ABSTRACT
The provinces of Asia Minor flourished for two centuries after the establishment of the Augustan peace, and came to rank among the richest and most populous of the empire. The Persian and Arab invasions in the seventh century then brought an end to the prosperity of late antique Asia Minor and introduced an obscure period which lasted until the middle of the ninth century. In 613, the Byzantines suffered such a great defeat that the Persians were free to overrun the whole Orient. The Persians moved on to occupy Tarsus and all Cilicia, leaving their adversaries confined within the Taurus. The Persian war may thus be seen as the first stage in the process which marked the end of Antiquity in Asia Minor. Seleucia had been an important military base in late Antiquity, the seat of the count of Isauria who had both civil and military jurisdiction over the area.
