Kaunos ve Likya;

Kaunos ve Likya;

The city of Caunus, which is located at the border area between the ancient regions of Caria and Lycia, has been considered part of the province of Asia within the ancient Roman provincial system, which was initiated with the foundation of the province of Asia. The discussions below will show that this was not valid for a long time during the Imperial period.According to Herodotus, the Caunians were different with respect to origins and traditions from the rest of the peoples living in the region. The city was already distinguished from the other regions of Caria in the Classical period. The Carians and the Lycians had a political unity under the same satrapy during the reign of Maussollus and Lycia was under strong Carian influence. In the Hellenistic period Lycians founded their own league but Caunus did not become a member. In the time of Cicero, Caunus was within the Roman province of Asia, which was ruled by a proconsul positioned at Ephesus. However, Lycians were not part of the Roman provincial system in this period yet.The Lycian League became a Roman province in the reign of Emperor Claudius and Caunus became part of the province of Lycia. The fact that the Lycian League retained its existence, though in a different form, through the Roman period paved the way for Caunus becoming a member of the League. This result has been verified with the re-deciphering of the customs inscription on the fountain building. Dating of the inscription involves a priest of the Lycian League called Likinnios, son of Stasithemis, and this could be valid only for the cities of the Lycian League only.In the Stadiasmus Patarensis, Caunus is mentioned as a station and without the epithet. The 23rd line of the customs inscription of the Lycian province cites Caunus, Calynda and Lydai within the same frame suggesting that these cities were within the area of force of this law. It is not feasible that these rules would be in force in cities outside the borders of the province of Lycia.Numerous inscriptions erected in Caunus honouring the governors of the province of Lycia-Pamphylia and their family members provide evidence for Caunus to be part of the province of Lycia. Another document uncovered at Caunus recently supports once again that the city was part of the province of Lycia after an administrative re-arrangement in the reign of Trajan.Thus, it becomes clear that Caunus and her territory belonged to the Roman province of Lycia and that they were a member of the Lycian League already before the reign of Hadrian and almost throughout entire Roman Imperial period. It was not unusual for the Roman period Asia Minor that cities shifted from one province to another when an alteration was introduced to the provincial system. As mentioned above, the location of Caunus at the border should have led to a new arrangement for the province of Lycia.

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