PROVI'NCIA may be defined generally to be a conquered country, beyond the limits of Italy, which was subject to the Roman state. In contemplating the history of Rome, the most instructive part of it, next to a study of the internal organisation of the state, is the system of provincial government by which the language and laws of Rome were established on a foreign soil. The effecta of this system are per manently embodied in the political system of every European state. In order to exhibit a complete view of Roman provincial government it would be necessary to write the history of Rome, but the following outline may be useful.
The geographical sense of the word Provincia was not the original meaning; originally the term expressed the Imperium, which wen granted to a consul or prtetor beyond the limits of the city. The precise meaning of the word is not certain, and the common etymology is perhaps doubtful; its primary sense however certainly was a power as above explained. In the time of Cicero provincia had undoubtedly obtained the meaning given at the head of this article ; and in the latter part of the Republic, the Roman state consisted of two distinctly organised parts, Italy and the Provinces. This distinction, though with considerable modifications, continued under the Empire.
With the extension of the Roman conquests beyond Italy, commenced the system of provincial governments. The oldest provinces were Sicily (n.c. 243) and Sardinia (n.c. 237). Upon the conquest of a country, the commander of the army either gave the conquered country a general organisation, subject to the approval of the senate ; or the country was organised according to the instructions of the senate, by the commander and a body of commissioners chosen from the senate, and appointed by it. This original organisation often made very im portant changes in the existing political forms, but still the conquered people retained their national existence, and were not in all senses incorporated into the Roman state. Originally praetors were appointed
to govern the provinces [PEA:Ton]; but subsequently the prxtors received a province after the expiration of their year of office at Rome, and were then called proprxteres ; and towards the close of the Republic the consuls in like manner received provinces, which were hence called consulares, and they were styled proconsular. The division of the provinces was made by lot, and sometimes by agreement among the persons entitled to hold them. By a law of C. Graechus (Sempronia lex), the provinces of the consuls were annually determined before the election of the consuls, for the purpose of preventing all disputes.
By a senatus consultum of the year 55 n.c., it was enacted that prxtors and proconsuls should not have the government of a province till five years after the expiration of their prtctorship or consulship. The term for which a province was originally held was one year ; but the time was often enlarged. The authority of the governor of a province commenced as soon as he left Rome. His functions in the province were both military and civil ; he possessed the Iinperium, but he was not called a magistratus. Iu the Later Roman writers the common name for governor is praises (Gaius, 1 6), and sometimes the term proconsul seems to be used generally for the governor of a province. The governor was assisted in the discharge of his duties by a qtestor, who looked after the revenue; and by legati, who assisted in the administration, and were generally appointed by the senate, but sometimes by the governor with the permission of the senate. Ile had also a numerous train of friends and companions, sometimes. called contubernales; and also a regular body of clerks, interpreters, and other servants, who formed a prreterian cohort, a name which was also given, and with more propriety, to the soldiers who formed the governor'a body-guard. On a new governor arriving in his province, the former Fovernor was required to leave within thirty days.