Roman province

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Not to be confused with Province of Rome.

Roman Empire under Augustus (31 BC – AD 14). Yellow: 31BC. Dark Green 31–19 BC, Light Green 19–9 BC, Pale
Green 9–6 BC. Mauve: Client states

The Roman empire under Hadrian (125) showing the provinces as then organised

In Ancient Rome, a province (Latin: provincia, pl. provinciae) was the basic and, until
the Tetrarchy (from 293 AD), the largest territorial and administrative unit of the empire's
territorial possessions outside Italy. The word province in Modern English has its origins in
the Latin term used by the Romans.
Provinces were generally governed by politicians of senatorial rank, usually
former consuls or former praetors. A later exception was the province of Egypt, incorporated
 by Augustus after the death of Cleopatra; it was ruled by a governor of only equestrian rank,
perhaps as a discouragement to senatorial ambition. This exception was unique, but not
contrary to Roman law, as Egypt was considered Augustus' personal property, following the
tradition of the kingsof the earlier Hellenistic period.
The Latin term provincia also had a more general meaning of "jurisdiction".
Contents
Republican provincesEdit
The Latin word provincia originally meant any task or set of responsibilities assigned by
the Roman senate to an individual who held imperium ("right of command"), which was
often a military command within a specified theater of operations.[1] Under the Roman
Republic, the magistrates were elected to office for a period of one year, and those serving
outside the city of Rome, such as consuls acting as generals on a military campaign, were
assigned a particular provincia, the scope of authority within which they exercised their
command.
The territory of a people who were defeated in war might be brought under various forms
of treaty, in some cases entailing complete subjection (deditio). The formal annexation of a
territory created a province, in the modern sense of an administrative unit that is
geographically defined. Republican-period provinces were administered in one-year terms by
the consuls and praetors who had held office the previous year and who were invested
with imperium.[2]
Rome started expanding beyond Italy during the First Punic War. The first permanent
provinces to be annexed were Sicily (Sicilia) in 241 BC and Sardinia (Corsica et Sardinia) in
237 BC. Militarized expansionism kept increasing the number of these administrative
provinces, until there were no longer enough qualified individuals to fill the posts.[3]
The terms of provincial governors often had to be extended for multiple years (prorogatio),
and on occasion the Senate awarded imperiumeven to private citizens (privati), most
notably Pompey the Great.[4] Prorogation undermined the republican constitutional principle
of annual elected magistracies, and the amassing of disproportionate wealth and military
power by a few men through their provincial commands was a major factor in the transition
from a republic to imperial autocracy.[5][6]
List of Republican provincesEdit
 241 BC – Sicilia (Sicily) taken over from the Carthaginians and annexed at the end of the First Punic
War.
 237 BC – Corsica et Sardinia; these two islands were taken over from the Carthaginians and annexed
soon after the Mercenary War, in 238 BC and 237 BC respectively.
 197 BC – Hispania Citerior; along the east coast of the Iberian Peninsula; part of the territories taken
over from the Carthaginians.
 197 BC - Hispania Ulterior; along the southern coast of the Iberian Peninsula; part of the territories
taken over from the Carthaginians in the Second Punic War.
 147 BC – Macedonia in mainland Greece. It was annexed after a rebellion by the Achaean League.
 146 BC – Africa (modern day Tunisia and western Libya) home territory of Carthage; annexed after
the destruction of Carthage in the Third Punic War.
 129 BC – Asia, formerly the Kingdom of Pergamon in western Anatolia (modern Turkey) by its last
king, Attalus III, in 133 BC.
 120 BC – Gallia Narbonensis (southern France); prior to its annexation it was called Gallia
Transalpina (Gallia on the other side of the Alps) to distinguish it from Gallia Cisalpina (Gaul on this
same side of the Alps, in northern Italy). It was annexed following attacks on the allied Greek city of
Massalia (Marseille).
 67 BC – Creta et Cyrenae; Cyrenaica was bequeathed to Rome in 78 BC. However, it was not
organised as a province. It was incorporated into the province of Creta et Cyrenae when Crete was
annexed in 67 BC.
 63 BC – Pontus et Bithynia; the Kingdom of Bithynia (in North-western Anatolia - Turkey) was
bequeathed to Rome by its last king, Nicomedes IV in 74 BC. It was organised as a Roman province
at the end of the Third Mithridatic War (73-63 BC) by Pompey, who incorporated the eastern part of
the defeated Kingdom of Pontus into it in 63 BC.
 63 BC – Syria; Pompey annexed Syria at the end of the Third Mithridatic War.
 58 BC – Cilicia et Cyprus; Cilicia was created as a province in the sense of area of military command
in 102 BC in a campaign against piracy. The Romans controlled only a small area. In 74
BC Lycia and Pamphylia (to the east) were added to the small Roman possessions in Cilicia. Cilicia
came fully under Roman control towards the end of the Third Mithridatic War - 73-63 BC. The
province was reorganised by Pompey in 63 BC. Cyprus was annexed and added to this province in 58
BC.
 46 BC - Africa Nova (eastern Numidia - Algeria), Julius Caesar annexed eastern Numidia and the new
province called Africa Nova (new Africa) to distinguish it from the older province of Africa, which
become known as Africa Vetus (Old Africa).

