The Nature of the Provinces

The diversity within and between Roman provinces is understandable when full consideration is given to the following: (see Table 1):

•  How and why provinces were acquired (force or inheritance; strategic or economic)?

•  The intended or consequential role within the Empire (frontier zones or Roman colonies).

•  How the nature of pre-conquest societies created such diversity in the Early Empire through the extent of:

•  multiculturalism

•  pre-conquest peace within the province

•  pre-conquest Roman involvement.

•  Existing economy.

•  Existing religions.

•  Location (Mediterranean or continental; remote or accessible).

•  Natural resources.

•  Topography.

Different reasons for foundation (see Table 1):

•  Inherited: for example, Asia, Cyrene.

•  Development from client kingdoms to provinces (e. g., Judea).

•  Conquered because of economic potential (e. g., Egypt).

•  Conquered because of strategic location for trade (e. g., Crete).

•  Taken to shore up gaps in the area of the Empire (e. g., Cappodacia).

•  Taken to act as buffer zones against threatening tribes (e. g., Dacia).

•  Taken to maintain peace (e. g., Cilicia & Judea).

•  Conquered as a result of attempts to rebel against Roman rule (Pontus, Achaea).

•  Conquered as part of strategic expansion of Empire (e. g., Armenia & Mesopotamia taken in Trajanic expansion).

As noted in the introduction, a range of different types of provincial establishments were founded in the East (see Table 1):

•  Senatorial Province (former consuls): Asia.

•  Senatorial Province (former praetors): Macedonia, Crete & Cyrene, Achaea, Cyprus, Pontus & Bithynia, Lycia & Pamphylia.

•  Imperial Provinces (former consuls): Moesia, Syria, Cappadocia.

•  Imperial Provinces (former praetors): Galatia, Cilicia, Arabia.

•  Imperial Procurators: Thracia, Epirus.

•  Prefect: Egypt and Mesopotamia by early third century.

•  Some were provinces but behaved more like client kingdoms (e. g., Syria).

Within these different provincial establishments there was a range of cities with different status and functions:

•  Colonies (Butrint (Illyrium), Savaria (Pannonia), Corinth (Achaea), Knossos (Crete and Cyrene), Nicomedia (one of the last at 284-305), Beirut, Edessa, Antioch).

•  Military presence (Palestine & Syria and along the Danube).

•  Provincial principal city (Ephesus, Gortyna, Alexandria).

•  Economic foundations (Damascus, Palmyra).

•  Creations to balance internal power (Patras).

•  Cultural centers (Sparta).