| Ariarathes V "Father-Loving" | |
|---|---|
 coin of Ariarathes V | |
| King ofCappadocia | |
| Reign | 163–130 BC |
| Predecessor | Ariarathes IV |
| Successor | Ariarathes VI |
| Born | Cappadocia |
| Died | circ. 130 BC Cappadocia |
| Spouse | Nysa of Cappadocia |
| Issue | Ariarathes VI 5 other unnamed children |
| Greek | Λευκών |
| Father | Ariarathes IV |
| Mother | Antiochis |
| Religion | Greek Polytheism |
Ariarathes V Eusebes Philopator (Ancient Greek:Ἀριαράθης Εὐσεβής Φιλοπάτωρ; reigned 163–130 BC) was a son of the preceding kingAriarathes IV of Cappadocia and queenAntiochis. He was distinguished by his contemporaries for the excellence of his character and his cultivation ofphilosophy and theliberal arts and is considered by some historians to have been the greatest of the kings of Cappadocia.[1]
Ariarathes V was the son of the kingAriarathes IV of Cappadocia, and a nobleSeleucidGreek woman,Antiochis, who was the daughter of theSeleucid KingAntiochus III.[2][3][4] According toLivy,[5] he was educated inRome; but this account may perhaps refer to another Ariarathes. Rather, Ariarathes Eusebes probably spent his youth studying inAthens, where he seems to have become a friend of the future king of Pergamon,Attalus II Philadelphus.
In consequence of rejecting, at the wish of theRomans, a marriage withLaodice V, the sister ofDemetrius I Soter, the latter made war upon Ariarathes, and brought forwardOrophernes of Cappadocia, his brother and one of the supposed sons of the late king, as a claimant of the throne. Ariarathes was deprived of his kingdom, and fled to Rome in around 158 BC. He was restored to his throne by the Romans, who, however, allowed Orophernes to reign jointly with him, as is expressly stated byAppian,[6] and implied byPolybius.[7] The joint government, however, did not last long; for, shortly afterwards, Ariarathes was named as sole king.
In 154, Ariarathes assisted the king ofPergamon,Attalus II, in his war againstPrusias II of Bithynia, and sent his son Demetrius in command of his forces. Ariarathes was killed in 130, during the war of the Romans againstAristonicus of Pergamon. In return for the assistance and support Ariarathes has provided to the Romans on that occasion,Lycaonia andCilicia were added by the Romans to the dominions of his family.
By Ariarathes' wifeNysa of Cappadocia (who was the daughter of KingPharnaces I of Pontus) he had six children. However, all but one of the children were killed by their mother, so that she might obtain the government of the kingdom. After she had been put to death by the people on account of her cruelty, her only surviving son succeeded to the crown asAriarathes VI of Cappadocia.
Ariarathes was a strongphilhellene; he was honoured with Athenian citizenship. He refounded the two Cappadocian towns ofMazaca andTyana with the Greek name of Eusebia. He was generous in his donations to Athens and its institutions; an inscription remains by an association of professional actors which thanks him and his wife for his patronage. He corresponded with the Greek philosopherCarneades, asDiogenes Laërtius attests.[8]
... Ariarathes V was probably the greatest of the Cappadocian kings.
Antiochis, a daughter of Antiochus III, and aunt to both Antiochus V and Demetrius. Antiochis had been married to Ariarathes IV, the king of Cappadocia. At the time in question, her son Ariarathes V, the reigning king of Cappadocia asked Lysias' permission to rebury his mother's and sister's bodies in the family plot of the Cappadocian royal house.
Antiochus III, the Greek Seleucid Dynasty of Greater Syria captures Judea. 172 or 171-163
Although the Ptolemies and the Seleucids were perpetual rivals, both dynasties were Greek and ruled by means of Greek officials and Greek soldiers. Both governments made great efforts to attract immigrants from Greece, thereby adding yet another racial element to the population.
This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Smith, William, ed. (1870). "Ariarathes V.".Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology.
| Regnal titles | ||
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| Preceded by | King of Cappadocia 163 BC – 130 BC | Succeeded by |