List of governors of Roman Egypt

During the Roman Empire, the governor of Roman Egypt (praefectus Aegypti) was a prefect who administered the Roman province of Egypt with the delegated authority (imperium) of the emperor.

"Pompey's Pillar", erected in Alexandria by the governor Aristius Optatus in the reign of Diocletian (r. 284–305)

Egypt was established as a Roman province in consequence of the Battle of Actium, where Cleopatra as the last independent ruler of Egypt and her Roman ally Mark Antony were defeated by Octavian, the adopted heir of the assassinated Roman dictator Julius Caesar. Octavian then rose to supreme power with the title Augustus, ending the era of the Roman Republic and installing himself as princeps, the so-called "leading citizen" of Rome who in fact acted as an autocratic ruler. Although senators continued to serve as governors of most other provinces (the senatorial provinces), especially those annexed under the Republic, the role of Egypt during the civil war with Antony and its strategic and economic importance prompted Augustus to ensure that no rival could secure Aegyptus as an asset. He thus established Egypt as an imperial province, to be governed by a prefect he appointed from men of the equestrian order.

A prefect of Egypt usually held the office for three or four years.[1] An equestrian appointed to the office received no specialized training, and seems to have been chosen for his military experience and knowledge of Roman law and administration.[1] Any knowledge he might have of Egypt and its arcane traditions of politics and bureaucracy—which Philo of Alexandria described as "intricate and diversified, hardly grasped even by those who have made a business of studying them from their earliest years"—was incidental to his record of Roman service and the emperor's favor.[1]

Prefects during the Principate

Unless otherwise noted, governors from 30 BC to AD 299 are taken from Guido Bastianini, "Lista dei prefetti d'Egitto dal 30a al 299p", Zeitschrift für Papyrologie und Epigraphik, 17 (1975), pp. 263-321, 323-328

Later Roman Diocese (323 – 640)

Prefects of the province of Egypt[9]

# Governor Start End Title as governor Termination
1 Julius Julianus 328 unknown -
2 Septimius Zenius 328 329 -
3 Magninianus 330 -
4 Florentius 331 -
5 Hyginius 332 -
6 Paternus 333 334 -
7 Flavius Philagrius 334 337 -
8 Flavius Anthonius Theodorus 337 338 -
9 Flavius Philagrius 338 340 -
10 Longinus 341 343 -
11 Paladius of Italy 344 345 -
12 Nestorius of Gaza 345 352 -
13 Sebastianus of Thrace 353 354 -
14 Maximus 'the elder' of Nicaea 355 356 -
15 Cataphronius 356 357 -
16 Hermoginus Parnasius 357 359 -
17 Italicianus of Italy 359 359 -
18 Faustinus 359 361 -
19 Gerontius 361 362 -
20 Icdicius Olympus 362 363 -
21 Herius (or Aerius) 364 364 -
22 Maximus 364 364 -
23 Flavianus 364 366 -
24 Procolitianus 366 367 -
25 Flavius Eutolmius Tatianus 367 370 -
26 Olympus Paladius 370 371 -
27 Elius Paladius 371 373 -
28 Hadrianus 379 380 -
29 Julius Julianus 380 382 -
30 Paladius 382 383 -
31 Hebatius 383 383 -
32 Anthonius 383 384 -
33 Optatus 384 384 -
34 Florintius 384 386 -
35 Euzipius 386 386 -
36 Paulinus 386 387 -
37 Flavius Olpius Artherius ؟؟؟ ؟؟؟ -
38 Tudurus ؟؟؟ ؟؟؟ -
39 Flurus ؟؟؟ ؟؟؟ -
40 Alexander ؟؟؟ ؟؟؟ -
41 Poethus ؟؟؟ ؟؟؟ -
42 Anthimius ؟؟؟ ؟؟؟ -
43 Theoctisius ؟؟؟ ؟؟؟ -
44 Theognostus ؟؟؟ ؟؟؟ -
45 Pergamius ؟؟؟ ؟؟؟ -
46 Apollonius ؟؟؟ ؟؟؟ -
47 Arsinius ؟؟؟ ؟؟؟ -
48 Eustathius ؟؟؟ ؟؟؟ -
49 Neodusius ؟؟؟ ؟؟؟ -
50 Deoscurus ؟؟؟ ؟؟؟ -
51 Rudun ؟؟؟ ؟؟؟ -
52 Pentadius 403 404[10] -
53 Orestes 412 415[11] -
54 Alexander ؟؟؟ ؟؟؟ -
55 Evagrius ؟؟؟ ؟؟؟ -
56 Hebatius ؟؟؟ ؟؟؟ -
57 Potamius ؟؟؟ ؟؟؟ -
58 Evagrius ؟؟؟ ؟؟؟ -
59 Genadius ؟؟؟ ؟؟؟ -
60 Remegius ؟؟؟ ؟؟؟ -
61 Archilaus ؟؟؟ ؟؟؟ -
62 Petrus Marcellinus Felix Liberius c.538 542 -
63 Pothalius ؟؟؟ ؟؟؟ -
64 Aurestus ؟؟؟ ؟؟؟ -
65 Calistus ؟؟؟ ؟؟؟ -
66 Cleopatra ؟؟؟ ؟؟؟ -
67 Carmosinus ؟؟؟ ؟؟؟ -
68 John Laxarion ؟؟؟ ؟؟؟ -
69 Hefastus ؟؟؟ ؟؟؟ -
70 Germanus Gestinius ؟؟؟ between 581 and 582 -
71 John 582 584(?) -
72 Paulus 585 ؟؟؟ -
73 John (restored) 588 ؟؟؟ -
74 Costantinus 592 ؟؟؟ -
75 Menas 595 ؟؟؟ -
76 Petrus Gestinius 600 603 -
77 John 606 ؟؟؟ -
78 Nectias 614 ؟؟؟ -

