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This historical map illustrates the Eastern portion of the Roman Empire around the year 400 AD.

Created John Senex in London and crediting the renowned French cartographer Guillaume Delisle, this map reconstructs the political landscape of late antiquity, highlighting the territorial extent of the Roman Empire and its neighboring civilizations. It extends from Greece and Cyprus in the west to India in the east, with a central focus on Armenia, the Black Sea (Pontus Euxinus), and the Caspian Sea (Mare Caspium). 

The geographic scope of the map encompasses key regions of antiquity. Anatolia (modern Turkey) is depicted with its major Roman and Greek cities, demonstrating its significance as a center of administration and commerce. The Levant and Mesopotamia, crucial crossroads of early Christianity and imperial control, appear prominently alongside the Persian-controlled regions of Parthia and Persis. The map also includes Scythia and Central Asia, lands historically inhabited by nomadic groups such as the Huns and Alans, whose movements would play a critical role in shaping European and Middle Eastern history. Further east, references to India and its trade routes illustrate the far-reaching connections of the late Roman world.

Politically, the map reflects the division of the Roman Empire into its Eastern and Western halves, a process formalized by Emperor Theodosius I in 395 AD. The Eastern Roman Empire, centered in Constantinople, is shown with its major provinces and strategic outposts, demonstrating its administrative cohesion. The Sassanid Persian Empire, Rome’s greatest eastern rival, is prominently depicted, emphasizing the ongoing conflict between the two superpowers over Mesopotamia and Armenia. Beyond the imperial borders, the map illustrates the lands of the Huns, Goths, and other migratory tribes whose incursions into Roman territory would contribute to the eventual collapse of the Western Roman Empire in 476 AD.