| Dacia Mediterranea | |||||||||
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| Province of Roman Empire | |||||||||
| 320s–c. 602 | |||||||||
 The northern Balkans, including Dacia Mediterranea, in the 6th century | |||||||||
| Capital | Serdica(nowSofia,Bulgaria) | ||||||||
| History | |||||||||
• Evacuation ofDacia Traiana, creation ofDacia Aureliana | 271 | ||||||||
• Dacia Ripensis partitioned | 320s | ||||||||
• Devastated byAvar invasion | c. 602 | ||||||||
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Dacia Mediterranea (Mid-landDacia;Greek:Δακία Μεσόγειος,romanized: Dakia Mesogeios) was a late antiqueRoman province, whose capital city wasSerdica (or Sardica; later Sradetz or Sredets, nowSofia).
The date for the establishment of Dacia Mediterranea is uncertain. It was traditionally held to have been established at the same time asDacia Ripensis, with both provinces being carved out of the formerDacia Aureliana as part of theDiocletianic restructuring of theRoman provinces during the 290s. However, as Dacia Mediterranea contained cities that were never part of Dacia Aureliana (such asNaissus), it is now believed that the province was established in the 320s, during the reign ofConstantine I, and was formed with territory taken from the provinces ofDardania,Thracia and the partition of Dacia Ripensis (with Ripensis losing its capital, Serdica, in the process, a city that was previously also the capital of Dacia Aureliana).[1]
Lying immediately south of Dacia Ripensis, the province was governed by aConsularis.[2] In 535, theemperorJustinian I (527–565) created theArchbishopric of Justiniana Prima as a regional primacy with ecclesiastical jurisdiction over all provinces of theDiocese of Dacia, including the province ofDacia Mediterranea.[3] During this time he also strengthened the fortifications of various cities in the province, including Serdica, Naissus,Germania andPautalia. He also added forts to existing cities, such asRemesiana.[4]
Dacia Mediterranea was caught up in the devastation of theAvar and Slav invasions of the late 6th and early 7th centuries, and was lost at the same time as theDiocese of Dacia, although pockets of the province continued to remain inByzantine hands, such as Serdica and its immediate surrounds. These south-eastern remnants were eventually absorbed into theTheme of Thrace by the late 7th century.
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