Roman Syria at a glance
Syria was at least partly inside the Roman Empire at 8 of the 13 key dates on this map, between 44 BC and AD 1000. The most of it inside was 82% of Syria (151,808 km² of 185,940 km²), at AD 211. Today's Syria overlaps 5 Roman provinces or province groups on the AD 200 map.
The map above opens on AD 211, when the most of Syria was inside.
- 44 BCfirst key date inside
- AD 1000last key date inside
- 82%most inside, at AD 211
- 264Roman-period settlements in Pleiades
Roman provinces in Syria
Today's Syria overlaps 5 Roman provinces on the AD 200 map:
- Syria (77% of the province is here)
- Syria Phoenice (70% of the province is here)
- Arabia Petraea (7.5% of the province is here)
- Osrhoene (65% of the province is here)
- Mesopotamia (25% of the province is here)
Syria inside the empire, date by date
| Date | Share of Syria inside | Area inside (km²) |
|---|---|---|
| 753 BC | outside | 0 |
| 264 BC | outside | 0 |
| 133 BC | outside | 0 |
| 44 BC | 19% | 35,686 |
| AD 14 | 52% | 95,813 |
| AD 117 | 70% | 130,629 |
| AD 211 | 82% | 151,808 |
| AD 395 | 82% | 151,804 |
| AD 476 | 82% | 151,804 |
| AD 565 | 82% | 151,804 |
| AD 1000 | 1.3% | 2,407 |
| AD 1180 | outside | 0 |
| AD 1453 | outside | 0 |
A country counts as inside only above 1% of its area or 500 km², because the ancient and modern coastlines do not match exactly. Borders are approximate and debated.
Roman cities in Syria
Pleiades lists 264 Roman-period settlements in Syria. The best attested include:
Names and attestation from Pleiades (CC BY 3.0).
See the Roman roads of Syria on romanroadsmap.com →
Related countries
- Roman Turkey (shares Syria, Osrhoene and Mesopotamia)
- Roman Lebanon (shares Syria Phoenice)
- Roman Israel (shares Syria Phoenice and Arabia Petraea)
- Roman Egypt (shares Arabia Petraea)
- Roman Jordan (shares Arabia Petraea)
- Roman Saudi Arabia (shares Arabia Petraea)
- Roman Palestine (shares Arabia Petraea)
- Roman Iraq (shares Mesopotamia)