Emperor cult in the region of Lycia

The loyalty of the Lycians against Rome is most clearly seen in ritual area. After liberation of the region from Rhodian domination by Rome, Lycians as a koinon, have no hestitation of showing their gratitude and devote the statue of Goddess Rome that is embodied of the populus Romanus to the Roman people and the Iupiter Capitolinus. During this period, as in the cities of Asia Minor, the cult of the goddess Rome was established in Lycia as well and in progress of time it was spread over all cities of the region. In the light of information that we obtain from ancient sources and epigraphic documents, as a part of this cult festivals were set up in the region priesthood of the Goddess was constituted and she was worshipped. This cult is also important for us in terms of being an antecedent of emperor cult that is our mainly concern. Before the imperial period many regions in Asia Minor became Roman province but Lycia. Until 43 A.D. the forth emperor of Rome namely the period of Claudius, Lycia kept its independence partially due to the loyalty against Rome showing in ritual area. Even the Lycians were independence, they kept up with the cities and the regions which had already become a part of Roman Empire and they set up emperor cult. At Oinoanda a temple was built for Caesar, the first emperor Augustus was worshipped during his lifetime as a god by Lycians, a cenotaph was built for Caius Caesar at Limyra and a priesthood was set up for Germanicus and the imperial family. With the order of Claudius, the region is provincialised and added into Imperium Romanum as provincia Lycia by Quintus Veranius who was the legatus of the emperor Claudius and the first governor of the region and within the scope of this provincialization it was made some regulations. One of them is the structure that took part in the emperor cult which is our mainly concern. Then, as a consequence of these regulations, Lykiarches as an official who was standing at the highest position of the Lycian federation which was founded in hellenistic period left this position to newly constituted official ????????? ??? ??ß????? namely highpriest of the emperor cult in province after the annexation of the region. At the imperial period the high priests who were at the top position within the koinon became the eponymos officials and also took some administrative tasks.In this study the relations between Lycia and Rome, antecedents of the emperor cult in region namely hellenistic ruler cult and the cult of goddess Rome, emperor cult and its structure within the koinon and cities individually are tried to be transferred by collecting ancient sources, epigraphical and nümismatic data and also modern sources concerning the region.