Ptolemaeus of Commagene
Ptolemaeus (Greek: Πτολεμαῖος) (201 BC - 130 BC) was of Iranian[1] descent. Initially satrap of Commagene, he became the first King of Commagene in 163 BC. He belonged to the Orontid Dynasty, founded by Orontes I. Ptolemaeus' father was King Orontes IV of Armenia, son of Arsames I.
| Ptolemaeus | |
|---|---|
| Satrap of Commagene | |
| Reign | 163 BC - 130 BC |
| Successor | Sames II Theosebes Dikaios |
| Issue | Sames II Theosebes Dikaios |
| Dynasty | Orontid Dynasty |
| Father | Orontes IV |
Ptolemaeus was the last Satrap (Governor) of the state of Commagene, a province in the Seleucid Empire. He served under the Syrian Greek Kings Antiochus III the Great, Seleucus IV Philopator, Antiochus IV Epiphanes and Antiochus V Eupator.
Ptolemaeus served as Satrap of Commagene until 163 BC. When the Seleucid Empire began to disintegrate, in 163 BC Ptolemaeus decided to revolt and make Commagene an independent kingdom. Ptolemaeus also declared Samosata, the capital of Commagene under the Seleucid rule, as the capital of his new kingdom.
Ptolemaeus was a relative to King Mithridates I of Parthia. Also, according to fragments of inscribed reliefs found at Mount Nemrut, archaeologists have discovered that Ptolemaeus was a descendant of King Darius I of Persia. Ptolemaeus died in 130 BC and his wife is unknown. His son and successor was Sames II Theosebes Dikaios.
References
- Marciak 2017, p. 157; Garsoian 2005; Erskine, Llewellyn-Jones & Wallace 2017, p. 75; Babaie & Grigor 2015, p. 80; Sartre 2005, p. 23; Canepa 2010, p. 13
Sources
- Babaie, Sussan; Grigor, Talinn (2015). Persian Kingship and Architecture: Strategies of Power in Iran from the Achaemenids to the Pahlavis. I.B.Tauris. pp. 1–288. ISBN 9780857734778.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
- Canepa, Matthew (2010). "Achaemenid and Seleukid Royal Funerary Practices and Middle Iranian Kingship": 1–21. Cite journal requires
|journal=(help)CS1 maint: ref=harv (link) - Erskine, Andrew; Llewellyn-Jones, Lloyd; Wallace, Shane (2017). The Hellenistic Court: Monarchic Power and Elite Society from Alexander to Cleopatra. The Classical Press of Wales. ISBN 978-1910589625.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
- Garsoian, Nina (2005). "Tigran II". Encyclopaedia Iranica.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
- Marciak, Michał (2017). Sophene, Gordyene, and Adiabene: Three Regna Minora of Northern Mesopotamia Between East and West. BRILL. ISBN 9789004350724.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
- Sartre, Maurice (2005). The Middle East Under Rome. Harvard University Press. ISBN 9780674016835.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)