Praetorian prefects and regional prefectures in the theodosian code

The Theodosian Code represents one of the most important sources for the praetorian prefecture in Late Antiquity. Over a thousand imperial constitutions addressed to praetorian prefects are included in the collection. As a result, the constitutions provide invaluable information concerning the identity of the officials, the chronology of their careers, their roles and activities. That said, the data is unevenly spread with much of the evidence being concentrated in specific periods and areas. Imbalances in the documentation do not reflect real features of late imperial legislation but rather result from the sources used in the 5th century by the compilers of the Theodosian Code. The patchy nature of the sources also affects the evidence pertaining to the regional prefectures. The headings of some constitutions register the regional jurisdiction of the praetorian prefect. However, these documents constitute a minority within the Theodosian Code and regional indications are mainly found in the constitutions pertaining to the prefectures that are less documented in the collection (Gaul and Illyricum). This peculiar distribution may be a consequence of the dissemination of these laws and their collection in provinces that were not under the authority of the recipients, that is to say in the prefectures of Italy and the East.