Changes

Septimius was a very active campaigner and unlike many of his predecessors was very knowledgeable about the provinces. He was very loyal to his native Africa and did much to help that region of the Empire, which despite its wealth had been neglected<ref>Birley, p. 114</ref>. Severus helped to pay for a lavish building program that greatly benefits the cities of Africa. His patronage brought a great deal of prosperity to the African provinces. His defeat of the Garamantes was intended to secure Rome’s African frontier as was his campaign in Numidia. Prior to these campaigns the Garamantes and others would regularly raid the African provinces. After Septimius campaign, there was an era of peace and stability in Africa. Septimius expanded the frontier and established a series of limes (defensive lines) that protected the Romans in Africa for many generations. In Britain Severus reoccupied territory that had been abandoned and he rebuilt the Antonine Wall <ref>Grant, p. 17</ref>. This protected the Roman province of Britannia from Pict attacks, for many years. Moreover, he divided the British province in two. This was to make the administration of the provinces more efficient and this was a success. Successive Roman Emperors maintained the division of Britannia into two. In the east Severus won several significant military victories and he added Mesopotamia (northern Iraq) to the Empire. After his reign, the eastern frontier was pacified for several years. This was partly because of the growing weakness of Parthia but it was also because Severus acquisition of Mesopotamia meant that the Romans were in a very strong strategic position in the east. The victories secured by the first African Emperor helped to secure the eastern frontier for some fifty years. However, there are those who argue that in the longer term that African Emperor’s conquest of Mesopotamia weakened Rome in the east, especially after the rise of the Sasanian Empire<ref>Grant, p. 19</ref>.