The people of Greater Syria had developed irrigation techniques, the alphabet, and astronomy by the time the Romans arrived.

The emperor Constantine in 324 moves his capital from Rome to Byzantium, renaming it Constantinople (present-day Istanbul).

From there the Romans rule Greater Syria, dividing it into two provinces: Syria Prima, with Antioch as the capital and Aleppo the major city; and Syria Secunda, ruled frequently from Hamah.

The anti-Arian bishop Meletius of Antioch remains in exile as ordered by the Eastern emperor Valens.

The bishops of Alexandria and Rome, viewing the presbyter Paulinus as more orthodox than Meletius, had taken the side of the former; Basil of Caesarea had been the latter’s principal supporter.

A further complication had been added when, in 375, the heretical bishop Apollinaris of Laodicea consecrated Vitalius, one of Meletius' presbyters, as bishop.

Meanwhile, under the influence of his situation, Meletius has been more and more approximating to the views of Nicene Creed.

Basil, throwing over the cause of Meletius’ predecessor Eustathius, deposed as an Homousian heretic by the synod of Melitene, championed that of Meletius who, when after the death of Valens he returns in triumph to his diocese, is hailed as the leader of Eastern orthodoxy.

As such, he presides in October 379 over the great synod of Antioch, in which the dogmatic agreement of East and West is established.

Jerome, returning in this year to Antioch, had heard the teachings of Apollinaris and been admitted to the priesthood by Paulinus, apparently with some unwillingness and on condition that he still continue his ascetic life.

Soon afterward, he goes to Constantinople to pursue his study of Scripture under the instruction of Gregory Nazianzen.

Mundhir marches into Roman territory and ravages imperial lands as far as Antioch, where he is routed by Vitianus.

While Al-Mundhir’s troops are crossing the Euphrates on their return, many of his forces drown.

Syriac sources give a figure of those who drowned at seventy thousand while Socrates give a higher figure of one hundred thousand.