Editing Roman Empire (section)

===Provincial government===

An annexed territory became a [[Roman province]] in three steps: making a register of cities, taking a census, and surveying the land.{{Sfnp|Potter|2009|p=183}} Further government recordkeeping included births and deaths, real estate transactions, taxes, and juridical proceedings.{{Sfnp|Potter|2009|pp=177–179|loc=Most government records that are preserved come from Roman Egypt, where the climate preserved the papyri.}} In the 1st and 2nd centuries, the central government sent out around 160 officials annually to govern outside Italy.{{Sfnp|Potter|2009|p=179}} Among these officials were the [[Roman governor]]s: [[executive magistrates of the Roman Empire|magistrates elected at Rome]] who in the name of the [[SPQR|Roman people]] governed [[senatorial province]]s; or governors, usually of equestrian rank, who held their ''imperium'' on behalf of the emperor in [[imperial province]]s, most notably [[Roman Egypt]].{{Sfnp|Potter|2009|p=179|loc=The exclusion of Egypt from the senatorial provinces dates to the rise of Octavian before he became Augustus: Egypt had been the stronghold of his last opposition, [[Mark Antony]] and his ally [[Cleopatra]].}} A governor had to make himself accessible to the people he governed, but he could delegate various duties.{{Sfnp|Potter|2009|p=180}} His staff, however, was minimal: his official attendants (''[[apparitor]]es''), including [[lictor]]s, heralds, messengers, [[Scriba (ancient Rome)|scribes]], and bodyguards; [[legatus|legates]], both civil and military, usually of equestrian rank; and friends who accompanied him unofficially.{{Sfnp|Potter|2009|p=180}}

Other officials were appointed as supervisors of government finances.{{Sfnp|Potter|2009|p=179}} Separating fiscal responsibility from justice and administration was a reform of the Imperial era, to avoid provincial governors and [[Farm (revenue leasing)|tax farmers]] exploiting local populations for personal gain.{{Sfnp|Potter|2009|pp=179, 187}} Equestrian [[Procurator (Roman)|procurators]], whose authority was originally "extra-judicial and extra-constitutional", managed both state-owned property and the personal property of the emperor (''[[privatus|res privata]]'').{{Sfnp|Potter|2009|p=180}} Because Roman government officials were few, a provincial who needed help with a legal dispute or criminal case might seek out any Roman perceived to have some official capacity.<ref>{{Harvp|Potter|2009|p=180}}; {{Harvp|Fuhrmann|2012|pp=197, 214, 224}}</ref>

In the High Empire, Italy was legally distinguished from the provinces, and along with some favored provincial communities, enjoyed immunity from the [[Tributum soli|property tax]] and [[Tributum capitis|poll tax]]. However, under the Emperor [[Diocletian]], Italy lost these privileges and was subdivided into [[Roman diocese|provinces]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Cooley |first=Alison |chapter=Italy during the High Empire, from the Flavians to Diocletian |date=2016 |title=A Companion to Roman Italy |editor-last=Cooley |editor-first=Alison|publisher=Blackwell |pages=130–131|isbn=978-1444339260}}</ref>