Philopappos

Bronze coin of Philopappos fromSelinus (Cilicia)(ca. AD 72)

Mausoleum of Philopappos

Gaius Julius Antiochus Epiphanes PhilopapposorPhilopappus(Greek:Γάϊος Ἰούλιος Ἀντίοχος Ἐπιφανής Φιλόπαππος;65 – 116), was a Prince of theKingdom of Commagenewho lived in theRoman Empireduring the 1st century and 2nd century. He was one of the most prominent Greeks in the Empire.

Ancestry, family and early life

Philopappos was a man of aristocratic and well-connected origins. He was the first-born son of the Greek prince ofCommagene,Gaius Julius Archelaus Antiochus Epiphanesand anEgyptianGreekwoman calledClaudia Capitolina.His younger sister and only sibling wasJulia Balbilla,the poet and personal friend toEmperorHadrianand the EmpressVibia Sabina.

Philopappos’ parents were distantly related. The paternal grandmother of Claudia Capitolina was the Princess Aka II of Commagene, who was a great granddaughter of KingAntiochus I Theos of Commagene,while his father was the first-born son of KingAntiochus IV of Commageneand QueenJulia Iotapaof Commagene. Antiochus IV and Iotapa were direct descendants of Antiochus I Theos. Antiochus IV and Iotapa were husband, wife and full blooded-siblings. He was ofArmenian,GreekandMediandescent. Through his paternal grandparents, he could trace lineage to theSyrianKingdom, theSeleucid Empireand thePtolemaic Kingdom.

His maternal grandparents wereTiberius Claudius Balbilusand his wife, whose name is unknown. Balbilus was an astrologer and a learned scholar, who was laterPrefectof Egypt. Balbilus and his father, anEgyptianGreek grammarian and astrologer calledThrasyllus of Mendesor Tiberius Claudius Thrasyllus, were friends to some of the firstRoman Emperors,includingTiberius,Claudius,andVespasian.

Philopappos was born inSamosata,the capital of the Kingdom of Commagene, in the court of the palace of Antiochus IV. Philopappos’ birth name was Gaius Julius Antiochus Epiphanes. His nickname and the name he is known by now is Philopappos or Philopappus. Philopappos meansFond of Grandfather.He received this nickname because of his close relationship to Antiochus IV and possibly Tiberius Claudius Balbilus. Philopappos had a traditional Greek upper-class education.

In 72 AD,Lucius Caesennius Paetus,the Roman Governor ofSyria,sent letters addressed to Vespasian accusing Antiochus IV, Philopappos's father Epiphanes, and his paternal uncleCallinicusof planning to revolt againstRomeand of allying themselves with the King ofParthia.It is not known whether these accusations were true or false. After reading the letters Vespasian felt that he could longer trust the family of Antiochus IV to protect the strategic crossing at theEuphratesRiver at Samosata, and so he gave orders to Antiochus IV to terminate his rule in Commagene.

Paetus invaded the Kingdom of Commagene as head of theLegio VI Ferrata.The client KingsAristobulus of ChalcisandSohaemus of Emesaalso supplied troops to Paetus, all of which arrived the night before the battle. As Epiphanes and Callinicus prepared themselves that night for war, Antiochus IV was preparing to flee toCilicia.

On the morning of the day on which the battle was supposed to occur, out of fear of the Romans, Epiphanes, along with his family, and Callinicus fled to the King of Parthia while Antiochus IV fled to Cilicia. There is a possibility that Epiphanes and Callinicus had engaged in a short-lived attempt to resist invasion before they fled toParthia.

The family of Antiochus IV had let their own army and the citizens of Commagene down. Antiochus IV and his family had never wanted to cause a war with Rome and they wanted to clear themselves of these accusations. Vespasian brought Epiphanes and his family and Callinicus peacefully back to Rome with an honor guard. Epiphanes and his family and Callinicus lived in Rome with Antiochus IV for the remainder of his life. Vespasian had given Antiochus IV and his family sufficient revenue to live on, and so they had a glamorous life and were treated with great respect.

Philopappos and his family never returned to Commagene. Commagene was reorganized as a part of the Roman Province ofSyriaand there the citizens of Commagene proved to be loyal subjects of the Roman Empire.

Life after Commagene

In 72, Philopappos's sisterJulia Balbillawas born in Rome. After the deaths of both of his grandfathers, Philopappos and his family settled inAthens.His father died in 92 of unknown causes, after which, Claudia Capitolina returned to her birth city ofAlexandria,where she married for the second time toMarcus Junius Rufus,a politician. Capitolina spent her remaining years in her birth city; for a period of time Balbilla was with her mother, but later returned to Philopappos in Athens.

Philopappos always considered himself as having the status of a monarch. He spent the remainder of his life inAthensand became a prominent and respected benefactor of the city. Philopappos assumed civic, political, and religious duties inAthensandRome.He belonged to the Roman elite and became friends with theEmperorTrajanand Trajan's heir and second paternal cousinHadrian.Through Trajan and Hadrian, Philopappos also met their families.

Philopappos hadRomanand Athenian citizenship. He served as anArchonin Athens and had become friends with Greek philosophers, through whom he became acquainted with the Greek historianPlutarch.In his writings, Plutarch describes Philopappos as ‘very generous and magnificent in his rewards’ and describes his character as ‘good-humored and eager for instruction’.

Philopappos served as aChoregos(producer for a chorus) twice; as anAgonothetes(magistrate of games) once and was a member of theDemeBesa. Between 105 and 116, Philopappos was made a member of theArval Brethren,an ancient group of Roman priests who offered annual sacrifices to theLaresand the gods to guarantee good harvests.

Trajan appointed him to thePraetorian GuardinRome.Thereafter, Trajan and Hadrian promoted him to theRoman Senate,even though neither his father nor paternal grandfather was of senatorial rank. Philopappos rose further through the ranks and served as asuffect consulin 109.

There is a possibility that Philopappos married at some point, and may have had children and further descendants; however, there are no surviving records of this.

Philopappos Monument

Philopappos Monument

Further information:Philopappos Monument

Philopappos' death in 116 caused great sadness to his sisterJulia Balbilla,the citizens of Athens, and possibly to the imperial family. To honor his memory, Balbilla, along with the citizens of Athens, erected a tomb structure on theMouseion Hill,southwest of theAcropolis.His marble tomb is known as the “Philopappos Monument”,and from it, the hill became known as the “Philopappos Hill”.

Philopappos in popular culture

One of the adversaries of the title character ofDigenis Akritasis a leader of brigands named Philopappas. According to Dension Bingham Hall, the name of this character was taken from the historical personage, adding that "many legends surround this name, some of which have been woven into the poem."

Sources

• AthenaeusDeipnosophistaeVIII.350c
• JosephusBellum Judaeum238-243
• Pausanias (geographer)I.25.8
• PlutarchQuaestiones Convivales628a &Quomodo ab adulatore discernatur amicus48e & 66c
• IGII² 1759, 3112, 3450, 3451, & 4511; IG V.2.524
• Inscriptions du Colosse de Memnonnos. 28-31, & OGIS 408

Bibliography

• Baslez, M. F.(1992). "La famille de Philopappos de Commagène, un prince entre deux mondes".Dialogues d'histoire ancienne.18(1): 89–101.
• Kleiner, Diana E. E. (1983).The monument of Philopappos in Athens.Roma: G. Bretschneider.ISBN9788885007680.

External links

Media related toGaius Iulius Philopappusat Wikimedia Commons

• Photographs of Philopappos Monument