Qui a tué Marcellus ? Hiérarchie administrative et prosopographie à travers le procès de Marcel le Centurion (298 p. C.)

Abstract

In 298 AD, the centurio ordinarius Marcellus, a Christian, is executed in Tangier, before the substitute of the praetorian prefects Aurelius Agricolanus. This date and the Acts of the Passio Marcelli have often been invoked to prove that Diocletian founded the Dioceses at the very end of the Third Century AD. These Acts do not provide such evidence, but their study reveals the structure of the administrative hierarchy in Hispania and Mauretania. Moreover, it helps to identify actors of administration and army in the Western provinces during the beginning of the Tetrarchy.