{"id":93664,"date":"2021-07-21T23:42:32","date_gmt":"2021-07-21T21:42:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/imperiumromanum.pl\/?page_id=93664"},"modified":"2025-08-21T23:59:46","modified_gmt":"2025-08-21T21:59:46","slug":"roman-provinces","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/imperiumromanum.pl\/en\/roman-geography\/roman-provinces\/","title":{"rendered":"Roman provinces"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_87 ez-toc-wrap-left counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Chapters<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/imperiumromanum.pl\/en\/roman-geography\/roman-provinces\/roman-italy\/#the-period-of-the-republic\" >The period of the republic<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/imperiumromanum.pl\/en\/roman-geography\/roman-provinces\/roman-italy\/#empire-period\" >Empire period<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/imperiumromanum.pl\/en\/roman-geography\/roman-provinces\/roman-italy\/#the-formation-of-the-province\" >The formation of the province<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<div class=\"spis_tresci float-right\"><details><summary>More content <i class=\"fa fa-chevron-down\"><\/i><\/summary><ol><li><a href=\"https:\/\/imperiumromanum.pl\/en\/roman-geography\/roman-provinces\/list-of-roman-provinces\/\">List of Roman provinces<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/imperiumromanum.pl\/en\/roman-geography\/roman-provinces\/roman-italy\/\">Roman Italy<\/a><\/li><\/ol><\/details><\/div>The province incorporated into the Empire was determined by an appropriate act (<em>lex provinciae<\/em>) of its situation. The same separately regulated the situation of individual <b><a href=\"https:\/\/imperiumromanum.pl\/geografia\/miasta-rzymskie\/\">Roman cities<\/a><\/b> included in the province. Some of them were provided only by the army, others did not pay taxes and had their own judiciary. Unregulated matters were supplemented with the edicts of the governor.<\/p>\n<p>The main task of the province was to keep <a href=\"https:\/\/imperiumromanum.pl\/en\/roman-geography\/roman-cities\/rome-eternal-city\/\">Rome<\/a>, or rather the Roman people, which was most often manifested in the so-called <b>grain tribute<\/b>. But the residents were also required to provide other personal benefits. As it can be assumed, collecting the above-mentioned taxes was quite a lucrative activity, especially since the authorities themselves often allowed for some, which does not mean small, abuses. To prevent this from happening, in <span class=\"underlined\">149 BCE <\/span>under <em><b>Lex Calpurnia<\/b><\/em> a tribunal was established for the acceptance of bribes by officials (<em>queationes perpetuae de rebus repetundis<\/em>).<\/p>\n<p>The word <em>provincia<\/em> meant a certain range of powers of attorney that had been transferred to him.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"the-period-of-the-republic\"><\/span>The period of the republic<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><a title=\"Roman Senate\" href=\"https:\/\/imperiumromanum.pl\/ustroj\/republika-rzymska\/urzedy-rzymskie\/senat-rzymski\/\">Roman Senate<\/a> decided about the allocation of powers of attorney in the scope of <em>provinciae<\/em>, and only by drawing lots. The provincial government was received for a year, but the Senate could also give <em>prorogatio imperii<\/em>. There was also an allocation of <a href=\"https:\/\/imperiumromanum.pl\/en\/roman-geography\/roman-provinces\/\">provinces<\/a> without the draw procedure (<em>extra sortem<\/em>), but this custom was very rarely used.<br \/>\nThe province was initially headed by <a title=\"Pretor\" href=\"https:\/\/imperiumromanum.pl\/ustroj\/republika-rzymska\/urzedy-rzymskie\/pretor\/\"><b>praetors<\/b><\/a>. Their number depended on the number of provinces. In 227 BCE their number was increased to 4, and in 197 BCE, as a result of the incorporation of two Spanish provinces, it was increased to 6. In special cases, i.e. in the event of war, it was decided to entrust the conduct of provincial affairs to one of <a title=\"Roman consul \" href=\"https:\/\/imperiumromanum.pl\/ustroj\/republika-rzymska\/urzedy-rzymskie\/konsul-rzymski\/\"><b>consuls<\/b><\/a>. After 146 BCE, as a result of the new provinces, i.e. <a title=\"Roman Africa\" href=\"https:\/\/imperiumromanum.pl\/geografia\/prowincje-rzymskie\/spis-prowincji-rzymskich\/afryka-rzymska\/\"><b>Africa<\/b><\/a> and <a title=\"Roman Macedonia\" href=\"https:\/\/imperiumromanum.pl\/geografia\/prowincje-rzymskie\/spis-prowincji-rzymskich\/macedonia-rzymska\/\"><b>Macedonia<\/b><\/a>, it was decided to slightly modernize the provincial allocation system, introducing the institution of extending the governorship of the so-called <em>prorogatio imperii<\/em>.