Provincial Towns

[Furt]

Hi,

 

I know that Governors ruled the broad provinces - but who ruled beneath them, say in charge of a town? Is the correct position a Prefect? Who would be in charge of industries such as mines?

 

 

Thanks

 

Frank

[Bryaxis Hecatee]

Here you ask a large series of questions to which I'll try to give some answers :

 

- City management : one must remember that in ancient times a city was more than an urban area : it was made of a urban center a a large area around. They were directed by a panel of annually elected local magistrates, usually rich enough to claim equestrian status. Sometimes cities might regroup in Civitas, as the Civitas Tungrorum, which seems ( but information is scarce ) to have been mainly religious in purpose.

 

- A Prefect is not at this position, he his in fact usually superior to the governor.

 

- A mine was usually state owned and under control of state officials. In many known case the mine's control was given to the Legions, as is well shown by the Spanish examples, but this is not the only solution used : we see cases of private "corporations" having to operate the mine in exchange for a certain amount paid to the State. Yet mining activity often producing either gold or silver it was a highly controlled area in order to maintain financial stability.

[Ursus]

In the West, the town administration was modeled on the original Roman republican government when Rome was nothing more than a city-state. The local elite were known as decuriones, or curiales. They met at a local Senate called an ordo or curia. There were two chief magistrates. Beneath them were various lesser magistrates to deal with the census, upkeep of public buildings, and so forth. A class of wealthy freedman called the augustales, supervised by the ordo, were in charge of the imperial cult.

 

In the East, local government depended on the ancient culture involved (village life in Egypt was different than, say, a town in Turkey). But in Greece proper, there was usually a council of local elites called a boule.

 

An equestrian prefect or procurator was usually in charge of the state-run industries and the Princep's private estates.

 

 

Hi,

 

I know that Governors ruled the broad provinces - but who ruled beneath them, say in charge of a town? Is the correct position a Prefect? Who would be in charge of industries such as mines?

 

 

Thanks

 

Frank