After Philip V was defeated by the Romans at Cynos Cephalae in Thessaly in 197 BC, he made peace with Rome and returned to Macedonia. Shortly afterwards, Antiochos III sought to benefit from sudden power vacuum and occupied much of Asia minor. Eumenes I of Pergamon, however, feared a new attack and called once again for Roman assistance. In 192 BC, Rome declared war against
Antiochos, and invaded Asia minor under the nominal command of Scipio Africanus. Antiocos’ fleet, commanded by Hannibal, was defeated by Romans with rodhian help of Myonessos. In 188 BC, Antiochos was required by Rome to cede all of Asia minor. Rhodes was rewarded with control of part of the former Seleucid territory.
Macedonia became a roman province in 148 BC, after yet another war with Rome(3rd Macedonian war 171-68 BC). After an unsuccessful revolt by the Achaean league and the destruction by the Romans of Corinth, 146 BC, almost all of the greek world lay under roman control. This control was briefly interrupted in 88 BC, when the pontian king Mithridates VI led a greek revolt and invaded the Aegean.
In 85 BC, he made peace again, and Greeks would henceforth view roman rule as the most favorable to their interests. This has been aided by the cultural and artistic ‘Hellenization’ of the Romans; thus the ground was paved for a greek identification with the future Eastern roman, or byzantine empire.
Not much is known about nisyros in later roman times except that it suffered an attack in 41 BC by Anthony and Cleopatra after the battle of Pharsala for disobeying them(168). Just before this attack, in 42 BC, a roman fleet under Cassius had looted Rhodes and the surrounding islands.(169).
An inscription found in the property of Nikita Kafentzis at Pali seems to record an actual visit of the emperor Marcus Aurelius Severus(170).
With the establishment of “pax romana”, Nisyros entered a period of growth and prosperity. Under Vespasian(67-69 DC), Nisyros belonged to the roman ” provincia insularum”.
By the time of the roman emperor Diocletian’s abdication in 305 AD, Nisyros, like most other Aegean islands, formed part of the “Diocese of Asiana” which included all of Asia minor. Rhodes and the nearby islands suffered a serious earthquake in 155 AD
Extensive roman bath were constructed on the shore near a present site of Pali, which around the same time had emerged as a significant commercial town on account of its harbour(171). Just to the south and west of this space are the remains of a long east-west vaulted passage, or “stoa”, in which an inscription was found linking the building to the father of greek medicine, Hippocrates,” Happy is the man who, having traversed the olive wood threshold of these bath of Hippocrates that cleanse the body of illness, is cured”(172).
Excavation in 1986 to the east of here revealed a stone paved room and walls of the late roman period, which are likely to have been part of the roman baths. (173)
The identification of the structure in the inscription as a “Hippocratic” bathing establishment leaves little doubt that it is the site of earlier greek baths.
Numerous roman finds have also come to light around Mandraki, where one or two sculptor’s workshop, likely established in the late hellenistic times, made profitable business out of cutting tombstones from old marble fragments and altars, The deceased are depicted in a crude, provincial style, standing rigidly and frontally, sometimes holding hands, children on pedestals(presumably so the parents donnotmhave to be shown bending to hold them), above equally clumsy but endearing inscriptions bidding them farewell(“chaire”).
It is likely that many of these monuments were made for Greek and Roman retirees and afflicted persons who flocked to Nisyros seeking relief from their ailments at the island’s thermal bathing establishment.
Some of the better examples are now housed in the archaeological museum of Rodhes.
Archimandrites Kyrillos Romanos describes an inscription carved in rock at a place called “Grammatiki” at Arcana close to Avlaki, which dates to the roman period (174); this inscription(traced by the nisyrian archaeophile Georgios Chartofylis)(175), appears to be later, how describes professor Michael Haviaras as possibly byzantine.
The ruins mentioned are visible at the site called “Ellinika” east of Avlaki, seem to confirm the existence of ancient settlement or fort in this remote part of the island.
