Curatores rei publicae in Roman Asia Minor

Rome has created a new institution which is expressed in terms of the curator rei publicae or curator civitatis in the administrative structure in order to control the cities from the financial side. In Asia Minor, this term is expressed in ancient Greek as accountant, logistes (λογιστής), which means the person who controls the accounts. With this new arrangement, the curator rei publicae became senior officers (Roman high officers) appointed by the Roman central government themselves, but specifically for one or more cities. These officers, who became part of the Roman administrative system under probably Emperor Nerva or Emperor Traianus? in 2nd century A. D., were appointed through the emperor at regular intervals, but not regularly every year. However the first examples from Asia Minor's provinces (especially Asia and Pontus-Bithynia) began to be seen with Emperor Hadrian. As is understood from the epigraphical documents and literary texts, the main task of the curator rei publicae is to examine the financial problems that local officials of the provincial cities was to solve and try to save the city from this financial disturbance by making the financial arrangements it deems appropriate. An emperor's letter (I. Ephesos Ia, 15-16) from Ephesos and dated to the period of Antoninus Pius proves this. According to the letter, the emperor personally ask for logistes; to examine in detail the city's public accounts. Because an investigation will be launched through this inspection and the accounts of all civil servants who are alive and who have died in the past decade will be examined. The emperor also ordered that no one accept the appeal and appeal without any reason to be exempt from this inspection. The doctoral dissertation presented here was made for Asia Minor through researching this area concerning the curatores rei publicae especially in the light of epigraphical documents. Within the scope of this thesis, the mission and areas of responsibility of the Roman authorities called curator rei publicae/logistes in Asia Minor during the Roman Imperial Period (1st - 3rd centuries A.D.) are the reasons why they were needed, the criteria for their appointment, their social classes and their geographical origins and relsted matters are investidates in the light of epigraphical documents (Testimonia 1) and ancient texts (Testimonia 2). The logistes, whose existence has been known since the Classical Period and examples increased in the Hellenistic Period, have emerged as a local civil servant who performed the control of the accounts in the Greek cities of Anatolia. However, in addition to the central appointments made by Rome, local officers are termed logistes, have also been found to continue to serve in Asia Minor. In this context, in order to make a distinction between local and central assignments, general information, epigraphical and numismatics documents concerning the local public officers, logistes, have been mentioned. We have already mentioned above that the primary information concerning the curator rei publicae is from more epigraphical documents. Although the inscriptions found in Asia Minor's provinces (Asia, Pontus-Bithynia, Lycia-Pamphylia) are few in number and generally short, some data can be establish. In this context, the emperor's letter (Ephesos Ia, no. 15-16) unearthed from Ephesos provides considerable information on the definitions and powers of the curator rei publicae. However, the ancient authors give little information about the curator rei publicae. It is also difficult to understand the problem of inadequacy of ancient sources. Only at the Digesta, Ulpianus is there conveyed some information that may provide a definition of the duties of the officials mentioned. Another ancient writer who gives information on the subject is Plinius. Although in Epistulae X, which describes Plinius's correspondence with the Emperor Traianus, although it is not a direct curator rei publicae/logistes issue, it does contain similar features with the activities performed by Plinius and the functions of the curator rei publicae. Apart from that, there is no other antique source providing information on the terms of the duties and responsibilities of the curator rei publicae, so this study has benefited from more epigraphical documents. The purpose of this study was to attempt to clarify aspects, such as why Rome needed to make this newness, the duty areas and authorities of these officials and the criteria by which these referrals are chosen. The paricular value of this thesis is in trying to unravel the problems that have not to date been understood. But this matter becomes of even greater importance with the possibility of identifying the starting point of military, political, administrative and social problems that led to the collapse of the Roman Empire in the Anatolian provinces (Asia, Pontus-Bithynia, Lycia-Pamphylia). Keywords: Curator rei publicae/curator civitatis, Logistes, the Office of Roman Imperial Period; The status of the 2nd – 3rd centuries A. D. in Asia Minor.