Tommaso Giuliodoro, Durham University

At the end of the year 641 the praetorian prefect of North Africa George was recalled in Constantinople by an order of the imperial court. According to six lead seals first published in 1982 by C. Morrisson and W. Seibt, George was replaced by Marinus, who took service in Carthage between the end of 641 and the beginning of 642. However, Marinus’ seals attest that administering the praetorian prefecture of North Africa was not his only responsibility. In fact, while being titular of the prefectural office, Marinus was also a commerciarius. Characterized by this singular combination of offices (praefectus et commerciarius), Marinus’ seals are rather known among specialist. Nonetheless, although there have been some attempts to understand the nature of his duties and the circumstances of his activity, several questions remain open. By reassessing Marinus’ functions within the evolving landscape of Byzantine administration in mid-7th century North Africa, this contribution seeks to re-evaluate both the administrative context in which he operated and the implications of the central government's choice to delegate the North African prefecture to him amid challenging circumstances. Combined with other relevant evidence, the analysis of Marinus’ seals will in fact provide new data on both the North African praetorian prefecture and the activities of the North African kommerkiarioi in the mid-7th century, highlighting the relations between the two institutions and the rationale behind their joint administration - as well as the benefits resulting from it.