Rhodope (Roman province)

The Rhodopes on the map of the Thracian diocese

The Rhodopes ( Greek: Ῥοδόπη, Ἐπαρχία Ῥοδόπης ) are the late Roman and Byzantine provinces.

This province was founded under Diocletian . It was located on the northern coast of the Aegean Sea . The Rhodopes were part of the Thracian diocese and stretched along the ridge of the same name , covering part of modern Western Thrace (in Greece) and southwestern Bulgaria. The province was ruled by a president whose capital was Traianopolis. According to the geographic work of the VI century “ Synecdemus ” , the province included the following large cities - Maronia, Maximianopolis, Nikopolis, Kereopyrgos (unknown location) and Toperos.

The province existed until the Slavic invasions in the 7th century , although as a church area it persisted until the 12th century .