L'aristocratie sénatoriale de Constantinople et la préfecture du prétoire d'Orient

This article examines the social origins of the holders of the praetorian prefecture of the East, the most distinguished civil office in the early Byzantine Empire, from the reign of Constantius II (337–61) to the reign of Heraclius (610–41). With the notable exception of the reign of Arcadius (395–408), members of the hereditary aristocracy of the senate of Constantinople do not seem to have had a priority in holding this office. On the other hand, emperors often appointed to this position new men of various backgrounds. Evidence for praetorian prefects of the East is scanty after the middle of the 6th century, and this may suggest that the office as well as its holders lost some of their former prestige even before the reign of Heraclius.