Strategia in Roman Asia Minor as a city officer

Stratēgia is a civil service authorized with military duties. However, the duty definition of this office has undergone some changes over time. This change, of course, did not happen suddenly. The grounds that prepared this change were the socio-political conditions of the periods. The kingdoms established after the wars of Alexander the Great in the Hellenistic Period have affected cities in both social, political and military terms. The administrative structure of the cities was also influenced by this new period. The Stratēgies were now re-sponsible for ensuring the safety of the city and the administration of the city by being in the position of the kings in the cities. Asia Minor cities were also affected by this new turnaround. This military duty in the Classical Period, when it came to the Hellenistic Period, also served civilian duty by protecting its military function. Those who obtained this position had a very important status in the city. They were interested in matters related to urban administration like the prytanis. For example, they have made proposals to the Council and People assem-blies, proposed the draft law proposal, and made announcements of the decisions taken in the Assembly. When it came to the Roman Imperial period, Pax Romana started a long period of peace. Along with this period, the stratēgos lost its military function and became literally a civic officer. The presence of these officers in Asia Minor during the Roman Imperial period changed according to the regions. It has even been found that there are specialized types of stratēgos in certain areas. This kind of civic officer was more common in Ionia, Bithynia and Karia, while in other regions this density was decreased and was never not seen. In this work, the concept of stratēgia is studied in the light of epigraphical documents, literary sources, numismatic data and modern studies. Also in this study, the changes process that the stratēgos, who undertook this duty of civil service, during this Roman Empire period, the tasks they performed, their positions in the city, the other civil servants they worked with, the duration of their employment and the types of stratēgos will be analysed in detail.