<br \/>\nThe governor also administered justice with the help of a council (<em>consilium<\/em>) composed of representatives of Roman citizens living in the province. There was no appeal instance against the governor&#8217;s verdict.<\/p>\n<div class=\"center_img\">\n<p class=\"tabelka_tresc\"><a href=\"https:\/\/imperiumromanum.pl\/geografia\/prowincje-rzymskie\/italia-rzymska\/\">Roman Italia<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"male3\">Italy has never been a Roman Province. Italy was the administrative part of the Apennine Peninsula. Officially, the territory of Italy belonged to Rome and had a special status. (<a href=\"https:\/\/imperiumromanum.pl\/geografia\/prowincje-rzymskie\/italia-rzymska\/\">more<\/a>)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>In the provinces, governors were accompanied by <em>legatii<\/em>, having some military and parliamentary powers. Their number was variable and dependent on the needs of a given province. The financial affairs of the province were handled by the quaestor. A large group in the viceroy&#8217;s surroundings was, however, a group of freeloaders, euphemistically called &#8220;companions&#8221; (<em>contubernales<\/em>) and &#8220;friends&#8221; (<em>comites<\/em>), who were recruited from representatives of young aristocratic families.<br \/>\nThe first, more important ordering of matters related to the governorship falls only during the rule of <a href=\"https:\/\/imperiumromanum.pl\/biografie\/lucjusz-korneliusz-sulla\/\">the dictator <b>Sulla<\/b><\/a>. Sulla has opted for the rule that only former consuls (proconsuls) and former praetors (proclaimers)can become governors. Immediately after leaving office, they obtained <em>prorogatio imperii<\/em> and went to the province assigned to them. In the original assumptions, the governor&#8217;s term was one year, but over time it was decided to extend this period, usually up to 3 years, so that the custom would soon become a binding practice.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"empire-period\"><\/span>Empire period<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Following the assumption of imperial dignity by <a href=\"https:\/\/imperiumromanum.pl\/biografie\/oktawian-august\/\">Octavian Augustus<\/a>, the Roman provinces were divided into two types:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><b>imperial provinces<\/b> &#8211; provinces whose nominal governor (in the rank of proconsul) on behalf of the senate and the Roman people was the emperor himself. In practice, the administration of the imperial provinces was exercised by legates freely appointed and dismissed by the emperor. These provinces were the most often the borders of the <a href=\"https:\/\/imperiumromanum.pl\/en\/roman-constitution\/roman-empire\/\">Roman Empire<\/a>, and legions under the direct authority of the emperor were stationed on them.<\/li>\n<li><b>Senate provinces<\/b> &#8211; these provinces were owned by the Roman people and were far from <a href=\"https:\/\/imperiumromanum.pl\/geografia\/limes\/\">Limes<\/a> and therefore not endangered &#8211; therefore, no legions were stationed there, which was to limit the possibility of the Senate taking power away from the emperor. Only <a href=\"https:\/\/imperiumromanum.pl\/ustroj\/republika-rzymska\/urzedy-rzymskie\/senat-rzymski\/\">Senate<\/a> had the power to appoint governors (proconsul).