During the Roman Empire, the governor of Roman Egypt (praefectus Aegypti) was a prefect who administered the Roman province of Egypt with the delegated authority (imperium) of the emperor.

Egypt was established as a Roman province in consequence of the Battle of Actium, where Cleopatra as the last independent ruler of Egypt and her Roman ally Mark Antony were defeated by Octavian, the adopted heir of the assassinated Roman dictator Julius Caesar. Octavian then rose to supreme power with the title Augustus, ending the era of the Roman Republic and installing himself as princeps, the so-called "leading citizen" of Rome who in fact acted as an autocratic ruler. Although senators continued to serve as governors of most other provinces (the senatorial provinces), especially those annexed under the Republic, the role of Egypt during the civil war with Antony and its strategic and economic importance prompted Augustus to ensure that no rival could secure Aegyptus as an asset. He thus established Egypt as an imperial province, to be governed by a prefect he appointed from men of the equestrian order.

As Egypt was a special imperial domain, a rich and strategic granary, where the Emperor enjoyed an almost pharaonic position unlike any other province or diocese, its head was styled uniquely Praefectus Augustalis, indicating that he governed in the personal name of the emperor, the "Augustus". The praefectus Aegypti was considered to hold the highest ranking equestrian post during the early empire. Later, the post would fall second to that of the praetorian command, but its position remained highly prestigious.

A prefect of Egypt usually held the office for three or four years.Alan K. Bowman, Egypt After the Pharaohs 332 BC–AD 642: From Alexander to the Arab Conquest (University of California Press, 1986, 1996), p. 66. An equestrian appointed to the office received no specialized training, and seems to have been chosen for his military experience and knowledge of Roman law and administration. Any knowledge he might have of Egypt and its arcane traditions of politics and bureaucracy—which Philo of Alexandria described as "intricate and diversified, hardly grasped even by those who have made a business of studying them from their earliest years"—was incidental to his record of Roman service and the emperor's favor.

1st century Unless otherwise noted, governors from 30 BC to AD 260 are taken from Guido Bastianini, "Lista dei prefetti d'Egitto dal 30a al 299p", Zeitschrift für Papyrologie und Epigraphik, 17 (1975), pp. 263–321, 323–328

2nd century

3rd century Names and dates after 260 are taken from the Prosopography of the Later Roman Empire. Dates given are those in which the prefects are known to have held office, but not necessarily when they started or ended their terms.

4th century

5th century

6th century

An administrative reform in late 538 or early 539 led to the title being replaced by . Both titles were held in succession by Rhodon.

Sassanian Occupation # Governor Start End Termination –Benjamin(Patriarch-Prefect)616628 1Shahrbaraz 618 before 621 2Sahralanyozan ca. 621 625? 3Shahrbaraz ca. 626? ca. 628 Egypt recorded as being under Shahrbaraz's control when he concluded his agreement with Heraclius on withdrawal of Persian troops

Second Byzantine Period (628–642)

# Governor Start End Termination – Cyrus(Patriarch-Prefect) 629 November 640 It is unclear whether the Patriarch of Alexandria Cyrus, contrary to ecclesiastical canons, also held the title . More likely, he became the de facto governor of Egypt through an imperial commission that granted him immense secular authority. His first term ended when he was recalled and exiled by Emperor Heraclius. 1 Unknown 628 629 2 Anastasius 629 14 September 641 Term ended when Cyrus and Theodorus returned from Constantinople – Cyrus(Patriarch-Prefect) 14 September 641 21 March 642 Second term. Died in office 3 Theodorus 14 September 641 17 September 642 Left Egypt with all remaining Roman troops

See also Lists of ancient Roman governors Lists of rulers of Egypt

Notes

References

Sources

Further reading Heinz Hübner: Der Praefectus Aegypti von Diokletian bis zum Ende der römischen Herrschaft. Filser, München-Pasing 1952. Andrea Jördens: Statthalterliche Verwaltung in der römischen Kaiserzeit. Studien zum praefectus Aegypti [Provincial Administration in the Roman Imperial Period. Studies on the praefectus Aegypti]. Historia Einzelschriften, vol. 175. Stuttgart: Steiner, . Oscar William Reinmuth: The Prefect of Egypt from Augustus to Diocletian. Leipzig 1935. Arthur Stein: Die Präfekten von Ägypten in der römischen Kaiserzeit. Francke, Bern 1950.