claim: Tennessee was the last state to join the Confederacy.
evidence: The Diocese of the East -LRB- Dioecesis Orientis , Εωα Διοικησις Heoa Dioikesis -RRB- was a diocese of the later Roman Empire , incorporating the provinces of the western Middle East , between the Mediterranean Sea and Mesopotamia .. Diocese. Roman diocese. Roman Empire. Roman Empire. diocese. Roman diocese. Middle East. Middle East. Mediterranean Sea. Mediterranean Sea. Mesopotamia. Mesopotamia ( Roman province ). During late Antiquity , it was one of the major commercial , agricultural , religious and intellectual areas of the Empire , and its strategic location facing the Sassanid Empire and the unruly desert tribes gave it exceptional military importance .. late Antiquity. late Antiquity. Sassanid Empire. Sassanid Empire. Its capital was at Antioch , and its governor had the special title of comes Orientis -LRB- `` Count of the East '' , of the rank vir spectabilis and later vir gloriosus -RRB- instead of the ordinary `` vicarius '' .. Antioch. Antioch. comes Orientis. Comes. vir gloriosus. vir gloriosus. vicarius. vicarius. vir spectabilis. vir spectabilis. The diocese was established after the reforms of Diocletian -LRB- r. 284 -- 305 -RRB- , and was subordinate to the praetorian prefecture of the East .. diocese. Roman diocese. Diocletian. Diocletian. praetorian prefecture of the East. praetorian prefecture of the East. The diocese included originally all Middle Eastern provinces of the Empire  : Isauria , Cilicia , Cyprus , Euphratensis , Mesopotamia , Osroene , Syria Coele , Phoenice , Palaestina Prima , Palaestina Secunda , Arabia , and the Egyptian provinces Aegyptus , Augustamnica , Thebais , Libya Superior and Libya Inferior , which were grouped into the separate Diocese of Egypt under Valens -LRB- r. 364 -- 378 -RRB- .. Diocese. Roman diocese. diocese. Roman diocese. Mesopotamia. Mesopotamia ( Roman province ). Isauria. Isauria. Cilicia. Cilicia ( Roman province ). Cyprus. Ancient history of Cyprus#Roman period. Euphratensis. Euphratensis. Osroene. Osroene. Syria Coele. Syria Coele ( Roman province ). Phoenice. Phoenice ( Roman province ). Palaestina Prima. Palaestina Prima. Palaestina Secunda. Palaestina Secunda. Arabia. Arabia Petraea. Egyptian. Roman Egypt. Aegyptus. Egypt ( Roman province ). Augustamnica. Augustamnica. Thebais. Thebais. Libya Superior. Cyrenaica. Libya Inferior. Marmarica. Diocese of Egypt. Diocese of Egypt ( Late Antiquity ). Valens. Valens. During the course of the 4th century , several provinces were split , resulting in the new provinces of Cilicia I and Cilicia II , Syria I and Syria II Salutaris , Phoenice I and Phoenice II Libanensis -LRB- east of Mt. Lebanon -RRB- , Palaestina I , Palaestina II and Palaestina Salutaris -LRB- or Palaestina III -RRB- .. Cilicia. Cilicia ( Roman province ). Phoenice. Phoenice ( Roman province ). Palaestina I. Palaestina I. Palaestina II. Palaestina II. Palaestina Salutaris. Palaestina Salutaris. The last creation of a new province dated in the reign of Justinian I -LRB- r. 527 -- 565 -RRB- , when Theodorias , the region around Laodicea , was split off from Syria I .. Justinian I. Justinian I. Theodorias. Theodorias ( province ). Laodicea. Latakia. At about the same time , Cyprus was split off and became part of a new super-province , the quaestura exercitus .. Cyprus. Ancient history of Cyprus#Roman period. quaestura exercitus. quaestura exercitus. In 535 , as part of his administrative reforms , Justinian I abolished the diocese , and the comes Orientis became the provincial governor of Syria I , while retaining his previous rank of vir spectabilis and his salary .. Justinian I. Justinian I. diocese. Roman diocese. comes Orientis. Comes. vir spectabilis. vir spectabilis. The entire area of the former diocese came under Sassanid Persian occupation in the 610s and 620s , during the Byzantine -- Sassanid War of 602 -- 628 .. diocese. Roman diocese. Shortly after the Byzantine victory in the war and the recovery of the region , it was again lost , this time permanently , to the Muslim conquests  : by the 640s , Cilicia formed the border between Byzantium and the new Arab Caliphate , while Cyprus became a disputed territory .. Cilicia. Cilicia ( Roman province ). Cyprus. Ancient history of Cyprus#Roman period. Muslim conquests. Muslim conquest of Syria. Caliphate. Caliphate. From the old provinces of the Diocese of the East , only Isauria and parts of the two Cilicias remained under Byzantine rule , grouped under the new Anatolic Theme .. Diocese. Roman diocese. Isauria. Isauria. Anatolic Theme. Anatolic Theme