The role of clients kingdoms in Cilicia (First Century B.C. - First Century A.D.) within the promotion of urbanisation

Cilicia became a Roman territorial province as a result of various military campaigns and progressive annexations, within a long-lasting process started in the early 1st century BC and closed by the effective creation of a unified province, extending to the whole region, by Vespasian. This period may be considered under a certain perspective as a transitional phase in which the region lived partially under Roman control - the first Roman province was limited to the eastern portion of Plain Cilicia around the capital Tarsos - but was largely still independent (as is the case of some Hellenistic cities and their territory) or under the control of local potentates. These latter, promoted by Rome itself, followed one another with different territorial competences and are to be located mainly in Rough Cilicia, the most difficult area to be controlled due to its peculiar geomorphological setting. In this paper I will try to focus the attention on the role played by client kingdoms in the promotion of urbanization during this complex and multifaceted phase. It is worth to stress that the Eastern and Western portions of Cilicia (the Pedias/Piana and Tracheia/Aspera) lived until Vespasian very different conditions. The Eastern portion of the region was partially annexed to the Roman empire at least since the mid-1st century BC, after Pompey’s campaigns or maybe earlier, and so there was not enough space for the creation of independent kingdoms. Nonetheless in the valley of the river Pyramos, in Plain Cilicia, the reign of Tarkondimotos was created, having its main centre at Hierapolis Kastabala and extending later in a wider region until Anazarbos; later on Augustus restored on the throne another Tarkondimotos who ruled until 17 AD. For what concerns Rough Cilicia, the sacerdotal state of Olba, existing since the early Hellenistic period, centred on the famous sanctuary of Zeus Olbios and administrated by the Teucrid dynasty, was preserved and lived several transformations until Vespasian: it controlled a wide territory upon the valley of the Kalykadnos and reached also the sea. Antonius assigned part of Rough Cilicia to Polemon I of Pontus and afterward Augustus created a new client kingdom in the area of Elaiussa Sebaste and Korykos assigning it to Amyntas of Galatia (until 25 BC) and later to Archelaos of Cappadocia (20 BC-17 AD). Under Caius (37-38 AD) and again with Claudius (41 AD) the area previously assigned to Archelaos, with some integrations, was granted to another important figure of client king, Antiochos IV of Commagene who ruled until 70 AD. It is very difficult to delineate the real borders of his reign, extending along a wide coastal area and some inner portions of Rough Cilicia: we know that Elaioussa Sebaste – where a monumental building dedicated to Antiochos has been uncovered - and Korykos belonged to it, but also other cities such as Selinous, Anemourion, Kelenderis, Eirenopolis, and the regions of Lakanatis and Kietis, minting coins in the name of the king. Antiochos promoted urbanization and founded the cities of Antiocheia on the Kragos and Iotape. A significant consequence of this multifaceted and uncertain political situation, when Hellenistic power was declining and Roman power was yet too limited and weak is the fact that urbanization and monumentalization were mainly promoted, in this phase of Cilicia, by client kings. The historical, epigraphic and archaeological information available is not large, but some recent discoveries and on-going researches may help in trying to give a more complete picture of the activities carried out in this direction by friendly kings.