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<table class=\"center\" style=\"vertical-align: text-top;\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"background-color: #f2ebeb;\" colspan=\"2\">\n<p class=\"podtytul\">Roman provinces<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"vertical-align: text-top;\" width=\"50%\">\n<p class=\"male3\">In 14 CE, the <span class=\"underlined\">senate provinces<\/span> (<em><em>provincia populi Romani<\/em><\/em>) were:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/imperiumromanum.pl\/geografia\/prowincje-rzymskie\/spis-prowincji-rzymskich\/achaja-rzymska\/\">Achaea<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/imperiumromanum.pl\/geografia\/prowincje-rzymskie\/spis-prowincji-rzymskich\/afryka-rzymska\/\">Africa<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/imperiumromanum.pl\/geografia\/prowincje-rzymskie\/spis-prowincji-rzymskich\/azja-mniejsza-rzymska\/\">Asia<\/a><\/li>\n<li>Creta et <a href=\"https:\/\/imperiumromanum.pl\/geografia\/prowincje-rzymskie\/spis-prowincji-rzymskich\/cyrenajka-rzymska\/\">Cyrene<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/imperiumromanum.pl\/geografia\/prowincje-rzymskie\/spis-prowincji-rzymskich\/cypr-rzymski\/\">Cyprus<\/a><\/li>\n<li>Gallia Narbonensis<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/imperiumromanum.pl\/geografia\/prowincje-rzymskie\/spis-prowincji-rzymskich\/hiszpania-rzymska\/\">Hispania Baetica<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/imperiumromanum.pl\/geografia\/prowincje-rzymskie\/spis-prowincji-rzymskich\/macedonia-rzymska\/\">Macedonia<\/a><\/li>\n<li>Pontus et Bithynia<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/imperiumromanum.pl\/geografia\/prowincje-rzymskie\/spis-prowincji-rzymskich\/sycylia-rzymska\/\">Sicilia<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<td width=\"50%\">\n<p class=\"male3\"><span class=\"underlined\">The imperial provinces<\/span> (<em>provintiae Caesaris<\/em>) were at different times:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/imperiumromanum.pl\/geografia\/krainy-sasiednie-rzymu\/egipt-starozytny\/\">Aegyptus<\/a><\/li>\n<li>Alpes Cottiae<\/li>\n<li>Alpes Maritimae<\/li>\n<li>Alpes Poenninae<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/imperiumromanum.pl\/geografia\/prowincje-rzymskie\/spis-prowincji-rzymskich\/cylicja-rzymska\/\">Cilicia<\/a><\/li>\n<li>Dalmatia<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/imperiumromanum.pl\/geografia\/prowincje-rzymskie\/spis-prowincji-rzymskich\/galacja-rzymska\/\">Galatia<\/a><\/li>\n<li>Gallia Aquitania<\/li>\n<li>Gallia Belgica<\/li>\n<li>Gallia Lugdunensis<\/li>\n<li>Germania Inferior<\/li>\n<li>Germania Superior<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/imperiumromanum.pl\/geografia\/prowincje-rzymskie\/spis-prowincji-rzymskich\/hiszpania-rzymska\/\">Hispania Tarraconensis<\/a><\/li>\n<li>Lusitania<\/li>\n<li>Moesia<\/li>\n<li>Noricum<\/li>\n<li>Pannonia<\/li>\n<li>Raetia<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/imperiumromanum.pl\/geografia\/prowincje-rzymskie\/spis-prowincji-rzymskich\/sardynia-korsyka-rzymska\/\">Corsica et Sardinia<\/a><\/li>\n<li>Syria<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"the-formation-of-the-province\"><\/span>The formation of the province<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Chronologically the first province is <a title=\"Roman Sicily\" href=\"https:\/\/imperiumromanum.pl\/geografia\/prowincje-rzymskie\/spis-prowincji-rzymskich\/sycylia-rzymska\/\"><b>Sicily<\/b><\/a>, followed by <a title=\"Sardinia and Roman Corsica\" href=\"https:\/\/imperiumromanum.pl\/geografia\/prowincje-rzymskie\/spis-prowincji-rzymskich\/sardynia-korsyka-rzymska\/\"><b>Corsica<\/b> and <b>Sardinia<\/b><\/a>, acquisitions of the Roman Empire after the <a title=\"Third Macedonian War\" href=\"https:\/\/imperiumromanum.pl\/wojny\/wojny-macedonskie\/iii-wojna-macedonska\/\">First Punic War<\/a>. A further expansion of the borders was followed by another confrontation with Carthage, <a title=\"the Second Punic War\" href=\"https:\/\/imperiumromanum.pl\/wojny\/wojny-punickie\/ii-wojna-punicka\/\"><b>the Second Punic War<\/b><\/a> when it <a href=\"https:\/\/imperiumromanum.pl\/en\/curiosities\/lincolns-killer-was-roman\/\">was Roman<\/a> expanded into two Spanish provinces organized in 197 BCE: <span class=\"underlined\">Further Spain<\/span>(<em>Ulterior<\/em>) and <span class=\"underlined\">Closer<\/span>(<em>Citerior<\/em>).<br \/>\nThe following years abounded in newer and newer territorial acquisitions. The struggles between Rome and Macedonia in the 2nd century BCE resulted in the creation of the province of Macedonia in 148 BCE A little later, in 146 BCE, as a result of <a title=\"The Third Punic War\" href=\"https:\/\/imperiumromanum.pl\/wojny\/wojny-punickie\/iii-wojna-punicka\/\"><b>The Third Punic War<\/b><\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/imperiumromanum.pl\/en\/roman-geography\/romes-contacts-with-africa-and-far-east\/\">Africa<\/a> was founded on the ruins of the defeated Carthage.