232

Raf Praet

understand the connections between the lives, careers and oeuvres of the three au-
thors under scrutiny. The university was founded by the decree of Theodosius II. on
27th of February 425.76 This decree determined that private teachers were henceforth
prohibited to teach in public and that the only public teaching was to take place at the
university. The university was funded by the state, located at the auditorium Capitolii^
and under the direction of the urban prefect of Constantinople. The second part of the
decree outlined the disciplines given at the university and the number of teachers for
each discipline. The role of the urban prefect of Constantinople in the university’s or-
ganisation was considerable. For instance, the urban prefect was omnipresent and the
primary judge in the procedure for the enrolment of a professor.78 After a preliminary
exam or probatio by the urban prefect and a vote by the senate, the prefect informs the
emperor of the outcome of the vote, after which a decree of the emperor confirms the
enrolment. Furthermore, the prefect guarantees the privileges granted to the profes-
sors.79 All in all, the appointed professors at the university had strong ties to the urban
prefect, who was their patron and to whom they dedicated literary works. Moreover,
the prefect monitored students and reported to the scrinia of the court on the most
distinguished students for enrolment into administration.80
When we look at the networks of the three authors, we can note how both Malalas
and John the Lydian were connected to the urban prefects responsible for the manage-
ment of Constantinople’s state university. Under Justin I, we have, among other urban
prefects, in AD 522?~52β Theodotus.81 This urban prefect, who was previously Malalas’
superior in Antioch as tomes Orientis, possibly recruited him in his retinue when he
came to Constantinople; this would bring Malalas directly into the administration of
Constantinople’s university and in direct contact with its personnel.82 Under Justin-
ian,83 we have, amongst other prefects,84 in AD 543, and perhaps between 542-54/85

treatment of the students and the recruitment of the professors, we can safely deduce information ex-
tant on the parallel situation of university life in Rome (Chastagnol i960, pp. 284,289).
76 Codex Theodosianus XIII 3.16-18.
77 On the location of the auditorium, see Janin (1964), pp. 174-176.
78 Chastagnol (i960), pp. 285-286. A testimony of the procedure of enrolment can be found in Cas-
siodorus, Variae XI 21 (Chastagnol i960, p. 286).
79 Chastagnol (i960), p. 286.
80 Fuchs (1926), p. 7, Chastagnol (i960), pp. 288-287.
81 End of the sixth century Asterius, end of the sixth century Fl. Theodorus Petrus Demosthenes, before
AD 519 Theodorus, AD 518/519 Theodorus, AD 520 Theodorus, and AD 522?~523 Theodotus (PLREII,
p. 1256).
82 During this period, Malalas was also in contact with the diplomatic service (Treadgold 2007, p. 238).
83 PLRE IIIB, pp. 1479-1481.
84 AD 527/565 Tribonian, who is either a relative of or identical to the legal scholar Tribonian (PLRE IIIB,
s.n. Tribonianus 3, pp. 1340-1341), AD 528 Victor, AD 530/531 Eustathius, AD 532 the urban prefect
Eudaemon, who was removed from office after the Nika revolt (Honoré 1978, p. 54), AD 532 Tryphon,
AD 536 Patricius, twice before AD 539 Plato, possibly identical with the Plato who was prefect under
Anastasius (PLRE IIIB, p. 1044), AD 536?, 537-541 Longinus.
85 Treadgold (2007), p. 261.