The Roman Empire: the last nation of the ancient world to inherit the millennium-old accumulation of Aegean culture and civilization

To be sure, the bequest of Attalos III of Pergamon was merely the pretext by which the Romans swallowed up Asia Minor. Rome was well versed in the art of “divide and conquer”. As early as 189 B.C., the Roman consul Manlius Vulso, as the protector of King Eumenes II of Pergamon was dispatched with his brother on a campaign against Galatia. The consul advanced through the Menderes and Cjne valleys, extending as far as Karacasu and the plateaus of Arpaz, Alabanda, and Kanncah. This territory, under the nominal hegemony of the Seleucid kingdom, he presented to Pergamon as if it were his own.

Rome eventually turned the Pergamene kings into a clients and following the elimination of the last stumbling-block — King Aristonicus — in 129 B.C., Consul Marcus Aquilius was sent to take delivery of the kingdom of Pergamon.
The greatest resistance to Roman expansion in Anatolia came from King Mithridates VI Eupator of Pontus. During his wars with Rome, which lasted from 84 to 63 B.C. and were the occasion of many a bloody battle, this powerful king, who ruled much of Anatolia, invaded Greece and even dared to march against Rome. He managed to take Ionia and the city of Tralles and its surroundings. Despite this however, his success was short-lived.
It was Pompey and Julius Caesar who finally secured Roman hegemony in Anatolia. By 27 B.C., the wars were over and under the Roman Empire, such emperors as Augustus, Trajan, and Hadrian built up Asia Minor and made it prosperous. Caria, Ionia, and the Maeander valley all regained their former glory. The Romans were willing to adopt beneficial aspects of local cultures and through their exploitation of local resources and their development of roads and trade, all the ancient cities in the region — foremost among them being Ephesos, Miletos, and Aphrodesias — flourished and grew and were adorned with monumental structures.