Palaestina Prima

Provincia Palaestina Prima
Province of the Diocese of the East (Byzantine Empire)
← 390–636 →
Byzantine provinces in the 5th century
Capital		Caesarea Maritima
Historical era		Late Antiquity
•	division of the Roman Empire	390
•	Samaritan Revolts	484-572
•	Persian occupation & Jewish revolt	614-628
•	Muslim conquest of Syria	636
Today part of		Palestine  Israel

Palæstina Prima or Palaestina I was a Byzantine province from 390, until the 7th century. It was lost to the Sassanid Empire in 614, but was re-annexed in 628, before its final loss during the Muslim conquest of Syria in 636.

The area became organized under late Roman Empire as part of the Diocese of the East, in which it was included together with the provinces of Isauria, Cilicia, Cyprus (until 536), Euphratensis, Mesopotamia, Osroene, Phoenice and Arabia Petraea. Under Byzantium, a new subdivision did further split the province of Cilicia into Cilicia Prima, Cilicia Secunda; In 6th century, Syria Palaestina was split into Syria Prima, Syria Salutaris, Phoenice Lebanensis, Palaestina Prima, Palaestina Secunda and eventually also Palaestina Salutaris.

Despite Christian domination, through 4th and 5th centuries Samaritans developed a semi-autonomy in the hill country of Samaria, a move which gradually escalated into a series of open revolts. The four major Samaritan Revolts during this period caused a near extinction of the Samaritan community, as well as significant Christian losses. In the late 6th century, Byzantines and their Christian Ghassanid allies took a clear upper hand in the struggle.

In 614, Palaestina Prima and Palaestina Secunda were conquered by a joint Sassanid and Jewish army. The event shocked the Christian society, as many of its churches were destroyed and the True Cross taken by the Persians to Ctesiphon. After withdrawal of the Persian troops and the subsequent surrender of the local Jewish rebels, the area was re-annexed by Byzantium in 628.

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