354–358) * Flavius Hermogenes (358–360) * Helpidius (February 360 – December 361) * Saturninius Secundus Salutius (361 until some years into the reign of Valentinian) * Nebridius * Domitius Modestus (369–377) * Quintus Clodius Hermogenianus Olybrius (379) *

Neoterius Flavius Neoterius (''fl''. 365–393) was a politician of the Roman Empire. He served as Praetorian prefect of the East, of Italy, and of Gaul. In 390 he was co-consul with Valentinian II. Life Probably born in Rome, he was ''notarius'' un ...

(380–381) * Maternus Cynegius (384–388) * Eutolmius Tatianus (388–392) * Flavius Rufinus (392, September 10 – 395, November 27) * Caesarius (1st time, 395, November 30 – 397, July 13) * Eutychianus (1st time, 397, September 4 – 399, July 25) * Aurelianus (1st time, 399, August 17 – October 2) * possibly Eutychianus (2nd time, 399, December 11 – 400, July 12) * Caesarius (2nd time, 400–403) * Eutychianus (3rd time, 404–405) * Flavius Anthemius (405–414) * Monaxius (1st time, 10 May – 30 November 414) * Aurelianus (2nd time, 414–416) * Monaxius (2nd time, 26 August 416 – 27 May 420) * Eustathius (420–422) * Asclepiodotus (423–425) * Aetius (425) * Hierius (1st time, 425–428) * Flavius Florentius (1st time, 428–430) * Antiochus Chuzon (430–431) * Rufinus (431–432) * Hierius (2nd time, 432) * Flavius Taurus (1st time, 433–434) *

Anthemius Isidorus Flavius Anthemius Isidorus (Greek: Άνθέμιος Ίσίδωρος; 410–436) was a politician of the Eastern Roman Empire, the maternal uncle of the Western emperor Anthemius. Biography A native of Egypt, Isidorus, the name by which he is ...

(435–436) * Darius (436–437) * Flavius Florentius (2nd time, c. 438–439) * Flavius Taurus Seleucus Cyrus (439–441) * Thomas (442) *

Apollonius Apollonius () is a masculine given name which may refer to: People Ancient world Artists * Apollonius of Athens (sculptor) (fl. 1st century BC) * Apollonius of Tralles (fl. 2nd century BC), sculptor * Apollonius (satyr sculptor) * Apo ...

(442–443) * Zoilus (444) * Hermocrates (444) * Flavius Taurus (2nd time, 445) * Flavius Constantinus (first term, c. 447) * Antiochus (448) * Flavius Florentius Romanus Protogenes (448–449) * Hormisdas (449–450) * Palladius (450–455) * Flavius Constantinus (second term, 456) * Flavius Constantinus (third term, 459) * Flavius Antoninus Messala Vivianus (459–460) * Pusaeus (465) * Amasius (c. 469) * Matronianus (491) * Hierius (494–496) * Euphemius (496) * Polycarpus (498) * Constantine (1st time, 502) * Appion (503) * Leontius (503–504) * Constantine (2nd time, 505) * Eustathius (505–506) * Zoticus (511–512) * Marinus (1st time, c. 512–515) * Sergius (517) * Marinus (2nd time, 519) * Demosthenes (520–524) * Archelaus (524–527) * Basilides (c. 527) * Atarbius (c. 528) * Iulianus (530–531) *

John the Cappadocian John the Cappadocian () (''Floruit, fl.'' 530s, living 548) was a praetorian prefect of the East (532–541) in the Byzantine Empire under Byzantine Emperor, Emperor Justinian I (r. 527–565). He was also a Patrikios, patrician and the ''Roman ...

(1st time, 531–532) * Phokas (533) *

(2nd time, 533–541) * Flavius Comitas Theodorus Bassus (c. 541) as John's deputy * Peter Barsymes (1st time, 543–546) * Flavius Comitas Theodorus Bassus (c. 548) * Addaeus (c. 551) *

Hephaestus Hephaestus ( , ; wikt:Hephaestus#Alternative forms, eight spellings; ) is the Greek god of artisans, blacksmiths, carpenters, craftsmen, fire, metallurgy, metalworking, sculpture and volcanoes.Walter Burkert, ''Greek Religion'' 1985: III.2. ...

(551–552) * Areobindus (c. 553) * Peter Barsymes (2nd time, 555–562) * Diomedes (c. 572) * Georgius (c. 598) * Constantine Lardys (c. 602)

References

Sources

* The

Prosopography of the Later Roman Empire ''Prosopography of the Later Roman Empire'' (abbreviated as ''PLRE'') is a work of Roman prosopography published in a set of three volumes collectively describing many of the people attested to have lived in the Roman Empire from AD 260, the date ...

(PLRE), Vols. I-III: (Vol. II, pp. 1250–1252;) * {{DEFAULTSORT:East Praetorian Prefecture 7th-century disestablishments 337 establishments 4th century in the Byzantine Empire 5th century in the Byzantine Empire 6th century in the Byzantine Empire 7th century in the Byzantine Empire