Page:Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography Volume II.djvu/1103

 KYIJIA. residence was Antioch, which, as the metropolis of the province, readied its highest pitch of prosperity. It was principally this circumstance that induced the emperor Hadrian to divide Syria into three parts (Spart. Iladr. 14), namely: I. Syria, which by way of distinction from the other two provinces was tailed Syria Coele, Magna Syria, Syria Major, and •sometimes simply Syria. (Gruter, Inscr. 346. 1, 1091. .5; Ore,'jnscr. no. 3186, 4997; Galen, de Antidot. i. 2.) Antiuch remained the capital till the time of Septimius Severus, who deprived it of that jirivilege on account of its havinc^ sided with I'escennius Niger, and substituted Laodiceia, which lie made a colony in its stead (Capitol. M. Anton. 2f) Avid Cass. 9; Ulp. iJiy. 50. tit. 15. s.l. §3); and although Caracalla procured that its rights should be restored to Antioch, yet Laodiceia retained its title of metropolis, together with a small territory comprising four dependent cities, whilst Antioch, which had also been made a colony by Caracalla, was likewise called Metrocoloiiia {Corp. Iiuscr. Gi no. 4472 ; Fanl. Dir/. 50. tit. 15. s.8. § 5; Eckhel, iii. p. 302, sq., 3 19, sq.) II. Syria Piioenice, or Syrophoenick, under a legatus Augusti pro praetore (Murat. 2009. 1,2; Marmi, Aid, cfc. p. 744), consisted of three parts, ■vvith three metropolitan cities, namely: 1. Tyre, which first obtained the title of metropolis, with relation to the Iloman province, under Hadrian (Suidas, ii. p. 147, Bernh,), though it had that ap- pellation previously with relation to its own colonies (Strab. xvi. p. 756 ; Eckhel, vol. iii. p. 386). 2. Damascus, which from the time of Hadrian became ■A metropolis, with a sniall territory comprising five towns. (Just. Mart. i>ia^. c. Tryphone, c. 78; Ter- tull. ado. AIarcian,'m. 13; Eckhel, vol. iii. pp. 331 — .'J33.) 3. Palmyra, which appears to have been the re.--idence of a procurator Gaesaris ; whence we may infer that it was the centre of a fiscal circle {Nolit. Dign. i. p. 85; Ulpian, Dvj. 50. tit. 15. s. 1. § 5 ; Procop. de Aed. ii. 11 ; Corjy. Inscr. Gr.no. 4485. 4496 — 4499.) Afourth metropolis, Emesa,wasadded under Heliogabalus (Eckhel, iii. p. 311 ; Ulpian, Bitj. 50. tit. 15. s. 1. § 4). Trichonitis also formed a sepa- rate circle at this time, with the village of Phaina as its ixtTpoKoijx'ia {Corp. Inscr. 6V.4551 ; Orell. Inscr. vol. ii. p. 437, no. 5040). III. Syria Pai^estina, from the time of Hadrian administered by a legatus Augusti pro praet. The name of Syria Palaostina does not appear on coins till the time of the Anto- uines (Eckhel, iii. p.435; cf.Aristid. ii. p. 470, Dind.; (ialen. de ISimpl. Medic, iv. 10; Just. Mart. Apol.'i. 1 ; Corp. Inscr. Gr. no. 4029, 41 51, &c.). Its me- trojjolis was Caesareia, anciently Turns Stratonis (Eckhel, iii. p. 432). This division of the province of Syria was con- nected with an alteration in the quarters of the three legions usually stationed in Syria. In the time of Dion Cassius (Iv. 23) the Legio VI. Scythica was cantoned in Syria, the Legio III. Gallica in Phoenicia, and the Legio VI. Ferrata in Syria Palaos- tina. The system of colonisation which was begun iiy Augustus, and continued into the third century of our era, was also adapted to insure the security of the province. The first of these colonies was Be- rytns, where Augustus settled the veterans of the Legio V. Macedonica and VIII. Augusta. It was a Golonia juris Italici. (Eckhel, iii. p. 356 ; Orelli, Jmcr. no. 514; Ulpian, lJiy.t>0. lit. 15. s. l.§ 1 ; Eu- .seb. Chron. p. 155, Seal.) Augustus also founded Heliopolis {Baalbeli), which received the jus Italicum under Septimius Severus (Ulpian, /. c; Eckhel, iii. SYRIA. 