The Roman temple at Elaioussa Sebaste (Cilicia) as case of transition between Hellenism and Romanization

The Roman temple at Elaiussa Sebaste (Cilicia) was recently excavated and the study of its architecture and architectural decoration is ongoing. The building may be considered an early example of Romanization in a region that was still autonomous and independent from the Roman empire: this part of Cilicia was actually under the rule of client kings (Archelaos of Cappadocia, Antiochos of Commagene) until the reign of Vespasian. The temple, whose podium has an opus caementicium core with a facing of limestone blocks and whose temenos wall is built in opus reticulatum, is a clear case of the adoption of new building techniques introduced from Rome. Nevertheless, considering some features of the architectural decoration, the temple – built in the Corinthian order - shows a real transfer of concepts, with a combination of Hellenistic and Roman patterns. This have led to the hypothesis of dating it in the Augustan age, but excavation data and other stylistic considerations may be a clue for a later chronology, perhaps in the mid 1st century AD. Even if cautiously, a dedication to the imperial cult may be suggested, so that the temple can be compared with a wider group of coeval imperial buildings known in Asia Minor.