List of Roman governors of Syria

This is a list of governors of the Roman province of Syria. From 27 BC, the province was governed by an imperial legate of consular rank. The province was divided in AD 193 into Syria Coele and Syria Phoenicia. In c. 415 AD, Syria Coele was divided into Syria Prima and Syria Secunda. During the reign of Theodosius I (379 – 395), Syria Phoenicia was divided into Phoenicia Maritima and Phoenicia Libanensis.

Proconsular governors of Syria (65–27 BC)

65–62: Marcus Aemilius Scaurus
61–60: Lucius Marcius Philippus
59–58: Gnaeus Cornelius Lentulus Marcellinus
57–54: Aulus Gabinius
54–53: Marcus Licinius Crassus
53–51: Gaius Cassius Longinus
51–50: Marcus Calpurnius Bibulus
50/49: Fabricius Veiento
49–48: Metellus Scipio
47–46: Sextus Julius Caesar
46–44: Quintus Caecilius Bassus
45: Gaius Antistius Vetus
44: Lucius Staius Murcus
44–43: Quintus Marcius Crispus
44–42: Gaius Cassius Longinus
41–40: Lucius Decidius Saxa
40–39: Parthian occupation
39–38: Publius Ventidius Bassus
38–37: Gaius Sosius
35: Lucius Munatius Plancus
34/33–33/32: Lucius Calpurnius Bibulus
30: Quintus Didius
29: Marcus Valerius Messalla Corvinus
28–25: Cicero Minor

Propraetorial Imperial Legates of Roman Syria (27 BC to 193 AD)

Date	Governor
25 – 23 BC	Marcus Terentius Varro
23 – 13 BC	Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa
13/12 – 10/9 BC	Marcus Titius
9 – 7/6 BC	Gaius Sentius Saturninus
7/6 – 4 BC	Publius Quinctilius Varus
4 BC – 1 AD	Unknown^[1]
1 AD – 4 AD	Gaius Julius Caesar Vipsanianus
4 – 5	Lucius Volusius Saturninus
6 – 12	Publius Sulpicius Quirinius
12 – 17	Quintus Caecilius Metellus Creticus Silanus
17 – 19	Gnaeus Calpurnius Piso
19 – 21	Gnaeus Sentius Saturninus
22 – 32	Lucius Aelius Lamia
32 – 35	Lucius Pomponius Flaccus
35 – 39	Lucius Vitellius
39 – 41/42	Publius Petronius
41/42 – 44/45	Gnaeus (Gaius?) Vibius Marsus
45 – 49	Cassius Longinus
50 – 60	Gaius Ummidius Durmius Quadratus
60 – 63	Gnaeus Domitius Corbulo
63 – 67	Cestius Gallus
67 – 69	Gaius Licinius Mucianus
70 – 72	Lucius Caesennius Paetus
72 – 73	Aulus Marius Celsus
73 – 78	Marcus Ulpius Traianus
78 – 82	Lucius Ceionius Commodus
82 – 84	Titus Atilius Rufus
87 – 90	Publius Valerius Patruinus
90 – 93	Aulus Bucius Lappius Maximus
93 – 96	Gaius Octavius Tidius Tossianus Lucius Javolenus Priscus
96 – 97	Marcus Cornelius Nigrinus Curiatius Maternus
97 – 100	Aulus Larcius Priscus
100 – 104	Gaius Antius Aulus Julius Quadratus
104 – 108	Aulus Cornelius Palma Frontonianus
108 – 112	Lucius Fabius Justus
114 – 115	Gaius Julius Quadratus Bassus
117	Publius Aelius Hadrianus
117 – 119	Lucius Catilius Severus Julianus Claudius Reginus
129 – 136	Gaius Quinctius Certus Poblicius Marcellus
135 – 136	Gnaeus Minicius Faustinus Sextus Julius Severus
136 – 140	Sextus Julius Major
140	Lucius Burbuleius Optatus Ligarianus
147 – 150	Sulpicius Julianus
150 – 154	Marcus Pontius Laelianus Larcius Sabinus
154 – 157	Marcus Cassius Apollinaris
157 – 162	Lucius Attidius Cornelianus
163 – 164	Marcus Annius Libo
164 – 166	Gnaeus Julius Verus
166 – 175	Gaius Avidius Cassius
175 – 178	Publius Martius Verus
179 – 182	Publius Helvius Pertinax
183 – 185	Gaius Domitius Dexter
187 – 190	Gaius Julius Saturninus
187 – 190	Asellius Aemilianus
190 – 193	Gaius Pescennius Niger

Propraetorial Imperial Legates of Syria Coele (193 AD to c. 295 AD)

Date	Governor
c. 207 – 209	Marius Maximus
c. 209 – 211	Minicius Martialis
c. 216	Aurelius Mam(---)
c. 221	Julius Antonius Seleucus
Between 225 and 235	Quintus Aradius Rufinus Optatus Aelianus
(?) 235	(? Claudius Sollemnius) Pacatianus
c. 241	Attius Rufinus
c. 241 – 249	Flavius Antiochus
c. 251	Atilius Cosminus
c. 251	Pomponius Laetianus
During the 260s	Virius Lupus
c. 275	Maximinus^[2]
c. 279	Julius Saturninus
Between 276 and 282	Claudius Cleobulus
Between 289 and 297	L. Aelius Helvius Dionysius
290	Charisius

