Le cursus publicus

Abstract

At the same time as a historiographical assessment, we will take the point on the inscriptions and the texts at our disposal to understand the evolutions of the “imperial post” between 284 and 410 AD. After a presentation of what is transported by this service, we will look at its administrative organization : the central bodies, those of the provinces and the cities -; its personnel, men (manceps, agens in rebus; and the prefects of vehicles whose function seems to have disappeared between 326 and 365) and animals; and its funding. The corpus relating to the period under consideration is divided between inscriptions, papyri, a few texts by historians and above all the laws contained in the Theodosian Code, and to a lesser extent in the Justinian Code. 103 laws concern the period between 315 and 407.

Keywords

• Theodosian Code
• Imperial administration
• Cursus publicus
• Justinian Code