The representation of the late-imperial bureaucratic elite in the missorium of Theodosius I - The codicilli to Materno Cynegio

Abstract

During the last decades, the late roman empire historiography has made significant advances in the knowledge of an era that had been eclipsed by the republican and high imperial roman history. However, the Theodosian period not only continues to conserve mysteries, but also the fascination on the figure and the sorroundings of the emperor Theodosius I. In 1847, a silver disc or missorium is found in the Spanish city of Almendralejo, representing a scene of the court of the emperor Theodosius. Later studies have shown that the richly engraved image is one of the most important moments in the political life of the empire: the commemoration of the emperor’s decennalia. Within this representation full of symbolism, one can observe the delivery, by the same Theodosius, of some codicilli to a high imperial official. Accepting the year 388 BC as a proposed date for the missorium, we propose to identify the official personified in the disc as Maternus Cynegius, prefect of the East. The present work is aimed at studying, from the perspective of social history and making use of the prosopography, the corps of bureaucrats that Theodosius used for the imperial administration. In particular, the case of Maternus Cynegius: his successful career at the service of the emperor that meant the delivery of such high distinction.