Proculus - Study in a Bad Governor

Looking at the translation of Oration X, On the Plethron, the theme of this piece was Libanius' objections to an expansion of this sporting facility by the Comes Orientes (Count of the East) at the time, one Proculus. 

This individual was someone with whom Libanius carried on a rather dangerous feud over the years. The main mention of this official in the past was in our listing of the Comes Orientes here. 

Looking through Paul Petit's prosography of Libanius's acquaintances here one of the longest references is to Proculus who seemed to have been the bane of Libanius' life. Indeed considering what foul deeds the Comes was supposedly guilty of it is lucky that Libanius had high connections at court in Constantinople or the Comes might have singled him out for elimination. 

Our listing of the Comes Orientes has Proculus ruling from AD 383 (8 March) to 384 (Summer). Paul Petit's summation of Proculus' career states that Proculus was the son of Flavius Eutolmius Tatianus who was Comes Orientes from September AD 370 to Feb 374.

The first significant position held by Proculus was Praeses or consul of Palestine, then consul of Phoenicia, before 383. Then he was Comes Orientes from 382 to 384, until just before the month of July. He was recalled, in ignominy (according to Libanius). 

Proculus then became the wonderfully named Comes sacrarum largitionum (Count of the Sacred Largesses) in AD386, a role his father had previously held, and left the position in the same year. There was no allusion to these positions in the texts of Libanius, who never had any interest in provincial government.

Proculus became the prefect of Constantinople, at the period when his father Tatianus was prefect of the prætorium, named in the middle of AD 388 at which moment he was in Antioch, for Libanius attended his departure. The fall of Proculus (and that of his father Tatianus)  was precipitated in September of AD 392 by the intrigues of Rufinus. 

Rufinus, consul in 392, feared the power of Tatianus and Proculus, as the two of them held both the Praetorian prefecture of the East and the urban prefecture. Such concentration of power in the hands of father and son caused the envy of Rufinus's faction. Rufinus took advantage of some mishaps of Tatianus in the administration of finances, to depose and arrest him, and succeed him as prefect (September AD 392).

Proculus went into hiding. Rufinus then coaxed Tatianus and Theodosius to pardon Proculus, who received a letter from his father asking him to return to court. Once Proculus turned up, he was captured and imprisoned. He was tried and sentenced, in a manouevre by Rufinus, and sent to be executed in Sykai, a suburb of Constantinople. The story goes that the Emperor sent a messenger to order the execution halted, but Rufinus ordered the messenger to move slowly (festina lente!), so that he arrived after the execution had been carried out.

Proculus was subject to damnatio memoriae and was erased from monuments, such as the Obelisk of Theodosius in the Hippodrome.

Tatianus was later sent into exile, probably in Lycia, and he was subjected to a damnatio memoriae also. Later, a nephew of Proculus that came to power under the Emperor Marcian (AD 450–457) had the "good" name of Proculus restored, re-carving it on the obelisk.