PREFECT (Lat. iweicctus, overseer, govL ernor, from pra/iccrc, to set over, from pro., be fore + facere, to make). The title of many officers and magistrates in ancient Rome. The most important was the privfert us urbi. or city warden, an appointive office of high rank estab 16hed in very early times. In the kingly period the city prefect represented the King during his absence from the city in time of war, and under the Republic he performed the same office for the consuls, being himself always an ex-consul. Later, with the establishment of the office of city pne tor (see PILETOR), that of city prefect lost its importance, until renewed in the reorganization of the government by Augustus. It now became an Imperial magistracy of very high importance, and, as before, only ex-consuls were eligible. The duty of the prmicetus vrbi was to maintain order in Rome: lie was thus a sort of chief of police, as in France and Italy to-day. Other prefects of high (senatorial) rank under the Empire were the prcefcctus alimentorum, in charge of the pub lic grain supply; the prafect us ierarii 8aturni, or head of the civil treasury and the priefectus aTa rii millions, or head of the military treasury.
Members of the second, or equestrian, rank were eligible, under the Empire, to another class of prefectures, of which the most important was the command of the Emperor's body-guard (the 'prae torian guard'), with the title prwfcctus prretorio. The power of the prtorian prefect was often great enough to cause the overthrow- of an em peror and dictate the choice of his successor. The prcef eel us nvenowem, in charge of the free distribu tion of grain to the poor, and the prolectus ,Egypti, viceregent of the Emperor in Egypt, were both men of equestrian rank, as were also the ad mirals stationed at the navy-yards of Ravenna and Misenum (praleeti elassis) and the captain of the city police (pralcchts In the army also there were prefects in charge of the camp. and of the seperate legions. cohorts, and ahr. Finally, in some towns of Italy the highest local magistrate had the title of prolcctu.s hire dicundo.