| Ariarathes VI | |
|---|---|
 | |
| King ofCappadocia | |
| Reign | 130–116 BC |
| Predecessor | Ariarathes V |
| Successor | Ariarathes VII |
| Died | 116 BC |
| Spouse | Laodice of Cappadocia |
| Issue | Nysa (wife of Nicomedes IV) |
| Dynasty | Ariarathid |
| Father | Ariarathes V |
| Mother | Nysa of Cappadocia |
Ariarathes VI Epiphanes Philopator (Ancient Greek:Ἀριαράθης Ἐπιφανής Φιλοπάτωρ), was theAriarathid king ofCappadocia from 130 BC to 116 BC. He was the youngest son ofAriarathes V of Cappadocia andNysa of Cappadocia.
"Ariarathes" is theHellenized form of anOld Iranian name, perhaps*Arya-wratha ("havingAryan joy").[1] The name is attested inAramaic asAriorath orAriourat, and in laterLatin sources asAriaratus.[2]
He was a child at his succession, and for this reason the power was kept by his mother, who acted as his regent. At some point his mother seems to have poisoned all of Ariarathes’ five brothers; but the infant king was saved by people loyal to the dynasty and had Nysa killed. Using this as a pretext, his maternal uncle, KingMithridates V Euergetes ofPontus (150 BC–120 BC), tried to assert control over the country by marrying Ariarathes to Mithridates' first daughter,Laodice of Cappadocia, who was also Ariarathes' maternal cousin. Laodice bore Ariarathes one daughter and two sons:Nysa who married KingNicomedes III Euergetes ofBithynia;Ariarathes VII Philometor andAriarathes VIII Epiphanes.
Since this wasn't deemed enough to transform Cappadocia in a satellite of Pontus, Mithridates V Euergetes' son,Mithridates VI, murdered Ariarathes usingGordius, a Cappadocian nobleman.[3] On his death the kingdom was briefly ruled by Ariarathes' widow and then seized by King Nicomedes III of Bithynia, who married Laodice, the king's widow. Nicomedes III was soon expelled by Mithridates VI, who placed upon the throne Ariarathes VII.
While most Cappadocian kings preferred to portray themselves with a Hellenisticdiadem, Ariarathes VI combined the diadem with a raretiara, thus portraying himself in a royalIranian manner.[4] However, he still continued to mint coins of himself wearing a diadem only, while coins of him wearing a tiara was mainly used on histetradrachms, which implies that it was probably done with the purpose for the grandees and kings ofArmenia,Commagene, Pontus, and possiblyParthia, to see it.[4] The modern historian Matthew Canepa (2017) suggested that Ariarathes VI minted these two different types of images "to promote both cultural backgrounds in the numismatic medium intended for the army, court and foreign circulation."[4]
This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Smith, William, ed. (1870). "Ariarathes (VI)".Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology. Vol. 1. p. 285.
| Preceded by | King of Cappadocia 130 BC – 116 BC | Succeeded by |
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