1079 p. 334). Under Claudius was founded Ptolemais (Ace), which did not possess the jus Italicum (l^l- pi.in, ih. § 3 ; Plin. v. 1 ; Eckhel, iii. p. 424). Vespasian planted two colonies, Caesareia (Tunis Stratonis) and Nicopolis (Emmaus) Paul. Dig. .50. tit. 15. s. 8. §?; Eckhel, iii. p. 430); which latter, however, though originally a military colony, appears to have possessed neither the right, nor the name of a colonia (Eckhel, iii. p. 454 ; Joseph. Bell. Jtid. vii. 6 ; Sozomen, Hist. Ecdes. v. 2 1 .) Tiie chief colony founded by Hadrian was Aelia Capito- liiia (Jerusalem), whose colonists, however, were Greeks, and therefore it did not possess the jus Itali- cum. (Dion Cass. l.xi.. 12 ; Euseb. Hist. Ecclcs. iv. 6 ; Malalas, xi. p. 279, ed. Bonn ; Ulpian, I. c. § 6.) Hadrian also probably founded Pahnyra. Under Septimius Severus we have Laodiceia, Tyrus, and Sebaste (Samaria), of which the first two possessed the jus Italicum. (Ulpi.an, i6. § 3. and 7 ; Eckhel, iii. p. 319, 387, seq., 440, seq.) Caracalla foimded Antioch and Emesa (Ulpian, ib. § 4 : Paul. ib. § 5 ; Eckhel, iii. .302, 311), Elagabalus Sidon (Eckhel, iii. p. 371), and Philippus, apparently, Damascus {ib. p. 331). To these must be added two colonies whose foundation is unknown, Capitolias, of whose former name we are ignorant (Paul. Big. 50. tit. 15. s. 8. § 7 ; Eckhel, iii. p. 328, seq.), and Caesareia ad Libanum (Area). (Eckhel, ib. p. 361.) At the end of the fourth century of our era, Syria was divided into still smaller portions, namely: 1. Syria prima, governed by a consularis, with the metropolis of Antioch and the following cities : Seleuceia, Laodiceia, Gabala, Paltos, Beroea, Chalcis. 2. Syria Secunda, under apraeses, with Apameiafor its chief city, and the dependent towns of Epiplianeia, Arethusa, Larissa, Jlaiiamne, Balaneia, E;'.phaneae, and Seleuceia ad Belum. Malalas (xiv. p. 265, ed. Bonn.) ascribes its separation from Syria Prima to the reign of Theodosius II., which, however, may be doubted. Bbcking attributes the division to Theodosius the Great {ad Not. Diynit. i. p. 129). 3. Phoenicia Prima, under a consularis, with the metropolis of Tyrus and the cities Ptolemais, Sidon, Beiytus, Byblos, Botryo, Tripolis, Arcae, Orthosias, AraduH, Antaradus, Caesarea Paneas. 4. Phoenicia Secunda, or Phoenicia ad Libanum, under a prae-es, having Damascus for its capital, and embracing the cities of Emesa, Laodiceia ,id Libanum, Heliojiolis, Abila, Palmyra. It was first separated by Theo- dosius the Great. 5. Palaestina Prima, administered by a consularis, and in the years 383 — 385 by a pro- consul. Its chief city was Caesareia, and it com- prehended the towns of Dora, Antipatris, Diospolis, Azotus ad Mare, Azotus ]Iediterranea, Eleuthero- polis, Aelia Capitolina (Jerusalem), Neapolis, Livia.s, Sebaste, Antliedon, Diocletianopolis, Joppa, Gaza, Pvapbia, Ascaliin, &c. 6. Palaestina Secunda, under a praeses, with the capital of Scytliopolis, and the. towns of Gadara, Abila, Cajiitolias, Hippos, Tibe- rias, Dio Caesareia, ;ind Gabae. 7. Palaestina Tei- tia. This was formed out of the former province of Arabia. (Procop. de Aed. v. 8.) It was governed by a praeses, and its chief city was Petra. (Cf. Palaestina, Vol. II. p. 533.) Witii respect to these later subdivisions of Syria, the reader may consult Hicrocles, p. 397, cd. Bonn, with the notes of Wes.seling, p. 518, sqq.; the No- titia Dignit. i. p. 5, seq., and the commentary of I'.lkking, ].p. 128—140, 511; Bingham, Orig. F.ccl. vol. iii. p. 434, seq.; Norisius, de F.pocli. Sgromaccd. iu Upp. vol. ii. p. 374, sqq., p. 410, seq. 3z 4