Sassanian Occupation
# Governor Start End Termination
1 Shahrbaraz 618 before 621
2 Sahralanyozan ca. 621 625?
3 Shahrbaraz ca. 626? ca. 628 Egypt recorded as being under Shahrbaraz's control when he concluded his agreement with Heraclius on withdrawal of Persian troops

Second Byzantine period
# King Start End Title as governor Termination
78 Anastasius 629 640 -
Cyrus of Alexandria 630s 630s Patriarch and Pope recalled by the emperor
79 Theodore 641 642 -
Cyrus of Alexandria 630s 642 Patriarch and Pope surrendered to Umar

References
  1. Alan K. Bowman, Egypt After the Pharaohs 332 BC-AD 642: From Alexander to the Arab Conquest (University of California Press, 1986, 1996), p. 66.
  2. Following here Magioncalda Andreina, "La carriera di l. Iulius Ursus e le alte prefetture equestri nel I sec. D.C.", Cahiers du Centre Gustave Glotz, 23 (2012), pp. 118f
  3. O.W. Reinmuth disagrees, dating Quadratus between 180 and 190. ("A Working List of the Prefects of Egypt, 30 B.C. to 299 A.D.", in Bulletin of the American Society of Papyrologists, 4 (1967), p. 104)
  4. Guido Bastianini ("Lista dei prefetti d'Egitto dal 30a al 299p: Aggiunte e correzioni", Zeitschrift für Papyrologie und Epigraphik, 38 (1980), p. 83) found a document from his term dated to 179
  5. Bastianini ("Lista dei prefetti d'Egitto dal 30a al 299p: Aggiunte e correzioni", p. 86) found a document from his term dated to 214
  6. Added from Bastianini, "Lista dei prefetti d'Egitto dal 30a al 299p: Aggiunte e correzioni", pp. 75-89
  7. Guido Bastianini ("Lista dei prefetti d'Egitto dal 30a al 299p: Aggiunte e correzioni", p. 86) found a document from his term dated to 291
  8. However, John R. Martindale dates his tenure to 310 ("Prosopography of the Later Roman Empire: Addenda et Corrigenda to Volume I", Historia: Zeitschrift für Alte Geschichte, 23 (1974) p. 248)
  9. Unless otherwise noted, governors from 328 CE to 373 CE are taken from Philip Schaff and Henry Wace, A Select Library of Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers of the Christian Church: St. Athanasius: Select works and letters, (1892), pp. xci
  10. Dzielska, Hypatia of Alexandria, p. 40
  11. Jones, "The Prosopography of the Later Roman Empire, Volume 2", p. 810

Further reading
  • Heinz Hübner: Der Praefectus Aegypti von Diokletian bis zum Ende der römischen Herrschaft. Filser, München-Pasing 1952.
  • Oscar William Reinmuth: The Prefect of Egypt from Augustus to Diocletian. Leipzig 1935.
  • Arthur Stein: Die Präfekten von Ägypten in der römischen Kaiserzeit. Francke, Bern 1950.


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