Diokaisareia'dan Yeni Bir Tanrıça Athena Yazıtı

Abstract

In the course of settlement history and epigraphic research during our 2008 Rough Cilicia campaign, we discovered an inscribed rectangular altar in a vineyard in Uzuncaburç (Diocaesareia), located 30 km. north of Seleucia ad Calycadnus (Silifke). The text, which is comprised of five lines, informs us about a certain Silius Aelius, who, as a stationarius, dedicated the altar to Athena. The milies stationarii were the police forces established by Augustus against the robbers (grassatores) appeared after the Civil War. As the relationships with the foreign countries increased, the stationarii were detached from their units and assigned to the strategically important border zones and main roads in order to maintain peace and order. Since Diocaesarea is located on the junction of an important north-south route, that is Seleucia-Diocaesarea-Otanda-Claudiopolis road, it is one of the strategic cities of the central Rough Cilicia region. Thus we suggest that Silius Aelius served in Diocaesarea as a policeman for the above-mentioned road network. Although the inscriptions tell us that Athena was worshipped in many ancient cities in Rough Cilicia, such an evidence has not been discovered until now at Diocaesarea. This inscription is first epigraphic evidence that indicates the presence of the goddess in the city.