Geographical Journal (Journal of the Royal Geographical Society): Volume VIII, No. 5 [‎31v] (65/154)

468
A JOURNEY IN THE VALLEY OF THE UPPER EUPHRATES.
direct from Nicopolis to the probable site of Zimara, near Pingan, and joining tho
Satala—Melitene road near the bridge over the Kara Budak, in the neighbourhood
of which Ramsay and Kiepert agree in placing Analibla. A possible course for
such a road is given us in the route travelled by Taylor * from Purk (Nicopolis) to
Zimara. This road, which Taylor implies is practicable for wheels as far as the
gorge of the upper Armidan or Kuru Chai Su, passes, soon after leaving Purk, at
Ashkhar, a Roman milestone, of which he published a copy, and which has been
sx.bsequently seen by Messrs. Hogarth and Munro.f From Purk to this point, an
old road was observed by him and by the other travellers. Subsequently Taylor
crossed the Kara Budak at or very near the spot where we found the remains of the
bridge. The milestone at Ashkhar is assigned by Mr. Munro to the road Nicopolis—
Sebastea, but it is equally possible that it may have belonged to the road Nicopolis—
Zimara—Melitene, which, if it followed Taylor’s route, would have joined the Satala
—Melitene road near the bridge over the Kara Budak. It is impossible to prove
that this route represents the Roman road from Nicopolis, but it seems to be tho
most likely course to have been chosen for that road. It hits off the bridge over
which the main road certainly passed, and there are remains on it which show that
for some part of the way a Roman road once went. There is no epigraphical evidence
in favour of Ramsay’s restoration of this road, and if the position of the bridge over
the Kara Budak as regards the line of Taylor’s route and the direct and easy nature
of the road from Purk to the bridge are taken into consideration, the conclusion
seems to be inevitable that Kiepert s restoration of the road is the more probable.
The History of the Lines.
We cannot claim to have discovered much which throws new light on the
history of the roads and fortifications of the Euphrates. Unfortunately, the
evidence of milestones, which is so abundant on the Caesarea— Melitene road’ and
from which the history of this section of the great highway to the East can be
written with some degree of certainty, vanishes when the valley of the Euphrates
is reached. Along the course of the river from Samosata to Satala only five
inscriptions which bear the names of Roman emperors have as yet been found,
these are at the bridge of Kiakhta,^ on a milestone near Melitene (p. 328), at the
bridge over the Kara Budak (p. 456), on a milestone near Melik Sherif,§ and at
batala (p. 460, note).\\
°n account of this dearth of inscriptions, the history of the roads, which have
been briefly discussed above, must be written mainly from the very few literary
references to this part of the Roman Empire, and the records which we possess of
the legions there stationed.
in me reign of Augustus Cappadocia and Commagene were both client states
under native princes, and there is no evidence of any regular Roman troops bavin*
been posted then on the Euphrates.^ Tiberius first made Cappadocia a province”
and brought Commagene under direct control; but the latter state was given back
* Loc. cit., pp. 301 ff.
t Munro, lot cit., p. 727 ; ‘ C.I.L.,’ vol. in. p. 6057.
t C.I.L., vol. m. Suppl. 6709-6714. K‘rTT ’ ™i ;• on*
1 T be , added the milestone of Trajan, near Purk (p. 465) 0C.I.L. ’
V ° f Hogarth CS^rpl-r fpr? c“ PreS8 ’ Julia Domna ’ which we found at Satala.
0 23Mh ’ vo1 - p - 7 , 10) makC8 a mi8take in sa ^ ^
early as the time of AuJstel' Dion cl"" 0 " 6 ! egi ° nS Statioiied in Cappadocia as
of the legions in his own°day. ’ 10 thlS pas8a S e ’ onl y g lves the stations