Editing Epirus (section)

====Late Antiquity====
[[File:Moesia - AD 400.png|thumb|The [[Roman province]]s in the Balkans, including ''Epirus Vetus'' and ''Epirus Nova'', ca. 400 AD]]
Sometime during the provincial reorganization by [[Diocletian]] (r. 284–305), the western portion of the province of Macedonia along the Adriatic coast was split off into a new province, called "New Epirus" ({{langx|la|[[Illyris|Epirus Nova]]}}) which roughly corresponded to southern [[Illyria]] proper, historically inhabited by [[Illyrian tribes]]. Epirus proper thereafter became known as "Old Epirus" ({{langx|la|Epirus Vetus}}, {{langx|grc|Παλαιὰ Ἤπειρος}}).{{sfn|Shpuza|2014|p=59}}{{sfn|Shpuza|2022|p=553}}

The two Epirote provinces became part of the [[Diocese of Moesia]], until it was divided in ca. 369 into the dioceses of [[Diocese of Macedonia|Macedonia]] and [[Diocese of Dacia|Dacia]], when they became part of the former.{{sfn|Soustal|Koder|1981|pp=47–48}} In the 4th century, Epirus was still a stronghold of [[paganism]], and was aided by Emperor [[Julian (emperor)|Julian]] (r. 361–363) and his [[praetorian prefect]] [[Claudius Mamertinus]] through reduction in taxes and the rebuilding of the provincial capital, [[Nicopolis]].{{sfn|Soustal|Koder|1981|p=48}} According to [[Jordanes]], in 380 the [[Visigoths]] raided the area.{{sfn|Soustal|Koder|1981|p=48}} With the division of the Empire on the death of [[Theodosius I]] in 395, Epirus became part of the Eastern Roman or [[Byzantine Empire]].{{sfn|Soustal|Koder|1981|p=48}} In 395–397, the Visigoths under [[Alaric I|Alaric]] plundered Greece. They remained in Epirus for a few years, until 401, and again in 406–407, during Alaric's alliance with the [[Western Roman]] generalissimo [[Stilicho]] in order to wrest the [[Eastern Illyricum]] from the Eastern Empire.{{sfn|Soustal|Koder|1981|p=48}}

[[File:Butrint-111198.jpg|thumb|Ruins of [[Buthrotum]]]]
The ''[[Synecdemus]]'' of [[Hierocles (author of Synecdemus)|Hierocles]], composed in ca. 527/8 AD but probably reflecting the situation in the first half of the 5th century, reports 11 cities for Old Epirus ({{langx|grc|Παλαιὰ Ἤπειρος}}, {{langx|la|Epirus Vetus}}): the capital Nicopolis, [[Dodona]], [[Euroea in Epiro|Euroea]], [[Dropull|Hadrianopolis]], [[Appon]], [[Phoenice]], [[Anchiasmos]], [[Buthrotum]], [[Photike]], Corfu Island, and Ithaca Island.{{sfn|Soustal|Koder|1981|pp=48–49}} New Epirus, with capital at [[Dyrrhachium]], comprised 9 cities.{{sfn|Soustal|Koder|1981|p=48}} From 467 on, the Ionian Islands and the coasts of Epirus became subject to raids by the [[Vandals]], who had taken over the [[North Africa]]n provinces and established their [[Kingdom of the Vandals|own kingdom]] centred on [[Carthage]]. The Vandals notably seized Nicopolis in 474 as a bargaining chip in their negotiations with Emperor [[Zeno (emperor)|Zeno]], and plundered Zakynthos, killing many of its inhabitants and ferrying off others into slavery.{{sfn|Soustal|Koder|1981|p=49}} [[Epirus Nova]] became a battleground in the rebellions of the [[Ostrogoths]] after 479.{{sfn|Soustal|Koder|1981|p=49}} In 517, a raid of the [[Getae]] or [[Antae]] reached Greece, including [[Epirus Vetus]].{{sfn|Soustal|Koder|1981|p=49}} The claim of [[Procopius of Caesarea]] in his ''Secret History'', that under [[Justinian I]] (r. 527–565) the entirety of the Balkan provinces was raided by barbarians every year, is considered rhetorical hyperbole by modern scholars; only a single Slavic raid to the environs of Dyrrhachium, in 548/9, has been documented.{{sfn|Soustal|Koder|1981|p=49}} Procopius further reports that in 551, in an attempt to interdict the Byzantines' lines of communication with Italy during the [[Gothic War (535–554)|Gothic War]], the Ostrogoth king [[Totila]] sent his fleet to raid the shores of Epirus.{{sfn|Soustal|Koder|1981|p=50}} In response to these raids, and to repair the damage done by two destructive earthquakes in 522, Justinian initiated a wide-ranging programme of reconstruction and re-fortification: Hadrianopolis was rebuilt, albeit in reduced extent, and renamed Justinianopolis, while [[Euroea in Epiro|Euroea]] was moved further inland (traditionally identified with the founding of [[Ioannina]]), while Procopius claims that no less than 36 smaller fortresses in Epirus Vetus—most of them not identifiable today—were either rebuilt or built anew.{{sfn|Soustal|Koder|1981|p=50}}