Treaties with foreign peoples

[Lothia]

Ave civitas,

I am writing a novel about Alaric and Stilicho.  I cannot find any information about which office in the government in Constantinopolis would be responsible for treaties with foreign people during the late fourth century.  There surely must have been an office whose responsibilities included drafting, issuing, and filing treaty agreements.
  Are there any texts (published) that descirbes that office and its responsibilities?
  I though that Jones's "Later Roman Empire" might contain something about that, but I could not find anything.

Again, thanks for your help in advance.

[Nathan Ross]

It sounds like the book you want is A.D. Lee's Information and Frontiers, which is all about the relations between the late Roman state and various 'barbarian' peoples. Whether it contains the information you need, though, I don't recall. As a general rule, I tend to assume that if Jones doesn't have it, nobody else will!

Puzzling out the various roles and areas of responsibility of the imperial scrinia is a tough job. I would guess that the office of the Magister Officiorum himself would handle treaties - he controlled the notaries, who would draw up the documents, and the agentes in rebus, who would do all the running about. Galerius sent his magister memoriae Probus to negotiate with the Persians back in 299, although that was before the institution of the later offices.

Alternatively, it could have been the responsibility of the Praetorian Prefect. Christopher Kelly's Ruling the Later Roman Empire is good on the divisions between the Prefect's office and the Magisters.

Have you tried combing through the Theodosian code for rescripts relating to treaties? A named recipient might enable you to identify the office concerned.

[Lothia]

Thank you for your quick response. Of course I don't have either of those books. I doubt I will search the Theodosian code for treaties, I am 68 and don't have time for that.
I think I will order Information and Frontiers first and see what that offers me. I read Jones's tome, cover to cover and left hundreds of sticky-notes. I went back through chapters 12 [administration] and 16 [civil service] reading my sticky notes but didn't find anything on treaties.
But, with your thoughts on which office might handle treaties, I will search more closely in that area.
Again, thanks.

[Flavivs Aetivs]

http://www.thelatinlibrary.com/theodosius.html

Click a chapter, cntrl+f, type in "Foedus" or "Foed" or something and search.

This is provided you can read Latin, of course.

[Nathan Ross]

It occurs to me that there is, in the oriental part of the Notitia Digitatum, the following reference:

Officium autem suprascripti viri illustris magistri officiorum
de scola agentum in rebus est ita:
 (...)
Barbaricariorum quatuor:
Orientis unus.
Asianae unus.
Ponticae unus.
Thraciarum et Illyrici unus.

This is presumably the scrinium barbarorum (σκρίνιον τῶν βαρβάρων, skrinion tōn barbarōn) I've seen mentioned in a couple of places. There seem to be various theories about what it did - anything from overseeing tribute payments to espionage to administrating treaties and envoys. The four secretaries, each from a different zone, make it appear a bit like a 'foreign office' within the magister officiorum's domain. Quite possibly this is what you're looking for?

[Lothia]

Thank you very much. That is exactly what I was looking for. I appreciate your help.

Tom