THE GEOGRAPHICAL HISTORY OF ASIA MINOR 



557 



This prosperity, though maintained by 

 the Roman Empire, was not created by 

 it. It existed long before the Romans 

 had even set foot in the eastern parts of 

 the Mediterranean world ; in fact, the en- 

 trance of the Romans into Asia Minor 

 during the second century B. C. was for 

 a time injurious to its well-being, for the 

 country fell under military administra- 

 tion. 



The Roman governors of Asia were, as 

 a rule, infected with that spirit of covet- 

 ousness and rapacity which was a marked 

 fault of the Roman character. While 

 often possessing excellent abilities, they 

 were, as a rule, cruel and grasping ; yet 

 Asia was able to endure and, after a cen- 

 tury, to recover from the rapacity of the 

 military administration. 



When the Empire was established bv 

 Julius Caesar, about 46 B. C, and con- 

 solidated and regulated by Augustus dur- 

 ing his long tenure of power, 31 B. C. to 

 14 A. D., a new system was established, 

 based on just collection and fair incidence 

 of taxation, and on general administra- 

 tion in the interest of the people of the 

 province. 



Under the emperors the well-developed 

 system of interchange of produce and the 

 ease and regularity of communication 

 along the seaways and the land-roads of 

 the Roman world tended to produce an 

 extremely high standard of well-being, 

 and even luxury and wealth, in the Med- 

 iterranean world as a whole, and particu- 

 larly in Asia Minor. 



The historian Gibbon remarks that there 

 has probably never been any period when 

 there was such a high standard of com- 

 fort and happiness in the world generally 

 as during the second century A. D., "the 

 age of the Antonines." 



My purpose is to describe very brieflv 

 the originating causes of the prosperity 

 of the country ; the greatness of the pop- 

 ulation and the high standard of wealth 

 which was attained through these various 

 causes ; the long process of decay ; the 

 possibility of recuperation and renewal of 

 the former happy condition. 



IRRIGATION IS ESSENTIAL TO ASIA MINOR'S 

 PRODUCTIVITY 



Very few parts of the Mediterranean 

 lands have been given to the use of man 

 by the hand of God in a condition of im- 



mediate and easy productiveness : much 

 time and labor have to be expended in 

 bringing them into that condition. That 

 is specially true of Asia Minor. 



The low grounds are frequently 

 marshy ; there is an over supply of water. 



The great level central plateau is arid; 

 for, although abundant rain falls, it must 

 be stored. 



The sloping grounds and hillsides are 

 liable to be swept clear of soil at certain 

 seasons by too abundant rains, which run 

 down and stagnate in the marshes of the 

 low lands. It is necessary, therefore, to 

 conserve and distribute the water-supply. 



On the hillsides an elaborate system of 

 terracing is required to retain the rain or 

 the melting snows, and so prevent dev- 

 astating floods. In the low ground the 

 marshes must be drained and transformed 

 into highly fertile soil. 



RELIGIOUS RITES INCLUDED SYSTEM 0E EN- 

 GINEERING AND AGRICULTURE 



These processes involve a large degree 

 of engineering skill. The ancients, who 

 looked to the Divine Power as their guide 

 throughout life, considered Herakles, or 

 a hero-god of similar character bearing a 

 different name in other parts of the Med- 

 iterranean world, as the Divine teacher 

 and herald of the rites of the earth-god- 

 dess and her religion. 



Those rites included a system of engi- 

 neering, agriculture, horticulture, domes- 

 tication of animals, and so on, adapted to 

 the various regions of the Mediterranean 

 lands. Among those Mediterranean lands 

 Asia Minor occupies an outstanding posi- 

 tion as the best example of growth, de- 

 Aelopment, wealth, and decay. 



I give one example of the need for en- 

 gineering skill, where I might give a 

 hundred. 



In 1907 we were making excavations 

 on the slopes and at the foot of the Kara- 

 Dagh in Lycaonia. On the mountain 

 side we observed above the ancient city 

 the traces of a system of terracing which 

 had been almost completely swept away. 

 The terracing was most conspicuous on 

 the banks of a dry course, where water 

 ran down from the mountain side during 

 rain. 



In the following year we returned to 

 complete the work. The oval recess in 

 the mountains, where the ancient city lav 



