Cambridge Ancient Hi.. - Index of

220 8. administration and politics in the cities
was the defensor. 93 There was also the sitona, responsible for the buying of
corn, 94 and the pater, responsible for local finance, who probably did not
have the same functions as the old curator. 95 Anastasius appears to have tried
to transfer the organization of tax-collecting to the somewhat mysterious
vindices. This experiment was evidently soon abandoned except in a few
cities, including Alexandria. 96 Elsewhere in Egypt we find the pagarch
directing the collection of taxes. 97 Above all, the laws seek to give the
bishop a leading part in civic affairs. 98 Bishops are instructed to intervene
on behalf of cities and their inhabitants in cases of abuse of power by
imperial officials. 99 Justin II went as far as to give bishops, jointly with notables,
the right to nominate the governor of the province. 100 Bishops
were even given the right to check the genuineness of newly arrived documents
claimed to be orders of the emperor, and an inscription from
Hadrianopolis in Bithynia tells us how an official ordered to suppress banditry
in the neighbourhood presented his imperial letter of instructions to
the bishop and notables of Hadrianopolis in the court of the bishop. 101
The laws suggest that the old uniformity of civic administration had
broken down, and that there now existed considerable variation in how
cities were run. 102 But a point to note is that none of the men in charge of
civic business was a curial official. They were not as a rule curiales themselves
and they received their appointment not from the curia but, formally at
least, from the emperor through the praetorian prefect. 103 The defensor, the
curator, the corn-buyer and the pater were actually elected by bishop, clergy
and principal landowners. 104 In the Justinianic laws, decurions are no longer
mentioned separately, although some will certainly still have been included
among the principal landowners.
When it came to supervising and controlling civic officials, obviously the
provincial governor or the military commander, if he was on the spot and
interested, would play a key role. Otherwise, supervision was assigned to
‘leading citizens’. For example, bishop, clergy and ‘leading citizens’ audit the
accounts of magistrates once a year. The bishop and three men ‘of good
repute and in every respect outstanding citizens’ are to audit the accounts
of anybody responsible for spending civic revenues. 105 It is the bishop who
is to take steps against imperial officials who have demanded an excessive
gratuity for publishing an imperial proclamation. 106 Maintenance of public
93 Jones, LRE 726–7, 758–9. 94 CJ x.27.3; Just. Nov. 128.16. 95 Roueché (1979).
96 Chauvot (1987); Chrysos (1971). 97 Gascou (1972); Liebeschuetz (1973), (1974).
98 Esp. laws of CJ i.4.26. 99 Just. Nov. 86.1, 2, 4 (539); 134.3 (566).
100 Just. Nov. App. vii.12 (Prag. Sanct. of 554); Nov. (Just. II) 149 (569).
101 Feissel and Kaygusuz (1985).
102 A variety of arrangements for tax collection suggested by: Just. Nov. 128.8; 134.2; 163.2.
103 CJ i.55.8; Nov. 8 notitia 36 (535); Nov. 15.6.
104 CJ i.55.8, 11; i.4.19 (505); MAMA iii.197a; Just. Nov. 15. epilog.
105 CJ i.4.26 prol.; Nov. 128.16. 106 CJ i.4.26.7.
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