Gallia Cisalpina (in northern Italy) was a province in the sense of an area of military
command, but was never a province in the sense of an administrative unit. During Rome's
expansion in the Italian peninsula, the Romans assigned some areas as provinces in the sense
of areas of military command assigned to consuls or praetors (not proconsuls or propraetors
as in the case of administrative provinces) due to risks of rebellions or invasions. This was
applied to Liguria because there was a series of rebellions, Bruttium and to (Calabria)
because of perceived risks of rebellion.
In the early days of the Roman presence in Gallia Cisalpina, the issue was rebellion. Later,
the issue was risk of invasions by warlike peoples east of Italy. The city of Aquileia was
founded to protect northern Italy from invasions. Gaius Julius Caesar granted the inhabitants
of this region Roman citizenship and incorporated the region into Italy.
Imperial provinces during the PrincipateEdit

The Roman Empire at its greatest extent, under Trajan (117); imperial provinces are shaded green, senatorial
provinces are shaded pink, and client states are shaded gray

In the so-called Augustan Settlement of 27 BC which established the Roman Empire, the
governance of the provinces was regulated. Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus, having emerged
from the Roman civil wars as the undisputed victor and master of the Roman state, officially
laid down his powers, and in theory restored the authority of the Roman Senate. Octavian
himself assumed the title "Augustus" and was given to govern, in addition to Egypt, the
strategically important provinces of Gaul, Hispania and Syria (including Cilicia and Cyprus).
 Under Augustus, Roman provinces were classified as either public or imperial, meaning that
their governors were appointed by either the Senate or by the emperor. Generally, the older
provinces that existed under the Republic were public. Public provinces were, as before under
the Republic, governed by a proconsul, who was chosen by lot among the ranks of senators
who were ex-consuls or ex-praetors, depending on the province assigned.
The major imperial provinces were under a legatus Augusti pro praetore, also a senator of
consular or praetorian rank. Egypt and some smaller provinces where no legions were based
were ruled by a procurator (praefectus in Egypt), whom the emperor selected from non-
senators of equestrian rank.
The status of a province could change from time to time. In AD 68, of a total 36 provinces,
11 were public and 25 imperial. Of the latter, 15 were under legati and 10
under procuratores or praefecti.
During the Principate, the number and size of provinces also changed, either through
conquest or through the division of existing provinces. The larger or more heavily garrisoned
provinces (for example Syria and Moesia) were subdivided into smaller provinces to prevent
any single governor from holding too much power.
List of provinces created during the PrincipateEdit
 30 BC - Aegyptus. Taken over by Augustus after his defeat of Mark Antony and Cleopatra VII of
Egypt in 30 BC. It was the first imperial province in that it was Augustus' own domain as the
Egyptians recognised him as their new pharaoh. Its proper initial name was Alexandrea et Aegyptus.
It was governed by Augustus' praefectus Alexandreae et Aegypti.
 27 BC – Achaia (southern and central Greece), Augustus separated it from Macedonia (senatorial
propraetorial province).
 27 BC – Hispania Tarraconensis; former Hispania Citerior (northern, central and eastern Spain)
created with the reorganisation of the provinces in Hispania by Augustus (imperial proconsular
province).
 27 BC - Hispania Baetica; former Hispania Ulterior (southern Spain); created with the reorganisation
of the provinces in Hispania by Augustus (senatorial propraetorial province).
