The first chapter provides a brief historical overview of Ionia as a region, discusses its geographical extent as represented in the works of the authors Strabo and Pliny from the Roman Imperial period, and analyses its place in relation to the superimposed administrative units of the conventus districts and, on a larger scale, within the framework of the province of Asia: both of these transcended the traditional boundaries of Ionia and thus potentially challenged its perceived coherence. The use of city-titles making explicit reference to Ionia is highlighted at the end of the chapter as part of the intercity rivalries consciously imitating references to the larger frame of the province of Asia.