The “Municipal” "praefecti" in Light of the Documentation Preserved in Roman Spain: Reflections and Main Testimonies on a Civic Promagistracy

Abstract

This paper firstly propounds that the prefecture as a civic promagistracy must have already been instituted in different Italic municipalities and colonies since the end of the Republic (44-42 BC), coexisting with the interregnum. Between 43 and 32 BC, the prefects appointed by local senates must have begun to appear and to replace gradually the interreges. Then, in the matter of the nature of the single prefect which figures in Chapter 25 of the leges Irnitana y Salpensana, our analysis tries showing that this rule was in a limited period of validity. Finally, we make a detailed study of the sociopolitical profile of those who were municipal praefecti in the cities of Roman Spain.

Keywords

• administración local romana
• magistrados municipales
• legislación municipal romana
• élites locales hispanas.