Orfitus: The Rise and Fall of an Urban Prefect of Rome

Abstract

In the Roman empire of the fourth century, emperors ruled from the frontiers, and it was the forceful personalities of the urban prefects who governed the city of Rome in their names. The urban prefecture was the pinnacle of an administrative career and an office of genuine importance, but the officials who held it form a shadowy part of imperial history, often attested only by their names and the offices they held. One exception is Memmius Vitrasius Orfitus, who was urban prefect twice under Constantius II in the 350s. This article will examine the two urban prefectures of Orfitus, and particularly Constantius's famous visit to Rome during his second tenure. Then, it will examine Orfitus's downfall, when he was brought to trial for embezzlement, and explore the important political context of his conviction. Finally, it will argue that he owed his rapid advancement to his wife, Constantia, and hypothesizes that she is identifiable as an unknown child of Eutropia, the half-sister of Constantine. Through the rise and fall of Orfitus, this article will shine a light on the activities and political position of the urban prefecture of Rome, one of the most important offices of the Later Roman Empire.