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Concept
Roman diocese
Summary
In the Late Roman Empire, usually dated 284 AD to 602 AD, the regional governance district known as the Roman or civil diocese was made up of a grouping of provinces each headed by a Vicarius, who were the representatives of praetorian prefects (who governed directly the dioceses they were resident in). There were initially twelve dioceses, rising to fourteen by the end of the 4th century.
The term diocese comes from the dioecēsis, which derives from the dioíkēsis (διοίκησις) meaning "administration", "management", "assize district", or "group of provinces".
Two major reforms to the administrative divisions of the empire were undertaken during the Tetrarchy.
The first of these was the multiplication of the number of provinces, which had remained largely unchanged since the time of Augustus, from 48 at the beginning of Diocletian's reign to around a hundred by the time of his abdication. The multiplication of the provinces was probably undertaken for military, financial, and economic reasons. It brought the governor closer to the cities which were responsible for the collection of taxes. It also limited the power of the governors and the autonomy of the cities. At the same time, the status of the provinces was regularized. Egypt lost its unique status and was divided into three provinces, while Italia was 'provincialized' - the numbered regiones established by Augustus received names and were governed by correctores. The distinction between senatorial and imperial provinces was abolished and henceforth all governors were appointed by the Emperor.
In order to compensate for the weakening of the provinces and to maintain the link between the Imperial centre and the individual provinces, the dioceses were created as a new territorial subdivision above the level of the province. The empire was divided into twelve dioceses. The largest of these, the Diocese of the East, encompassed sixteen provinces.
Official source
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