The Greek City in the Roman Period trates.^37 Different criteria are set out by Constantine in allowing the claim
of Orcistus in Phrygia: its previous possession of the rank ofcivitas(a city
status), its location at the meeting place of four roads, a well-watered site—
and the fact that the population are Christian.^38 Both imperial communi-
cations embody a general statement of favour towards the creation of new
cities (civitates/poleis), without allowing us to determine on whose initiative
such a creation normally depended.^39
The question of construction, urban development, and architectural tech-
niques will also not be pursued further here, except to emphasise that it was
not merely colonies which we would do better to characterise as ‘‘Graeco-
Roman’’ rather than as ‘‘Greek’’ cities. For even the ‘‘Greek’’ cities tended to
exhibit a range of ‘‘Graeco-Roman’’ features: theatres, usually of the ‘‘Ro-
man’’ type with a raised stage; temples on a raised podium, with a frontal
axis; occasional amphitheatres; and more often perhaps theatres adapted to
accommodate gladiatorial shows or wild-beast hunts; baths and colonnaded
streets—all these represented a language of urbanism and public architec-
ture which was shared with the generally less developed cities of the Latin-
speaking West.^40
Nor is it necessary to review here the administrative and political aspects
of the role of Greek cities within the Roman Empire, or their internal con-
stitutional and financial structure. It may be sufficient to note that the in-
dependence of the last fully self-governingkoinon(league of cities), that of
Lycia, was removed by Claudius in.., when the area became part of the
new province of ‘‘Lycia et Pamphylia.’’^41 Thekoinonitself continued, though
.MAMAIV, no. .
.MAMAVII, no. .
. See now the new inscription from Heraclea Sintica in Macedonia: G. Mitrev, ‘‘Civi-
tas Heracleotarum: Heracleia Sintica or the Ancient Village of Rupite,’’ZPE ():
–, with C. Lepelley, ‘‘Une inscription d’Heraclea Sintica (Macédoine) récemment dé-
couverte, révélant un rescrit de l’empereur Galère restituant ses droits à la cité,’’ZPE
(): –.
. For the most penetrating study of urban architecture, drawing equally on Greek
East and Latin West, see W. L. MacDonald,The Architecture of the Roman EmpireII:An Urban
Appraisal(). For the widespread adoption in the Greek East of what are categorised as
‘‘Roman’’ architectural techniques, see H. Dodge, ‘‘The Architectural Impact of Rome in the
East,’’ in M. Henig, ed.,Architecture and Architectural Sculpture in the Roman Empire(), .
. Suetonius,Div. Claud. ; Dio , , –. The fullest account so far available isRE,
s.v. ‘‘Lykia,’’ supp. XIII (), cols. – (S. Jameson). Subsequent discoveries will allow
a major new account. For the formation of the province, see D. Magie,Roman Rule in Asia
Minor(), .