Syria

Upon Pompey's defeat of Tigranes of Armenia, he made Syria a Roman province (64 BCE). Under the early empire, Syria, which stretched northeast to the upper Euphrates and, until AD 73, included eastern Cilicia, became one of the most important provinces. Later Ituraea was incorporated and Judaea became its own province (later Syria Palaestina). Commagene was permanently annexed by Vespasian in 72 and the important caravan city of Palmyra came under Roman control, possibly during the reign of Tiberius. The province of Syria was itself divided into Syria Coele in the north and Syria Phoenice in the south. By the early 5th century it was subdivided into at least five provinces. The frontiers of the province were guarded by a fortified limes system.