Antiochus III of Commagene
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Antiochus III | |||||
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King ofCommagene | |||||
Reign | 12 BC – 17 AD (29 years) | ||||
Predecessor | Mithridates III | ||||
Successor | Antiochus IV | ||||
Died | 17 AD | ||||
Spouse | Princess Iotapa of Commagene | ||||
Issue | Antiochus IV of Commagene Julia Iotapa, Queen of Commagene | ||||
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House | Orontid dynasty | ||||
Father | King Mithridates III of Commagene | ||||
Mother | Princess Iotapa of Media Atropatene |
Antiochus III Epiphanes(Greek:Ἀντίοχος ὀ Ἐπιφανής,flourished 1st century BC and 1st century AD) was the ruler of theKingdom of Commagenefrom 12 BC to 17 AD. He was the son and successor of KingMithridates III of CommageneandIotapa,and of mixedIranian,[1]Armenian,[2]GreekandMediandescent – the last through his mother. His parents were first cousins.
When Antiochus died in 17 AD, his death created major issues for the kingdom, which was in political turmoil at the time.[3]The reasons for this situation are unclear, but it may have been the consequence of his children, Antiochus and Iotapa, being too young to succeed their father. This may have meant that there was no effective authority to prevent civil unrest and unite the citizens of Commagene.
Very little is known on his life and his reign as King. After Antiochus' death, two factions appeared: One faction was led by noblemen, who wanted Commagene to be placed under the rule of theRoman Empire;the other was led by citizens who wanted Commagene's independence to be retained under the rule of their own king.
Both factions sent embassies toRome,seeking the advice and assistance of EmperorTiberiusto decide the future of Commagene. Tiberius decided to make Commagene a part of theRoman provinceofSyria.That decision was welcomed by many of the citizens by Commagene, which remained under Roman rule untilCaligularestored the kingdom to Antiochus’ children in 38 AD.
Antiochus III and his son are honoured on thePhilopappos MonumentinAthens,Greece,dedicated to his great-grandson, PrinceGaius Julius Antiochus Epiphanes Philopappos,who was a prominent and respected citizen in Athens. In the left figure of the monument is a statue of Antiochus III's son, Antiochus IV. Below Antiochus IV is an inscription that statesKing Antiochus son of King Antiochus.
References[edit]
- ^Marciak (2017),p. 157;Garsoian (2005);Erskine, Llewellyn-Jones & Wallace (2017),p. 75;Babaie & Grigor (2015),p. 80;Sartre 2005,p. 23
- ^Chahin (2001),pp. 190–191
- ^Tacitus.The Annals. .
Sources[edit]
- 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.ISBN9780857734778.
- Chahin, Mark (2001).The Kingdom of Armenia.Routledge. pp. 190–191.ISBN0-7007-1452-9.
- 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.ISBN978-1910589625.
- Garsoian, Nina (2005)."Tigran II".Encyclopaedia Iranica.
- Marciak, Michał (2017).Sophene, Gordyene, and Adiabene: Three regna minora of northern Mesopotamia between east and west.Brill.ISBN9789004350724.
- Sartre, Maurice (2005).The Middle East under Rome.Harvard University Press.ISBN9780674016835.
- Tacitus."Chapter 4, First treason trials".The Annals.Vol. Part One: Tiberius.