Roman Governors of Syria in Late Antiquity: Problems and Perspectives of Prosopographic Research

Abstract

The article deals with the most debatable and conjectural pieces of biographical information on governors of Syria under the sole rulerships of Constantine the Great (324–337) and Constantius (337– 361). It focuses on source-related issues and reveals problems with the interpretation of the evidence, especially Libanius’ correspondence and the Chronicle by John Malalas. Examining the current state of prosopographical research, I suggest corrections and additions to the tentative biographical sketches of some of those officials and indicate directions for further research.