- The Equo Publico was the Career Path for the Roman Equestrian Class which consisted of three levels called Offices.
- The Patrician Class had their own separate Career Path called the Cursus Honorum.
First Office
- Administrator in local government Or Priests (Augures) for a few years.
- Aediles or Duumviri (Administrators)
- Augures (Priests)
Second Office
- Military Officer for 10 years:
- Tres Militae: ‘The Three Services’
- This was the standard career path in the Roman Army, and each posting was for 3-4 years.
The minimum requirement was for 10 years service in total before being appointed to a Senior Army or Administrative Post:- I. Praefectus of a Cohors (Auxiliary Infantry Regiment) c. 10,000 Denarii p.a.
- II. Tribunus Militum (Senior Staff Officer) in a Regiment, of whom 5 or 6 were Equestrians.
- III. Praefectus of an Ala (Auxiliary Cavalry Regiment) Paid c. 10,000 Denarii p.a.
- IV. Praefectus of an Ala Milliaria (Double strength Ala) (Hadrian introduced this as a fourth service)
Third Office
- The following were Senior Administrative Postings under Augustus:
- Reserved for the Senators only (who were paid significantly more than the Equestrians):
-
- Governors of Provinces
- (except Egypt).
- Praefectus Urbanus
- Also called the Praefectus Urbi meaning ‘The Prefect of the City of Rome’.
- The Prefect was also the Prefect of the Cohortes Urbanae, an Anti-Riot Police force for Rome, instituted by Augustus to counterbalance the Power of the Praetorian Guard.
- Governors of Provinces
-
- Reserved for the Equestrians in the Provinces:
- Procurator Augusti:
- Governor of smaller Provinces, and Provinces within Provinces.
- Paid 15,000-75,000 Denarii.
- Praefectus Augusti:
- Governor of Egypt.
- Paid c. 75,000 Denarii
- (Senators and senior Equestrians were not permitted to enter Egypt without Augustus’ permission)
- Procuratores Augusti:
- Chief Financial Officers of Imperial Provinces.
- Deputy Financial Officers of Senatorial Provinces.
- Duties involved collecting the Taxes and keeping a watchful eye on the Senator.
- Procurator Augusti:
- Reserved for the Equestrians at Rome:
- Praefecti Annonae – Prefect of the Grain Supply.
- Praefecti Praetorio – Commanders of the Praetorian Guard numbering one to three Praefecti.
- Praefecti Classis – Admirals of the Imperial Fleets at Misenum and Ravenna.
- SubPraefecti Classis – Deputy Commanders of the Fleets.
- Prefect of the Vigiles – the Fire Brigade and Police force.
- Judices – Judges in the Law Courts.
- Secretaries of State in the Imperial Secretariat at Rome:
- ab Epistulis – Secretary of Correspondence.
- A Rationibus – Secretary of the Treasury.
- A Cognitionibus – Secretary of Justice and Law.
- A Studiis – Secretary of Documentation.
- A Libellis – Secretary of Petitions, which prepared replies to all the requests sent to the Emperor.
- A Bybliothecis – Secretary of the seven libraries of Rome. Suetonius later held this Office.
- A Patrimonio – Secretary of the Imperial Properties.
- If the Equestrians were not promoted to senior office after ten years, then they could continue their careers and remain as a Praefectus of various Auxiliary Units, moving from one Province to another.
The Four Pay Grades of Equestrian Procurators
- Originally the Procurators pay varied from 15,000 up to 75,000 Denarii for the Praefectus Aegypti (Prefect of Egypt).
- Pay Grades instituted under Claudius:
- Sexagenarii:
- 60,000 Sesterces.
- The Prefects of the Classis Alexandrina, the Classis Africana, the Commodiana Herculiea, the Classis Moesica, the Classis Perinthia, the Classis Syriaca, and the Classis Mauretaniae.
- Centenarii:
- 100,000 sesterces.
- They were the Prefects of the Classis Britannica, the Classis Germanica and the Classis Pontica.
- Ducenarii:
- 200,000 sesterces.
- The Prefects of the Classis Misenensis and Classis Ravennas
- Tricenarii:
- 300,000 sesterces.
- The Praetorian Prefect
- Sexagenarii: