The RomanColoniaeof the Near East formalities, forsalvis tributiswill mean that no exemption from eithertri-
butum capitisortributum soliwas given. The coins, beginning under Elaga-
bal, do however reflect the new status, showing legends, all in Greek, such
asΑΝΤΙΟΧΕΩΝΜΗΤΡΚΟΛ,andΑΝΤΙΟΧΜΗΤΡΚΟΛΩΝΙΑΣ.^152 So
limited indeed was the impact of colonial status on the culture of Antioch
that Libanius, born in.., could begin hisAutobiographyby refuting the
misconceived notion that his grandfather, presumably born in the middle
of the third century, had been an immigrant from Italy. The idea had arisen
because the grandfather had once composed a speech in Latin: ‘‘The fact is
that, although he was versed in Latin, he originated from nowhere else but
here.’’^153 There seems to be nothing in the extensive fourth-century evi-
dence relating to Antioch to suggest that the title was still remembered.^154
However, another of the new documents from Mesopotamia (no. ) is a peti-
tion of.., postedἐνἈντιοχ(είᾳ)κολ(ωνίᾳ)μητροπόλειin the Hadria-
nic baths.^155
Ulpian also records, immediately after Emesa, in his list of places with colo-
nial status:Est et Palmyrena civitas in provincia Phoenice, prope barbaras gentes et
nationes collocata(Dig.,,,).Ulpian’sdescriptionoftheplaceisvery
striking, for he must presumably be alluding to other unsettled peoples of the
Syrian desert west of the Euphrates. As we now know, Palmyrene settlement
extended a substantial distance west and north-west, and inscriptional evi-
dence shows that their territory had common boundaries with Greek cities
to the west in the Orontes valley: Apamea (probably) and Emesa certainly.^156
But the city also maintained at least outposts to the east along various routes
all the way to the Euphrates itself.^157 If Ulpian were thinking of truly un-
subdued Arabgentesandnationes, their territory must have lain to the north,
.BMCSyria, lviii–lxiii, –. See also G. Downey, ‘‘The Political Status of Roman
Antioch,’’Berytus (–): , and K. Butcher, ‘‘The Colonial Coinage of Antioch-on-
the-Orontes c...–,’’Num. Chron. (): , curiously giving relatively little
attention to the colonial bronze coins as such, as opposed to imperial coins minted there.
. J. H. W. C. Liebeschuetz,Antioch: Cityand Imperial Administration in the Later Roman
Empire(), contains no allusion to colonial status.
. Libanius,Or. , , trans. A. F. Norman ().
. D. Feissel and J. Gascou, ‘‘Documents d’archives romains inédits du Moyen Euphrate
(IIIesiècle après J.-C.) I. Les petitions (P.Euphr.à),’’Journal des Savants(): –.
. See D. Schlumberger,La Palmyrène du Nord-Ouest(), and H. Seyrig, ‘‘Bornes
frontières de la Palmyrène,’’Syria (): .
. M. Gawlikowski, ‘‘Palmyre et l’Euphrate,’’Syria (): . Note the excellent
mapon.