II The Pretorian Prefect of the East.
Under the control of the illustrious* pretorian prefect of the East are the dioceses below mentioned:
[*] Each of the great officials of the empire at this time was dignified and graded by one of three titles: illustris, ” illustrious; ” speciabilis, ” worshipful;” clarissimus, “right honorable.” The first of these titles is the highest. A study of the Notitia will show the bearers of the respective titles. In general, it may be said that the illustrious correspond in rank to our cabinet officers, the worshipful to our State governors and highest military officers, and the right honorable to our brigadier-generals and colonels. See the references to Gibbon, Bury and Hodgkin in the bibliography, p. 40.
of the East; of Egypt; of Asia; of Pontus; of Thrace.
Provinces:
of [the diocese of] the East fifteen:
Palestine; Phoenice; Syria; Cilicia; Cyprus; Arabia (also a duke and a military count); Isauria; Palaestina salutaris; Palaestina secunda; Phoenice Libani; Euphratensis; Syria salutaris; Osroena; Mesopotamia; Cilicia secunda.
of [the diocese of] Egypt five:
upper Libya; lower Libya; Thebais; Egypt; Arcadia.
of (the diocese of] Asia ten:
Pamphylia; Hellespontus; Lydia; Pisidia; Lycaonia; Phrygia Pacatiana; Phrygia salutaris; Lycia; Caria; the Islands.
of [the diocese of] Pontus ten:
Galatia; Bithynia; Honorias; Cappadocia prima; Cappadocia secunda; Pontus Polemoniacus; Helenopontus; Armenia prima; Armenia securida; Galatia)’ salutaris.
of [the diocese of] Thrace six.
Europa; Thracia; Heemimontus; Rhodopa; Moesia secunda-, Scythia.
The staff *1 of the illustrious pretorian prefect of the East:
chief of staff, (princeps)
chief deputy, (cornicularius)
chief assistant, (adiutor)
custodian, (commentariensis)
keeper of the records, (ab actis)
Receivers of taxes, (numerarii)
Assistants, (subadiuuae)
A curator of correspondence, (cura epistolarum)
A registrar, (regerendarius)
Secretaries, (exceptores)
Aids, (adiutores)
Notaries. (singularii)
The pretorian prefect of the East does not receive post-warrants*2 for each year, but himself issues them.
[*1] The dozen officers or types of officers here indicated were the heads of departments under the pretorian prefect. All the other officia or staffs were on a similar model. These officials belonged to the political aristocracy. The whole number of officers might run into the hundreds, besides numbers of slaves who did the drudgery. The count of the officials; the proconsul of Africa, 400; the vicar of Africa, 300; the sacred bounties, 224 regular assistants and 610 supernumeraries. The beginning of a civil service career under the pretorian prefect for a Roman gentleman, after a training in the law, was the post of “treasury advocate” of whom we are told that there were at one time 150 under a single prefect.
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