Cambridge Ancient Hi.. - Index of

574 21a. asia minor and cyprus
The creation of newer small provinces started in the third century and took
shape under Diocletian, but the process continued to the end of the fourth
century. This development had met an increasing demand by men of
eastern origin to serve in the imperial administration in the east; the creation
of new provinces created many new posts for them, and the new
senate at Constantinople grew very rapidly during the fourth century. Such
service, however, was likely to draw them away from the public life of their
own cities, and is probably a factor to be taken into account in considering
the decline in traditional civic life discussed earlier. 6
Beyond the further subdivision of provinces, there were no significant
reorganizations in the administration of Asia Minor until the sixth century,
when Justinian initiated a programme of reforms. He slightly reduced the
number of provinces in Asia Minor by combining Honorias with
Paphlagonia, and Helenopontus with Pontus Polemoniacus, but he
increased the provinces of Armenia from three to four. He abolished the
post of vicar – the administrative office between the praetorian prefect and
the provincial governors. Recently discovered evidence suggests that this
formalized a change which had already taken place. In several provinces of
Asia Minor – Cappadocia I, Galatia Prima, Lycaonia, Phrygia Pacatiana and
Pisidia, and the newly expanded Helenopontus and Honorias – he gave the
governors new titles, higher salaries, and both civil and military authority.
It is not easy to assess how important these alterations were for the life of
the provincials. Of all his reforms, one of the most elaborate was perhaps
the legislation which brought the provinces of the Greek islands, of Caria
and of Cyprus all under the quaestor exercitus, based in Thrace, so that those
rich and easily accessible provinces could provide the supplies for the army
at the Thracian front; this suggests both the continuing prosperity of these
areas and also the overriding importance of military finance in determining
administrative decisions. 7
Since the third century, the subdivisions of provinces had stimulated
rivalry between cities as to which was to be the metropolis of a new province,
with all the benefits which that could convey. An apparently
significant change was made in Cyprus; the island continued to constitute
a single province, but the city of Paphos, which had been the provincial
capital since the creation of the Roman province, was demoted after the
earthquakes of the mid fourth century, and the provincial administration
moved to the city of Salamis, renamed Constantia. It is clear, however,
from the recent excavations that Paphos remained a rich and important city.
By the fifth century, such issues in the secular provincial administration
were largely resolved, but rivalry continued over status within the church
6 See ch. 16 (Heather), pp. 437,68 above, and Heather (1994).
7 Just. Nov. 8, 24, 25, 28, 29 (all of 535), 30, 31 (536).
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