<\/p>\n<p>In the same year, part of <a href=\"https:\/\/imperiumromanum.pl\/en\/article\/greece-birth-of-city\/\">Greece<\/a> was incorporated into Macedonia. These territories were separated only in 27 BCE, creating, together with Epirus, the province of <a title=\"Roman Achaia\" href=\"https:\/\/imperiumromanum.pl\/geografia\/prowincje-rzymskie\/spis-prowincji-rzymskich\/achaja-rzymska\/\"><b>Achaia<\/b><\/a>. In 129 BCE the lands of the Pergamon kingdom were turned into the province of Asia. In the same year, as a result of the conquests on the Illyrian coast, some of the captured lands were incorporated into the province of Macedonia.<br \/>\nSoon the Roman state also included new lands to the northwest. Earlier, at the end of the 3rd century BCE, a strip of land called Pre-Alpine Gaul (<em>Gaul Cisalpina<\/em>) was conquered, which as a province were organized only around 81 BCE, and later Gaul of the Trans-Alpine also called Narbonne Gaul (<em>Galia Narbonensis<\/em>), which in 121 BCE was organized into a new province (<em>Gaul<\/em>). The last conquest of these lands came under <a title=\"Gaius Julius Caesar\" href=\"https:\/\/imperiumromanum.pl\/biografie\/gajusz-juliusz-cezar\/\">Julius Caesar<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The expansion of Rome definitely fell on the 1st century BCE. It was then that a number of lands in the eastern territory were captured. Cilicia was conquered as early as 102 BCE, in 96 BCE <a title=\"Roman Cyrenaica\" href=\"https:\/\/imperiumromanum.pl\/geografia\/prowincje-rzymskie\/spis-prowincji-rzymskich\/cyrenajka-rzymska\/\"><b>Cyrenaica<\/b><\/a>, organized in 66 BCE as Cyrenaica and Crete In 75 BCE Bithynia was taken over, and in 64 BCE the provinces of Syria were organized, the conquest of which had already begun in 66 BCE, as well as Bithynia and Pontus. In 58 BCE <a title=\"Roman Cyprus\" href=\"https:\/\/imperiumromanum.pl\/geografia\/prowincje-rzymskie\/spis-prowincji-rzymskich\/cypr-rzymski\/\"><b>Cyprus<\/b><\/a> was incorporated. In 30 BCE <a title=\"Ancient Egypt\" href=\"https:\/\/imperiumromanum.pl\/geografia\/krainy-sasiednie-rzymu\/egipt-starozytny\/\"><b>Egypt<\/b><\/a> was incorporated into the Empire, and in 25 <a title=\"Roman Galatia\" href=\"https:\/\/imperiumromanum.pl\/geografia\/prowincje-rzymskie\/spis-prowincji-rzymskich\/galacja-rzymska\/\"><b>Galatia<\/b><\/a>.<br \/>\nIn the years 16 &#8211; 12 BCE the Retia, Noricum, Pannonia, as well as the Alpine provinces were conquered, but only partially.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The province incorporated into the Empire was determined by an appropriate act (lex provinciae) of its situation. The same separately regulated the situation of individual Roman cities included in the province. Some of them were provided only by the army, others did not pay taxes and had their own judiciary. Unregulated matters were supplemented with [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":77126,"parent":41920,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-93664","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/imperiumromanum.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/93664","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/imperiumromanum.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/imperiumromanum.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/imperiumromanum.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/imperiumromanum.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=93664"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/imperiumromanum.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/93664\/revisions"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/imperiumromanum.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/41920"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/imperiumromanum.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/77126"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/imperiumromanum.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=93664"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}