Asia (Roman province)
Province of Asia 𔗜𔗐𔗔𔗾𔗷𔗔 𔕸𔑳𔔓𔗷𔗔 | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Pergamon | 133 BC | ||||||||
• Division by Diocletian | c. 293 | ||||||||
established | 7th century | ||||||||
| |||||||||
Today part of | Turkey Greece |
Asia (
The province was one of the richest of the Empire and was at peace for most of the Imperial period. It contained hundreds of largely self-governing Greek city-states, who competed fiercely with one another for status, through appeals to the Imperial authorities and the cultivation of prestigious cultural institutions such as festival games, religious cults, and oratory.
Geography
The province of Asia originally consisted of the territories of
History
Background
The word "Asia" comes from the
The territory was ruled by various Macedonian kingdoms following the conquests of
Annexation
With no legitimate heir, King
Mithridates and Sulla
By 88 BC,
Three years later,
Augustus
After Augustus came to power, he established a proconsulship for the province of Asia, embracing the regions of Mysia, Lydia, Caria, and Phrygia. To its east, the province of Galatia was established. The proconsul spent much of his year-long term traveling throughout the province hearing cases and conducting other judicial business at each of the assize centers.[5] Rome's transition from the Republic to the early Empire saw an important change in the role of existing provincial cities, which evolved from autonomous city-states to Imperial administrative centers.[8]
The beginning of the principate of Augustus also signaled the rise of new cities in Mysia, Lydia and Phrygia. The province grew to be an elaborate system of self-governing cities, each responsible for its own economics, taxes, and law in its territory. The reign of Augustus further signaled the start of urbanization of Asia province, as public building became the defining characteristic of a city.[8]
Decline
The 3rd century AD marked a serious decline in Asia stemming in part from epidemic disease, beginning with the
In the 4th century,
Government
Taxation
Rome had always been very reluctant to involve itself in matters to the east. It typically relied on allies to arbitrate in the case of a conflict. Very rarely would Rome send delegations to the east, much less have a strong governmental presence. This apathy did not change much even after the gift from Attalus in 133 BC. In fact, parts of the Pergamene kingdom were voluntarily relinquished to different nations. For example, Great Phrygia was given to
While the Senate was hesitant in involving itself in Asian affairs, others had no such reluctance. A law passed by
In case a community was unable to pay taxes, they borrowed from Roman lenders but at exorbitant rates. This more often than not resulted in default on said loans and consequently led Roman lenders to seize the borrower's land, their last remaining asset of value. In this way and by outright purchase, Romans dispersed throughout the province of Asia.[10]
Military presence
Other than to quell occasional revolts, there was minimal military presence in Asia province, until forces led by Sulla set forth in their campaign against Mithridates VI. In fact, Asia province was unique in that it was one of the few ungarrisoned provinces of the empire. While no full legions were ever stationed inside the province, that is not to say that there was no military presence whatsoever.[11]
Legionary detachments were present in the Phrygian cities of
Imperial cult
Imperial cult was prevalent in provincial communities during the Roman empire. Soon after Augustus came to power, temples erected in his honor sprang up across Asia province. The establishment of provincial centers of imperial cult further spawned local cults. These sites served as models followed by other provinces throughout the empire.[12]
Imperial cult served as a way for subjects of Asia province to come to terms with imperial rule within the framework of their communities. Religious practices were very much a public affair and involved citizens in all its aspects including prayer, sacrifice, and processions. Rituals held in honor of a particular emperor frequently outnumbered those of other gods. No other cult matched the imperial cult in terms of dispersion and commonality.[13]
See also
- List of Roman governors of Asia
- Early centers of Christianity#Anatolia
- Asiarch
References
- ^ "Asia, Roman province." The Oxford Classical Dictionary. 3rd ed. 1996: p. 189-90
- ^ "asia - Search Online Etymology Dictionary". www.etymonline.com.
- ISBN 978-1-78297-475-8.
assuwa pylos "aswia" = Linear B A-si-wi-ja
- ^ Thomas, Rosalind (2000). Herodotus in context: Ethnography, Science & the Art of Persuasion. pp. 75–134.
- ^ a b c d e The Oxford Classical Dictionary. pp. 189f
- ^ Mitchell, Stephen. Anatolia. Volume 1. (New York: Oxford University Press), 1993. p. 29
- ^ Appian, History of Rome: The Mithridatic Wars Archived 2015-09-12 at the Wayback Machine.
- ^ a b Anatolia p. 198
- ^ Anatolia. p. 29
- ^ a b Anatolia p. 30
- ^ a b Anatolia p. 121
- ^ Anatolia p. 100
- ^ Anatolia p. 112
Further reading
- Cottier, M.; Crawford, M. H.; Crowther, C. V.; Ferrary, J. L.; Levick, B. M.; Salomies, O.; Wörrle, M. (2008). The Customs Law of Asia. Oxford: OUP. ISBN 978-0-19-156428-4.
- Drexhage, Heinrich-Wilhelm (2007). Wirtschaftspolitik und Wirtschaft in der römischen Provinz Asia in der Zeit von Augustus bis zum Regierungsantritt Diokletians. Bonn: Rudolf Habelt. ISBN 978-3-7749-3516-7.
- Hallmannsecker, Martin (2022). Roman Ionia : constructions of cultural identity in western Asia Minor. Cambridge, United Kingdom: CUP. ISBN 9781009150194.
- Herrmann, P. (2002). "Das Koinon ton Ionon unter römischer Herrschaft". In Ehrhardt, N.; Günther, L.-M. (eds.). Widerstand, Anpassung, Integration : die griechische Staatenwelt und Rom : Festschrift für Jürgen Deininger zum 65. Geburtstag. Stuttgart: Steiner. pp. 223–242. ISBN 9783515079112.
- Thonemann, Peter (2022). The lives of ancient villages : rural society in Roman Anatolia. Cambridge, United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 9781009123211.