Cities, Provinces and Administration

Abstract

In many respects civil government was effectively the same as fiscal administration: the main function of the administration was the assessment, collection and redistribution of fiscal resources, in whatever form, towards the maintenance of the state. The amount of tax required by the government varied year by year according to the international political situation and according to internal requirements. By the time of Constantine I state finances had come to be controlled and administered through three departments, the praetorian prefectures, the ‘sacred largesses’ (sacrae largitiones) and the ‘private finance department’ (resprivata).