Roman Palestine is the term used by historians for theregion of Palestine duringthe period inits history when it stood, to varying degrees, under the rule of theRoman Republic and theRoman Empire. Historians typically trace the period from the Roman intervention in theHasmonean civil war in 63 BCE (uncontested), up until the transition from the pagan Roman to the ChristianByzantine Empire with the consolidation ofConstantine's rule in 324 CE,[1] but this end date varies from author to author. The Roman period can be subdivided into early and late phases, transitioning at either theFirst Jewish–Roman War c. 70 CE or theBar Kokhba Revolt c. 135 CE.[2][3][dubious –discuss] Some add a Middle Roman period to the Early and Late subsets.
During the Roman period, Palestine went through a series of administrative changes, beginning as a succession of Romanclient states initially centered on Jerusalem andJudea, under the Jewish dynasty of theHasmoneans, followed by theHerodians, before being gradually annexed into theRoman Empire as the fully incorporatedRoman province of Judaea. Its peripheral areas incorporated parts of theNabataean Kingdom, which underwent a similar evolution from client state to Roman province,Arabia Petraea (est. in 106). After 135 CE, Roman Palestine was re-organised into the Roman province ofSyria Palaestina,[4] which received in c. 300 CE, during the reforms of Diocletian, additional territories formerly part of Arabia Petraea: theNegev,Sinai and southern Transjordan.[5] About six decades later, already during the next, Byzantine period, the province was split in two, the northern part being namedPalaestina Prima and the southern yet later becoming part of a widerPalaestina Tertia.
.svg)
.svg)
The governors of the Roman provinces in the Palestine region had a large amount of administrative power, however, they and the province they led were - to degrees varying with time - under the authority of the Romanlegatus (legate) who governed over Syria fromAntioch (seeRoman Syria andCoele Syria (Roman province) for the province under their direct administration).[6]
During the early imperial period (from 6 CE), Judaea was governed locally by equestrian[note 1] prefects[note 2] (later also styled procurators[note 3]), but remained under the authority of the consular governor[note 4] ofRoman Syria, whose seat was atAntioch.[7] After theFirst Jewish-Roman War, the arrangement changed: from 70 CE Judaea was a praetorian[note 5] province governed by alegatus Augusti pro praetore[note 6], who also commanded the legion stationed in the province (Legio X Fretensis).[8]
For the time period between the first dissolution of the Herodian client statelets into the empire during Herod's immediate successors, to the change of name for the province from Judaea to Palaestina after theBar Kokhba Revolt, seeRoman administration of Judaea (AD 6–135).
![[icon]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=https%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aWiki_letter_w_cropped.svg) | This sectionneeds expansion. You can help byadding missing information.(December 2025) |
The study of theancient economy is based on a mixture of the archaeological and historical (including epigraphic) records. For the Roman period, these typically focus on the activities and lives of the rich. TheTalmud offers perspectives on rural life in Roman Palestine. The historianDaniel Sperber suggested that the region's declined during theCrisis of the Third Century.[12]