Cilicia Secunda · Imperium Romanum

The later Balkan provincial landscape. Dacia south of the Danube, the two Epiri… — The later Balkan provincial landscape. Dacia south of the Danube, the two Epiri, Thessaly, Macedonia, Achaia, and the Thracian districts illustrate the replacement of large commands by smaller jurisdictions. The river network helps relate frontier districts to the Adriatic, Aegean, and imperial straits.

The province contained productive lowlands, cities, routes, and approaches towards the Syrian frontier. Anazarbus’s increased administrative and ecclesiastical standing reflected a long rise in regional importance. Its rivalry with Tarsus was not merely a contest between two interchangeable capitals.

Agriculture, local manufacture, transport, and exchange supported urban and rural communities. Earthquakes, rebuilding, religious disputes, and war shaped the later landscape. The creation of a separate jurisdiction brought officials closer to eastern districts without ending practical connections across the older Cilician territory. Seventh-century conflict eventually transformed these connections into a more militarized and contested frontier geography.

LE-53 Cilicia Secunda