Client kingdoms and dynastic aristocracy in the context ofsovereignty of Roman Empire in Asia Minor

201 B.C afterwards, when Rome was just a Republic, became one of the influential powers in the Mediterranean world. Thanks to the developing maritime trade and navy she turned towards different interests and goals. This inevitable consequence would initiate the political, economic and cultural alliance process of the Roman Republic with the dynastic aristocrats in the Hellenistic Kingdoms and with leading aristocratic citizens in the Greek citystates of Asia Minor. Having established friendship and alliance with the Kingdom of Pergamon and Rhodos, Rome was involved in the sharing of positions in the Mediterranean and Asia Minor upon the invitation of these two allies. With the Battle of Magnesia she militarily and administratively discharged from the region the Seleucid Kingdom, which was the great power of the region with allies, and with the Apameia Peace Treaty had her status quo accepted in Asia Minor. Thus, after declaring her sovereignty, she withdrew militarily from the region and left the sovereignty of the region to her allies. During this period, Rome has established relations with the local kingdoms of Asia Minor such as Kappadokia, Pontos, Bithynia, Tarkondimotai (Kilikia) and Kommagene etc., at the diplomatic level towards being amicus et socius (friend and ally). Among these powers, she followed a pragmatist policy with the method of divide et impera (divide and rule) in order not to deteriorate the status quo established in Asia Minor. Roman authorities would especially follow a collusion attitude on the Galatians migrated to Asia Minor in the third century BC. and known with their primitive and warlike tribe character. Rome engaged with the piracy problems and the rebellion of VI. Mithradates in the last half of the first century BC. and after solving these, transferred the administration of the region to the vassal kingdoms, which were her allies. Considering that she would have difficulty in maintaining control over the vast geography with her own administrative and military staff, she used the vassal kingdoms as an outpost against the Parthian and Armenian Kingdoms and the primitive communities that were not urbanized. Even if the kingdoms after loosing their functionality were abolished and became the Roman province, the dynastic aristocrats made a senatorial and military career by rising to administrative, military and religious positions within the Roman Empire. In this thesis, the political, military, economic and cultural relations of the Roman Empire with the vassal kingdoms id est Galatia, Tarkondimotai, Kappadokia and Pontos, which are the satellite states of it in Asia Minor; the evolution of the dynastic aristocrats having the kingdom power, into the Roman administrative system and the positions they reached in this system, the notables that formed around the dynasty were examined until the third century AD in the light of ancient literary, epigraphic and numismatic sources and it was introduced the romanization processes of kings and aristocrats descended from the dynasty. Key words: Roma, Client Kingdoms, dynast aristocracy, Asia Minor