Emperors, Kings, and Subjects 235Again,thereisnoindicationthatPlinylearnedanythingoftheissuesatstake
betweenkingandemperor.^25
With this episode, however,we have already passed beyond the period
when dependent kingdoms played an important part in the political and
militarystructureoftheEmpireintheEast.Forthefirstandearlysecond
centurieshadseenasteadytendency,markedbyoccasionalreversals,towards
theeradicationofdependentkingdomsandtheirreplacementbydirectpro-
vincialgovernment.Evenifweleaveoutcomplexminorcases,asummary
listofmajortransformationsfromkingdomtoprovincewouldincludethe
following:Cappadocia(a.d.18),Mauretania(42),Judaea(44),Thrace(46),
ArmeniaMinor(64),Commagene(72or73),Emesa(70s?),theterritoriesof
AgrippaII(90s?),Nabataea(106).Itisthussignificantthat,ofallthemajor
kingdomswhichplayedsuchalargepartinthefirstcenturya.d.,theking-
dom of the Bosporus alone survived until the fourth century. Its poten-
tial strategic importance in controlling barbarian movements around the
northcoastoftheBlackSea,wasreflectedinthefactthatbythemiddleof
the second century its kings were receiving a regularannual subsidy from
Rome.Thus the narrator in Lucian’sAlexanderrecords: ‘‘There [at Aegiali
onthecoastof Paphlagonia]Imetapartyof Bosporans,ambassadorsfrom
KingEupator,sailingalongthecoastontheirwaytoBithyniatobringback
the annual subsidy [syntaxis].’’^26 It remains unclear in this passing anecdote
whether,havingreachedBithynia,theambassadorswouldhavecollectedthe
cashthere,ormerelypaidtheirrespectstothegovernor(liketheambassador
fromSauromatestoTrajan),beforegoingontoRome.Forwhatitisworth,
theanecdotetendstoimplythatBithyniawastheiractualdestination.Inthat
case,notonlywastributerevenuefromthenearestprovincebeingdiverted
directlytoanimportantalliedkingdom,butresponsibilityforthatprocess
restedwiththegovernor.Diplomaticrelations,directorindirect,withthe
kingwereclearlypartof hisduties.ThegovernorofCappadociasimilarly
hadtokeepawatchontheBosporankingdom,aswellasthekingsofvari-
ousregionsintheCaucasus,andinamoreactivesensethanthegovernor
ofBithynia,inthathecontrolledmajorforces.Thus,whenArrian,address-
inghimselftoHadrian,hasfinishedhisdescriptionofhisjourneyroundthe
coastofthePontusasfarasDioscurias,where(hesays)theepikrateia(domin-
ion)oftheRomansends,hecontinues:‘‘ButwhenIlearnedthatCotys,the
kingoftheBosporuscalled‘Cimmerian,’haddied,Imadeitmyconcernto
describeforyoualsothecoastalvoyageasfarastheCimmerianBosporus,
- Pliny,Ep.10,63–64;67.
- Lucian,Alex.57.