THE PREFECTURE OF EGYPT IN THE EQUESTRIAN HIERARCHY AND THE CONSTRUCTION OF DIVUS IN THE IMPERIAL TITLE
THE PREFECTURE OF EGYPT IN THE EQUESTRIAN HIERARCHY AND THE CONSTRUCTION OF DIVUS IN THE IMPERIAL TITLE

Summary/Abstract: After the conquest of Egypt Augustus transformed Egypt into a personal domain, which he managed directly through a delegate from the equestrian order, namely Praefectus Aegypti. The prefecture of Egypt was one of the top functions of the equestrian career, being, in our opinion, the only external prefecture of the equestrian hierarchy. The value of this equestrian function was overwhelmingly important especially for the Roman economy, but also for fiscus Caesaris. Egypt was at the time of the Augustan Age and not only, the granary of the ancient world, therefore the management of this special province was one of the most important equestrian functions, on which Rome itself depended. Moreover, the fact that Egypt was the domain of Augustus, which he managed with the help of the equestrian order, which had also become a true economic order, enabled the first princeps to take the phrase pater patriae in his title, as he was a true father of the Romans, ensuring their safety and food, just like a pharaoh. Augustus becomes DIVUS, the godlike one, drawing inspiration from the political culture of Egypt, being certainly influenced by Cleopatra’s personality, her luxury and her divine-religious justification. Cleopatra’s suicide with the poison of cobras, the symbol of her protective goddess, caused Augustus to apply the religious justification of his regime, and the prefect of Egypt was the best agent for the Romanization of the pharaonic cult. Praefectus Aegypti was the penultimate function in the equestrian hierarchy leading to the ultimate of these functions, the most important one, namely praefectus Praetorii, a kind of prime minister of Augustan Rome. If the ultimate equestrian function ensured the imperial governance, the penultimate one could be considered a kind of deputy prime minister of the same Augustan Rome, because this equestrian official represented the emperor in Egypt, having his authority in this Roman possession. One can say that the Egyptian prefecture trained the Roman knights who were to become the heads of the Roman government, thus being crucial for both the emperor and the equestrian order in its entirety.

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