In the summer of 2015,an inscription dating to AD 114/115 was found during the excavation of the ancient city of Laodikeia.This paper discusses how the inscription,which was likely issued by the provincial governor Marcus(Ostorius?)Scapula,can be useful in the study on the provincial governance during the Roman Principate.The governor established standards and punitive measures to ensure water quality and hydraulic facilities,created new municipal offices,and adjusted existing duties and responsibilities for the allocation,protection,and use of water resources.Municipal autonomy was one of major mechanism of the Roman Principate.The governor's intervention in local affairs was expected in local governance,but much depended upon local elites and institutions to materialise his intervention.Although the governor had the unrestricted power theoretically,other factors,such as the length of the governor's term,the size of the governor's staff and entourage,the precedents set by former emperors and governors,and the local individuals and groups with political and social power or influence,created dynamic pretexts that required careful navigation when exercising power.The Laodikeia edict offered an opportunity to assess how power balance,power dynamics,and consensus-building between the central and local authorities may have been like from the lens of the provincial governor.
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