{"schema":"https://ver.cy/schemas/card/1.0.0","id":"vr.tr.praetorian-prefecture","code":"thing-q4377540","url":"https://ver.cy/models/thing/q4377540/","name":"praetorian prefecture","alternateNames":["praetorian prefecture of Gaul","praetorian prefecture of Africa"],"kind":"thing","status":"published","version":"0.2.0-wave.4","language":"en","classifiers":{"family":"Thing Registry","category":"Physical world and living systems","entryKind":"thing","plane":"PHY","domain":["PHY.PLC"],"industry":[],"navPath":"","tags":[],"facets":{}},"whatItIs":"One of the largest administrative divisions of the late Roman Empire, headed by a praetorian prefect, established in the 4th century and grouping dioceses and provinces, including the praetorian prefectures of Gaul, Italy, Illyricum and the East, with the praetorian prefecture of Africa created by Justinian after the reconquest of North Africa in 534; the prefectures were civilian administrations responsible for taxation, justice and supply.","purpose":"Let an agent explain praetorian prefectures, relay their history, structure and functions from Roman historical sources with attribution, describe the prefectures the registry aliases name, and distinguish them from the Praetorian Guard, from dioceses and provinces and from the earlier office of praetorian prefect as guard commander.","scope":{"in":[],"out":[],"boundaries":[]},"distinguishingFeatures":["Civil administration","Above dioceses","Late Roman","Taxation and supply"],"structure":{"bundles":[{"id":"understand","name":"Understand","description":"What a praetorian prefecture was.","layers":[{"id":"definition","name":"Definition","description":"Definition.","findings":[{"id":"definition-finding","name":"Definition","description":"Definition.","questions":[{"text":"What was a praetorian prefecture, and how did it differ from the Praetorian Guard, dioceses and provinces?","kind":"definition"},{"text":"Is the question about the system, a specific prefecture or the office?","kind":"boundary"}]}]},{"id":"prefectures","name":"Prefectures","description":"The prefectures.","findings":[{"id":"prefectures-finding","name":"Prefectures","description":"Prefectures.","questions":[{"text":"What were the prefectures of Gaul, Italy, Illyricum, the East and Africa?","kind":"definition"},{"text":"Which entry fits the specific prefecture?","kind":"action"}]}]}]},{"id":"history","name":"History","description":"History.","layers":[{"id":"origins","name":"Origins","description":"Origins.","findings":[{"id":"origins-finding","name":"Origins","description":"Origins.","questions":[{"text":"How did the praetorian prefect change from guard commander to civil administrator, as historians describe?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which references are standard?","kind":"provenance"}]}]},{"id":"later","name":"Later","description":"Later history.","findings":[{"id":"later-finding","name":"Later","description":"Later.","questions":[{"text":"What happened to the prefectures in the West s fall and under Justinian?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which sources are cited?","kind":"provenance"}]}]}]},{"id":"administration","name":"Administration","description":"Administration.","layers":[{"id":"functions","name":"Functions","description":"Functions.","findings":[{"id":"functions-finding","name":"Functions","description":"Functions.","questions":[{"text":"What did prefects do in taxation, justice and military supply?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which entry fits Roman taxation?","kind":"action"}]}]},{"id":"sources","name":"Sources","description":"Evidence.","findings":[{"id":"sources-finding","name":"Sources","description":"Sources.","questions":[{"text":"What do the Notitia Dignitatum and legal codes reveal?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which entry fits Notitia Dignitatum?","kind":"action"}]}]}]},{"id":"context","name":"Context","description":"Legacy.","layers":[{"id":"legacy","name":"Legacy","description":"Legacy.","findings":[{"id":"legacy-finding","name":"Legacy","description":"Legacy.","questions":[{"text":"How did late Roman administration influence Byzantine and medieval structures?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which entry fits Byzantine administration?","kind":"action"}]}]},{"id":"maps","name":"Maps","description":"Maps.","findings":[{"id":"maps-finding","name":"Maps","description":"Maps.","questions":[{"text":"How are the prefectures mapped by historians?