1. P. S. Vatia and his campaigns in Cilicia
The campaigns of P. Servilius Vatia are only imperfectly understood. Thanks to the unsatisfactory nature of our sources there are difficulties with chronology and topography. An outline may, however, be given and that presented here largely follows the plausible reconstruction of historian A. N. Sherwin-White.1
Servilius was consul in 79 BC and was assigned the province of Cilicia. At the time this comprised Pamphylia, Pisidia and Lycaonia with nearby districts of Caria, Lycia and Phrygia. Servilius arrived in the province either late in 79 BC or early in 78 BC. His first task was to tackle the pirates of the southern Aegean who had increased in power since the Romans left the area in 89 BC. Servilius’ predecessor as governor Cn. Cornelius Dolabella had moved against them but much remained to be done. The chief pirate was Zenicetes who controlled the ports of eastern Lycia, Corycus, Olympus and Phaselis. Servilius spent the summer of 78/77 BC operating against him and drove him out of Pamphylian waters. He also took Attaleia and the strongholds of Zenicetes. After this Servilius turned to campaigning by land. He advanced through the mountains of Pisidia and into the upland region of Isauria. To complete his work Servilius built a road along the central route of his campaigns. His successes won him a triumph on his return to Rome in 74 BC. The campaign against the pirates had no lasting success and the Romans were obliged to move against them some years later. The result of the land campaign however was the re-opening of the direct route to Cappadocia.
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