Propraetorial Imperial Legates of Syria Phoenicia (193 AD to c. 295 AD)

Date	Governor
193 – 194	Ti. Manilius Fuscus^[3]
198	Q. Venidius Rufus Marius Maximus L. Calvinianus
c. 207	Domitius Leo Procillianus
213	D. Pius Cassius
Between 268 and 270	Salvius Theodorus
Between 284 and 305	L. Artorius Pius Maximus
292 – 293	Crispinus

Consularis Governors of Syria Coele (c. 295 AD to c. 415 AD)

Date	Governor
Between 293 and 305	Latinius Primosus
305	Verinus
? 323	Dyscolius
After 324	Arrius Maximus
Between 324 and 337	Plutarchus
Between 329 and 335	Fl. Dionysius^[4]
338	Nonnus^[5]
388	Eustathius^[6]
347	Theodorus
348	Fl. Antonius Hierocles
349	Anatolius
Before 353	Honoratus
354	Theophilus
355	Dionysius
355 – 356	Gymnasius
358	Nicentius
358 – 359	Sabinus
360	Tryphonianus
360	Italicianus
361	Siderius
363	Alexander
363 – 364	Celsus
364	Marcianus
Between 364 and 380	Protasius
Between 364 and 380	Protasius^[7]
Between 365 and 368	Festus
Between 365 and 371	Aetherius
Between 370 and 374	Fl. Eutolmius Tatianus
c. 379/80	Carterius
Before 381	Domnicus
c. 382	Marcellinus
c. 382/3	Pelagius
Between 382 and 393	Timocrates
c. 384/5	Eumolpius
386	Tisamenus
387	Celsus
388	Lucianus
388	Eustathius
389	Eutropius
c. 389/90	Palladius
390	Infantius
Before 392	Capitolinus
Before 392	Iullus
? 392/3	Florentius
Before 393/4	Severus

Consularis Governors of Syria Phoenicia (c. 295 AD to c. 395 AD)

Date	Governor
Between 293 and 305	Aelius Statuus
Between 293 and 303	Sossianus Hierocles
Before 305	Julius Julianus
? Between 309/313	Maximus
c. 323	Achillius
328 – 329	Fl. Dionysius
335	Archelaus
c. 337	Nonnus
342	Marcellinus
353/4	Apollinaris
Before 358	Demetrius
358 – 359	Nicentius^[8]
(?) 359/60	Euchrostius
Before 360	Julianus
360 – 361	Andronicus
Before 361	Aelius Claudius Dulcitius
361	Anatolius
c. 361/2	Polycles
362	Julianus
362 – 363	Gaianus
363 – 364	Marius
364	Ulpianus
364 – 365	Domninus
372	Leontius
380	Petrus
382 – 383	Proculus
Before 388	Eustathius
388	Antherius
388	Epiphanius
390	Domitius
391	Severianus
392	Leontius

Footnotes

^ Some consider that Lucius Calpurnius Piso "the Pontifex" was here the governor of Syria. This is based on an inscription called the Titulus Tiburtinus.
^ Martindale & Jones, pg. 1105
^ Hall, pg. 94
^ Hall, pg. 95
^ Hall, pg. 96
^ Hall, pg. 103
^ Successor to the previous Protasius – see Martindale & Jones, pg. 1106
^ Martindale, J. R. & A. H. M. Jones, "Nicentius 1", The Prosopography of the Later Roman Empire, Vol. I AD 260-395 (Cambridge: University Press, 1971), p. 628

Bibliography

Dąbrowa, Edward, The Governors of Roman Syria from Augustus to Septimius Severus (1998)
Schürer Emil, Vermes Geza, Millar Fergus, The history of the Jewish people in the age of Jesus Christ (175 B.C.-A.D. 135), Volume I, Edinburgh 1973, p. 243-266 (Survey of the Roman Province of Syria from 63 B.C. to A.D. 70).
Linda Jones Hall, Roman Berytus: Beirut in late antiquity (2004)
Martindale, J. R.; Jones, A. H. M, The Prosopography of the Later Roman Empire, Vol. I AD 260–395, Cambridge University Press (1971)

[1] Some consider that Lucius Calpurnius Piso "the Pontifex" was here the governor of Syria. This is based on an inscription called the Titulus Tiburtinus.

[2] Martindale & Jones, pg. 1105

[3] Hall, pg. 94

[4] Hall, pg. 95

[5] Hall, pg. 96

[6] Hall, pg. 103

[7] Successor to the previous Protasius – see Martindale & Jones, pg. 1106

[8] Martindale, J. R. & A. H. M. Jones, "Nicentius 1", The Prosopography of the Later Roman Empire, Vol. I AD 260-395 (Cambridge: University Press, 1971), p. 628

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