Governor of the province of Egypt, which Augustus created in 30 BC after the taking of Alexandria [1]; the full official title was praefectus Alexandreae et Aegypti (Greek ἔπαρχος Αἰγύπτου/ éparchos Aigýptou, P.Oxy 237; ὁ τῆς Αἰγύπτου ἄρχων/ho tȇs Aigýptou árchōn, Cass. Dio 54,51).
The first incumbent was Cornelius [II 18] Gallus, an equestrian; he had three legions at his disposal. The political situation still uncertain, Octavian (Augustus) had him granted by lex 'the jurisdiction of a magistrate comparable to that of a proconsul'(Dig. 1,17,1: imperium ad simil…