The Stadiasmus Patarensis is maybe better known as the Miliarium Lyciae, a Roman milestone that was found, as the name indicates, at Patara in ancient Lycia.
The monument has the shape of a pillar. It is of particular interest because it provides a roadmap of Lycia, listing no less than 63 roads with the distances between the fifty cities mentioned. Interestingly, one-third of these 63 roads have been uncovered so far; another five roads were located during excavations in eastern Lycia, and ten more in central Lycia. At present, archaeologists are investigating western Lycia near Fethiye and Seydikemer and discovered six more roads.
There is still a lot of work to be carried out, and researchers hope that eventually, they’ll be able to map the entire transportation infrastructure of Lycia, together with its administrative system in Roman times.
Back in 1994, they discovered loose blocks of this Stadiasmus Patarensis, and when they put them together, it resulted in a seven-meter-high monument carrying Greek inscriptions on three sides. The central face contains a dedication from 46 AD to Emperor Claudius. The side faces show an official list of roads built by Quintus Veranius, the first Roman governor of Lycia. Since the main face with the emperor’s dedication does not refer in any way to the roadmaps, scholars assume that the side panels are from a slightly later date.
Its initial purpose was to show the power of the Romans in Lycia and Patara as its capital was the right place to erect this monument. The inscription on the central panel describes the Lycians as loving Rome and Caesar, having restored “concord, equality before the law and ancestral laws’.
The above clip shows the reconstructed pillar from all sides and a fully restored view of the inscription. This precious milestone is on display in the gardens of the Museum of Antalya.
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