The Administration of the Imperial Property Under Constantine in the Light of His Donations to the Church of Rome

In the study of the urban development of late antique Rome, the discussion on the Christian basilicas built by Constantine has always played a significant role. In this regard we have a very important source, the Liber Pontificalis, consisting in a series of papal biographies in chronological order. The Life of Pope Sylvester preserves the list of ecclesiastical foundations promoted by the emperor with their donations: it is the so-called Constantinian Libellus. The analysis of the list allows interesting results since this document was prepared by the imperial chancellery and the 6th century ecclesiastical compiler of the Liber Pontificalis inserted only a few clearly recognizable interpolations. The structure of the list is extremely regular and helps us to understand some administrative practices and how the emperor adapted the traditional framework to the new situations and to his ecclesiastical policy. On one side the emperor involved the bishops and their churches in the project and building of the basilicas, on the other side the basic schemes and concepts he employed were probably derived from the Roman administrative tradition concerning the foundations of pagan temples.