Circulation of Imperial Legislation in Egypt between 324 and 525

This article offers a list and commentary to imperial laws preserved on papyrus between Constantine the Great and Justinian. The aim of the presented work was to collect both constitutions and secondary witnesses, that is mentions of law, if they could be indeed identified as a piece of legislation. The work is divided into sections grouping the material according to its genre and type. The initial section of the catalogue contains fragments that have been categorised as legal literature, encompassing excerpts from the Theodosian Code, literature pertaining to the Codex Theodosianus, and other compilations of imperial legislation. The second section consists of the documentary papyri, which are divided into three parts: generally binding laws, rescripts, and references. The collation of a compendium of papyrological witnesses of imperial laws permitted the drawing of some general conclusions regarding the scope of the use of these constitutions in Egypt. One of these is dedicated to the circulation of the Theodosian Code. The recent publication of new fragments of the Theodosian Code, coupled with analysis of their provenance, has allowed a more optimistic assessment of the Code circulation than was previously proposed. A further conclusion is reached regarding the process of communicating general laws and obtaining imperial rescripts in the province. The papyrological evidence provides a comprehensive reconstruction of the chain of communication, extending from the emperor to the praetorian prefect, governor, strategos, and lower officials otherwise known thanks to the C.Th. and the Code of Justinian. The rescripts, when collected, reflect the changes undergone between the Tetrarchy and Justinian's reign, demonstrating that there were no discrepancies between the theory and practice of their application. The interpretation of these sources in their respective contexts, such as the archives and scribal traditions to which they belonged, facilitates a more comprehensive understanding of the dissemination of laws among the subjects of Roman emperors.