 27 BC - Lusitania (Portugal and Extremadura in Spain), created with the reorganisation of the
provinces in Hispania by Augustus (imperial proconsular province).
 27 BC - Illyricum, Augustus conquered Illyria and southern Pannonia in 35-33 BC. Created as a
senatorial province in 27 BC. Northern Pannonia was conquered during the Pannonian War (14-10
BC). Subdivided into Dalmatia (a new name for Illyria) and Pannonia, which were officially called
Upper and Lower Illyricum respectively in 9 BC, towards the end of the Batonian War. Initially a
senatorial province, it became an imperial propraetorial province in 11 BC, during the Pannonian war.
It was dissolved and the new provinces of Dalmatia and Pannonia were created during the reign
of Vespasian (79-79). In 107 Pannonia was divided into Pannonia Superior and Pannonia Inferior-
imperial provinces (proconsular and propraetorial respectively).
 27 BC or 16-13 BC – Aquitania (south-western France) province created in the territories
in Gaul conquered by Julius Caesar; there is uncertainty as to whether it was created with Augustus’
first visit and the first census on Gaul or during Augustus’ visit in 16-13 (imperial proconsular
province).
 27 BC or 16-13 BC - Gallia Lugdunensis (central and part of northern France) province created in the
territories in Gaul conquered by Julius Caesar; there is uncertainty as to whether it was created with
Augustus’ first visit and the first census on Gaul or during Augustus’ visit in 16-13 (imperial
proconsular province).
 27 BC or 16-13 BC - Gallia Belgica (Netherlands south of the Rhine river, Belgium, Luxembourg,
part of northern France and Germany west of the Rhine; there is uncertainty as to whether it was
created with Augustus’ first visit and the first census on Gaul or during Augustus’ visit in 16-13
(imperial proconsular province).
 25 BC – Galatia (central Anatolia, Turkey), formerly a client kingdom, it was annexed by Augustus
when Amyntas, its last king died. (imperial propraetorial province)
 15 BC – Raetia (imperial procuratorial province).
 12 BC – Germania Magna, lost after three Roman legions were routed in 9 AD.
 6 AD? - Moesia (on the east and south bank of the River Danube part of modern Serbia, the north of
the Republic of Macedonia, northern Bulgaria), Conquered in 28 BC, originally it was a military
district under the province of Macedonia. The first mention of a provincial governor was for 6 AD, at
the beginning of the Batonian war. In 85 Moesia was divided into Moesia Superior and Moesia
Inferior (imperial proconsular provinces).
 6 AD – Judaea, imperial procuratorial province (renamed Syria Palaestina by Hadrian, and upgraded
to proconsular province).
 17 AD – Cappadocia (central Anatolia - Turkey). Imperial propraetorial (later proconsular) province.
 42 AD – Mauretania Tingitana (northern Morocco); after the death of Ptolemy, the last king of
Mauretania in 40 AD his kingdom was annexed. It was begun by Caligula and was completed by
Claudius with the defeat of the rebels. In 42 AD, Claudius divided it into two provinces (imperial
procuratorial province).
 42 AD - Mauretania Caesariensis, (western and central Algeria), after the death of Ptolemy, the last
king of Mauretania in 40 his kingdom was annexed. It was begun by Caligula and was completed by
Claudius with the defeat of the rebels. In 42 AD Claudius divided it into two provinces( imperial
procuratorial province).
 41/53 AD – Noricum (central Austria, north-eastern Slovenia and part of Bavaria), it was incorporated
into the Empire in 16 BC. It was called a province, but it remained a client kingdom under the control
of an imperial procurator. It was turned into a proper province during the reign of Claudius (41–54)
(imperial propraetorial province).
 43 AD – Britannia. Claudius initiated the invasion of Britannia. Up to 60 AD, the Romans controlled
the area south a line from the River Humber to the Severn Estuary. Wales was finally