Early Roman Empire, Julio-Claudian Dynasty, Augustus: Eastern Provinces and Frontiers

Eastern Provinces and Frontiers (25-00-06)

In the East the Roman Empire had two natural frontiers: the Euphrates River running southwards 1710 miles (2800 km) from Turkey to the Persian Gulf, bordering the Parthian Empire in modern Iran and western Iraq; and the deserts of Arabia and the Sahara representing barriers to expansion.

At this time Rome had five provinces in the East: Asia (western Asia Minor), Pontus and Bithynia (north coast Asia Minor), Cilicia and Cyprus (southwest coast Asia Minor), Syria and Egypt. Galatia (central-north Asia Minor) was made a province after the death of Amyntas (r.36-25 BC). In Egypt the first three of Augustus’ prefects were all militarily active: ⁵²Cornelius Gallus (r.30-26 BC) subdued Upper Egypt (south) and both he and Gaius Petronius (1) (r.24-21 BC) engaged with the Aethiopians. Petronius was able to make a settlement with the Aethiopians but the expedition of ⁰⁴Aelius Gallus (26-24 BC) into Arabia came to nothing. 

Two governors of Africa, ¹⁵Sempronius Atratinus (r.21-20 BC) and ⁵³Cornelius Balbus (r.20-19 BC), campaigned beyond the provincial frontiers. Nothing is known of Sempronius’ campaign, but we know that Balbus defeated the Garamantes, a desert tribe in northwest Libya. 

Augustus decided to avoid war with Parthia and seek a diplomatic settlement. In 23 BC the son of Phraates IV (r.37*2 BC), who had been brought to Augustus by Tiridates II (r.25 BC), was handed over to his father’s envoys with the stipulation that he should return Roman standards lost in 53 BC.

In 22 BC Augustus travelled to the East to secure Phraates’ compliance, which was received in 20 BC. At this time an appeal from the Armenians provided Augustus with a pretext for ousting the hostile king Artaxias II (r.33-20 BC), who was apparently mistreating his people, in favour of his brother Tigranes III (r.20-10 BC). This Augustus agreed to do and thereby re-established the Roman claim, first asserted by Pompey, to determine who should rule the kingdom.

In 16 BC Augustus went to Gaul and sent Agrippa to settle affairs in the East. While Agrippa was in Judaea he learned that Asander (93; r.47-17 BC), king of Cimmerian Bosporus (on the northern shore of the Black Sea) and a loyal vassal of Rome, had died and an anti-Roman faction was threatening to take control of his realm. To forestall this, Agrippa placed the Cimmerian Bosporus under another loyal Roman vassal, the Pontine king Polemon-I (r.16-08 BC). 

In 13 BC Agrippa was recalled to subdue Pannonia (western Hungary) and on his arrival the Pannonians quickly submitted. Agrippa became ill and returned to Campania (southern Italy) where he died later in the year. The following year the disgraced ¹⁶Aemilius Lepidus (cos.44 BC) died and Augustus, who had chosen to wait for his death instead of removing him from office, had himself elected pontifex maximus.

In AD 6 Judaea was made an imperial province under a Roman procurator (a civil and judicial administrator), Coponius (r.6-9), who resided in Caesarea.