Administrative corruption and the system of counteraction to administrative abuse in the later roman empire

Author(s):  S.A. Sakharov, candidate of Sciences, associate Professor, Smolensk State University, Smolensk, Russia, sacharov.stanislav@yandex.ru

Issue:  Volume 44, №22

Rubric:  Topical issues of world history

Annotation:  In the article on the basis of data the «Theodosian Code» and works of ancient authors are considered the problems of administrative corruption in the Late Roman Empire. In particular, an attempt is made to identify and analyze motives that pushed people to give or receive bribes, identify forms of administrative corruption, and also consider measures to counter corruption. The materials of the sources show that the most common motives for committing crimes in the system of state administration of the empire of the period of the Dominat were the desire to gain power by obtaining one or another post and the desire to enrich. This gave rise to the main forms of administrative corruption. Among them, bribery, extortion, abuse of power for mercenary purposes, the provision of illegal patronage. In turn, the Roman emperors from year to year issue anti-corruption orders, gradually forming an integral system of countering administrative corruption.

Keywords:  Late Roman Empire, Dominate, the state system, «Theodosian Code», corruption, mechanisms of counteracting corruption.

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