Under the heading ‘Southern Lykaonia’ I have grouped nineteen monuments from the arc of fertile agricultural land along the north flank of the Tauros, south of Binbirkilise, to the north-west and north-east of modern Karaman (ancient Laranda). The monuments are grouped from west to east, beginning with three monuments (MAMA XI 369-371) from the neighbouring villages of Losta (now Akarköy) and Bosala (now Özyürt), 31km north-west of Karaman. Two further monuments (MAMA XI 372-373) derive from the modern village of Kasaba (now Kazımkarabekir), 8km south-east of Bosala. Posala is attested as an independent bishopric from the late fourth century AD onwards; in antiquity, it is likely that all three villages belonged to the territory of the city of Ilistra (modern Yollarbaşı, 7km south-east of Kasaba).1
Moving to the north-east of Karaman–Laranda, Ballance recorded a single inscription (MAMA XI 374) at the village of Aşıran Yaylası (Ekinözü), close to Kerti Höyük, the likely site of ancient Derbe. Further still to the east, there is a concentration of twelve monuments from the plain of Akçaşehir (MAMA XI 375-386), including stones from the villages of Akçaşehir in the west (39km NE of Laranda), Karaağaç in the far south, Anbar in the east, and Kavuklar in the north-east. The historical geography of this region in antiquity is very poorly attested. An inscription from Anbar records the dedication of a bathhouse to Hadrian by the boule and demos of Sidamaria (Σιδαμαριωτῶν ἡ βουλὴ καὶ ὁ δῆμος: the town is unattested elsewhere). Another inscription from Anbar, published here for the first time (MAMA XI 379), informs us of the existence of a senatorial estate at a place called Adrandos.2
The last item in the corpus is MAMA XI 387, a solitary late Roman inscription from Kesmez (perhaps ancient Thebasa) in the Karaca Dağ, in the far east of ancient Lykaonia.3
Under the heading ‘Southern Lykaonia’ I have grouped nineteen monuments from the arc of fertile agricultural land along the north flank of the Tauros, south of Binbirkilise, to the north-west and north-east of modern Karaman (ancient Laranda). The monuments are grouped from west to east, beginning with three monuments (MAMA XI 369-371) from the neighbouring villages of Losta (now Akarköy) and Bosala (now Özyürt), 31km north-west of Karaman. Two further monuments (MAMA XI 372-373) derive from the modern village of Kasaba (now Kazımkarabekir), 8km south-east of Bosala. Posala is attested as an independent bishopric from the late fourth century AD onwards; in antiquity, it is likely that all three villages belonged to the territory of the city of Ilistra (modern Yollarbaşı, 7km south-east of Kasaba).1
Moving to the north-east of Karaman–Laranda, Ballance recorded a single inscription (MAMA XI 374) at the village of Aşıran Yaylası (Ekinözü), close to Kerti Höyük, the likely site of ancient Derbe. Further still to the east, there is a concentration of twelve monuments from the plain of Akçaşehir (MAMA XI 375-386), including stones from the villages of Akçaşehir in the west (39km NE of Laranda), Karaağaç in the far south, Anbar in the east, and Kavuklar in the north-east. The historical geography of this region in antiquity is very poorly attested. An inscription from Anbar records the dedication of a bathhouse to Hadrian by the boule and demos of Sidamaria (Σιδαμαριωτῶν ἡ βουλὴ καὶ ὁ δῆμος: the town is unattested elsewhere). Another inscription from Anbar, published here for the first time (MAMA XI 379), informs us of the existence of a senatorial estate at a place called Adrandos.2
The last item in the corpus is MAMA XI 387, a solitary late Roman inscription from Kesmez (perhaps ancient Thebasa) in the Karaca Dağ, in the far east of ancient Lykaonia.3
List of monuments from Southern Lykaonia
Notes
1.Losta and Bosala: TIB Galatien 216, s.v. Posala; Laminger-Pascher 1992: 44-9. Kasaba: TIB Galatien 218, s.v. Pyrgoi; Laminger-Pascher 1992: 52. Ilistra: Aulock 1976: 42-3, 68-70; Laminger-Pascher 1992: 50-3.
2.Derbe: Ballance 1957; Ballance 1964: 139-40; Aulock 1976: 38-40; Laminger-Pascher 1992: 61-6. Akçaşehir: TIB Galatien 119, s.v. Akçaşehir; identified (on very questionable grounds) with ancient Hyde by Laminger-Pascher 1986: 252-6; cf. Laminger-Pascher 1992: 94-8. Anbar (Sidamaria?): TIB Galatien 126, s.v. Anbar; Laminger-Pascher 1992: 99-107. A lavish Dokimeian sarcophagus from Anbar is now in the Istanbul Archaeological Museum: see Wiegartz 1965: 156-7; Waelkens 1982: 93, no. 157.
3.TIB Galatien 232-4 s.v. Thēbasa; Laminger-Pascher 1992: 114-5.