Procurator (Roman fiscal)
Encyclopedia
A Roman fiscal procurator (procurator Augusti) was the chief financial officer of a province
of the Roman Empire
during the Principate
era (30 BC - 284 AD). The term should not be confused with the title of procurator
held by the governors
of those Roman provinces that were customarily administered by members of the equestrian order, or with the senior imperial secretaries, and a number of other officials in Rome, also called procuratores.
A fiscal procurator worked alongside the legatus Augusti pro praetore
(imperial governor) of his province but was not subordinate to him, reporting directly to the emperor. The governor headed the civil and judicial administration of the province and was the commander-in-chief of all military units deployed there. The procurator, with his own staff and agents, was in charge of the province's financial affairs. This included (1) the collection of taxes, especially the land tax (tributum soli), poll tax
(tributum capitis) and the portorium, an imperial duty on the carriage of goods on public highways; (2) collection of rents on land belonging to imperial estates; (3) management of mines; and (4) the distribution of pay to public servants (mostly in the military).
The office of fiscal procurator was always held by an equestrian, unlike the office of governor that was reserved for members of the higher senatorial order
. The reason for the dual administrative structure was to prevent excessive concentration of power in the hands of the governor, as well as to limit his opportunities for peculation. It was not unknown for friction to arise between governor and procurator over matters of jurisdiction and finance.
Roman province
In Ancient Rome, a province was the basic, and, until the Tetrarchy , largest territorial and administrative unit of the empire's territorial possessions outside of Italy...
of the Roman Empire
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
during the Principate
Principate
The Principate is the first period of the Roman Empire, extending from the beginning of the reign of Caesar Augustus to the Crisis of the Third Century, after which it was replaced with the Dominate. The Principate is characterized by a concerted effort on the part of the Emperors to preserve the...
era (30 BC - 284 AD). The term should not be confused with the title of procurator
Procurator (Roman)
A procurator was the title of various officials of the Roman Empire, posts mostly filled by equites . A procurator Augusti was the governor of the smaller imperial provinces...
held by the governors
Roman governor
A Roman governor was an official either elected or appointed to be the chief administrator of Roman law throughout one or more of the many provinces constituting the Roman Empire...
of those Roman provinces that were customarily administered by members of the equestrian order, or with the senior imperial secretaries, and a number of other officials in Rome, also called procuratores.
A fiscal procurator worked alongside the legatus Augusti pro praetore
Legatus Augusti pro praetore
A legatus Augusti pro praetore was the official title of the governor of some imperial provinces of the Roman Empire during the Principate era, normally the larger ones or those where legions were based...
(imperial governor) of his province but was not subordinate to him, reporting directly to the emperor. The governor headed the civil and judicial administration of the province and was the commander-in-chief of all military units deployed there. The procurator, with his own staff and agents, was in charge of the province's financial affairs. This included (1) the collection of taxes, especially the land tax (tributum soli), poll tax
Poll tax
A poll tax is a tax of a portioned, fixed amount per individual in accordance with the census . When a corvée is commuted for cash payment, in effect it becomes a poll tax...
(tributum capitis) and the portorium, an imperial duty on the carriage of goods on public highways; (2) collection of rents on land belonging to imperial estates; (3) management of mines; and (4) the distribution of pay to public servants (mostly in the military).
The office of fiscal procurator was always held by an equestrian, unlike the office of governor that was reserved for members of the higher senatorial order
Roman Senate
The Senate of the Roman Republic was a political institution in the ancient Roman Republic, however, it was not an elected body, but one whose members were appointed by the consuls, and later by the censors. After a magistrate served his term in office, it usually was followed with automatic...
. The reason for the dual administrative structure was to prevent excessive concentration of power in the hands of the governor, as well as to limit his opportunities for peculation. It was not unknown for friction to arise between governor and procurator over matters of jurisdiction and finance.