<P> With no apparent heir, Attalus III of Pergamum having been a close ally of Rome, chose to bequeath his kingdom to Rome . Upon Attalus's passing in 133 BC, Attalid pretender Eumenes III staged a rebellion . He defeated one of the consuls of 131 BC, Crassus Mucianus . The following consul Marcus Perperna, however, soon brought the war to a close . He defeated Eumenes in the first engagement, and followed up his victory by laying siege to Stratonikeia, whither Eumenes had fled . The town was compelled by famine to surrender, and the king accordingly fell into the consul's hands . Manius Aquillius formally established the region as Asia province . The bequest of the Attalid kingdom to Rome presented serious implications for neighboring territories . It was during this period that Pontus rose in status under the rule of Mithridates VI . He would prove to be a formidable foe to Rome's success in Asia province and beyond . </P> <P> Rome had always been very reluctant to involve itself in matters to the east . It typically relied on allies to arbitrate in the case of a conflict . Very rarely would Rome send delegations to the east, much less have a strong governmental presence . This apathy did not change much even after the gift from Attalus in 133 BC . In fact, parts of the Pergamene kingdom were voluntarily relinquished to different nations . For example, Great Phrygia was given to Mithridates V of Pontus . </P> <P> While the Senate was hesitant in involving itself in Asian affairs, others had no such reluctance . A law passed by Gaius Gracchus in 123 BC gave the right to collect taxes in Asia to members of the equestrian order . The privilege of collecting taxes was almost certainly exploited by individuals from the Republic . </P> <P> In case a community was unable to pay taxes, they borrowed from Roman lenders but at exorbitant rates . This more often than not resulted in default on said loans and consequently led Roman lenders to seize the borrower's land, their last remaining asset of value . In this way and by outright purchase, Romans dispersed throughout Asia province . </P>

During what period did asia minor come under roman control