The diversity within and between Roman provinces is understandable when full consideration is given to the following: (see Table 1):
• How and why provinces were acquired (force or inheritance; strategic or economic)?
• The intended or consequential role within the Empire (frontier zones or Roman colonies).
• How the nature of pre-conquest societies created such diversity in the Early Empire through the extent of:
• multiculturalism
• pre-conquest peace within the province
• pre-conquest Roman involvement.
• Existing economy.
• Existing religions.
• Location (Mediterranean or continental; remote or accessible).
• Natural resources.
• Topography.
Different reasons for foundation (see Table 1):
• Inherited: for example, Asia, Cyrene.
• Development from client kingdoms to provinces (e. g., Judea).
• Conquered because of economic potential (e. g., Egypt).
• Conquered because of strategic location for trade (e. g., Crete).
• Taken to shore up gaps in the area of the Empire (e. g., Cappodacia).
• Taken to act as buffer zones against threatening tribes (e. g., Dacia).
• Taken to maintain peace (e. g., Cilicia & Judea).
• Conquered as a result of attempts to rebel against Roman rule (Pontus, Achaea).
• Conquered as part of strategic expansion of Empire (e. g., Armenia & Mesopotamia taken in Trajanic expansion).
As noted in the introduction, a range of different types of provincial establishments were founded in the East (see Table 1):
• Senatorial Province (former consuls): Asia.
• Senatorial Province (former praetors): Macedonia, Crete & Cyrene, Achaea, Cyprus, Pontus & Bithynia, Lycia & Pamphylia.
• Imperial Provinces (former consuls): Moesia, Syria, Cappadocia.
• Imperial Provinces (former praetors): Galatia, Cilicia, Arabia.
• Imperial Procurators: Thracia, Epirus.
• Prefect: Egypt and Mesopotamia by early third century.
• Some were provinces but behaved more like client kingdoms (e. g., Syria).
Within these different provincial establishments there was a range of cities with different status and functions:
• Colonies (Butrint (Illyrium), Savaria (Pannonia), Corinth (Achaea), Knossos (Crete and Cyrene), Nicomedia (one of the last at 284-305), Beirut, Edessa, Antioch).
• Military presence (Palestine & Syria and along the Danube).
• Provincial principal city (Ephesus, Gortyna, Alexandria).
• Economic foundations (Damascus, Palmyra).
• Creations to balance internal power (Patras).
• Cultural centers (Sparta).
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