ABSTRACT
This chapter considers the working of the various political institutions of the Roman Empire. We shall examine not just the administrative structures that were in place, as far as they can be discerned, but also how this administrative structure was used by political leaders. The administrative system was a mechanism by which power was exercised and transmitted. The authority at the centre of the system was, inevitably, the emperor and it is with the emperor that this study starts. Before looking at administrative structures, we shall examine the problems the Roman administration faced, the resources available, and the nature of Roman imperial administration.