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which entry fits Roman provinces?","kind":"action"}]}]}]}]},"agentConduct":{"may":["Explain the late Roman praetorian prefectures, their structure and functions, citing sources.","Describe the prefectures of Gaul, Italy, Illyricum, the East and Africa with dates."],"mustNot":["Confuse the prefectures with the Praetorian Guard.","Present reconstructed boundaries as certain or project them onto modern borders.","Use the history to support present-day territorial claims.","Mix boundaries from different periods without stating the date."],"requiresHuman":["Publishing a historical map of the prefectures as a reference for teaching."]},"ethics":{"considerations":["Ancient boundaries are sometimes invoked in modern nationalist claims.","Scholarly uncertainty should not be hidden behind confident maps."],"affectedParties":["Students and readers","Historians","Communities in the former territories"]},"owners":{"steward":"Nobody owns it; it is a historical institution studied by historians.","roles":[],"masterSystems":[]},"relations":[{"target":"Q15644911","type":"parent","note":"registry parent class"},{"target":"administrative territorial entity of the Roman Empire","type":"related","note":"in registry terms"},{"target":"praetorian prefect","type":"related"},{"target":"Roman diocese","type":"related"},{"target":"Praetorian Guard","type":"related"}],"interaction":{"identity":{"applicability":"required","items":["Vercy registry: vr.tr.praetorian-prefecture","Wikidata: Q4377540 (https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q4377540)"]},"properties":{"applicability":"required","items":["established: 4th century note - under Constantine and successors","main prefectures: 4 count - Gaul, Italy, Illyricum, East","Africa prefecture: 534 year - Justinian"]},"recognition":{"applicability":"required","items":["Top-level civil division of the late Roman Empire","Praetorian prefectures of Gaul, Italy, Illyricum, the East and Africa","The Praetorian Guard was a military unit; dioceses and provinces were lower levels; the early prefect commanded the guard","Not a visible object; a historical administrative region."]},"capabilities":{"applicability":"required","items":["explain the division","relay history and functions","describe specific prefectures","distinguish related institutions"]},"hazards":{"applicability":"required","items":["Confusing prefectures with the Praetorian Guard","Anachronistic boundaries","Presenting scholarly reconstructions as certain"]},"interfaces":{"applicability":"required","items":["Historical legal sources such as the Codex Theodosianus"]},"context":{"applicability":"required","items":["Historically, regional civil administration.","praetorian prefecture of Gaul","praetorian prefecture of Italy","praetorian prefecture of Illyricum","praetorian prefecture of the East","praetorian prefecture of Africa"]}},"sources":[{"title":"Wikidata item Q4377540: praetorian prefecture","url":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q4377540","note":"identity and sense of the item"},{"title":"Wikipedia: Praetorian prefecture","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Praetorian_prefecture","note":"general description of the item"}],"openQuestions":["Should each prefecture be a separate primary entry?","How should historical sources be linked?","How should changing boundaries be recorded?"],"resources":{"spec":"/models/things/publications/thing-q4377540/spec.json"},"provenance":{"origin":"thing registry research (pass 2)","builtFrom":["models/things/publications/thing-q4377540/spec.json"],"providers":["Claude"],"researchStatus":"unreviewed","generatedAt":"2026-09-13T18:31:19Z","builder":"tools/build_cards.py@1.0.0"},"completeness":{"sections":{"classifiers":"filled","whatItIs":"filled","purpose":"filled","distinguishingFeatures":"filled","structure":"filled","agentConduct":"filled","ethics":"filled","owners":"filled","relations":"filled","interaction.identity":"filled","interaction.properties":"filled","interaction.recognition":"filled","interaction.capabilities":"filled","interaction.hazards":"filled","interaction.interfaces":"filled","interaction.context":"filled","sources":"filled"},"notes":{"_gate":"Published through the thing publication gate 1.0 on 2026-10-06T19:52:00+00:00: completeness 1.00; sense: Wikidata description; 2 live sources; review by codex: pass"},"score":1.0}}